Half a month later, in the Youzhou Governor's Mansion, the new Governor Liu Yan was holding the teacup tremblingly.
This censor once made an impassioned speech in the court, "Xia He has his own troops and is very powerful."
At this moment, facing the young general wiping his spear in front of him, his back was already soaked with cold sweat.
"Master Liu," Xia He said without raising his head.
"I heard that you reported me last month? You said that I 'arbitrarily killed nobles in Youzhou, which is against the way of the saints'?"
“Plop!”
Liu Yan knelt down on the ground.
"General, please understand! I was... I was deceived by a villain!"
Several clerks waiting in the hall sneered inwardly.
These clerks who climbed up from the bottom now control key departments such as household registration, grain registers, and criminal law.
They know better than anyone else that whoever holds the governor's seal is the real master of Youzhou.
Liu Yan was shaking all over, even his teeth were chattering.
Xia He looked down at him, suddenly chuckled, and reached out to help him up.
"Why do you have to do this, sir?"
Xia He's voice was so gentle that it was frightening.
"I am not a petty person. I never take to heart what others say."
The official looked up tremblingly and met Xia He's bottomless eyes.
The look seemed to be smiling, but it made him feel as if he was falling into an icy cave.
"The general is indeed generous. I really admire him!"
"It's just..." Xia He changed the subject and lightly brushed the non-existent dust off the official's shoulders.
"Youzhou has a lot of work to do. I'll need your careful cooperation in the future."
Liu Yan, who was standing aside, had a dark face and glanced at the group of humble and obedient officials in the hall.
All of these people were Xia Heyi's trusted aides who were promoted by him. At this moment, they were communicating with each other with hidden eyes.
He felt a chill in his heart - he, the newly appointed governor of Youzhou, was afraid that he would be sidelined as soon as he arrived!
"Cooperate?"
Liu Yan smiled bitterly in his heart.
"This is clearly asking me to be a puppet!"
"Forget it, staying alive is more important..."
…
Su Changfeng handed a scroll of bamboo slips to Xia He:
"The county lieutenants of the sixteen counties in Youzhou have all been replaced by our people."
He pointed to a few red dots on the map.
"These mines and salt fields appear to be under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, but they are actually managed by the old soldiers who served with my father."
"If you really want to start something, you can't just rely on the troops the court gave you."
"Give me three years, and I can bring you 20,000 soldiers in Youzhou."
Xia He raised his eyebrows: "Twenty thousand elite soldiers in three years?"
"If we add the militias who are secretly trained, it will be no less than that."
Su Changfeng's eyes flashed with brilliance.
He knocked on the granary.
"I have sent people to build a granary at 'Yingchoujian', 300 miles north of Youzhou."
When Xia He heard this, he was also a little surprised!
Why are there rumors everywhere that he is planning a rebellion?
And human-to-human transmission has already begun!
However, Su Changfeng's move was indeed for the benefit of the people of Youzhou.
Building granaries can be used for emergency response in years of disaster. As for training soldiers, what if the barbarians attack again?
It's impossible that we will hand over the city to others again like before?
They collapsed before even fighting?
"Hiss...the policies are all good, but why do they feel a little weird?"
However, he naturally would not stop it.
"Let's do as you say."
…
On the other side, leaves were falling in Gu Qingyi's yard.
Xia He stood in the corridor, looking at the woman who had once gone to Wushan with him, feeling mixed emotions.
"You really don't want to come with me?" he asked again.
Gu Qingyi had her back to him, her slender fingers tightly grasping her sleeves.
"I'm not leaving."
Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.
"The fire poison in my body has been completely suppressed. Let's...stop here."
"If I go back, I'll avoid your wife's misunderstanding..."
Xia He was silent for a long time, and finally just said "hmm" softly.
…
Three days later, the army set out.
Gu Qingyi stood alone on the city wall, looking at the team moving further and further away.
The autumn wind blew up her long hair and took away a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Aunt, if you can't bear to leave, why don't you go with him?"
Su Changfeng appeared behind her at some point, his eyes also following the distant flag.
Gu Qingyi didn't look back, but just held the handkerchief tighter in her hand.
“I want to do something for him, too.”
She took a deep breath.
"Since you guys are going to start a rebellion, I will stay here and take care of the logistics for him."
"Warfare is not just about training soldiers. Armor, money and food accounts must all be taken seriously."
"The Qin Dynasty has run out of luck."
Su Changfeng nodded and said in a deep voice,
"How many soldiers died just after a victory? They should have rested and recuperated, but the old emperor wants to send troops out again. Who is suffering?"
"The court issued an edict to increase the 'Zhengbei Tax' by 30%. Not to mention Youzhou, Mingzhou suffered a disaster last year and almost no harvest. How can the people afford it?"
In the distance, Xia He’s flag had turned into a black dot on the horizon.
Su Changfeng narrowed his eyes:
"Within a few years, the world will be in chaos. We... must prepare early."
…
The autumn wind blew up the yellow sand. Xia He rode on a war horse, holding in his hand the letter left for him by Governor Li.
The letter paper trembled slightly in the wind, and the ink on it was vigorous and powerful:
"The remnants of Youzhou Yanyu Tower have not been cleared out yet, so I need to stay for a while longer..."
Xia He folded the letter, put it in his arms, and looked up at the mountains in the distance.
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