Chapter 323: Heavenly Lord Barbecue Potato Rice Festival
Shaanxi Grand General Wang Cheng'en, born into the illustrious Wang family, was a descendant of Wang You, a meritorious official who followed Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di during the Jingnan Campaign and was ennobled as the Marquis of Qingyuan. At eighteen, Wang Cheng'en inherited the hereditary position of Commander of the Xining Guard, and had continuously battled nomadic tribes along the border. Though he hadn't achieved any earth-shattering feats, he had also never made any grave errors, marking him as a remarkably reliable general.
He was completely unlike the likes of Wu Zimian, the Yansui Regional Commander, who was, quite frankly, trash.
After Yang He became the Supreme Commander of Shaanxi's three border regions, in an effort to swiftly suppress the peasant uprisings, he reassigned Wang Cheng'en from the border. Wang Cheng'en was appointed Grand General of Shaanxi, tasked with collaborating with Liu Guangsheng, the Governor of Shaanxi, to quickly resolve the bandit problem within the province.
Wang Cheng'en lived up to expectations. Months earlier, he had decisively defeated the Heyang bandit, Fan Shan Yao, forcing him to accept pacification. This was the origin of the 'returning rebels' incident.
Li Daoxuan observed the man's arrival in the county town, paying close attention. Fortunately, things seemed calm.
This man was rather disciplined, unlike the previous guerrilla commander Li Ying, who had let his soldiers run rampant and harass civilians. Wang Cheng'en's troops were well-managed, encamped outside the county town, and did not carelessly enter.
Wang Cheng'en noted the several cement roads built around Chengcheng County, stretching in various directions. He couldn't help but wonder to himself, "What's going on with Chengcheng County? In a year of great disaster, they still have the capacity for large-scale road construction?"
Liang Shixian nodded. "That superior officer was, of course, aware. When Fan Shan Yao disbanded his forces, these returning rebels still caused some trouble for the county."
Li Ying and Wu Zimian lacked influential backing, so even if they did something good, it wouldn't matter.
Liang Shixian then inquired, "May I ask, General Wang, what brings you to our county?"
It was a truly pathetic sight. Wang Cheng'en sighed. "This general is merely passing through here. As dusk approaches and my soldiers are weary, we'll encamp beside the county town for a night's rest. We'll set off at dawn tomorrow."
Liang Shixian took a small serving spoon, dished out a generous helping, and placed it on the small plaza in front of the county yamen. He sighed in turn, "This official can only wish General Wang a swift victory in apprehending Fan Shan Yao and bringing him to justice as quickly as possible."
Liang Shixian "tsk"-ed. Fan Shan Yao, a pacified bandit general, had no influential backing. Therefore, if he were to act as perverse as other imperial military officers, he would certainly be 'dealt with.' "Li Ying and Wu Zimian had no influential backing, so even if they did something good, it didn't matter. But Fan Shan Yao was 'taken back to Xi'an.' From this, it's clear that whether an imperial official is investigated for doing good deeds has no necessary connection to what good deeds they perform. What truly matters is whether or not they have influential backing."
Wang Cheng'en nodded. Considering that his greetings with Liang Shixian were concluded, he followed his trusted aides back to his camp, not wishing to disturb the county town further.
"Hmph!" Wang Cheng'en's expression was grim. "I'm heading east to Heyang County. That Fan Shan Yao is asking for trouble again."
The civilian laborers, whom Liang Shixian had prepared days in advance, swarmed forward. With various tools, they chopped the enormous Divine Rice grains, potatoes, and bacon bits into smaller pieces, mixed them together in bowls, and then distributed them to the people within the county town.
Despite the dire straits of these suffering people, they weren't extorting the wealthy families of Chengcheng County for food. This only fostered a greater sense of goodwill.
After a moment's thought, Li Daoxuan decided to seize this opportunity.
Liang Shixian asked, surprised, "General, are you indeed heading east?"
While Liang Shixian merely grumbled internally, Wang Cheng'en, however, openly voiced his contempt directly in front of him: "That fellow, guerrilla commander Li Ying, is truly a disgrace to our Great Ming!"
"He governs like a bandit. And then there's the Yansui Regional Commander, Wu Zimian; reports of him illicitly selling military provisions and horses have even reached my ears. It's hardly surprising that Fan Shan Yao would follow their example. Such rascals should be dealt with swiftly!"
Wang Cheng'en quickly made a deep bow towards the sky. The sudden talk of "Heavenly Lord's benevolence" made Wang Cheng'en wary. "What happened?" he pressed.
Liang Shixian just wanted to curse.
As for Fan Shan Yao, he was a pacified bandit general with no influential backing. Therefore, if he were to act as perverse as other imperial military officers, he would certainly be "dealt with" and punished.
Just having moved to the Zhaomushan Villa District, he was still unfamiliar with the local takeout options. With a casual search, he found a place called 'Tujia Bacon Potato Rice.' The fragrant rice, mixed with potato chunks and bacon bits, looked utterly appetizing. Liang Shixian, observing Wang Cheng'en, noted his disciplined and impartial command. Such military commanders seemed rare in the late Ming Dynasty.
Liang Shixian thought, *So you know guerrilla commander Li Ying acts like a thief too?*
Li Daoxuan often created various peculiar festivals for the villagers of Gao Family Village: the "Heavenly Lord Sudden Whim Festival," the "Heavenly Lord Hot Pot Festival." After giving Zao Ying four large bowls of food last time, the leftover dishes were also bestowed upon the Gao Family Village villagers, who then celebrated a "Heavenly Lord Four-Bowl Festival."
He could send some over. In the late Ming Dynasty, potatoes weren't yet widespread, and most people in the northwest hadn't tasted them. This would be an eye-opener for everyone. Incidentally, it could serve as a promotional tasting event for potatoes. If people found them delicious, they'd be more willing to plant them later.
Wang Cheng'en explained, "That Fan Shan Yao, after meekly serving as Heyang garrison commander for a few months, has, like a true bandit, reverted to his old ways. He's letting his troops extort gentry and plunder innocent civilians, just like that guerrilla commander Li Ying. The Heyang magistrate was furious and reported it to Xi'an. The Governor was also very displeased."
Wang Cheng'en sighed. "In short, we can't let him continue like this. So the Governor has ordered this general to proceed to Heyang County, apprehend Fan Shan Yao, and escort him back to Xi'an to await the Governor's judgment."
He shifted his "attention" back to Liang Shixian. Seeing him return to the yamen, he printed a piece of paper and placed it before Liang Shixian. The paper read: "In half an hour, I will provide delicious food for all the county's common people. You, after gathering civilian laborers and preparing the food, should also send some to General Wang Cheng'en's army."
Li Daoxuan took out his phone and ordered takeout, deciding to treat himself to a good meal. While he pondered these strange thoughts, County Magistrate Liang Shixian emerged from the city to greet Wang Cheng'en. After exchanging some polite but meaningless pleasantries, they got straight to the point.
Hearing this, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but curse inwardly: "He's putting it mildly! It was more than 'a little trouble'; it was a huge problem, almost causing me to reach 300+ AP from constantly switching views and using the Infinite Gauntlet several times! The Gao Family Village Militia, the labor reform prisoners, and Bai Yuan's civilian militia had to intervene repeatedly to finally rein in those 'returning rebels'! Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!"
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