Chapter 355: Don’t Stop! Keep Playing, Keep Dancing!
At this time, many Darro people were reminiscing about the good times before. Previously, merchants from Great Wu came here to trade and build factories. Everyone only needed to provide cheap labor, and they had food to eat, money to spend, and clothes to wear. Life was so good.
There were also some kind-hearted teachers who came to teach their children to read, write, and be virtuous.
However, the greedy Darro court, desiring the wealth of Great Wu merchants, betrayed their trust and drove both the merchants and teachers away. They continued to lead a miserable life.
If they could restore their previous way of life, how wonderful it would be! If they could let Great Wu rule over them and become Great Wu people, wouldn’t that be even better? Once this idea was planted, it quickly took root.
After all, most of them were just ordinary commoners who wanted to make a living. They lacked education and had a weak sense of patriotism. They didn’t care who ruled over them; they only cared about having enough to eat. They didn’t have a choice before, but now they do.
Over the past year, they had witnessed the changes, the days with Great Wu and without Great Wu were completely different.
Furthermore, through the propaganda of Great Wu’s teachers, they learned that Great Wu was vast and rich in resources. The common people living in Great Wu had much better lives. They had enough food to eat, beautiful clothes to wear, and sturdy houses.
Moreover, the Empress was very kind and tolerant, currently implementing benevolent policies, encouraging production and farming, promoting childbirth, reducing taxes, and strengthening education. The common people of Great Wu were living better and better. So, among the Darro population, the call to become Great Wu people grew louder.
However, starting a revolution meant risking their lives, and many people considered practical reasons and didn’t act.
In the Darro palace,
“Your Highness, bad news!” an official rushed in.
“What’s wrong now?” Prince Hamu was extremely annoyed.
He was currently preparing for the impending Great Wu army, and the pressure was already high, like a tightly strung bowstring. On top of that, there were constant issues to deal with. Could he not be furious?
The official said urgently, “Your Highness, there’s a frenzy outside! They say our court is wicked, acting out of self-interest, untrustworthy, and causing their living conditions to deteriorate rapidly! They don’t want to be ruled by our court anymore; they want to submit to Great Wu. The slogan is already being chanted: ‘Rather be a Great Wu person than a Darro dog!’”
“What?” Prince Hamu was so angry that his head spun. ‘Rather be a Great Wu person than a Darro dog,’ this phrase was a direct insult to their court!
Wasn’t this a slap in the face of their court?
Prince Hamu, his anger blazing, said, “It’s clear that Great Wu harbors ill intentions, attempting to swallow up our Darro. When we timely intervened, how can it be our fault? Surely, there are those spreading lies and deceiving the people!”
“What Your Highness says is absolutely true!”
“Why don’t you go and explain to let the people know about Great Wu’s sinister intentions?” Prince Hamu ordered. The official sighed, “Your Highness, we’ve already explained, but they won’t listen!” Hamu Prince angrily exclaimed, “Why wouldn’t they listen?”
“Your Highness, have you forgotten? Before, we used force to suppress the rioters, and while we did suppress them, our relationship with the people deteriorated to the extreme. How can they listen to our explanations?” Hamu Prince became even more furious, gritting his teeth, “Damn it! We’ve been played!”
He couldn’t fathom that this was all part of a larger scheme. Previously, the other side had incited the rebellion, forcing them to use troops to suppress it, which in turn worsened the relationship between the government and the people. Now, they were taking advantage of the situation to sow discord between the officials and the citizens.
Each step was incredibly successful and well-timed.
“Your Highness, what should we do now?” the official asked cautiously. Prince Hamu responded angrily, “We are currently preparing for a nationwide war, and we can’t afford internal chaos. Send troops immediately to apprehend those who spread rumors and disrupt the morale, and control the spread of false information!”
“Your Highness, there are quite a few people…”
“I don’t care, just arrest them first!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
So, once again, the Darro country mobilized its troops to apprehend those who had been spreading rumors.
Many were thrown into the dungeons, and the cells quickly filled up.
To address the overcrowding issue, those who had spread rumors were no longer put in the cells; instead, they had their mouths sealed, effectively silencing them.
In a short time, fear swept through the Darro kingdom, and everyone was on edge. People grew even more resentful of the Darro court, feeling that they had not only deprived them of their happy lives but also their freedom of speech.
This government was no longer wanted!
At this moment, Lin Beifan had already arrived in the prosperous southern region on a luxurious ship. He received a warm welcome from the local officials and planned to stay here for a couple of days to experience the local culture and savor the delicious cuisine.
This place is 700 miles away from the Darro country. Seeing Lin Beifan leisurely drinking and enjoying the dance, the little princess was getting impatient. She said, “Lin Beifan, are you here for a war? You’re so slow; when will we arrive?”
“Yes, young master, aren’t you in a hurry?” Mo Rushuang worriedly asked.
The other generals also looked over, curious about the situation.
Lin Beifan calmly shook his head and smiled, saying, “No need to hurry, not in the least! What’s urgent right now is on the Darro border; delaying benefits us even more!”
Just then, a soldier rushed in, and Lin Beifan handed over a piece of paper. Written on it were six words: “Display military might and shake their nation!”
Lin Beifan handed it to the soldier to relay the orders.
In the now somewhat silent dance hall, Lin Beifan waved and said, “Don’t stop! Keep playing the music, keep dancing!” At this moment, rumors among the Darro elite and nobility started to circulate.
“Do you know that the one leading the army for Great Wu this time is the current Prime Minister Lin Beifan? He has won four major battles this year, all of them victories! Even the Dayue Dynasty and the Great Xia Dynasty couldn’t stop him. We Darro will likely not hold up against him!”
“I’ve heard that too. These four major battles had a minimum of 500,000 soldiers, and the largest had over a million!”
“And he’s known to be an extremely ruthless individual!”
“How ruthless is he?”
“After these four battles, indirectly, over a million soldiers died at his hands. How ruthless do you think that is?”
“Wow, he’s not a person; he’s clearly a wolf in human form!”
“Moreover, it’s said that he loves to loot and annihilate families, especially wealthy ones and nobles’ households! As soon as a country falls, the first to suffer will be us!”
“Can we withstand him?”
“Withstand what? He’s so brutal; we should run!”
“That’s right, run!”
As a result, many nobles fled during the night.
“Third Prince, something’s not right!” an official rushed over.
“What’s wrong now?” Prince Hamu’s anger flared. These past few days, it seemed like there was a crisis every day!
The official spoke with trembling words, “There are too many, too numerous to count! However, out of the top 100 nobles, 96 have already fled. The noble district is nearly empty!”
“What?” Prince Hamu was almost on the verge of passing out. To think that 96 out of the top 100 nobles had already fled, that was basically all of them! You see, these nobles are part of the country’s upper echelon, many holding high positions, possessing immense power, and controlling numerous resources that keep the country running!
Now that they’ve all fled, how can this war continue? Prince Hamu was so furious that he gritted his teeth, “They’ve gained so much in peacetime, but when danger comes, they run faster than rabbits! Immediately go and bring them back for me!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The army marched out to pursue the fleeing nobles.
One night later, Prince Hamu couldn’t sleep, his eyes bloodshot. He asked, “Have they… been brought back?”
It was the same official who replied, shivering, “Your Highness, they haven’t been brought back!”
Prince Hamu was livid, “I’ve sent out so many troops; why haven’t they been brought back?”
“Because… because many of the generals have also fled!”
“They’ve all fled?” Prince Hamu spewed out blood from his mouth, furious and shouting, “A bunch of ungrateful scoundrels, they’ve infuriated me!”
After venting his anger, Prince Hamu finally calmed down. He understood that losing his temper wouldn’t solve the problem.
“You go back now and make sure they’re closely watched for me! If even one more person escapes, I will hold you accountable!” Prince Hamu ordered.
The official smiled bitterly, “Your Highness, watching them closely now might not prevent them from escaping later. These nobles and high-ranking officials of our court are deeply entrenched and have immense power; they can escape at any time!”
“I know, but I have a plan. You should first appease them!”
“Your Highness, what do you plan to do?” “They all fled because they fear Lin Beifan. If that’s the case, if I send someone to kill Lin Beifan, wouldn’t that solve the problem?” Prince Hamu smiled.
“But Lin Beifan surely has many experts protecting him. With our strength…”
“We don’t have to do it ourselves. If we offer a hefty reward in the black market for Lin Beifan’s head, top-tier assassins will surely take his life for us! Haha…”
Without further ado, Prince Hamu, gritting his teeth, took out 1 million taels as a reward for Lin Beifan’s head.
However, after two days, no one accepted the contract.
Prince Hamu was frustrated, and upon investigation, he was furious because the assassins in the black market were mocking him.
“Is Prince Hamu stupid? He thinks he can put a 1 million tael bounty on Lin Beifan’s head?”
“Lin Beifan is the Prime Minister of Great Wu, favored by the Empress. Killing him is tantamount to declaring war on the entire Great Wu. Who can handle that? I wouldn’t even consider it for 3 million!”
“A higher bounty won’t work! He has 18 experts accompanying him on this trip, even that Grandmaster monk from his family is with him! With such an elite team, who can kill Lin Beifan?”
“I want money, but I value my life more!”
“Hamu is just being ridiculous, insulting people’s intelligence. I can’t stand it. Who’s offering the bounty on him? For just 100,000 taels, I’ll take his head!”
