“Why would I want three counties?”
Wang Sheng knew his situation well; he lacked nothing, and taking over three counties would only bring him trouble and burden, with no substantial benefits.
He had helped Qingshan Village because they were people he was familiar with and close to. The three counties had nothing to do with him; he would deal with things he couldn’t stand when they came up, but he wouldn’t actively seek out such troubles.
The person in charge felt somewhat disappointed upon hearing Wang Sheng’s words. After all, it would have been best for the three counties if this lord could truly take over their power, guaranteeing their security.
Of course, it was already good that someone was willing to solve their problems, so he wouldn’t pester unreasonably but simply asked out of a slim hope.
With what had happened this time, plus Cheng Jiang’s head, even if there were still others wanting to take over the three counties, they would restrain themselves a lot. The people of the three counties should be able to live peacefully without much trouble.
That was one of Wang Sheng’s objectives.
Those who wished to take over the three counties should follow the rules honestly.
He was telling everyone that nothing is taboo forever, and one day someone would come knocking on your door.
“My lord, would you like to rest? I can have food and drink prepared for you…”
“No need, I will be leaving immediately. You can spread the word about this matter; say it was my order.”
Having settled the issue, Wang Sheng left directly. This outing was precisely to deal with this matter.
The person in charge did not dare to detain him and could only respectfully see Wang Sheng off.
After Wang Sheng had left, the people of Dishui County looked at the head of Cheng Jiang still lying on the ground, eyes wide open in death, and immediately burst into cheers.
Although Cheng Jiang didn’t conduct a large-scale massacre in Dishui County, he did not regard ordinary people as human.
Many people had died because of him these days.
His death only led to cheers.
The person in charge reacted quickly and immediately summoned someone to announce, “Spread the news, then clean up those people; Cheng Jiang’s senior subordinates have already been taken care of.”
Cheng Jiang’s senior subordinates had all returned to report the situation at this time, so they were wiped out in one fell swoop.
Although there were still martial artists among those left, they were all low-level martial artists, and the three counties had people who could deal with them.
Controlling the three counties with force, after the downfall of top-tier martial power, the backlash was not to be underestimated.
The previous inability of the people to resist was due to the lack of high-level martial power; facing Cheng Jiang and his subordinates, they could only batter helplessly against a solid tree, resulting in pointless sacrifices with little else they could do.
But after the fall of high-level martial power, they could deal with the rest.
As such, those who had not yet received news of Cheng Jiang’s death and were still tyrannizing others ran into great misfortune; before they could react, they were captured and killed.
What followed was naturally an era of settling scores and taking revenge.
Only a small portion of people harbored a bit of goodwill and were not too harshly punished, but they too could only live discreetly.
Within a few days, the situation in the three counties had changed and returned to its original state.
At the same time, the person in charge of Dishui County also spread Wang Sheng’s words, and Cheng Jiang’s head was hung on the city walls.
Everyone entering Dishui County could see that head, unconsciously carrying a sense of dread with them, and would act honestly upon entering the county.
The county magistrate of Yongfen County naturally received this news as well.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Just a few days ago, he was worrying about how to resolve this issue, but a solution had come so quickly.
That lord was indeed still present; Cheng Jiang was nothing before him.
“Steward, increase the effort in collecting ores; if necessary, report to the prefectural magistrate. Surely the prefect is also willing to help.”
Shuzhou was not like other places at that time; the official institutions still held significant power, with the local yamen harboring at least martial artists of the fifth or sixth grade, while the prefecture yamen generally had martial artists of the eighth or ninth grade.
Before, King Shuzhou had mobilized most of the martial power to wage a great battle against King Yong Nian, which resulted in the widely known mutual destruction.
Many high-end martial artists died at that time.
Later on, when the martial artist plague broke out, a batch of low-end martial artists also perished, and King Yong Nian took over Shuzhou without sending someone to take over the underlying powers due to being targeted by other forces of the same level.
It was already the result of the local government and gentry’s utmost effort to maintain order without major chaos.
Now, the prefecture magistrate would certainly want to seek the support of a strong backer and would surely be willing to help find some resources.
“Yes, my lord.”
The steward went to handle the task right away; after this incident, he felt increasingly that it was quite good here, although he was not from the three counties, the surrounding areas were also very safe.
In these times, nothing is more important than stability.
He was a wise man, knowing that if other provinces were currently stable, it was because the royal family was still in place, maintaining a superficial peace.
Once the royal family encountered problems, nowhere could maintain true stability.
By then, the three counties and even their surroundings would be places many yearned for.
Especially after this incident, that lord had established his reputation, deterring countless evil spirits.
“Hang the head on the city walls; even if someone comes again, they will have to weigh their own worth. Most importantly, that lord did not exhibit any desire for the three counties, simply not allowing disorder, and he hasn’t offended anyone…”
Wang Sheng’s message was fully conveyed by the person in charge of Dishui County, including his indifference to taking over the three counties.