manynovel Chapter 2109 What to fear?
Chapter 2109 What to fear?
Although Zhou Daowu was not a famous official or a good general, he was still her brother-in-law, and her sister liked him very much. Naturally, she would like him too.
Li Shen didn't care what people outside said. Be it nepotism or abuse of power, Li Shen always scoffed at it.
Isn't the reason why you work so hard just to be able to help your relatives and benefit your descendants?
Only the weak shout for fairness and justice all day long, while the strong are thinking about how to become the privileged class.
Li Shen led his men out of the room and looked up at the scorching sun. He wondered when the weather in Xizhou would change.
Otherwise it's always too hot and makes people irritable.
On the second day, Li Shen came to the governor's mansion in a white robe, with dishevelled hair, a folding fan in one hand and a rosary in the other.
The weather was hot and Li Shen really didn't want to wear the royal robe. Although the material was thin, it was too close to his body and very uncomfortable.
The white robe that Li Shen wore was made of pure cotton. The cotton was made into fine threads and then woven into cloth. It was breathable and lightweight.
The only bad thing is that it is very difficult to poop, and you can't pee in the wind, otherwise you will wet your pants.
When Li Shen usually urinates, he needs Chunxiang and Dongmei to help pull the hem of his clothes to avoid peeing on them.
The rosary in his hand was not a Buddhist rosary, but a plaything bead made of genuine wood struck by lightning in the mountains. Li Shen always felt that he had committed a grave sin.
Fearing that some evil spirits might come to look for him, he specifically asked Li Chunfeng.
Li Chunfeng said that if there is a thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood made into an amulet, even if it is not a thousand-year-old, a hundred-year-old one will do.
Li Shen searched the entire Tang Dynasty before he found it in the deep mountains. It was said to be a thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood. However, after transporting it back, Li Shen estimated that it must be at least several hundred years old.
Li Shen made many amulets, but he made a bracelet for himself.
In fact, Li Chunfeng also said that the best amulet is the relic, but Li Shen did not accept it. Wouldn't it be more creepy for a good person to hang a bunch of dead bones on his body all day long?
I am not Monk Sha.
When the wind blew during the day, his clothes fluttered in the wind. When the wind blew at night, he looked like a vengeful ghost. If anyone saw him, they would be scared to death.
Arriving at the meeting hall of the governor's mansion, officials were already waiting there. Li Shen smiled and came to the front and sat down. Then everyone bowed and saluted:
"See His Highness Prince Ji."
"No need to be polite, just sit down, don't be restrained."
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Ji."
After everyone sat down, Pei Ziyu asked first:
"May I ask, Your Highness Prince Ji, how badly the Prince Consort's injuries are? Who did this to you?"
"The prince consort's injuries are somewhat serious, but his life is not in danger. I am sorry for your concern.
As for who did it...this is exactly the first thing I want to say.
According to the prince consort, he was targeted by a group of thieves not long after arriving in Xizhou. There were hundreds of thieves, and the prince consort had a lot of guards, but they were all killed in the battle.
Only the prince consort managed to escape."
Li Shen said calmly.
"What? Someone actually dares to rob and kill the prince consort?"
"This is outrageous and lawless!"
"Your Highness Prince Ji, I am willing to lead the troops to wipe out this group of rebels and avenge the Prince Consort."
As soon as Li Shen finished speaking, a group of officials began to talk, and everyone was filled with indignation.
"Everyone, please be patient. I, of course, want to avenge my husband and eliminate them in one fell swoop to enhance the prestige of the Tang Dynasty.
But it has been several days since the attack on the prince consort, so the thieves must have disappeared. The Anxi Protectorate is vast, so how easy would it be to find this group of people?
We still need to think about this matter carefully.”
Li Shen saw that the people below were in chaos and began to speak out to stop them.
"Then I wonder what your Highness Prince Ji has to say?" an official stood up and saluted and asked.
“Right now, I have no clue. I have already sent people to investigate the place where the prince consort was attacked to see if they can find any clues.
But it's not like we have gained nothing at the moment. According to the prince consort, this group of people are not ordinary bandits, but are likely to be rebels. "Li Shen replied.
"Your Highness, if they are rebels, we must wipe them out even more." Pei Ziyu said.
Li Shen glanced at everyone.
"Everyone, I have just arrived and I don't know much about Anxi. I don't know what the current situation in Anxi is like?
When I came here again, I found that many merchants were left dead in the wilderness along the way. What's going on? Has the situation in Anxi reached the point where rebels are wreaking havoc everywhere?"
Li Shen's face straightened and he asked in a serious tone, no longer smiling as before.
"Your Highness, please calm down and let me have my say." Pei Ziyu quickly stood up and saluted.
It was obvious that Prince Ji was angry, but it was not known whether it was for his son-in-law or for the merchants along the way.
With a "pop!", Li Shen threw open the closed fan and leaned back.
“Go ahead, I’ll give you a chance to explain, but I hope your explanation will satisfy me.
There are tens of thousands of soldiers in the Anxi Protectorate, and there are 20,000 troops in Xizhou alone. In terms of combat power, all the rebels in Xizhou combined are no match for you.
How could the rebels be so rampant outside the city?"
“Your Highness Prince Ji, Xizhou Prefecture has been clearing out the rebellion. As long as we get news of the rebellion, we will immediately send troops, and we will even send thousands of soldiers to search.
But the rebels never fought us head-on. They would retreat immediately if we got close to them.
The soldiers sent out couldn't find their stronghold, so it didn't matter.
Your Highness Prince Ji, we are helpless as well."
Hearing Prince Ji's question, Pei Ziyu complained that they had indeed been clearing out the rebels, but with little success.
Li Shen immediately understood that the rebels were fighting a guerrilla war. They were few in number and had a small target, so they immediately withdrew when they saw the palace soldiers. Their horses were no slower than the palace soldiers' war horses.
Li Shen could understand that feeling, but even though he understood it, he still frowned, looked at everyone coldly and asked:
"Are you helpless or are you incompetent?"
"We are incompetent, please punish us, Your Highness Prince Ji~~" All the officials immediately stood up and saluted.
Li Shen put away his fan, stood up, and looked determined:
"The war in the front concerns the reputation of our Tang Dynasty, and we cannot afford to lose it. Our duty at this time is to ensure the stability of the rear. You are all appointed officials of the court.
At this critical juncture, I will naturally be the first to bear the brunt of the worries of the court and Your Majesty.
I eat the emperor's salary and serve the emperor faithfully. What is there to fear? "
"Your Majesty, we are willing to share your worries. Please give your instructions, Your Highness Prince Ji." The officials saluted again.
Li Shen smiled and simply established his authority, letting them know that he was the one in charge here. If they wanted to establish their authority, they would have to find an opportunity to kill someone.
He was quite satisfied with the result. Li Shen shook his clothes and sat down.
"Very good, everyone please take a seat."
"Your Highness Prince Ji, I wonder what we should do next?" Pei Ziyu asked.