Chapter 450
Chapter 450
"Our party has already been inoculated, eliminating any risk of infection. Furthermore, why don't I take them to the Third Princess's residence to self-quarantine? The Central Military Command can send a physician to examine them, and once they are confirmed to be fine, we can leave."
In response to Shen Lang's words, Vanguard General Wang Dong replied.
"Impossible! Lord Shen Lang, this is a joint directive issued by the Grand Secretariat, the Privy Council, and the Central Military Command. Please, have a look!"
Shen Lang glanced at the document. It clearly stated that anyone arriving from Tianxi Province, regardless of their rank, must be quarantined and forbidden from entering the capital. Those returning from Baiye County, in particular, were not to have private contact with anyone. The directive stressed the need to stamp out the embers of the smallpox epidemic; anyone who defied this order was to be immediately arrested, and if they resisted with force, they were to be killed without mercy.
Above the menacingly written decree were four bright red seals: those of the Grand Secretariat, the Privy Council, the Tian Yue Central Military Command, and the Tian Yue Admiralty. Of course, the Admiralty was not on par with the other three institutions, which was why the Vanguard General had consistently mentioned the joint order from the three main bodies. This decree held power second only to the King's royal edict. On the surface, it seemed a reasonable law, but Shen Lang knew it had been issued solely to target him.
*So, Shen Lang, you think you're so great, don't you? You achieved an unparalleled feat by killing Su Nan and Zheng Tuo. Now, we'll crush that impressive prestige of yours and slap you right in the face. But we'll do it openly and justifiably, so your loss of face will be entirely legitimate.*
With the seals of the four highest offices affixed, not even the King himself could overturn their decision. Moreover, the King was still residing in the northern temporary palace and had not yet returned to the capital.
*Is preventing a smallpox epidemic not important? Is the safety of a million citizens in the capital not important? Just because you've achieved great merits, you think you can act recklessly and disregard the well-being of a million people?*
If Shen Lang refused the decree, such words would surely spread. Even if he were the Commander-in-Chief of Tianxi Province, not just the Lord of Zhenyuan City, he would have to be quarantined and inspected. But the moment Shen Lang agreed to be quarantined, he would be rendered powerless, locked away for days in a large, abandoned building. It would be like offering his face for the enemy to slap hard. In doing so, the prestige Shen Lang had gained from annihilating Su Nan would vanish in an instant, and everyone would come to think of him as nothing more than a insignificant bug in the capital. His opponents had indeed employed a brilliant tactic. It was a political blade that killed without shedding blood.
Shen Lang spoke slowly.
"General Wang Dong, what if we refuse to be quarantined and detained?"
Vanguard General Wang Dong replied.
"Lord Shen, I am merely carrying out a military order. Please do not make things difficult for me."
"I'm asking you, what will you do to me if I defy the order?"
Wang Dong gripped the hilt of his sword and said coldly.
"I have made myself clear, and it is explicitly written in the directive. Anyone from Baiye County who refuses quarantine, and especially those who resist with force, is to be killed without mercy for the sake of the million citizens in the capital."
"Kill without mercy!"
A hundred soldiers roared in unison, causing the surrounding citizens to retreat. But after falling back a few hundred meters, they gathered again, encircling them to watch.
"Esteemed citizens of the capital, this man is Lord Shen Lang!"
Vanguard General Wang Dong shouted, and countless citizens looked at Shen Lang with eyes full of fear and a hint of hostility. This was because the previous slanderous rumors had spread throughout the entire capital: that Shen Lang had led soldiers from the State of Qiang into the State of Yue, committing murder, arson, and plunder in Baiye County, slaughtering over ten thousand people, leaving nine out of ten homes empty, and forcing every household to hold a funeral.
At the time, Shen Lang had been condemned by all, becoming a public enemy of the people of Yue. Meanwhile, Zheng Tuo and Yang Yongnian had become great heroes who had supposedly annihilated Su Nan's rebel army and saved the State of Yue from crisis. In that context, when news spread that Shen Lang had openly assassinated Yang Yongnian, the Commander-in-Chief of Tianxi Province, and led Qiang cavalry to slaughter the official army of Yue, the entire state was thrown into an even greater uproar.
Of course, after those events, the government had stepped in to refute the rumors, declaring that Yang Yongnian was a traitor who had participated in the Su clan's rebellion, and that General Who Pacifies the West, Zheng Tuo, had defied a royal edict, which was tantamount to treason. Not only that, but the King had issued an edict to execute Yang Yongnian's family and arrest Zheng Tuo's entire clan. Furthermore, in his decree, the King had clearly stated that Shen Lang and Zhang Chong were the greatest heroes in the annihilation of the Su clan's rebel army.
But refuting rumors that had already spread was useless. The people needed an outlet for their anger and didn't care about the truth. There were countless examples of public opinion forming this way back on Earth. Who cares about the facts? It's enough to get angry and tear someone apart.
Once people accepted an idea, it was difficult to shed the prejudice that someone was a villain, even over time. After all, wouldn't changing your viewpoint by refuting the rumors you first believed make you look foolish?
Vanguard General Wang Dong shouted again.
"As you all know, an unprecedented smallpox epidemic has ravaged Baiye County, turning it into a living hell with bodies strewn across the fields. To protect the one million citizens of the capital, the Grand Secretariat, the Privy Council, and the Central Military Command have issued this decree, requiring everyone from Baiye County to be quarantined and inspected. Citizens of the capital, is this wrong?"
"No!"
The gathered citizens shouted in unison. Instinctively, they moved even farther away from Shen Lang's group.
*Smallpox is a terrifying disease. If we get infected, we'll die.*
"General, hurry up and seize them!"
"General, if you don't act quickly, smallpox will spread throughout the capital!"
The citizens shouted all at once. It was truly laughable. Shen Lang had saved countless lives in Baiye County. The methods he had introduced had not only saved all the patients there but had also thoroughly contained the smallpox within the county, preventing it from spreading. When Shen Lang had mobilized thousands of troops to seal off the entire county, countless people had cursed him. To put it bluntly, the fact that not a single person in the capital was currently infected with smallpox was largely due to Shen Lang's efforts. The fact that the people before him had not met the god of smallpox was entirely his doing. Yet now, they were demanding that he and his party be quarantined and detained.
Vanguard General Wang Dong shouted.
"As you can see, Lord Shen Lang, this is not just a decree from the Grand Secretariat, but also the voice of the people of the capital."
Then, he bowed deeply and proclaimed in a booming voice.
"Lord Shen, for the safety of the people in the capital, please accept this quarantine and inspection. Your troops must lay down their weapons and proceed to the side path leading to the quarantine building."
Shen Lang sneered inwardly.
*If you were truly worried about smallpox, Wang Dong, would you be standing this close to me? Deep down, you know better than anyone that my party is already immune and poses no threat. Besides, even if we were to be quarantined, we could simply go to the Third Princess's residence, lock the gates, and self-quarantine under your supervision. Why must we disarm and be detained in a derelict quarantine building? Do you take us for beggars? What is this if not an attempt to humiliate me? What is this if not a plot against me?*
Seeing that Shen Lang remained completely unmoved, Vanguard General Wang Dong, defender of the capital, immediately dropped to his knees and spoke in a pitiful voice.
"I know that Lord Shen Lang has achieved great merits and that your rank is two or three grades higher than mine. But for the sake of the people in the capital, I will kneel and beg you."
Instantly, the onlookers were moved by the scene.
"That general is a truly good official."
"His name is Wang Dong. I'll remember it. He's a good official who knelt before Shen Lang for us, the people."
"Shen Lang is so arrogant. Does he think his achievements give him the right to do whatever he wants and disregard our lives?"
"Yes, he's too willful and unreasonable. What people said before was right. Sooner or later, that man will bring great disaster upon everyone."
Vanguard General Wang Dong said.
"Lord Shen Lang, I implore you to disarm and accept the quarantine inspection. For the sake of the people in the capital and the countless citizens of the State of Yue, you must disarm and be quarantined."
There it was again—"for the sake of the people." Why did everyone pretend to be so morally upright?
Just then, Shen Lang asked loudly.
"General Wang Dong, what if I refuse?"
Vanguard General Wang Dong shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Lord Shen Lang, do you intend to disregard the safety of the people in the capital? Do you not care about the lives of the people of this realm?"
At his words, the countless citizens watching from a distance all shouted at once.
"Disarm! Quarantine!"
"Quarantine Shen Lang!"
At their shouts, Wu Lie and Han Nu, standing behind Shen Lang, were on the verge of exploding with rage. Even Sword King Li Qianqiu let out a sigh. People always spoke of innocent civilians, but in truth, no one in this world was truly innocent. It was like the avalanche at the Great Calamity Palace—even the snowflakes that started it were not without blame. Shen Lang slowly opened his mouth.
"General Wang Dong, I ask you again. If I do not disarm and do not agree to be quarantined, what will you do?"
A triumphant glint flashed across Wang Dong's face for a moment, before he spoke in an utterly grief-stricken tone.
"Lord Shen Lang, then I am sorry. For the safety of the people in the capital, I have no choice but to enforce the military order. Please do not blame me!"
Then, General Wang Dong stood up and shouted loudly.
"Citizens of the capital, bear witness! I have shown Lord Shen Lang every courtesy. Know that whatever happens next, I am forced to do it!"
The citizens all raised their fists and said.
"We will be your witnesses!"
Vanguard General Wang Dong screamed.
"All troops, prepare for battle!"
*Clack, clack, clack, clack.*
In an instant, the thousand soldiers under Wang Dong's command surrounded Shen Lang's two hundred men, layer by layer. Vanguard General Wang Dong said.
"Lord Shen Lang, disarm and follow us to the quarantine building."
"Disarm! Quarantine!"
The watching citizens shouted in unison. The moment Shen Lang gestured, the two hundred warriors behind him entered a battle stance. Vanguard General Wang Dong exclaimed in a solemn voice.
"Lord Shen Lang, do you intend to resist with force? Do you realize this is an act of defiance against a decree from the Grand Secretariat? If you do not disarm by the time I count down from five, we will consider you to be resisting with force and, in accordance with the decree, will kill you without mercy! Five! Four! Three! All troops, ready!"