Chapter 220: Trick
"Rebels?!"
The man with the mustache looked astonished.
"Are there actually rebels in Hezhou? This is the first time I've heard of it."
Admiral Xuan immediately became suspicious: "Your county has been besieged by floods for so long, and you haven't sent anyone to contact the outside world?"
But don't tell him that there is not even a boat in Liang County.
No boat and no door panels?
If you remove a few door panels, you can prop it up and go out to take a look.
The man with the mustache said ashamedly, "After our county was flooded, I sent people on fishing boats to Taocheng, the provincial capital, many times. Without exception, these people never returned and there is no news of them."
"We haven't seen any people who left our county return, and we haven't seen any people from outside come to our county."
"I don't know if the waters are too dangerous, or if there are pirates or robbers who specifically target people leaving our county. After many failed attempts, I had no choice but to stay where I am and wait for rescue from the imperial court."
Ji Changqing said expressionlessly, "Hundreds of ships came to Liang County half a month ago. Didn't you see them?"
The man with the mustache suddenly opened his eyes wide: "Someone came to our county half a month ago?"
Then he smiled bitterly.
"Half a month ago, a large number of refugees arrived from outside the city. I was afraid that the people inside the city would be disturbed, so I sealed the city gates."
"The people in the city have been deprived of their food and fruit supplies, and there has been a great uproar. I have been so busy dealing with this that I have no time to attend to other matters. No one has reported the intruders from outside the county."
"but--"
He paused.
"Last night, quite a few people climbed over the wall and entered the city. They looked menacing and didn't seem like ordinary people. The yamen runners were busy all day, arresting twenty or thirty people, but they haven't had time to interrogate them yet. I wonder if they are the rebels you two are talking about."
Admiral Xuan frowned.
Could it be that after arriving in Liang County, the rebels have been hiding in the suburbs and only wanted to plunder the county town last night?
Ji Changqing glanced at the dozen or so yamen runners behind the man with the mustache and said nothing.
The man with the mustache smiled shyly and said, "It's getting late. Why don't you two take the soldiers into the city to rest?"
Admiral Xuan looked at Ji Changqing.
Ji Changqing nodded slightly.
Admiral Xuan said, "Okay, you lead the way."
The man with a mustache said hello respectfully, walked to the side of Admiral Xuan and led the way for him. On the way, he asked about Ji Changqing's identity and immediately knelt down and kowtowed.
"Your humble servant greets the Prime Minister."
Ji Changqing said calmly, "No need to be polite."
After leading everyone to the county government office, the man with the mustache first ordered food and wine from the restaurant. He then asked Admiral Xuan and Ji Changqing, "Would you like to have your meal first, or go to the jail to see the prisoners we captured today?"
Admiral Xuan naturally wanted to confirm whether the prisoners were rebels first, but Ji Changqing asked, "You want us to go to the prison to see the prisoners?"
The mustache hurriedly said, "This humble official made a mistake, please forgive me, sir. Please move to the court. I will order the prisoner to be brought to the court."
The courtroom was filled with a rich floral fragrance. Admiral Xuan looked at the dozen or so pots of gardenias placed inside and wondered, "Wouldn't it be uncomfortable to smell so many flowers?"
Moustache: "It's hot and humid in the summer, and there are many tortures in the court. The smell is not very pleasant. Let's put some flowers to fumigate it."
"I see."
Admiral Xuan suddenly understood.
He raised his foot and was about to go in.
Ji Changqing held out his hand to block him and said to the man with the mustache, "You go in first. This official wants to see how you usually go to court."
The man with the mustache said in panic, "How can this be allowed for me to sit while you stand? Please take the seat, and I will serve you."
Ji Changqing winked at the guards behind him.
The guards immediately pushed the man with the mustache and the dozen or so yamen runners behind him into the courtroom.
The man with the mustache had a changed expression.
"Someone come!"
Hundreds of people rushed out of the county government hall in an instant.
The soldiers drew their swords.
The hundreds of people fought for a short while before retreating.
Admiral Xuan: “…”
You know you can't win, but you still insist on fighting. What's the point?
But Ji Changqing shouted, "Don't chase."
Just as he was about to ask why, he saw Ji Changqing pulling him back.
"boom!"
The courtroom exploded.
The man with the mustache and the other yamen runners inside were blown out of the hall and torn into pieces.
Admiral Xuan was stunned.
Ji Changqing ordered his soldiers, "Surround the county government office and don't let those people escape."
All the soldiers obeyed the order.
Admiral Xuan thought of the actions of the hundred or so people and Ji Changqing's words "Don't chase them," and asked in astonishment, "Could there be gunpowder buried in the inner hall as well?"
Ji Changqing didn't say anything.
Admiral Xuan: “…”
"How do you know there's something wrong with this guy?"
He asked, staring at the dead man with a mustache on the ground.
"The dozen or so yamen runners he brought with him are too serious." Ji Changqing replied.
Admiral Xuan: “???”
"Most of the yamen runners are recruited ruffians, lazy, cunning, and full of ruffian spirits. They are all strong and taciturn men."
"But...aren't all the strong men in the strong class young and strong?"
Ji Changqing asked in return, "The county magistrate only brought a strong squad with him when he traveled?"
Admiral Xuan was speechless.
The yamen runners were divided into the Zaoban, Kuaiban and Zhuangban. The Zaoban was responsible for court ceremonies, punishment with sticks and ceremonial guards; the Kuaiban was responsible for hunting down thieves, investigating cases and delivering documents; the Zhuangban was responsible for local defense, suppressing bandits and riots and doing miscellaneous labor.
Whenever the county magistrate traveled, he would be escorted by a group of guards. The man with the mustache didn't bring any guards with him, which was obviously suspicious.
"Besides, his words are full of loopholes."
Liang County has many mountains and little land, and most of the food is supplied from other places. After being besieged by floods, the people can't even get enough food to eat. How can the county magistrate just sit and wait for rescue?
No matter how difficult it is, we will find a way to open up a waterway.
Even if we were unable to communicate with other counties due to the rebellion, we would still know the news from the outside world. How could we know nothing about the rebels?
He was just pretending to be the county magistrate, trying to trick him into going to jail or court and then blow him up.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Rumbling sounds were heard one after another from the inner hall, the cells and the backyard.
However, the hundred or so rebels who retreated to the inner hall and the backyard, waiting for an opportunity to escape, ignited the gunpowder buried in various places in the county government office.
Admiral Xuan wiped his sweat.
With so much gunpowder, if they were in prison, they would probably be blown to the sky.
Fortunately, Ji Changqing had a sharp eye and recognized that the county magistrate was a fake at a glance, otherwise there would have been heavy casualties today.
"I'm afraid the rebels are making a feint to the east and attacking in the west."
Feng Qingsui suddenly spoke.
"They only left a hundred or so people to control the county government office. The rest may be fleeing Liang County."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Chi flew down.
"We found the rebels in the northeast corner of Liang County. We only stopped half of them, and the other half got on the boat."
Admiral Xuan was shocked.
"Aren't we going to let them escape again?"
"I can't escape."
Ji Changqing's expression was calm.
"To the northeast of Liang County is the Jin River. I previously sent a letter to Qu Mingzhang, asking him to lead the surrendered troops who were repairing the canal to rush to the Jin River to intercept them."
Admiral Xuan: “!!!”
There are people in this world who can plan everything for themselves.
"But they might change their route halfway, so we have to catch up with them."
After Ji Changqing finished speaking, he left two hundred soldiers behind to deal with the remaining rebels, and then took the rest of the people to the northeast of Liang County.
Half of the rebels' fishing boats had not yet left, so they boarded the boats and tried their best to catch up.
In the early hours of the morning, the rebels were caught up in the flooded urban area of Qiao County.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
