Chapter 293: "Preparing for the New Year" (Part Two) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Run away from what?"

Shen Tang looked down at the head of the Zhang family.

Seeing the fury on his face, I chuckled.

"What's the use of getting angry? Your eyes can't kill anyone. Be careful, they're too protruding and they might just pop out of your eye sockets with a 'bang'!" Shen Tang pinched the Zhang family head's chin through her handkerchief, smiling as she forcefully removed it with her fingers.

As expected, the Zhang family patriarch struggled, resulting in a severe dislocation of his jaw, causing him to writhe in pain while clutching his cheek.

Shen Tang said regretfully, "You went a little too far."

Gong Shuwu sneered, "We're all going to die anyway."

Whether you hit lightly or heavily doesn't matter.

He added, "My lord need not feel guilty about this man. It's better that he can't speak at all. That way, the King of Hell will hear fewer foul words and have some peace and quiet."

Shen Tang never expected that Gong Shuwu would be so straightforward.

He laughed and said, "I don't feel guilty at all."

She only regretted that her handkerchief was smeared with saliva because she had hit it too hard and the Zhang family head had struggled.

Shen Tang then broke their legs with a kick each.

Two silences were imposed, providing double insurance.

"Half step, have two people come over and keep an eye on them, we'll go clean up the mess." This operation went much more smoothly than Shen Tang had anticipated, which was also related to her overestimation of the strength of the He Yin Zhang family.

Shen Tang subconsciously assumed that these local bullies were powerful and influential figures with their own armies, but he overlooked the fact that it was impossible for Zhang's guest to stay at the Zhang family's residence 24 hours a day without moving.

She was known for her sudden and ruthless nature, and even though the local bullies in Heyin wanted Shen Tang to sharpen her knives, who could have imagined that she would draw her sword on the second night after taking over Heyin, before even understanding the complex situation in Heyin?

Everything happened so suddenly!

Furthermore—

One force can overcome all techniques, one force can subdue ten methods!

If the local strongmen and local bullies of Heyin unite to put pressure on Shentang, it will be difficult for Shentang to take down the region with his limited forces. Even with high-level martial arts masters like Gongshu Wu and Zhao Feng, and scholars like Qishan assisting him, if the two sides start fighting, with Heyin as the main battlefield, even if Shentang wins, Heyin will be basically finished.

Shen Tang chose to defeat them one by one.

He made his move when no one expected it.

The operation went smoothly, but the Zhang family, the river magistrate, should not be underestimated. Shen Tang is currently short-handed, with a third of his men borrowed from Zhao Feng, and he cannot afford to lose them here. After settling the Zhang brothers, Shen Tang drew his sword and went out without blinking.

Wherever the sword pointed, heads rolled.

Within a quarter of an hour, the screams from the Zhang family compound gradually subsided, and everyone was bound and thrown into one place for centralized guard. Shen Tang silenced every scholar and martial artist, preparing to rush to the next battle.

"You scoundrel, you deserve to die!"

Shen Tang paused and looked in the direction of the sound.

The speaker was an elderly man with white hair and beard, who looked much younger than his actual age due to good maintenance, and his cursing was full of vigor. Even through the crowd of hundreds of people and the wailing, his voice could still be clearly heard by Shen Tang.

"I deserve a terrible death? I deserve a bad death? I deserve a house?" The curse not only failed to break Shen Tang's defenses, but even provided the effect of a cold joke. Before the person could utter another curse, a silencing spell was cast.

"No wonder everyone wants to be a privileged user..."

Shen Tang looked at the few people nearby who were stunned.

Not being silenced is better than being silenced.

"It really felt great," she murmured.

Regardless of one's eloquence or ability to argue, a single disagreement can silence a person, leaving them unable to vent even the most pent-up anger, which can only fester and churn within them, making them wish they could explode on the spot!

Hehe, it was really awesome!

Shen Tang remained indifferent, silencing the loudest barkers. Soon, only the terrified cries of a few children remained in the crowd. The other adults, seeing their companions forced to shut up, gained a better understanding of Shen Tang's decisive and efficient style.

He was terrified of angering her and bringing about his own death.

Gong Shuwu watched from the side.

He had no other thoughts, he just felt that his lord was becoming more and more adept at using the power of silence, and he was itching to try it himself.

Shen Tang looked at the Zhang family, who had quieted down.

He summoned a member of the atmosphere team and instructed him: "Keep a close eye on all these people, especially the women, children, and the elderly. You can intimidate and threaten them. If they don't behave, kick them a couple of times. But if I find any other acts of violence or harassment, whoever it is, take their head off!"

The atmosphere team clasped their hands in a fist and replied, "Yes."

These were also disciplinary details that had been repeatedly indoctrinated on the bandits: killing the enemy was one thing, but other underhanded methods were forbidden. They used to be bandits, but now that they were under Shen Tang's command, they were subject to her control, especially regarding certain taboos!

They can kill, because they are on opposing sides and killing the enemy, not a specific gender. But they cannot torture, because after victory, both sides are the victor and the prisoner, and the means of torture are no longer directed at the enemy but at the enemy's gender.

This is naturally not allowed.

She raised her hand to call Gong Shuwu and Qi Shan, who had finished counting the number of people, and said, "Time is running out, let's go to the next event."

The next target is Zhou, the governor of He.

Overall, their strength is slightly greater than that of the Zhang family of Heyin.

Unlike the Zhang family, they didn't suffer heavy losses at the military camp, making the overall situation much more difficult. Furthermore, the seal of the Prefect of He Yin was also in Kang Shi's hands, so Shen Tang couldn't use the Prefect's name to be invited in, and he was also afraid of alerting the enemy and launching a direct assault.

"I wonder how things are going with Wu Hui and the others."

Gong Shuwu said, "We've succeeded."

There was absolutely no suspense.

One is Chu Yao, and the other is Zhao Feng.

The two of them teamed up to launch a surprise attack on a small local family.

It's a huge waste of talent.

Not to mention the detailed intelligence provided by Bai Su.

Shen Tang felt slightly relieved upon hearing this.

"Then we need to speed things up."

Based on the intelligence gathered by Bai Su, they took advantage of the shift change among the Zhou family's guards and attacked from the weakest point in the southwest corner gate. This area was near the servants' quarters, making it the most vulnerable and easiest point to capture.

They stormed two gates in a row without encountering any patrolling guards.

At this time, after a satisfying meal and washing up, it was the perfect time to enjoy the warmth and comfort of a beautiful woman. Candles were lit in the west courtyard. The third son of the Zhou family was enjoying the company of his beloved concubine. Both were skilled painters, especially adept at ink wash landscapes, but after a long time of work, they had only completed a small portion of the landscape painting on the table.

The concubine's eyes were alluring, her demeanor languid and charming; she was a rare beauty. The Zhou family's third branch was overjoyed.

He favored this concubine most of all; her painting skills were superb and diverse, on par with his own. Crucially, she always knew exactly how to flatter him and make him happy. He immediately prepared to pick up his brush again and finish the remaining landscape painting in one go. His beloved concubine was about to utter a coquettish complaint.

Bang—

With a loud bang, the tightly closed door broke open.

A cold wind rushed in from outside, stealing away the cozy warmth of spring from inside. Goosebumps immediately rose on exposed skin as the cold wind blew. The third son of the Zhou family, annoyed and embarrassed, prepared to pull his clothes up and walk around the screen to see what was happening.

"Where are they? Where have they all gone?"

He could only hear the noise but not see the scene behind the screen, and assumed it was some careless servant making the commotion. Anger welled up in his heart, and he felt a surge of murderous intent. Just as he rounded the screen and was about to speak and show off his prowess, a corpse was thrown in from the outside, nearly hitting him.

Good heavens—

He was so shocked by this scene that he lost all inspiration for his painting.

"yes--"

The rest of the conversation ended abruptly.

A dark shadow flashed before his eyes, and a heavy object struck his face. Before he could even scream, his jaw was dislocated, followed by a sharp pain in his calf. He doubled over in pain as another heavy blow struck his abdomen. This series of sneak attacks left him completely defenseless.

He opened his mouth as if to scream for help.

The concubine was also terrified by this scene.

He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

Another silencing!

Shen Tang stormed the Zhou family mansion, distributing silencing and mute-killing packages like freebies. Any living creature that might make a sound along the way received this "silencing package." Yes, it was living creatures, not people; even the yellow dog the Zhou family kept at the side gate was silenced.

Gong Shuwu: "..."

One comes and she silences it; two come and she silences it both! As a result, the two walls that were right next to the main courtyard of the Zhou family were not discovered until the arrival of the literary scholars and guest elders. Before they could even begin to exert their power, the words of the spirit were only half-said when she forcefully silenced them, and they immediately suffered a backlash.

Gong Shuwu: "..."

Qi Shan: "..."

At this moment, Qi Shan felt very regretful, extremely regretful.

Why did he have to teach Shen Tang this instead of the other kind of spiritual teachings?

After a whole night, I'm afraid I'll reach a level of consummate skill.

Finally, outside the main courtyard of the Zhou family, Shen Tang and his group encountered resistance. The guards and servants of the Zhou family rushed over, including several martial arts masters who led the way, five fourth-rank unranked men, three fifth-rank doctors, and one sixth-rank official doctor. Among them, the head of the Zhou family was also a scholar with a fairly strong cultivation.

This is only the fighting force that the Zhou family could send; they haven't received news about the others yet, otherwise it would be really troublesome.

Shen Tang rolled up his sleeves and didn't hold back.

This time is different from the time at the military camp.

Shen Tang not only had to deal with several brave martial artists and learned scholars, but also had to spare some attention to protect the people she brought with her to avoid large-scale casualties, which would be a losing proposition. But now, with Qi Shan and Gong Shu Wu by her side, she had no worries at all.

what does that mean?

This means she can let loose and have fun.

Looking at the chaotic scene, the Zhou family patriarch was so angry that his face trembled. His family was a prominent family in Heyin, and they secretly dealt with local bandits. They would think twice before attacking another family's territory or even kidnapping its members.

"Who are you, you scoundrel? Show yourself!"

Shen Tang was too lazy to ramble on.

He drew his sword and charged out!

In the blink of an eye, he charged into the enemy ranks, kicking and stabbing them, disrupting the formation of the Zhou family's servants and preventing them from defending themselves. He then fought his way to the sixth-rank official. He thrust his sword towards the man's heart, but was momentarily blocked by the surging martial energy.

In the end, all that was left was a tear in the other person's clothes.

Even so, it was enough to terrify and frighten the other party.

This is, after all, the Zhou family's main battlefield, and the house doesn't belong to Shen Tang, so she doesn't care about damaging it at all—well, sooner or later it will have to be demolished and rebuilt, so she's indirectly using the Zhou family's manpower to help her with the demolition. One side is timid and hesitant, while the other is fearless and emboldened.

The overall strength of the two sides was vastly different, and the scales of victory tipped in Shen Tang's favor without any doubt. He took down the Zhou family in just a quarter of an hour.

Of course, there are bound to be some who slip through the net.

Qi Shan: "The Zhou family patriarch escaped under escort."

Gong Shuwu said, "I'll go after them!"

What will happen if the head of the Zhou family escapes?

The results of this operation were reduced by half.

Shen Tang stopped Gong Shuwu, saying, "No need. Let's hurry up and get to the event. Let Ji Shou handle these stragglers. He should be given something to do, otherwise he'll be bored."

Even if they escape, it doesn't matter. Most of the Zhou family members have fallen into her hands. Without manpower and assets, does the head of the family alone think he can make a comeback and pose a threat to her? Does he have that kind of foundation? If he did, he wouldn't be acting like a hero in Heyin.

at the same time--

Kang Shi sneezed as the night breeze blew.

Upon receiving the message from Qi Shan via a bluebird, he knew the operation had begun. He immediately ordered all four gates of Fugu City to be closed, placed the city under martial law, and instructed the personnel assigned to various locations along the city walls to keep a close watch, ensuring that no living creature was allowed to leave.

"I wonder how many turtles we can catch."

This was our lord's first battle in Fugu City.

The more thorough the victory, the more firmly it can stand, and the less it will be constrained in future development. Even Kang Shi, who was used to seeing big storms, was a little nervous. He took it seriously and checked it over and over again, for fear that there might be some omissions that would allow the "turtle" to take advantage of the situation and escape!

If so—

That would be a disgrace to the Kangxi era!

Shen Tang and his group raided several houses, but quite a few escaped – after all, not all clansmen live on the clan land and go back to sleep at night. In addition, the scene was chaotic during the fight, and some people would take advantage of the chaos to slip away.

Those who escaped the net were furious when they learned that the newly arrived Prefect of Heyin was responsible for the murder. They ground their teeth together, wishing they could capture Shen Tang and tear him to pieces. Many of them were even unaware that a new Prefect had arrived in Heyin County.

He was quite surprised to learn that the prefect was behind it.

"Didn't he fall into the pond and drown in the middle of the night?"

"That was the one before that!"

"What should I do now?" He was completely panicked and at a loss.

They planned to seek refuge with a family they had a good relationship with, but as soon as they approached, they were blocked by an invisible barrier of spiritual energy. They then realized that this family had also suffered misfortune! In order to avoid being discovered, they had no choice but to continue fleeing. With nowhere else to go, they prepared to escape from Fugu City!

However, escaping is not that simple.

They were spotted as soon as they approached the city wall.

Why are the city gates closed?

You should know that because the city of Fugu was so poor, the guards at the city gates were all old soldiers with gray hair and failing eyesight. They had no land to cultivate and did this job in order to avoid starvation and for a little bit of food.

They were old and frail, so the guards were practically nonexistent. Opening and closing the city gates required strength, and the gates were generally not locked.

Of course, another reason is that some disciples would go out to play and not return until late at night. Who would dare to stop them from leaving the city? There were previous examples of old soldiers closing the city gates only to be beaten to death on the spot by a few spoiled brats the next day.

Over time, the city gates were no longer closed.

Today, not only are the city gates closed, but the long-absent city defense barrier has also been raised! You should know that this barrier can only be opened by the prefect's seal, and it is a defense that can only be opened for a short time during wartime.

This new prefect clearly came prepared!

With this thought in mind, the remaining survivors, their faces ashen, were forced to try to break through.

If you get trapped inside the city, you'll be arrested sooner or later.

Although they didn't know whether Shen Tang's attitude towards them was simply a deterrent arrest or a deadly killing, they couldn't afford to gamble!

▽

This chapter has 4,000 words; the first 2,000 words were written and uploaded in the early hours of yesterday morning.

I don't know if I ate something wrong, but I started having diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting yesterday. I didn't feel better all day, and I still had to go to my maternal grandfather's house to visit relatives. After returning, I slept from 2 pm until a little after 9 pm...

ε=(ο｀*))) Sigh

PS: But the good news is that my new job has arrived! (So touching! I bought it on Pinduoduo. It's a 2021 Huawei MateBook X Pro. On JD.com and Taobao, it was 8799 RMB even with discounts. I went to the seafood market, and several people said it was a year-end gift. I couldn't go below 8000 RMB, not even 200 RMB less. So I went to Pinduoduo, and it was 7799 RMB. They were still open during the New Year, and it was delivered in January. I was a little worried that it was a refurbished or returned machine. I checked it thoroughly and found that it was brand new and just activated. It's amazing! I'll never criticize Pinduoduo again.)

P.S.: As usual, I'm asking for your monthly votes, everyone!

(End of this chapter)