Chapter 706: Intimidation

Faced with the mighty military prestige and those few ferocious heads rolling on the ground, the people's emotions were finally brought under very effective control.

They fell silent, became honest, and spontaneously split into two camps, standing in formation before the city gate.

Chen Wuji rode forward on his horse and announced loudly, 'Let me introduce myself to everyone—I am Chen Wuji, currently holding the post of Nan Jun Regional Inspector Commander, appointed by the Emperor's own imperial edict.'

'I have summoned you all here with no ill intent, so there's no need to worry excessively. If those in the back can't hear, those in front should pass the message along.'

A buzzing sound immediately rose from the crowd.

Relatively few people passed the word backward; instead, many were astonished by Chen Wuji's identity.

Many initially took Chen Wuji for a general, and no one thought that the young, somewhat handsome Chen Wuji could be the Nan Jun Regional Inspector Commander.

Chen Wuji lifted his riding crop and said, 'Let's quiet down now; we'll begin with the first matter.'

'I have not entered this city, seized any grain, or ordered the granaries opened. Ladies and gentlemen, whenever the court orders relief grain distribution, it posts notices days in advance. Have you seen any such notice? Have you received any orders from the xianya or the village chief?'

'So nothing at all has been done—what on earth is going on?'

'Who told you all this? Why not find the source? I dislike being slandered, so today we'll get to the bottom of this—right is right, wrong is wrong!'

After shouting, Chen Wuji caught his breath and waited for the people's reaction.

He really needs a loudspeaker right now.

With so many people gathered, even shouting at the top of their lungs would be too exhausting.

The crowd murmured in discussion, and the clue they had ignored gradually came to light.

'A Gou, where exactly did you hear this rumor?'

'I… I heard it from others too—I really don't know!'

'Who said it? You brat, don't be clueless at a time like this—this military governor is clearly out to make an example of a few to warn the many, dealing with those who spread rumors and cause trouble. If you don't speak up, you'll bring disaster on yourself.'

'I… I… what if that military governor is deceiving us?!'

'Cut the nonsense—what they say isn't wrong: no notice, no official documents, so what fault does the military governor have? I'm an old man who's lived longer and have experienced this before. Normally, when grain is distributed, the village chiefs and elders know long before anyone else; today, why don't we see any of them?'

'I…'

'What on earth is wrong with you, kid?'

'The cult leader told me to do this, but I don't know what's going on either.'

'What cult leader?'

'The leader of the Heavenly Duke Cult who gave us talismans to ward off disaster.'

……

Such voices echoed in many corners of the crowd.

Regarding the unknown, the people are ignorant, but that does not mean they lack all experience.

Chen Wuji's words are sound and well-founded; those who have experienced court-ordered relief are very familiar with this procedure.

When the granaries are actually opened and grain distributed, they are the last to find out and receive the least, making it impossible for them to be at the front.

Soon, a large crowd of people was forcibly pushed forward by the populace.

'General, it was them who said it!'

'It was the Heavenly Duke Cult that said it.'

'There is a leader of the Heavenly Duke Cult here who claims he received orders from above, yet he also says he doesn't know what's going on.'

'General, it's this bunch of scoundrels deceiving people!'

……

Chen Wuji lightly raised his right hand, then swung it forward fiercely.

Hundreds of personal guards surged forward, subduing those who had been pushed out.

'Ladies and gentlemen, who can tell me why the Heavenly Duke Cult is spreading such rumors?' Chen Wuji urged his horse, slowly circling the group, occasionally dragging his saber through the crowd.

Nearly three hundred people packed together, each resembling a frightened quail, none daring to lift their heads.

'Speak!' Chen Wuji bellowed.

'General… general, this is an order from above; we do whatever they say, and I don't know the specifics either. General, spare my life, spare my life!'

A man in relatively fine clothing shouted, then suddenly fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly to Chen Wuji; his action prompted everyone around him to kneel as well.

'Spare my life! General, spare my life!'

Chen Wuji gave them a cold glance and asked, 'How did you join the Heavenly Duke Cult?'

'After taking the talisman, my illness did improve a bit at first, but later I felt worse and worse… then someone said the talisman couldn't be stopped—you had to keep drinking it long-term. Though the first ten talismans were free, after those were used up you had to pay incense money, ten taels of silver per talisman.' That was the same man speaking.

'I had no silver, so after begging desperately, that person said if I joined the Heavenly Duke Cult I could get the talismans for free, so I joined… that's how it happened.'

Chen Wuji asked coldly, 'And what about the rest of you?'

'General, me too.'

'Me too.'

……

Their answers were identical, all describing exactly the same situation.

Yu Ren's methods were far more intricate than Chen Wuji had anticipated.

He had carefully woven a great net, step by step ensnaring the people in the trap he designed.

This is only the beginning; further measures will surely follow.

However, he didn't feel like asking more; one could roughly guess what was going on.

'Then, has your illness improved? Has anyone died?' Chen Wuji demanded.

'I don't know whether my illness has gotten better; after drinking the talisman water, I feel hardly any difference.'

The same man in somewhat fine clothing spoke again, 'But it's true that some people have died—not a few—and they all drank the talisman water; I don't know why they died.'

'My previous cult leader told me those people died because they had committed too many sins, and the Heavenly Lord refused to save them, thus punishing them. After I became the leader, I still don't know what's going on—I can only keep saying that.'

As it turns out, this bastard is actually a hall master; no wonder he became the leader, always speaking here.

"What are talismans made of?" Chen Wuji asked in a low voice.

The hall master shook his head. "General, I really don't know this."

Chen Wuji had intended to use these people to persuade the populace, to let them know what the so-called talisman water actually was, but the thing Yu Ren fabricated formed a logical closed loop, leaving him unable to begin for a moment.

Tell the populace that talisman water is addictive, and after ten sheets they'd need to spend silver to buy it, but if they joined the Heavenly Duke Cult they could get it for free—this utterly fails to dissuade them.

Tell them that drinking talisman water kills people, and they likewise have an excuse: they've committed too much wickedness, and the Heavenly Lord punishes them.

This claim holds greater sway over the people's minds than the court's laws.

"Go, tell the elders and villagers behind you: the talisman is made by A Furong; it not only fails to cure illness, but causes addiction and can be deadly! The Heavenly Duke Cult isn't saving you—it's harming you!" Chen Wuji said in a low voice.

He could only tamper with it a bit, inserting the facts.

As for how much the populace will believe, we'll leave it to chance for now.

Once we gain control of Martial Peace, we can take our time with these matters; since it involves faith, this is itself a difficult problem.