Is Chapter 471 true?
A hunched old man slowly entered the tent, followed by the guards.
The old man didn't seem to dare to look up. After entering the tent and taking a few steps, he knelt down on the ground, trembling: "This humble subject greets Your Excellency."
Lin Changning, sitting at the head of the table, cleared his throat and coughed, saying, "Old man, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise."
After speaking, he glanced at the guards beside the old man, and seeing Lin Changning's signal, they stood aside and helped the old man up.
Hearing Lin Changning's clear voice and seeing his personal guards helping him up with exceptional kindness, the old man thought that the man in front of him was probably not someone difficult to talk to.
After raising his head, he glanced at Lin Changning and saw that the young general in front of him had a handsome face and looked quite young. His armor was still stained with blood that hadn't dried. Although he had a handsome face, his murderous aura was particularly frightening.
Lin Changning noticed the old man's suddenly pale face, glanced at the bloodstains on his own body, coughed lightly, took a handkerchief from the table, and wiped the bloodstains from his face and body.
Seeing the old man trying to soften his words and expression, he asked, "I just finished fighting, so I might not be in good shape. Please forgive me, sir. It's so late. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Seeing Lin Changning's kind demeanor, the old man respectfully bowed to him and asked, "I heard that you entered the city today, and many households are trembling with fear. However, I also heard that King Ye of Chu is benevolent and distributed some of the grain to the people after conquering several cities. After thinking it over, I came to ask on behalf of everyone if the matter of distributing grain is true."
Lin Changning looked at the old man and nodded gently: "Natural is true."
Upon hearing Lin Changning's affirmative answer, a smile suddenly bloomed on the old man's face, which was as bark as a withered tree. He abruptly knelt down and kowtowed three times to Lin Changning: "Your Majesty the King of Chu is benevolent and righteous! On behalf of the people of Jingxing, I thank you, Your Majesty!"
Seeing the old man kowtowing again, Lin Changning sighed and walked to the center of the tent. He reached out and helped the old man up, patting the dust off his body.
The old man grasped Lin Changning's wrist with some fear: "Oh dear, sir, you mustn't do this, you mustn't do this."
Lin Changning smiled kindly at the old man and helped him to the seat next to Wei Shao.
After settling the old man into his seat, he said, "Someone, bring him tea."
After saying that, he sat down next to the old man and said, "Grandpa, there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm young, so may I call you Grandpa?"
The old man looked at the smiling Lin Changning and sighed inwardly. He thought to himself that this young general who had stormed into the city tonight was quite different from the adults he usually saw. He didn't seem like a high-ranking official, but rather like his own son.
The old man breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at Lin Changning; this was the first time he had ever met such a kind official.
"You flatter me, sir."
Lin Changning smiled at the old man, then suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Logically speaking, if you wanted to ask questions, you could have come another day. The battle just ended, and you must have taken a lot of risks to come here, right? Why are you in such a hurry?"
They had just finished fighting when the people received the news. Lin Changning was somewhat suspicious. At this time, most people tried to stay as far away as possible, and even those who couldn't escape would stay indoors.
It's rather unusual that an old man would come looking for us right after the war.
That's why Lin Changning asked that question.
Seeing Lin Changning's question, the old man shook his head helplessly and sighed, saying, "There are reasons why we risked coming to your camp, sir. This year's harvest was so-so. We already handed over our grain once before the autumn harvest, and twice more after. Yesterday, we heard that the King of Chu had captured Niangziguan, so we had to hand over our grain again. Now every household has no surplus grain. Today, we learned that you are attacking the city, and everyone is afraid that if the city is besieged, our food will not last more than a few days. We have no other choice."
The old man sighed again: "I've lived most of my life, and my life isn't worth much. I heard that after the King of Chu conquered the gates of other cities, he would distribute grain to the local people. That's why I came here to ask him. I'm afraid of dying, but if I don't ask, no one will survive."
Lin Changning pursed his lips and sighed softly, patting the old man's hand: "Grandpa, don't worry. My father is the most benevolent man. He will certainly not turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people. When my father and the others arrive tomorrow, they will distribute grain. They will never stand by and watch the people starve to death."
As the old man spoke, tears welled up in his eyes. He wiped them away with his hands, which were as withered as tree bark, and said, "Sir, you flatter me. I really, really, alas!"
Lin Changning handed over a cup of tea: "It's alright, it's alright, Grandpa, have some tea to calm down first."
The old man responded and drank the tea in one gulp, glancing at Lin Changning with a hint of gratitude.
"Your Highness is a good man, and so is Your Excellency. On behalf of all the people of the city, I thank Your Highness and Your Excellency!"
As soon as the old man finished speaking, he was about to kowtow to Lin Changning again, but Lin Changning immediately reached out and stopped him.
"Oh? No, no, you are an elder, and I am still young. I cannot accept your bowing. It would shorten my lifespan."
As Lin Changning spoke, he helped the old man up again, and the old man sat down in his seat with Lin Changning's help.
After glancing at Lin Changning with some emotion, he said, "Your Excellency truly loves the people like your own children. If it were anyone else in the court, or any other rebel army, would they share their grain with us ordinary people? We would be grateful if they didn't massacre the city, steal our grain, or burn, kill, and plunder."
As the old man spoke, he continued, “Today, on my way to the camp, I saw that the soldiers beside you were either bandaging each other’s wounds and tending to each other, or sitting neatly in a row eating. Not one of them went to disturb the people’s homes. It was because I saw that your soldiers were disciplined and did not harm the people that I mustered up the courage to come to the camp to see you.”
Lin Changning smiled kindly at the old man with his eyebrows curved: "We are soldiers, sons of respectable families in Taiyuan, and good sons of the people. We are not bandits, so why would we harm the people?"
The People's Liberation Army is naturally there to protect the people. And as you can see, sir, the people sitting here, along with most of the generals under my father, are soldiers guarding the borders. Our duty is to protect everyone from foreign aggression, so naturally we love the people like our own children.
Moreover, our rebellion is not for personal gain, but because the court's various taxes are currently very heavy, making life difficult for the prince and the people under his rule. That is why we have risen up to quell the rebellion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
