Chapter 136 Ism Not Ready (1/2)

The major was stunned.

The sergeants were stunned.

And so were the officers.

The Military Commander!

Under the government of the Tang Empire, the title of Commander in Chief was not specific for a certain position. Each of the major generals who led troops to fight might be addressed as Commander in Chief.

But the Military Commander or the Commander of the Vassal State was different from the Commander in Chief. By convention, the title of Military Commander was used by the army men of the vassal state to address the Commissioner!

The Commissioner of the Vassal State was called the Honest Commissioner by the civil officers under him. The word ”Honest” meant being honest in performing his duties. On the other hand, the military officers were used to addressing him as Military Commander or Commissioner of the Vassal State, which meant the commander of an army, namely the commander of the vassal state's army.

The sergeants and officers raised their heads together to look at Li Ye with their mouths agape.

”The Military Commander?”

”Is he the newly assigned Commissioner of Pinglu?”

”How is that possible?”

”Then he is the actual owner of the several states of Pinglu!”

The officers and sergeants looked at one another in blank dismay. All of them were mourning in their hearts, with bitter looks on their faces. Thinking of their vituperation toward Li Ye, they were so regretful that they wanted to kill themselves by beating their own heads.

”How did we dare to abuse the commissioner to his face?”

”Isn't that suicide?”

”It was not Li Ye who wanted to get killed. It was us!”

”But why did the newly assigned Commissioner of Pinglu arrive in Qizhou all of a sudden?”

”And why did he kill Wu Huainan the Inspector General as soon as he showed up?”

The surrounding civilians were also shocked. They all looked at Li Ye. Regardless of it being the scholar or the strong man, the white-haired old man or the beautiful lady, everyone got so excited inside their hearts that they even forgot to say something. They just measured Li Ye with their eyes with all their efforts so as to see him through.

After a while, the lady whispered, ”He didn't run away because he didn't need to.”

”Is he really the commissioner?” The scholar stared with his eyes.

”Look! The guards on the city gate have been changed! The original sergeants of Qizhou have all been replaced by these carriages and an army of robes and armor!” a cultivator shouted, pointing at the city gate.

”How willing were they to be replaced?” The strong man was puzzled.

”Haven't you seen? There are a lot of cultivators on the city gate and city wall. They must be master hands who have taken control of the city gate! The armored soldiers and the cultivators chased the original guards from the city gate together!” the cultivator said with excitement.

”How high were their cultivations for them to do be able to such a thing?” The strong man's hands were shaking.

The cultivator asserted, ”They must be inordinately high!”

”It seems that the newly assigned commissioner was ready for this with a detailed plan!” The white-haired old man said, ”He looks very young. However, he must be an able man!”

”I've heard that the new commissioner is His Highness Prince An. Is it true?” the scholar asked.

”His Highness Prince An? Yes, that's him! I've read the court bulletin about it. It is the Prince An who took down Wei Baoheng and advised His Majesty to get rid of Liu Xingshen and Han Wenyue!” The Confucious scholar was quite sure.

”Then it makes sense. Qizhou is nothing to such an able man!” The white-haired old man nodded.

”Oh my god. It's him!” The young lady's eyes were sparkling, which she could not take off Li Ye, as if she were looking at a box of shining jewels.

Li Ye let Shangguan Qingcheng get up.

He had come to Qizhou in the hopes of pacifying the Wu family. When he was still far from Qizhou, he had 800 armored soldiers of his house get ready remotely, each of whom was equipped with two horses to be able to raid at any moment. Now that Li Ye had come to the city of Qizhou, the 800 armored soldiers had already sped up just in case.

What Li Ye had seen and heard on the way had strengthened his determination to get rid of the Wu family. Therefore, Li Ye informed Shangguan Qingcheng and had her come as soon as possible. After receiving the order, Shangguan Qingcheng led a troop of calvaries, raiding for 150 kilometers within 24 hours, and finally arrived in time.

With the cooperation of the 800 armored soldiers, Song Jiao, Liu Dazheng, Mo Dongli, and Zhao Polu, together with the cultivators from the Black Office, had taken control of the city gate quickly and suddenly. It would not be difficult for them to further control the city of Qizhou.

Li Ye took out the tally of the commissioner and held it in his hand. Then he looked around at the officers, sergeants, and civilians.

He started speaking slowly. His voice was not loud but it was very clear, which was sent into the distance as the result of his Level 7 Qi-refining cultivation. ”I am Li Ye, the newly assigned Commissioner of Pinglu. I dropped by Qizhou on my way to Pinglu. During the journey, I've seen and heard all the criminal deeds of Wu Huainan, the Inspector General of Qizhou, and his family. Having learned that they had made the people suffer and having obtained evidence of Wu Huainan's attempt to kill me, I have brought him to justice as a warning to others!”

He certainly could not kill an Inspector General of a state. However, if he did it and reported it to the imperial court afterward with completed records, Li Yan would not disagree. So he did not need to explain it in detail to the public at this moment.

Li Ye continued, ”Listen to me. As soon as I start working, I will strictly investigate all the briberies and cases of oppressing the people and return Pinglu to a clean political environment! I will be in charge of the security of the city for now and return the right to Qizhou's garrison after I finish the investigations!”

Li Ye's voice had become a bit stricter at this point and it spread out to the whole city. ”All the officers with titles in Qizhou should arrive at the house of the Inspector General for debriefing within one hour. No mercy will be granted to those who are late!”

Li Ye's words were followed by exclamations from those around, which soon turned into rounds of endless cheers.

All the civilians who had seen what Li Ye had done were encouraged and excited. They had been bearing the oppression of the Wu family for very long. Although they wanted to fight back, they could not. When Li Ye stepped up, it was the perfect time for the appearance of a hero. No wonder it had brought them huge expectations.

The members and dependents of the Wu family who were scattered all over the city heard Li Ye's voice. They all raised their heads in shock and looked toward the house of the Inspector General. Soon afterward, they began to shake in panic. The officers with titles went as white as a sheet. Still, they had to tidy their clothes and rush over to the house of the Inspector General.