Chapter 513 Garrison
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The people of Jian'an City had gained some understanding of Li Shiyue's ruthlessness.
Even young children are killed without hesitation!
Dozens of heads, large and small, lay silently beside their own corpses, their eyes wide open.
This bloody scene immediately caused the onlookers to erupt in a roar of screams after their initial shock.
Some people vomited, some covered their faces, some cheered, and some cried;
But no one left—this was the first time in all their years in Jian'an City that they had witnessed such a shocking public execution!
Seeing that some jailers had come up to collect the body, Li Shiyue stood up and walked to the front of the platform, stepping on the sticky, smelly blood.
She looked around at the crowd, and when they quieted down, she addressed the crowd below the stage: "From this day forward, Jian'an City will be taken over by the Xuanjia Army!"
I will not let any official who colludes with the Japanese pirates off lightly!
"The threat of Japanese pirates, I guarantee, will be eradicated as quickly as possible!"
After a brief silence, thunderous cheers suddenly erupted from the crowd.
The old woman who had lost her daughter knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly to Li Shiyue on the high platform: "Your Majesty! Finally, someone has stood up for us!"
The lame man, holding up a wooden stick, shouted, "General Li did a good job!"
These cannibals and blood-drinking beasts deserve to be torn to pieces long ago!
More people joined in the shouting, the sound growing louder and louder.
Li Shiyue raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "Within three days, all those who have been harmed by the Japanese pirates and whose families have been destroyed can register at the government office."
After verification, a certain amount of silver will be used as compensation from the confiscated property of the Huang family.
She paused, her voice becoming even more resolute, "Furthermore, the Xuanjia Army will rebuild the coastal defense line and will never allow the Japanese pirates to set foot on an inch of Jian'an soil again!"
Upon hearing Li Shiyue's words, the onlookers erupted in cheers once again.
Standing on the high platform, Li Shiyue noticed that two of his own soldiers on horseback were approaching from the outer edge of the crowd.
It seems there's something important to report.
Nodding to Sun Xiaoliu, Li Shiyue walked ahead with Chen Yong down the platform and headed back to the governor's mansion.
Sun Xiaoliu had to stay behind with the other Xuanjia soldiers to maintain order and disperse the crowd surrounding the high platform.
A quarter of an hour later, inside the government office, Sun Xiaoliu handed two purses to the old woman with gray hair and the lame man who had been crying and shouting from below the platform.
Seeing that the two were about to decline, Sun Xiaoliu's expression tightened, and he waved his hand at them, saying, "Don't decline! It was agreed upon in the first place!"
"Take it, you should have taken this money anyway!"
Yes, the old woman and the lame man who were just shouting and stirring up the atmosphere among the onlookers were arranged by Li Shiyue at Sun Xiaoliu's behest.
Of course, what these two people said was indeed true.
The old woman's daughter, Dahua, genuinely believed she was being recruited to work as an embroiderer, but in reality, she was sold to Japanese pirates.
The lame man's leg was indeed injured by the Japanese pirates who landed on the shore; he barely escaped with his life.
As for why this was arranged?
Li Shiyue wanted to make good use of Huang Wanchang's death.
Now that Li Shiyue has taken over Jian'an City, she naturally needs to establish her authority and let the people of Jian'an know that she, Li Shiyue, is different from Huang Wanchang.
Huang Wanchang deserved to die, so Li Shiyue, who ordered Huang Wanchang's execution, was a good person.
Isn't Li Shiyue, who stood up for the old woman and the lame man, practically a righteous and just lady?
Yes, Li Shiyue is using tricks.
But sometimes, when dealing with these people, you always need to use some methods.
Besides, Li Shiyue genuinely wanted to kill all the Japanese pirates and restore peace to Jian'an.
Meanwhile, Li Shiyue was already sitting at the head of the main hall of the governor's mansion, listening to the report from the Xuanjia Army returning from the city gate—someone had arrived, the garrison of Jian'an had finally come!
"Is it Cai Hua, the garrison commander, who has come in person?"
Li Shiyue asked the Xuanjia soldier who had come to reply.
"General, that man claims to be Song Fang, a subordinate general under the garrison commander!"
When Li Shiyue heard that it wasn't Cai Hua, she became a little unhappy.
"General, Song Fang is still waiting at the North Gate."
Li Shiyue glanced at the sky outside and said to the Xuanjia Army soldier who came to report, "Tell him that I am busy dealing with Huang Wanchang's matter and do not have time to see him for the time being. Tell him to wait."
"Yes, in the evening, around dusk, bring him to the government office again."
"Yes, General!"
"Call Xiao Liu back. I need to ask him if he has found out anything about Cai Hua."
In the past, the twilight in Jian'an City always carried a hint of the sea breeze and the smell of fish, after all, there was a small port only thirty miles away from Jian'an City.
However, today the wind carries a different smell—the smell of human blood.
Dark red marks, not yet washed away, still remain on the bluestone slabs in front of the government office. The high platform, which has not yet been demolished, looks tall and intimidating in the dim light.
Li Shiyue removed her armor and changed into an indigo-blue narrow-sleeved round-necked robe, still carrying the long sword at her waist.
At this moment, she was sitting in the study behind the government office, looking through the secret report sent by Sun Xiaoliu.
It was called a secret report, but that's not accurate.
It should be said that this is intelligence information that Sun Xiaoliu has been gathering in Jian'an City with more than a dozen scouts over the past half month.
Of course, this also incorporates some information that Li Shiyue bought from Xingshenglou.
Looking at the evaluation of Cai Hua, the garrison commander of Jian'an, in this booklet, one can see that he is a master of changing his stance according to the wind, but he always leaves room for maneuver.
"General, General Song requests an audience."
Li Shiyue put down the booklet and nodded to Chen Yong.
Chen Yong then called out to the outside, "Come in."
Hei Zi opened the door and came in. He walked towards Li Shiyue, leaned down and whispered in Li Shiyue's ear, "He brought a team of people, but they all stayed outside the city when they entered."
Upon hearing this, Li Shiyue's lips curled slightly.
Song Fang was quite sensible—the Xuanjia Army let him lead his troops into the city as a test. If he dared to bring his troops in, and something went wrong, he might not be able to leave Jian'an City.
However, it takes courage for someone to come alone.
"Song Fang, the garrison commander of Jian'an, greets General Li!"
Song Fang looked to be in his early forties, with a dark complexion and a scar on the left corner of his mouth.
He looks like a fierce general, but I wonder how good his fighting skills are.
Song Fang clasped his hands in a respectful greeting to Li Shiyue, who replied, "No need for formalities," and had Hei Zi bring Song Fang a stool so he could sit down and talk.
"This humble general dares to ask, General Li, did you have the prince's warrant for executing the court officials?"
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