Chapter 1094: All Good Citizens, No Rebellion
A crowd of common folk rushed over, exclaiming anxiously, “Brave men, you must flee! What are you leisurely moving at a time like this?”
Zhuge Wang Chan chuckled, “We can’t just leave them! These are our disaster relief supplies; they must reach the hands of the suffering. How could we abandon them and flee?”
The people warned, “But it won’t be long before Prince Rui’s guards, the Hanzhong Prefect, and the Regional Commander all arrive!”
Zhuge Wang Chan merely said, “Let them come. Who’s afraid of whom?”
The common folk gasped.
Some of the more timid folk quickly backed away, but others, eager to help or aware of who the Heavenly Lord was, stepped forward to assist with the unloading. It didn't take long for all the goods to be transferred from the train, forming a small mountain of supplies at the station.
Soon after, a large convoy of carts and horses arrived.
The quartermasters piled the grain onto the waiting carts and horses, transporting it towards the Han River.
On the Han River, a fleet of small boats was already prepared to transfer the cargo.
Yet, no matter how much they helped, the process couldn't be significantly hastened.
A single large train could carry hundreds of thousands, even a million, jin of supplies. It wasn't so simple to move it all at once; the carts and horses would need to make trip after trip...
Then, Prince Rui’s guards arrived!
Their numbers were small, barely two hundred strong.
Even the Prince of Qin’s Mansion, the realm’s premier enfeoffment, commanded only five hundred guards. Prince Rui, a rank lower, was also notoriously miserly. Supporting five hundred guards would be far too costly, so two hundred was a much more economical choice...
When the two hundred guards arrived and assessed the scene, they found the "troublemaking" militia quartermasters numbered five hundred — more than twice their own strength. Each man looked formidable, not someone to be easily provoked, their muscles practically gleaming.
Prince Rui's guards flinched, not daring to advance.
Prince Rui roared in anger, “What are you gaping at? Charge forward and seize them!”
The Guard Commander replied, “Your Highness, we are clearly outnumbered.”
Prince Rui retorted, “You are proper imperial soldiers, and they are merely a local militia! What exactly are you so afraid of?”
The Guard Commander rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, *You know we’re proper imperial soldiers? Then perhaps you should pay us our full wages, and not be so miserly! Give us more meat to eat!*
But these thoughts remained unspoken; he dared not voice them aloud.
The Guard Commander could only say, “We are heavily outnumbered, Your Highness. We must wait for reinforcements. The Prefect and the Regional Commander will be here shortly.”
And so, the two hundred Prince Rui’s guards melted into the crowd of onlookers, actually retreating to a safe distance, watching the militia unload their cargo, completely unwilling to step forward.
After this awkward standoff continued for a while longer, the distinct sound of many footsteps finally echoed through the air.
The Hanzhong Prefect and the Hanzhong Regional Commander, finally made their appearance.
While the Hanzhong Prefect was an unremarkable, ordinary official, the Hanzhong Regional Commander was certainly no common figure.
His name was Zhao Guangyuan, son of the famed General Zhao Shuaijiao, renowned as the “General who Pacified Liao.”
The legendary prowess of Zhao Shuaijiao was so immense, it hardly needed recounting.
The moment Zhao Guangyuan arrived, Prince Rui’s arrogance surged. He stomped his foot and demanded, “General Zhao, quickly, quickly apprehend all these scoundrels!”
Zhao Guangyuan was no fool; he wouldn't simply cut down people without understanding the situation. He spoke up, asking, “What exactly is happening here?”
Zhu Changhao pointed at the militia and declared, “They are rebelling!”
Zhao Guangyuan raised an eyebrow. “Rebelling? Where do you see a rebellion? All I see are people moving supplies.”
Zhu Changhao insisted, “They attacked my men!”
Zhao Guangyuan pressed, “Just beat them? No fatalities?”
Zhu Changhao scoffed, “What’s the difference between assaulting people from the Prince’s Mansion and actual rebellion?”
The difference, however, was monumental.
Zhao Guangyuan desperately wanted to retort, but out of deference to the prince, he held his tongue.
Just then, the Hanzhong Prefect leaned in, whispering into Zhao Guangyuan’s ear, “We cannot provoke them, these people must not be touched.”
Zhao Guangyuan murmured, “Hmm?”
Unlike Prince Rui, the Hanzhong Prefect didn't confine himself to the city. He was well aware of the true situation within his jurisdiction.
Across the entire Guanzhong Plain, crop yields had more than tripled thanks to the Celestial Fertilizer. If he, as a Prefect, remained ignorant of such a profound development, he would have been summarily dismissed long ago.
He even knew of the Heavenly Lord Daoist Sect's existence, though he didn't realize the Heavenly Lord truly manifested divine power. He simply considered it a widespread folk belief.
The Prefect whispered into Zhao Guangyuan’s ear, “Though I cannot be entirely certain, these people are devout followers of a sect known as the Heavenly Lord Daoist Sect. This faction is backed by the formidable Li clan of Longxi, possessing immense power. Even the Prince of Qin’s Mansion and the Shaanxi Governor himself are connected to them.”
Zhao Guangyuan was utterly startled. “What did you say?”
The Prefect continued in a low voice, “Look, these people have provoked Prince Rui’s Mansion, yet they continue moving supplies as if nothing happened, showing no fear of the Prince. That’s because they have the backing of the realm’s premier enfeoffment. If Prince Rui were to clash with the Prince of Qin, it would undoubtedly be Prince Rui who loses.”
Zhao Guangyuan asked, puzzled, “If they have connections to the Prince of Qin’s Mansion, why don’t they just say so? If they did, would Prince Rui dare to cross them?”
The Prefect lowered his voice further. “Shhh! This is merely my speculation; the Prince of Qin’s Mansion hasn’t admitted anything. Such vast quantities of supplies, and so many militia rushing about—even if they genuinely belonged to the Prince of Qin’s Mansion, how could they possibly acknowledge it? If that were confirmed, what would be the difference from outright rebellion? Prince of Tang Zhu Yujian is their cautionary tale.”
Zhao Guangyuan suddenly understood.
The Prefect added, “Some things are better left unsaid, known only in silence.”
Zhao Guangyuan now grasped the situation entirely. He waved his hand, declaring loudly, “This general has observed, and these are all good citizens, diligently moving supplies. They are not rebels. Your Highness Prince Rui, next time, please refrain from such alarmist behavior and calling upon imperial soldiers so recklessly. My coming here like this, mobilizing so many, is quite exhausting for the soldiers.”
Zhu Changhao blinked. “Eh?”
Zhao Guangyuan simply said, “Return.”
With that, he spurred his horse and galloped away.
He wanted no part of this complicated affair.
The Hanzhong garrison soldiers immediately followed suit, vanishing from sight in moments.
The Hanzhong Prefect also bowed respectfully, saying, “Your Highness Prince Rui, please exercise extreme caution and avoid disturbing the common people.”
Having said his piece, the Prefect also made a hasty exit, a large retinue of yamen runners and hangers-on trailing behind him, vanishing in an instant.
Zhu Changhao was left utterly dumbfounded.
Then, something even more unexpected transpired.
Zhuge Wang Chan watched the Prefect and Regional Commander arrive and depart, instantly grasping the situation. He let out a low chuckle, then cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp in the air. “Brothers,” he called out, “tired from all that moving? Let’s beat some people to stretch out our limbs!”
The quartermasters grinned. “Alright!”
With that, the five hundred quartermasters began advancing, fists clenched, towards the two hundred Prince Rui’s guards.
Zhu Changhao cried out, “What are you doing? Don’t you dare come any closer!”
“Beat them!”
“Charge!”
The quartermasters surged forward with menacing intent, and Prince Rui’s guards instantly erupted into chaos.
In the ensuing chaos, an anonymous flying kick landed squarely on Zhu Changhao’s backside, sending him sprawling forward. He hit the ground with a heavy thud, then slid for another meter or more...
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