"Sir, it seems there's trouble in the county town! Someone's attacking the city!" Old Hei was the first to draw his sword and protect Jiaren.
Jiaren frowned and quickly ordered, "Send men to investigate and find out what happened in the county town? Who is attacking the city?"
Old Hei's veterans immediately split into four or five groups and ran towards the county town.
Old Hei and the others escorted Jiaren for another seven or eight miles. At this time, the veterans immediately returned with a disheveled city guard.
There were two more tied up behind them, lying across the horse's back.
"My lord, we took advantage of the chaos to capture two 'treasons' among the attackers and also met up with the messenger."
The city guard recognized Jiaren, and immediately fell off his horse, knelt down, and cried, "Magistrate, Your Excellency! Tonight, just as the city gates were about to close, a group of people caused trouble. Just as we, the city guards, were about to deal with them, they suddenly drew their swords and started slashing people."
"Our commander led his men and fought desperately to close the city gates. But these men went mad, carrying logs and ramming the gates. So we poured boiling oil from the top of the wall and set it on fire."
"That was barely enough to drive them back. The commander sent our squad out to find you and request reinforcements from the border. But we were discovered on the way, and my squad... is now down to just me!"
Perhaps thinking of his comrades, the young soldier cried even harder.
Old Hei couldn't stand his appearance, so he kicked him and cursed, "What are you crying for, you coward! If your brother died in battle, pick up a knife and go back to avenge him! What's the use of crying! Trying to drown your enemy with your tears!"
The soldier wiped away his tears, choked back sobs, and dared not cry anymore.
Jiaren inquired carefully about the number of people who had come and their combat strength, and had some guesses in his mind.
Sure enough, two 'tongues' were brought in.
Both men were emaciated and barely clothed, with knives at their waists and trembling like leaves, and the stench of urine gradually spread between their legs.
"My lord, spare us! Waaah! My lord, spare us! We have wives and children at home, we didn't kill anyone!"
"Waaah, sir, have mercy! My mother is starving to death! I just came out to beg for some food!"
Jiaren coldly interrupted them, saying, "Are you people from nearby villages and towns? Why are you attacking the county seat? Who is leading this?"
"Yes, yes, sir!" a man quickly replied. "I live in Qingshan Village. We've run out of food, the well has dried up, and all the grass and leaves on the mountain have been taken. My mother and child are crying out in hunger, so I came out here to find something to eat."
“There was a leader of a sect called the Amitabha Sect who was preaching. He said that the gods in heaven were furious and that it would not rain this year, the crops would fail, and we would all starve to death. Only by following them could we survive.”
"Then I ate two meals with them and was brought here!"
The other person, fearing that the chance to confess and receive leniency would be snatched away, quickly chimed in.
“We didn’t bring any knives. We just found a wooden stick and shouted a few times from behind. The gang leader said there was a granary in the county town with countless grains. He said that as long as the city was breached, he would open the granary and distribute the grains to us!”
Jiaren was alarmed. What he feared most during the famine was not the reduction in grain production, but the incitement of riots.
Needless to say, he encountered this situation.
In the six months since taking office, he has spent almost all his time outside the city.
I've visited all the villages and towns, and personally seen and learned about them.
They distributed seeds, dug reservoirs, strengthened the training of city defense soldiers, and ensured that not a single grain of grain in the Taiping Granary was lost.
In retrospect, all these efforts have been in vain.
Natural disasters remain unstoppable, and even Taiping Warehouse has become a target for rioters!
"How many people are there in this Amitabha sect in total?" Jiaren asked again. "Where is their headquarters?"
Both commoners shook their heads. One of them replied, "I don't know, sir. This gang leader brought more than thirty people, all of them with knives. They didn't say where their hideout was, but they said that some important figure would be coming in a few days, which is why the gang leader is so eager to make a name for himself!"
Jiaren looked at the veterans and asked, "They were indeed in the back just now, and they didn't hurt anyone?"
“Yes,” a veteran replied, “They’re very easy to catch; one kick and they’re down.”
Jiaren gestured to Lao Hei to untie the two men and said, "Go back and tell your villagers to bring their families to the county town as soon as possible. I can guarantee you won't starve. I'll wait three days. After three days, if you don't enter the town, you'll be considered accomplices of the thugs and will never be allowed to enter the county town again."
The two villagers were overjoyed; they hadn't expected to be released so easily and even have the opportunity to make a living in the county town.
"Thank you so much, sir! Waaah, thank you so much, sir!"
The two quickly kowtowed, then helped each other and ran away.
Old Hei stepped forward and asked, "Sir, do you have any plans?"
Jiaren nodded, "Uncle Lao Hei, we still need your help with this matter, but it's a bit dangerous."
“Sir, please speak freely. We came here because the princess was worried about you and came to visit you. Now that this has happened, we naturally cannot stand idly by, otherwise how could we face the princess when we go back?” Old Hei said heartily.
The other veterans also nodded.
"Yes, sir, we are the border guards. We have killed countless barbarians. We are not afraid of these few mountain bandits."
"Give the order, sir."
Jiaren bowed deeply to thank them, and then began making the arrangements...
On the city wall of Fengshan County, the county magistrate, the county lieutenant, and the city defense commander, along with several others, gathered together. Looking at the vast crowd below the city gate, they couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.
Today is no different from any other day, except that the magistrate is out of town and not at home.
But the county magistrate was away from home most of the time and rarely sat in the office, so everyone got used to it.
Over the past six months, they have become familiar with the new magistrate's temperament.
As long as they perform their duties and do not sabotage each other, the county magistrate will not interfere with their work.
Even if the county magistrate's family sent over some good things, they would share some with them.
As a result, when they closed the city gates, instead of seeing the county magistrate return, they were met by bandits.
Inside the city gate, there were more than thirty corpses covered with white linen, all of them soldiers who had just died in battle and civilians who had been affected.
There are still so many bandits and thugs down there. The hot oil hasn't even been poured on them yet. Who knows when they'll attack again? The casualties will definitely continue to increase.
At this point, they had lost their leader and were so anxious that they wished the magistrate would descend from the sky!
Suddenly, a soldier led the Li family's steward up the city wall and came looking for them.
"My lords, our lord has returned. But he is now behind these thugs and has already found out their background."
The steward of the Li family spoke fluently, and his few words brought everyone great joy, but also left them worried.
"Sir, you are in a dangerous situation. Should we send someone from the city defense battalion to meet and protect you?" The county constable did not forget his duty and asked.
The steward of the Li family replied, "Rest assured, County Commandant, our lord is safe. The lord has devised a plan to capture the kingpin from within and without, and he needs your cooperation. We hope that you will all do your utmost for the safety of Fengshan."
Today's update is here!
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