Chapter 423: In the Same Boat

Chapter 423: United We Stand, Divided We Fall

The southern district of Inuyama Castle had returned to its tranquil state.

All Ming Dynasty guards stationed at Inuyama Castle had been evacuated. Large numbers of street officials from the Xuanhui Department were busy clearing debris from the streets. Groups of guards were frantically entering and exiting two damaged buildings on the street, searching for any injured civilians and potential hidden dangers.

Step.

A leather boot extinguished the remaining embers on the wooden board. Yang Baimu glanced around at the chaotic scene, his eyes landing on a high floor on the left side, scorched by flames and covered in black marks.

"No heavy firearms were used, and the few fire dragons that were fired were just fireworks. But it's truly baffling that two people could cause such great destruction."

Xu Zhun, an old official from Chongqing Prefecture, stood silently behind him with his hands in his sleeves. Upon hearing this, he calmly said, "Among the four mountains and one palace of the Taoist Order, Geao Mountain is famous for its talismans. If given more time, this Luo City could even blow up Inuyama Castle."

"Geao Mountain"

Yang Baimu silently chewed on these three words, and after a moment, he sighed, "Now the identities and backgrounds of these overseas dragons are becoming more and more prominent. It's our local snakes who are small in scale and in a precarious situation."

"People of noble birth cherish their lives. People with shallow pockets are bold. The outcome of the conflict between dragons and snakes is truly uncertain."

The old man laughed, "At least for now, these overseas dragons haven't gained much advantage."

"By the way, how is the situation at the Hundred Households?"

"I've already sent a letter to the Xuanhui Department asking about it. The response was that everything is normal and we should proceed with the new policy as planned."

Xu Zhun continued, "But in my opinion, after this battle, the situation of the Ming Dynasty guards in Inuyama Castle will probably not be good."

Yang Baimu remained silent, waiting for the other to continue.

"Xie Bitian is the second general in charge of intelligence work for the entire Hundred Households in Inuyama Castle. This time he was turned into a Yellow Turban Strongman by Luo City. Although he successfully cut off his connection with Luo City Cave with the help of several guest ministers and preserved his consciousness, whether he can wake up depends on his fate."

"And even if Xie Bitian eventually succeeds in breaking free from the Yellow Turban state, his own order will be severely affected, and whether he can maintain his current rank is uncertain."

"In this situation, the intelligence work of the Ming Dynasty guards in Inuyama Castle will inevitably be seriously affected."

Xu Zhun said solemnly, "In this regard, we need to prepare in advance. We need to consider how to control the entire Inuyama Castle without the intelligence support of the Ming Dynasty guards."

"I remember that among the guest ministers recruited by Yan Jun, there was a person from the Yin-Yang Order?"

"Are you referring to that Zou Si-jiu who constructed the great case-documentation technique?" Xu Zhun pondered for a moment and shook his head slowly, "Not to mention whether he, as a guest minister, can command the Ming Dynasty guards in Inuyama Castle. Even if Yan Jun really gives him power, the strength of the Yin-Yang Order is not in this field. Unless..."

Yang Baimu asked, "Unless what?"

"Unless he can enter the dreams of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Inuyama Castle every night. If he can do that, Inuyama Castle will be as solid as a fortress. No matter what winds blow from all directions, he can sit calmly on the fishing platform."

The old man smiled, "But it's a pity that he is only Zou Si-si-jiu, not the real Zou Zi Di-jiu."

Yang Baimu weakly pursed his lips. Since he came to the Wa District as a deputy of the Xuanhui Department, he has been very competent in handling government affairs, leading Inuyama Castle to take the lead in implementing the new policy, and even becoming a model for the entire Wa District to imitate.

But as more outsiders entered forcefully, Inuyama Castle became a scene of flames and oil.

The most critical point is that these newcomers do not follow the rules of the game at all, and they all want to directly use brute force to overturn the table and seize other people's chips.

Such a brutal approach made Yang Baimu, who was only barely at the eighth rank, feel helpless.

At this moment, he finally understood why Li Bufeng, as the Xuanhui envoy of the Wa District and nominally the highest-ranking official in the entire Wa District, had remained silent for so many years, keeping a low profile and almost having no presence.

"The point of the knife is determined by the fist. The predecessors were not wrong about me."

Yang Baimu couldn't help but sigh, turned to look at the old man, and said earnestly, "Xu Lao, you are a senior in terms of rank. In your opinion, what can we do to help the Hundred Households?"

The old man frowned in confusion, "We just need to wait and see what happens, and prepare a backup plan in case of emergencies. This time Geao Mountain came to visit, that's an internal conflict within their Taoist Order. The fact that the Ming Dynasty guards in Inuyama Castle were affected is also a decision made by his Yan Jun Hundred Households himself, and it has nothing to do with us. Why should we get involved?"

"That's not the point."

Yang Baimu shook his head, pointed to the surrounding ruins, and his slightly young and tender face showed a determined expression.

"Now we and the Ming Dynasty guards in Inuyama Castle are on the same boat. We steer, they row. Both are indispensable. Since we have chosen to unite against external forces, we can only help our own people, not the guilty!"

"We not only need to find a way to help Xie Bitian break free from the Yellow Turban Strongman state, but also, in the name of the Xuanhui Department, we need to report the death of Luo City to the imperial homeland!"

"I know you want to get along with Yan Jun, and that's fine. The implementation of the new policy also depends on them. As long as Xie Bitian's genes can support it, I can help him transfer to the Confucian Order, seeking life in death. But as for whether it will succeed, that's up to fate. But reporting Luo City's death, isn't that a bit too much?"

Xu Zhun frowned and said, "Geao Mountain is not a small family. Doing this would be a blatant slap in the face for them. Have you considered the pros and cons and risks of this?"

"I know what you're talking about."

The young man laughed loudly, "The biggest risk is that the next time Geao Mountain sends someone, they will come directly to take my head, Yang Baimu. What's so big about that?"

"A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Life-threatening situations, isn't that enough?"

"People with shallow pockets are bold, that's what you just said. I can't fight, but spitting water on Geao Mountain's face is not a problem. If we can't do that, what's the difference between us and standing by and doing nothing? If we can't even support our barefoot brothers, how can we compete with those officials in fine clothes?"

"Compete?"

Xu Zhun's heart suddenly tightened, and he asked instinctively, "Is there something going on with the New Donglin Party?"

"Take a look yourself."

Yang Baimu reached into his sleeve and took out an electronic case-documentation device, handing it to him.

"In order to accelerate the implementation of the new policy, the New Donglin Party has decided to target the Wa District as a breakthrough point and will send additional personnel to the Wa District this month. The personnel to be sent will be selected from various major families."

Xu Zhun glanced through the documents on the electronic case-documentation device in a hurry. As an old official in the court, he could easily see the true purpose hidden in the words.

The old man suddenly felt a surge of anger, his beard bristling and his eyes wide, "These bastards! At first, they thought the Wa District was a hard nut to crack, so they were all hesitant and let you young people with shallow backgrounds take the lead. Now that they see the initial results, they are eager to come and pick the fruits. Don't they have any shame?"