Chapter 326

Tian Dadao of course did not understand Wang Yang's intention, and didn't even reach half of what Xiao Baoyue had realized.

All his thoughts were focused on thinking about the next countermeasure. While following along with the gesture, he was desperately looking for a way to escape.

When the little shaman returned to say that food and lodging were ready, Wang Yang announced the end of the preaching, letting everyone go back to eat first, and continue preaching in the afternoon.

Tian Dadao finally seized the opportunity, saying that there were matters in the tribe that needed to be dealt with, and that he would come to banquet with Wang Yang after dealing with them.

This time Wang Yang did not keep Tian Dadao, but very "reasonably" let him go back to deal with official business first.

Tian Dadao hurried back to his room, and after a brief discussion with his subordinates, he immediately summoned the heads and elders of the village, preparing to order the barbarian army stationed outside to return to the village!

This was what he had thought of while following along and shouting "My God is above." Wang Yang's influence was so great, and the little shaman's attitude was ambiguous, so the soldiers in the village could no longer be used; only the garrison outside the village could be trusted!

It was just that the Yidu Tribe was too loose, and although Tian Dadao was one of the three major tribal chiefs, he could not directly order the army; he needed to discuss it with the elders of each family. It was just that those people were hesitant and might not dare to follow. Tian Dadao thought for a while and decided not to wait for the discussion, but first summoned two hundred personal guards of his own tribe whom he could directly command. Then he set the tone for the discussion, not mentioning the Divine Envoy, only saying that recalling the barbarian army was to prevent movements in the neighboring village.

After a mix of truth and falsehood, and a mix of coercion and inducement, he finally managed to suppress the dissent, obtained the bronze tiger tally, and was just about to go and mobilize the troops, when he heard his subordinates running to report:

"The one banqueting in the tent is not the Divine Envoy at all! The Divine Envoy didn't eat lunch, but secretly left the village with the little shaman and went to the military camp!"

Clang.

The tiger tally fell to the ground.

Tian Dadao was struck by lightning!

Inside the Wang Fu hall, armored soldiers were lined up, and delicacies filled the tables.

Most of the Jingzhou high officials sitting in the hall were indifferent to the fine wine and food in front of them, sitting as still as statues, only four people were eating and drinking naturally.

Xie Xinghan sat in a corner, her long eyelashes drooping, picking up chopsticks to eat fish, her movements delicate and elegant, forming a sharp contrast with the Dianqian official Wu Xiuzhi sitting diagonally opposite, who was chewing and drinking like the wind.

Wang Fu attendant Kong Zhangyu stood in front of the hall, reading the imperial edict:

"... The ferocity and rebellion are becoming more and more serious. Previously robbed the Liu family of Hedong, abusing the gentry; then killed the imperial envoy, the crime violates the heavenly constitution!

Furthermore, they gathered like ants and peeked like bees, crossing the border to invade! Burning and looting counties, poisoning the common people!

The Jianghan area is shaken, and the smoke of war connects to the Three Chu;

The war drums are shockingly transmitted, and the feather dispatches fly in all directions!

This is all because the barbarians are bullying the Xia, and their fierce flames are becoming more and more intense.

Now the officials and people of the province and counties are all thinking of good generals; the gentry and commoners of Jingchu are all looking forward to capable ministers.

The southern border is in danger, just waiting for the strategies of Huan and Wen;

The barbarian territory is in chaos, needing to rely on the prestige of Fang Shu!

In the past, the Southern Barbarian Captain was reduced according to the times; now the barbarian scourge is rampant, and it cannot be controlled without a virtuous person!

Acting as the envoy, Governor of the military affairs of the seven provinces of Jing, Xiang, Yong, Liang, Ning, and North and South Qin, General of the West, Inspector of Jingzhou, Prince of Badong, Xiao Zixiang—

The imperial descendant has natural talent, and his achievements are heroic and far-reaching. His military strategy is already mature, and he is fully capable of the great task!

Now added as the Grand General of the West, opening the government with the same three divisions,

(Conquering the West is only one rank higher than Zhenxi, but adding the word "Grand" makes the rank equal to the Three Dukes, and "equal to" means secondary to, that is, after the Three Dukes of Situ, Sima, and Sikong. And opening the government is like the Three Dukes opening a government and building an office, and can directly appoint subordinate officials without going through the imperial court. The Three Divisions are the Three Dukes, and being equal to the Three Divisions means all treatment is the same as the Three Dukes. Whether it is the Grand General opening a government or opening a government equal to the Three Divisions, they are lower than the Three Dukes when taken alone, but when both are held, the rank is equal to the Three Dukes! Similar to a member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee concurrently serving as a commander of a major theater, and then can be directly added as the Secretary of the Secretariat, Grand Marshal, and Recording Minister, overseeing the central government without needing a stepping stone; then further is the General of the Cavalry, Inspector of Yangzhou 【that is, concurrently serving as the head of the capital province】, and Governor of all military affairs inside and outside.)

Ps: The above is just a brief mention of a common practice of promotion at that time. The order of official ranks does not represent a fixed rank. Don't worry if you don't understand these official positions. As the subsequent scrolls unfold, they will be clarified bit by bit. So why does the Prince of Badong only add his official position to Grand General opening the government and not go any higher? Those with insight can perceive the meaning in this)

Borrowing the Yellow Battle-Axe,

(The Yellow Battle-Axe is used by the Son of Heaven, specifically for killing commanders. Acting as an envoy is higher than holding a festival, which is higher than borrowing a festival, but no matter what kind of festival the Son of Heaven bestows, the Yellow Battle-Axe can represent the Son of Heaven to kill. And the heads of the major regional towns in the Southern Dynasties generally have festivals, so as long as the Son of Heaven conquers the regional towns, he will generally lend out the Yellow Battle-Axe to suppress the festival. The meaning of borrowing is temporary lending, because there is no precedent for gifting, so the Prince of Badong borrowing the Yellow Battle-Axe for himself, the direction of his spearhead is very intriguing)

Concurrently serving as the Southern Barbarian Captain, overseeing Southern Barbarian affairs.

All counties and counties under Jingzhou, as well as civil and military officials, and water and land armies, are all to follow orders.

Whatever is governed, it is not controlled by the center.

(The center is the imperial court, not controlled by the center means not by the imperial court)

The treasury of the state government is all provided for use.

Wherever the flags point, the royal army will strive. Announce to the common people, so that everyone knows..."

After Kong Zhangyu finished reading, he looked at the crowd and smiled:

"My lords, please accept the edict."

A silence.

Everyone had no reaction; those who shouldn't move continued not to move, and those who should eat vegetables continued to eat vegetables.

Wu Xiuzhi picked up his bowl, stirred with a spoon, and quickly shoveled a few mouthfuls. He slurped the soup and rice clean. Then with a "clang," he put the bowl on the table, wiped his mouth casually with his sleeve, and asked heartily:

"This soup is damn good! What's it called?"

Kong Zhangyu looked at Wu Xiuzhi as if looking at a dead person, and did not answer.

Others didn't answer either. Firstly, the question was abrupt. Secondly, in such an occasion, no one had the heart to pay attention to this question. Thirdly, Wu Xiuzhi's character was harsh, and he represented the imperial court in supervising the local area, often making secret reports, so his relationship with everyone was not good. Fourthly, his status was humble, and he was not on the same path as the gentry. Finally, everyone knew that the Prince of Badong was going to rebel. Regardless of others, Wu Xiuzhi was a must-kill. His family was all in the capital, and the possibility of him defecting to the Prince of Badong was small. Besides, he had too deep a grudge with the Prince of Badong and had no utilization value. More importantly, he had no family background, so killing him was just killing him, so he had no way to live at all.

Seeing that no one answered, Wu Xiuzhi looked regretful, smacked his lips, shook his head and said:

"I've never drunk such delicious soup, it's a pity I don't know what it's called, a pity, a pity..."

Le Zhan also didn't like Wu Xiuzhi and had heard many bad rumors about him being harsh and seeking credit, but at this moment, seeing that his death was near, like a lonely soul, he couldn't bear it. Plus, seeing that he didn't kneel and beg for mercy, he had some admiration, so he said:

"This is called Snow Lung Soup, inside is crab meat and dried scallops, and the soup is boiled with pheasant, goose crest, and pig lungs."

Wu Xiuzhi was very surprised: "I didn't eat pig lungs and goose crest?"

Before Le Zhan could answer, Yin Tancan curled his lips with some disgust:

"That's for hanging the soup, how could you eat it..."

Wu Xiuzhi suddenly realized, his eyes fell back on the empty bowl, as if he was still savoring the mellow and fresh taste, paused and asked:

"Snow Lung Soup... This soup is not sold in restaurants outside, right? First time seeing it..."

Yin Tancan hummed:

"Little seen, much strange, how many restaurants have you eaten at? Xiangxue Building, Wangjiang Pavilion, and Jizhen Workshop all have it. Wangjiang Pavilion makes it the most authentic, and other families can't compare."

Wu Xiuzhi was a bit disappointed, muttering:

"That must be expensive..."

Yin Tancan had an old grudge with Wu Xiuzhi and originally wanted to ridicule him a few words, but seeing his appearance, he didn't speak again.

Le Zhan smoothed things over and said: "Actually, it's okay, it's just that hanging the soup takes effort, it's not expensive."

Wu Xiuzhi smiled bitterly: "Lord Le's 'not expensive' is an astronomical price for this official..."

Yin Tancan snorted coldly: "Stop pretending to be poor. If you used the effort you spent on monitoring and reporting to make money, you would have had many bowls of Snow Lung Soup."

Wu Xiuzhi looked at Yin Tancan:

"The dog at my door barks when a stranger breaks in, not because it wants to be annoying, but if it doesn't bark, it will be stewed by me for meat. So, it's not that I like to monitor and report, but that I can only do so."

"My lords."

Yin Tancan was about to speak to refute, but Kong Zhangyu's indifferent voice cut in.

"We can talk about idle gossip later. Now this official wants to ask you lords, are you going to accept the edict or not?"

The silence in the hall returned, only Wu Xiuzhi said boldly;

"Bring it to me to see, I want to verify the edict."

Everyone looked at Wu Xiuzhi.

Kong Zhangyu also had no expression, just asked:

"Does Dianqian Wu really want to verify the edict?"

"Yes! I've finished drinking the Snow Lung Soup, what's there to be unsure about? Bring the fake edict for me to see!"

Wu Xiuzhi had been gloomy and harsh all his life. Since finishing the soup, he seemed to have become a different person. He leaned back, his palms resting on his thighs, with a bit of laziness after eating, his expression scattered and arrogant.

Kong Zhangyu looked at the armored soldiers behind Wu Xiuzhi and nodded slightly.

Pfft.

A muffled sound.

A bright blade suddenly burst out from Wu Xiuzhi's chest.

Wu Xiuzhi's scattered expression was still frozen on his face, and fresh blood had splashed all over the table in front of him like spilled ink, staining the empty bowl that had just held the soup scarlet and eye-catching.

Xie Xinghan focused and slowly put down her chopsticks, trying her best to control her line of sight. The other two gentry officials who were tasting food and drinking wine also stopped eating.

No one exclaimed, and there was no big commotion. Everyone present was mentally prepared for this scene, but when it really happened in front of them, no one could maintain absolute calm.

Kong Zhangyu said woodenly:

"Wu Xiuzhi recklessly discussed the imperial edict, slandered the imperial carriage, the crime is the same as great rebellion, and the standard punishment has been carried out."

He glanced at the four seats and asked with a smile:

"Which other lord wants to verify the edict?"

Silence.

Silence again.

Kong Zhangyu said with satisfaction: "Very—"

"I want to verify—"

Yin Tancan trembled and put down his wine glass.

"Ming Shun!"

"Brother Yin!"

Le Zhan and Xi Gongmu hurriedly spoke to stop him.

Yin Tancan tried to remain calm and waved his hand:

"Listen to his threats... he only dares to take a knife to the cold people. You let him try to move me."

He turned his head to look at the armored soldiers behind him, then looked directly at Kong Zhangyu. Although his face was a bit pale, his eyes were extremely provocative:

"Attendant Kong, I want to verify the edict. Why don't you give me a piercing one too?"

Kong Zhangyu looked at Yin Tancan with a smile that was not a smile.

Yin Tancan tried his best to keep himself from shaking while stiffly raising his chin to look at Kong Zhangyu.

Kong Zhangyu smiled:

"Lord Yin is a Shanggang (Yin is a Zhizhong Congshi, equivalent to a provincial secretary-general, the top four in the state and government, one of the four Shanggang), and also from the Yin family of Chen Jun, naturally not comparable to Wu Xiuzhi. To avoid hurting people lightly, I have to invite your son to persuade you, my lord."

Yin Tancan's face changed greatly: "You—"

Kong Zhangyu shouted: "Come! Bring the Fifth Young Master!"

Soon, the executioners brought the Yin family's little fifth into the hall.

Yin Xiao Wu was born like a powder-faced bun, but at this moment he was full of tears, his hair bun was scattered, and his body was covered with dust. At this time

his legs were as soft as rotten mud, and he was almost half-carried and half-dragged by the executioners to move forward. As soon as he saw his father, he cried out with a "wah"!

"Dad—save me—hurry and save me—"

Yin Xiao Wu struggled to get close to his father, but was held down by the executioners. Tears mixed with snot flowed down, looking really unsightly. Of course, he didn't know that his goddess was at the scene at this time. If he knew, he might not be in this state.

"Still want to verify the edict?" Kong Zhangyu asked, looking at Yin Tancan.

Yin Tancan's lips trembled violently, and he wanted to speak several times, but finally gave up.

Kong Zhangyu waved his hand and let people take down the crying Yin Xiao Wu: "Take good care of Young Master Yin."

Yin Tancan was gloomy and silent.

"Is there anyone else who wants to verify the edict?" Kong Zhangyu asked.

This time no one spoke again, and no one even looked at Kong Zhangyu.

"Very good. Since everyone has accepted the edict, then accept it."

Still no one spoke.

Kong Zhangyu was not annoyed, and looked at Le Zhan with a smile:

"Lord Le, you are the head of the state officials, please set an example!"

Le Zhan's heart sank.

————

Note: Chapter 243 "Climbing the Building": "The bones of pine and cypress rot, and gold and stone leave inscriptions. In the past, green blood was buried, and now it shines on the history." — Yin Tancan