2026-05-06 23:11:57
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Chapter 171
The scent of green grass and damp earth drifted in from the land north of Cangzhou City.Outside the city, golden sunlight poured across the boundless prairie. A narrow trail led into the distance, and the occasional collapsed thatch hut by the roadside whispered of a past long gone.“After the barbarians took Youzhou, they burned homes and forests, captured civilians. What was once a flourishing land turned into a wilderness of weeds within ten years, now reduced to grazing fields for the Huyan Tuo tribe,” Niu Ben said as he stood on the city wall, gazing across the vast prairie with a voice tinged with melancholy.Ten years ago, he had stood on this very wall, watching barbarian cavalry sweep across the land. Flames had raged for months, painting the sky crimson like fresh blood.Zhan Xingchang stood beside him. After working tirelessly for over two months, he had grown visibly thinner. But with tens of thousands of slaves laboring day and night, a majestic wall had risen from the e
Chapter 170
“The net of heaven is wide, but it lets nothing slip through. Qin Chuanyun, in the end, you could not escape this prince’s grasp.”Xiao Ming’s spirit surged. That bastard had nearly gotten him killed, and this was a debt he had never forgotten.Wang Xuan had already heard of the Qin family’s betrayal during his return and said, “Such a heartless traitor should be hanged at the city gate to serve as a warning. The entire Qin clan should be executed to prevent future troubles.”Pang Yukun did not object. Attempting to assassinate Prince Qi was high treason and, by law, punishable by execution of the entire clan.The Wei family, co-conspirators with the Qin family, had all been thrown into prison and were set for execution after the autumn assizes. The rest of the Qin family had already been beheaded in the Eastern Market.The once-dominant Four Great Noble Houses of Qingzhou had now completely vanished.Only a few days ago, Xiao Ming had still held some naive hope for the nobility, show
Chapter 169
“Father, I want to join the militia!”Zhu Wuliu held a hoe in his hand, his face brimming with excitement.“You cowardly brat, join the militia my ass. I’ll go for our family,” Zhu Da snapped back.In the Zhu family courtyard, Zhu Wuliu was protesting to his father. The latest newspaper had just come in, announcing that each village would organize a hundred-man militia to patrol, maintain order, and catch barbarian spies.And apparently, militiamen would even be given their own uniforms.“Why not me? I want to catch barbarian spies too! Those bastards dared to harm our Prince Qi. I’m gonna smash their skulls with my hoe!” Zhu Wuliu declared.“Why not you? Because I’m your father, that’s why. And I’m the squad leader. This squad listens to me. Now scram!” Zhu Da glared fiercely at his son.At that moment, Zhu Wuliu’s mother walked over and said, “Your father’s right. When you’ve married a wife and had a child, then we’ll stop interfering. For now, just behave and stay home. Tomorrow yo
Chapter 168
iment came rushing back again.‘What a familiar experience,’ Xiao Ming thought. As he stood and patted himself down, he was overcome with a surreal feeling — he was alive!In front of him, Li San was straddling Li Kaiyuan, punching his face over and over again.The dock was in chaos. Qin family’s merchant ship was slowly sinking in flames, and the violent explosion had affected nearby vessels as well.From time to time, cries of agony echoed from within the ships.“Qin Chuan Yun, the steppe tribes — you’ve succeeded in enraging this prince.” Xiao Ming’s eyes were hollow, and his quiet voice sounded as though it had risen from the abyss.He kicked Li San. “Enough. Is this really the time for internal strife? I don’t care how you do it. You must bring Qin Chuan Yun back to me. I want his corpse hung from the gates of Cangzhou City!”Li San got up, seething. Had it not been for Li Kaiyuan’s words defending the Qin family, they never would have entered the ship in the first place.Had Xia
Chapter 167
“Li San, I order you to immediately send people to monitor all medical clinics. Do not let anyone who buys medicine for bruises and injuries escape surveillance.”In the Qi Prince’s residence, Xiao Ming spoke solemnly to Li San.Li San had already learned about the burning of the government estate on his way back. At present, Wang Xuan was in Cangzhou City, responsible for gathering intelligence on the grasslands, while Li San handled affairs within the fiefdom.This incident filled him with guilt because he had received no prior warning.“Your subordinate has already arranged for a secret investigation upon arriving,” Li San hesitated before continuing, “By the way, Your Highness, these past few days, I’ve had the covert guards keep an eye on merchants returning from the grasslands. A few of them behaved suspiciously—after entering Qingzhou City, they snooped around everywhere and even lingered near the workshop district and the Machinery Department.”“Are you saying these merchants
Chapter 166
The pitch-black night was dyed crimson by raging flames, the acrid stench of smoke thick in the air.In front of the official granary, the pungent scent of scorched wheat stabbed at Xiao Ming’s heart like a blade.This was months of rations for the Qingzhou Army… months of rations.“Your Highness!”A loud shout rang out, accompanied by urgent hoofbeats. Niu Ben and Lu Fei arrived with the Qingzhou troops.“Those damn bastards! Who did this?!” Lu Fei roared furiously, charging into the fields and stomping on the burning stalks.Niu Ben’s face was like stone. Seeing Xiao Ming so stricken, he said, “Your Highness, now’s not the time for sorrow. We must stop the fire from spreading. If not, all the wheat will be gone—and the blaze will reach the villagers’ crops too.”Xiao Ming had only just arrived. Shaking off the haze of rage, he said, “Tell all soldiers to stop using water. Everyone start cutting the wheat along the burning edge. We’ll make a firebreak.”Niu Ben didn’t stop to ask wha
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