The thunderous shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" and "Long live the Emperor!" echoed over Zhenbeiguan like rolling thunder.
Thousands of soldiers and civilians knelt on the ground, their faces filled with fervor, awe, and disbelief. They never dreamed that the legendary emperor and empress, who supposedly resided high in the temple, would descend upon them, these lowest of ants, in such an unbelievable way.
The recruit who cleaned toilets with them was the emperor!
The Bodhisattva who led them in spinning and weaving was the Empress!
The impact of this fact is more intense than the blazing fire and more biting than the icy wind!
Xiao Che stood before the crowd, the firelight reflecting off his dragon-patterned soft armor, making it shimmer and adding a touch of divine majesty to his already handsome face. He did not immediately order the crowd to rise, but instead savored the most sincere awe from the lowest-ranking soldiers and civilians, a sentiment he had personally orchestrated and ultimately ignited.
His gaze slowly swept over the crowd kneeling on the ground, and finally settled on the old soldier, Li Daniu, who was still in a daze.
Xiao Che slowly stepped forward and, under the breathless gaze of everyone, personally helped the old soldier, who had just avenged his son, up from the ground.
"General, please rise." His voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable power.
When the emperor personally helped Li Daniu up, he felt a surge of heat rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making him feel light as a feather, as if he were floating on clouds. His lips trembled, tears streamed down his face, and he was so excited that he couldn't utter a single word, only wanting to kneel down repeatedly.
"Your Majesty...this old man...this old man is unworthy of such praise..."
“You deserve it.” Xiao Che pressed down on his shoulder to prevent him from kneeling, looking at him solemnly. “All those who are loyal to the country are my generals.”
After speaking, he turned to the dark mass of people behind him, raised his hand, and said loudly, "Rise, all of you!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The crowd then stood up shakily, but still kept their heads down, not daring to look directly at the emperor's face, creating a solemn and respectful atmosphere.
Xiao Che's gaze swept over Qian Canjun, who was already unconscious from fright, and a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes. He didn't look at these criminals again, but turned to face the thousands of soldiers and civilians who had just experienced the most shocking moment of their lives.
"Rise, all of you." His voice, carried clearly through the fire with his inner strength, "This fire will burn away the 'parasites' that have been entrenched in Zhenbeiguan for many years."
He paused, then his voice suddenly rose, filled with imperial majesty and determination:
"But what I want is not just to burn a few parasites! What I want is the long-term stability and security of Zhenbeiguan, and even the entire Dali Dynasty!"
All the soldiers and their families raised their heads, their eyes gleaming with excitement, and listened quietly to their emperor's instructions.
Just then, Xiao Che made a move that surprised everyone.
He turned around and reached out his hand to Lin Wanwan beside him.
Lin Wanwan looked at him with a gentle smile in her eyes, and naturally placed her hand in his palm.
The emperor and empress held hands tightly in the blazing firelight.
Xiao Che held Lin Wanwan's hand tightly, pulling her to his side so they could stand side by side. He raised their clasped hands to face everyone, a proud smile spreading across his face—a smile that reflected both the pride of a husband and the admiration of an emperor.
“Empress,” he looked at Lin Wanwan, his eyes so tender they could melt water, “My Empress has set a good precedent for me and for Zhenbeiguan.”
He turned to the crowd and said in a loud voice, “You may not know this, but these past few days, the warm clothes you wear and the hot meals you eat have all come from the Empress’s ‘Zhenbei Textile Workshop’! The Empress, as the wife of a merchant, went deep among you to see with her own eyes what kind of life you are living! She wanted to find a way for you to survive!”
"boom!"
The crowd erupted in chaos again!
It turns out that behind "Lady Lin" was actually the Empress! It turns out that all of this was due to the Empress's grace!
All the military dependents' wives were once again moved to tears. The look in their eyes as they looked at Lin Wanwan was filled with admiration, but also with a deep sense of filial piety.
Lin Wanwan smiled and nodded slightly at everyone.
Seeing that the hearts and minds of the army and the people had turned to him, Xiao Che knew that the time had come.
What he wanted to do was not merely kill Qian Canjun, nor simply burn down a granary. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot and completely transform the "popular support" the Empress had built up over the past few days into an unbreakable "system"!
He wants to address the root causes of corruption in border logistics and completely resolve the issue!
"Therefore, I here today, in front of all of you, announce a few things!"
Xiao Che's voice, like a thunderclap, exploded in everyone's ears, and everyone pricked up their ears, forgetting even to breathe.
"First!" he announced loudly, "From this day forward, all logistical supplies for Zhenbei Pass will be officially taken over by the 'Zhenbei Textile Workshop'! The distribution of all military rations, uniforms, and salaries will be carried out transparently and openly in accordance with the new regulations set forth by the Empress!"
To entrust logistics to a workshop staffed by military personnel? To entrust it to the Empress?
This decision was unprecedented! But for the soldiers who had just experienced the extremes of being fed pig swill and then given free meat soup, it was a godsend!
A burst of barely suppressed cheers erupted from the crowd!
Xiao Che raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.
“But!” he suddenly changed his tone, his eyes sharpening. “Supervision alone is not enough! What I want to give you is real power!”
that power? !
Everyone was stunned. What power could these ordinary soldiers possibly have?
Seeing their bewildered expressions, Xiao Che dropped the bombshell that was the most crucial and shocking part of his entire plan tonight!
"I hereby declare the establishment of a separate 'Military and Civilian Inspectorate'!"
"This inspection committee is not composed of generals, nor is it appointed by officials!"
His gaze slowly swept over everyone present, finally settling on Li Daniu and the few other veterans beside him who were also weathered by life's hardships.
"The representatives of the Inspectorate will be jointly elected by you, by every soldier and every family member present!"
"The representatives you elect will have the right to oversee the disbursement of every penny of military pay! The right to examine the quality of every batch of military rations! The right to impeach any corrupt officer!"
"From this day forward, your pay, your rations, your dignity..."
Xiao Che's voice was resounding and firm, like a divine oath:
"—You yourselves are in charge!"
...
Dead silence.
It was more utterly silent than ever before.
If the previous "revelation of his identity" shocked them, then Xiao Che's words now left them completely stunned.
"So...it's up to me?"
Can we...can we supervise military pay?
We can... impeach the officer?
This idea was so crazy and unreal to these lower-class soldiers and civilians who were used to obedience and oppression that their brains were simply unable to process such a massive amount of information.
They stood there blankly, looking at each other, their faces filled with absurdity and confusion.
Li Daniu was completely dumbfounded. Pointing to his nose, he stammered and asked Meng Wei beside him, "General... His Majesty... does he mean... me... us?"
Meng Wei was also quite shocked by the emperor's groundbreaking "institutional reform," but he quickly understood the emperor's profound meaning. This was to truly return power to the soldiers and fundamentally eliminate the breeding ground for corruption!
His face flushed with excitement, and he nodded emphatically: "Yes! Brother Li! The Emperor was talking about you!"
This sentence was like a switch, instantly igniting the fuse!
After a brief silence, a roar erupted from the crowd that was more frantic and hysterical than ever before!
"ah--!"
"We...we decide for ourselves!!"
"Good heavens! Am I dreaming?!"
An old soldier suddenly slapped himself hard across the face, making a sharp "smack" sound. He then covered his face, crying and laughing at the same time: "It hurts! It really hurts! It really hurts!"
The grievances suppressed for too long, the anger from being bullied for too long, the despair for the future... all the negative emotions were completely washed away at this moment by this huge surprise that fell from the sky, called "power"!
Instead, there was boundless ecstasy and infinite hope for the future!
The awe and worship in their eyes as they looked at the emperor and empress holding hands tightly in the firelight were beyond words!
If this isn't a god, what is it?!
"thump!"
Once again, everyone knelt down in a sea of black!
This time, it wasn't out of fear or shock, but from the depths of my soul—the purest and most fervent—support!
"Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is wise!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!!"
The deafening shouts converged into an invisible yet indestructible force, completely boosting the prestige of the Emperor and Empress to an unprecedented peak!
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