Chapter 47: The Words of Benevolence

  These soldiers finally left. No one expected that the original tense scene would have a magical change at this moment. Xiao Chen moved these ordinary people living at the bottom of society with his kindness and benevolence. And these kind people also moved those fierce soldiers with their sincerity.

  The greatest in the world is benevolence. Even in a strange and foreign land, this is an unshakeable truth.

  The matter was finally resolved, and Liu Lan, who had been worried to death, could finally breathe a sigh of relief. At this time, it was also time to return to Jiayuan County City. After hastily bidding farewell to these villagers, the three of Xiao Chen also set off with ease.

  "This young brother is truly a rare benevolent person in the world!" The white-haired old man shouted out the common voice of the people. Of course, these words were something Xiao Chen could not hear.

  While Xiao Chen was galloping in the opposite direction, more than a dozen soldiers were also riding their horses wildly. "Big brother, what do we do next?" one of the soldiers asked, voicing everyone's greatest concern. They had been ordered by Officer Lao to drive these escaped civilians back. But now, they themselves had been moved by their conscience and had automatically chosen to abandon this order.

  But you should know that disobeying the official's orders is a crime punishable by beheading. If I go back like this...

  "You think I'm willing to sell my conscience and integrity for a few pieces of copper, to be the running dog of that corrupt official Chu Tian? It's bad enough being insulted by him every day, but behind his back, those common people also curse me. I've had enough of this kind of life!" The burly man with a thick beard shouted.

  "You've all seen it, that white and clean silly kid, his relationships are actually better than ours. Don't you feel ashamed? I've decided, from now on I'll be a dignified person, no longer suffering under the oppression of that corrupt official Chu Tian, no longer being a lackey for him."

  "But if we don't follow that corrupt official Chu Tian, how are we going to survive?" a weak voice said. You see, although they were officials and soldiers of the Great Yan Kingdom, the imperial court had not issued even a single grain of ration for three years. And these people, apart from holding guns and fighting, knew nothing else. If there was no ration, they could only rely on oppressing the common people to survive.

  But big brother actually said that from now on he wants to be a good person and no longer oppress the common people. Then how can we make a living?

  "I've made up my mind, to go up the mountain and be a bandit, to support myself! Brothers, if any of you are willing to follow me, I, Yan Zhong, welcome you with open arms. But if anyone feels that they can't bear the shame, I won't force you!

  You should know, the Great Yan Empire is vast and rich, with a large population. Just the registered official army has over a million soldiers. However, the problem is that the imperial court hasn't issued even a single grain of rice or coin in salary for three years now. The majority of the Great Yan Empire's million-strong army has already become private militias for local power holders, just to make a living."

  After all, for ordinary soldiers, the empty righteousness is far less motivating than the immediate benefits. To put it more crudely, no matter whether they acknowledge it verbally or not, in their hearts, they still hold a view that whoever provides milk is considered mother.

  The Great Yan State has many soldiers, but the number of officials is limited, and they cannot fully absorb this large army. Moreover, there are also some arrogant people who do not want to endure humiliation for a little bit of food and salary, and even sell their conscience. To make a living, they chose another path, that is, to go up the mountain as bandits and engage in unscrupulous business.

  In the Great Yan State, corrupt officials and greedy clerks were rampant, and excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes were prevalent. The people's lives were extremely miserable. This is also an important reason for the continuous increase of bandits in the Great Yan State. And a large number of government soldiers, forced by their livelihoods, became bandits, making this situation even more severe.

  Of course, the pillar of the Great Yan State, the national teacher Huangfu Yun, has realized that if this situation is allowed to develop, the consequences will be unthinkable. So he has ordered his most trusted Ding Heng to form an elite army to solve this problem.

  But can this approach really solve the troubles of Great Yan? Probably no one knows.

  "Follow Big Brother, go up the mountain to be a bandit, follow Big Brother, go up the mountain to be a bandit! Never again will we suffer under that dog official Chu Tian!" The soldiers cheered in unison. It was clear that the man with the whiskers had extremely high prestige among these people. After this proposal was made, surprisingly not one person opposed it.

  However, brothers please rest assured that our days of being bandits on the mountain will not be long. Yu Zhong is a rough man, but he also knows that the current Great Yan is in trouble both domestically and internationally. If this continues, it will inevitably lead to great chaos and the rise of warlords. At that time, we can choose a powerful lord to rely on, and who knows, if we're lucky, we might even get an official position! It seems that Yu Zhong's idea is not out of thin air, but rather the result of careful consideration. Previously, he had not spoken out because he was hesitant, but today's encounter with Xiao Chen was like a spark that finally made him thoroughly express his thoughts.

  "Big brother is right, if the lord we are relying on can ultimately seize the world, then we will have made a huge profit. Being enfeoffed as a marquis or appointed as a high-ranking official may be beyond our reach, but making our family prosperous and securing titles for our wives and children should not be a problem!" Dog Egg said with great satisfaction from horseback.

  "If you really want to have that day, then don't do this damn thing today." Yu Zhong snorted. He was referring to the fact that Dog Egg wanted to trample the baby with his horse.

  "Big brother's teachings are, big brother's teachings!" Dog Dan spat out his tongue. In the past, they lived a life of uncertainty, worrying about tomorrow after today, so the whole person was muddled and confused. But now it's different, for their own lofty goals, they can no longer be reckless and abandon themselves.

  If the lords we will rely on in the future to contend for the world are as kind and gentle as that little brother just now, how good it would be! For some reason, such an idea emerged in Yu Zhong's mind.

  How is it possible? How is it possible? Anyone who can contend for the world must be a ruthless and merciless person. That young man, at most, is a gentleman, a benevolent person. And such a person is destined not to become a powerful contender for contending for the world.

  Yancheng, the capital of Great Yan. This is the most prosperous city in Great Yan, with the largest population and the most developed economy. It is also a place that countless people from Great Yan dream of and yearn for. Here, as long as you have talent, you can get everything you want.

  In the beautiful garden full of rare flowers and grasses in the palace of the Great Yan Kingdom, the handsome young man wearing a magnificent brocade robe was still so elegant and refined, still so extraordinary. However, it's slightly regrettable that his body seemed a bit thinner than before, and between his eyebrows, he lacked a few points of the heroic spirit that a seven-foot-tall man should have.

  He, with the great name Murong Yan, was the current emperor of Great Yan. Since the wise and martial founding Emperor Murong Fu established Great Yan, it had been passed down to Murong Yan's hands for three generations. Unfortunately, the current Emperor of Great Yan was far inferior compared to his grandfather.

  At the age of twenty, it is a good time to start a business with vigor and vitality. However, the current emperor is weak and still focuses on enjoying himself, so that the national teacher Huangfu Yan, who is nearly seventy years old, has to take charge of all major events in the Great Yan State alone.

  But is it really so?

  "Your Majesty, why are you lost in thought again!" A soft sigh was heard from behind.

  "Now, the fate of our great Yan state is precarious. As the ruler of a country, how can I not worry? Teacher, you have worried me!" After a long sigh, Murong Yan finally turned his head around.

  Standing behind Murong Yan was a middle-aged man wearing a white robe, with a pale face and no beard. Although his appearance was not particularly outstanding, those incredibly deep eyes made people take one glance and never forget.

  The man's name was Xi Ren, and since the affair of Murong Yan, he had been his teacher, instructing him. "Your Majesty, our great Yan state has external enemies lurking outside, internal traitors plotting within, corrupt officials and greedy clerks running amok, and excessive taxes and levies rampant. At present, our great Yan state can be said to have both external worries and internal troubles arising simultaneously, with a situation that is extremely unfavorable!"

  "Your Majesty, as the ruler of a country, you should also calm down and focus on state affairs. You should know that the world is yours after all! If you don't care, who will?" Another long sigh followed.

  "Teacher, are you also like those mediocre people, looking at me as a useless person who only knows how to play and enjoy himself?" There was a hint of anger in Murong Yan's words.

  "Of course not." Xi Ren shook his head decisively. "Your Majesty grew up in front of me, I know exactly what kind of person you are. To put it bluntly, I, Xi Ren, have lived for so long and seen all sorts of people. But someone as talented and gifted as Your Majesty, this is the first time I've ever seen."

  "The teacher has overpraised me, I'm ashamed and dare not accept it!" Mu Rongyan's face was full of smiles.

  "I also know that Your Majesty has great talents and strategies, and has a good and confident attitude. But why does Your Majesty always show a timid and weak image in front of outsiders, only knowing how to indulge in pleasure? The words of Xi Ren couldn't hide the regretful tone, 'The great national affairs are all borne by Guoshi alone. How can Your Majesty bear it in your heart?'"

  "Don't mention that old scoundrel Huangfu in front of me. I, Murong Yan, have long since come of age, and by rights, he should have handed over the reins to me already. But look at it, can I handle any major court matters on my own?" Murong Yan's face turned red with rage, "I think he clearly doesn't want to hand over power to me, clearly has ulterior motives."

  "Your Majesty is being overly anxious, the loyalty of the State Preceptor to the Great Yan State and to Your Majesty can be seen in the sun and moon, and proven by heaven and earth. Your Majesty should also reflect on yourself, you always pretend to be a certain way, how dare the State Preceptor return the power of state affairs to you?"

  "If I hadn't pretended to be like this, I would have been killed by Huangfu's old fox long ago!" Murong Yan sneered, "I reckon that old fox has long been eyeing the world of my Murong family and wanted to replace us."

  "Your Majesty, you are being overly cautious! Your grandfather had sworn a solemn oath to remain loyal to the Murong clan for his entire life and never betray them."

  "Teacher, you are too kind. Your disciple knows that you are a benevolent person, but a benevolent person in this world is destined to suffer losses. People will change, and when someone gains power over the imperial court, can you guarantee that their ambition won't continue to expand? Being above one person but below millions of people, where does the comfort of being high and mighty come from?"

  "I endured the ridicule of outsiders, pretending to be crazy and stupid, in order to lower the vigilance of Huangfu's old fox, making myself temporarily safe. However, I, Murong Yan, will not continue like this forever." Murong Yan sneered unceasingly.

  "Alas..." In response to this, Xi Ren had nothing to say, only a sigh.

  "By the way, teacher, why have I been feeling like someone's been staring at me all this time?" Murong Yan suddenly asked after a long awkward silence.

  "This can't be, right?" Xi Ren's body shook, his eyes rapidly scanning the surroundings. His originally calm gaze suddenly became sharp. But the surroundings were still peaceful.

  "Your Majesty, you're being overly cautious!" The sharp gaze softened once again.

  "Maybe!" Murong Yan nodded.

  "Idiot!" Just then, a slightly sarcastic voice floated through the air. Of course, Xi Ren and Mu Rong Yan couldn't hear it.