The next morning! A swift horse shattered the tranquility of the capital.
"Urgent report from Luzhou! The Duke of Zhenguo's three thousand cavalrymen have single-handedly entered the territory and decisively defeated twenty thousand rebels, killing over eighteen thousand enemy leaders!"
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Imperial Palace, the Emperor of Dali looked at the report in his hand, his smile never fading since morning.
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Such good news has arrived in just two days! You are truly a young hero!"
Princess Xiao Xiuning also arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Seeing her father so happy, she couldn't help but ask.
"Father looks quite well today."
The Emperor handed Mu Zi'an's report to Xiao Xiuning and said,
"Little Jiu, take a look. This Mu Zi'an really knows how to surprise me."
After quickly reading through it, Xiao Xiuning was also shocked.
"Three thousand defeated twenty thousand, with nearly eighty percent beheaded! Leading from the front, risking danger alone?"
She recognized each word individually, but when put together, Xiao Xiuning found them somewhat unfamiliar.
After closing the report, Xiao Xiuning smiled and gave her father a deep bow.
"Congratulations, Father, on acquiring such a valiant general. With this, Luzhou will be safe and sound."
The emperor burst into laughter upon hearing this.
The gloom caused by Pei Jianzhi's previous failure was swept away.
"For this great victory, I will reward him handsomely!"
As he spoke, the emperor's gaze involuntarily shifted to Xiao Xiuning.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has no shortage of money, influence, or power. So what exactly is it lacking now?
The emperor gazed thoughtfully at his graceful daughter.
Meanwhile, Mu Zian, who was still in Luzhou, was completely unaware of the emperor's thoughts in the capital.
In the early morning, large pots were set up in Anping County.
An enticing aroma wafted continuously from the pot.
Countless people lined up, eagerly waiting.
"Distribute porridge!"
As a deep, resonant voice rang out, the lids of more than a dozen large pots were instantly lifted.
The intense aroma of rice nearly drove these people, who had been starving for who knows how long, crazy.
Fortunately, the soldiers of the Trapped Camp were present, preventing any chaos from occurring.
Standing atop the city wall beside Mu Zi'an, Jia Xu smiled and exclaimed in admiration.
"Young master has a kind and benevolent heart; he is destined for great things."
The idea of distributing porridge was naturally Mu Zi'an's, even though Anping County had already been looted.
However, Mu Zian still managed to plunder a considerable amount of grain from various wealthy households.
"Who would want to rebel if they had enough to eat?"
Upon hearing this, Jia Xu clapped his hands in praise.
“Young master’s words are truly brilliant. I almost failed to grasp the ingenuity of your plan.”
"As the saying goes, attacking a city is inferior to attacking a heart. Your actions are to show the people of Luzhou that they can survive even if they don't join these bandits in their rebellion."
"In this way, the people who have been coerced by the bandits will inevitably flee, thereby weakening the strength of these bandits."
"Moreover, upon hearing that there is a way to survive in Anping County, countless refugees will inevitably come to the city. As a result, the population in the city will increase, and even if the bandits from all over Luzhou come to attack, they can hold out until the remaining 20,000 troops arrive."
"Young master's move will not only earn you a reputation for loving the people, but also undermine the foundation of these rebels—a double win! Brilliant! Brilliant!"
Jia Xu couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Mu Zi'an looked embarrassed upon hearing this. Oh? Did I really think that much?
However, things turned out exactly as Jia Xu had predicted.
As news of the porridge distribution in Anping County spread, countless people spontaneously flocked to the county.
Anping County, which was originally lifeless, suddenly became very lively.
On the third day of the porridge distribution, the main force finally arrived in Luzhou and joined up with Mu Zi'an.
The previously nearly depleted food supplies were instantly replenished.
However, Mu Zi'an was not acting out of a saintly heart and wasting the army's provisions at will. Anyone who wanted to drink porridge had to participate in the construction of Anping County.
The houses that had been burned down were gradually rebuilt, and the damaged city walls were gradually restored to their original state.
Even the fields surrounding Anping County began to be cultivated.
Thanks to the passage of bandits, the land that was once in the hands of landlords is now all ownerless.
Mu Zian can arrange things as he pleases, which gives him a lot of room to maneuver.
Therefore, Mu Zian directly instructed Jia Xu to issue a decree to the entire Luzhou region.
Anyone who can reinvest in production can receive their own land deed.
This caused a frenzy among all the people in Luzhou.
In ancient times, no one could resist the temptation of land deeds.
This is especially true for people who have been landlords' tenants since childhood and have never owned their own land.
Having land means they can live, and if they can live, why would they risk their lives to rebel and die?
When the news reached Luzhou Prefecture, the gaunt man, whom all the bandits called the commander, immediately realized that something was wrong.
Because in the past two days, he has been receiving reports that the large army he had painstakingly recruited was showing signs of desertion.
The people captured all shared the same story: they wanted to go to Anping County to find a way to survive.
After all, the reason they joined these bandits in their rebellion was simply because everyone was desperate to survive.
Now that a new way out has emerged, who would want to continue rebelling with these people?
This situation is getting more and more serious. Even in Luzhou Prefecture, which is the farthest from Anping County, several thousand people can escape in a single night.
The gaunt man had a gloomy expression. The success of this rebellion was mainly due to two factors.
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