Chapter 881: First Volume, Chapter 881: Guest from Changshui County

First Volume, Chapter 881: Guest from Changshui County

Li Zheng rubbed his chin, still smiling: "So I'm just supposed to be a rich old man in Beixi County?"

Qin Tianhu raised an eyebrow: "Isn't that enough?"

Li Zheng laughed heartily and readily accepted the compromise: "More than enough. I trust Grand Commandant Qin's sincerity, and I trust Qin Feng's ability. Within a month, I'll gradually transfer my military authority to Grand Commandant Qin. How's that?"

Qin Tianhu readily agreed; after all, shortening what should have been a years-long war to just one month was the best possible outcome. As the saying goes, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry—and Li Zheng had spent half his life consolidating power here, amassing vast wealth that would take time to transfer piece by piece to Beixi County.

After Li Zheng left, Zhao Yuxiong pulled back the curtain and entered, proposing bluntly: "Grand Commandant, once Li Zheng hands over his military authority, why not kill him outright and eliminate this menace?"

"I've been touring the area these past days—the people here have suffered terribly under him."

Qin Tianhu lifted his tea cup, drained it in one gulp, exhaled deeply, and said solemnly: "Yuxiong, to accomplish great things, you need not only courage, but also breadth of mind."

"Li Zheng is indeed a scoundrel—he has looted the people's wealth and supported Li Yong's Rebellion. Any one of those crimes warrants flaying him alive."

"But if we kill him, our credibility will be ruined. Who will ever dare negotiate with us again?"

"Don't sacrifice the big for the small. Always consider the bigger picture."

Zhao Yuxiong had a strong sense of justice and wanted to rid the people of this evil—Qin Tianhu understood this, and precisely because of it, he felt Qin Feng had not misjudged him.

But on matters of fundamental right and wrong, one must never act on impulse. Even if Li Zheng was a scoundrel, he must be protected.

If Qin Feng were here, he wouldn't have accepted Zhao Yuxiong's suggestion—he'd have bribed Li Zheng at any cost.

Money isn't important; lives are.

When war breaks out, how much silver is burned is secondary—how many lives are lost is what truly matters!

"Yuxiong, do we have any Brocade Guard envoys nearby?"

Without hesitation, Zhao Yuxiong replied: "Of course we do."

"Not just the Brocade Guard—around you, Grand Commandant, there are twenty Tianji Camp Guards, twenty Anwu Guards, ten Brocade Guards, and five envoys, all secretly ensuring your safety."

Hearing this, Qin Tianhu chuckled: "Why such a show of force? With you beside me, ordinary threats mean nothing."

Zhao Yuxiong shook his head firmly: "It was Brother Qin's order. Initially, only the Brocade Guard secretly protected you, but after a minor incident on Brother Qin's side, twenty Tianji Camp Guards were added."

Qin Tianhu raised an eyebrow: "A minor incident? What happened?"

Zhao Yuxiong hurried to explain, fearing misunderstanding: "Only when the Tianji Camp Guards arrived to assist in defense did they tell me that Brother Qin had struck the Brocade Guard."

"He reportedly stabbed Anwu Guard Captain Liu Ming once, ordered Mo Li removed from office, and drastically curtailed the Brocade Guard's authority."

"As a result, Prince Li Zhang thought the Brocade Guard had rebelled—he sent me a frantic message warning me to be on guard."

Learning the full story, Qin Tianhu threw back his head and laughed loudly, his eyes bright with pride for his son.

"Hahaha, Feng'er, you really know how to strike decisively!"

"Well done!"

"The Brocade Guard's loyalty is unquestionable—but it's still an intelligence organization. Even without granting it formal power, its authority will grow uncontrollably. If you don't cut the Gordian knot and weaken it now, the Brocade Guard will become tomorrow's Heiwei Si."

"By the way, is Liu Ming alright?"

Zhao Yuxiong shook his head dismissively: "He's fine. Brother Qin struck with precision—he didn't hit any vital organs, and he had plenty of healers on hand. Liu Ming won't die."

Zhao Yuxiong's answer confirmed Qin Tianhu's suspicions: Qin Feng's strike against the Brocade Guard was flawless!

On the contrary, Qin Feng's maturity and capability had surpassed Qin Tianhu's expectations—even Qin Tianhu himself couldn't have handled it so cleanly. Truly, the pupil has surpassed the master.

At first, when Qin Feng set out for Beidi, Qin Tianhu had worried. Now, that worry had vanished completely.

If Qin Feng couldn't protect himself, then no one else could save him. And yet—was there truly anyone in this world who could threaten Qin Feng? Qin Tianhu couldn't help but wonder.

Meanwhile, work had begun in Changshui County.

Under pressure from the County Magistrate's Wife, Chen Tian had agreed to cooperate with Qin Feng—and made Qin Feng swear that, no matter what happened in the future, he must protect Chen Tian's entire family. Otherwise, if trouble came, Qin Feng would simply walk away, leaving Chen Tian's family to die.

The local people showed no hesitation or resistance to Qin Feng's hiring—they were eager, even enthusiastic, and worked with exceptional vigor.

A few men carried timber to the site, chattering nonstop.

"I've lived my whole life, and I've never met anyone like Lord Qin."

"Neither have I. He truly thinks of the common folk!"

"Hahaha, with Lord Qin in charge, even the Wu Family, who used to run roughshod over everyone, now have to keep their tails tucked."

"Not just that—this winter was brutal, but Lord Qin's terms were a lifeline. Most unbelievable of all… before work even started, Lord Qin distributed half a month's worth of grain to everyone just to survive. He's a Living Bodhisattva."

"Heh, even if I drop dead working for Lord Qin, I'd die happy!"

As the crowd buzzed with chatter, an unremarkable horse-drawn carriage slowly entered Changshui County.

Logically, anyone who could afford a carriage was at least a wealthy landowner or local militia leader—and would naturally decorate it lavishly to display status.

But this carriage was strange—extremely worn and shabby.

Someone who could afford a carriage but couldn't afford to repair it? What kind of situation was this?

As the villagers stared in confusion, several local ruffians stepped forward and blocked the carriage.

They sized it up, smirking.

"Hey, fresh sight—I've lived this long and never seen a carriage this broken. Is someone inside a destitute family?"

"If you're broke, stop pretending. Get out and walk."

"Exactly. Look at your state—why pretend you're still a big family?"

"The Yamen Runners have been busy these days, no time for petty matters. We brothers took it upon ourselves to collect tolls for the County Yamen. Heh heh—hear this: to pass through here, pay two taels of silver!"