klisemfg Chapter 399 Winning Hearts and Minds is Paramount! The Plan of the Marquis of Zhenxi and the Poison
Chapter 399 Winning Hearts and Minds is Paramount! The Plan of the Marquis of Zhenxi and the Poison
Xueyue City, City Lord’s Pavilion.
Baili Dongjun sat firmly in the center of the city lord's seat, while the chief of the lower seats, Zhenxi Hou Baili Luochen, had already changed into military attire, wearing a red robe.
Sikong Changfeng and Luohe sat in the second seat of the Marquis of Zhenxi. Ye Dingzhi was still wearing his black and red outfit and sat opposite Sikong Changfeng. In the open space in the middle of the hall stood a slender and handsome young man.
This young man was also a member of the City Lord's Pavilion. He had followed Luo Shui for many years and was calm and meticulous in his actions. He was usually responsible for assisting Luo Shui in handling matters large and small in the city.
The young man knelt on one knee and bowed to Baili Dongjun, saying:
"Reporting to the City Lord, in this attack by the Yunzhou army, seventeen members of the City Lord's Pavilion were killed in battle, and more than thirty were wounded."
The bodies of the dead have all been properly collected, and the wounded have been transferred to various floors of the Tongtian Pavilion, where the guards on each floor are restoring their health and healing their wounds.
When the Yunzhou army infiltrated the city, many refugees living in the city were also massacred, with more than a hundred dead and wounded. The Third City Lord and Miss Feng have already gone there with doctors and disciples.
Houses and shops at both the North and South Gates were burned down, with the North Gate suffering the most damage, where about fourteen or fifteen houses and shops were burned down by the Yunzhou Army.
All city gates and walls have sustained damage, with the west and east gates being the most severely damaged. Craftsmen from within the city have been mobilized to begin repairs!
After hearing the young man's report, Baili Dongjun's face showed a hint of pity. He glanced at his grandfather sitting below him, then at Sikong Changfeng, before standing up and speaking solemnly:
"My Snow Moon City has always been peaceful and detached from worldly strife. The people of the city have chosen to live in seclusion here because they are tired of the conflicts in the martial world. Lu Ting'en of Yunzhou is indiscriminate in his judgment of good and evil, and the tyrannical Emperor Xiao Chongjing has repeatedly issued decrees urging him to arrest me and the Third City Lord, which has led to this great disaster!"
"This matter started because of me, but Snow Moon City is remote and food is scarce. If we don't take the initiative to find some money and food in Tianqi, I'm afraid that before Lu Ting'en can send troops, most of the people in our city will freeze and starve to death!"
"Master and City Lord Luo have entrusted this city of over 100,000 people to us. I, Baili Dongjun, am naturally the person primarily responsible. Third City Lord Sikong Changfeng, obey my command!"
Upon hearing this, Sikong Changfeng immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Sikong Changfeng is here!"
Baili Dongjun gave Sikong Changfeng a deep look: "You are the third city lord personally appointed by the city lord of Luoshui and my master, and you are in charge of the city's money, food and supplies. This time, my disciples have made meritorious contributions in defending against the enemy, and I hereby order you to give generous compensation to the disciples who died in battle!"
"Regardless of age, each deceased person and household will be given one thousand taels of silver as compensation! The injured will be treated with silver provided by the city lord. If there are any disabled persons, they will be given money and food as appropriate to ensure their future livelihood!"
"The refugees who died or were injured in the city should not be left behind. They should be compensated with 300 taels of silver per person and per household. They are all kind and honest people. Perhaps many of them will be willing to stay in the future and can contribute their modest efforts to the construction of Snowmoon City."
"Furthermore, in terms of medical skills, I'm afraid no one in our city can compare to you, Sikong Changfeng. After all, you have studied medicine with the Medicine King Xin Baicao for a long time. You must pay more attention to the treatment of injuries. No matter what kind of medicine you use, and no matter the price, use the best to treat the injured. There must be no mistakes!"
Sikong Changfeng nodded emphatically: "On behalf of the people of the city and my disciples, I thank the Great City Lord for his kindness. Please rest assured, Great City Lord, Sikong Changfeng will certainly carry out your orders without hesitation!"
Baili Dongjun smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this, then turned his gaze to the Luo River: "Luo River, obey my command!"
Luo Shui was taken aback, and quickly stood up, saying, "Lord of the City, please give your orders!"
Baili Dongjun sat back down, his voice much more relaxed: "You are the younger brother of the Lord of Luoshui City. You grew up in Xueyue City and are familiar with the city's defenses and the layout of its buildings and shops. You are the only choice for the subsequent repairs!"
"I hereby order you, starting today, to lead the city's craftsmen in repairing the city walls, residences, and shops according to their urgency and importance. At the same time, you must strengthen the defenses of the city's weakest points, the North Gate and the South Gate, to prevent future attacks by enemies like Lu Ting'en!"
"The expenses incurred in the repairs will also be borne by the City Lord's Pavilion. We gained a lot in Tianqi City last time, and this time we can use it to do some practical things!"
Upon hearing this, Luo He clasped his hands in a fist salute and solemnly replied, "Luo He will obey the city lord's orders. After the repairs are completed, please inspect them one by one, city lord!"
After handing over the affairs of the city, Baili Dongjun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After his master Nangong Chunshui and the city lord Luoshui left, he felt a heavy burden on his shoulders.
He has always been a free-spirited and willful youth who has never wanted to be restrained.
But now, after the two major events of the Tianqi City treasure hunt and Lu Ting'en's invasion, Baili Dongjun feels that he has grown a lot.
In the past, faced with so many complicated and chaotic affairs in Snow Moon City, he would have been driven to the brink of madness and would most likely have dumped all these things on Sikong Changfeng and Luohe to handle.
But today, Baili Dongjun does seem more like a qualified city lord.
The young man who had reported on the affairs of the city withdrew, and Baili Luochen looked at his grandson in the main seat with great satisfaction, a smile almost bursting from his lips.
He stroked his white beard and praised, "Good, good, good! After several months apart, Dongjun has truly impressed your grandfather today!"
"A year ago, my grandson was a rebellious little tyrant in Qiandong City. But today, he's amazing! He's managed to govern such a large city so well!"
"Dongjun, I am truly proud today. My grandson does indeed have some of the style of commanding troops that I had back then. Given time, you, Baili Dongjun, will surely make Xueyue City prosperous and stand at the top among all the cities in the world!"
Hearing his grandfather's praise, Baili Dongjun's handsome face immediately turned half red. He stammered, "Grandpa, please don't praise me. I'm not that amazing. I just grew up being around you and learning from you. Grandpa deserves some credit for this too!"
Upon hearing this, Baili Luochen's smile deepened, the wrinkles around his eyes appearing exceptionally kind, a far cry from the imposing presence he had displayed just moments before when he had single-handedly defeated an entire army with a single arrow.
Ye Dingzhi sat opposite him, praising him with a hint of teasing, "Well done, Dongjun! We haven't seen each other for half a year and you've become the city lord, while I'm just a lowly vanguard under the old marquis. You've stolen all the limelight from me, and I'm actually a little jealous!"
Baili Dongjun raised his head and became arrogant: "Brother Yun, you're not bad either. I heard from Grandpa on the way back that you, alone on horseback, led eight hundred men and broke through Yunzhou City, which had been defended for many days. You won three of the four major military merits in the army at once: beheading generals, capturing flags, being the first to scale the walls, and breaking through enemy lines!"
"If you ask me, it's your brother Yun's ability to command troops that I'm jealous of!"
Everyone burst into laughter at the brothers' banter, and the City Lord's Pavilion was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Before the laughter had stopped, a breeze swept through the window on the right side of the City Lord's Pavilion, causing it to suddenly open wide. Wen Yanzhao, dressed in a green robe and white clothes, flashed in, startling everyone.
Upon seeing that it was his cousin, Baili Dongjun immediately stood up and sarcastically said, "Cousin, are you a monkey? Why are you imitating your uncle, never using the front door!"
Wen Yanzhao chuckled, ignoring his cousin's words, and instead gave Baili Luochen a mysterious smile:
"Grandpa Baili, Lu Ting'en is indeed as foolish as you predicted. He really did take his entourage to Tianqi City to see the Emperor!"
Baili Luochen shook his head and sighed, "This man has some skill in commanding troops, but he knows nothing about court affairs! Let him go. It's futile for us to try to persuade him to surrender now; he's just a blindly loyal fool!"
Baili Dongjun, unaware of the meaning behind their conversation, frowned and asked, "Grandpa, what are you saying to my cousin? Why do you want to recruit Lu Ting'en? I hate him to the core!"
"During this invasion of Snowmoon City, many of my City Lord's disciples were killed or wounded. I will definitely settle this score with him!"
Baili Luochen smiled without saying a word, his gaze falling on Wen Yanzhao, who was looking for water. Wen Yanzhao understood and grabbed the teapot in front of Baili Dongjun, taking a few sips.
"The world is vast, encompassing far more than just one state or prefecture. Although we have already taken Yunzhou, it has a large population spanning thousands of miles, and we cannot spare many manpower right now. Lu Ting'en is quite capable; rather than killing him with a single sword strike, we should make him work for us!"
"Lord Dong, in the future we will occupy even more prefectures and counties, and even the whole world. I think you will understand this principle!"
……