"I want to see their heads!! Before the sun sets tomorrow, I want to see the heads of every last rebel!!"
"Send orders to every county in Henan Commandery. Post men along the roads. Do not let a single rebel escape!!"
Sima Zhao roared in fury.
The ministers remained silent. No one wanted to provoke Sima Zhao at a time like this.
Only Du Yu, that rash young hothead, continued trying to persuade him. "General... I believe the most important thing now is to limit the impact of this affair. We must not let it grow. The rebellion is confined to Heyin for now. If we order arrests everywhere, they will certainly arrest innocent people to claim military merit..."
"What do you mean by that, Lord Du?"
Xun Xu could no longer contain himself. He demanded loudly, "In your eyes, are the county magistrates throughout Henan so contemptible? Killing innocent people to claim merit? What are you trying to say?!"
A trace of disgust flashed through Du Yu's eyes. Dispensing with courtesy, he shot back, "Even ministers at the Imperial Court fight over the seat of honor in a carriage to flaunt their power. It is hardly impossible for local officials to flaunt their achievements with human heads!"
Xun Xu gritted his teeth and sprang to his feet.
"You!!!"
Xun Xu loved flattery and had no morals to speak of. Put it this way: even Zhong Hui detested him.
Someone Zhong Hui detested was not necessarily a bad person, but was certainly someone without integrity.
Xun Xu also loved pomp. Whenever he shared a carriage with colleagues, he always liked to seize the seat of honor. Not until many years later did he encounter He Qiao, who came from another great clan. He Qiao refused to indulge him and took