178: Chapter 0178 Seeing is Believing

Outside the main gate of the Inspectors Office, along both sides of the road, dozens of ink wash paintings were lined up in a row.

These paintings couldn't be called high art; they simply used ink brushes to outline characters and backgrounds.

Aside from some blood, which was colored red, no other colors were used—efficiency was the priority!

And on the far left of each painting was a column of simple introductory text...

"Eh? What are these paintings?"

"It looks like some battlefield?"

"Doesn't it say right here? The 17th year of Hongde... three thousand remnants of the Stone Fortress, fighting a bloody battle against twenty thousand Northern Barbarian troops, swearing to never retreat!"

In the crowd, a poor scholar who could read began to explain to the commoners.

"Oh? There's even a date. Is this a painting of this year's border war?"

"Didn't General Lin start out at the Stone Fortress? I heard that of the nine border cities in the Northern Frontier, only the Stone Fortress remains!"

"Exactly. And honestly, if the Shibao Border Army hadn't held them back, Baishui might not have been saved!"

The commoners nodded one after another, still feeling a lingering fear.

"Scholar, what about the next ones? What's painted after that?"

The commoners' interest was piqued, and the literate scholar also got excited, clearing his throat and continuing:

"The second painting depicts Lin Xiao, a foot soldier of the Border Army, who was appointed in a time of crisis, charged into the enemy camp alone, and beheaded the Northern Barbarians' vanguard general, Bate!"

The crowd broke into an uproar once again.

"So the person in this painting is General Lin?"

"Oh my, look at this, with so many people surrounding him, General Lin actually managed to cut down that barbarian general!"

"That doesn't seem right, with so many barbarians, could they really not stop one person?"

Some people also whispered, finding it hard to believe.

"Don't be in a hurry, there's more!"

The scholar walked to the third painting and said, "The defending General Zhao Kuan, leading five hundred men from the Dead Soldier Battalion, met up with Lin Xiao. The Border Army's morale soared, and the Barbarian Army fled in panic!"

"Good! Wonderful!"

"Hearing this is so satisfying!!"

"That's more like it. It wasn't just General Lin alone; the Border Army was also brave enough!"

"But it was General Lin who beheaded the enemy general first and boosted morale!"

The scholar himself was also fired up as he quickly walked toward the fourth, fifth, and sixth paintings...

"The Border Army won a great victory but offended Prince Bai, falling into a food shortage. Lin Xiao went to Baishui to purchase provisions."

"The Northern Barbarians colluded with Prince Bai and sent Bota, the young master of the Greedy Wolf Tribe, to intercept and kill Lin Xiao on the way."

"Lin Xiao fought desperately and cut down the young master of the Greedy Wolf Tribe from his horse!"

"Prince Bai's attempt to recruit Governor Official Lu Yang was rejected, and he murdered the loyal official at a banquet. Filled with righteous indignation, Lin Xiao killed Prince Bai's advisors and henchmen..."

...

"The General's wife personally led the Militia to reclaim wasteland and distribute land to the people."

"General Shi Yong, unable to tolerate Prince Bai's evil deeds, left the darkness for the light and joined the Zhenbei Army, helping General Lin crush the Greedy Wolf Tribe's patriarch, Bayar..."

"In late autumn, the old barbarian commander Marshal Suhe led troops to besiege the city. The soldiers and civilians of Baishui were of one mind, fighting bloody battles day and night to defend the city and protect the peace of the Northern Frontier..."

"The Zhenbei Army, having their food and salt cut off by Prince Bai, became self-reliant—building roads, academies, and canteens, ensuring the elderly were cared for and the young were raised."

"The heroes of Great Gan are immortal; monuments were erected in their memory. Thousands of Prefectural Army soldiers were moved to tears and resolutely joined the Zhenbei Army!"

"Following the imperial decree to reclaim military power, the divine soldiers and heavenly generals seized Lincang City overnight!"

"The descendant of the Mu Family, Mu Wanying, took a city with just herself and a spear, winning over the hearts of Qin Water..."

As they went further, each image became more soul-stirring and deeply moving!

Although the artist's skill was mediocre, the value lay in the fact that the reality was exciting enough!

Especially since Prince Bai's reputation among the people was already poor, seeing Prince Bai's schemes repeatedly thwarted by Lin Xiao made the commoners cry out in satisfaction!

If at first everyone remained skeptical about the stories that happened at the border...

...then when it came to Lin Xiao crushing the Prefectural Army, defeating the White Kings Army in Wushan Commandery, building concrete roads, manufacturing honeycomb coal, and so on...

...these were all hot topics that couldn't be avoided in recent months!

The people of Yangquan could be considered half-witnesses to the rise of the Zhenbei Army.

"General Lin really hasn't had it easy. He's suffered so much along the way!"

"Yeah, without General Lin and the Zhenbei Army, the barbarians would probably have swallowed the entire Cang Province! We would all have had to flee as refugees!"

"This Prince Bai is simply insane! To fight for the throne, he actually tried to trap and kill so many of our Great Gan soldiers? How malicious!!"

"I said it before, I don't know much about the Zhenbei Army, but that Prince Bai is definitely no good! You can't trust him!"

"And that Inspector General Jiang Shengyuan, sending people to spread rumors about General Lin and the Zhenbei Army every day—I knew we couldn't believe him!"

"Psh, last time you even said that soap was made from corpse oil and shouldn't be bought!"

"I... that's because I couldn't afford it! If I had the money, I'd buy it!!"

The people chattered away, their lively discussions directly dispelling the winter chill, making even waiting in line no longer tedious.

Many people, after finishing their registration in line, couldn't help but go back to re-watch General Lin's legend.

On a carriage not far away, Xie Juner lifted the curtain, her expression complex as she watched the lively scene.

"Is this the reason he asked me to find artists..."

A wave of frustration washed over Xie Juner's face. Why hadn't she thought of such a brilliant propaganda method?

This model would actually be excellent for commercial promotion as well.

"It seems I really overestimated myself. Even without the help of our Linyuan Marquis Mansion, he can easily take control of the entire Cang Province."

Xiaodie, standing to the side, was a bit displeased. "My Lady, why belittle yourself? Isn't it just using drawings to tell his own story? What's so hard about that?"

Xie Juner shook her head. "You don't understand. These paintings of his seem simple, but they are very well-thought-out."

"How are they well-thought-out? They aren't pretty at all; the lines are too simple!"

Xiaodie considered herself someone who had seen the world; any two-bit artist she found would draw better than this.

"You're wrong. What Lin Xiao wants is precisely 'simplicity'!"

"If you let the commoners look at works by famous masters, they wouldn't be interested at all. But with these shallow and easy-to-understand paintings, even if they can't read, they know roughly what's being told."

Xie Juner said admiringly, "Lin Xiao knows exactly how to communicate with the commoners and how to win people's hearts. That is his greatest strength."

"Prince Bai and Inspector General Jiang Shengyuan racked their brains to smear Lin Xiao and the Zhenbei Army, but now that these paintings have appeared, all of that has lost its persuasiveness!"

"After all, hearing is deceptive, but seeing is believing!"

"What the County Princess says is absolutely right. Even an old man like me, listening to them talk about those paintings, can't wait to go down and have a look!"

Uncle Xu, driving the carriage, laughed sheepishly from the front.

Xiaodie pouted. "Then what should we do? My Lady, are you going to admit defeat?"

"Admit defeat? Why should I?"

Xie Juner pulled herself together, a spark of unyielding determination appearing in her beautiful eyes.

"As long as the marriage contract still exists, I am his fiancée."

"It is only natural for me to assist him. I must prove myself while he is still in Yangquan!"

Just then, a shout came from somewhere...

"This is bad! This is bad! The Earl of Anyang is attacking with the army of Sha Prefecture!!"