Chapter 477, Assistant Inspector, he was using all my words!
Lin Changning turned to the corner and quickly changed his clothes when no one was around. After changing, he went out again and saw that Lao Qian and his second brother were already leading their men slowly toward the county government office.
If the riot in the city can break through the city gates, the King of Chu outside the city will surely discover the trick and lead his men to attack the city, taking Shunde almost without losing a single soldier.
The only problem is that the soldiers stationed outside the city might be a bit difficult to deal with. I wonder if the King of Chu will be able to deal with the soldiers outside the city today. Once the people outside the city are dealt with, then we can break through the city gate and take Shunde.
Just as Lin Changning was thinking this, he saw a soldier on horseback suddenly galloping towards the city gate, holding a small flag.
Lin Changning's mind raced, and he heard a soldier shout loudly, "The rebels are already 10 li outside the city! Close the city gates! Martial law!"
As the soldier spoke, he hurried toward the county government office, presumably to deliver the message to the officials there. It was still unknown who was leading the troops this time.
Lin Changning pondered for a moment, and upon hearing the deafening shouts of battle outside the city gate, he knew that it was most likely the King of Chu slaughtering the soldiers outside the city.
He turned and ran towards the county government office. When Lao Qian and Qi Rong saw Lin Changning turn around and run back, their eyes flashed with some doubt, but they still led a large number of people to shout outside the county government office.
Before long, a man who appeared to be an official came out of the county government office. Qi Rong looked him up and down, and when he saw the waist tag, his eyes flashed with a clear understanding.
It turned out to be a commander of a thousand men, but I wonder what he was doing at the county office at this time. Why wasn't he staying in the garrison in the city? Why did he run here?
Old Qian could tell that this person was a member of the military. Although he was puzzled, he didn't think much of it.
Leading his men, they held up firewood and pointed it at the head of the household: "You corrupt official! You just finished requisitioning grain a few days ago, and now you're going to requisition again! You don't even give us a chance to live!!!"
A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the commander above, wondering why the news had spread so quickly.
They had just decided to collect grain again, but as soon as they stepped out of the county government gate, they were blocked by the people. The commander, who was a little suspicious, thought for a moment and decided to appease the people first.
"Everyone, don't panic, don't panic!"
Qi Rong glared menacingly at the commander above him: "How can you not be worried? Our families are almost out of food, and you still want to levy taxes, leaving us no way to survive! And you tell us not to worry! You corrupt officials!"
The commander, his mind racing, suddenly spoke up: "This isn't our idea to requisition; it was the Vice Magistrate's decision. The rebels outside the city are eyeing us covetously. If we run out of food, how can we protect everyone? Don't you all agree?"
Qi Rong turned to look at Lin Changning, who had surrounded him, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
We agreed on this last night. Wasn't the county magistrate supposed to decide to collect the grain? How come the higher-ups have changed their minds now? Has the person become the assistant magistrate?
Lin Changning was also a little confused when he saw his personal guards in the crowd looking completely bewildered. He slowly approached the guards and asked in a low voice.
"Why didn't you go up? What happened? Who is this person?"
The guard, on the verge of tears, looked at Lin Changning and said in a low voice, "I don't know, sir! I hadn't even gone up yet when this man came out. And what he said was all my lines!!!"
Lin Changning: ...
The guard, looking at Lin Changning's trembling face, asked, "Should I still go up, Commander?"
Lin Changning gently shook his head: "No need."
Could it be someone arranged by my second brother? He didn't mention it last night.
Qi Rong listened to the commotion among the people below, and when he saw Lin Changning standing beside his personal guards, he followed suit and slowly made his way from the front to the back.
"Xiao Liu? Did you arrange for those people above to come up with that too?"
Logically speaking, the collection of grain should be under the jurisdiction of the county government, so it seems unreasonable for a commander to come out and say something about it.
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Lin Changning pressing his temples and staring at him, saying, "Second Brother, I didn't arrange this person."
Qi Rong suddenly widened his eyes and turned around. If the person wasn't arranged by Lin Changning, then who could it be?
Could it be?
Lin Changning and Qi Rong exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of shock in each other's eyes.
If the county government were to still demand grain from the people at this time, they would truly be inhuman!
The next moment, the county government gate opened, and the county magistrate walked out from the center with more than a dozen bailiffs.
Seeing the large crowd of people outside shrink back silently, the county magistrate, hiding behind them, glanced at the commander who was calming the people in front.
He pursed his lips and said, "He is indeed a martial artist; he just can't keep his mouth shut. How did the news leak out right after we finished discussing it?"
The commander in front, upon hearing the magistrate's words, frowned and turned to look at the magistrate with an unfriendly expression: "I haven't even mentioned that your yamen is leaky, sir, yet you're already trying to pin the blame on me!"
The magistrate frowned: "So, Commander Qian, you're implying that you weren't the one who leaked the information?"
The commander in front of him laughed in anger: "I just stepped out the door and was blocked here by the people. What are you saying, sir? If you don't believe me, you can go and have a chat with our magistrate!"
The magistrate thought it best not to offend these people before the battle, so he gave a soft hum and turned away without saying a word.
The commander, arms crossed, slowly retreated to the entrance of the county government office and gestured for the magistrate to appease the people.
Seeing the growing crowd gathering in front of the county government office, the magistrate gestured for silence and raised his voice, "Silence! Silence!"
As the magistrate left, the common people, their faces flushed with anger, pointed at him and roared, "You corrupt official! You just demanded grain from us a few days ago, and now you want to collect it again! Where are we supposed to get so much grain to hand over?! You're really leaving us no way to survive!!!"
The magistrate glared at the commander, still convinced that the news had been leaked by him. After all, they had just finished discussing the matter inside. The King of Chu was already attacking the troops outside, and the city's grain reserves were already meager. If they didn't collect more grain from the people, Shunde City wouldn't be able to hold out and would fall in a few days.
However, he had already made up his mind that he would take his whole family out of the city tomorrow. The gold, silver and valuables were already being packed in the mansion. The food supplies in the garrison would not last a month, and the imperial food supplies were still not arriving. It was only a matter of time before Shunde fell.
The magistrate cleared his throat and said loudly, "I, Gao, know that I have wronged the people. However, with the rebel army pressing down, the food supplies in the garrisons will not last more than a month. Wu Tongzhi had no choice but to discuss with me the possibility of collecting grain again. It was not my wish to force everyone to this point, but if the soldiers guarding the city run out of food, everyone will have no hope."
The implication is that I don't want to levy grain on you either, but the soldiers protecting you are short of supplies and have come to me for help, so you're the ones who will suffer.
The standing commander ground his back teeth, watching as the county magistrate passed the blame to his subordinate, the assistant prefect, whose hand gripping the knife handle seemed to be itching to act.
That corrupt official! If he hadn't embezzled the city's grain supplies last year, how could their department have been forced into this situation?!
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