Chapter 296 Let the Convicts Kill Each Other
The two soldiers lashed their whips at those who had just argued back. Some of them picked up hoes to fight back, and one of the soldiers drew his knife and stabbed a man in the abdomen.
Everyone screamed in terror, "Ahhh..."
He then slashed at the others, cutting one person's chest and another's arm.
The injured person let out several screams, "Aaaaaah!!!"
"After being exiled for three months, you still don't recognize your place, still thinking you're the wife and daughter of a marquis? Today, I'll show you who you are!"
The crowd scattered in terror, while the women and children stood frozen in place, trembling with fear.
A soldier lashed out with his whip at them.
Xiao Xuance dodged, grabbed the soldier's arm, snatched the whip from him, and threw it to the ground.
The soldier roared, "How dare you! The commander sent us to keep an eye on you. Do you dare to resist? Are you trying to rebel?"
"The elderly, women, and children didn't talk back, so why were they whipped?"
He had led troops in the northern frontier, and his men had managed convicts and exiles. He never killed people without cause, but instead trained them alongside the soldiers, so that they could turn their swords against the enemy.
What kind of skill is it for a soldier to bully the women and children of his own country?
The soldier sneered, "Because you're all in this together, if one of you makes a mistake, you'll all be punished. So you have to restrain each other, understand? Anyone who dares to resist will be considered a rebel and executed on the spot, understand?"
Seeing that he didn't respond, the soldier knew he was still not convinced and wanted to beat him until he did. With a swift motion, he drew his sword and slashed at the soldier's shoulder.
Xiao Xuance grabbed his wrist and twisted it, "Crack!" They bumped into another soldier and both fell to the ground. "Ouch!"
Seeing this, Old Liu, who was having his meal, slammed his chopsticks on the table with a loud "bang!"
"You've gone too far! I think you haven't realized your place yet. Both of you, come at me together and kill him!"
Xiao Xuanwu rushed over and got into a fighting stance.
"Where did this brat come from? Get out of here, or don't blame your grandpa for having no eyes in his knife." Two soldiers pointed their weapons at them, their eyes fierce, secretly gritting their teeth and vowing to avenge their humiliation and get back at the place they had just lost.
Xiao Xuanwu used a hoe as a weapon, saying, "I'm not a little kid, I'm almost fourteen years old. If you want to fight my third brother, you'll have to beat me first."
"Alright! We'll take care of you first today, go!" The two soldiers exchanged a glance and charged at him together, their knives slashing down at him. Xiao Xuanwu raised the handle of his hoe to block, the blade deeply embedded in the wooden handle.
Instead of retreating, Xiao Xuanwu advanced, forcefully lifting the handle of his hoe upwards and twisting it.
The two soldiers suddenly felt a numbness in their hands, but before they could draw their swords...
Xiao Xuanwu kicked one of the men in the stomach, "Bang!"
"Ah!" With a scream, the man rolled to the ground.
The other man retreated in panic, but Xiao Xuanwu had already thrown down the hoe handle and rushed close. He slashed at the wrist of the man holding the knife with his palm, and then swept the hoe handle across the other man's knee.
"Clang!" The steel knife fell to the ground, followed immediately by a fist slamming into his chest.
The soldier was sent flying, landing right at Old Liu's feet and crashing into the table where food was laid out, scattering food all over the floor, as if deliberately provoking Old Liu.
Xiao Xuanwu, "..."
He didn't do it on purpose.
Old Liu slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Very good, you're quite capable, aren't you? You're so young and yet you have such skills. You must be very proud of yourself."
"Go and call the people from the other side of the hill over here."
Madam Yang thought he was going to find other soldiers to teach Xiao Xuanwu a lesson. Fearing for her son's safety, she hurriedly stepped forward, curtsied, and apologized, saying, "Sir, it was my son's ignorance that caused the spillage of your food. I will go home right away and make you a new one. Please don't hold it against him. If you are upset, we can compensate you with money."
"Pay back silver? Fine, one hundred taels for each dish, one hundred taels for three bowls of rice, three hundred taels, pay up."
"This is too much. A few dishes are not worth this much money, at most thirty coins."
"Thirty coins? Are you trying to fob off beggars? This isn't over until you get three hundred taels. Someone, go and call some men over here and kill them."
Madam Yang's worried gaze fell on her third son, "Ce'er..."
Xiao Xuance comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. We'll deal with whatever comes our way."
Soon, the soldier who went to call for help returned with a group of fierce-looking, dark-skinned, rough men. They were wearing short jackets and their hands and feet were covered in mud.
They were conscripts, controlled and enslaved by the city defense battalion. They were tasked with clearing land and farming on the other side of the mountain, and were called over to fight.
At first they didn’t want to come, but when they heard that the prisoners who came yesterday were coming, they stopped eating and came over aggressively with farm tools in hand.
"Give them a good lesson! Especially those two."
Xiao Xuance remained calm and composed, his gaze resolute. "I can spar with them. If I win, I have one condition: I hope Lord Liu will stop making things difficult for the women and children. We will compensate them for the food expenses, but we don't have three hundred taels."
The men in the exile group raised their hands and added, "And so are we."
Those soldiers are really ruthless; they'll draw their knives and kill people at the drop of a hat. They don't even want to die.
"Sparring? Who wants to spar with you? We'll swear to our lives! Today, it's either you or us who die!"
Not wanting to make enemies and implicate his family, Xiao Xuance respectfully cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I don't know where I have offended you all!"
"Fine, I don't like the look of you."
Xiao Xuanwu suddenly shouted, "Third Brother, don't gamble with them. There are more of them than us. It's not fair."
Old Liu leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and two soldiers fanned him from either side. "Little brats, whether you gamble or not is not up to you."
"I was just worried that I wouldn't have any fun today. Let's fight! If we lose, we deserve to be beaten to death."
Xiao Xuanwu said angrily, "You actually treat human lives as a form of entertainment? Are you even a soldier?"
In his mind, soldiers should be upright men like his father and brothers, fighting the enemy and protecting the weak on the battlefield, but they only know how to bully the weak and are unworthy of being soldiers.
"Of course we are, and you are prisoners who have entered the city defense camp. Your lives are as insignificant as ants. I can crush you as easily as crushing an ant, hmph!"
"you……"
The person on the other side spoke up, "We'll take them one by one, so you won't accuse us of ganging up on the few."
Xiao Xuanwu shook his head, "That's still unfair. You have more people. We've been working all day, exhausting ourselves, and haven't had a drop of water. We can't take it after just one round. What's the difference between you coming one by one and coming at us all at once? It's still not a fair victory."
Old Liu was getting impatient. "Wait a minute, you brat. This is the city defense camp. Still yelling about fairness? Who gave you the right to talk about fairness? Hurry up and attack together, both sides at once. If you kill anyone, it's your responsibility. The winners will each get a steamed bun, and the losers won't even get swill to eat by evening."
None of the men on the exile side knew martial arts, so they all backed down, shaking their heads and waving their hands as they retreated. "Let's take them one by one. Young Master Xiao can easily handle them all by himself."
The others nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, yes."
Xiao Xuanwu angrily said, "You...you're the ones who caused this trouble, but you're acting like cowards at this crucial moment."
Across from me stood a man in a short jacket, his arms bare, his muscles bulging, his arms covered in scars, his head wrapped in a layer of hemp cloth, with thick eyebrows and large, fierce eyes, a beard, and a tall, imposing figure. His mere presence was enough to intimidate anyone.
Xiao Xuanwu was not afraid and strode forward, wanting to be the first to attack. If he was defeated, his third brother would take care of them.
Those people are no match for him; if he takes one down, it will make things easier for Third Brother.
"I'll go first."
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