Chapter 1313
General Liang of Zhangcheng
Chapter 1313 General Liang Returns to the City
All the forces, both overt and covert, within the chevaux-de-frise camp were alarmed and began using various means to send messages to their masters.
The east gate was the very gate where Liu Qing, Yang Ming, and other scholars had threatened to kill themselves. However, when Commander Gan and his men, fully armored and mounted on horseback, entered the city, they were all terrified and rushed to either side.
What else can we do but fight back?
These soldiers didn't even consider avoiding them; they charged straight into the crowd.
Liu Qing, Yang Ming, and the others still wanted to fight to the death, but when the horses' hooves were almost upon them, they finally screamed and scattered to both sides.
"Hahaha, a bunch of useless things, didn't you want to cause trouble with your lives? Why are you still so afraid of death?!" Commander Gan reined in his horse and turned to look at Liu Qing, Yang Ming, the Shen family, Master Xie (Landlord Xie) and others.
Master Xie was greatly shocked and furious, saying, "You uncouth brutes, riding your horses through the crowd! Are you trying to commit murder? Dismount and apologize immediately, or my Xie family will beat the drum and sue you!"
Ha, Commander Gan laughed: "The aristocratic Xie family? I understand. Men, write this down. The Xie family members gathered a crowd and caused trouble without any evidence. They even accused a fifth-rank military officer of a crime. According to wartime military law, this is a serious crime punishable by death!"
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! This Master Xie is just a small landlord from a distant branch of the Xie family. He has no connection with the Xie family anymore and they have separated!" Upon hearing this, the martial arts master from the Xie family, who had been assigned to the area by Chief Steward Xie, hurriedly came out to clear his name.
He added, "General Xie said that it was the Xie family who caused trouble for the government troops at the two gates, so the Xie family is willing to donate 5,000 catties of grain and 1,000 catties of dried meat to atone for their sins."
After speaking, he immediately presented the donation contract to Commander Gan with both hands.
Commander Gan: "Chief Steward Xie is indeed capable, but this is not a donation, but a fine that does not implicate the prestigious Xie family. After all, the Xie family branches in various places will still go to the ancestral hall to worship, so at its core, it is still one big family... Guards, take away the fine deed!"
"Yes." The soldier flicked his spear, and the hard-covered contract flew into his hand. After unfolding and examining it, he nodded and said, "Commander, the quantity of supplies and the seal on the contract are genuine... but the word 'donation' must be changed."
Commander Gan: "Change it."
"Yes, sir." The soldier immediately took out a pen he carried with him and changed the donation to a fine: "Commander, it has been corrected."
"Yes," Commander Gan nodded and said to everyone present, "Please continue kneeling and making a scene, as if we were never here!"
He also said to Commander Yu, "Brother Yu, keep them all here and help them appeal for justice!"
Good heavens! All the troublemakers are panicking.
"Sir, sir, what do you mean by this? We didn't mean to cause trouble or add to the burden of the government troops; we just wanted to appeal to the Qin family for their righteous cause..."
"Then keep begging!" Commander Gan interrupted him, whipped his horse, and led his soldiers into the city.
Thump, thump, thump! Many people were so frightened that they fell to the ground, their hearts pounding with panic, feeling that their death was imminent.
A very clever person wanted to sneak away and pretend they had never been there.
Hey, it's too late.
"Stop! Go back and kneel down properly. Continue your petition. Anyone who dares to leave is guilty and will be arrested and interrogated!" The soldiers immediately stopped those who tried to sneak away.
The man who had sneaked away knelt down with a thud and cried, "Sir, I know I was wrong. I'm too hungry and too tired. I don't want to petition anymore. I want to go home. Please have mercy on me."
The soldiers were ruthless: "No, until a new military order is issued, you will all have to stay in this area for everything, from eating and drinking to relieving yourself. You are not allowed to leave without permission!"
What?
"Heavens above! The Wei army is bullying us! They actually want to trap and kill the petitioning Wei people on the spot! Is there no justice left? Is there no respect for the Wei people?!"
"Idiot, we are a feudal dynasty, we don't need to talk about respect with commoners." The crowd at the East Gate, unable to leave, started making trouble again. After being severely beaten, they became obedient and subdued, continuing to kneel, occasionally shouting dryly, "We beg the Qin family to show their righteousness and offer up the formula for this powerful weapon to help the people of our dynasty fight against the enemy!"
The powerful families and the Tong family's security detail, along with their spies, rushed to report the situation at the East Gate to their respective heads via a shortcut.
When they learned that Jiaming, Mr. Tong, and Chief Lin had all been arrested, not only Chief Tong, but even Master Zheng was alarmed.
This message was sent back to the city by a spy from the barricade camp... These spies included Mr. Tong's men, the Ming family's men, men from other powerful families, and men from the Tong family's escort agency.
Tong, the chief, couldn't sit still any longer. He disguised himself, led a group of martial arts masters who did covert work, and headed straight for the small garden villa in the central district.
I met Master Zheng.
Upon meeting, he was immediately berated by Master Zheng: "What's wrong with your brain, Tong? In broad daylight, and when our important personnel have been arrested, you bring this bunch of shady characters to see me. Do you think the Wei army has too little evidence and want to give them more?!"
A crude, impulsive, and brainless brute who can't stay calm at crucial moments.
Hilarious! If Chief Tong could keep his composure, would he have been able to immediately gather people and form his own fake merchant alliance the day after Xue Dongjia was granted an official position?
"Master Zheng, I, Tong, am not your servant, but your accomplice. Don't try to boss me around!" Tong's words were precise, which infuriated Master Zheng.
"you……"
"Stop with the 'you, you'! Mr. Tong, Commander Lin, and you two young men, Zheng, have all been arrested and taken to the torture chamber for formal interrogation. What should we do next to protect my Tong family, this vital asset? You and these retainers and advisors, hurry up and come up with a plan!" Chief Tong was not afraid of Fourth Master Zheng at all, and almost ordered, "You are death squads, but my Tong Family Escort Agency is not."
Upon hearing this, Master Zheng felt a chill run down his spine... The Tong family didn't want to die? Ha, fine, then he'll send them on their way.
Master Zheng temporarily suppressed his murderous intent and reassured Chief Tong: "You don't need to worry about the safety of the Tong family. All the consequences will be borne by us, the descendants of aristocratic families. All that your Tong family will get is credit."
"Our plan has been successful so far... We have successfully used the case of the student killing the student and the sharp weapon to sow discord between the Qin, Jiang, Liang and Guan families, and even the people of the entire Northeast and Lingnan states who support these four families, and Emperor Wuxing."
"If we win this battle, Emperor Wuxing will be even more suspicious of these families and will treat them poorly, which will only deepen the conflict between the two sides. None of them will have a good outcome. If they fight amongst themselves, our powerful families will have a chance to catch their breath and can also reap the benefits of their infighting."
"If we lose this battle, the four families of Qin, Jiang, Liang, and Guan will most likely die for their country. Even if they escape to the capital, they will be used as a sacrifice for the flag due to their defeat and will not survive... In that case, the loss will still be the power of Emperor Wuxing, and our aristocratic families will still win."
It took Tong the Chief for a while to understand these two sentences, but he said, "What will happen to my Tong Family Escort Agency? My entire Tong family can't die in the city!"
Master Zheng said, "Don't worry, I've arranged a way for you... Either you can steal the formula for the weapon and get credit for escorting it out of the city; or you can escape to the south, change your name and start anew."
The head of the Tong family was somewhat dissatisfied and urged, "Then, Fourth Master Zheng, you should hurry up and wrap up this farce so that my Tong family escort agency can escape from the city. If it's too late, the main force of the enemy army may surround the city, and it will be difficult for the Tong family to break out of the encirclement."
Brainless, reckless, and a coward who's afraid of dying!
Master Zheng looked down on Chief Tong, but could only reassure him: "Don't worry, with General Liang's troops holding off the enemy's main force in the capital, the capital and your Tong family are safe."
It won't be safe for us soon.
……
Outside Dongfu Town, on the main road leading to Tianmang Prefecture, the sounds of fighting and the clanging of flint and steel were constant.