...
Three days later, in front of the Zhenbei General’s Mansion.
The sound of gongs and drums filled the air, and red flags fluttered in the breeze.
Looking around, there were countless banners that read "Wage arrears are illegal, and violations will be investigated."
In addition, there were banners with slogans such as "Down with Dog Rare, Kill the Traitor Huang".
Twenty thousand carefully selected soldiers of the Zhenbei Army, together with their superiors, collectively demanded an explanation from Huang Tianhu.
"A strong wind rises, clouds fly high; where can we find brave warriors to guard the four directions?"
Ding Buer stood at the front of the crowd, grabbing a loudspeaker and shouting at the top of his voice.
"Fellow villagers, neighbors, don't panic. We, the Zhenbei Army, have come to the General's Mansion today only to demand an explanation for ourselves!"
I also want everyone to give us the judgment on our border troops! I just want to ask one question: is it legal for soldiers' pay to be withheld?
"As the General Who Guards the North, how much of our military pay has Huang Tianhu embezzled over the years? He even planned to force us to rebel and die! How black is his conscience?!"
"Give me back my hard-earned money!"
"Huang Tianhu, I call you your ancestor!"
"You son of a bitch, you even embezzle our military pay! Are you even human?!"
The soldiers behind him shouted in unison, and for a moment, the sounds of traditional Chinese music filled the air, along with the fragrance of birdsong.
Finally, all the words can be summed up in one sentence.
"Fuck you, pay me back!"
The shouts were unanimous and perfectly synchronized.
Shen Zhao, holding a wine gourd in the crowd, shouted twice before continuing to drink and watch the show.
After a long while, the gates of the General of the North's Mansion finally opened, and hundreds of fully armed guards rushed out, lined up with swords drawn, blocking the excited crowd to prevent any accidents.
However, when they saw the scene outside the door, the guards panicked and looked around at each other, not knowing what to do.
Soon, Huang Tianhu, with a face full of flesh and a round belly, walked up to the crowd in a majestic manner.
Upon seeing Huang Tianhu, the previously excited voices immediately subsided, as they still harbored some fear of this powerful General Zhenbei.
"What are you doing? What are you good-for-nothings trying to do! Running around in front of my mansion and shouting so early in the morning, are you trying to rebel?"
The entire audience was stunned by Huang Tianhu's imposing presence, and no one dared to speak, resulting in a moment of complete silence.
Huang Tianhu glanced around the scene with disdain, his face full of contempt.
He and his fifteenth concubine were just getting into the swing of things when they were interrupted by a commotion outside the door, and he was seething with anger.
Although he didn't know why these ants dared to clamor in front of his mansion, it was a provocation against his authority. He would have to kill a few people to vent his anger later.
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Ding Buer spoke loudly and took the lead in breaking the "tranquility": "Huang Tianhu, you son of a bitch, you stay at home all day long, eating and drinking, and you have women to play with.
But the brothers can't even get a decent meal. Do you even deserve to be the General Who Guards the North? I'll ask you this right now: Is there no law here? Is there no justice?
Huang Tianhu had never been insulted like this before, and he was immediately enraged: "Who are you, you dog? How dare you speak to this general like that! Guards, pull out his tongue!"
Seeing two guards approaching, Ding Bu'er hurriedly shouted, "Huang Tianhu! Do you still dare to commit violence in public? You colluded with barbarians to rebel, embezzled military pay for your own enrichment, you are a complete scoundrel!"
Compared to you, Dongxue and Liu Lu are practically paragons of patriotism. What a waste of the court's trust and cultivation of you! If I were you, I'd hang myself on that crooked-necked tree!
Huang Tianhu's pupils shrank, and just as he was about to speak, the soldiers demanding their wages became agitated again: "Huang Tianhu! Where did you embezzle all the military pay that should have belonged to us?"
His words stirred up a huge wave of discussion.
"Huang Tianhu! Dogs are rare!"
"Give me back my hard-earned money!"
"If you don't settle all the military pay you owe us, I wish your whole family could be turtles in their next life!"
Huang Tianhu's face turned ashen, and as he looked at the surging crowd, he gradually lost his confidence.
Ding Bu Er added fuel to the fire again, "Brothers, all your money has been spent on food, drink and entertainment by this bastard. Think about it, while you were eating steamed buns and drinking boiled water, he was eating delicacies from land and sea in high-end restaurants.
While you're huddled in your cold beds at night, trying to satisfy your needs with your skills, he's having intimate encounters with the top courtesan in a brothel. Think about it, is that fair? Is there any justice? Is there any morality?
Alright, the instigation worked well; the anger of the wage-demanding army has reached a new high.
"You son of a bitch, Huang Tianhu! You think you can even be considered a human being? You dare invade your mother's cave!"
"Yellow dog, you will die a horrible death!"
"If you don't explain things clearly today, I, Liu Shuangxi, swear to massacre the Zhenbei General's Mansion!"
"Owing money to someone is like killing their parents. Huang Tianhu, I send my regards to your ancestors for eighteen generations."
The surging crowd and restless emotions caused cold sweat to drip down Huang Tianhu's forehead.
After a long silence, he shouted angrily, "Enough! Stop arguing!"
Then he shouted, "In the end, it's all about owing you military pay! But it's not like I owe you military pay. It's because the court has abandoned you and refuses to pay you. I've made that so clear to you, so what are you arguing about!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a lieutenant stepped forward and said, "Huang Tianhu, stop pretending to be innocent. Lord Shen told me everything when I came here."
Huang Tianhu narrowed his eyes slightly: "What do you know? And what about Lord Shen?"
The lieutenant general said, "Lord Shen said that our military pay is paid on time by the imperial court every year, but you've taken kickbacks from it all... Bah! What kickbacks? You've kept it all for yourself, and you still want to deny it?"
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