An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

The one thousand Jing family soldiers were all elite soldiers. They were all wearing light armor and had long swords on their waists. When their horses' hooves stepped through the official road, the dust flew up and their momentum was imposing.

It was the Jing family army lent to them by Jing Changjiang that enabled Xu Zize and Jing Chunxi to successfully capture the government offices and two cities of Qiantang County and Pingjiang County.

They split their troops into two groups. Xu Zize led his troops to attack the Qiantang County government office directly, while Jing Chunxi and Kuaijiao led their troops to block the gates of Pingjiang County to prevent the corrupt officials from escaping.

The garrisons of the two counties had long heard of the might of the Jing family army. Seeing the military flags fluttering, no one dared to stop them. The yamen runners even took the initiative to lay down their weapons and kneel down in surrender.

They entered the city in the name of the Jing family army and carried the new emperor's imperial edict. They were invincible and were welcomed by the people.

As soon as the city gates opened, the streets and alleys were already crowded with ragged people with tears in their eyes. Some even knelt on the ground and kowtowed, shouting, "The Jing family army is here, we are saved!" Among them were the six children they had taken in.

He reined in his horse and slowed down his pace, while Xu Zize ordered his men to read the notice aloud to appease the people. The people were delighted to see that the army was disciplined and did not disturb or plunder.

In fact, from the moment they received the secret report that Prince Hong was about to pass through Jiangnan with an army of 160,000 and prepare to attack the Tatars, the government officials and minions were ready to abandon the city.

Three days ago, Liu Dehai, the prefect of Qiantang County, secretly ordered his men to pack up their valuables and put the looted gold, silver and jewelry into boxes, preparing to escape at night.

The chief officials of Pingjiang County even sent people to contact nearby powerful people overnight, intending to use them as a route to escape to the northern border. However, their plan ultimately failed. The Jing family army arrived too quickly, and the news blockade was too strict. They didn't even have time to burn the account books before they were trapped inside the government office.

The officials of several counties under his jurisdiction thought that they could bypass the grain transportation route and escape safely to Tatar, but they were ambushed by the Jing family army assembled by Jing Chang'an and were all shot dead before they reached Xianyang City.

Liu Dehai and his trusted confidants raced along the official road, believing they could escape under cover of darkness. Unbeknownst to them, Jing Chang'an had already set up an ambush along the route. A hail of arrows descended upon them, and before Liu Dehai could even scream, he was struck in the throat by an arrow, his body falling from his horse.

The other minions were so frightened when they saw this that some knelt down and begged for mercy, while others fled in all directions. But without exception, they were all killed by the bows and crossbows of the Jing family army.

Carts loaded with grain and fodder headed north along the official road. People along the way spontaneously helped push the carts, and some strong men even volunteered to join the grain transport team.

The transportation also included all the food and weapons in the space.

Victory reports from the northern borders continued to roll in, and the imperial edict from the new emperor arrived at the capital at full speed. The imperial envoy held up a yellow silk scroll and read it out before the public: "All military and political affairs of the two Jiangnan counties will be under the command of the eldest prince Xu Zize!"

Xu Zize took the imperial sword, the blade's cold gleam reflecting his stern features. Standing on the high platform of the government office, he announced two decrees in a steady and powerful voice:

All civilians abducted by government officials or wealthy landlords must be sent back to their hometowns within three days, and the abductors will give each civilian twenty taels of silver as compensation. The originally stolen land will be returned to the civilians for cultivation, with seeds provided by the government, and taxes will be reduced for three years.

Second, from that date, all wealthy merchants and landlords were to set up ten porridge stalls each and provide porridge to the people free of charge for three months. The Jing family army would dispatch personnel to survey any remaining grain stored by each household and purchase it at a price 20% lower than the market price in Jiangnan a year earlier. Half of this grain would be shipped north as military rations, and the other half would be released to the people.

The people were immediately enraged upon hearing this. Some wept bitterly, others cheered. The coolies who had been forced into slavery could finally return home, and the farmers whose land had been seized could finally reclaim their livelihoods. The wealthy merchants and landlords paled, but no one dared to disobey.

Porridge stalls were soon set up in the streets, alleys and villages. The aroma of steaming rice porridge filled the air. The hungry and emaciated people lined up in long queues, and finally there was hope in their eyes.

Those profiteers who hoarded grain for profit were investigated by the Jing family army, and bags of grain were sealed and shipped to the government warehouse. Those who harbored or concealed the grain were killed or cut into pieces by the local people.

On the gates of the two cities and the counties under their jurisdiction were hung the heads of dog officials and their minions who had been shot dead. Before the decree was issued, many wealthy businessmen and landlords had already begun to save themselves, and in fact many people had already been released and returned home.

On the gates of Qiantang County, Liu Dehai's head was hung in a prominent position, his eyes wide open, as if unwilling to give up. On the city walls of Pingjiang County, the heads of several key officials swayed in the wind, attracting the attention of passersby.

When the wealthy businessmen saw this, they were so frightened that they released the slaves without waiting for the official decree to be issued. Some even offered silver as an apology. The rice porridge they cooked was so big that chopsticks could stand upright.

In just three days, the streets were filled with returning civilians. Their clothes were tattered, but they finally had smiles on their faces. The wealthy merchants did not dare to neglect them. Not only did they pay the compensation in full, they also gave them extra rice and flour, fearing that they would anger the Jing family army.

Those who knew that they had committed serious crimes even took the initiative to donate grain and did not dare to accept a single ounce of silver from the government. They donated the grain, left the name of their mansion, and ran away.

Some powerful people who had colluded with the government knew that they could not escape punishment, so they simply donated all the grain in their homes, did not even dare to keep the account books, and fled to other places with their families overnight.

Jiangnan has regained some vitality, but it is difficult to return to the state it was before the devastation.

When all the military rations were transported away, the streets gradually became popular and teahouses and restaurants reopened, but the houses ravaged by war and the barren farmland were still shocking to see.

Just as Xu Zize ordered the granaries to be opened and grain to be released, the new Governor-General of Jiangnan finally arrived.

"Aunt and uncle! Why are you here?"

Xu Zize recognized Xiao Deyuan and his wife who got off the carriage at a glance and was so surprised that he almost jumped up.

The moment they saw Xiao Deyuan's family, they were both stunned. Jing Chunxi even hugged Aunt Wei tightly.

Xu Zize stood there in a daze, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. A rare softness flashed in his eyes. He walked forward slowly, his voice slightly hoarse: "Xiaokang... meet my uncle and aunt."

"Aheng has grown taller. Ayue, do you still remember your sister?" He stretched out his hand to Aheng.

Jing Chunxi squatted down and gently pinched Ayue's little face. Ayue blinked, suddenly grinned, and threw herself into her arms: "Sister Xi! Daddy didn't lie, you really are in Jiangnan."

"Ayue remembers everything, Sister Xi. We said we would go to Qingshan Villa to find you, but Daddy said that the government affairs in Jiangnan are urgent and he had to go to his post first." Ayue hugged Jing Chunxi's waist tightly, even happier than when Daddy came to pick them up a month ago.