[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-72":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2364341,4623,"Chapter 72: Scapegoat","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>Yangzhou City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since defeating the rebel forces, this ancient city has once again become bustling with traffic and crowds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the absence of salt merchants’ extravagant spending, everything else remained unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yangzhou gentry who had successfully aligned themselves with the winning side rejoiced in their own cleverness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As panic faded, street foot traffic swiftly returned to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrival of the Five City Military Command had neither improved this ancient city nor worsened its situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the nearly intact city, the impact on the regions below was far greater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several counties under Yangzhou Prefecture still remained in rebel hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civilian impact was even greater: countless villages had been reduced to ruins, and large numbers of refugees had gathered outside the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The number of refugees outside the city continues to rise. Do any of you have a solution?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang’s question clearly struck at everyone’s weak point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Yu Dynasty enforced strict separation between civil and military administration; outside a few exceptional border regions, military officers had never held key local administrative posts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor’s prohibitions were sacred, and the noble clans would never dare to defy them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their family education had taught them to lead troops and wage war, to master strategy and intrigue—but never how to govern local affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, governing local affairs is the civil officials’ duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As military officers, we have defeated the rebels; the aftermath should be handed over to the civil officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We can send word to the Nanjing Ministry of Personnel to dispatch personnel immediately to handle the refugee issue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A conventional proposal, offering no brilliance, yet bearing no risk whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Military officers avoiding political affairs—no one could find fault with that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain Zhao, you’re thinking too simply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I already sent formal orders to the Nanjing Ministry of Personnel, but those corrupt, idle bureaucrats merely promised compliance while taking no actual action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their inefficiency, I’m sure you’ve all witnessed firsthand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weapons and equipment they promised have yet to arrive—less than one-tenth has been delivered so far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under standard official selection procedures, delays of three to five months are routine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worst of all, those fools actually suggested I release Yangzhou Prefecture’s officials, giving them a chance to redeem themselves!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the Marquis’s explanation, everyone instantly united in shared outrage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Investigating and removing Yangzhou Prefecture’s officials was one of their own accomplishments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Granting these officials a chance to redeem themselves would require overturning the previous case records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In officialdom, contradicting one’s own prior actions could ruin one’s career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, this proposal must not be accepted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who conspired against the throne are beyond pardon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yangzhou Prefecture officials colluded with the rebels; releasing them would endanger the state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who proposed this must harbor malicious intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recommend a thorough investigation of this person!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jincheng’s fiery proposal echoed the sentiments of every general present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had already been betrayed by the Nanjing Ministry of War; now the Nanjing Ministry of Personnel was stirring trouble again—who could endure this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Imperial Commissioner, the Marquis of Wuyang’s authority could be interpreted without limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If evidence could be found, even officials of the Nanjing Six Ministries could be removed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This matter I, the Imperial Commissioner, will not let rest—but that is for later. Right now, the urgent issue is the refugees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yangzhou Prefecture can still manage the refugees outside the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real problem is the growing number of refugees; relying solely on the treasury for relief will incur enormous costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We will soon need to reclaim lost territories, which will release even more refugees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without proper handling, unrest is inevitable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In handling the refugee issue, he believed he had acted thoroughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had ordered granaries opened and temporary shelters built long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the refugees kept pouring in, quickly exceeding the camps’ capacity, and chaos multiplied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, opening the granaries only addresses immediate needs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With so many refugees gathering, problems are inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only solution now is labor-for-relief: give them work first, so their livelihoods stabilize and their hearts settle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city moat needs dredging—it can absorb a large workforce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this will inevitably increase expenditures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the Great Yu Code, large-scale labor-for-relief must be approved by the court and jointly implemented under mutual supervision by multiple bureaus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nanjing Six Ministries are a pack of cowards; they will never take responsibility for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The capital is too far away; distant help cannot solve urgent problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Head Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Left Gong, and Grand Secretary Xu Wenyue are both in the Two Huai region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we ask them to send personnel to jointly supervise the labor-for-relief program, we can satisfy the court’s requirements.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu proposed cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind every bizarre law lay a bizarre story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Yu Dynasty’s strict controls on labor-for-relief were forced upon it by corrupt local bureaucrats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sound policy, once implemented locally, became a tool for embezzlement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that wasn’t the worst—decades ago, a labor-for-relief program had triggered a coup where a rebel had been crowned emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To prevent such a recurrence, the court patched the system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officials’ attitudes toward labor-for-relief had undergone a complete reversal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even opening granaries and managing refugees became lax.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to tolerate chaos than risk being impeached by censors for plotting treason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Labor-for-relief? This is extremely tricky!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Organizing refugees to work means organizing them to rebel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To those censors, any such activity was proof of conspiracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the time, the Emperor dismissed censors’ accusations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But exceptions existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Emperor happened to overthink it, the consequences for local officials would be catastrophic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Multiple bureaus jointly supervising implementation appeared to be a constraint—but in truth, it was a way to avoid blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis’s status was unique; when facing such taboo matters, he too must think thrice before acting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Li Mu, who proposed it, advocated bringing in others to share the burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only if the Pure Stream, the Eunuchs, the Imperial Relatives, and the Noble Clans all participated could the censors dare not speak rashly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, we can take another approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t Nanjing send people over? Just detain them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Implement labor-for-relief under the Six Ministries’ name, and assign a few deputy officials from the bureaus to assist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Su Battalion Commander’s proposal, Li Mu suddenly realized his own cunning was insufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had only thought of solving the problem through proper channels, never considered finding a scapegoat to shield himself from risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if problems arose later, there would be plenty of excuses to shift blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well said. Governing local affairs is the civil officials’ duty; we merely assist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s settled then. Those idle bureaucrats in the bureaus can’t just collect salaries without working—let them take the credit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang made his decision on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With someone else to take the blame, he was more than happy to serve the state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1161,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","737c8005d1a9735e6d5327ae7bbfc583541932d0957fef1a2b9ca2bc97daf80d","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-73","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-71",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]