The courtyard was silent for a moment, and everyone stopped what they were doing.
The officer who hit the millstone was not the only one who was injured. Gouzi's father and the head of the village's son were both injured in the scuffle. There was also Old Man Xue, who was sitting on the ground after being pushed by someone.
But all these wounds combined are far less glaring than the scarlet mark on the millstone.
Next to Wei Yunlan, Yu Qi, who was supporting her as she stood among the trees, suddenly looked serious and murmured in a low voice, "Something happened."
"What?" Wei Yunlan's expression froze.
Without waiting for Yu Qi's answer, the two officers below helped their colleague who had fallen on the millstone up, stretched out their hands to check, and their faces changed drastically: "Boss, it's not good, Guozi is dead!"
The captain's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He clenched his sword tightly and slowly swept his gloomy eyes over the villagers of Xiaya Village in the yard. Finally, he pointed the tip of the sword at the opened entrance of the cellar and said, "Killing people and hiding grain. You people from Xiaya Village are really brave!"
He pointed at the head of the village, Hu Zi's father, and the people who had just started the fight, "Tie up all these people and take them back to the county government office!"
The village head also knew that this was a murder case and it was bound to end badly. He came out and pleaded with the police chief with a smile on his face, "Sir, this was an accident. Can I go back with you to explain to the county magistrate and let the other people in the village stay first?"
"No." The officer's face turned pale, leaving no room for negotiation.
Seeing the village head and his men standing in the yard, about to be tied up with hemp ropes by the officials, several younger villagers nearby hurriedly advised: "Uncle village head, you can't go..."
"After something like this, how can I survive after going to the county government?"
Not to mention the several village heads who were taken to the county government office, the rest of the villagers in Xiayya Village would certainly not have a good ending.
Even if the county magistrate did not punish Xiaya Village and only took the prescribed grain tax, no one in their village would survive the winter.
Not to mention, how could there be no punishment?
The head of Xiaya Village, who had already stretched out his hands, also reacted at this time.
He suddenly retracted his hand and pulled Hu Zi's father and others beside him back a few steps.
The captain raised his sword and shouted angrily, "Do you people from Xiaya Village want to rebel?"
"Sir, please calm down. How could we have such a rebellious thought..."
"It's really a bad year, with disasters happening one after another. We villagers just want to survive!"
The head of the village explained in a bitter voice.
As they were talking, many villagers came over from outside the courtyard gate, some of them holding hoes and shovels in their hands.
Of the six officers, one died, leaving only five. However, there were hundreds of villagers in Xiaya Village, and more than a hundred strong men alone.
The captain saw this and knew that he could not take the head of the village and his men away at this time, so he said to his men, "Forget it, take Guozi's body back first."
The villagers who were blocking the gate of the courtyard made way for a path.
The captain walked outside with a cold face. When he passed by the head of the village, he gritted his teeth and said, "Head of Xiaya Village, you'd better think about how to explain to the county magistrate what your Xiaya Village did today."
"Hey, let's go!"
The officers climbed onto their horses and tied the body to the empty horses' backs.
In a moment, the group disappeared at the entrance of the village.
The villagers who watched them leave had grim expressions on their faces, and a solemn atmosphere surrounded Xiaya Village.
"Oh, what should we do about this?" asked an old man who was slightly older than the village head with a sigh.
"My Shuanzi just had a fight with the police. Will he be arrested too?"
"Such a big thing has happened in our village. What should we do when the officials go back and call people over?"
Every villager had a sad look on his face at this moment.
Of course, the most worried person is the village head.
Hiding tax grain and killing officials are both serious crimes punishable by beheading!
By the time the messenger goes back to report to the county magistrate and brings the county officers over, Xiaya Village will be finished!
Just when the village chief was at a loss, two young men who had just returned to the village two days ago stood up and said, "Uncle village chief, how about we run away?"
"What?" The head of the village widened his eyes.
"Before the officials come back, take all the food and run over the mountain from Qingya Slope!"
"How can this be possible? The fields at home..."
"Uncle, the fields have been almost completely destroyed by this disaster. It doesn't matter much if we clean them up or reclaim them. If we run away now, at least we don't have to pay the official with our lives, and we can also save this year's grain!"
This proposal was really too bold, but many people were tempted after hearing it.
Everything else is empty. Having food to eat and being able to survive are the most practical things.
"But where can we run?" The village head thought about it and asked the most crucial question.
"There's no point running to anywhere. Pingzhou, Linzhou, and even Lianzhou are less affected than us... If all else fails, why don't we run to Yueheng Mountain?"
"Yes, Uncle Lizheng, let's go to Yueheng Mountain. You need a pass to go to other places, but you don't need one to go to Yueheng Mountain!"
Not far south of Qingyapo, you can see the Yueheng Mountains stretching for hundreds of miles. Xiaya Village is located on the mountain, and the villagers are able to adapt to life in the mountains. The Yueheng Mountains are so large that they can always find a place suitable for the Xiaya Villagers to settle down.
"Do you know what it means to settle down in Yueheng Mountain?" the head of the village asked seriously.
"Of course we know. But the world is like this, how can we survive if we don't go into the mountains?" asked the villager who first made the suggestion.
Everyone was silent for a while, but their hearts were becoming more and more shaken.
It was unknown when the officials would return, leaving little time for Qingya Village. The village head discussed with the heads of several big families in the village for a while, and finally made a decision, "Okay, let's leave the village and go to Yueheng Mountain!"
"Everyone go back and pack your things quickly, and gather at the end of the village in half an hour."
"Put away everything you can't take with you and hide it in the mountains first. We'll find a chance to slowly transport it away later."
Every family started to move, but Old Man Xue stood still and said hesitantly, "Village head, I know you have no other choice but to leave. But my family's situation is special, how about... I stay and you take Hu Zi with you?"
The head of the village frowned and said, "How can that be possible? If you stay, the officials will definitely arrest you to vent their anger!"
"But Hu Zi's father and second uncle are still in the Northwest Army." Old Man Xue was worried that if he escaped, it would affect his two sons who were still in the army.
The head of the village's face changed slightly.
Just as he was struggling with how to start talking, Hu Zi ran over here and heard the last few words the two of them had said.
"Grandpa, let's go with everyone else. Don't worry about Dad and Second Uncle."
Mr. Xue got anxious all of a sudden, "Huzi, that's your father!"
Hu Zi's eyes turned red with anxiety, and he blurted out: "But Dad and Second Uncle are already dead!"
"What?"
Old Mr. Xue widened his eyes in disbelief. His originally strong body began to tremble and was on the verge of falling.
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