The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

"Young Master, the horse ranch can only be arranged at our manor outside the city for the time being. As for the new military camp, I really don't have the manpower to build it. We can only borrow the old barracks of the former Linqing Camp for temporary accommodation."

"It's alright, we'll have the manpower soon! Let's finalize the location in the next few days."

The next morning, Lian first went to the tobacco factory. He personally guided the person in charge in selecting tobacco leaves, removing stems, and cutting the tobacco into shreds. Then, he sprayed on honey, added some mint, and sealed it for fermentation. After a few days, it would be taken out and air-dried before it was ready to use!

Shen Lian learned this knowledge online. As for recipes and such, there's no need for that; these things are sufficient for this era.

He examined the lighter's casing and was quite satisfied. It was entirely made of brass, engraved with figures and floral patterns, giving it a rather high-end look. Shen Lian assembled one himself, and it worked alright, since the main parts were all brought from the modern world. The only downside was the excessive smoke, which was unavoidable. He didn't have the energy to work on refining kerosene right now. Nothing more to say, just ramp up production.

Over the next two days, Shen Lian led his men to search all around Linqing and pinpointed the locations of several military camps.

In ancient times, the nights were particularly dark because there were no electric lights. People ate and went to bed early, and only a few wealthy families kept their lights on.

The streets outside were quiet, with only the occasional clanging of the night watchman striking the gong.

The back door of the general's mansion quietly opened, and a figure slipped inside. In the dim light, it was revealed that this person was Huang Sheng, the commander in charge of guarding Linqing Pass. Half an hour later, the back door opened again, and Huang Sheng quietly walked out.

At dawn, the city gates of Linqing Prefecture opened as usual. The guards yawned and loudly ordered the people entering and leaving to line up for inspection.

"Make way, make way!" Suddenly, the crowd entering the city stirred, and three fast horses squeezed to the front, causing nearby people to scramble to get out of the way.

"Who are you? Dismount and submit to inspection!" the guard shouted.

"Are you blind? How dare you stop our lord!" a mounted guard shouted angrily.

Not far away, in a carriage, a gaunt old man was watching this scene with a serious expression behind the window.

"My lord, should we...?" the advisor beside him whispered.

"Never mind him, let's enter the city in order!" the old man hummed softly, and lowered the curtain.

"Hmph!" The man sitting upright glanced contemptuously at the gatekeeper, then took out a silver token and tossed it to him.

After glancing at it, the officer from the outer guard bowed deeply to the ground and said, "Greetings, Commander."

"Yes! Get up! May I go in?" the guard on horseback asked arrogantly.

"Of course, of course!" The captain hurriedly presented the silver medal with both hands. He then ordered his men to clear the passage.

"Please, sir!" "Hmm!" The garrison commander grunted and led his men on horseback into the city.

"Pah! What a load of bull! This is Linqing, not your Jinan Prefecture!" He spat at the retreating figure of the garrison commander. Turning back, he once again ordered the people to line up and pay to enter the city.

Inside the General's Mansion, Shen Lian also got up quite early today. After washing up under Yue'er's watchful eye, he sat in the dining room and leisurely ate his breakfast.

"My lord, the officials from all the prefectures and counties have arrived!" Ye Zhennan reported as he entered.

"Okay!" Shen Lian finished his steamed bun in a few bites, drank his soy milk, stood up, and returned to his room. Yue'er hurriedly helped him change into his official robes.

"Lord Shen, the Prefect of Taiwu, has arrived!" With a loud shout, Shen Lian strode out from the back hall with Master Ye and sat down behind the desk.

"We, your humble servants, pay our respects to Your Excellency!" The officials below the hall all knelt down in unison to pay their respects.

"Well! Get up, everyone!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" The officials quickly stood up and lined up in order.

"Is everyone here? Mr. Ye, take attendance!" Shen Lian grinned crookedly.

"Prefect of Jinan!" Ye Zhennan read aloud from a memorial held in her hand.

"Your humble servant is here!" Although Shen Lian's roll call was a bit strange, the Jinan Prefect still stepped forward.

"Okay! Go back to your classrooms! Just answer when your name is called, you don't need to stand up." Shen Lian nodded.

"Prefect of Wuding!" After Shen Lian finished speaking, Ye Zhennan continued to call out names.

"The subordinate is here!"

"Prefect of Tai'an... Magistrate of Wucheng... Garrison Commander of Qiu County..."

"My lord, all the officials from the four prefectures, one state, and forty-two counties have arrived!" The roll call was completed in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"Very good! Thank you all for joining us!" Shen Lian said with a smile.

"I have been appointed to the post of Taiwu Linfen Shoudao by the grace of His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. I have come here to do two things: to pacify the region and appease the people, and to train the troops for constant preparedness," Shen Lian said loudly. The officials below listened attentively.

"I called you all here today to announce a few things!" Shen Lian paused, glancing down at the crowd below.

"First, immediately stop collecting overdue taxes from ordinary people!"

"Your Excellency, the outstanding debts over the years are not small. If we stop collecting payments, we won't be able to meet the quota set by the imperial court. What will happen if the higher-ups investigate?" The prefect of Jinan immediately stepped forward.

Like Shen Lian, he was a fourth-rank official and had been in officialdom for many years. Naturally, he didn't take this hothead seriously.

"I'll take the blame for the imperial investigation. What are you afraid of?"

"But according to the rules..."

"My rules are the rules!" Shen Lian shouted, interrupting the Jinan prefect.

"Your humble servant understands!" The Jinan prefect bowed and stood back. He sneered inwardly, thinking, "A greenhorn who's never been an official before. Ha! He thinks just currying favor with the common people is enough? If being an official were that easy, there wouldn't be so many people being demoted, losing their posts, or going to jail."

Anyway, I've already warned you; you won't be able to hand over the money and grain when the time comes. Let's see how you explain that to your superiors!

"Listen to me clearly, I'm talking about ordinary people. We must intensify our efforts to collect the arrears owed by those landlords and gentry. If they are not settled by the end of the year, I will send troops to collect them personally."

Shen Lian knew that the actual amount owed by ordinary people was only a small part; most of them simply couldn't afford to pay.

Ironically, the landlords and gentry were the ones who owed the most taxes. They relied on their connections with the government to bribe officials and delay payments as long as possible. If they couldn't delay, they would incite the people to riot, and local officials dared not offend them.

"Second, remove all checkpoints in all areas. Except for checkpoints at the entrance and exit of this region, no taxes shall be collected anywhere else."

The officials below all looked distressed upon hearing this, exchanging bewildered glances. They relied entirely on these checkpoints for their profits; if they were all removed, they'd be left with nothing! However, seeing Shen Lian's menacing gaze, no one dared to speak.

"Third, you should all go back and focus on pacifying the people and taking stock of the prisons. Release those who resisted taxes. Clean up the corrupt officials and their cronies, and kill a bunch of those who have a particularly strong public resentment."

"Don't tell me you didn't! If you don't clean this up now, and I have to take action, it won't be as simple as just dealing with the clerks. Hehe!"