Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Guo Jiwang quietly gave Huang Cheng a wink.
Huang Cheng understood immediately, raised his wine glass, stood up, and said loudly, "Gentlemen, I have something to say!"
The room quickly quieted down, and everyone turned to look at Huang Cheng.
Huang Cheng cleared his throat. "This time, the Mount Liang rebels have wreaked havoc in Rong Province, causing countless tragedies! I believe that many of you here have relatives or acquaintances who have died at the hands of the Mount Liang rebels."
"..."
The atmosphere at the table suddenly froze.
Huang Cheng, seemingly oblivious, continued, "On the other hand, Yi Province, thanks to the Yi Province Militia established by Militia Commander Wu, managed to hold off the Mount Liang army, ensuring the stability of Yi Province and preventing the people from suffering!"
"..."
The people present exchanged glances, and many had already guessed what Huang Cheng wanted to say.
"Therefore, I, Huang, propose that Rong Province follow the example of Yi Province and establish its own Rong Province Militia."
I agree!
I agree!
"..."
As soon as Huang Cheng finished speaking, someone immediately stood up and raised their hand in agreement.
In an instant, more than half of the people present agreed to establish the Rong Province Militia!
Most of these people were the former battalion commanders and deputy battalion commanders of the two Rong Province Battalion, and some of them were people who had been won over by the Yi Province Militia during this period.
The remaining people hesitated, but after glancing at Wu Shuangren, who sat silently in the main seat, no one dared to stand up and object.
"Then who should be the head of our Rong Province Militia?"
Someone asked.
Almost instinctively, everyone looked at Wu Shuangren, who was sitting in the main seat.
Wu Shuangren smiled and finally spoke, "After all, I am from Yi Province, and cannot stay in Rong Province for long. However..."
He paused for a moment, then said, "If you all trust me, I can help you establish the Rong Province Militia. As for who should be the head of the Rong Province Militia, if a suitable candidate cannot be selected in a short time, we can discuss it among ourselves."
Most of the people present were quick-witted and naturally understood the implication of Wu Shuangren's words—
The establishment of the Rong Province Militia was naturally still decided by this Militia Commander Wu, but he would not serve as the official commander of the Rong Province Militia for the time being, and would only control it in secret.
"Good!"
Huang Cheng was the first to applaud.
The others echoed his sentiments.
Thus, the matter of the Rong Province Militia was initially settled.
Next, everyone began to discuss how many men each could contribute to the Rong Province Militia.
Wu Shuangren promised that the Rong Province Militia would receive the same treatment as the Yi Province Militia!
After the banquet ended and everyone left, only Wu Shuangren and Guo Jiwang remained in the room.
"We have acquired approximately 130,000 mu of farmland during this period."
Guo Jiwang said to Wu Shuangren.
When Mount Liang came to Rong Province, they killed many wealthy families, many of whom were even wiped out, leaving behind a large amount of unclaimed land.
During this period, Guo Jiwang was in charge of taking over these fields or purchasing some land.
Now that the surviving officials in Rong Province City have become close to him, it would be easy for him to transfer the land deeds to these fields.
With these fields in Rong Province, Wu Shuangren's promise of equal treatment for the Rong Province Militia and the Yi Province Militia could truly be fulfilled.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr.."
Wu Shuangren raised a glass of wine and toasted Guo Jiwang.
Guo Jiwang smiled, raised his glass, and lightly clinked it against Wu Shuangren's:
Congratulations, my lord.
The two exchanged a smile and each drank their wine.
From West River Market to Yi Province, and then to Rong Province.
Unbeknownst to many, Wu Shuangren's power had already spread across three states!
The fifth day of the first month of the tenth year of Yuanxing.
A few days ago, Emperor Yuanxing held a grand banquet for his officials, but due to excessive drinking and catching a cold, he suddenly fell ill.
On January 7th, Emperor Yuanxing's condition worsened, and he fell into a coma.
On January 9th, Emperor Yuanxing passed away!
The Wu Dynasty entered its next chapter.
[End of this volume]
Summary of Volume II
The second volume is titled "[Dragon and Tiger Fight in the Bloody Wilderness]". The protagonist is like a newborn tiger, occupying Yi Province, while Mount Liang comes from elsewhere like a dragon crossing the river.
This volume mainly revolves around the clash with the Mount Liang forces, making it a fierce battle between dragons and tigers.
I'm personally very satisfied with the completion of this volume; it's comparable to the peak volumes I wrote during the 'Martial Saint' era. Readers who followed from 'This Martial Saint's Health Bar Is Too Thick' are also welcome to share their thoughts.
The more controversial plot point in this volume is that the protagonist, in order to save the people of Linwen County, ignores Guo Jiwang's advice and chooses a bad strategy.
I knew there would be controversy before I wrote this part of the story, but I still decided to write it this way without hesitation because this part of the story is key to the second volume and sets the tone for this volume.
The second volume will set the tone for the entire book!
Many readers of online novels today find it hard to accept that the protagonist must always take advantage of others, even if they suffer the slightest loss, and must always be exquisitely self-serving.
I can understand this trend, and I don't think 'refined egoism' is wrong, but this trend will lead to increasingly homogenized character portrayals...
When I was creating Wu Shuangren, I naturally wrote about his chivalrous side, since you can tell from his name, Shuangren hasn't tried it in ten years.
However, I don't want to portray Wu Shuangren as a second Li Fei. Li Fei pursues a carefree life and can be a chivalrous hero who keeps his promises even in the face of death. But Wu Shuangren is more ambitious and therefore more pragmatic than Li Fei.
When I was writing the storyline about Linwen County, I had in mind the idea that Liu Bei, in order to avenge Guan Yu, insisted on launching the Battle of Yiling despite the advice of his ministers.
Some readers in the comments section also mentioned Liu Bei, drawing parallels between the protagonist and Liu Bei.
In the novel, Liu Bei's revenge is purely driven by brotherly affection, making it a romantic and charismatic act.
However, in real history, Liu Bei's decision to launch the Battle of Yiling was also driven by practical considerations, namely, to recapture Jing Province.
Jing Province was far too important to Shu Han!
Moreover, the largest political faction within the Shu Han regime at that time was the "Jing Province Faction," and it was also the will of these people to reclaim Jing Province.
Therefore, if we consider practical interests, Liu Bei's initiation of the Battle of Yiling was not necessarily solely due to brotherhood.
But who can truly know what Liu Bei was thinking at that time?
Was his insistence on attacking Sun Quan driven more by a desire to avenge his brother, or by considerations of practical self-interest?
In contrast to Wu Shuangren, the protagonist of this book, was his insistence on saving all the people of Linwen County driven more by a sense of benevolence and righteousness, or by considerations of the benefits he would gain from accomplishing this?
History has not provided an answer, nor have I provided one in this book.
What I'm saying is to tell everyone that I never intended to portray Wu Shuangren as a benevolent saint.
The real Liu Bei in history was not a saint, but even if he considered practical interests when launching the Battle of Yiling, no one would question his loyalty to his brothers, nor would it prevent him from becoming the revered Emperor Zhaolie in later generations!
Wu Shuangren in this book is not a saint. I just wanted to portray him as a person with principles, chivalry, and ambition in a chaotic world.
Finally, the title of the third volume is "[Without a Leader, War Arises]", which corresponds to the last chapter of the second volume.
From the plot and title, you can tell this is the first volume to mark the beginning of a chaotic era. The story officially begins in the third volume, so stay tuned!
Volume Three: Leaderless, War Erupts
? 192 The young ruler and the suspicious state, the Four Great Aristocratic Clans
The eleventh day of the first month of the tenth year of Yuanxing.
On the third day after the death of the late emperor, the entire city was draped in mourning.
On Vermilion Bird Avenue in the capital, the once bright vermilion-lacquered doors were all covered with white paper, and the shop signs along the street were all replaced with white cloth strips, which fluttered one by one in the cold wind.
Thousands of white silk lanterns were hung outside the palace walls, looking like a pale expanse of snow in the daytime.
The pedestrians on the street hurried along, speaking in hushed tones. The peddler no longer dared to bang his gong, but simply carried his load on his shoulder and walked briskly.
All restaurants, theaters, guild halls, brothels, and so on, closed down.
The city was silent, devoid of song and dance; only mournful music could be heard.
Inside the Taiji Hall of the Imperial Palace.
The late emperor's coffin was placed in the center of the hall, and an offering table was set up in front of it, with sacrificial animals, grains, and various fruits.
Incense smoke filled the hall, and dozens of monks sat cross-legged on both sides, chanting the Rebirth Mantra in a low voice. The sounds of wooden fish and chimes rang out intermittently.
Civil and military officials lined up in two rows, stretching from in front of the coffin all the way to the square outside the main hall.
All the officials wore white mourning clothes over their official robes, had white cloth strips wrapped around their heads, and their black boots were also covered with white cloth.
Officials of the Third Rank and above could kneel inside the hall, while those of the Fourth Rank and below knelt on the steps outside the hall, arranged in descending order of their official rank.
No one spoke or moved. Occasionally, an older official would lose his knees from kneeling for too long and sit down on the ground, only to be quickly helped up by a younger official next to him and forced to kneel upright again.
Yuan Feng stood at the very front of the officials, closest to the coffin. He was dressed in plain white today, with a hemp rope tied around his waist and a white wooden cane in his hand.
He was the Grand Tutor of the court, First Rank; at the same time, he was also the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, and also held the additional title of Chancellor.
Wu Dynasty, there was no formal position of prime minister. The heads of the three provinces all had the deliberative power of a prime minister. If someone was given the additional title of "Co-Chancellor of the Secretariat and the Chancellery," then they were tacitly considered the prime minister of the current dynasty.
Therefore, Yuan Feng is undoubtedly the head of all officials, and today he will preside over the ceremony of the Crown Prince's enthronement before his spirit tablet.
He kept his head down, his expression calm, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Emperor Yuanxing had always been in poor health and had been taking medicine to regulate his body for many years. So, it would be understandable if we say that his sudden death was normal.
But if you were to say that there was a conspiracy involved, Yuan Feng would believe it too!
Just as the Wu Dynasty had quelled the two major rebellions and the country was finally free from major wars, allowing for a few years of rest and recuperation, the emperor suddenly passed away.
This is something Yuan Feng doesn't want to see.
Even if he, as the head of all officials, might reach the pinnacle of his power in the future!
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—"
The high-pitched voice of the eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial carried in from outside the hall.
Yuan Feng slowly turned around, leaning on his cane, and the assembled officials also turned to look at the entrance of the main hall.
A twelve-year-old boy stepped over the threshold and cautiously entered the main hall.
He wore a plain white robe, with no crown on his head, only a white cloth wrapped around it, and his hair was loose over his shoulders. His face was round, still retaining a childlike innocence, and his eyes were red and swollen, as if he had been crying for a long time.
He was Li Bian, the Crown Prince of the time, the eldest son of Emperor Yuanxing, and Empress Cui Clan.
The Cui Clan was also one of the Four Great Aristocratic Clans. Over the past two hundred years, they had produced five empresses and married nine princesses. Among the Four Great Aristocratic Clans, the Cui Lineage had the closest marriage alliance with the royal family.
Almost all the emperors of the Wu Dynasty had Cui Clan blood in their veins; the Cui Clan truly shared the glory of the nation!
Now, another crown prince born to Empress Cui Clan is about to become the emperor of the Wu Dynasty.
The future of the Wu Dynasty rests on the shoulders of this twelve-year-old boy!
Li Bian walked into the main hall step by step, and approached the altar with a somewhat fearful expression.
Yuan Feng, leaning on his cane, stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Greetings, Your Highness. Please kneel before the late Emperor's coffin."
Li Bian looked timidly at Yuan Feng, nodded, and knelt down facing the coffin.