Chapter 114: Look and See If I Dare

"This is... the Governor's Office's Jade Tablet Command Sword? How is this possible!"

Upon seeing the object in Shen Yu's hand, Lu Shaozhi was completely stunned. The Governor's Office's Jade Tablet Command Sword—how could that thing possibly be in the hands of a County Magistrate!

"Not bad, it is indeed the Governor's Office's Jade Tablet Command Sword; to see the command is to see the Governor. General Lu, why have you not come over to pay your respects!"

"And so what!" At this moment, the look in Lu Shaozhi's eyes when he gazed at Shen Yu was no longer playful, but wary, even carrying a hint of retreat.

Holding the Governor's Office's gold and jade command sword, the County Magistrate opposite was no longer just a County Magistrate, but a representative of the Governor of the Nanhua Domain—that was a true big shot.

However, even so, Lu Shaozhi still said stiffly, "This General is a Vanguard General of the Dongning Army. My Dongning Army is directly under the imperial court and is not under the jurisdiction of the Governor! Your Jade Tablet Command Sword cannot reach the head of this General!"

"Is General Lu playing dumb with this official?" With a cold snort, Shen Yu said indifferently, "If your direct superior, the Commander of the Dongning Army and Third-Rank Martial Guard General Ye Jing were here, this command sword would naturally be useless, but it is a pity you are only a Fourth-Rank!"

"This official now holds the Jade Tablet Command Sword; regardless of whether you are directly under the imperial court, as long as you are in the Nanhua Domain, this official has the authority to mobilize you. All civil and military officials below the Third-Rank must obey this order!"

"You!"

"You what!" Holding the Jade Tablet Command Sword, he stepped closer to the other party step by step, an invisible pressure rushing toward him. It actually made Lu Shaozhi, opposite him, shrink back, a trace of panic appearing in his eyes.

"Lu Shaozhi, if this official remembers correctly, General Lu should only be a Fourth-Rank, right? A Fourth-Rank Mid-ranking General does not dismount when seeing the Governor, and dares not to kneel when seeing this command sword? What does Magistrate Lu intend to do?"

"I!" Facing Shen Yu's glaring eyes, he was helpless. He recognized this thing, and his subordinate deputy generals and Colonels recognized it too. This represented the authority of the imperial court, and he had no choice but to bow his head.

"General Lu, this official must remind you that this official now has the authority to execute first and report later. If you resist the order today, hmph, you should think about how grave that crime is, think about your wife and children, think about your relatives and family!"

Holding the command sword, Shen Yu walked forward, almost slapping the command sword onto the other party's face. "Even if I kill you now, no one would dare say a single word of objection! Lu Shaozhi, are you going to kneel or not!"

"You, fine, fine!!" Flipping off his horse, Lu Shaozhi and several deputy generals knelt on one knee, gritting their teeth as they said: "This subordinate, Vanguard General of the Dongning Army Lu Shaozhi, pays respects to the Governor!"

Seeing this scene, the army behind them also flipped off their horses and knelt on one knee: "Pay respects to the Governor!"

"Good, General Lu, I must say you have made a very correct decision!" Retracting the command sword, Shen Yu's face was full of smugness. He hadn't expected this thing to be so useful; it was a pity it could only be used once. Otherwise, if he could just take it out and wave it around whenever he felt like it, wouldn't he be able to walk sideways through the Nanhua Domain.

"General Lu, this official orders you to hand over command of the twenty thousand cavalry; I shall take command temporarily!"

"What?" He couldn't help but exclaim, and upon looking up and seeing Shen Yu's cold gaze, the killing intent in the other party's eyes was no longer hidden at all, making his heart tremble.

When they had just ridden over, the scene of the Sword Rain dancing across the sky was still fresh in his memory; the County Magistrate before him was definitely an expert among experts. This was the reason why he, a dignified Mid-ranking General, had repeatedly tolerated a County Magistrate.

Without the support of a Military Formation, he was likely no match for him alone. But now that the other party's blade was held to his throat, what else could he do.

"Yes, this subordinate will obey the Governor's orders!"

"Very good!" Nodding, Shen Yu then looked at the army behind and shouted loudly, "All generals, hear my order: all Colonels are to immediately lead their respective troops into the city to maintain order and slaughter every single black-clad person massacring the commoners on the streets, without fail!"

"No troops are allowed to harm the commoners; those who harm others will be punished, and those who kill will pay with their lives. Also, no one is allowed to approach within ten zhang of the County Government Office; those who violate this order will be beheaded!"

"This... understood!" After a moment of hesitation, all the Colonels obeyed the order in unison. In the army, military orders were like mountains; if they wanted to resist further, they feared they would only be beheaded.

"Family Head, what do we do?"

"What do you mean what do we do? Quickly have the experts in the clan go out to the streets to help the County Magistrate wipe out the bandits, go quickly!"

At this moment, the major forces of Sanshui County at the street corner were ashen-faced, none of them able to believe the scene before them. The reversal had come too quickly, so quickly that they couldn't even react.

What was the concept of twenty thousand troops kneeling in unison? It was a scene that shocked them from the inside out. This County Magistrate was truly not simple; he was actually able to make the Dongning Army bow their heads. They had lost their bet!

Think of those forces that had provoked this County Magistrate—which one had a good end? It was over, they could just wait to be settled with after the autumn harvest!

After arranging the army, Shen Yu's gaze fell on the street corner, and he shouted coldly, "Those hiding there, get out here for this official!"

"M-Magistrate!" Forcing a smile, the He Family Head He Yuanchang, who was hiding there, ran out with uneasy, small steps.

"County Magistrate, my He Family learned that there were bandits committing crimes on the streets, so I immediately brought people to assist. Magistrate, my entire He Family is willing to advance and retreat with you!"

"Family Head He, you sure are a quick-turning weather vane!" With a light laugh, Shen Yu's face was full of killing intent, a killing intent that was not hidden in the slightest, making He Yuanchang's heart jump with fear. This Magistrate, he wouldn't really kill him, would he?

"Family Head He, this official's time is limited. I will only ask once: those people who notified your He Family not to interfere, where are they hiding now?"

"Magistrate, what are you talking about? I don't understand?"

"He Yuanchang, no need to pretend anymore; let's speak plainly. How could this official not know what kind of person you, He Yuanchang, are? You are the most cautious in your actions. Since those people sent someone to notify you, you must have secretly investigated their location afterward! Am I right, Family Head He?"

"Magistrate, I really don't know!" After a brief moment of nervousness, there was no more panic on He Yuanchang's face, only endless grievance.

If an ordinary person saw this, they might really think they had misunderstood. But Shen Yu knew very well that He Yuanchang was no ordinary old fox; his acting skills were far better than those so-called movie stars.

"Fine, since that's the case, then the He Family doesn't need to exist! All generals, hear my order: immediately send a troop to raid the He Family; if there is any resistance, kill them without mercy!"

"County Magistrate, you... my He Family is not to be trifled with either; do you want to perish together!"

"Perish together? Your He Family is worthy?" With a cold snort, Shen Yu took out the Jade Tablet Command Sword in his hand and waved it in front of the other party. "Do you know what this is? Do you know what this represents?"

"This official wants to see if your He Family is really not to be trifled with. This official holds the Jade Tablet Command Sword; whoever dares to speak for your He Family, this official will cut them down. He Yuanchang, don't think of yourself as too strong. Now, even if this official uproots your He Family, no one would dare say a single word!"

"Magistrate, are you not afraid of inciting public anger?"

"Afraid of a fart! Before, this official dared not to give you face; now that this official has the Jade Tablet Command Sword and twenty thousand troops, what is there that this official dares not do?"

"I, I..." Facing Shen Yu's aggressive stance, cold sweat streamed down He Yuanchang's forehead. As a big merchant, he was naturally well-informed and naturally knew what this command sword meant; it represented the authority of the Governor's Office and the imperial court.

The key was this County Magistrate's temper—he was actually crazy enough to do it. For a moment, He Yuanchang's heart was in chaos. Were those people someone his He Family could afford to provoke? If he spoke, he would be killed later. If he didn't speak, he would be killed now.

"This official's patience is limited. I will only ask this once: will you speak or not?"

After waiting for a moment, He Yuanchang still didn't say a word. Shen Yu looked at him coldly. "Very good! Since Family Head He is unwilling to speak, then this official will not force you. If you don't speak, naturally there are others willing to speak."

"Someone, drag him down and behead him!"

"What, you're really going to cut! I am the He Family Head, do you dare?"

"Look and see if I dare! What are you standing there for? Drag him down and cut him!"

"Wait!" Upon hearing this, He Yuanchang was completely panicked. Later is a matter for later; only by staying alive can one plan for the future. So, when the blades were upon him, He Yuanchang decisively caved.

"Magistrate, they are at the An Family Courtyard in Sanshui County!"

"Very good!" Turning back to look in the direction of the army, Shen Yu then roared, "All generals, hear my order: detach ten thousand troops to follow this official to the An Family Courtyard to wipe out the bandits!"

"Yes, Magistrate!"