Mu Zian gave a cold laugh.
"County Magistrate? How dare a lowly eighth-rank official bark at me, the Duke of Zhenguo! Who gave you the audacity!"
“These fields were distributed to the people by me; you cannot take them away.”
"Ding! Congratulations on making your decision, host! The reward has been issued."
As the system voice faded, Mu Zian felt his legs instantly become much lighter.
Upon hearing the title "Duke of Zhenguo," Wang Yin looked Mu Zi'an up and down before coldly laughing.
"How dare you! You're just a greenhorn who hasn't even grown a beard yet, not only do you dare to kill someone in the street, but you even dare to impersonate a high-ranking official!"
"Guards, seize him and hand him over to the prefect! This arrogant scoundrel will pay the price! I'll take responsibility for anything that happens!"
The servants around them were initially somewhat afraid, but now that their master was backing them up, they became much bolder.
"Brothers, we outnumber him! Let's all charge at him, grab him, and take him to the authorities!"
As soon as he finished speaking, more than twenty wicked servants rushed towards Mu Zi'an.
Mu Zian sneered, looking at the people lying in the fields covered in mud, and without the slightest hesitation, he raised his knife and brought it down.
In an instant, blood splattered everywhere, and these wicked servants were all killed by Mu Zian in just a few breaths.
The once lush green fields were instantly dyed red.
Looking at the scene before him, Wang Yin was so angry that he blew up his beard.
"You! You! You! How dare you! I am the county magistrate! The current prefect of Luzhou is my son-in-law! Are you trying to rebel?"
Mu Zian wiped the blood from the blade and looked coldly at Wang Yin.
"Rebellion? What a coincidence, I'm here to redress those grievances."
"Whoever I call a traitor, is a traitor!"
Wang Yin never expected that even bringing up the prefect's name wouldn't intimidate the person in front of him. Fear and terror overwhelmed him, causing him to fall off the carriage.
"You! Don't slander my innocence! I am an official! A dignified official who serves the people! If you dare to violate the laws of my court, I will not forgive you!"
Mu Zian sneered.
"An official? You call yourself an official? How dare you mention the people? Where were you when the city fell? Where were you when the people were massacred? And now you still have the nerve to call yourself the people's parent official?"
"Not killing you would not appease public anger! Not killing you would not uphold the law! Not killing you would not comfort the souls of the people who died tragically at the hands of the bandits!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Zian raised his hand and swung his sword.
The next moment, Wang Yin's head flew high into the air.
Upon seeing this, all the people present cheered.
Many of them were originally from Anping County, and they were all in tears.
How could Wang Yin, a mere eighth-rank county magistrate, possibly own so much land?
The reason they have this fortune today is because they have squeezed it from the people by oppressing the good and plundering it.
As the saying goes, a county magistrate can ruin a family, and a prefectural governor can wipe out an entire clan; this county clerk is no less ruthless.
The next moment, countless people knelt down and bowed their heads, shouting the three words "Duke Zhenguo".
The sounds came one after another, in waves.
Mu Zian dismounted and walked into the muddy field to help the old man who had just been knocked to the ground up.
He reached out and brushed the dirt off his body, then addressed the surrounding people loudly.
"There is justice and reason in this world. Since I, Mu Zi'an, have distributed these fields to you, no one can take them back from you!"
Upon hearing this, the injured old man burst into tears.
No one has ever cared about him, a poor peasant, and no official has ever truly cared about the people.
Mu Zian's actions today not only made them feel that the court cared about them, but also rekindled their hope for life.
The old man wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and wept bitterly.
“Your Honor, we misjudged you before! My son said that you officials are just putting on a show, but now we know that you really care about us starving people.”
“My son is a bandit in these mountains. I’ll go and make him come back right now so he can apologize to you in person. Whether you arrest him or kill him, I’ll accept it!”
Upon hearing this, Mu Zi'an smiled and looked at the old man in front of him who was still crying.
"In the end, it is the imperial court that has let you down. I, Mu Zi'an, am here today to apologize to you all!"
After saying this, Mu Zian bowed.
Upon seeing this, the people wept even more bitterly, for many of them had lost their relatives, sons, and fathers to bandits.
If the world hadn't forced them to their deaths, who would have been willing to become a thief?
Although Mu Zian bent his back today, he straightened the back of the Great Li Dynasty in the hearts of the people.
Mu Zian slowly stood up and looked at the people present.
"I swear in the name of the Duke of Zhenguo that as long as you can persuade your relatives to return to good life, I will forgive and forget. For each person you bring back to good life, I will reward him with one tael of silver. For every ten people you bring back to good life, I will reward him with ten acres of land! The more relatives and friends you bring back, the more rewards I will give."
The people were instantly excited upon hearing this; the temptation was simply too great.
However, Mu Zian changed the subject.
"But if there are still those who remain obstinate, I will show no mercy."
Mu Zian pointed to the corpses lying haphazardly on the ground and said coldly.
"This is what will happen to these people!"
Someone in the crowd immediately shouted.
"Please rest assured, Zhenguo An! I'll contact my brothers right away and tell them to come back quickly!"
"Yes, yes, yes! I heard my uncle is also in the mountains, I'll go find him right now!"
......
With a wave of Mu Zi'an's hand, all the people immediately dispersed, each eager to find their relatives.
Jia Xu stepped forward and said.
"Your strategy is truly admirable! Those who are good at winning people's hearts can resolve any problem."
Mu Zian stood with his hands behind his back, his expression remaining calm and showing no sign of happiness.
"We don't have much time left. Those bandits won't allow such a thorn in Luzhou's side. The greater my influence, the fiercer their retaliation will be. A major battle is just around the corner."
Jia Xu laughed.
"When the great battle arrives, that will be the day you, my lord, distinguish yourself."
As soon as Mu Zian made his promise, bandits who had been entrenched around Anping County immediately came down from the mountains.
Some even beheaded their own bandit leaders to gain merit, bringing their heads to Mu Zi'an to claim a reward.
For a time, the mountain strongholds surrounding Anping County were filled with fear and unease, with every leader terrified that their head would be chopped off for a reward while they slept.
In this way, Mu Zi'an wiped out all the surrounding bandits without losing a single soldier.
In just a few days, Anping County was filled with people who had fled down the mountain.
What was originally an ordinary little county town suddenly became the most bustling place in the entire Luzhou.
Furthermore, migrants and merchants from the surrounding areas continued to flock to Anping County.
Lu Yunxue and her entourage arrived along with the crowd.
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