78: Chapter 0078 Using Both Kindness and Strictness

"General Zhao, could you find some armor for us sisters? Just shooting at targets is boring."

"Haha, since Boss Su has asked, it shall be done!"

General Zhao Kuan immediately had two sets of armor removed and sent over to Su Wansha and the others.

One hundred meters away, the armor replaced the targets.

Several young ladies from the city once again easily drew their crossbows and fired repeatedly at the armor!

Hearing the 'thud, thud, thud' of the projectiles piercing through, the armor was easily penetrated!

The thousands of Cangzhou Army soldiers standing by watched this scene with complex expressions.

This meant that as long as they had this kind of crossbow, even ordinary civilians could easily kill them!

Because it didn't require any training, took no effort, and only needed a slight aim!

General Zhao Kuan saw the serious expressions of the crowd and felt a surge of emotion...

Let alone the Cangzhou Army, if he hadn't known the script beforehand, his jaw would have dropped to the floor by now too!

In truth, the production cost of this crossbow was not low, so it couldn't be rapidly popularized.

However, the soldiers of the Cangzhou Army wouldn't think that deeply, because they had already been intimidated by Lin Xiao's "inscrutability"!

To put it bluntly, after experiencing these three days of the "guided tour," they had already been brainwashed!

That evening.

Lin Xiao hosted a banquet at Baiyu Pavilion, and General Zhao Kuan, Qin He, and others were called over.

"Brother Zhao, thank you for your hard work today," Lin Xiao said, toasting with a cup of wine.

"Haha... what are you saying, worthy brother? Actually, building the public toilets, schools, and canteens was all managed by your wife; I just got the easy part."

"And although being a 'tour guide' is tiring, seeing their shocked expressions one by one is truly satisfying!"

Qin He was also very enthusiastic: "Isn't that right? On the way back, the Cangzhou Army soldiers looked like they had lost their souls, haha!!"

"Boss Su's little sisters performed very well too, thank you," Lin Xiao said, toasting Su Wansha.

"No need for thanks. Those little sisters of mine are bored staying at home every day; they even begged me to bring them along to play more often in the future."

Su Wansha had broadened her horizons again today; the construction of the family village made her realize Lin Xiao's versatility!

His governing ability was so stunning; how could he be content with just one prefecture or one province?

Thinking about the heights he might reach in the future, Su Wansha felt even more anxious...

By then, wouldn't she have even less of a chance?

After the victory banquet, Lin Xiao returned to the mansion with the two women.

Knowing that Xiao Qingxuan's relatives had left, Mu Wanying very considerately returned to her room first.

Having not seen each other for many days, the husband and wife naturally had many feelings to share.

Late at night, Xiao Qingxuan lay in her husband's arms, looking as if she had just had a good cry.

"My husband is truly heartless; even when I begged you so much, you wouldn't let me go..."

"My lady, why do you say that? It is clearly I who am firmly controlled and unable to break free."

"Hmph... that's not true..."

Xiao Qingxuan pouted coquettishly, but there was a hint of pride in her heart.

Perhaps this was a natural gift?

"Husband, during these three days of the 'guided tour,' you used a mix of grace and might, letting them see hope and have aspirations, while also making them feel the pressure and intimidating their hearts."

"I imagine the majority of the Cangzhou Army is now convinced and won't be leaving."

Lin Xiao toyed with something in his hand. "That's right. People are very realistic. As long as they want to live a good life, they naturally won't make an enemy of me."

"Now, we just need news from the capital... I wonder how much influence Elder Zhu has."

Lin Xiao's eyes flickered. This was the only matter he could only patiently wait for...

...

The capital.

Morning court.

Emperor Hong sat on the dragon throne. Although he was not yet sixty, he looked completely worn out, with sunken eye sockets.

"Prime Minister Yang, do those vassal kings still refuse to withdraw their troops?"

After the decree to reduce the power of the vassal kings, several major vassal kings from all over the land dispatched large armies to block several official roads and waterways.

The capital, where Emperor Hong resided, was originally the most prosperous land of origin for the Central Plains, but it had gradually begun to experience shortages of supplies.

If this continued, let alone the common people, even the Imperial Guard would go hungry.

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong reported with an indignant expression:

"Replying to Your Majesty, Prince Bai, the Prince of Yan, and Prince Qing will not yield an inch; they insist that Your Majesty abdicate."

"The Prince of Nanling and the Prince of East Sea have yet to respond."

"The Prince of Wu from Baiyue is willing to open the waterways, but the prices of the supplies he sells have increased fivefold compared to the past!!"

Emperor Hong slammed the dragon throne in anger. "How can this be... *cough, cough!!*"

Halfway through his sentence, Emperor Hong began to cough violently, his face turning pale.

The eunuch in charge of the seal hurriedly stepped forward to support him. "Your Majesty... please, do not harm your health."

"The clan of the Prince of Wu... they have managed Baiyue for generations. When they surrendered during the time of Emperor Gaozu, it was all pretense; now, they aren't even pretending anymore!"

At this moment, Crown Prince Li Chenghao, dressed in a four-clawed python robe, stepped out.

"Father, the Prince of Wu is cowardly and merely a fence-sitter; he is not worth fearing."

"This son believes that the urgent priority is to find a breakthrough from the three northern kings who hold heavy military power in order to resolve this imminent crisis!"

Emperor Hong nodded with satisfaction. "Reasonable. Continue!"

"Yesterday, I received a letter from my teacher. The teacher recommended someone who might be able to take on this task!"

"Oh? Zhu Ming? It has been many years since he left the capital without any news. Who did he recommend?"

Emperor Hong perked up. After all, Zhu Ming was a great scholar of the current era with an extraordinary status, so he would not speak lightly.

"This person is named Lin Xiao, a Commander at the Stone Fortress on the northern border, and is currently leading troops to garrison Baishui Prefecture."

"General Lin... Xiao?"

Emperor Hong frowned. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Your Majesty, he is that border soldier who killed the Northern Barbarian general, Bate!"

"Oh? Is it him?" Emperor Hong's eyes lit up.

"Father, the teacher said in the letter that Lin Xiao not only killed Bate but also led the Cangzhou Army to annihilate the twenty-thousand-strong army of the Northern Barbarian Greedy Wolf Tribe and executed the Greedy Wolf chieftain, Bayar, and his son!"

"Now, eighty percent of the military power in the entire Cang Province is in the hands of Lin Xiao!"

Emperor Hong's gaze was piercing. "This Lin Xiao is actually so valiant and skilled in battle!?"

What Zhu Ming said could not possibly be false, and battle reports were easy to verify.

"What is even more commendable is that Lin Xiao is loyal to Your Majesty. He has always spoken of executing the rebellious Prince Bai, which is why he is a thorn in the side and a festering sore to Prince Bai!"

Crown Prince Li Chenghao said respectfully: "This son believes that if we can heavily rely on Lin Xiao, we might be able to tear open a gap in the northern border and force Prince Bai to withdraw his troops!!"

Emperor Hong's gaze flickered for a moment, and he nodded.

"Since he is a loyal official and a capable general with illustrious military achievements, the imperial court naturally cannot fail his desire to serve the country!"

"Someone, draft my decree..."