With the Lord Zhongcheng standing on the hillside behind him, how dare the officials at the foot of the hill not work hard?

They gathered the horses together, making a total of one hundred and fifty, and then covered the horses' eyes with cloth strips.

The cavalrymen held the reins nervously, looking at the two sides confronting each other a few dozen steps away.

"I'll count to the dozens!" A seventh-rank magistrate shouted at the villagers with a tin horn, "Disperse immediately, or I'll forcibly drive you away!"

"ten!"

"Nine!"

As the counting sounded, the opposing government troops withdrew to both sides, leaving room for the cavalry to charge.

"five!"

"Four!"

"three!"

The blindfolded horse snorted and pawed its hooves anxiously.

The villagers on the opposite side couldn't help but show expressions of fear, and many of them became weak and trembling with fear, trying to get out of the way.

But there were so many people around me that I couldn't move.

"Don't be afraid!" The Xu family servants who were mixed in the crowd shouted, "They are trying to scare us. Lin Run loves the people like his own children and will not hurt us!"

"Let them measure the land, or everyone will be left with nothing to eat!"

"You have to pay taxes and perform labor service! You will never be able to be a member of the Xu family again!"

"If you die, we'll bury you in the palace. If you're injured, we'll treat you. Don't be afraid. Just hold on!"

It turns out that this shouting really worked and the villagers regained their composure.

"One!" the magistrate shouted.

The cavalrymen then made up their minds and squeezed their horses hard. Countless horses galloped forward like a tumbling dragon!

Amid the clatter of horse hooves, smoke and dust billowed up, and there seemed to be thousands of chariots and horses.

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

Many women and children were so frightened that they cried loudly, calling for their parents, but they were held down by the villagers and could not move.

All they could do was watch the horse team getting faster and closer!

Seeing that the human wall still did not disperse, the soldiers on horseback also became nervous. Many cavalrymen turned back to look at the judge who was holding the command flag high.

However, the judge could not stand the pressure any longer and turned back to look at the gate of Huangni Temple.

This is a deterrent measure used by the government to crush the will of the people. However, once the villagers are determined to resist to the end, the pressure will be shifted back to the government.

Lin Run's face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Retreat!"

The magistrate had good ears and immediately asked the bailiff beside him to sound the horn.

Ding ding ding!

At the sound of the horn, all the cavalrymen suddenly pulled back their reins.

Finally, it stopped abruptly less than three feet away from the human wall.

Many war horses raised their front hooves high, almost hitting the villagers in the front.

They were so scared that they sat down on the ground, but it was a close call and no one was injured.

~~

"Troublesome people!" Zheng Yuanshao spat, and asked with a gloomy face: "Zhongcheng, what should we do?"

Lin Run did not answer. He glanced at the crowd of villagers and turned away.

He had seen everything he wanted to see.

The Xu family and the villagers of Songjiang formed a community of interests.

The Xu family sheltered the villagers from evading taxes and corvee labor. The villagers were willing to be driven by the Xu family and used human wave tactics to fight against the government.

If we don't break this interest chain and make the Xu family bow their heads, it will be a foolish dream to want to survey the land!

So he didn't waste any more words to persuade the villagers earnestly, but turned around and left without any delay.

~~

Afang Garden.

The Xu brothers have been anxiously waiting for news.

In the afternoon, Xu Ba ran in with a happy face to report.

"Retreat, retreat, Lin Run retreat!"

"Oh?" Xu Ying jumped up from the chair, grabbed Xu Ba, and said excitedly: "Tell me quickly, what's going on?!"

Xu Ba then vividly described to the two masters how their men kept a close eye on the governor's office, how they gathered the people to fight against the government troops, and how they encouraged the people to stand in front of the charging cavalry.

"I admit that there is an element of gambling in this." Xu Ba said with a smug look on his face: "As long as those cavalrymen rush forward a few more steps and knock down a few people, the crowd will disperse."

"But Lin Run didn't dare to hurt the peasant and shouted stop at the last moment." Xu Ba's tail was almost up to the sky.

"The soldiers lost all their temper and could only withdraw in disgrace."

"Hahahaha!" Xu Ying slapped the table, wiping tears with laughter, and said, "Brother is right! How can a woman's kindness lead to great things?"

"The so-called clean officials are all like this, they are too burdened and can't accomplish anything." Xu Fan smiled contemptuously and said, "Let's go and welcome the governor."

"Let's go together." How could Xu Ying miss this good opportunity to laugh at the fool?

The two brothers rode on their tall horses and came to Jixian Gate, surrounded by servants, intending to create an "encounter" and ridicule Lin Zhongcheng who had returned empty-handed.

Just like a terrorist organization would claim responsibility after committing a crime, Xu Fan also had to let Lin Run know clearly that the Xu family's will was behind today's events.

~~

Unexpectedly, they waited and waited, until after noon when they were starving, but still did not see Lin Run and his army return.

It was not until Xu Ba, who had gone to inquire about the news, returned that they found out what had happened.

"What, they left by boat?" Xu Fan was a little confused when he heard that.

"Yes, their warships have been waiting in Shenjia Bay for a long time. They will board the ship as soon as they leave Xujiagang."

The Xu brothers looked at each other in surprise.

Isn't Lin Zhongcheng too sensitive? Even if the land has not been measured, he can't just turn around and leave.

We can still talk about it and come up with a measurement method that everyone is happy with.

What's the matter with just leaving?

"Where did they go?" Xu Ying asked again, thinking that if he hurried to Dazhangjing, he might run into them.

"Go downstream." Xu Ba's answer was completely different.

"Downstream?" The brothers were confused again.

Dazhangjing is an artificial canal that passes through Songjiang Prefecture and connects the Wusong River and the Huangpu River.

If Lin Run wanted to return to Suzhou, he should go north along Dazhangjing instead of going downstream.

Although you can reach the Wusong River by going downstream, you have to go around in a big circle and walk a hundred or so more miles.

Therefore, there is only one destination when going downstream along the Huangpu River!

"Why is he going to Shanghai? Fishing?" Xu Fan looked towards the northeast, looking puzzled.

The development of the two counties of Songjiang Prefecture, Huating and Shanghai, is extremely unbalanced, with 80% of the population and land in Huating.

Therefore, people in Huating often look down on people from Shanghai.

In fact, Shanghai County has a larger population and annual tax than Kunshan...

Well, I can only find confidence in Deputy Class Monitor Su Song.

"Could it be that you hit a snag here and are going to pick on the weak ones?" Xu Ying said with a teasing smile.

"It's possible." Xu Fan said uncertainly, stroking his beard.

Although the Xu family also owns a lot of land in Shanghai, their control is ultimately not as strong as that of Huating.

Because when Lu Shen, the old man of the Shanghai Lu family, was alive, he had a very close relationship with Lord Xu, and they had a deep affection for each other, so the Xu family couldn't eat in a too ugly way.

But Xu Fan thought again and realized that this was not Lin Run's style.

He is a ruthless person who dares to destroy the Yan family and the Lu family.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "Let's go to Shanghai and see what kind of monster he is up to!"

ps. The third update will be written tomorrow.