Starting from 1618 of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 61 The Prefect Seeks Help

The main hall of the Jinan government office now resembles a giant morgue—containing the dignity of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom.

"Bang!"

A blue-and-white porcelain teacup shattered on the ground.

At this point, Prefect Wang of Jinan had no time to feel sorry for this antique from the previous dynasty. His official hat was askew, and the insignia on his chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing. He looked like a mangy dog ​​with its spine removed, slumped in the armchair.

"They've rebelled! They've all rebelled!"

Prefect Wang's voice was hoarse, his fingers trembling as he pointed at the military officers below the hall. "Yuncheng is lost, Juye is lost, and now even Zou County is gone! Does that sorcerer Xu Hongru think he can fly? Huh? Three thousand garrison soldiers, two days! They only held out for two days!"

Below the hall, the commander of Jinan Guard, the deputy prefect, the vice prefect, and others knelt on the ground, burying their heads in their crotches, not daring to breathe.

"My lord... it's not that the brothers aren't fighting for their lives." Commander Wei forced himself to raise his head, his face full of bitterness. "Those White Lotus Sect sorcerers know magic! Their followers, after drinking talismanic water, are invulnerable to swords and spears, charging at the city walls like mad dogs. And... and our pay has been three months overdue, the brothers' swords are rusting, this..."

"Excuses! All excuses!"

Enraged, Prefect Wang slammed his gavel down, which struck the commander's armor squarely. "My priority is to defend Jinan! If Jinan falls, I will be skinned alive, and your entire families will be executed!"

Just then, a clerk rushed in through the side door in a panic, almost tripping over the threshold and falling flat on his face.

"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!"

"What's wrong now?! Have the enemy soldiers arrived at the city gates?" Prefect Wang was so frightened that he almost slipped off his chair.

"It's not bandits..." the clerk gasped, his face pale. "It's...it's the rioters in the city trying to loot the treasury! The patrol officers can't hold them off. Also, the guards at the south gate heard that bandits were coming, and two centurions fled. Now, the south gate is in a state of panic. Everyone's saying...everyone's saying the city will fall tonight!"

"What?!"

Prefect Wang felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and the world spun around him.

The South Gate is the gateway to Jinan. If the garrison runs away first, what's the point of defending it?

"Quickly! Deploy troops! Deploy your personal guards to suppress the unrest!" Prefect Wang roared hysterically.

"My lord..." the assistant prefect said cautiously, "There are only about a hundred guards, and they also have to protect the government office... If they are all transferred to the south gate, what if the government office is lost..."

Dead end.

This was a complete dead end. They had no soldiers, no money in their coffers, tens of thousands of crazed cultists outside, and a group of thugs and rioters inside, ready to mutiny at any moment.

The hall was deathly silent, save for the heavy breathing of Prefect Wang, like a bellows being pulled.

Suddenly, Wang Lun, the clerk who had been silent all along, seemed to remember something. He leaned close to the prefect's ear and whispered, "Sir, perhaps... there is one more person who can save us in this emergency."

"Who? Speak quickly! Anyone will do as long as it saves a life!" Prefect Wang grabbed the clerk's wrist.

"The newly appointed scholar, Lu Yan."

Wang Lun, the clerk, said in a low voice, "I just heard from the patrol officers that the scholar Lu has raised a group of over a hundred men at the carriage and horse shop in the west of the city. They are all strong and well-equipped, and even have crossbows. The sergeant from the patrol officers who wanted to rob them was scared off by them."

"Lu Yan?" Prefect Wang was taken aback, and the image of the usually gentle and refined young man who was always polite and courteous during holidays came to mind.

"He's a scholar, where would he get soldiers from?"

"Sir, you may not know this," the clerk said in a low voice, his tone meaningful. "This Scholar Lu is no ordinary man. For the past two years, he's been in the canal transport business and has connections with the eunuchs in the capital. He also keeps a group of fearless and ruthless soldiers under his command. I've heard that the management of his carriage and horse stable is even stricter than our garrison. Just now, when the rioters were looting all over the streets, only within five hundred paces of his carriage and horse stable, not even a fly dared to fly around. It was perfectly safe."

Prefect Wang's eyes gradually brightened, like the eyes of a drowning person grasping at a straw.

More than a hundred elite troops? Well-equipped? Capable of intimidating rioters?

Isn't this exactly the kind of "fire brigade" he needs right now?

"But..." Commander Wei muttered from below, "Privately possessing armor and weapons is a serious crime. If we use them, what will happen if the court investigates later..."

"fart!"

Prefect Wang slammed his fist on the table, spitting all over the commander's face. "His head's about to fall off! Who cares about privately stockpiled armor and soldiers! As long as we can hold the city, I'll tolerate him even if he has cannons!"

He suddenly stood up, paced back and forth in the lobby a couple of times, and then abruptly stopped.

"Someone! Prepare the sedan chair... no, prepare the horses!"

Prefect Wang gritted his teeth, "I will personally go and invite Scholar Lu!"

"Sir, this is probably inappropriate," the clerk quickly stopped him. "You are a fourth-rank prefect; it would be improper for you to personally invite a mere scholar. Why not issue a warrant first to conscript his local militia..."

"Requisition my ass!"

Prefect Wang, however, was now clear-headed. "At a time like this, you're going to put on airs with him? What if he just closes the gates, we'll die while he guards his carriage shop, and then negotiates with the bandits after the city falls? Do you think he wouldn't do that? This Lu Hanzhang is a businessman. What do businessmen care about? Price! If I don't show sincerity, why should he risk his life for me?"

Although Prefect Wang was mediocre, he had been in officialdom for many years and had a good eye for people. He vaguely sensed that Lu Yan's usual submissiveness was all an act; Lu Yan was a wolf that had been lurking all along, and now that the wolf had finally shown its claws, it needed to be fed to use them.

"Quickly! Go and fetch that 'Responsibility to Defend the Territory' notice from me!"

……

Lu Ji Carriage and Horse Shop.

Lu Yan was sitting in the lobby, slowly polishing a flintlock pistol. This was Zhao Tie's latest prototype; although its firing rate was only 70%, it was sufficient for close-range self-defense.

"Master, Wang, the clerk from the prefectural government office, has arrived," Zhao Changying announced as she entered. "He says the prefect has summoned you to the government office for a meeting; it's extremely urgent."

Lu Yan didn't stop moving; he simply blew the dust off the gun barrel.

"Invite me? Or order my mobilization?"

"Please come in." Zhao Changying's face showed a strange smile. "That Master Wang was very polite. He didn't even dare to ride his old horse into our cordon. He walked in."

Lu Yan smiled slightly and put the pistol back into its holster at his waist.

The time is right.

If the prefect directly orders conscription, it means he still thinks he can control the situation. Going there at that time would just mean being cannon fodder and suffering humiliation.

But now it's a "request," and it's the clerk himself who's come to invite them. This shows that the government system is on the verge of collapse; they no longer just need manpower, but a "project manager" who can clean up their messes.

"Fan Fu," Lu Yan called out.

"exist."

"Bring our 'construction team'." Lu Yan stood up, straightened his clothes, and his eyes sharpened. "Remember, bring plenty of big equipment. This time, we're not going to take orders; we're going to take over the construction site."

"Furthermore," Lu Yan walked to Zhao Changying's side and lowered his voice, "tell the brothers that once they enter the government office, they will only obey my orders. Even if it's the prefect who gives the order, no one is allowed to move without my permission."

"clear!"

Lu Yan strode outside.

Outside the door, rows of fully armed black-clad guards, like a silent torrent of iron, converged behind him.

At this moment, Lu Yan knew that his era had finally officially begun in this chaotic twilight.