IDWBE -Chapter 153 Adjustments

This time he brought twelve workers with him. Although most of them weren’t as lucky as Wang Xiaoshuan, they still gained quite a lot. After returning, as long as they didn’t squander their money, they could be considered well-off households.

Who would still need to look at his face for approval?

After frowning and thinking for a long while, he accepted the reality.

Besides, he had made a small fortune on this trip himself. Whether he continued selling pork or not, he could simply lie back and live comfortably.

On the morning they returned, the surviving residents of Daxi City finally cautiously opened their doors. Looking at the long-missed sun in the sky, some were joyful, some were in tears.

Nearly ten thousand laborers returned in high spirits, causing another sensation in Baiyun City. Cart after cart of ironware, cart after cart of grain—it was dazzling to behold.

Anyone could see that these laborers had struck it rich.

In Baiyun City, people were saying: If you want to get rich, become a laborer!

Seated in the main hall of the Provincial Administration Office, Lin Yi glanced at Shan Qi, then at He Jixiang, and said with a smile, “From now on, laborers going on campaigns must follow the same discipline as the regular troops. Acting so recklessly—how is that any different from bandits?”

In theory, the idea that “the law does not punish the multitude” is wrong. But in practical terms, who could he hold accountable?

More than twenty thousand laborers, including numerous suppliers—if he were to pursue responsibility, not a single one would be innocent!

If blame was to be placed, it could only be on himself for not setting rules for the laborers beforehand.

“Yes,”

He Jixiang cupped his hands and said, “This old man will summon Liang Gen, Qiu Wujin, Huang Daoji, and the others to convey Your Highness’s orders.”

“From now on, whether soldiers or laborers, none may plunder property,”

Lin Yi said this without much confidence. After all, they had tasted the sweetness of it—how could they easily obey? “Paint more white walls. Write more slogans like ‘Do not take what is not yours’ and ‘Robbery is shameful.’”

Sanhe’s slogans had always emphasized one thing: simplicity and clarity.

If no one understood what was written, it might as well not be written at all.

“Yes,”

Shan Qi continued, “What shall be done with these prisoners?”

The prisoners brought back from Daxi City were also sent to labor reform. However, unlike the locals of Sanhe or the refugees, they were not compliant. They would flee at any opportunity. The constables had personally shot more than thirty of them.

There were even several hundred who gathered to riot, killing two constables.

If the suppression had not been timely, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The provincial prison had been newly built after Lin Yi took office and had hardly been used. Murderers were executed outright. Those whose crimes were not heinous were generally sent to labor reform—and even allowed to return home at night to eat and sleep, reporting back to work the next day.

But because of this group of prisoners, it was suddenly put to use and was already overcrowded. There was no longer any hope of reforming them through labor.

To prevent outbreaks of disease, the prison was cleaned daily according to Hu Shilu’s instructions, and prisoners were required to bathe every day.

Lin Yi said calmly, “What do you think?”

These men were well-trained elites with strong loyalty.

Just like Bao Kui, Ma Gui, Xiao Xizi, Shen Chu, and the others.

They might submit temporarily to an enemy, but if released today, they could regroup tomorrow and cause trouble the day after!

By battlefield convention, generals and elite troops were usually executed outright.

Such prisoners were not accepted.

But to truly kill them—he could not make that decision.

After all, they were more than a thousand living lives.

Shan Qi said righteously, “Your Highness, when the city was massacred, these men showed no mercy. They cannot be kept!”

He Jixiang added, “Your Highness has not seen Daxi City. A great city of tens of thousands now lies covered in corpses. It is truly horrifying.”

“Then they’re war criminals…”

Lin Yi slowly stood up and stretched lazily. “I’m too lazy to deal with this mess. I’m not some blasted Governor-General or Commander-in-Chief. You handle it as you see fit. Out of sight, out of mind.”

“Farewell, Your Highness!”

The old men watched happily as Lin Yi swayed out of the hall.

Afterward, several of them sat down again to deliberate. Zhang Mian was fined three months’ salary for poor performance in battle and was sent back to Fangniao Island to continue as Naval Commissioner.

Bao Kui also resigned as Chief Constable and went with Zhang Mian to Fangniao Island for reflection.

With the situation at court unclear, He Jixiang no longer needed to keep a low profile. He directly took charge of the garrison. The court would not grant official ranks, nor could the Provincial Administration Office. People simply addressed him as “Lord He.”

Shen Chu became He Jixiang’s deputy.

Shan Qi wanted to transfer Chen Xinluo back to the Prince He’s residence as Commander of the Guards. However, all personnel appointments at the residence were decided by Hong Ying, and with Hong Ying absent, Shan Qi did not dare overstep his authority. Instead, Chen Xinluo was promoted to Chief Constable of the Prefectural Office.

With the war over, Sanhe turned into a massive construction site, with buildings rising everywhere.

The laborers had made money, so building new houses was only natural—especially the refugees who had worked in Daxi City. Once they had money, they could no longer tolerate their crude shacks.

Prices for simple cement, lime, nails, and stone all rose.

Even Zhu Ruorong, who had originally not intended to sell pork, took the opportunity to raise meat prices.

Now there were many wealthy people—whose dining table lacked some meat?

The supply of live pigs in Baiyun City could not meet demand.

Not raising prices would be an insult to one’s own hard work!

After all, many pigs were transported from faraway Nanzhou.

But before long, cases appeared in Baiyun City of wild boar meat and venison being passed off as pork.

Such deception could not be tolerated!

People went directly to the Provincial Administration Office to file complaints.

Shan Qi had no experience handling such matters.

After all, in Ankang City, venison and wild boar were very expensive, while domestic pork was the cheapest.

But in Sanhe, it was the opposite. Pork was the most expensive, and people ate it for its fat content—it gave them strength for labor.

In the end, with no better solution, several butcher shops were fined and the matter was settled.

Privately, however, Shan Qi informed them: if you have venison, deliver it to my residence. I know good goods when I see them!

As more refugees poured in, wild game in the mountains dwindled. For a dignified Provincial Governor, even obtaining venison became difficult.

Only when Li people or Lian people entered the city was there a chance to buy a deer.

Lin Yi had not seen Hong Ying for a long time. Hearing from Bao Kui that he was pursuing Ninth-Rank master Tang Que, he felt worried.

Several times he tried to ask Consort Wen, but she gave him no chance to speak.

“Do you think your master might run into trouble?”

“Your Highness, rest assured. Master’s martial arts are exceptional,”

Xiao Xizi said with a smile. “It’s that Tang Que who must be wishing his parents had given him two more legs! If Master catches up to him, he’ll surely skin him alive.”

His master was a Grandmaster!

“What about Ye Qiu?”

Lin Yi rolled his eyes at Xiao Xizi, not letting him continue boasting. “He seems to have disappeared.”

“Your Highness, I don’t know about that,”

Xiao Xizi said. “But that boy’s swordsmanship is superb. Consort Wen said that among all Ninth-Rank masters in the realm, he is already number one. Unless it’s a Grandmaster, no one can easily keep him.”

“Better if he’s dead,”

Lin Yi slowly lifted his teacup. “Saves me from the sight of him.”