bookpub Chapter 67 The Road Ahead
Chapter 67 The Road Ahead
We returned to Jinshan Prefecture once again.
Lu Lin could clearly sense that the streets had become more solemn.
The number of pedestrians and merchants has decreased significantly, and two or three shops on the street have their doors tightly closed most of the time.
Although several days have passed, the emotions of the people in the city have clearly not recovered.
The turmoil that day severely damaged three martial arts families in the city, but the city's common people were also inevitably affected.
The city guard camp was located in the north of the city. The closer you got to it, the fewer pedestrians there were and the more soldiers running around.
The soldiers were all dressed in leather armor, with swords at their waists, boots, and helmets.
Each squad consists of thirteen soldiers: one captain, eight swordsmen, two shield bearers, and two archers.
At the camp gate, Yao Jingkun announced his identity, and the guards went in to report. Soon after, a pale-faced military advisor led them inside.
In the central command tent, Lu Lin saw Yu Tong and He Zhong once again.
There were two other commanders, one named Zhang Jiacheng and the other named Wang Chong.
He Zhong no longer smelled of alcohol as he had last time, and his face was serious.
Zhang Jiacheng was the tallest, making him appear somewhat thin, but this was just an illusion; his strength was not among the weakest of the four commanders.
Wang Chong was the youngest and had the weakest cultivation, but he was handsome and sunny, and did not look like someone who had risen from the ranks of a low-ranking soldier.
That's from Qingshan Martial Arts Academy.
"Welcome, welcome. Thank you all for coming to our aid. You may not know, but although the turmoil has been quelled, the city's administration and public order are in complete chaos because the governor died in the line of duty and the prefect is seriously injured and unconscious."
Wang Chong, as the representative, welcomed the group from the academy.
"You're too kind. We're also from the Great Liang Academy, how could we stand idly by? Commander Wang, just give us your orders. The young men I brought are all at the Meat Training level, they're quite strong."
"Master, please don't be impatient. There might be some changes to the arrangements for the students you brought. Please have a seat and I will explain to you in detail."
When Wang Chong saw that a lot of people had arrived, he quickly ordered his soldiers to bring in chairs and stools.
Lu Lin also took the opportunity to nod to Yu Tong as a greeting.
"We originally intended to ask you all to help maintain order, but recently, the yamen has lost seven or eight head constables, all of whom perished while pursuing the Lü family. Dozens of ordinary constables have also been lost. Therefore, I would like to ask any of our students who are skilled in investigation and apprehension to come and assist the constables in their work."
"Besides investigating and apprehending the culprits, those gangs have been acting strangely these days. We need a group of people to keep them in check. Things in this city are difficult to handle without them, but if we let them get too rampant, it would be disrespectful."
"The experts from the Three Swords Pavilion have also rushed back from the wilderness, preparing to focus on investigating this incident. However, they have not been active in the city for a long time, so they need some manpower to assist in the work."
"The order of shops and restaurants in the city also needs to be restored. If there are any students who are good at this, please help them out."
"Finally, news of the unrest has been reported to the imperial court. An imperial envoy and the new governor will be arriving soon. Although the situation is not good, some etiquette is still required for their arrival and departure."
"Master Yao, the men under our command are just ordinary soldiers. They're fine for fighting, but if they encounter something like this, they'll be completely helpless."
After hearing Wang Chong's arrangements, Yao Jingkun suddenly felt like he hadn't had enough people to guide him.
He had initially thought that twenty-odd people would be enough, but according to Wang Chong's calculations, fifty people might not even be enough.
"Commander Wang, although the governor died in the line of duty, there are still some people in the government office that can be used. Surely we are not in such dire straits?"
"Master Yao, you may not know this, but the Lü family's surprise attack on the governor's mansion killed many people in the government office. Apart from a few who managed to hide, the rest were either dead or maimed. They can hardly get out of bed or walk, let alone do anything. The governor's side is in a similar situation. Alas, the Lü family has really done a lot of harm."
"I see. I'll ask the students what they think later and then report back to you."
"Very well, Master Yao, we have prepared resting quarters for you all. The military camp is simple, please forgive us."
Wang Chong led everyone to the camp.
The military camp was naturally incomparable to the academy; everyone shared five rooms, four to a room.
After Wang Chong left, Master Yao called everyone over.
"Have you all put your things away? Of the things Commander Wang mentioned earlier, which ones are you interested in? Come and tell me about them."
"Master, I have no problem going to the yamen to receive the imperial envoy and handle all the formalities."
He Wenzhu stood up and said.
He is He Zhong's son, and he has been exposed to these things since childhood, so of course there is no problem.
"Master, I'm going to manage street security and encourage businesses to open and operate."
Lu Lin was surprised to find that it was Fang Heng who got up.
"Okay, Fang Heng, you can go home first and check on your parents and relatives."
"No need. My family members aren't with the Fang family. Their downfall won't affect them."
"Alright then."
With just a few simple words from Fang Heng, everyone had already imagined his situation in the Fang family.
"Master, let me manage the gang; I'm good at that."
Lu Xishan also volunteered.
His father was a bandit, so having him manage the gang was a perfect fit for his profession.
After that, a few more students volunteered, and the rest, like Lu Lin, were left to Yao Jingkun's discretion.
"Lu Lin, tomorrow you will go to several bustling commercial streets in the city and urge the merchants to open for business as soon as possible. If there are any problems, you can report them to me."
"clear."
Yao Jingkun had a personal motive in asking Lu Lin to urge the merchants.
Because this matter is not difficult, and the merchants have the lowest status and no military power, as long as Lu Lin doesn't deliberately cause trouble, it's easy for him to handle the problem.
Then the remaining time can be used for cultivation.
They didn't need to go out to do anything that day; they could simply rest in their barracks.
After dinner, Yu Tong sent a guard to invite Lu Lin over.
"Lu Lin, be careful when you go out these next few days. The remnants of the Three Treasures Sect in the city have not been completely eradicated yet."
"Hmm." Lu Lin knew that cults like this weren't so easy to eradicate completely.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have existed intermittently for thousands of years.
"Hmm, I didn't expect you to have gotten so muscular in just a few days. How about considering becoming a captain in my camp someday?"
"Don't rush to refuse," Yu Tong said earnestly. "This incident has attracted the attention of the imperial court. A governor of a prefecture of the third rank has died in the line of duty. This is something that has never happened since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty."
"Next, the imperial court will definitely pay more attention to the military. You can train under me for a few years and once you reach the fifth level, I will try to arrange for you to be a commander in another prefecture."
"As long as you continue to improve, you will have the opportunity to enter the capital city of Da'an. That will be the time to truly rise to prominence."
"How about it? Want to consider it?"