Chapter 223: A Divine Figure Descends, Punishing the Prince of Southern Jiang!
Following that, Lin Beifan allowed the disaster victims to rest properly. Early the next morning, they would continue their journey towards the capital.
On that evening, the Prefect of Huazhou warmly entertained Lin Beifan in the prefectural office. When the night grew quiet, Lin Beifan quietly left his room and soared into the sky with a whoosh.
He extended his hand, summoning a gust of fierce wind. Riding the wind, Lin Beifan flew towards Southern Jiang, a hundred li away.
In Southern Jiang, at the royal palace, neither the Prince of Southern Jiang nor his courtiers had gone to sleep. The Prince had just received news from Huazhou, and he was infuriated. His face turned ashen, and his flabby body trembled uncontrollably as he slammed the table and stood up, “I never expected the imperial relief grain to arrive so quickly! It was supposed to take eight or nine days, but it arrived in just three days, ruining my plans! This is truly outrageous!”
“Your Highness, please calm down!” The courtiers spoke in unison.
“And that Lin Beifan, he deserves to die!” Prince of Southern Jiang fumed, “He publicly slandered me, causing me to lose face and reputation in front of millions! I won’t be at ease until he’s dead!”
The Prince had grievances against Lin Beifan since he had taken away nearly ten million liang from him over time. Though the Prince was wealthy, he couldn’t bear such a hefty sum—ten million liang was a significant amount. It had even affected his military preparations. However, he had tolerated all of that.
But now, not only did Lin Beifan disrupt his plans, he also publicly insulted him in front of countless people. This damaged his reputation and was intolerable.
“Guards, find an opportunity to kill Lin Beifan!” The Prince of Southern Jiang declared loudly.
“Your Highness, please calm down! Lin Beifan now holds a high position and has considerable influence. Killing him might provide temporary satisfaction, but it would be detrimental to many of our plans. He’s more useful to us alive! When he loses his value in the future, it won’t be too late to kill him!” Wang Fugui quickly spoke, bowing respectfully.
The anger on the Prince’s face eased slightly, and Wang Fugui continued, “Actually, it was also because of Big Black Bull and the others’ impulsiveness that things escalated. If they hadn’t intervened, none of this would have happened. They brought this upon themselves!”
The Prince of Southern Jiang finally spoke in a softer tone, “So, you’re suggesting we just let it go? I’m full of anger, and I can’t seek revenge?”
“Your Highness, seeking revenge is only natural! As the chosen one, anyone who disrespects you should be punished. However, killing him wouldn’t be wise. We can teach him a profound lesson instead!” Wang Fugui said in a low voice.
“What profound lesson?” The Prince asked.
Wang Fugui smiled cunningly, “Your Highness, the million sacks of relief grain from the imperial court are less than a hundred li away from us in Southern Jiang! We can easily seize them and use them as our military provisions!”
The Prince’s eyes brightened, “You’re right!”
For an ambitious person, there could never be too much food. This grain was enough to support a million disaster-stricken people—it had to be seized entirely!
“Moreover, Your Highness, they used an air-cushion ship to transport the relief grain!” Wang Fugui continued, “The effectiveness of this air-cushion ship has been demonstrated, easily transporting a million sacks of grain from the capital to Huazhou in less than four days. There must be some clever design involved!”
“Who wouldn’t want to possess such a watercraft treasure?”
“Our air-cushion ships haven’t made much progress, but if we could get our hands on this one, it would undoubtedly be a great boost! So, Your Highness, we can take advantage of this opportunity and seize the air-cushion ship!”
The Prince’s eyes sparkled even more, “You’re absolutely right! We’ll also snatch the air-cushion ship!”
The Prince of Southern Jiang was extremely excited, “A million sacks of grain right before us, and the watercraft treasure, the air-cushion ship, right before us too! What does this signify? It means even the heavens are on my side! Great things are coming, and great things can be expected!”
“Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Your Highness!” Everyone congratulated in unison.
“Haha!” The Prince of Southern Jiang laughed triumphantly, “I really have to thank Lin Beifan this time! If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have had the chance to acquire so many good things. So, let’s spare his life for now!”
“Your Highness is wise!” Wang Fugui said loudly.
“When given a chance, one should seize it; if not, one will suffer the consequences! Arrange a team immediately; tomorrow morning, set off to seize the grain and the air-cushion ship for me! I’ll toast to your triumphant return!” The Prince’s face was full of joy.
“Yes, Your Highness!” They all responded.
Unaware of everything, Lin Beifan overhead all they said from the rooftop.
Lin Beifan raised an eyebrow, “You want to steal my grain, steal my ship, and you almost wanted my life? Your Highness, I’ll give you a special gift in return!”
His body floated away, and he arrived silently in the grain storehouse of the Prince of Southern Jiang. Gazing at the room filled with sacks of grain, his eyes turned cold.
“Since I can’t take it away, then I’ll destroy it all!”
A powerful flame emanated from Lin Beifan, instantly engulfing the entire warehouse. The grain crackled and burned.
The commotion quickly caught the attention of the guards watching over the storehouse, and they shouted loudly:
“Fire! Fire!”
“The storehouse is on fire, let’s put it out!”
“Quick, bring buckets of water!”
…
The guards rushed into action, carrying buckets of water and desperately trying to extinguish the flames. However, at that moment, strong winds started blowing from the sky, fanning the flames and making the fire burn even more fiercely.
Eventually, not only the warehouse Lin Beifan set on fire was burning, but the other warehouses nearby also caught fire. The blaze raged on, and the flames soared high, visible throughout the entire city.
“Fire! Hurry, put out the fire!”
“Such a huge fire, a sight we rarely see in decades! What’s burning over there?”
“It seems to be the grain warehouses!”
…
Shortly after, the Prince of Southern Jiang hurriedly arrived at the scene. As he looked at the burning warehouses, his face turned dark, and he almost couldn’t stand properly. He shouted loudly, “Put out the fire! There’s grain inside, hurry and put out the fire!”
Despite the efforts of over ten thousand soldiers, they couldn’t extinguish the flames.
In the end, the fire burned for a day and a night before it was finally put out. The Prince of Southern Jiang stared at the charred remnants of the grain, his eyes vacant, and he collapsed weakly, saying, “It’s over! Everything is over!”
The news of this incident quickly spread far and wide, shocking all the forces across the land. The grain warehouses of the Prince of Southern Jiang were completely burned down! The fire was too mysterious! It was freezing cold outside, and it had rained before, making the air moist. Yet, a fire could still break out under such conditions—it was strange!
Moreover, even with tens of thousands of people using water, they couldn’t put out the fire! Was it an accident, or was it intentional? Some said it was neither accidental nor intentional; it was divine punishment!
On that day, someone witnessed a figure in the fiery sky, floating high above like a god or a demon, silently gazing at the massive fire. The Prince of Southern Jiang abandoned a million disaster-stricken people, committing an unforgivable crime! This angered the divine figure, who then brought down divine punishment! Regardless of the rumors, this great fire was a cause for celebration for many.
In the northern region, at the royal palace of the Northern Hebei Prince:
The Northern Hebei Prince laughed heartily, “Brother, oh brother, you finally meet your downfall! Although you’re rich, what good is wealth alone? Without grain, how can you sustain a large army? How can you compete with me?”
“Truly, the heavens are assisting Your Highness!” The strategist Zhuge spoke flatteringly.
“Haha!” The Northern Hebei Prince continued to laugh triumphantly.
In the western region, at the royal palace of the Wuxi Duke:
The Wuxi Duke was also laughing heartily. Since the last time he obtained the treasure from the slanting moon, he hadn’t laughed so genuinely. “My imperial brother is truly kind to me! He must know how melancholy I’ve been feeling, so he made this joke. Reciprocating the favor, go, bring a gift to my imperial brother!”
“What gift, Your Highness?” The strategist Fengchu asked.
“Just return the paper he gifted me! Haha!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
In the capital city, within the imperial palace:
Upon learning this news, the Empress was also greatly excited and delighted. “My good uncle, you refused to open the granaries and provide relief, and now they’re all burned down! You’ve lost your reputation and your grain, and facing winter will become a problem! My good uncle, don’t you feel trapped in your own making? Haha!”
“Your Majesty’s words are indeed true, and heaven blesses our Great Wu!” The commander of the Imperial Guards smiled, “However, this fire is very peculiar. I plan to continue investigating to find out the truth and report it to Your Majesty!”
The Empress smiled but said nothing. There was no need for an investigation; she already knew who did it—it must be that little scoundrel, Lin Beifan!
Just as Lin Beifan arrived in Huazhou, trouble arose! Only he possessed such terrifying strength, enabling him to enter heavily guarded granaries unnoticed and set fire to the grain! With a small move, he inflicted heavy losses on the Prince of Southern Jiang! Truly, he is the lucky star of our Great Wu!
The Empress was secretly delighted, “I must take good care of him when he returns!”
Meanwhile, the culprit, Lin Beifan, had already returned to Huazhou and continued to oversee disaster relief efforts. After cooking porridge and letting the victims have a hearty meal, they set off again towards the capital.
“Don’t worry, we still have plenty of grain!”
“When we finish the food on this boat, there’s more ahead!”
“We have arranged a lot of food along the riverbanks of each city. As long as we follow the river, we’ll reach the next city and have a hot meal!”
“Don’t worry! Our court will absolutely not abandon or give up on anyone!”
Under Lin Beifan’s loud calls, everyone moved forward confidently. On both sides of the river, there were dense crowds, and soldiers were there to maintain order.
Sitting on the air-cushion ship, Lin Beifan moved along the river, closely monitoring both sides. Suddenly, he noticed an old woman falling to the ground. A young man immediately bent down, “Mother, let me carry you!”
“Son, I have a leg ailment. I can’t make it to the capital. Don’t worry about me; go on your own!”
“Mother, what are you saying? How can I leave you behind?”
He also saw a child panting for breath, lying on the ground.
“Mother, I can’t walk any longer!”
A young woman, full of weariness in her eyes, said, “Son, endure a little longer! Just hold on for two more hours, and we’ll have food to eat!”
“But, I really can’t walk anymore. My feet are covered in blisters!”
…
Lin Beifan looked around and noticed many people had eaten their share of food, leaving many empty spots. He called out, “There are seats on our boat! The elderly, weak, sick, and disabled can board! The young and strong can continue walking on the shore!”
The disaster victims were overjoyed.
“We can ride on the boat? That’s great!”
“Sir, my mother has trouble walking. Please give her a seat!”
“Sir, I have two young children…”
…
Unfortunately, there were too few seats on the boat for the number of people in need. Lin Beifan called out again, “Don’t fight, take turns. Every two hours, we’ll swap positions!”
In the end, the boat was full of people, carrying hope as they moved forward.
