Chapter 562: Sir Bai Extends His Regards
Xing Honglang's forces and Ma Xianglin's forces began preparing to advance west, continuing their pursuit of the rebel forces to relieve Daning County.
After learning Cheng Xu's true identity, Ma Xianglin secretly observed the situation. He then realized that while Xing Honglang ostensibly led this army, Cheng Xu was its true commander-in-chief.
Even Xing Honglang followed Cheng Xu's orders. It appeared Xing Honglang was merely a puppet Cheng Xu had put forward as a facade.
Truly, Cheng Xu was worthy of his title, the God of War of Chengcheng County. Not only was he a formidable fighter, but also a strategist of the highest caliber. If he revealed his true identity as Cheng Xu, the imperial court might not be willing to offer him amnesty, because the current Emperor Zhu Youjian never admitted fault; others were always wrong, never he. Having initially dispatched the Jinyiwei to hunt down Cheng Xu, he would certainly see the hunt through to the end, leaving no room for clemency.
But for Cheng Xu to put Xing Honglang forward to accept amnesty, and then rejoin the imperial fold as a subordinate general under Xing Honglang, was truly brilliant.
Ma Xianglin pondered these various thoughts. After resting sufficiently, both armies prepared to move west.
Just as they were about to depart, the townspeople gathered around them, their faces filled with reluctance. “General,” they pleaded, “if you leave, what will we do if the bandits return?”
“Puxian has no city walls,” another said, “our militia wouldn't even be able to defend it.”
“That's right, without you, what will become of us?” echoed others. “Please, leave some men to garrison the town.”
But if no one was left in Puxian, it would indeed be easy for small groups of bandits to raid it again.
As they hesitated, a scout suddenly arrived with a report. “Imperial reinforcements have arrived,” he announced. “It’s General Li Huai’s troops.”
Upon hearing General Li Huai’s name, several people present chuckled. “Oh, the useless one has arrived,” someone muttered.
When Li Huai had previously garrisoned Pinelyang Prefecture, he had been so thoroughly beaten by the West Camp Eight Great Kings that he couldn't even recognize his own mother. It was entirely thanks to Shi Jian's intervention and rescue, with his two hundred arquebusiers employing two-stage firing tactics, that the West Camp Eight Great Kings were finally repelled, and Pinelyang Prefecture was incidentally saved.
It had been a long time since they last heard Li Huai’s name. They never expected this fellow to show up again.
Though this fellow lacked any real combat prowess, he also didn’t have any significant moral failings. He wasn't the kind of scoundrel who would massacre innocents to claim merit or harm the common people. He could still be put to some use.
Xing Honglang said, “Since that’s the case, let’s entrust Puxian to General Li Huai to defend, and our two forces can continue our advance.”
Ma Xianglin nodded. “Good!”
The two waited for Li Huai for a while. They briefed him on the situation here and instructed him to remain and garrison Puxian.
Upon hearing he was to remain behind, Li Huai was instantly overjoyed. If he didn’t have to be on the front lines, that was naturally for the best. Garrison duty was good, garrison duty was wonderful, garrison duty was simply fantastic. He immediately agreed without hesitation and, leading his eight hundred ragtag soldiers, took up post in Puxian.
Only then did Xing Honglang's forces and Ma Xianglin's forces feel reassured. They continued their westward march.
——
Jiangzhou.
A few days prior, Jiangzhou Prefect Qin Changqing had been killed by the townspeople, guided by the God of Agriculture. Along with his group of accomplices, he was crushed into a bloody pulp by the surging populace. With no corrupt officials left in the city, it briefly entered a state of anarchy.
If this incident had happened in a later era, chaos would surely have ensued. Looting, arson, and 'zero-dollar purchases'—all sorts of disorderly things could have erupted.
But ancient times had their own way of dealing with such matters. The local gentry and powerful clans, acting as 'Baojia leaders' – much like Bai Yuan's position in Bai Family Fortress – were responsible for maintaining public order.
Where there were no officials, they immediately became the de facto authorities.
The Baojia leaders diligently maintained order, and surprisingly, Jiangzhou managed to function with a semblance of stability even without formal governance.
A local squire named Mo Xiaopin was responsible for patrolling Jiangzhou city. At that moment, he stood on the south city wall, gazing at the newly altered Fen River.
The Fen River's waters had been settling for several days, but the river remained terribly murky. He wondered how many more days it would take for the water to run clear again.
The fishermen along the river had fallen on hard times these past few days.
When the Heavenly Lord had widened the river channel, the fish in the river, whether frightened or simply too timid to adapt to this era of drastic change, had vanished. No matter how the fishermen cast their nets, they couldn't catch a single one.
Fortunately, after the Jiwang Deity’s intervention, the wealthy families in the city also 'found their conscience' and generously provided grain to assist the common people. The fishermen, for their part, hadn't gone hungry these past few days.
But Mo Xiaopin knew that fishermen ultimately needed to catch fish to sustain their livelihoods. Charity alone wouldn't be enough.
As he pondered this, a household servant suddenly exclaimed, “Master, look, look down the Fen River!”
Mo Xiaopin looked in the direction the servant pointed. Through the misty rain, a massive ship was sailing up the river. It was an enormous vessel, a flat-bottomed cargo barge, but it was truly immense, larger by a full measure than any ship Mo Xiaopin had ever seen in his life.
If the Fen River hadn't been dredged, such a large ship could never have navigated it.
A thought stirred in Mo Xiaopin's heart. He recalled the Heavenly Lord's words from last time: “Wait a few days, and a large ship will arrive from downstream to assist you.”
He had thought of it, and naturally, others would too.
At the same moment, almost everyone who saw the massive ship cheered, “The ship is here! The big ship is here! The great ship the Heavenly Lord spoke of has arrived!”
“A big ship has come to help us!” they cried.
“Who’s on the ship?” asked one. “Look at the bow,” someone pointed, “there’s a man in white!”
From a distance, it was still unclear, but as the large ship drew closer, everyone could see that a middle-aged man in flowing white robes stood at the bow. Half a step behind him stood two household servants, holding giant umbrellas, shielding the white-robed man from the rain.
So, despite the heavy rain, it did not affect his graceful, flowing white attire.
The river wind caused his white robes to flutter backward, making him look incredibly dashing.
The ship arrived at the dock outside Jiangzhou’s south city gate. The man in white robes then produced a paper fan, which he snapped open with a flourish. It revealed two characters: “Junzi” (Gentleman). Then he flipped the fan, and on its reverse side was a depiction of a deity — none other than the Dao Xuan Tian Zun, whom the people of Jiangzhou had last seen reaching down from the sky with a giant hand to help them dredge the river.
The townspeople surged to the riverbank, cheering, “Indeed, it’s someone sent by the Heavenly Lord to help us!”
“Are you a divine messenger sent by the Heavenly Lord?” they called out.
Mo Xiaopin also stepped forward to greet him. Leading a large group of local gentry, he stood at the riverbank and bowed respectfully from a distance to the man in white.
The man in white robes gracefully leapt onto the riverbank. His movements were agile; he didn't look like a mere scholar, but rather a man proficient in both literary and martial arts. He strode forward, an ethereal aura about him, approaching Mo Xiaopin and the others. He bowed first, displaying impeccable courtesy and cultivation.
Then, he formally introduced himself: “I am Bai Yuan. By the divine decree of Dao Xuan Tian Zun, I have specifically come to Jiangzhou City on a mission to help the people of Jiangzhou prosper and achieve collective wealth.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the image of the Heavenly Lord, depicted in ink on the back of his fan, also spoke: “You may trust him.”
Mo Xiaopin and the others saw this – the Heavenly Lord had manifested and spoken. How could they dare not believe? They all performed a profound bow to Bai Yuan, exclaiming, “Sir Bai, our deepest respects!”
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