"We have several thousand men, while they only have five hundred. They think they can capture us? They're dreaming!"
People are not united, but at this critical juncture, we can only try our best to appease them.
"The general is right! We can give it our all. We'll see who wins and who loses then. We've already captured two counties!"
The scoundrel quickly chimed in, knowing his place. He was one of the "ringleaders," and all he could do was encourage everyone; otherwise, their good days would be over before they were even over.
"Hahahaha, that's right! We have a very high chance of winning. If anything really happens, we can just surrender and go back to farming. It's no big deal."
"Ants can kill an elephant; one person can take on three, and even crush them to death."
"That's right. We were forced to do these things by corrupt officials. We are all victims."
Everyone followed suit, clearly having thought of this as well.
The henchmen around him, who were clearly flustered and slightly shaken, calmed down after hearing these words.
That's right, only the ringleaders will be punished; they are not the ringleaders.
If they can't win, they surrender and go back to farming; if they can win, they stay and try to get rich.
It was a situation where one could attack or defend at will, and I actually felt at ease.
Seeing that several leaders were present, he became even more solemn and determined.
Everyone was of one mind; let's spread the word first to stabilize morale. As for what happens next...
"Brother, what should we do? The garrison troops are not the same as those useless people in the county government."
Back at the county government office, Butcher Zheng and his companions gathered to discuss countermeasures.
The garrison has vowed to kill the ringleaders, and they're still shouting at the city gate. None of them can escape.
"Damn it, let's just attack! Three thousand men can't possibly be defeated by five hundred!"
"That's right, bro! Let's beat the old master with a flurry of punches, charge at him!"
"Don't be impulsive!"
The scoundrel was afraid that these guys would get carried away with their passion and actually go to their deaths, so he quickly tried to dissuade them.
“Those five hundred men are all on horseback. If we run out with our swords, we might get kicked or trampled to death by the horses. It would be a losing proposition.”
After hearing his words, the two who had just made those threats were speechless. Neither of them wanted to die, especially not so tragically.
"Big brother, we have to run!"
Seeing that he had taken it all to heart, the scoundrel continued to speak.
"Run? You're abandoning the county you've captured?!"
Upon hearing that they were to run away, the two, who had just calmed down, became unwilling again and started yelling.
"Shh! What are you shouting about? If people outside hear us, we're all dead!"
The scoundrel lowered his voice and retorted fiercely, but Butcher Zheng wanted to hear what the scoundrel meant.
“Go on, when lives are at stake, everyone should be clear-headed.”
These words were an endorsement of the scoundrel, and also a direct attack on the person who had just been yelling.
"As long as the green hills remain, there's always firewood to burn. What use is this county town if we lose our lives?"
The man looked unpleasant, but he did listen to what was said.
Everyone looked at the scoundrel, waiting to see what he would say.
"As everyone knows, the people below us are a mob."
The garrison has been spreading rumors outside the city that those people will change their minds sooner or later.
Even if we stay holed up in the city and don't go out, they might sneak out of the city gates in the middle of the night, ready to sell us out and collect their reward.
Seeing everyone deep in thought, it was clear they had all taken his words to heart. The penniless man felt gratified; his good days still depended on them.
"We have no choice but to run. Pack up your valuables and leave as soon as possible."
"How can we run? We still have soldiers at our disposal. If there's real danger, we can hold them off for a while. But if we run out and they find us, wouldn't it be as easy as chopping melons and vegetables for them to kill us?"
Butcher Zheng was the first to ask a question. Of course he wanted to run, but if he ran away and got caught, wouldn't they be finished?
"Brother, let's do this. Tell them we want to surrender, let them rush out and surrender so the government will remember it as a good deed."
"Take this opportunity to change our clothes. We'll run out the back door and head straight into the woods. The woods outside Fenghe County are vast; if thousands of people rush out together, they'll only have a few people—they won't be able to catch us."
"Horses can't run in the woods, so we'll definitely be able to escape smoothly."
After hearing this, the group was delighted.
Even though we have to surrender, life is more important.
That only briefly stabilized morale; if it continues, they might lose their lives tonight.
Since the agreement was reached, everyone was willing to do as the scoundrel said. They gathered together a few trusted confidants who were willing to follow them, which totaled several dozen people.
Sure enough, Butcher Zheng soon made his statement.
Their attack on the county government was out of desperation; if they had simply focused on farming, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
They are willing to sacrifice their lives to ensure everyone's innocence.
Therefore, they were willing to surrender.
After this conversation, many of his followers were moved to tears, cursing the heavens for being so cruel.
Ouyang Cheng was quite surprised to hear that news from within the city indicated a willingness to surrender.
With less rain these past few days and disaster relief efforts underway in various places, their journey here must have been difficult.
It's certainly a good thing to be able to win over the rebels without losing a single soldier, but something just doesn't feel right.
When the rebels opened the city gates and surrendered, he immediately realized that something was wrong.
"Oh no!"
"General! A group of rebels have escaped from the south gate!"
Ouyang Cheng's face immediately darkened. How dare they play him for a fool!
"Leave a group of men to send a message to the magistrates of the surrounding counties to take over this county; the rest of you, follow me in pursuit!"
Zheng the Butcher and his men disguised themselves and ran out of the south gate, where they were intercepted by the garrison.
The group of people revealed their murderous intent.
"Brothers, kill!"
"Charge! Survive!"
"kill!"
Many people rushed forward, while Butcher Zheng, who was left behind, watched helplessly as those people were trampled to death by horses' hooves, and felt a wave of fear wash over him.
"Big brother, run!"
The scoundrel gave a sudden shove, waking Butcher Zheng from his fear.
That idiot! He dares to lose focus at this crucial moment when he's trying to escape. He's really asking for trouble.
If it weren't for the fact that he's still somewhat useful, I wouldn't bother to flatter him.
The scoundrel inwardly scoffed, looking down on Butcher Zheng, but outwardly showed great concern.
Looking at the others who had already run far away, and then at the beggar who was pulling him along, Zheng the butcher was deeply moved.
It's in these crucial moments that you can see who's truly sincere. Without time to think, a large group of cavalry charged in from a distance, and the men, in a panic, rushed headlong into the woods.
"ah!"
"Help! Your Honor, spare my life!"
Some of the stragglers who were caught could only lie prostrate on the ground, giving up the struggle, and watch helplessly as these people disappeared into the forest.
Zheng the Butcher and the scoundrel fled in panic, not daring to stop even after entering the woods, continuing deeper into the forest. Soon, fewer and fewer people remained around them, and they became separated from the main group.
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