Shan Yan did not know, but the place he mentioned was already empty.
The Ninth Prince was furious and rushed directly into the prison, beating him severely!
The more blood and flesh flew, the more excited he became.
His bloodthirsty demeanor made even his subordinate generals a little scared.
Shan Yan had not eaten for several days and had been tortured repeatedly, so he could not hold on and died.
Seeing the motionless Shan Yan, the Ninth Prince stopped whipping.
"Go and see if the person is dead."
"Yes."
A general behind him stepped forward, felt the pulse on his neck, and said with a solemn expression.
"Your Highness, he is dead."
"If he's dead, he's dead. Send the news back to Dongdu City and tell my father that the former governor, after being captured, feared torture and bit his tongue to commit suicide. As for his body, just throw it in a mass grave. Continue to search for the whereabouts of the silver notes. If he doesn't say, go and interrogate his family. I don't believe no one knows!"
"Yes!"
He threw the whip on the ground, took the handkerchief handed by Long Guang to wipe the bloodstains from his hands, and under everyone's watchful eyes, he left with his men.
Next, countless unbearable screams echoed from the prison, but the silver notes were still not found.
Meanwhile, in Liangzhou City, Xiao Ji looked at the message sent by General Su with a solemn expression.
He sent Xiao Muqian to invite Feng Shan, the head of the Feng family, and Old Chen to discuss countermeasures.
"I never imagined that it would be the governor who colluded with the Northern Di. No wonder he welcomed the Ninth Prince at the beginning, delaying the army's advance, and deliberately reporting the matter of Liangzhou when they were drunk. He forced me to come here overnight, which led to the Northern Di's success in bombing the bridge due to my negligence!"
He hit the table heavily with his fist, and the corner of the table cracked.
Xiao Ji knew that he was lamenting the three thousand soldiers who had drowned, so he could only pat his shoulder to comfort him.
"Fortunately, he was caught by General Su. He will not have a good end. However, we must now think of a countermeasure. If the Ninth Prince crosses the bridge and comes to Liangzhou City to cause trouble, how can we protect those disaster victims?"
The so-called disaster victims were actually foreigners.
Nearly eight thousand people had arrived in succession during this period, almost one-tenth of the original population of Liangzhou City.
And there was a trend of more arrivals, so they were not sure how many would come in the end.
However, the attitude of the few of them was to accept all comers.
If Liangzhou wanted to reach a higher level, it had to absorb everything around it like a sea.
Among these foreigners, there were naturally those who were not ambitious and were petty thieves, but they were a minority. Most of them made a living by their own abilities, and they even made the somewhat lazy people of the Great Jin more diligent.
Be prepared for danger in times of peace.
Instead of blindly believing that the Great Jin was the orthodox dynasty and looking down on foreigners.
"The Ninth Prince's actions are nothing more than wanting to seize the credit for the Liangzhou campaign. If General Xiao can put aside this honor and voluntarily attribute the credit to the Ninth Prince, perhaps Liangzhou can be kept peaceful."
Old Chen saw the crux of the problem at a glance and said directly.
Xiao Ji pursed his thin lips and remained silent.
Xiao Muqian, who was beside him, was a little restless.
"Why? We fought with swords and spears here to earn military achievements, and we just handed them over to the Ninth Prince who lived a life of pleasure in Ganzhou City. Why?"
As military generals of the Great Jin, earning more glory through military achievements was the aspiration of most people.
Especially the lower-ranking soldiers and officers, who were counting on this great victory to be promoted and rewarded, and to get more military pay to support their families.
If they retreated this time and handed over their achievements, wouldn't the soldiers below be disheartened?
It was a chain reaction, and Xiao Ji was in a dilemma.
Feng Shan had been silent all along, but now he saw his thoughts and said.
"General, you can write a letter and attribute the credit for the rapid recovery of Liangzhou City to the Ninth Prince. This is no small feat, and I believe His Majesty will also praise the Ninth Prince greatly when he knows. The exchange of double credit for the honor of the soldiers below, I believe the Ninth Prince will agree."
"However, the post-war reconstruction was the achievement of Brother Feng and other family heads and Old Chen. I, Xiao Ji, can give up my military achievements, but if your achievements are erased, I am afraid there will be no such opportunity in the future."
Merchants were originally of low status in the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.
Xiao Ji had originally planned to use this matter to gain some face for these righteous family heads, even if His Majesty only bestowed a plaque or something, it would make the world look up to them more and raise their status.
But now...
Feng Shan laughed heartily and exchanged glances with Old Chen.
Xiao Ji was deeply impressed by their broad-mindedness.
"General Xiao, please rest assured. We are rebuilding our homeland. If Liangzhou City becomes more prosperous, then we merchants will naturally earn more. Compared to those illusory achievements, it is much more practical. Moreover, the common people have seen our efforts and money in disaster relief. A mere false name, we commoners do not care. I believe other family heads have the same idea, don't you think so, Old Chen?"
"Yes! Please do not worry about us, General. Such a small matter is nothing. The peace of Liangzhou City is more important!"
With that said, Xiao Muqian's emotions also eased a lot.
He said to Xiao Ji, "Second Uncle, don't worry. As long as the soldiers under my command can have the achievements they deserve, I will not say anything more about this matter!"
"Good! This is a good son of the Xiao family."
Seeing that all three of them were not seeking credit, Xiao Ji was grateful to heaven that Liangzhou City had them was the fortune of Liangzhou.
The next day, Xiao Ji wrote a thick memorial, attributing the two great achievements of the Liangzhou campaign and post-disaster reconstruction primarily to the Ninth Prince, and sent it to the Ninth Prince first.
The Ninth Prince read the letter and could not hide his joy.
"General Xiao is indeed a pillar of the country. I admire him greatly. Since the memorial has been drafted, send it to the capital as soon as possible. I believe my father is waiting to see it."
"Yes!" General Su, who delivered the message, did not agree with General Xiao's actions, but he knew it was the best choice after weighing the pros and cons.
If the Ninth Prince were allowed to cross the river and cause trouble in Liangzhou, let alone military achievements, many people would suffer.
Rather than that, it was better to put a high hat on the Ninth Prince.
After all, the prince knew the truth of the matter.
Those who should be rewarded in the future would not be missed!
Then, while the Ninth Prince was happy, he quickly added.
"Your Highness commanded this battle well, but the soldiers below also fought bravely. I hope Your Highness will reward them generously in consideration of their desperate efforts."