Chapter 165: Chaos in Xiaocheng (Part 5) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Although the master of the house longed to have a heart-to-heart talk with his newly acquainted "confidant," the situation forced him to hastily replenish his provisions and water bag before embarking on his escape with his family and servants. Before leaving, he earnestly advised Chu Yao: "I have a word of advice for you, brother: Xiaocheng has become a place of trouble. If you can avoid going there, please do so—"
Chu Yao gave a bitter smile: "I had no choice..."
He didn't say how he was "out of control" in this situation.
The host was only offering casual advice, and since Chu Yao wouldn't listen, he was at a loss. He simply believed in his heart that Chu Yao's journey was likely fraught with danger. He said aloud, "Alas, my dear brother, please be careful and take care. We are destined to meet again..."
After exchanging a few polite words, he got back into the carriage.
Chu Yao watched the carriage depart with a smile, the curve of his lips vanishing instantly as if it had never existed. He turned back to the restaurant and truthfully recounted the information he had gathered: "That's roughly the whole story..."
The male head of the household was a prominent figure in Xiaocheng. Even if his intelligence wasn't entirely accurate, it was still far superior to that of ordinary people. At most, servants would hear about the outbreak of war somewhere, but he was able to get the news immediately.
Shen Tang: "...A whole bunch of lunatics!"
Her feelings were complicated at that moment.
She was both worried about Xiaocheng's situation and disgusted by the actions of the Geng royal family. She thought Zheng Qiao's perversion was an exception, but after seeing the actions of Zheng Qiao's half-brothers, she realized that Zheng Qiao's perversion was probably hereditary.
Someone who can feign madness to this extent is ruthless.
One treated a sow as his wife and piglets as his children, living and sleeping together with her; the other ate excrement and drank filth, treating it as a delicacy. Their own mother was humiliated, their wet nurse was cooked—anyone with a modicum of conscience would find it unbearable. They were ruthless, each more vicious than the last, without a single flaw!
Zheng Qiao, who forced them, is a psychopath. The fact that they haven't gone crazy under such pressure and can still continue acting shows an extraordinary level of mental fortitude and acting skills. They deserve several Oscars.
only--
Shen Tang noticed a detail.
The palace maids and eunuchs encouraged the "madman" who married a pig to perform "marital relations" in public for their amusement. This shows that these palace maids and eunuchs were not normal people either. Would a normal person enjoy watching this? That's not just a matter of curiosity, it's perversion!
For a moment, it was hard to say who influenced whom.
Chu Yao: "Are you crazy?"
Shen Tang explained, "It means they're mentally ill. They've done something so inhumane; they're definitely mentally ill!"
Chu Yao understood.
Goro is venting his emotions by cursing.
So we overlooked the details of her swearing and insulting people.
"...I just asked that person too. It wasn't just him; some of the noble families of Xiaocheng who got wind of the situation also fled overnight, for similar reasons. Zheng Qiao is ruthless. His two half-brothers could endure such humiliation just to save their own lives. They're probably even more ruthless than Zheng Qiao at heart..."
What did Zheng Qiao do after conquering Sibao County?
When supplies were running low, he allowed his soldiers and confidants to burn, kill, and plunder everywhere, even capturing people to fill the gaps. This terrified the common people so much that they dared not go out on the streets, and even the sons of prominent families dared not go out, for fear that they would be suddenly grabbed and dismembered.
Women and children were not spared either. In recent years, many children in Sibao County have had unknown fathers, mostly due to the sins committed during that time.
The governor of Sibao County was one of Zheng Qiao's confidants.
This man, upon taking over Sibao County, was extremely obsequious to Zheng Qiao. In order to "vigorously revitalize" Sibao County and make up for its deficit, he devoted himself to supporting the business of brothels and theaters. As the prefectural capital, Xiaocheng had five long streets in its central area dedicated to this kind of business.
This practice was also prevalent in other areas of Sibao County.
Instead of engaging in production, they honed this business to perfection.
The people of Sibao County were all filled with resentment, but their voices were too weak, and they could only live in misery, taking each day as it came. Now that war has returned, can those who experienced the great calamity of the past remain indifferent?
Those with connections should try to escape.
They were afraid that if they were even a step too late, they would be harmed.
Shen Tang cursed, her face grim, "So this family won't do a single thing that a human being could do! Wu Hui, Yuan Liang, Ban Bu, let's set off back right now..."
Qi Shan asked, "Go back? You've decided?"
Shen Tang: "What's the point of making a decision? Lin Feng and Tu Rong are still in Xiaocheng, and there are still over a hundred of our lives outside Xiaocheng!"
That area is far too dangerous; we need to evacuate as soon as possible.
Qi Shan said, "Okay, let's go back."
Shen Tang thought that even if those two madmen from Geng Kingdom suddenly rebelled, Xiaocheng was, after all, the prefecture capital of Sibao County, and should be able to hold out for a few days. They rushed back as fast as they could, first bringing Lin Feng and the others out, and then slowly figuring out a plan for the rest.
She didn't naively believe that she could turn the tide or stop a massacre like a heroine in a storybook, but she never expected that the Geng family was so crazy that they couldn't be analyzed by ordinary people using common sense.
Halfway there, they encountered more and more refugees. Most were in a hurry, having not packed their belongings or even all their companions, preoccupied only with escaping for their lives. Shen Tang and his group of four were heading in the opposite direction from them, making them stand out conspicuously in the crowd.
Kind-hearted people shouted loudly to warn them not to go forward, but all they received in return was the sound of receding hooves and figures.
No one expected that Xiaocheng would fall so quickly.
No, one person did think of it.
That is to pray for good deeds.
He was almost certain that Xiaocheng had fallen, shortly after the smoke signals rose last night. It wasn't that he knew the enemy's troop strength, but rather that he knew the prefect of Sibao County. That opportunistic, fickle man who would side with whoever was strongest…
He transferred 5,000 troops from the garrison of Sibao County. None of the powerful martial artists were there, and it was uncertain whether the remaining troops could hold out until reinforcements returned. Even if they could, Xiaocheng had already been defended. Could he bear the responsibility of Zheng Qiao's questioning?
At a critical moment, the troop deployment was diverted, giving the rebels an opportunity. No matter how it was explained, in Zheng Qiao's mind, the governor of Sibao County had already betrayed the cause, and his fate was the same no matter what!
If that's the case, why not surrender?
That guy may not be good at anything else, but he's a master at choosing sides and switching jobs.
As expected, with only three hours left to reach Xiaocheng, Shen Tang heard from fleeing civilians that the Prefect of Sibao County had disappeared. It was said that this Prefect had intended to surrender and had even sent an envoy secretly out of the city to negotiate with the rebels, but—
The commoner slapped his thigh and cursed, spewing a string of curses and insults, followed by, "...and then he disappeared."
The city of Xiaocheng is now leaderless and in a critical situation.
I don't know how many more days I can hold out...
The news from the road was getting worse and worse.
(End of this chapter)
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