Chapter Seven: The County Captain’s Thunderous Tactics

To be honest, Wang Zhenling did not care much about the salary and official rank itself. The only thing that truly pleased him was that his "half-seal" could finally be replaced with an official seal!

Furthermore, it came with a ribbon—the so-called yellow-ribbon copper seal! Wearing it would certainly look imposing. Moreover, as the County Commandant, he was in charge of the county's military affairs; theoretically, all the county soldiers and even the ghost soldiers were under his command.

Of course, the most important thing was that as a local inspector, he could only wield the official fortune of a single township. Now that he had been promoted to County Commandant, he could command the official fortune of the entire Danling County, making the power at his disposal more than ten times greater. If that messenger from the Chengtian Dao were to come knocking again, Wang Zhenling was confident he could put up a fight as long as they were within the borders of Danling County. He figured this was exactly why the people from the Chengtian Dao had approached him before he took office.

"Hmph, now that I have taken the post of County Commandant, I no longer fear those demons of the Chengtian Dao. If they want to find me, I’ll be sure to give them a taste of their own medicine..."

At this moment, Wang Zhenling had already decided to break his promise. Back then, with his life threatened, he had been forced to play along. Now that he had the power to protect himself, he was certainly not so pedantic as to keep his word.

However, when Wang Zhenling truly grasped the official seal of the County Commandant, it gave him quite a surprise. The half-seal he had used as a local inspector was, to put it plainly, merely that of a low-level petty official. There was a saying from his past life: "A thousand threads above, one needle below." It meant that all sorts of decrees and tasks from the imperial court and provincial prefectures eventually landed on the shoulders of grassroots officials. Thus, the duties of low-level clerks were hard to distinguish, yet they were tasked with everything.

It was much the same in this Great Cheng world. When Wang Zhenling was a local inspector or an acting official, he had been too low-ranking to ever imagine what the power of a County Commandant was actually like. It was like the peasant farmers in his past life speculating about the emperor's wealth, wondering if even the shoulder pole he used to carry crops was made of gold—never realizing that the emperor would never farm. Poverty had limited their imagination!

Now, Wang Zhenling was in the same position. He had originally thought the power of the County Commandant was just an upgraded version of the local inspector—merely controlling more fortune, from a township to a county. Yet, upon receiving the legal seal, he discovered that the power wielded by the County Commandant was an entirely different concept. The Commandant was responsible for the county's military, armed forces, and matters of suppressing bandits and maintaining order.

As he held the official seal, his powerful primordial spirit could sense the existence of the "Legal Web"—a network woven from the power of human fortune according to the laws of the imperial court. He had seen glimpses of this as an inspector, but it had never been as clear as it was now.

"At this moment, my words become law, and my thoughts manifest into statutes... This is the power of the Legalists. The saying 'Confucian on the outside, Legalist on the inside' is indeed true..." Flipping through the Great Cheng Code that a County Commandant was expected to master, Wang Zhenling muttered to himself.

As a practitioner, he could clearly see the operation of the entire Legal Web. Ordinary officials lacked this ability, yet as long as they held the seal, recited the laws, and maintained a dignified bearing, they could trigger the Web and manifest various incredible spells. For a cultivation expert like Wang Zhenling who had infiltrated the bureaucracy, it was even simpler. A hint of excitement appeared in his eyes. This power seemed far greater than mere fortune. It appeared that even if the Chengtian Dao members didn't come to find him, he would have to go and make trouble for them!

With this thought, Wang Zhenling declared, "Pass on my order: let every township in the county be on high alert. Strictly investigate the demonic practitioners of the Chengtian Dao. If any are found, execute them without mercy!"

This was Wang Zhenling's first formal order as County Commandant. His subordinates, the various clerks and officials, obeyed with trepidation, not daring to defy him. The Great Cheng Dynasty’s government held immense power, extending its control down to the most basic local level. If they wanted to investigate something, there was nothing they could not find!

It was much like a certain dynasty from his past life; while it wasn't always obvious, during the periodic crackdowns, all sorts of criminals would be caught. It was the same here. The local officials were usually busy with a thousand trivial things, but once the superiors showed they cared about something, the subordinates would focus on it intently. Having served as a clerk for a long time, Wang Zhenling knew this well. Despite the usual lack of trace regarding the Chengtian Dao’s activities, once his order was issued, every township stirred into action, and countless leads were reported back immediately. Even the households that harbored faith in the Chengtian Dao were identified with alarming accuracy.

Although there were some mistakes—some people were actually followers of other sects—Wang Zhenling did not care and cracked down on them all the same. While his primary goal was to deal with the Chengtian Dao, he didn't mind the collateral damage! In any case, he estimated that he wouldn't hold this post for long. Since that was the case, why not act as he pleased?

He chuckled, recalling another saying from his past life: "I am at the end of my road, so I act in defiance of the natural order!"

"The people of the Chengtian Dao dared to threaten me. Since that is so, they cannot blame me for striking back with a heavy hand!"

In a short time, countless commoners across Danling County who believed in the Chengtian Dao were arrested. The sheer numbers were startling, even to Wang Zhenling. That a single county had so many followers made him think of the Yellow Turban Rebellion from his past life.

The Magistrate of Danling County sat high above, looking at his newly appointed County Commandant with irritation. He truly had not expected that Wang Zhenling, having been in office for only a few days, would cause him such trouble; it gave him a splitting headache. Couldn't this fellow just be quiet for a few days?

Wiping his forehead, the Magistrate, Wang Guang, felt utterly helpless. By this time, Wang Zhenling’s wings were fully grown and his foundation was firm; he was no longer the man who could be scolded at will as he had been at the beginning. Following the incident with the plague, Wang Zhenling’s reputation had been established. Even with this harsh crackdown on the Chengtian Dao, none of the county clerks or soldiers dared to show outward compliance while secretly defying him.

Thinking of this, Wang Guang sighed again in resignation. "Do you have any idea how many people have come to me seeking intercession in these past few days? From neighboring counties to the prefectural government... I suspect that in a few more days, even the officials in the imperial court will be sending requests!"

Wang Zhenling was slightly stunned. "So fast?"

In his past life, with telephones, one could catch someone and have someone else call to beg for mercy immediately after. But in this world, information flowed slowly, and news spread even more sluggishly. Yet, in just two or three days, there were already so many pleas for mercy?