To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 343 As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn!

Tens of thousands of elite armored soldiers silently descended upon Jiangdong, evading all the eyes and ears of the Xiang family...

This is something that a mere prefect or an ordinary imperial envoy could never accomplish!

"A trap...this is a long-planned deadly scheme!"

Xiang Liang tilted his head back, letting the cold rain lash his face, a chill rising in his heart.

But now is definitely not the time to dwell on this!

Xiang Liang suddenly snapped out of his daze, grabbed Ji Dan beside him, and said urgently, "Immortal Master! The Qin army is overwhelming, and we are in dire straits. With your brilliant strategies, what should we do now?"

Ji Dan shuddered, his forehead beneath his bamboo hat already dripping with cold sweat, which streamed down his face along with the rain.

What military strategy does he know about escaping a predicament?

Feeling guilty, he could only swallow hard, feigning profundity, and stammered, "..."

"Lord Xiang, do not panic... The ways of Heaven are constant; this is the tribulation of breaking free from the cocoon and becoming a butterfly. The divination shows... only... only a brave man can cut off his own arm and relinquish external possessions, thus finding a way out of this desperate situation!"

Xiang Liang was an extremely shrewd man; upon hearing these ambiguous platitudes, he instantly understood their meaning.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he hardened his heart, roaring fiercely: "All troops, listen to my command! Drop all baggage, provisions, and gold and silver purses!"

Leave nothing behind! Send two hundred men to form a battle line on the spot and hold off the Qin army from the rear! The rest of you, follow me lightly armed into the mountains and retreat at full speed!

These words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.

"What? Lose all your possessions?"

"Leave some men to cover our retreat? These are several thousand elite Qin troops! Leaving them behind would mean certain death..."

The crowd was horrified, panic spread rapidly, and whispers filled the air. Their already difficult steps became frantic.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Xiang Liang roared, slamming his sword into a nearby rock. "What use are these riches if we're dead! If the Qin army catches us, my entire Xiang clan will be wiped out here today!"

Under this oppressive force, the group finally quieted down, but despair and reluctance lingered in everyone's hearts.

Just then, several young members of the Xiang family, each wielding a long spear, strode out from the crowd.

"Master! No need to assign tasks, we'll stay!"

The leading young man from the Xiang clan knelt heavily on one knee in the mud, rain streaming down his resolute face. His eyes held a resolute determination that showed no fear of death: "We have been deeply indebted to our master since childhood, and today is the day to repay that kindness! As long as we brothers have a breath left, we will never let the Qin dogs cross this mountain path even a single step!"

"We swear to stop the Qin army to the death! We will be loyal to the Xiang family!"

"Master, run!"

Immediately afterwards, two hundred men from Jiangdong knelt down in the mud.

Facing the thousands of Qin soldiers behind them, who were as fierce as wolves and tigers, not one of them retreated; their roars echoed through the mountains and forests.

This scene deeply shocked everyone present.

Xiang Liang trembled, and the long sword in his hand fell to the ground.

He staggered forward, gripping the shoulders of the young man in the lead tightly with both hands, his large hands trembling violently.

"Good...good boy..."

Xiang Liang's tiger-like eyes were filled with tears, and his eye sockets were red.

Looking at these Jiangdong youths who knew it was a dead end with no chance of survival, yet still stood up without hesitation to fill the pit with their lives, he felt a strange pang of sorrow in his heart.

The Xiang clan members around were all deeply moved, and many of them were already sobbing uncontrollably.

Rain and tears mingled on their faces as brothers, fathers and sons, and Tongze faced a final farewell.

There were no extra words, only tightly clasped hands and heavy thuds as they pounded their chests, demonstrating the courage and spirit of the men of Jiangdong.

"The Xiang family will never forget your kindness and sacrifice!" Xiang Liang took a half step back, bowed deeply to the two hundred warriors, and collapsed to the ground.

After the poignant farewell, came the decisive withdrawal.

The wooden crate was pushed into the ravine, and the valuables were abandoned without hesitation.

The Xiang clan's large force completely discarded all their burdens and disappeared into the dense forest.

As Xiang Liang rode his horse, just as he was about to turn the corner, he couldn't help but turn back and take one last deep look in the direction of Wu County.

Beneath the heavy rain curtain, the faint glow of flames burning throughout the city could still be seen.

That was the foundation that his Xiang clan had painstakingly built over many years.

But now, he has been destroyed in this sudden and bizarre turn of events, forcing him to flee like a stray dog.

Two streams of turbid tears slid down Xiang Liang's face. He clenched his teeth tightly and swallowed the sweet, metallic taste of blood along with the humiliation he felt.

"Fine..."

He gripped the reins tightly, suppressing the bleeding pain in his heart, his gaze resolute:

"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. The grudge we suffer today will be avenged a hundredfold by the Xiang family!"

……

Inside Ji Honglou.

Looking out the window, the sky is turning white, and the autumn rain is gradually ceasing.

Zhang Fan shook his head helplessly and sighed softly: "Different stances lead to different choices. In this era of great strife, there is no absolute right or wrong."

He looked away and stretched.

In any case, with the Xiang family fleeing in panic, a large part of this malignant tumor in Jiangnan has been removed, and the mess of the Jiangnan imperial examination system has finally been cleared of obstacles.

Looking at the time, it was almost dawn; it was time to prepare for the grand trial of the imperial examination fraud case.

A short while later, a series of steady footsteps came from the stairwell.

The eldest son, Fusu, took off his mud-covered cloak and slowly made his way to the top floor.

Upon entering, he bowed with a hint of regret and said, "Teacher, the Xiang clan was not completely annihilated. They left behind a group of loyal soldiers to cover their retreat, while their main force abandoned their supplies and fled into the deep mountains to the west."

The deep mountains and forests were shrouded in miasma, and the terrain was extremely complex. A large army recklessly venturing in would likely result in casualties, so the student ordered a halt to the pursuit.

"It's alright."

Zhang Fan waved his hand, looking relaxed. "We never expected to get rich overnight. Once we drive them out of Wu County, we've achieved our goal."

Then, he changed the subject, looked Fusu up and down, and asked in a low voice, "Right now, we absolutely cannot show our faces and attract hatred."

When you led your troops to surround them, were you not recognized by the Xiang family?

Fusu shook his head and said firmly, "The night was pitch black and the rain was pouring down. I have been directing operations from the rear and have not shown myself."

"That's good."

Zhang Fan nodded in satisfaction, a smile playing on his lips. "In that case, let's thoroughly investigate the matter of cheating in the imperial examinations this morning!"

After saying that, he took out his phone from his pocket and skillfully opened the "Cainiao APP".

With a soft "ding," the test data, which had been reviewed by a large number of modern education experts working overtime overnight, and the list of cheaters, which had been accurately screened, were transmitted instantly.

Zhang Fan flipped his hand, took the thick stack of test papers and roster, and shoved them into Yu Miaoyan's arms.

"What... what is this?"

Holding the pile of documents that had appeared out of nowhere, Yu Miaoyan stared wide-eyed, her face filled with extreme shock and disbelief.

She clearly remembered that Zhang Fan's hands were empty, with nothing in them. How come they were all here now, and there were even marks on them that had been corrected with cinnabar?