"Old General, light this fire!"
Xiao Che's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to possess a kind of soul-piercing magic, clearly echoing in everyone's ears.
The entire supply depot was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All eyes turned to the old soldier, Li Daniu, who was huddled in the corner, tears streaming down his face.
Li Daniu was completely stunned.
He stared blankly at the young emperor who stood before the army, holding a torch, looking like a god descending to earth, his mind completely blank.
Old...Old General?
Your Majesty... is calling me?
Throughout his life, he had been called "greenhorn," "old hand," and "Old Li," but he never imagined that one day someone would call him "General."
Moreover, this person is none other than the current emperor!
An indescribable surge of immense heat erupted from the depths of his cold heart, instantly coursing through his entire body! It was a mixture of grievance, excitement, and emotion, but even more so, it was the dignity of a soldier that had been suppressed for far too long!
"Your Majesty..." His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word; only tears streamed down his face silently.
Xiao Che didn't urge him, but simply held up the torch and waited for him.
Upon seeing this, Meng Wei immediately understood and personally went to Li Daniu's side, helped him up, and said in a deep voice, "Brother Li, His Majesty is waiting for you."
Li Daniu's body was still trembling uncontrollably. He looked at the blazing torches, then at the warehouse full of moldy rice that represented evil. The last trace of hesitation in his eyes was replaced by overwhelming hatred!
He thought of his son who died unjustly! He thought of the compensation money that had been swallowed up! He thought of the stigma of being a "deserter"!
"ah--!"
He let out a roar that he had suppressed for half his life, like a wounded lone wolf howling at the moon!
He staggered, almost falling to Xiao Che's feet, and with trembling hands, took the scorching torch from the emperor's hands!
He raised the torch high, the light illuminating his wrinkled and tear-streaked face, and burning flames of revenge in his cloudy old eyes!
"My son—! Your father... has avenged you!"
With all his might, he threw the torch in his hand at the mountain of moldy rice!
The torch drew a bright arc in the air, like a vengeful meteor, and landed precisely in the center of the granary.
"boom--!"
Dry, moldy rice and stale grain, when they encounter a raging fire, are like dry firewood meeting hot oil!
Flames shot skyward instantly! Huge tongues of fire licked the dark night sky, illuminating the entire supply depot as bright as day! The towering flames almost turned the night sky above Zhenbeiguan red!
A fire has broken out!
As the soldiers gazed at the raging fire, they seemed to see the sins of those corrupt officials being burned away, their fallen comrades being redeemed, and a new, clean future being born from the flames!
"Burn! Burn it well!"
"Burn these damned beasts to death!"
Someone roared first, and then a roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami erupted from the chests of all the soldiers, converging into a sound wave powerful enough to shake the heavens and the earth!
The instigators, Qian Canjun and Zhang San, were utterly despairing amidst the towering flames and deafening roars.
The fire destroyed their stolen goods.
The soldiers' roars were a call to take their lives!
“It’s over…it’s all over…” Zhang San collapsed on the ground, staring blankly at the ever-growing fire, muttering to himself.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he snapped back to his senses and scrambled to Xiao Che's feet, kowtowing frantically until his forehead was covered in blood.
"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!" He cried, tears streaming down his face, all traces of his previous arrogance gone. "It's not my fault! It's all his fault! It was my cousin, Qian Canjun, who forced me to do it! He made me embezzle military pay, he made me change into a cotton-padded coat, and he pocketed the martyrs' pension! I... I was just a messenger! Please, Your Majesty, investigate! Please spare me!"
In this life-or-death situation, so-called family ties proved incredibly fragile. Without hesitation, he shifted all the blame onto his cousin, attempting a final desperate struggle.
Qian Can-jun looked at his cousin, who was making a complete fool of himself, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
He didn't cry and beg for mercy like Zhang San.
The moment the fire broke out, he knew he was doomed. The emperor himself arrived, the evidence was seized, and the burning of the grain was seen as a psychological blow. With this combination of measures, not even the Heavenly King himself could save him.
Since death is inevitable, what's the point of begging for mercy?
A ruthless, bachelor-like intensity rose from the depths of his heart. He slowly stood up from the ground, his legs still trembling, but his eyes became unusually calm, even carrying a hint of resentment.
He stared intently at Xiao Che, his eyes like those of a venomous snake about to be strangled, wanting to bite back before it dies.
"Heh...heh..." He let out a low, eerie chuckle.
Xiao Che looked at him with interest and asked casually, "What are you laughing at?"
"I laugh at you!" Qian Canjun's voice was hoarse and shrill, filled with resentment. "I laugh at you for being too young! Too naive! Do you think that killing me will end this matter?"
He straightened his back, as if he had regained some kind of confidence, and a crazed expression appeared on his face:
"I'm telling you! If you kill me, you won't live either!"
He pointed his finger at Xiao Che in the distance and said, word by word:
"My uncle is the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in the capital!"
He emphasized the words "Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue" with great force, conveying a sense of boastfulness and threat.
"He doted on me, his nephew, the most!" A sickly smile appeared on Qian Canjun's face. "Thirty percent of the military pay I embezzled each year went to him! If you mess with me, you're messing with his purse strings! He won't let you get away with it! Absolutely not!"
He thought that by bringing out the "protective umbrella" of that second-rank official in the capital, he could at least make the young emperor in front of him hesitate to act rashly!
This was his last "protective charm"!
However, to his disappointment, Xiao Che showed no fear whatsoever upon hearing the title "Vice Minister of Revenue," but instead... smiled.
It was an extremely strange smile, like someone who had heard a huge joke, or like a tiger that had finally gotten its prey delivered to its door.
“The Vice Minister of Revenue?” Xiao Che repeated with amusement, then nodded and said in a tone of sudden realization, “Oh—so it was him.”
His nonchalant demeanor filled Qian Canjun with an extremely ominous premonition.
Xiao Che slowly turned around, no longer looking at him, but instead gave Meng Wei behind him an order that terrified everyone, especially Qian Canjun.
"Meng Wei".
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Send the fastest scouts, on an urgent mission, to the capital." Xiao Che's voice carried a hint of amusement. "...Invite the Vice Minister of Revenue, Lord Zhou, to come to Zhenbei Pass."
He paused, his smile growing ever brighter, yet ever colder:
"He said his most beloved nephew was here... waiting for him to come and 'collect the body'!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Canjun's last psychological defense completely collapsed!
His eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward, actually fainting from fright.
In the unseen void, above Xiao Che's head, a pixelated figure was comfortably sitting with his legs crossed, sipping tea, accompanied by a line of glowing text:
【The one I've been waiting for.gif】
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