Chapter 594

Chen Wuji really dislikes these things in chaotic places now; he just can't stand them.

One Gu Wenjie almost drove him to distraction in Hezhou.

As it turned out, upon reaching Guangtongzhou, it was again this same miserable state.

Shi Dao, compared to Gu Wenjie, merely had a bit more technical skill, but in terms of destructive power they were about equal.

That bunch of scoundrels could destroy a place with just a thought, a flick of the finger, but for him to recuperate and let the people regain peace and stability would take at least several months.

After Chen Wuji immediately asked some officials of Guangtongzhou, he looked resentful and said to Xu Zengyi: "Old Xu, I want to get rid of Shi Dao; what do you think?"

"Use such a cruel punishment?" Xu Zengyi said, somewhat surprised.

"If I don't get rid of him, I really can't vent my anger; the things he's done in Guangtongzhou would take me at least several months to settle. Our manpower is also very limited; if I don't personally hold Guangtongzhou, I'll have to transfer Qin Feng over." Chen Wuji said angrily.

"Such a huge mess, without someone who can hold the fort, it's sure to fall apart! You earlier said Guangyuan Prefecture also lacked personnel; I've been thinking about this all along the way, and now it seems the only option is to send Cheng Zhiheng over."

"I originally wanted to move faster, but our manpower is tight; we can't just conquer cities and plunder strongholds without governing them—that's not a long-term plan."

Xu Zengyi, hearing Chen Wuji say that, also felt a bit worried.

"Let your San Shu come out of retirement." Xu Zengyi said after thinking a moment.

"The main army has already been mobilized; for this battle we must rely on the prestige of a great victory to pacify all eleven provinces of Nan Jun, giving them no chance to catch their breath."

"Mobilizing the army is no easy feat; if we let them catch their breath and realize the lord's threat, they might unite, making future battles much harder."

"First take the territory; if we truly have no one to use, leave some basic personnel in Hezhou and send the rest of the officials out, just as we did when we initially established Hezhou's counties."

Chen Wuji hesitated a bit: "Will this work? This is an entire prefecture, not just a county."

"It can hold for now." Xu Zengyi said: "For a place as troublesome as Guangtongzhou, let your San Shu take charge, then send one or two Hezhou officials to assist. For other, better situations, let Zhang Xun, Chang Jingxuan, and the like take charge; their experience may be lacking a bit, but it's barely enough to hold a locality."

Chen Wuji thought it over again; it seemed there really was no better option, so he decided on this and immediately sent people to Xishan Village and Hezhou to issue orders, conscripting Chen Bushi and one of the Hezhou Six Cao military advisors each to go to Guangtongzhou.

Incidentally, he also sent Cheng Zhiheng off to Guangyuan Prefecture.

Other prefectures haven't been taken yet; we can think about it later, first get past this immediate difficulty. If we let Chen Wuji personally stay here to pacify the place, he wouldn't be at ease about the upcoming battles.

"Old Xu, what do you think of using Qu Nanli?" Chen Wuji asked.

Xu Zengyi smiled: "My lord, if you want to use these old officials of Guangtongzhou, I suggest holding a civil service examination. Since your goal in wanting these people is to govern the locality, you can simply set some detailed questions on local governance, have them answer, and pick the best."

"Furthermore, you could issue a broad proclamation, allowing the scholars hiding among the populace to join in; who knows, you might even snag another Chang Jingxuan!"

Chen Wuji suddenly saw the light, his eyes brightening: "That's indeed a good idea!"

"But before that, I still need to dig into these fellows' backgrounds, lest I painstakingly organize an examination only to admit a bunch of troublemakers."

Xu Zengyi nodded: "Exactly."

After a brief rest in Red Maple Valley, Chen Wuji led the army into Ningyuan City.

The first order of business upon entering the city was to post placards to pacify the populace, abolishing all the miscellaneous levies and extra taxes that Shi Dao had imposed under false pretenses, and to have all taxes follow the same standard as in Hezhou.

Chen Wuji finally made up his mind to get rid of Shi Dao.

If he didn't get rid of him, he couldn't vent his anger, nor could he dispel the people's resentment.

Chen Wuji also solemnly issued a city-wide notice about this, posting it together with the placard for pacifying the populace.

Half a day after Chen Wuji entered the city, the populace seemed to be celebrating a festival.

Everywhere could be heard the voices of people running to tell each other; on streets and alleys, folks gathered in twos and threes, discussing nothing but the two notices Chen Wuji had ordered posted at noon.

In the evening, Chen Wuji held a banquet at the Government Office, gathering all the generals.

Chen Wuji had just finished a couple of formal remarks when a Personal Guard reported that the populace had blocked the Government Office's main gate, the outside streets filled with people, a surging crowd.

This news instantly made Chen Wuji tense; he wondered whether those two notices he'd issued could really be problematic, how could they provoke such a huge reaction from the people?

Not daring to delay, Chen Wuji hurried out of the Government Office.

Standing at the gate and looking out, the scene was indeed somewhat frightening.

Men, women, old and young stretched as far as the eye could see.

"General Chen!"

From the crowd came a somewhat irregular cheer, followed by countless people, like wheat swaying in the wind, beginning at the Government Office gate and kneeling down in waves.

Chen Wuji hurried two steps forward and helped up the several elders standing at the front.

"Honored elders, I, Chen, am unworthy of such great courtesy from you; I appreciate your goodwill. You have suffered lately, but from now on there will be peace and good days!" Chen Wuji shouted this at the top of his lungs so those behind could hear.

The populace shouted in confusion, yelling all sorts of things; Chen Wuji strained his ears to listen, but he still couldn't make out the distant sounds.

He could only hear some people in front uttering a bunch of thanks.

Roughly speaking, they were saying that Chen Wuji's arrival brought them blessing, that they had long hoped for his coming, and so on.

In Wenkou Town, Chen Wuji had seen similar scenes before, but nothing as fervent as this.

It was enough to bring tears to one's eyes.

Though wicked people abound in this world, true goodness and beauty have never been lacking!

Chen Wuji had always thought he had no reputation; perhaps his name hadn't even reached Hezhou.

But only now did he realize he had underestimated the speed at which news spreads nowadays.

Even if you stand high, even if this age's carriages and letters are slow, those above and below will still watch; if you do ill, they will curse you; if you do well, they will praise and acknowledge you!

Even if these are merely hearsay, they still accept them wholeheartedly from the heart.

The dozen or so elders at the front suddenly made way, and then the populace surged forward.

In their hands they carried modest amounts of food, Cloth, fruits and vegetables, and the jars they themselves had made.

In the blink of an eye, the steps before the Government Office were piled high with these items.