Chapter 233: Chapter 233: Contrast
The Jingxi Action has not quieted down in Jingxi, but as the starting point and core region of the operation, Fengri City’s jurisdiction had already begun wrapping up ahead of time, in stark contrast to the escalating situation outside Fengri City.
The reason was simple: Shen Hao was personally conducting arrests here, with prior intelligence gathering and deployment, followed by coordinated detentions. The "big figures" barely had any time to react. The subsequent dragnet was swift and direct; over eighty percent of those implicated failed to escape, and the few who fled were later hunted down by sea arrest warrants until they had nowhere to hide and ultimately surrendered.
Most offenders had already been apprehended and were locked away in the dungeon, so naturally, outside, there were few scenes of wailing and dramatic arrests. On the streets, passersby might occasionally purse their lips upon seeing the seal affixed to the gates of grand mansions, but everyday life continued as usual.
For ordinary citizens, only "big figures" suffered, too distant from their own lives; even gossiping about it over tea felt irrelevant, far less exciting than the affairs of the widow next door.
Compared to the turbulence and swift calm of Fengri City, the rest of Jingxi was much more complicated.
Firstly, outside of Fengri City, many localities in Jingxi also participated in smuggling controlled supplies from the Baijiang River Basin southwards to the Barbarian Race, no less egregious than what transpired within Fengri City. Yet these offenders were not preemptively monitored nor detained at the outset. Even as word from Fengri City spread across Jingxi, these individuals remained unscathed, with ample time to plot, band together, distance themselves, and seek help...
Escape? That was the last resort; unless left with no other choice, who would willingly flee?
Furthermore, anyone bold enough to engage in large-scale smuggling to the detriment of the state surely deserved to style themselves as "big figures." Their networks were intricate, and the silver earned was immediately circulated, enriching entire groups. Now, should I suffer, then nobody else should expect to walk free!
Even the Xuanqing Guard itself couldn’t withstand scrutiny. Though there was little prior contact with local offices, its reputation still attracted opportunists; before long, it could easily become just another link in someone’s web of connections. To maintain impartiality, one’s own foundation had to be solid.
Thus, describing the situation in Jingxi—outside Fengri City—as a chaotic mess was quite apt.
Moreover, as information about smuggling vessels seized at Baijiang Mountain was intentionally or unintentionally disclosed, the situation began spreading to other regions of the Dynasty.
Just as Shen Hao originally estimated: with such massive transport along the Baijiang, it could not be limited only to Jingxi—other areas could not escape involvement.
However, Shen Hao never expected there would be such drastic changes across the regions.
When did the Xuanqing Guard become so powerless? Now they were squabbling with the locals?
He couldn’t understand.
Nevertheless, Shen Hao left no room for others to meddle in the matter at hand. He had previously made his stance clear to Fengri City’s Chief Officer Xie Youlin: although smuggling cases normally did not fall under Xuanqing Guard’s purview, involvement of the Barbarian Race changed everything. This was precisely why Shen Hao convinced his superiors to launch the Jingxi Action. Wu Changhe learned these outdated secrets first; no harm for Xie Youlin to know as well.
Because smuggling controlled supplies to the Barbarian Race carried a far more serious nature—tantamount to aiding the enemy and betraying the nation. For such cases, the Xuanqing Guard held authority to independently investigate and handle the entire process, without need for local government offices or judicial procedures.
In this regard, the Xuanqing Guard indeed wielded immense power, which, unsurprisingly, attracted widespread criticism.
The first batch of detainees had already confessed everything; thereafter, upon seeking instructions from Jiang Cheng, Shen Hao proceeded directly through legal channels. All principal offenders involved in these cases were charged with colluding with enemy nations—waist slash execution, extermination of three clans. Lesser offenders were sentenced to waist slash, without implicating family members.
All procedures in the hands of the Xuanqing Guard were rapidly streamlined: as long as evidence on the dossier was sufficient and confessions obtained, the offenders simply signed off—there was no need for courtroom confrontations or cross-examinations. Thus, when the Governor’s Office issued its orders, bundles of dossiers were stamped "Closed Case" that very night.
Closing the case meant the names on the dossiers ceased to represent individual lives.
That night, 4,912 people were secretly executed in the Xuanqing Guard’s prison; as per the Governor’s Office’s order, waist slash was carried out with no pretense—a clean cut, with victims enduring a full hour of agony before succumbing. The resounding screams shocked residents around each garrison, prompting many to mutter: no wonder houses here are so cheap.
The following morning, when the convoy of carts for corpses emerged from the dungeons before dawn, their drivers felt their vests cling cold to their backs, as if they’d been through a slaughterhouse—a slaughterhouse for humans.
This was the requirement of the Governor’s Office: none of the offenders in this case were allowed public executions; only secret disposal was permitted.
It was reasonable. If the commoners learned that those power-wielding "big figures" had secretly committed nation-harming, self-serving acts, who knew what sort of shock they’d suffer? Such revelations would benefit neither the Dynasty’s stability nor its foundations. Thus, it was best for these black sheep to die silently.
Once Shen Hao had completed the executions and begun property seizures, Fengri City quickly submitted its situation report to the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office.
Jiang Cheng appeared to have long awaited the report; after reviewing it, he nodded in satisfaction. Especially at the end of the dossier, there was a note: "Criminals executed, disturbances within Fengri City jurisdiction have subsided, new officials are filling vacancies one after another, all cautious and diligent, and the atmosphere of Fengri City is entirely renewed..."
Shen Hao was embellishing his report—the jurisdiction was indeed more stable than elsewhere after the operation, and normalcy had begun returning, so there was good reason to boast. Yet, these words held a different significance in Jiang Cheng’s eyes.
Within less than a meal’s time after receiving Fengri City’s dossiers, Jiang Cheng personally delivered them to the Commander’s Office. Previously, Lord Pang had specifically instructed him to report news from Fengri City at the earliest opportunity.
Pang Ban maintained his usual air of indifference; after reading the dossiers Jiang Cheng presented, he nodded, giving little additional response. Instead, he asked about the previous roundup in Xiaochuan.
"How do you intend to handle those Pseudo-Evil Cultivators?"
Jiang Cheng bowed and replied, "Subordinate has already established separate dossiers and is preparing..."
Before he could finish, Pang Ban gestured to interrupt: "That Hundred Households named Shen under you is quite capable—meticulous in thought. Those Pseudo-Evil Cultivators were his discovery, correct? Continue letting him handle this case. Give him an Order for independent action; let’s see how far he can get with his investigation."
