Hearing Li Daoxuan's words, Luo Xi's spirits instantly soared.
"That's right!" he exclaimed. "With Mr. Li and Brother Zheng backing me, I effectively command more than two thousand men—and they're all elite flintlock soldiers! Hahahaha! Even if Lu Xiangheng is fierce, he might not be stronger than me!"
Luo Xi was exactly the sort of man who would grow bolder with the slightest encouragement.
After laughing heartily, he quickly composed himself and hurried out to receive the guest.
After all, his current position as Commander of the Shangzhou Garrison placed him directly under the authority of the Yunyang Prefect-Governor. Lu Xiangheng was now his immediate superior. No matter what, the proper etiquette had to be observed.
Li Daoxuan, who was deeply interested in Lu Xiangheng, pulled Zheng Gouzi along as well. The two deliberately positioned themselves on either side of Luo Xi, disguising themselves as his subordinates, and followed him out to greet the arriving official.
The group soon reached the entrance of the county town.
Shangnan County's city walls had long since been torn down by the rebels. What remained of the gate was little more than a symbolic opening, barely marking the boundary of the town.
Outside the gate, an army had already formed ranks.
This was Lu Xiangheng's famed Tianxiong Army.
Their armor gleamed coldly under the light, their uniforms were clean and orderly, their formations precise, and their morale visibly high. At a glance, it was clear that this was a truly elite force.
At the front stood a tall, sturdy man, seemingly in his early thirties. Though clad in battle armor, he carried an unmistakable scholarly air—calm, restrained, and profound.
Luo Xi immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Your subordinate, Luo Xi, greets Supreme Commander Lu."
Lu Xiangheng did not reply at once.
Instead, his gaze swept past Luo Xi and fell upon the soldiers behind him.
First, he examined Luo Xi's personal guard—one hundred and fifty men, all well-fed, well-armored, and properly equipped. Their appearance was respectable, though in spirit and discipline they still fell short of the Tianxiong Army.
Then, his eyes shifted further back—
And stopped.
Two thousand men.
Uniformly equipped.
Every single one holding a long flintlock rifle.
Just those two thousand firearms, not to mention the ammunition to sustain them, represented an astonishing expenditure of silver.
Lu Xiangheng was inwardly shaken.
"This Luo Xi truly is wealthy," he thought. "Even wealthier than my own clan. I can barely sustain three thousand Tianxiong soldiers—there's no way I could afford two thousand flintlock troops."
Previously, he had heard reports that this Luo Xi had crushed Xue Hongqi, Yizuo Cheng, Yizi Wang, and Wang Chenggong in northern Shaanxi, then repelled Saodi Wang and Mantian Xing at Wuguan Pass, and finally defeated Yi Dou Gu and Wa Guanzi in Shangnan County.
Frankly speaking, such achievements sounded exaggerated.
After all, whether civil or military officials, everyone in the Great Ming had a habit of inflating their accomplishments.
But now—
Seeing these two thousand flintlock soldiers with his own eyes, Lu Xiangheng believed it.
He cupped his hands toward Luo Xi.
"This official has heard that General Luo successively crushed the rebels at Wuguan Pass and Shangnan County, driving them out of Shangnan and earning great merit. Seeing you today, General, you are indeed a man of ability."
Luo Xi waved his hands hastily.
"Not at all, not at all! These are merely trivial accomplishments. Compared to Supreme Commander Lu's feats suppressing bandits in Hebei, my little bit of merit is nothing worth mentioning."
Lu Xiangheng nodded.
"In any case, with General Luo stationed in Shangzhou, this official can finally rest easy. It seems I won't need to worry much about Shangzhou's affairs anymore."
Luo Xi laughed.
"Hehe… please be at ease. Leave everything to your humble subordinate."
Lu Xiangheng continued,
"This official did not come to Shangzhou merely to inspect the situation. I have also drafted several proposals that I wish to discuss with the local officials. However… as for the officials of Shangnan County—alas…"
Luo Xi quickly explained,
"The County Magistrate, Assistant Magistrate, and Registrar all died in service to the nation. At present, this county town is temporarily under my command. I can only hand it over once a new magistrate arrives."
"Very well," Lu Xiangheng said calmly. "Then for now, you shall exercise civil authority through military means."
He then took out a large sheet of paper.
"This official has prepared the Ten Proposals and Eight Regulations. They are to be implemented throughout all prefectures and counties. For the time being, I shall place these Ten Proposals and Eight Regulations under your charge."
The paper listed:
Ten Proposals:
Encourage population growth; establish core military forces; develop reconnaissance and defense systems; plan fortifications; organize local self-defense; accelerate communications; stockpile provisions; plan mutual assistance; empower village militias; regulate weaponry.
Eight Regulations:
Grant tax deferrals to preserve livelihoods; repair and construct homes to ensure stable settlement; utilize natural resources to relieve poverty; punish malicious accusations to eliminate public harm; prohibit oppressive conscription to safeguard the people; promote land reclamation to enrich civilians; assist traveling merchants to facilitate trade; strictly regulate postal services to reduce burdens.
Luo Xi took the paper and scanned it.
Then—
"Ah!"
Inside, his heart skipped a beat.
He recognized barely half the characters. The rest looked like celestial script.
Embarrassment crept across his face.
At that moment, inspiration struck.
He turned around and handed the paper directly to Li Daoxuan.
"Mr. Li, you're a man of learning. What exactly is written here?"
In truth, Li Daoxuan was also struggling.
"Damn it," he cursed inwardly. "All traditional characters—and not a single punctuation mark."
His temples throbbed as he painstakingly parsed the text, finally grasping its meaning after considerable effort.
He looked up and smiled faintly.
"Supreme Commander Lu, your Ten Proposals and Eight Regulations align perfectly with my own thinking."
Lu Xiangheng's gaze shifted sharply to Li Daoxuan.
"And this gentleman is…?"
Li Daoxuan answered calmly,
"I am from Xi'an. My surname is Li. I'm merely a country gentleman."
"A country gentleman?" Lu Xiangheng's eyes widened slightly.
Luo Xi hurriedly added,
"His 'ordinary' is simply modesty. Mr. Li is a man of great influence. This militia under my command was entirely funded by him. He currently serves as our military advisor."
Only then did Lu Xiangheng fully understand.
Those two thousand elite soldiers—
They were all raised by this man.
This Mr. Li was no ordinary figure.
Lu Xiangheng cupped his hands toward Li Daoxuan.
"Mr. Li, do you have any additions or revisions to my Ten Proposals and Eight Regulations?"
Li Daoxuan shook his head.
"None at all. In fact, we were already preparing to implement these measures. It's only that General Luo is a military officer, while these proposals mainly concern civil administration. He feared overstepping his authority and being dismissed by the court. Now that Supreme Commander Lu has formally entrusted these regulations to him, we can proceed openly and legitimately."
Lu Xiangheng was no fool.
With a brief moment of thought, he understood everything.
Luo Xi couldn't even read half the text—there was no way he could personally carry out these policies. In the end, all these matters would naturally fall into the hands of this Mr. Li.
From now on, this man would be his true support in managing Shangzhou's civil affairs.
Lu Xiangheng said,
"My primary mission in Yunyang is bandit suppression. I may not have the leisure to oversee administration personally. For now, I shall entrust these Ten Proposals and Eight Regulations to Mr. Li. If you encounter any difficulties, report to this official at once—I will support you fully."
Li Daoxuan smiled.
"Excellent."
Lu Xiangheng continued,
"Then this official will take his leave. I've just received news that a group of rebels has returned from Sichuan and is now entrenched at Huanglongtan. I must proceed immediately to suppress them."
Li Daoxuan cupped his hands.
"I wish the General a swift victory."
He was not worried in the least.
Lu Xiangheng was an absolute nemesis of rebels—invincible against them, though destined to fall later to the Manchus.
They watched as Lu Xiangheng led the Tianxiong Army swiftly toward the southwest.
Li Daoxuan flicked the paper listing the Ten Proposals and Eight Regulations in his hand, then let out a quiet sigh.
"If these Ten Proposals and Eight Regulations could have been implemented across the entire realm," he thought, "would the Great Ming ever have fallen?"
"What a pity… Lu Xiangheng died at only thirty-nine, slain by the Qing army. Had such a man become Grand Secretary, how could the Great Ming have perished?"