Shulong Daojun

Now, Jiang Heng returned to the county government office, and his gaze fell on a certain spot, naturally reminding him of something.

He stepped forward, passing the righteous god of Chuzhou, and arrived at the group of familiar blue-robed local earth gods beside him. He cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Gentlemen, the lord will be here shortly."

Upon hearing this, the local official was startled, but then a bright smile appeared on his face as he replied, "Thank you for informing me, Brother Jiang."

Brother Jiang is indeed a man of his word. Under his rule, Chuzhou County will surely become increasingly stable, and the people will enjoy greater peace and well-being.

The other landowner quickly chimed in, "Hahaha, absolutely right, absolutely right!"

Amidst the praises, the local deities who knew Jiang Heng stepped forward, smiling, and approached him, adjusting their divine robes and tidying their appearance.

On this first visit, I must make a good impression on Lord City God.

Upon seeing this, the magistrate of Chuzhou was stunned, then became angry, his face darkened, and he shouted, "What sir? What are you doing?"

I am the righteous god of this county, I am the one who...

Before he could finish speaking, a chorus of welcoming voices drowned out his words.

The righteous god of Chuxian looked in the direction of the sound and caught sight of Lin Shu's figure. He sensed the faint but powerful aura emanating from him and was both surprised and suspicious, his expression changing repeatedly.

He wondered to himself: How could a city god come here?

At the same time, without pausing, he hurriedly cupped his hands and respectfully said, "Zheng Shen Gu Changming of Chu County greets Your Excellency."

Lin Shu glanced around, pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and said softly, "No need for formalities."

I came not on official business, but for personal matters. It was on a whim to enjoy the moon and relax. I happened to meet some acquaintances there, so I stopped to say hello and take a look around.

Please pretend I'm not here.

Having said that, he smiled slightly at the land deity who came to greet him, then turned to the remaining gods and raised his hand to indicate that they did not need to pay attention.

Although Lin Shu did not know what had happened, he figured it must be related to Jiang Heng, so he decided to keep the group of righteous gods in check.

The divine path has its rules, and so do mortals. All he can do is ensure that the gods adhere to the bottom line that "true gods should not easily interfere in mortal affairs."

The local people on the ground showed mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, their expressions shifting for a moment before they all obeyed the order.

Gu Changming inwardly groaned: Although this City God said such things, how could he pretend not to see such a big living person standing here?

He sighed, hesitated for a moment, and said respectfully, "According to the rules, I must report this matter to the City God of Pingjiang. I hope you will forgive me, sir."

Lin Shu waved his hand and smiled, "That's only right."

After saying this, he walked up to Jiang Heng and said softly, "If any righteous god makes a move, I will stop him for you. This is all I have done."

"My lord..." Jiang Heng said in a low voice, "Thank you."

He immediately took a deep breath, his eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice to Kong Ling beside him, "Untie the magistrate."

Then he ordered his men to find strips of cloth and gag the guards, gentry, and local bullies.

"Yes," Kong Ling replied, bowing.

Before long, the county magistrate, who had been in a deep sleep, lay on the ground of the county government office, his limbs limp.

At this moment, Jiang Heng raised his hand and summoned Kong Ling, instructing him to lean down and listen closely while he whispered a few words of advice.

Kong Ling nodded repeatedly in agreement.

After the matter was concluded, silence fell over the county government office.

Lin Shu summoned Bei Chen to come to Gu Changming's side and stood quietly with his hands behind his back.

He remained silent, and all the righteous gods lowered their heads, remaining completely silent.

Jiang Heng squatted down in front of the county magistrate, watching and waiting quietly.

And so it went, until a rooster crowed—

The magistrate opened his eyes, his head throbbing. In his hazy state, he saw a familiar figure and felt a sense of relief. He then rubbed his forehead and muttered, "Strange, how could he be so drunk after only half a bowl of wine?"

"Young man Jiang, come help me up, my head is throbbing."

Jiang Heng stepped forward in response and hurriedly helped the magistrate up, saying with concern, "Magistrate, please be careful."

Although I have captured Chuzhou County, I still need the county magistrate's assistance in governing the county and appeasing the people to ensure its stability.

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate shuddered, his eyes suddenly brightening. He immediately pushed Jiang Heng away and sat up to look around.

Seeing the guards bound hand and foot, staring blankly and stammering, he became furious. He turned around, pointed at Jiang Heng, and cursed, "Beast!"

I have placed such trust in you, bestowing upon you a waist token and appointing you to oversee the spring plowing and rewarding activities. I regard you as a close friend despite our age difference, and we drink and chat freely together.

You...you actually became a traitor, plotting against my Chuzhou County and harming the people of my county! You are utterly despicable!

After saying this, the county magistrate's face turned red, he was panting and his hands were trembling, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Jiang Heng did not respond, his expression seemingly lost in thought. Only after the county magistrate had finished cursing did he say calmly, "The county magistrate is a native of Chuxian, and naturally he is thinking of the people of Chuxian. I can understand why you are so angry now."

However, I am a refugee seeking refuge, and by the same token, I am naturally considering the needs of refugees.

Each acted for the benefit of their own people; I, Jiang, merely did the same thing as the county magistrate.

"You! You're talking nonsense." The county magistrate choked for a moment, then laughed angrily and said, "Jiang Heng, as a refugee, you should know how much effort I have put into protecting them."

On one hand, the official granary was filled with grain to provide for his food, clothing and other necessities, which angered the people in the county and made the official himself disliked. On the other hand, the official's actions caused discontent among the people in the county and made him disliked.

"It's one thing for you to be ungrateful, but to do something like this—where is your conscience?"

Having said that, he glared angrily at Jiang Heng, Kong Ling, and the others.

Kong Ling and the other rebelling people all lowered their heads, but their spears remained firmly in their hands.

Jiang Heng nodded, a look of reminiscence in his eyes, and said, "I will always remember the kindness of the county magistrate."

Therefore, after capturing Chuzhou County, we only aimed to stabilize the county and arrested some local gentry and powerful figures, without harming a single person in the county.

This recapture of the county is intended to resolve the conflict between the people of both sides and to make Chuzhou County better and better.

The fact that the county magistrate was untied without any persecution demonstrates sincerity.

Upon hearing that the people of the county were safe and sound, the county magistrate breathed a sigh of relief, but then sneered and rebuked, "What you say is utterly absurd."

"How could Chuzhou County have fallen into the hands of rebels...?"

Halfway through his sentence, Jiang Heng suddenly spoke up and shouted, "May I ask, Your Excellency, the official granaries of Chu County are empty. What should we do then?"

But are you telling me to starve to death outside the county? To be eaten by wild dogs and reduced to a pile of bones?

"That's absolutely impossible!" the magistrate replied anxiously.

He immediately flicked his official robe and declared confidently, "As long as I am here, I will protect you all."

Jiang Heng strode forward, his gaze fixed on him, and said, "What does the county magistrate have to protect?"

Countless people sought refuge in various regions and counties. After the coldest days of winter, their granaries were already empty, and they had no way to report to their superiors or seek help from others.

When food is scarce, the common strategy for providing relief is either to offer amnesty or to suppress the enemy.

The former allowed the elderly, weak, women, and children to starve to death, while the latter set up fences and moats to trap refugees until they died.

Which option would the magistrate prefer?