Xie Bing, who was outside the City God Temple, could no longer hold back and rushed in with his troops. Just then, Xie Ying came out from the back hall carrying Xie Lanzhi on his back.
The soldiers crowded around, staring in shock at their marshal's battered state. How could their tribe's incomparably valiant female general have fallen to such a state?
Having already witnessed this, Xie Bing immediately accepted the position of Marshal. Xie Ying also knelt on one knee, clutching her waist, her face pale with pain.
It's unbelievable that the marshal could still stand up after taking so many hits from the monster. She was already almost unable to take it after just one blow.
"There's a girl here who's also injured. Quickly, someone carry her back to the General's Mansion!"
The remaining Xie Bing and the secret agent went into the ruins to clean up the site, dragging out the mangled corpses. Under the night sky, the secret agent would never forget the bizarre scene that night.
Manager Lin and his two employees in the back room were also taken away by Xie Bing.
The next day.
News spread from Weidu that the Xie family had recovered their stolen silver.
Si Lei was still furious that his son hadn't told him anything. Si Tang, however, had no time to argue with his father; he was too restless to sit still. He'd heard that the Marshal had gone to the clinic for treatment, and that the assassin who'd come from his mother's quarters had been dealt with by the Marshal.
What about his mother?
Si Lei was unaware that his wife had gone missing.
Xie Xia didn't rest all night. Since waking up, he had searched the entire royal city but couldn't find the princess. Finally, after hearing a few claps of thunder, he heard a woman crying. He followed the sound and found a dry well in the backyard.
Xie Xia sent someone down to investigate, and Xie Bing found a corpse in the well and pulled it out. Later, the wet nurse who served the princess confirmed it was her body. The servants in the backyard immediately knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably. The coroner further determined that the princess had been bled dry and had been dead for seven days.
Xie Xia then remembered that he had found the dry well after hearing a woman's voice. His face turned deathly pale. He must have encountered a ghost yesterday! Perhaps even the ghost of the princess!!
When the news reached Si Tang, Si Lei still didn't believe it and laughed, thinking it was just his son's little trick.
Si Tang, unable to bear it any longer, punched Si Lei in the face. The father and son, one having lost a son and the other a mother, were both holding back their anger and began to fight.
Not a single person from the general's mansion dared to stop them.
Later, Xie Bing dragged the forty million taels of silver back to the general's mansion, box by box, and officials from Weidu came to visit him one after another. Everyone was discussing where to put the money in the future. They no longer trusted Si Lei.
Si Lei and his son were still fighting in the hall. The officials shook their heads in disappointment.
Xie Xia returned with a deathly pale face. He ignored Si Lei and his son, bypassed everyone, and went back to his room. Without even taking off his boots, he crawled into bed and trembled.
The spies and Xie Bing temporarily kept watch over the silver, since it was safe to keep it in the general's mansion.
Inside the clinic in Weidu, the doctor bandaged Xie Lanzhi's right hand several times, and then bandaged her left hand as well.
After the doctor took Xie Lanzhi's pulse, he had the female apprentice examine Xie Lanzhi's bones to confirm that her ribs were not broken.
The doctor breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to her right hand: "General, you can no longer use your right hand to hold a knife."
"Otherwise... it will be ruined."
Before Niliupi, her right hand had been injured by Artu, and Artu aggravated her injury at Niliupi. On the battlefield of Yue, she was accidentally injured again.
He was most seriously injured in the fight with Anshan.
Xie Lanzhi lowered her head, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
She cautioned, "Don't tell anyone about this."
Xie Ying was in the next bed, and upon hearing this, she immediately peeked out. She remained silent.
Xie Lanzhi said, "Don't tell anyone around you, and especially don't tell the mistress."
Xie Ying nodded. Actually, what she wanted to say was that on the way to the clinic with the marshal, a secret agent beside her had already found out the whole story.
Even if she didn't say anything, His Highness would soon find out about it.
Captain Xie is rounding up An Shan's remaining associates everywhere. Last night, he arrested everyone involved in the shooting and cannon fire—a total of fifty people. There are also certain forces far away on Twin Islands.
After Yang Gao's death, his bandits remained on the island, unsure of what to do. The second-in-command of the bandits stayed on Big Brother Island, only managing to secure a position by serving tea and water to the gunners on Twin Islands.
As a result, these bandits failed to curry favor with anyone of a higher rank.
The island lord of Twin Islands suddenly appeared. Upon learning that Marilyn had gone to Tianjing, he ordered the execution of all of Yang Gao's men.
Gunfire erupted again on Twin Islands. The pirates were all wiped out.
At this moment, Ce appeared on Twin Islands. He looked at the returning island lord and went to the tiled house where the marshal had lived.
He waited until the island lord changed his clothes before saying, "The results of Xiwei's test on you are in."
The island owner's eyes darkened: "I'm just going out for a trip. Dealing with those four Southeast Asian countries is not easy."
Ce said, "Qin Kun, if you're so capable, go and talk to His Highness!"
"I don't know why Your Highness is suddenly so concerned about coastal defense? And who are you guarding against?" Qin Kun said, "But no foreign power has the guts to invade the coastal areas of my Central Plains."
"But I did see the treasure ships of the Huns. They had recently purchased a large quantity of weapons and grain from the four Southeast Asian countries."
Qin Kun thought of the four countries of Southeast Asia rushing to curry favor with him, and the Hu Xiongnu reaching some kind of agreement with a prince of Anluo.
His expression was extremely grave: "It seems that war is about to break out again in the Central Plains."
Upon hearing this, Ce repeatedly confirmed its veracity. Finally, he immediately boarded a boat and went ashore, then spurred his horse and hurried towards Tianjing!
Chapter 193 The Little Phoenix's Imperial Arts
Not long after Anshan's death, new orders began to be issued for the deployment of troops in Weidu.
Prince Fengning of the new Tianjing ordered, based on public opinion polls, the suspension of Sileiweidu's naval affairs, to be handed over to the newly appointed water patrol officer and Xie Xia.
The treasury was put into management by the Crown Prince Sitang, recommended by the officials of Weidu. Si Lei suddenly lost control of the treasury and the navy; power was returned to the capital. He was forced to huddle in a corner.
Although Si Xitong did not directly strip Si Lei of his power, Si Lei was essentially a figurehead. Now that he was old and frail, the young and ambitious heir naturally became the new master of the power structure.
Xie Lanzhi secretly praised Xiao Fenghuang's political maneuvering skills. There's always someone better. There's always someone better.
Regardless of whether she intentionally preserved Si Lei's face, the most important point is that Weidu still needs Si Lei to weather the storm. The fact that Si Lei was stripped of power will also suppress any restless ambitions in Fenjin. The older generation, lacking trust, naturally won't be given important positions. Among the new generation, the Si clan has produced two promising young men: Lu Pinghou and Si Tang.
The most promising fourth prince now holds power in Bingzhou. Although some still aspire to his succession, most have already submitted to Si Xitong and strongly support his rule.
Si Xitong's exceptional political skills earned him the unanimous praise of both the old and new officials.
First, a balance was struck between the officials in the capital and those from the Xie family, then the former officials of the Jin dynasty were seamlessly integrated into the governance of the people in various parts of the new Tianjing. This involved mutual coordination and checks and balances.
This is a thorny issue that emperors of all dynasties have faced, and those with the ability generally need ten years to adjust. Few can combine adjusting the balance of the court with developing productivity within three years.
The political forces represented by Si Xitong are embarking on a reform and development path that is most distinctive in the late Jin Dynasty.
Si Xitong even adopted the slogan: "Reform and innovate, and strive together as one."
This means that the old and the new should work together to find a path of development, taking the best and discarding the worst. And Si Xitong was the emperor with the greatest potential to become a sage ruler since the Jin Dynasty.
Few dynasties throughout history have possessed the unique characteristic of being able to develop together regardless of whether they are discarding the old or reforming the new.
The old and the new are no longer the past; it is a confrontation between tradition and innovation.
As a result, the conservative and established forces can always break down the newly established system and hinder the development of the times.
Although the conservative ministers oppose the various ideas of the reformers, none of them will interfere with or suppress them.
Because they faced internal reforms and lived in constant fear, and externally they also faced pressure from the southward incursions of the Xiongnu, they were beset by internal and external troubles. Under these circumstances, Si Xitong and his team created a platform for mutual support, which resulted in a delicate balance between the two forces.
And this balance is a unique characteristic that no one in today's world possesses.
Many great scholars in the conservative faction, although they opposed the reformers, realized that the reformers' victory could be their own victory.
Even His Highness Feng Ning, as the monarch, was not stingy in sharing profits to win them over, and respected their wishes.
This gives the conservatives a sense of having another option, aligning with His Highness's emphasis on mutual encouragement and unity. Therefore, it doesn't completely block the path for reformers, allowing for more discussion and compromise.
Although the reformers despised the conservatives for their rigid thinking and inflexibility, the conservatives were too powerful, so the reformers could only try to win their support while simultaneously resisting them.
Given this tug-of-war of evidence, and with Si Xitong's intervention, the reformists currently hold the upper hand.
The conservatives wanted to unite against the reformers, but they were always betrayed by their own people. So, some people would occasionally run to the reformers for protection.
While the conservatives disliked the reformers, they also had to prevent their own people from rebelling first. Therefore, the conservatives were at a slight disadvantage.
Pulled together by two forces, the situation began to change with the shift in production. Previously, only landlords had surplus grain; now, ordinary people were gradually seeing surpluses. This dramatic change in society forced the conservatives to adapt.
The reformists were also constantly courting intellectuals and ordinary people. There were conservatives at the top, and reformers at the middle and lower levels. A uniform group of young people were aligned with the old guard at the top.
Wu Qiu, representing the Grand Council, began submitting memorials incessantly.
Si Xitong was always responsive to requests. If a problem couldn't be solved and was temporarily shelved, no one dared to say anything.
Unfortunately, Wu Qiu was a seasoned veteran; ever since he became the head of the Grand Council, he had never taken sides, maintaining an ambiguous stance. This caused considerable resentment among the conservatives. The reformers, who tried to win him over, were also disappointed by his rejection.
The same applies to His Highness. He protects both the reformists and the conservatives. Every now and then, he sends out ministers who go too far in their corrections to make an example of them, letting both factions clearly understand His Highness's stance.
She doesn't want complete innovation, nor does she want complete preservation of tradition. What she wants is a challenging path that allows for both innovation and the preservation of traditional culture.
The conservatives all thought this was impossible.
The reformers also believed that either the old or the new had to die.
Initially, no one believed His Highness's outlandish idea. In fact, both factions were later proven wrong; they never expected that His Highness, besides utilizing both the old and new factions, would also integrate and combine forces, with a clear division of labor and cooperation. On one hand, they were developing and increasing production; on the other hand, they were seeking coexistence while pursuing further development.
The fire lit by the upper echelons was completely contained by Si Xitong, allowing the lower-level officials to temporarily break free from the old system and simply follow her instructions.
The mere mobilization of lower-level officials alone would stabilize the region by 90%. In this climate, no one dares to rebel, even if they have opinions. If anyone dares to start a war, the Imperial Guard, formed by His Highness's takeover from Marshal Xie and the new forces accepted by various states, numbering 300,000, is more than enough to annihilate any rebellious force. Therefore, those ambitious but uncooperative regional governors who want to rebel dare not, and who do not wish to develop, will only be abandoned by Si Xitong, continuing their decline and impoverishment.
If you want to develop, you must accept being ruled. Developing is truly a dilemma.
The conservatives discovered that the current situation was even more stable than the prosperous era of a hundred years ago. The ministers repeatedly asked Si Xitong whether to officially designate the last three years of the Jin Dynasty as the beginning of a golden age.
Si Xitong refused. He also viewed the late Jin Dynasty as the early period of a dynasty, that is, a period of development.
This period, which everyone considered a standard of prosperity, turned out to be merely a developmental phase. No one dared to believe that if Her Highness truly achieved the prosperous revival she spoke of, how powerful would their Jin Kingdom become?
Could it be like the Tang Dynasty six hundred years ago, attracting all nations and becoming a unique golden age under the reign of Zhenguan?
With this goal of achieving lasting fame, both the old and new forces found themselves at a historical turning point. If they could get on the right track, they could both make their mark on history.
Besides loyalty to the emperor and love for their country, ministers also have a lofty ambition: to become renowned ministers throughout history, following in the footsteps of wise and virtuous rulers.
The old and new factions have reached a consensus and have begun to cooperate.
May of the third year of the Jin Dynasty.
A spy reported that the Xiongnu were about to launch an attack. Crown Prince Li Li of Yelü sent a letter requesting assistance in advance.
After receiving the letter, Si Xitong first confirmed that Aqina's double, An Shan, was dead, and that Aqina could not continue living without a double. The remaining doubles were all in Si Xitong's hands.