Chapter 512: Nipping It in the Bud
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The eastern line's victory had been relayed back to the capital city and the emperor was, of course, overjoyed by the news. He had foreseen the disadvantage the eastern defense would have suffered in warfare and had even contemplated the possibility of paying a personal visit to assist at the border. However, Old Marshal Qiu had already carried off most of the elites in Tiantang City, the royal forces included. Even if he were to set off in person, there was no one he could bring along to accompany him. Besides, the four-nation siege was at such an abrupt timing that it was too late to salvage the situation, even if Tiantang City had more relief troops.
The news of ultimate victory in the war was unexpected, not to mention the shocking revelation that Dongxuan's main marshal Han Sanhe had fallen as well. This result finally allowed Yutang's emperor to heave a long, relieved sigh.
Nonetheless, he was silent for a long time after inquiring about the number of casualties.
It was a short battle, merely two to three months of warfare, but there were already millions of soldiers who had perished.
Even though Yu Peize was Yutang's ultimate ruler, the emperor who held Yutang in his hands, he still felt the throes of war.
His heart ached for his people.
"Hundreds and thousands of warriors they are indeed..." His Majesty sighed, tears shining in his eyes. "All the perished soldiers are lion-hearted warriors who have guarded the country! The day they return victorious, I shall welcome them, hundreds of miles outside the city. I shall personally wait for these warriors to return!"
"I wonder how Old Qiu is faring now…"
"Inform the Board of War and the Board of Revenue to increase the rewards for those who are worthy of merit. Allocate the pensions of the highest class to those who died. I want to personally go through everything related to this war."
"Inform the Board of Civil Appointments, do not be parsimonious in promoting and granting titles to those who deserve them."
"Inform the Board of Rites that they have to figure out how to welcome the army back with the highest protocol! Be fast! I want to host this welcoming party personally!"
"I wish to announce this delightful news to the world!"
"Inform the Board of Punishments that they are to enforce the law nationwide, with focus on gangsters and rogues terrorizing villagers. The crimes of those who bully the families of sacrificed soldiers will be deemed more severe than ever; they are to be punished strictly and heavily, without the possibility of pardon!"
The emperor was also a military man. He knew very well what the soldiers needed the most, what they wanted the most, what they were the most worried about, and what the fallen heroes would miss the most.
Hence, the first response he made after obtaining the news was to think of and execute decisions in the most practical manner possible.
The last instruction to the Board of Punishments had been hand-written personally by the emperor with his imperial seal stamped on it. He had even stamped his personal seal under the imperial jade seal.
This was a unique exception in terms of the royal decree drafting process. This action that did not seem to fit protocol clearly indicated His Majesty's thoughts regarding this matter!
He was using practical actions to tell all his officials that he was not only delegating work, he was personally supervising the whole affair. Anyone who dared to bend the law for personal gain would not only face their superior's fury but also the emperor's wrath!
Those who wanted to act recklessly could do so at their own risk. Who would dare anger the emperor?
Once an emperor was enraged, the line of corpses would stretch for thousands of miles!
"From today, we shall forge a memorial hall for these heroic souls!"
"From today, we shall rebuild the tower of meritorious officials!"
"From today, liquidation is to begin nationwide!"
The emperor's series of orders almost sent the serving eunuchs to their deaths.
His Majesty's last four words – liquidation to begin nationwide, was spoken exceptionally sternly.
No one would have wagered on Yutang to win in this four-nation siege war, including those in the country. Compared to the ordinary citizens and martial world practitioners who actively enlisted and fought through this tribulation together, there were many wealthy families and businessmen who were coming up with their own discreet plans – no small number of them had used their connections to contact the noble families of other countries.
If Dongxuan were to actually invade Yutang, the consequences would be unimaginable!
It was also due to this escape route that those people and forces ignored the official donation drive ran by Yutang and the overall predicament of the military.
There were also many officials who began preparing their own back doors for a hasty exit, seeing that the country was in a severe crisis. They were already thinking of where they should be going if Yutang was to be subjugated.
It seemed that Yutang was on the verge of being defeated at any given moment. The emperor was not truly harsh on these easily-swayed two-faces for fear of triggering a rebellion which would cause him to face both internal and external crises. Secondly, he understood that it was reasonable for these people to look for alternatives under such circumstances.
He was furious, he was vexed, he wanted to kill them all for his own gratification, but these people had not done anything detrimental to the country and its people after all.
If Yutang did fall, these people who had already plotted their escapes would be gone. Why should he kill them all? They were his people, after all, the least he could do was to give them a fighting chance to survive.
However, the situation was different now.
His Majesty knew for a fact that Yutang's eastern defense had defeated Dongxuan, the four-nation siege was officially broken and even the continent's God of War Han Sanhe was dead. Would that not mean that it was no longer just idle chatter for Yutang to rule over Tianxuan and become the unprecedented hegemon?
The time had come! The chance ripe for the picking by his own hands!
The officials and people who were disloyal to the country need not be pardoned, as that would only cause more troubles in the future, a seed to further disaster. With that being said, the emperor began to swiftly remedy the situation.
As the saying went, internal strife should be settled first before one is to tackle external problems. His Majesty wanted to ensure that Yutang was still a complete nation when he deployed armies to take over the world.
Therefore, these factors of uncertainties had to be nipped in the bud.
If these people were to be kept, the connections they had now could very well be connections that would soak up leaked military intel, a weak link that spies from other countries could breach if another war was to come about.
An emperor would lose his officials if he was not confidential, an official would lose his life if he was not confidential, while one would be harmed if one was not confidential. It was an absolute must to nip the possible risks in their buds!
…
Yun Yang, who was making his journey back, had executed the emperor's yet to be received decree very thoroughly. It might be even more thorough than what was being mentioned in the decree as he, Fang Mofei and Bai Yixue had transformed into three killing machines, brutally efficient.
Yun Yang had even spurred his convenient father-figure to action. Including Marquis Yun, these four experts sent pickets out first before making a move every time they arrived at a location to smoke out all the gangs and rogues around them within a thousand-mile vicinity. They would then follow the information and kill them.
Yun Yang and his squad were four heaven realm cultivators. They were basically the highest- achieving cultivators in Yutang; their targets barely stood a chance.
Those bullies who oppressed the villagers and took advantage of the people were all beheaded before the law could even punish them, while they were concurrently deprived of all their assets.
With Yun Yang and his group's reputation, they did not actually need to resort to such brutal, savage, bloody and unreasonable methods. However, Yun Yang had set his heart to kill his way home, because he knew that these people were the sickness that Yutang needed to purge immediately!
These people were loud, blustering tyrants, but they had no backbone at all when facing a more powerful foe. They were classic bullies who intimidated the weak and feared the strong.
Subsequently, there would be plenty of lonesome elders, orphaned children, and widowed women after this war. They would lose their protection after this war because they had lost the pillars of their homes. Perhaps, no one would dare to make a move on them for a certain period of time due to the heroic haloes they wore. After some time, however, these people would certainly become the dregs of society and be oppressed without the ability to defend themselves.
Man had always been the most forgetful creature created, exceptionally gifted at failing to recall good deeds.
The saying about everything ending when a person died was never only a mere saying.
This was why Yun Yang would degrade himself to become an executer once more, one who remained resolute and slaughtered mercilessly. As long as one had the unfortunate reputation of being a gangster and a past record of tyrannizing people, one could only consider oneself unlucky as the destiny of such a person was a painful death!