Chapter 1167
Another beheading and public display
Chapter 1167 Another beheading and public display
Once the city is empty, even if the enemy doesn't reach Dongming Prefecture, their lives will become extremely inconvenient.
Even more frightening is...
These people, who have no power or military strength, are very likely to become targets of robbery!
During wartime, their targets might be government troops or soldiers.
The neighbors on Qiming Street looked at each other. Zheng, the owner of the bookstore, said, "Baofu County has a famous scholar named Qiong, as well as two hundred students from top-tier families. Furthermore, there are two military officers from the Qin and Jiang families. Following them is our best choice..."
Manager Zheng looked at everyone and said, "Their teams are all people of status. People of status are more reasonable and have more resources to protect ordinary people than teams from other counties."
“The capital city has the Provincial Administration Commission and people left behind by the Duke of Yan. Even those in high positions are more cautious in their actions than our government office.”
"Grab your things and head to the large camp outside the city gate. If you go tomorrow, you won't be able to visit the Qin family and ask for their protection."
After saying this, he ignored the reactions of his neighbors, went home to pack his things, and prepared to leave.
Bang! The sound of Zheng's shop door closing woke up the other neighbors.
The neighbors shuddered and hurried home: "My family has also been affected by the war!"
"I'm going to my house too!"
The issue of desertion has been discussed for quite some time, so the people of the prefectural city had already packed their belongings, planning to flee immediately if anything seemed amiss.
Therefore, in less than an hour, all the caravans on Qiming Street set off for the large camp at the city gate.
They were registered residents of the prefectural city and could only gather at the camps for those fleeing the war in the prefectural city. Therefore, after they received their number plates and were settled, they rushed to the camp in Baofu County to visit the Qin family.
Grandpa Qin, a veteran from the same street, knew the hardships of fleeing disaster, and eventually took Qin Ying to see them.
Manager Zheng and his men were very sensible. They said they would follow the city's troops to escape the war, but they only pleaded with one thing in their choked voices: "Lord Qin, escaping the disaster is not easy. If we encounter something life-threatening on the way, can we borrow your family's reputation for us?"
Grandpa Qin agreed, only because Manager Zheng and his family had female relatives and young children.
He personally wrote a letter, stamped it with his official seal, and handed it to Manager Zheng: "If you encounter any trouble, you can use this letter. But the letter states that if you use the Qin family's name to bully people, the aggrieved party can report it to the authorities, and the Qin family will help the aggrieved party seek justice!"
"No, no, thank you so much for your mercy, sir." Manager Zheng and his companions were moved to tears.
Grandpa Qin was afraid that Qin Xiaomi would be angry, so he took Qin Ying to the deserters' group in the prefectural city and asked the escorting officer, Xiao Tao, to help arrest the people from Qiming Street if they were bullying others.
"Alright, don't worry, sir. With my troops watching over things, anyone who dares to do evil will be executed on the spot!" Little Commander Tao was a little unhappy. General Liang didn't allow him to join Brother Jiang and fight the beasts of the Eastern Desert together. Instead, he ordered him to escort the people of Dongming Prefecture to the capital city to escape the war.
General Liang meant well.
Tao Zongqi's uncle, Tao Baihu, was already on the front lines. They couldn't let the whole family die; they had to leave behind a descendant.
"Thank you very much, Commander Tao." Grandpa Qin handed the supplies that Qin Ying was carrying to Commander Tao: "We're all acquaintances now, just a few simple things, please accept them."
"Thank you very much, senior!" Junior Commander Tao accepted the gift.
Grandpa Qin took Qin Ying away to their own camp to prepare for their departure the next day.
Uncle Qin returned to his camp when it was completely dark. He told his family, "Uncle Zhao and his two grandsons are doing well. They are with the Yan, Zhang, Liu, Wang, and Liu families, and are fleeing the war with the Wuze Pharmacy and Da'an Inn teams."
Uncle Zhao, Zhao Yongcheng, had saved Uncle Qin and his wife and brought them to Dongming Prefecture so that the Qin family could meet Uncle Qin and his wife and bring them home.
The Yan, Zhang, Liu and several other families were once neighbors in Yexiang Lane. They moved away together, but have remained neighbors for the past two years. Uncle Qin, Grandpa Qin, and Qin Xiaomi all know them.
During this desertion disaster, the families left together and didn't bother the Qin family.
Uncle Qin explained the situation of each family, and Grandpa Qin nodded, "It's good that everything is arranged properly." He then looked at Uncle Qin and praised him, "Second brother, you did a good job. You should rest more and not get sick from overwork."
Uncle Qin: "Dad, don't curse me. If you curse me and make me sick, you'll have to run around taking care of me yourself."
Grandpa Qin was furious: "Where did I curse you? You don't appreciate my kindness. I shouldn't have praised you."
"Ha," Uncle Qin laughed, reaching out his hand directly, "Praising me any more is a waste of breath, why don't you just give me some money?"
"You unfilial son!" Grandpa Qin got up in anger and chased after Uncle Qin, beating him. After a chaotic scene, Grandpa Qin told Grandma Qin to give Uncle Qin some money.
"I have silver notes and gold and silver. Take them. When you run out, just ask your mother for more. These days, money is needed for everything, so we can't skimp on it."
Uncle Qin took the box: "Mother, don't worry. These days, banknotes are still valid, and prices are well controlled. We have enough money."
Thanks to Xue Dongjia's merchant alliance, prices haven't skyrocketed. However, some shops no longer accept silver notes; you have to pay half silver notes and half gold for everything.
In short, at times like these, even with the help of the Xue family, the Qu family, and the Duke of Yan, silver notes and gold are not as useful as supplies.
Many large families and merchants in the prefectural city have already started bartering... exchanging goods to make up for their own shortages.
Dangdang Dangdang!
Dangdang Dangdang!
"At dawn, all Wei citizens of Dongming Prefecture who wish to flee the calamity of war, rise and assemble immediately!"
"Check the household registration, the deserter's license plates, money, food, water, and family members of each household. We will depart in half an hour. We will not wait for those who are late!"
"The fleeing soldiers will be escorted by government troops at both gates. Anyone who dares to commit evil will be beheaded immediately without trial, and all the male members of their family will be displayed to the public! Therefore, every household should supervise each other and not condone any evil deeds committed by their own male members or relatives!"
"If you encounter evil people or evil deeds, do not remain silent. Shout out loud, and the patrolling Wei soldiers will hear you and come to your aid!"
"If you don't shout, don't cry out, and don't ask for help, you'll only suffer!"
Qin Liupo exclaimed in admiration, "My goodness, this is too kind! Back when we were fleeing famine, there was no one to protect us, not even a word of warning. We were left to take responsibility for our own lives!"
This rare sense of conscience was brought about by General Liang's toughness.
Granny Qin then looked at Uncle Qin and exclaimed, "Erzhuang, you and your wife are so lucky! If you had been here when we were fleeing famine, tsk tsk tsk..."
She looked Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin up and down: "With your looks, you could be exchanged for a lot of grain."
Jiang Xiaozhu and Qin Xiaomai understood... The two didn't mean to understand; it was all Young Master Huang's fault for introducing all sorts of strange things to everyone.
Uncle Qin was recently consumed by guilt towards his family, so he didn't scold Aunt Qin, but only reminded her: "Sixth Aunt, watch your mouth. Too much talk leads to trouble. Don't cause any problems for our families."
Qin Liupo put her hands on her hips and said, "You have the nerve to talk to me like that? These past two days you've been supporting the Zhao family, grandfather and grandson, and even wanted to bring them over to escape the war together. You're the one who's causing trouble for us families!"
Qin Ying, Lü Jiu, Qin Jie, and Han Wan Niang: "..."
"Grandma, hurry up and eat breakfast, we'll be setting off soon." Lü Jiu hurriedly led Han Wan Niang to pull Qin Liu Po, and the two sisters-in-law together pressed her into the car.
The area around Qin Jiang, Xu Qiao, and Guan's houses is always bustling with activity, which puts the villagers who are traveling with them at ease.
The day the Qin family stops being so lively, they'll be afraid.
However, there was another big event before we set off today.
That means beheading and displaying one's head in public.
Those beheaded were three head constables, more than a dozen yamen runners, one finance clerk, and one criminal clerk from the Qihuang County government office.
The county magistrate of Qihuang County and the soldiers of the military command were not cut down; they were kept for defense against the enemy.