The Crushing Defeat

After completing his brief report, Xie Liancheng was kept behind by Yan Sheng to rest in the city lord's residence.

The official explanation was that the city lord's residence had better conditions, which would help the Great General recover.

But in plain terms, it was simply more convenient for keeping an eye on him.

After all, Yan Sheng was no fool. He knew that his own country was unstable at the moment.

If Xie Liancheng caused some kind of trouble now, things would become even more disastrous. They had to keep a close watch on him!

Little did they know that the person responsible for stirring up trouble had already mingled among the people of Black Stone City.

At first, Kong Daqian had thought this mission would be extremely difficult.

But when he arrived, he discovered that because of the food and conscription problems, the people's panic and discontent had already built up to a certain point.

On top of that, the authorities had used the simplest and most brutal method—military intimidation—to forcibly suppress these problems, only making the hidden troubles grow even larger.

Kong Daqian was eloquent and clever. Besides, he had originally been from this area, so blending into the local crowd felt completely natural. With his smooth tongue, he quickly became familiar with everyone.

After just a few exchanges, he had gained a fairly thorough understanding of the situation here.

"But the authorities said that in a few more days, the grain from the autumn harvest would be distributed. There's still enough grain in the country for us to make it through winter, so there's no need to be too nervous."

Before anyone realized it, quite a crowd had gathered in the little alley where they were chatting. One elderly man said this, drawing several murmurs of