Jia Xu, on the other hand, looked completely at ease. He smiled and said, "My lord, the law has always held little sway in the borderlands, where interests come before everything else. It's only natural that they don't want you going to Xiliang!"
"Hmph, they're just mantises trying to stop a chariot!"
Wang Yue sneered. For a handful of such contemptible creatures to think they could stop their lord was sheer overconfidence.
Lin Yi wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "It's just as well that the law holds little sway. When they disregard it, a few people die at most. But if I, the heir, disregard it, I'm afraid they won't be able to bear the price!"
Dayu Pass itself was still locked in a three-way standoff. The three powers were probably infiltrating one another, beset by troubles both within and without.
In other words, every sort of monster was lurking there.
According to the intelligence, there were more than fifty powers of all sizes throughout Xiliang. It was absurd. Ordinary people probably had trouble even surviving there.
Still, on reflection, it was understandable. The place had been ravaged by war for years, leaving its population mixed and home to powers of every sort. It would have been strange if it weren't in chaos.
Even if all those people were killed, there would be few innocents among them.
"Hahaha, how domineering, my lord!"
Jia Xu's eyes lit up. His lord's words were simply wonderful.
His lord now had more than ten thousand troops under his command. Once he stopped playing fair, these elites among elites would be enough to sweep across the whole of Xiliang Commandery, until not even a dog remained.
If it really came to that, those people would probably have no choice but to pray that the law would protect them.
"Hmph, stop flattering me. I'm entrusting Xiliang Commandery to you this time, so you'd better think carefully about how to govern it." Lin Yi handed Jia Xu a thick stack of documents. It was better to leave administrative matters to him.
Xiliang Commandery had a mountain of troubles that would take a great deal of energy to deal with. It was better to leave them to a professional.
In fact, he had come out far ahead this time. By the rules, the commandery administrator and military commandant of Xiliang Commandery both had to be appointed by the emperor. Now his father, the prince, had handed that authority over to him, undoubtedly saving him a great deal of trouble.
Uh!
The corner of Jia Xu's mouth twitched. He still had a hard life.
At last, they passed through a town called White Monkey County, said to have been named for the white monkeys seen there. It was also part of Xiliang Commandery, but the town was hardly prosperous, and the people's lives looked very plain.
Apparently, it was their first time seeing a caravan dare to enter Xiliang City. The commoners all looked as though they had seen a ghost and gathered around to watch.
"Sir, you actually dared to bring goods to Dayu Pass? I advise you to turn back quickly!" an old man couldn't help warning them.
"Old Zhang is right. This is no place for merchants. If you run into bandits, you'll lose everything."
"Young man, don't go any farther in."
Hearing their warnings, Lin Yi nodded slightly. Though Xiliang was in chaos, the common people still had some conscience.
He smiled and said, "Thank you for the warning, sir. But no one would dare rob us of our goods. We've already killed several groups of bandits up ahead!"
Huh?
The people of White Monkey County were stunned. There was actually someone these days who wasn't afraid of bandits? That was incredible.
"Wow, big brother, you're amazing!"
"Yeah, yeah! We don't even dare leave the village."
"Boo-hoo, the bandits stole our cow too, those big meanies."
A group of children couldn't help cheering. They gazed up at the handsome big brother, their eyes full of little stars of admiration. He wasn't even afraid of bandits and brigands. Was he an immortal?
Their families had all warned them never to leave town, or they would be robbed-even their little brothers would be taken away.
Alas!
The sight filled everyone with sorrow. The young maid at the side wept without end. The poor common people had actually been driven to this point.
Even a tough man like Wang Yue felt a pang in his heart. He sighed. "My lord, the people of Xiliang need you!"
He could hardly imagine how difficult life was for the people in such circumstances. They probably couldn't even sleep soundly, with mountain bandits liable to raid them at any moment.
Fortunately, their lord had come here, and these people could finally be saved.
Lin Yi nodded and said gravely, "To end this chaos, we can only meet violence with violence. Since the old man was kind enough to warn me, I'll return the favor. Send men to wipe out all the mountain bandits within a hundred li!"
A hundred li?
At those words, Wang Yue's pupils contracted. Xiliang Commandery was probably only one or two hundred li across now. If his lord wanted to clear out the mountain bandits within a hundred li, he was essentially going to wipe them all out.
He was thrilled. "Rest assured, my lord. I'll make the arrangements and have them get started!"
"Go on, then. Kill the people on the list provided by the Net. Jia Xu, you're in charge of coordinating everything. Also, notify Ma Chao and have him clear out the mountain bandits along the way while he's at it." Lin Yi handed Wang Yue the intelligence the Net had submitted and gave the orders offhandedly.
He now had nearly twenty thousand troops. Sweeping through Dayu Pass might be difficult, but wiping out mountain bandits was easy enough.
As for whether this would beat the grass and startle the snake, that was even less of a problem. Those people couldn't stir up any waves. Besides, how could everything always go as one wished? Those people were almost all on the list anyway, so he didn't care if a few slipped through.
Since he had encountered mountain bandits, he would wipe them out.
Their conversation left the commoners nearby dumbfounded. Who was this merchant, to say he would wipe out the mountain bandits within a hundred li? Wasn't that a little too bold?
Could he have been merely saying it?
But before they could ask anything more, Lin Yi's carriage had already departed.
In the carriage, Haitang knew the heir was in a poor mood and softly comforted him. "Your Highness, Dayu Pass was already a place of chaos before. It only got much better after the prince suppressed it. This has nothing to do with you."
"Haha, I don't need comforting. Massage my shoulders. Riding in the carriage these past few days has been exhausting!" Lin Yi said with a hearty laugh.
He had brought only Haitang as his maid on this trip. After all, he needed a woman by his side to attend to him. Expecting Wang Yue to serve him would have been somewhat unrealistic, since it wasn't his specialty.
Haitang obediently stepped forward to massage the heir's back and shoulders. She showed no impatience at all; on the contrary, she was quite happy.
The heir had brought only her along this time.
"Wang Yue, how long until we enter Xiliang Commandery?"
"My lord, we're already within Xiliang Commandery, but the journey to the governor's residence will take another two hours."
"Full speed ahead. I want to see just how chaotic this so-called Xiliang is!"
Killing intent flickered in Lin Yi's eyes!
A glimpse through a bamboo tube revealed the leopard's spots: if the people of White Monkey County were this terrified of mountain bandits, other places were probably the same. All of Xiliang was likely in chaos, and he would have to carve a bloody path through it.
"Look! That seems to be the mountain bandits' lair. Why is it on fire?"
Not long after they left, the people of White Monkey County suddenly spotted flames soaring into the sky in the distance. They could faintly hear battle cries as well, and their faces changed. Had the mountain bandits attacked?