The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 1031: Chapter 1008: Prestige Amidst Chaos 76

When Xiao Yuan was arranging the funeral for the Old Madam, the advance troops from the Southern Yi had already reached Yuechuan Prefecture.

These individuals disguised themselves as small traders and easily infiltrated Yuechuan Prefecture City.

They scattered throughout the city, spreading various rumors.

Moreover, they secretly brainwashed the people they came into contact with.

For instance, Wang San disguised as a peddler, wandered through the streets selling goods. His goods were slightly cheaper and of good quality, so naturally, many people bought from him.

Additionally, Wang San brought some salt to sell secretly to the citizens of the city.

When some households bought salt from Wang San, he would feign surprise, saying: ”Why are you so short on salt? That’s strange; I brought this salt from the Southern Yi. I heard over there that Mr. Xiao from Nanyi Prefecture knew that Yuechuan was short on salt, so he transported several large carts of salt here, saying it was to sell at a low price to help the struggling citizens of Yuechuan Prefecture, as an act of kindness. Yet... why is the salt price still so high here?”

He would say this, and soon after, his companions would tell the people: ”Let me tell you, the officials and rich merchants of Yuechuan Prefecture are utterly worthless. The cheap salt from the Southern Yi was hijacked by them as soon as it arrived in Yuechuan. Even if they hijacked it and sold it cheaply to the citizens, that would be one thing, but they hoard it in their private warehouses and sell it bit by bit at a high price. It’s the officials who have driven up the salt prices in Yuechuan Prefecture. We came from Pingyang, where the salt prices are much lower, and the government even distributes grain. But here...tsk tsk, how are people supposed to live?”

Others would say to the citizens: ”If you don’t rise against such a government now, when will you? Let me tell you, my second aunt’s cousin’s brother-in-law’s neighbor’s sister works as a maid at the magistrate’s house, and she overheard the magistrate and those rich merchants saying that prices will rise further. Not just salt, but grain as well. No matter where the grain comes from, they will intercept it and store it in their private warehouses, then sell it at high prices to you. They are trying to squeeze the life out of you.”

Others spoke of how good life was in the Southern Yi.

”Oh, you have no idea, the salt in the Southern Yi is so cheap, just one copper coin for a huge pile, enough for us to use for half a month to a month. Our wife, seeing how cheap the salt is, piles it into every meal. It’s so salty I could die! Also, the roads in the Southern Yi are well-built, flat and smooth, and particularly clean. Mr. Xiao said that such roads are to be built throughout the Southern Yi, not just in the cities, but in every county and village, each with at least one major road. Our taxes are also low there, and the government pays citizens for their labor. Look at my face, you see, earlier I was much thinner than you, but since Mr. Xiao took office, I eat well every day. Within just a few months, I’ve gotten this plump, and yet my wife complains and urges me to lose weight.”

”You wouldn’t believe it, we have many people in the Southern Yi who are now fat. Many wives have grown so round they look like balls, and each of them keeps clamoring to lose weight. But the food is so good, what can you do? Starve all day today, and then the moment they see something delicious tomorrow, they binge on it again.”

This left the citizens of Yuechuan Prefecture filled with envy and resentment.

Privately, many began to ponder: why isn’t Mr. Xiao in Yuechuan Prefecture? If he were here, wouldn’t the lives of Yuechuan’s citizens be wonderful? They also want to eat until they become as round as balls, have wives constantly nagging about losing weight, and walk on flat, smooth roads.

The rumors spread by Xiao Yuan’s naval forces quickly rattled the hearts of the citizens in Yuechuan Prefecture.

This was only the strength of the naval forces, not counting the undercover agents.

These agents used every opportunity they had.

Within a few days, all sorts of scandals about the magistrate’s inner court, which mistress of a rich merchant got involved with whom, which officials visited the brothel spending lavishly, who competed with whom in wealth—these things were all unearthed and spread by the naval forces.

This only fueled the citizens’ anger, making them clench their teeth in hatred.

They were on the brink of starvation, while those officials continued to indulge in pleasure.

Thinking about how the officials in the Southern Yi struggled and stood firmly by the people and how pure the atmosphere was there, they grew even more resentful toward their own officials.

Moreover, the naval forces would recite poetry in front of them, verses about the decay of the affluent living alongside skeletal men freezing to death on the streets. These poems made the citizens feel a mix of sorrow, anger, and grief.

The naval forces were stirring up trouble everywhere, sowing seeds of discontent, which within a month turned into a raging wildfire of unrest.

At this point, the main forces had quietly arrived near Yuechuan Prefecture.

The main forces connected with the naval forces stationed in Yuechuan Prefecture.

That night, the officials and rich merchants of Yuechuan Prefecture, unaware of the impending chaos, were feasting and slumbering deeply, wrapped around their concubines.

Meanwhile, the naval forces began their operations in secret.

They had already recruited many Yuanchuan citizens to join their cause.

With these citizens, they went to the city’s granary, secretly disposing of the guards, and then opened the granary, quickly moving the grain out. After clearing the granary, they set it on fire, setting it along with the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office and several rich merchants’ backyards ablaze as well.

Once the fires were lit, they began shouting, ”Fire! Fire! Come help put it out, something terrible has happened! The granary is on fire, how can we survive if it burns down? Quick, everyone, the Zhang Family’s backyard is on fire too, seize some grain amidst the chaos, otherwise, we won’t survive!”

The sight of the granary ablaze filled everyone with panic.

Should the granary not catch fire, there would still be some hope for them. Even in dire times, surely the government would distribute some porridge.

But if all the grain in the granary were to burn up, survival would indeed be impossible.

Reaching this point, everyone was blood-eyed, grabbing weapons to loot from rich households, grab from the granary, and seize salt wherever they could.

Seizing the chaos, the Southern Yi secretly opened the city gates.

Their main force entered Yuechuan Prefecture City effortlessly. The magistrate, only just awakened, barely had time to change his clothes before a sword was at his throat.

Dong Da led the troops to quickly surround the entire government office while Li Chenshu took control of Yuechuan Prefecture, then sent word to Xiao Yuan.

Upon hearing the news, Xiao Yuan instructed Xiao Jin and Xiao Ling to prepare their forces and coordinate with Dong Da for a pincer attack on Pingyang, aiming to fully annex Yuechuan Prefecture and Pingyang Prefecture before the year’s end. In one swift stroke, he held dominion over five prefectures, covering most of the land south of Jiangnan, except for a few local chiefs in the southwest. Effectively, Xiao Yuan controlled nearly half of Da Qi’s southern territory.

He personally led troops in further expansion, capturing additional territories in the southwest, persuading several local chiefs to surrender, further positioning himself like a sharp dagger pointed toward the entirety of Jiangnan.