Chapter 35: The Makings of a Warlord!

"Seizing territory? Rebelling against the Imperial Court? A traitorous subject?" Zhongli Wanxue was stunned.

Only then did Zhongli Qingfeng reveal his true thoughts.

"After meeting with him alongside Father, we both reached the same conclusion... This Magistrate Liang is by no means a man of blind loyalty; he possesses the makings of an ambitious warlord! Little sister, if it turns out as Father and I suspect, how will you position yourself in the future?"

The complexion of Madame Qin, usually rosy, gradually turned pale as she looked at her beloved daughter.

A prosperous and peaceful age is merely a veneer. Those with even the slightest access to intelligence know clearly that the Wu Dynasty could crumble at any moment. Should the world descend into chaos, and Liang Xiao truly harbor intentions of vying for the throne, how could the Qin family, who have served the Emperor with loyalty for generations, conduct themselves?

Zhongli Wanxue took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind.

"Father, Brother! Even if he were a complete stranger to me, I believe that if the descendants of the Marquis of Zhongwu—who have served the throne for generations—can lose faith in the Imperial Court, then this empire deserves to change its dynasty! It is only... a pity for Princess Qingshuang."

These few words from Zhongli Wanxue left her parents and brother speechless. Her logic was sound. "Zhongwu" is the highest honorific title bestowed upon military commanders by the Imperial Court. Yet, the descendants of the Marquis of Zhongwu were stripped of their titles and forced to buy their way back into power due to the defeat and death of their father and brother. Regardless of the Emperor's reasoning, what a despairing court this truly was! As for the "Princess Qingshuang" she mentioned, they had met by chance when she accompanied her father to the capital; the Zhongli family dared not aspire to such status.

"Mother supports you unconditionally!" Madame Qin seemed to have reached a decision as well. Zhongli Xiu looked at his wife with gratitude, finally feeling at ease.

"Then, when the time is ripe, as long as he is willing, we shall support him without reservation. From this day forward, we are betting everything on him. If you can marry him, it would be a match made in heaven..."

Zhongli Wanxue nodded shyly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum: "Yes..."

She wanted to try and win his heart herself, to interact with Liang Xiao. Even if she couldn't hide the fact that she knew martial arts, she had to make him believe she was different from Situ Luoyue.

Zhongli Xiu and his wife watched their overjoyed daughter with a mix of relief and lingering concern. Liang Xiao’s purchase of his official post would eventually reach the ears of the Qin family—the family of Madame Qin’s birth. The Qin family would surely assume that Liang Xiao had thrown in his lot with the eunuch faction. And since the Zhongli family was aligning with Liang Xiao...

Zhongli Qingfeng seemed to perceive his parents' worries and said sternly, "Father, the Zhongli family is the Zhongli family, and the Qin family is the Qin family. Since Grandfather cut ties with Mother, he has no right to criticize the Zhongli family!"

The couple could only nod and offer a bitter smile. In this world of social conventions, was it ever that simple?

Inside the Wu family’s main hall, Wu Wenting listened to the report from his eldest son, Wu Ping, his face darkening.

"It seems this young man is exceptionally skilled at deception and the art of fooling the masses! If the new recruits in Pei County successfully complete their training, I fear no one will be able to shake his rule..."

"Send someone to notify Leader Gou immediately. Tell him that this boy killed Master Yuan and now intends to conscript troops to suppress bandits. He must make preparations early; otherwise, there will be no place for him in Pei County in the future!"

A confidant of the Wu family set off toward the north of Pei County under the cover of night, carrying Wu Wenting’s message and gold bars.

On the morning of the fourth day, three thousand new recruits and fifteen hundred garrison soldiers assembled early at the Wu Town barracks, while the Pei County yamen runners took temporary responsibility for patrolling the county.

Zhuo Zifang, accompanied by Cao Chen, Registrar Wang, and Merit Officer Huang, along with eight imperial officials, oversaw the assessment of the recruits. The ten imperial officials assigned to Liang Xiao by Wang Teng were there; two had returned to the capital with Liang Pin, while the remaining eight were legally required to stay in Pei County for at least half a month until the situation stabilized. These men wore the specific attire of capital officials and acted as Wang Teng’s eyes and ears, but they also served as witnesses to Liang Xiao’s governance, facilitating his future plans. Since taking office, Liang Xiao had given each official at least twenty taels of silver, so they naturally showered him with flattery, proactively handling every detail to help Liang Xiao intimidate the local officials of Pei County.

On the other side of the barracks, Liang Xiao personally screened the new recruits. Over three thousand new applicants had arrived the previous day. As he expected, the overall quality of these three thousand was slightly inferior to the initial five thousand. Those who applied first were the most determined and confident in their abilities; those who came later were either slow to receive the news or simply joining for the spectacle, trying their luck. Even so, Liang Xiao screened them meticulously, personally questioning individual soldiers to gauge their quality.

Today, Zhuo Zifang presided over the barracks and announced the assessment criteria.

"Everyone, including the original garrison, must run five laps around the camp before sunset. If you cannot finish, you will be relegated to the logistics squad. If you cannot even finish four laps, you are directly dismissed!"

The criteria were simple and brutal, focusing on physical fitness first. After breakfast, all soldiers set off, scrambling to outpace one another. A single lap around the Pei County barracks was roughly twenty miles; five laps meant a hundred miles. If they couldn't handle the occasional day of marching a hundred miles, they had no right to stay and eat the Emperor's grain.

On the other side of the camp, after Liang Xiao had Liang De take charge of selections, he summoned two scholars. Scholars Chen and Lin were intellectuals from the capital whom Wang Teng had introduced to Liang Xiao. Having witnessed Liang Xiao take control of Pei County with iron-fisted methods, balancing kindness with severity to secure the obedience of soldiers and civilians alike, the two looked at him with newfound respect.

Having spent time with him recently, they could see that Liang Xiao was by no means the degenerate the capital’s rumors suggested. On the contrary, he possessed the spirit of his father!

"I intend to recruit both of you as instructors for Pei County. Would you be willing to stay and serve me?" Liang Xiao asked.

"Instructors?" The two were taken aback. This was a newly established official position in the Wu Dynasty, responsible for temple sacrifices and teaching students. However, such roles were usually filled by members of aristocratic families, with students drawn from the same class. In a place like Pei County, which could fall at any moment, even the local noble families had long since fled to the south, leaving no students of noble birth.

Liang Xiao continued, "In a while, I will need you to take the lead in teaching the soldiers to read and write. The tasks ahead will be demanding. How does two taels of silver a month sound?"

The two were overjoyed and quickly agreed. Two taels of silver a month—enough to exchange for two thousand copper coins—was plenty to keep their families well-fed and clothed! As for the tasks being demanding, surely this Magistrate wouldn't work them to the bone without a moment's rest.

That day, Zhongli Qingfeng took dozens of servants and secretly departed from Pei County, heading straight for the south to gather grain for Liang Xiao. Zhongli Xiu secretly sent men to various parts of Jiangbei to recruit craftsmen.

At noon, new notices were posted throughout Pei County.

"These are the latest decrees issued by the Magistrate!"

The common people, still basking in the joy of the tax cuts Liang Xiao had implemented, flocked to the bulletin boards to see the news.

"The Magistrate orders: From this day forward, all street fighting and public disturbances are strictly prohibited! Those who bully the weak or oppress women will be severely punished; in the most serious cases, the Magistrate himself will order their immediate execution!"

"If any commoner is bullied by local thugs, you may report it to the authorities at any time, or seek help from nearby yamen runners and soldiers to be escorted to the county office to file a grievance!"

...

Liang Xiao’s personal guards mingled among the yamen runners, patiently explaining the laws to the surrounding citizens. The people remained skeptical. Previous magistrates and county officials had issued similar decrees, but they were always empty words. Never mind the powerful bullies, even common thugs were ignored by the officials unless their actions interfered with the government’s interests. At most, they would just smooth things over, leading to even worse retaliation against the commoners.

Could this Magistrate really be any different?