That afternoon, Zhu Yunwen, along with ten Imperial Guards and Zhao Qingzhu, arrived at the first county town near the disaster area in western Shaanxi.
From afar, one could see that the town gates were tightly closed, and outside were thousands of disaster victims.
They waited outside the city, pleading with each other to open the city gates and let them in to beg for a meal.
However, the tightly closed city gates remained completely unmoved.
Even on the city wall, there were dozens of soldiers armed with swords and bows.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Yunwen was immediately filled with rage.
Officials in these areas not only failed to provide any relief to the disaster victims, but also refused to see them and even turned against them.
If Zhu Yuanzhang had known about this, he would probably have ruthlessly executed all these officials.
Because Zhu Yuanzhang himself had been a disaster victim, begged for food, and even became a monk just to have a bite to eat.
He had experienced such painful days, which led Zhu Yuanzhang to remain frugal and thrifty even after becoming emperor.
What he hates most are officials who treat the people badly, not to mention corrupt officials, such as local officials who shut out disaster victims and treat them like enemies.
Needless to say, Zhu Yuanzhang would have supported Zhu Yunwen in killing them.
Upon witnessing this scene, Zhu Yunwen had already sentenced the officials in this county to death.
At the very least, the county magistrate would definitely not survive.
He rode his horse slowly toward the city gate.
A Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) officer beside him looked up and shouted at the soldiers guarding the city gate:
"Open the city gates immediately! My young master wants to enter the city!"
On the city wall, the soldier said disdainfully:
"The city gates are sealed. No one is allowed to enter; they can only leave."
The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's face darkened:
"How dare you! My young master is going to enter the city. Who dares to stop him? Open the city gates immediately, or your life will be in danger."
On the city wall, the officers and soldiers spoke:
"Who does your young master think he is, daring to let a servant like you shout like that here?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen frowned.
The centurion beside him suddenly pushed off the stirrups, his entire body soaring into the air. Then, he stepped on the rather smooth city wall a few times, using the momentum to leap swiftly and lightly towards the city gate.
This scene surprised Zhu Yunwen; he never expected that something like qinggong (lightness skill) actually existed.
However, it's not surprising, as these ancient people were generally shorter and lighter in stature.
Furthermore, these Imperial Guards were all highly trained martial arts masters, capable of scaling walls and leaping across rooftops with the agility of swallows, so it's not surprising that they could do so.
The Imperial Guard commander stepped onto the city wall three or four times and easily climbed up the tower, which was four or five zhang high.
Upon seeing this, the soldiers on the city wall changed their expressions and hurriedly swung their swords to attack.
However, it was too late. The Jinyiwei centurion was extremely fast and had already leaped onto the city wall. He blocked all the attacks with a single slash and then pressed the blade against the neck of the leading soldier.
These actions were lightning fast; the ordinary soldiers didn't even have martial arts skills, so they were no match for such a master.
Seeing the broadsword only an inch from his neck, the leading soldier turned pale with fright and quickly said:
"What do you want to do? I'm a government official. If you dare to hurt me, it's a serious crime..."
The centurion snorted and slowly took out a Jinyiwei centurion's token from his body.
Upon seeing the characters "Hundred-Household Officer" engraved on the token, and the three characters "Imperial Guard" following it, the official's legs went weak with fear, and he hurriedly said:
"I... I deserve to die... I deserve to die a thousand deaths. I didn't know it was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I was blind and ignorant. Please forgive me, sir..."
The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard didn't waste any words; he simply said:
"Open the city gates!"
The soldiers, already terrified and unable to speak clearly, said:
"My lord, I dare not! The magistrate has ordered that the city gates be closed and no one be allowed to enter. This is to prevent the refugees from outside. If I open the front gate, the magistrate will surely not let me off the hook."
Upon hearing this, the centurion's long sword trembled violently, leaving a shallow bloodstain on the soldier's neck. The icy pain caused the soldier to wet his pants.
Immediately afterwards, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard said:
"Since you know about the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you should understand that our orders are far more powerful than those of a county magistrate as you speak of."
That's absolutely true; the Embroidered Uniform Guard usually acts on the emperor's orders.
In other words, they were all doing the emperor's work.
In the capital, many officials of the second or third rank dared not resist the actions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
That's one reason. Secondly, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has had a bad reputation since its establishment. Anyone who gets their eyes on, regardless of their official rank or status, is almost guaranteed to have a bad end.
Furthermore, this commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was only a sixth-rank official, while the county magistrate in this area was only a seventh-rank official.
In terms of rank, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is one rank higher than a county magistrate.
Therefore, from any perspective, the Jinyiwei centurion in front of them carries far more weight in terms of status and words.
Thinking of this, the leading officer quickly gave the order:
"Open the city gates! Open the city gates..."
Upon hearing his words, the soldiers behind the city gate quickly opened it.
In an instant, thousands of disaster victims quickly poured into the city.
They would beg along the streets toward the county government office. If many people gave them food along the way, that would be best. If not, they would ask the county government office to distribute some food when they arrived.
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