From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

"I hereby order the Marquis of Jing'an and the Marquis of Dingyuan to recruit able-bodied soldiers and gather provisions to quell the rebellion and ease my mind..."

Suppressing the rebellion?

Upon hearing the contents of the imperial edict, Chen Shi was taken aback.

Although it was somewhat sudden, upon reflection it made sense. The rebels had already captured two counties, and their influence was spreading rapidly like wildfire. How could the imperial court possibly let them get away with it?

As for allowing the Marquis of Jing'an and the Marquis of Dingyuan to quell the rebellion, that is perfectly reasonable.

Both families were originally military officers, and they lived in Yongqiu City, so they were close by and could help each other in times of need.

However, Chen Shi was puzzled as to why they should recruit strong soldiers and collect provisions on their own, instead of the imperial court dispatching troops.

"So be it!"

A moment's distraction, and with a loud shout, the imperial edict had been read aloud.

"Your subject, Gu Tingshu, receives the imperial decree. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Gu Tingshu shouted, and the entire Marquis's mansion roared "Long live the Emperor!" and then knelt and kowtowed three times and nine times.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Tingshu raised both hands above his head and respectfully accepted the imperial edict.

Only then did the imperial decree announcement ceremony come to an end.

Everyone stood up, and Gu Tingshu led the imperial envoy to the front hall to entertain him. The imperial edict was handed to Zhou Bingzhi, who had rushed over, and he was instructed to have it copied and kept on file. The original was properly preserved.

The rest of the people dispersed.

"Suppress the rebellion? Hmph."

Back at the Lijin Hall, Chen Shi snorted softly and shook his head.

What rebels and traitors? They're just a bunch of starving refugees. As long as the court opens the granaries and distributes food, even if they don't have enough to eat, as long as they don't starve to death, who would rebel?

Even he understood this principle, so Chen Shi didn't believe the court was unaware of it.

It's not that they don't understand; there are other obstacles involved.

Chen Shi lacked height, so his vision was not broad enough, and he couldn't see that far.

Thinking of this, Chen Shi shook his head. The affairs of the court were none of his business, at least not at the moment, so why should he bother with them?

It was already time to finish his shift, but having just received the imperial decree, there must still be something going on at the manor. As the steward, Chen Shi naturally had to stay at the manor.

A moment later, news came from the front that the messenger angel had already left.

But the Marquis was still in the front hall. He first summoned several advisors from the mansion, and then called over the two young masters, Gu Chenglie and Gu Chengxun.

The Marquis wasn't resting over there, so Chen Shi still didn't dare to leave without permission.

With nothing else to do, I decided to continue practicing the Elephant King Stance.

Just before the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), a servant came running and said that the master had summoned him.

Chen Shi dared not delay, straightened his clothes, and immediately went to the front hall.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Um."

Gu Tingshu raised his hand, indicating that Chen Shi should dispense with the formalities, and then spoke directly.

"You heard the imperial edict just now. The Emperor has ordered me to lead troops to quell the rebellion. This is a good opportunity, so you should go with him."

"I?"

Chen Shi opened his mouth, his face full of surprise.

He thought he was going to be handed over with instructions on household affairs, but to his surprise, Gu Tingshu actually asked him to participate in the suppression of the rebellion.

However, Gu Tingshu was not lying about one thing: this was indeed a good opportunity.

Many people would go to great lengths to get this opportunity.

While the battlefield is dangerous, it can sometimes also bring enormous benefits.

Especially in suppressing rebellions.

As for why Gu Tingshu wanted to bring him along, Chen Shi pondered that one reason was to give him experience. After all, as the chief steward of the Marquis's residence, his abilities needed to be improved as soon as possible.

The second reason is probably out of consideration for the previous life-saving favor, and a desire to help him out.

"What, you don't want to?"

"No, no, how could that be?"

Chen Shi quickly denied it, his face showing fear.

"It's just that I've never fought in a war before, and I'm worried about letting you down, sir."

"How could the people of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion not know how to fight? I brought you along this time so you could learn. Don't worry, they're just a bunch of rabble, not much different from children playing house."

Gu Tingshu waved his hand and continued to give instructions.

"The imperial court has not sent any troops this time, so we need to recruit soldiers and gather provisions ourselves. You should recruit one hundred men. Make sure their equipment and supplies are ready, and you will be in charge of their command and deployment."

"Yes."

Chen Shi responded without saying anything more.

Having given his instructions, Gu Tingshu raised his hand, indicating that Chen Shi could leave.

"I'll take my leave."

Chen Shi bowed again and slowly withdrew.

Take him to war...

As Chen Shi emerged from the front hall, he was still somewhat dazed.

He had considered all the possible impacts of this rebellion on him, but he never imagined that he would have to quell it and go to war.

Although Chen Shi was already a seventh-rank martial artist and had killed people, fighting in battle and personal combat were two completely different things.

The battlefield is like a slaughterhouse!

No matter how skilled you are in martial arts, you may still lose your life in this situation.

Thinking of this, Chen Shi frowned, his expression becoming extremely serious. Although this was an opportunity, it was also extremely dangerous, and he needed to prepare carefully.

"Steward Chen, Second Madam requests your presence."

While he was pondering, a servant ran over to deliver a message.

"it is good."

Chen Shi nodded and turned to walk towards the inner courtyard.

In fact, even if Xiao Fengxiao hadn't come to summon him, he would still have gone to find Xiao Fengxiao.

Although war is imminent, it has little to do with the inner court, and everyone continues as usual.

"What does the master want you to do there?"

Upon entering the inner room, Xiao Fengxiao and Yun'er were already waiting. Seeing Chen Shi enter, they quickly asked him a question.

"Let me recruit a hundred strong soldiers to go with me to quell the rebellion."

Chen Shi answered truthfully with a serious expression.

"really."

Xiao Fengxiao nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

"There are so many people in this mansion, why must it be you?"

Yun'er stood to the side, her eyes instantly reddening, her face full of worry.

That's a battlefield!

"What do you know? This is the master giving him preferential treatment."

Xiao Fengxiao scolded Yun'er and then turned to Chen Shi again.

"What are your plans?"

"I didn't think much about it. As the master said, we recruited soldiers to go and quell the rebellion, and learned something from the experience."

That makes sense.

Xiao Fengxiao nodded again, then suddenly his expression turned serious.

"Once you've quelled the rebels and recaptured the county town, remember to leave me an opening. I'll immediately order men to transport grain in!"

"……good."

Chen Shi paused for a moment, then nodded.

Yes, once the army takes over those counties, it will be difficult to get in and out.

Therefore, at that time, not only must we have grain in hand, but we must also be able to transport it in.

Of course, given Xiao Fengxiao's status, even without Chen Shi, transporting grain inside wouldn't be a problem.

However, if the name of the Marquis of Jing'an is used, a share of the profits must be given to the Marquis of Jing'an.

Even close brothers should keep clear accounts; no one is exempt.

"Also, be careful. No matter what happens, staying alive is the most important thing."

After the business was settled, Xiao Fengxiao straightened Chen Shi's clothes and looked at him with an extremely serious expression.

"Don't worry, I'm a seventh-rank martial artist after all. Even if I can't win, escaping won't be a problem."

Chen Shi smiled and offered a word of comfort, then couldn't help but voice his doubts.

"By the way, why did the imperial court allow the marquis's residences to recruit soldiers themselves instead of directly dispatching troops? Aren't they afraid that the marquis's residences might use this as an opportunity to amass a large army?"

"Ha, you know quite a lot."

Xiao Fengxiao smiled and then gave a cold snort.

"Of course the imperial court is worried, but there's nothing it can do; it's short of money."