I, a useless prince, started with the Xiang Yu template.

Beiliang City is not large.

The news spread extremely quickly.

The news that the prefect and a host of officials, both high and low, had been arrested on the spot spread throughout the city in a very short time, along the city gates and streets.

At first, no one in the city dared to believe it.

The governor of Beiliang has been entrenched in this area for more than a decade, and his power is deeply entrenched.

He was the true local emperor of Northern Liang.

He usually acts arrogantly and domineeringly, and no one dares to interfere or provoke him.

Who would have thought that he would be arrested at the city gate by the newly arrived King of Qin?

Until the people on the street saw it with their own eyes.

A group of black-clad imperial guards escorted a string of disheveled officials in dirty robes along the main street.

The leader was none other than the governor of Beiliang, who was usually aloof and oppressive and levied exorbitant taxes on the people.

His hands were bound, his face was pale, he looked utterly disheveled, and he didn't even have the strength to lift his head.

At this moment, the entire city was in an uproar.

People along the street stopped and gathered on both sides of the road, pointing and discussing the matter.

At the front of the crowd, an old man with a stall gripped his carrying pole tightly, his face full of satisfaction.

"Good riddance! These bastards finally got their comeuppance!"

"He should have been arrested long ago! He's been a scourge to Northern Liang for years!"

A woman in plain clothes next to him nodded repeatedly, her tone full of resentment.

"Last time the barbarians attacked, the entire city's inhabitants fought to the death to defend it!"

"They, on the other hand, took their money and families and ran faster than rabbits!"

"What's the use of keeping an official like that around, leaving us to die in the city!"

Among the crowd, many young people looked on with curiosity and asked each other questions.

"Who are these soldiers? What kind of unit are they? How dare they be so bold?"

A middle-aged man with some knowledge immediately spoke up to answer, his voice loud and clear.

"You still don't know?"

"Several thousand troops have arrived outside the city, their carriages and horses stretching for miles!"

"Today, His Highness the Prince of Qin has come to Northern Liang to assume his fiefdom!"

"From this day forward, the entire Northern Liang prefecture will be His Highness Prince Qin's fiefdom!"

These words immediately caused an uproar among the surrounding crowd.

"King of Qin? Which King of Qin?"

Someone asked, looking bewildered.

The middle-aged man looked at him with admiration and raised his voice.

"It's that war god of the northern frontier!"

"The sixth prince who recently stormed the barbarian camp in the dead of night, burned the supplies of hundreds of thousands of barbarian soldiers, and repelled the northern barbarian army in one battle!"

Everyone suddenly realized, and their eyes lit up instantly.

"So it was him! I've heard of him before!"

"That's a true young hero, with a distinguished record of military exploits!"

Some people couldn't help but wonder and muttered under their breath.

"Why would you give up being a prince, enjoying endless wealth and luxury, to come to this godforsaken, desolate place like Beiliang?"

Someone immediately responded.

"I heard from the soldiers outside the city that His Highness the King of Qin volunteered for the mission!"

"We volunteered to come to the northern frontier to guard the nation's gates, to shield us from the barbarians' swords!"

These words struck a chord deep within the hearts of all the people.

For generations, the people of Beiliang suffered from the invasions of barbarians and endured the hardships of war.

Year after year of looting, year after year of casualties.

The officials in the imperial court were afraid of war, and the border guards were weak, which had long since chilled the hearts of the people.

Now, a war god prince has arrived, daring to fight and willing to guard the frontier.

They had barely entered the city when they took down all the corrupt officials who had abandoned the city.

Public sentiment was instantly stabilized.

A long-lost joy appeared on everyone's face.

"Excellent! With His Highness the Prince of Qin here, the barbarians will no longer dare to raid southwards at will!"

"Now, the people of Beiliang can finally live a peaceful life!"

"This new prince truly cares about us common people!"

People watched and praised along the way.

Even before Chu Yun officially took office in the city, the hearts of the people had already largely turned to him.

The first move upon entering Beiliang completely changed the mindset of the entire city's residents.

The favorability rating is maxed out.

........

The carriages and horses slowly entered the city.

Chu Yun sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain, and quietly observed the scene inside the city.

The more he looked, the deeper his brow furrowed.

The entire city of Beiliang was dilapidated and desolate, a scene of utter devastation.

On both sides of the main street, many houses have collapsed to the point of being half-collapsed.

Broken walls and ruins are everywhere, bricks and tiles are scattered all over the ground, and no one is repairing them.

Nine out of ten shops along the street were empty, with most doors and windows tightly shut, having been closed for a long time.

The road surface was uneven, covered with dust and dried dark red bloodstains.

The streets were nearly deserted, with hardly any pedestrians.

There was no vitality, no warmth, only decay and desolation everywhere.

During the last major invasion by the Northern Barbarians, Beiliang City was ravaged.

The barbarian soldiers entered the city, burning, killing, looting, and wantonly slaughtering the people.

Most of the houses in the city were destroyed, and countless people died tragically in the streets.

Only after the barbarian army retreated did the people who had fled to the deep mountains dare to return with their families.

However, the government failed to govern, provide disaster relief, or repair the city.

Day after day, the entire city fell into complete ruin and decay.

A dark look flashed across Chu Yun's eyes.

The devastation of Beiliang was ten times worse than he had anticipated.

The army needs to be trained, the city needs to be repaired, the officials need to be disciplined, and the people need to live in peace.

There are countless things to do, and everything needs to be rebuilt.

He quickly sorted out the priorities in his mind.

The most important thing right now is not training troops, nor is it cracking down on corruption.

It is about restoring people's livelihoods.

First, repair the houses and then tidy up the streets and alleys.

To ensure that people have a place to live, food to eat, and a stable life to live.

Only when the people are at peace and the city is restored can there be a solid foundation for a strong military to defend the border.

.......

The carriage arrived at the gate of the prefectural governor's mansion.

Chu Yun stepped down from the carriage and immediately gave an order to Qinglong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard beside him.

"Pass on my orders."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guards will immediately divide their forces and deploy them throughout the city."

"First, seal up all private residences, mansions, and warehouses of officials in office, and take stock of their private assets and funds."

"Second, issue an order to all government offices, all on-duty officials, clerks, runners, and inspectors in Beiliang City."

"Within half an hour, everyone must assemble in front of the prefectural governor's mansion and await orders."

"Anyone who fails to arrive by the deadline will be treated as an official who neglects his duty and deserts his post, and will be arrested and prosecuted immediately!"

Qinglong clasped his hands in acceptance of the order and quickly led his men away in different directions.

Messengers rode their horses through the streets and alleys, spreading orders to every government office in the city.

A chilling atmosphere instantly enveloped the entire city of Beiliang.

.......

Less than an hour later.

The once quiet gates of the prefectural governor's mansion were now densely packed with people.

Civil officials in government offices, police officers, granary managers, minor officials in city defense, and street patrol inspectors.

Officials from all departments and levels arrived at the scene.

Everyone stood still, their expressions filled with fear and unease.

The news that the prefect and all the officials in charge had been arrested had already spread throughout the city.

Everyone felt a heavy weight on their hearts, filled with unease.

Whispers of anxiety rose and fell among the crowd.

"It's over, this is a complete disaster! The prefect and his entourage have all been arrested!"

"This new King of Qin is too domineering! He's already clashing with the local strongmen as soon as he entered the city!"

An old constable turned pale and muttered under his breath.

"Do you think... the King of Qin might arrest us all?"

Upon hearing this, many people around panicked instantly.

Someone quickly spoke up to comfort them.

"Probably not! We're just low-level employees; we haven't made any major mistakes!"

"If all the officials were arrested, the government would be paralyzed, and the city's administration would be in chaos. The King of Qin wouldn't do that!"

"Hard to say! Who knows what kind of person this young prince is!"

"I've heard he's extremely ruthless, showing no mercy in battle, and I'm afraid he'll be the same way in dealing with the bureaucracy!"

Everyone was whispering amongst themselves, their minds uneasy.

No one knows what fate awaits them next.

Some people are afraid of being held accountable for their crimes.

Some people were afraid of losing their official positions and livelihoods.

Some people were uneasy, unsure of the new prince's rules of governance.

In front of the prefectural governor's mansion.

People were unsettled, and panic spread.