A Pawn's Passage

Xie Jiaofeng had witnessed this entire incident from beginning to end. In a very short time, he saw two completely different sides of Qi Xuansu.

One side was gentle. Facing a group of unarmed civilians, Qi Xuansu not only refrained from using force but even made himself appear humble. He did not use any harsh words nor issue any threats. Aside from patiently explaining facts and reasoning, he mostly appealed to the people sincerely. This was why Qi Xuansu could disperse the crowd with just a few sentences. His attitude carried genuine sincerity.

The other side was cold. Facing armed rioters, Qi Xuansu showed not a shred of mercy. He made decisions others feared to make and ordered the streets to be cleared without hesitation.

When dealing with ordinary civilians, he asked them to give him 30 days. But when dealing with rioters, he gave them only two hours.

Qi Xuansu had never shied away from using force to curb force.

It must be said that although Sage Donghua was Qi Xuansu’s superior and Sage Cihang was his soon-to-be mother-in-law, it was Sage Qingwei whom he learned from. Many of Sage Qingwei’s methods on the Fenglin battlefield deeply influenced him, allowing his thinking to mature rapidly. Poluo became the place where Qi Xuansu tested and refined his ideas, allowing his approach to governance to mature as well.

The gentle side was what he learned, part of his growth. The cold side was his innate attitude. Someone who tumbled through the rough streets of Jianghu would prefer force rather than politeness and social niceties when necessary.

Qi Xuansu’s orders were swiftly executed. The Nanting Protectorate issued a martial law order, posted notices, and sent people to announce it in the streets.

It had an immediate effect. Those watching out of curiosity no longer dared to linger. Others who had been taking advantage of the chaos got scared and quickly went home.

These people were not necessarily incited. Many simply saw an opportunity to profit and joined the chaos. It was much like those who did not help or flee during a disaster but instead went to loot and rob others.

Qi Xuansu had no time to deal with them yet. He would settle accounts later. For now, his priority was dealing with the ones paid to cause trouble.

Two hours later, the number of rioters had decreased significantly, yet it was still sizable.

Two men who looked to be from West Shakya hacked violently at a shop’s wooden door with axes, sending splinters flying.

Although the people of West Shakya suffered oppression from the West Shakya Company, many served as their henchmen and accomplices, turning around to oppress others. Such was human nature.

The Westerners did not dare offend the Daoist Order openly. Though they were among the masterminds, they rarely acted personally. Most of the time, they hid behind the scenes and sent disposable pawns.

The two men hacked for quite a while, but the door was too thick, so their efforts were futile.

One of them said, “This door is too solid. We need a different tool.”

The other said, “Find a big wooden pillar. We’ll ram it open.”

“Yes, let’s do that.” The two men glanced around and spotted a pillar as thick as a bowl’s rim supporting the extended eaves of a nearby shop.

They approached the pillar and examined it from top to bottom. “This one will do.”

Then, they raised their axes and began chopping at the base of the pillar from opposite sides. Soon, two deep diagonal notches were carved into it.

Another man shouted, “That’s enough. Get a few more people. We’ll knock it down!”

A few more men from West Shakya came running over.

One hesitated and said, “If it collapses, it’ll crush someone.”

The leader replied, “It won’t kill anyone.”

With that, he led by example and kicked the pillar hard.

The pillar shook but did not fall. Several roof tiles slid off and crashed loudly onto the street.

“What are you doing?!” Someone inside the shop shouted.

The man swung his axe into the window and snarled, “Shout again, and we’ll burn your house and kill your whole family!”

The person inside immediately went silent.

Another man shouted, “Everyone, take turns ramming it!”

One of them dashed forward and rammed the pillar with his shoulder, causing it to shake violently.

The others followed suit, ramming the pillar one after another. Before long, the pillar collapsed, bringing down the eaves it supported.

The group of men from West Shakya quickly jumped aside.

The man who had kicked the pillar shouted, “Carry it!”

A few men lifted the pillar, preparing to take it back to ram the door.

At that moment, rapid hoofbeats came from the side street. Hearing this, the group of men froze.

Immediately after, more than a dozen cavalrymen galloped in from the side street and stopped beside the men carrying the pillar.

Several horses circled the group of stunned men.

These were the Black Robes Cavalry, radiating killing intent. Their sabers were already drawn.

The leading officer shouted, “Drop your weapons!”

The group of men from West Shakya did not resist or surrender. Instead, they dropped the pillar, crouched down, and scrambled through the gaps beneath the horses’ bellies, fleeing in all directions.

The leading officer simply made a gesture.

The cavalry split up instantly, each rider locking onto a target, sabers raised high as they charged after them.

Similar scenes unfolded in every part of the city where chaos had erupted.

A group of pirates, confident in their cultivation, had defeated a small squad of cavalry and grown even more arrogant. But when they turned a corner and emerged from an alley onto the main street, they were completely stunned by what they saw.

A black wall formed from the Black Robes’ shield appeared before them.

From the gaps between the shields, black gun barrels protruded, and the dark muzzles pointed straight at them.

Before they could retreat back into the alley, the firearms roared. None of the pirates survived. They were all shot down in a hail of bullets.

The black wall of shields advanced steadily and unified footsteps pounded the empty street in a heart-shaking rhythm. Viewed from above, it resembled a slowly spreading black tide.

These were not the regular Black Robes normally maintaining city order. They were the Black Robes from the garrison, the true army. Thus, they could not be comparable in quality, discipline, equipment, cultivation level, and combat experience.

Not every place was subdued so smoothly. Some criminals had prepared defenses by building street barricades, seizing favorable terrain, and stockpiling large quantities of firearms. They engaged the Black Robes forces head-on. For a while, they could not be taken down.

Since the terrain was complex within the city, the Black Robes forces could not easily carry heavy siege weaponry. Even so, they could still request support.

Soon, two small flying ships received the Black Robes’ signal and swooped down from the sky. These were the Daoist Crane Crafts.

Each Crane Craft dropped a Grade-A Series Nine Phoenix Eye Bomb, striking their targets with perfect accuracy and obliterating the bandits hidden inside those barricades.

These were the Spirit Guards from the Old Port Pacification Commission Office. Before Lion City was built, the Old Port was the largest harbor in the region. The distance was not far, so the flying ships arrived almost instantly.

Looking up, one would be able to see three Purple Flood Dragon ships advancing in a triangular formation, moving slightly faster than a hover and flanked by numerous Crane Crafts. Though they were not Yinglong Warships, the pressure they exuded was enormous.

Qi Xuansu had given the rioters two hours to disperse. After that, Qin Hengjun was to eliminate all rioters and restore basic order within four hours after the curfew took effect.

Strictly speaking, Qi Xuansu had no authority to command Qin Hengjun. But extraordinary times demanded extraordinary measures. Since Qin Hengjun could not make a decision and Qi Xuansu was willing to bear all responsibility, the latter gained the right to issue orders, and the former complied.

Power and responsibility came hand in hand. If one wielded power, one must also shoulder the responsibility that came with it. There was no such thing as enjoying power without paying its price.

Qi Xuansu disliked the saying that with great ability comes great responsibility, because it omitted a crucial step. It should be: great ability brings great power and hence great responsibility.

Power and responsibility were a pair, but ability alone did not bind responsibility. If power was removed from the equation, it would become a demand for selfless sacrifice.

Put another way, if those with ability bore all responsibility while not holding power and became chivalrous heroes, then what would those people in power be doing? If they could not bear responsibility, what right do they have to hold the reins?

If no one was held accountable, small troubles would grow into large disasters due to responsibility shirking and delay tactics.

Of course, taking responsibility was a double-edged sword that was judged by outcomes alone. After all, there was only a thin line between decisiveness and recklessness.

A fleeing Westerner panicked and leaped over a wall onto a narrow alley on the other side. But as soon as he landed, he saw a soldier standing at the exit.

The Black Robes had already raised his long rifle. There was no exchange of words, only the crack of a gunshot.

The Westerner fell onto his back. A black hole was punched into his forehead, and a pool of blood spread behind his skull. His eyes remained wide open, reflecting the blazing white sun overhead.

The rioters who stirred the chaos were soon isolated and exterminated one by one. The noise in the streets began to fade.

Those who surrendered were chained together in a long line and marched toward the military camp under the Black Robes escort.

As the cavalry’s galloping receded, neat, synchronized footsteps approached.

Aside from those assigned to maintain vigilance, the Black Robes that arrived later wore no armor and carried no weapons. They were there to clean up the mess. Some loaded bodies onto carts and transported them to the burial grounds outside the city.

Others extinguished fires and cleared debris from the street barricades.

Finally, water wagons came to wash the streets clean.

Lion City returned to peace.