Chapter 274: Deliver These Captives to Gao Family Village
Cheng Xu stood before the more than six hundred captives and gave a dry chuckle.
The six hundred-plus men shivered in terror. Resistance was out of the question; that terrifying colossal hand in the sky could strike at any moment. How could they possibly summon the courage to resist?
Now, they could only quietly await their fate...
Treason was a capital offense, punishable by the extermination of one's entire lineage. They knew their chances of survival were slim. The only way out might be to be seized and bound to government artisan service, but that was little different from death, or perhaps even worse than death.
Cheng Xu originally intended to say: "Now, I'll send you to Gao Family Village for labor reform."
Suddenly, a thought struck him. No, he was playing the role of the Ghost Centurion now. Gao Family Village's affairs were no business of his, a "Guyuan rebel." He should just slip away.
After a couple of odd laughs, Cheng Xu turned around and loudly addressed Magistrate Liang Shixian, who had just emerged from the city:
"Magistrate Liang, I've completed what I promised you. Now I must return to Huanglong Mountain. This unholy mess is yours to clean up."
Liang Shixian's mind was still reeling from the shock, and he completely missed the glaring inconsistency that "the Heavenly Lord appeared, yet the Ghost Centurion showed no fear." He bowed deeply to Cheng Xu: "Thank you, Ghost Centurion, you have truly rendered a great service this time. As this humble official, I thank you on behalf of the people of Chengcheng County. I will keep my word and speak well of you at court, help you reclaim your owed pay, and restore your official position."
He waved to the militia: "Let's go! We're returning to Huanglong Mountain."
And so, the militia made a dramatic exit.
Liang Shixian stood bewildered before the six hundred-plus surrendered soldiers, a dull ache settling in his skull. He mused internally: *How should I deal with these people? Logically, they should be escorted under guard to Xi'an and handed over to the Governor for punishment. But I simply don't have enough men. If I let Fang Wushang escort them, he only has a hundred soldiers. Escorting over six hundred frontier soldiers? That's laughable! Even if these frontier soldiers are utterly terrified now, they'll recover in a day or two. Then, even unarmed, they could easily overwhelm Fang Wushang's hundred-plus men.*
*But... they've all surrendered. I can't just order them killed now, can I? The Heavenly Lord above... hasn't killed them either...*
Thinking this, Liang Shixian couldn't help but look up at the low clouds in the sky.
Clever as he was, he instantly grasped the connection between the Heavenly Lord and that mass of low clouds.
As he was agonizing, Mr. Wang and the mysterious woman wearing a bamboo hat walked up to him.
Mr. Wang smiled, "Is the Magistrate troubled by these six hundred captives?"
"Indeed!" Liang Shixian replied, "Although we defeated the rebels with the Heavenly Lord's blessing, how should we deal with them? This humble official is truly... ahem... somewhat..."
Mr. Wang: "Do you remember the two thieves who stole steamed buns?"
Of course, Liang Shixian remembered. He didn't even need to activate a mental slideshow to recall it clearly: "Mr. Wang's meaning is?"
Mr. Wang smiled, "There's no need to send them to the imperial court for judgment. Just turn these six hundred-plus people into 'labor reform convicts.' Let them atone for their sins through labor."
Liang Shixian: "But they committed the grave crime of rebellion, punishable by the extermination of their entire lineage. Can such a thing be resolved by labor reform?"
Mr. Wang sighed softly, "When the Heavenly Lord acted just now, he merely struck the ground before them, refraining from directly crushing them. This clearly signifies the Heavenly Lord's stance... Heaven possesses the virtue of nurturing life. The Heavenly Lord's intention is that these frontier soldiers are merely low-ranking individuals, and many things were beyond their control. The responsibility for rebellion, burning, killing, and looting mostly lies with their leader, the Wolf Centurion, and the Wolf Centurion has already been executed..."
Liang Shixian understood: "Heaven possesses the virtue of nurturing life. This phrase is quite fitting here."
Mr. Wang continued, "The Magistrate currently lacks sufficient manpower to escort these rebels to Xi'an. If you send someone to Xi'an to request troops for the escort, Governor Hu Tingyan might stir up some mischief."
Liang Shixian considered it carefully. That was indeed true. Governor Hu Tingyan was a notoriously feckless official, and his subordinates were ill-disciplined, with countless individuals like Li Ying. If the Governor sent troops to Chengcheng to escort the prisoners, those soldiers might plunder Chengcheng County, creating even more problems.
"Just consider these people dead in that battle," Mr. Wang suggested. "Write a letter to the Governor, include the Wolf Centurion's head, and simply state that all the rebels have been annihilated. That will save you a lot of trouble."
Liang Shixian gave a bitter chuckle, "It's clearly a lie, yet why does it feel... like it's a better path to take?"
Mr. Wang sighed, "Because... this world is deceptive. If you don't deceive others and live honestly, you'll only find it harder."
Liang Shixian: "..."
Mr. Wang: "If the Magistrate finds managing them troublesome, then entrust these rebels to Gao Family Village."
Liang Shixian: "This... wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
Mr. Wang pointed to the low clouds above, "The Heavenly Lord will oversee their fate."
Liang Shixian's spirits soared.
His attention returned to the Heavenly Lord.
He looked up, deeply gazing at the low clouds in the sky, then cupped his fists and bowed respectfully: "I have been serving as magistrate in Chengcheng County for over a year now, and I have always received the Heavenly Lord's care without realizing it. Only today do I understand that the Heavenly Lord has been secretly assisting me all along. I am utterly humbled."
Li Daoxuan smiled.
Gao Yiye whispered a few words into Mr. Wang's ear.
Mr. Wang then spoke to Liang Shixian: "The Heavenly Lord says there's no need for such formality. You are a good official, with your heart dedicated to the common people. He hopes you will maintain this. The interests of the common people should always come first; all other considerations can be cast aside."
Liang Shixian had indeed always acted this way. Receiving the Heavenly Lord's affirmation, he was secretly delighted.
Liang Shixian turned his attention back to Mr. Wang: "Then I will now inform Inspector Fang to escort these surrendered soldiers to Gao Family Village and hand them over to your management."
Mr. Wang smiled: "Very well, we'll take it from here."
Liang Shixian turned and walked towards the county yamen.
Li Daoxuan scanned the scene. Fang Wushang had arrived, bringing over a hundred soldiers, ready to escort the captives. From the county town to Gao Family Village was only thirty li, a short distance that could be covered in half a day. But over a hundred men escorting over six hundred was still quite dangerous.
Fang Wushang's men felt a crushing weight of responsibility.
Li Daoxuan locked his view onto them, monitoring these rebels all the way. Fortunately, these rebels were utterly terrified.
They showed no signs of resistance, docilely being escorted by Fang Wushang for over thirty li. By dusk, they reached Gao Family Village's massive fortress, where the magical train and the sheer scale of the village left the captive rebels gaping in astonishment.
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