Chapter 30: Rise and Fall Are Mine

"This..."

"Isn't this just nonsense?"

"County Marquis, please be prudent!"

With nearly a thousand scholars present, you actually chose a farming peasant first; how could they possibly stand for this?

These nearly one thousand people slammed their tables simultaneously, the sound shaking the heavens, to express their dissatisfaction.

"This young master of the Liu Family doesn't take my Chen Family seriously at all!"

Chen Kui, at this moment, also had a gloomy face, no longer able to contain the anger in his heart.

This position of Ministry of Agriculture Counselor was one he, Chen Kui, had coveted for a long time! Before coming today, he had already greeted Liu Dahao and hinted that if this position were given to their Chen Family, the Chen Family would not do anything excessive today.

But now...

"No shouting!"

"Quiet, quiet!"

The chaos at the scene was immediately suppressed by the Garrison.

Liu Zheng had already finished a cup of tea by this time; he did not care about the opinions of these literati and Powerful Clans today. Once the scene quieted down, he continued calmly: "To save time, I will question the candidates from here on! The Ministry of Agriculture Counselor has already been decided; the Industrial Department Counselor is Wei Tiezhu, and the Inspection Counselor is Qin Zhangfeng!"

"The Writing Counselor position is still vacant; who will take it?"

These few Counselors were equivalent to ministers. Below the Counselors were Executives, who were the subordinates of the ministers; these were naturally to be appointed by those ministers. Liu Zheng could not handle every detail, or he would be worked to death.

"Writing Counselor?"

Hearing this, people finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This was equivalent to a scribe for the County Marquis Mansion, so naturally, it required literary talent. But immediately, these people began to feel uncomfortable again.

So you, this County Marquis Mansion, only need one person with literary talent?

This truly shattered the "study is supreme" concept held by these literati and scholars. But in fact, this was not because Liu Zheng thought studying was bad; he just didn't like those who studied dead books. Unfortunately, most of the literati in Yinzhou were of this type.

Yinzhou needed development; he would rather have more people like Wei Tiezhu and Liang Erfu who could truly get things done.

Soon.

This Writing Counselor was also selected; it was a talented scholar Liu Zheng had paid more attention to at Fengming Tower. Unlike these literati who studied dead books, he was considered relatively clever.

Then, the next step was the selection of the two Sima.

The position of Sima was equivalent to a deputy district head, belonging to the type that could coordinate work.

Therefore, the difficulty was even greater.

Another hour or two passed.

There was still no one Liu Zheng was satisfied with, which made him shake his head. It seemed he was right to take over Fengming Tower. Relying solely on Yinzhou was not enough to find talent capable of taking charge on their own.

Seeing that it was getting late, Liu Zheng still chose two people named Tan Wei and Huang Maoxiang; these two were at least passable. Tan Wei was a Private School teacher who had taught for many years, while Huang Maoxiang already held an official position and belonged to the Zheng Family.

"Let's disperse for today!"

Liu Zheng had gotten most of the people he wanted, so he said calmly.

Everyone was stunned.

Chen Kui finally could not sit still. With so many people, not a single one recommended by the Chen Family had been chosen; where did this leave his face? He stood up abruptly and looked at Liu Zheng viciously: "Young Master Liu, isn't there still a Chief Clerk position?"

Everyone also looked over, asking questions.

The Chief Clerk was the big prize of the day!

Liu Zheng slapped his forehead and laughed loudly: "Did I forget to mention it? The Chief Clerk already has a candidate; it is Shen Xing!"

The whole place was in an uproar, with curses rising everywhere.

"Absurd!"

"He is just a disciple from a humble family!"

"A drunkard like him can be Chief Clerk?"

Chen Kui's face turned even darker, and he gritted his teeth: "The County Marquis promotes villains and ignores talented scholars! My Chen Family is the first to refuse to accept this!"

"We refuse to accept it!"

The whole scene fell into chaos again.

Liu Zheng knew the Chen Family was about to make trouble, and his eyes turned cold instantly. He shouted: "Refuse to accept? What is there to refuse?"

Chen Kui could not hold back anymore and shouted loudly: "What is the use of such a corrupt County Marquis Mansion?"

"Smash this place for me!"

At this shout, the Chen Family's elite soldiers, who had been waiting outside, responded one after another, their voices shaking the heavens.

Everyone at the scene turned pale.

Liu Dahao was the first to roar: "Chen Kui, this is treason!"

Surrounded by several guards, Chen Kui left the stage and stared coldly: "Treason?"

"No, I, Chen Kui, am setting things right today!"

"My Yinzhou does not need this useless County Marquis Mansion!"

Clatter, clatter—following his shout, the Chen Family's elite soldiers outside had already rushed in. Two thousand elite soldiers and capable generals, filled with murderous intent, instantly surrounded everyone at the scene. When those literati saw this formation, they were all so scared they nearly wet their pants; how could they dare to join in the excitement anymore?

Zheng Yue Ru's expression changed: "Master Chen, do you know what you are doing?"

Cao Zhen also sighed: "Why must the Chen Family be like this?"

The head of the Wang Family sat with a gloomy face, saying nothing.

The Four Great Noble Families had different attitudes, each harboring their own ulterior motives.

Chen Kui, however, was so angry he gritted his teeth. Their Chen Family was used to being arrogant in Yinzhou and had been repeatedly provoked by this County Marquis Mansion; today, they had to reclaim some face!

"Master Chen, do you really intend to attack my County Marquis Mansion?"

Liu Zheng looked at him coldly: "Do you know that attacking the County Marquis Mansion is a capital crime punishable by the confiscation of one's family, according to the laws of the dynasty?"

Chen Kui laughed loudly: "Death penalty? You greenhorn, are you trying to scare me? It is as easy as turning over one's hand for my Chen Family elite troops to take your County Marquis Mansion. I want to see who dares to sentence me to death!"

"Kill them for me!"

He waved his arm and shouted, and the Chen Family elite troops let out a roar in unison. Murderous intent spread, and the entire crowd fled in a panic. Many people glared fiercely at Liu Zheng, blaming this young master of the Liu Family in their hearts for being truly too ignorant. Having arrived in Yinzhou not long ago, how could he dare to provoke the Chen Family, who had Chen Batian backing them?

It seemed that the innocent being caught in the crossfire was unavoidable.

Liu Zheng smiled faintly, thinking that he was just afraid they wouldn't make a move today, and shouted: "Where is Counselor Qin Zhangfeng?"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"What is the penalty for the Chen Family keeping private troops?"

"According to the laws of the dynasty, those with private troops exceeding five hundred are guilty of high treason and shall have their nine generations executed!"

"What is the penalty for attacking the County Marquis Mansion?"

"High treason, nine generations executed!"

Liu Zheng nodded: "You handle it."

The crowd looked at each other in dismay, and Chen Kui laughed mockingly: "Are you an actor? Kill me, Chen Kui?"

Others also shook their heads one after another.

To govern a province, how could one be so rigid? If Liu Zheng had left the position of Chief Clerk to the Chen Family today, it wouldn't have come to this.

Now, instead of appeasing them, he wanted to clash head-on?

It seemed that today was destined to be a bloodbath here!

"Chen Kui, you are presumptuous!"

Zheng Yue Ru stood out.

Chen Kui sneered at her: "What, has the Zheng Family also become a dog for this County Marquis Mansion?"

Liu Zheng pulled Zheng Yue Ru back, smiled faintly, and shouted loudly: "From this day on, the people of Yinzhou must know that the County Marquis Mansion governs Yinzhou; life and death are mine, glory and wealth are mine, hunger and suffering are mine!"

"Stability is mine, turmoil is mine!"

"Trust me, and we shall share honor and disgrace together!"

"Kill!"

Hearing these words, people felt their blood boil and their eyes turned red.

The County Marquis Mansion was the legitimate institution for governing Yinzhou, yet over these years, this power had been carved up. But had these Powerful Clans ever said such words?

Share honor and disgrace together!

Share glory and wealth, share hunger and suffering!

These were slogans that the rulers of this era actually dared not even say, dared not even use to deceive. Therefore, when Liu Zheng said them, it was like the morning bell and evening drum, ringing through people's minds, making them boil with excitement, almost to the point of losing their reason.

"Kill!"

As soon as Liu Zheng's words fell, the people were still in chaos. The Chen Family elite troops had already charged over. Suddenly, a group of cavalry burst out from the backyard of the County Marquis Mansion, all dressed in a uniform military green. This was made from the fabric Liu Zheng had brought when he came from Liangzhou. Liu Dahao hadn't known what Liu Zheng was doing at the time, but now he realized those green fabrics had become the uniforms for the Garrison.

Green uniforms...

Liu Zheng certainly didn't have obsessive-compulsive disorder; it was just that most military uniforms in his past life were green, and there was naturally a reason for that. This color of uniform was inherently suitable for combat in various scenarios and for concealment. The officials and soldiers of this Longyan Dynasty were mostly dressed in black, which was actually very conspicuous on the battlefield.

So Liu Zheng had been prepared long ago; even the Plate Armor had been painted green. Green would be the unique color of his Yinzhou army from now on!

"What is this?"

"Is it the Garrison?"

Chen Kui looked on and sneered coldly: "A thousand new recruits, and you dare to oppose my Chen Family elite troops? Kill, kill them for me, leave none alive!"

At this moment, his eyes were already red.

Since he had already completely opposed the County Marquis Mansion, there was no turning back.

Two thousand elite troops against one thousand new recruits—the result was almost a foregone conclusion.

However...

The scene that followed left those wavering Powerful Clans dumbfounded.

The people in the courtyard had long since hidden to the side, clearing out the large courtyard of the County Marquis Mansion. The two sides engaged in close-quarters combat immediately. The Chen Family elite troops were all veterans who had retired from the battlefield; they were composed and swift, their strikes steady, accurate, and ruthless. But in the first round of fighting, they discovered that these Garrison soldiers were actually impervious to blades and spears!

Except for a few who were struck directly in the head, causing the County Marquis Mansion to lose a few soldiers, the others were completely unscathed!

But on the Chen Family's side, they had already lost quite a few men in this round of charging!

Qin Zhangfeng alone had taken down three!

"What?"

Chen Kui's expression changed drastically, his whole body trembled, and he roared: "What are you all doing? Kill them for me!"

"Kill them back!"

He had not expected that his own elite troops would be at a disadvantage! He had dared to be so arrogant today precisely because he had these two thousand elite troops in his hands!

"Kill!"

In the courtyard of the County Marquis Mansion, the sounds of killing were constant, and blood splattered everywhere.

The Garrison soldiers, protected by Plate Armor, had been a bit afraid of battle at first, but after experiencing a few charges, their eyes also turned red. Although the Plate Armor protected their bodies and they wouldn't be in danger of losing their lives, it still hurt!

Who made them hurt?

Those animals from the Chen Family!

The men of Yinzhou were hot-blooded, and their murderous intent was ignited in an instant.

"Kill!"

Now, the Garrison soldiers charged over with a force like a hot knife through butter, because they didn't need to perform defensive maneuvers—they only needed to attack!

By the fifth round, the Chen Family elite troops had already been scattered.

"This..."

"This is impossible!"

"Impossible!"

The color drained from Chen Kui's face, and he sat on the ground in a panic.

"Kill!"

Qin Zhangfeng let out another roar.

The elite soldiers of the Chen Family, who had been imposing and arrogant just a moment ago, had long since scattered in a panic, screaming incessantly.

Everyone at the scene was so shocked their jaws nearly hit the floor.