The soldiers were quickly beaten to death by the villagers. Looking at the mangled corpses on the ground, the villagers, who had regained their senses, were at a loss.
"We beat the official to death!"
"What, what should we do!"
They were all farmers who worked the land year-round; this was their first time committing a crime out of passion, and it was something they were forced to do.
The woman still tightly gripped the large knife she had taken from the soldiers. She wiped the blood from her face and looked at the village chief, whose brows were furrowed.
"Let's go! We're going to Longtan!"
Her voice boomed like thunder in the silent crowd, startling the villagers into looking at each other in disbelief.
"But the wheat in the field will be ready for harvest soon!" Some people were reluctant to part with the grain in the field.
The woman pursed her lips. Seeing that the village chief remained silent for a long time, she picked up her broadsword, turned around, and left. She had to hurry back to pack her things.
Unexpectedly, she survived; she was going to chase after her son.
"Xiu'e, where are you going?" the village chief called after her.
The woman, Xiu'e, replied without replying, "Pack your things and go to Longtan. We killed the government soldiers, and this can't be kept secret. The village is doomed. If we don't leave, staying means certain death."
The village chief suddenly realized what was happening. "Quick! Go back and pack your things. We need to leave right away. It'll be troublesome if soldiers from other villages come."
Upon hearing this, the villagers took off running. Faced with their lives, no one cared about the wheat in the field that was about to be harvested.
Half an hour later, the entire village of three hundred people was deserted.
In the evening, the soldiers who were recruiting in other villages waited for a long time at the agreed-upon fork in the road, but the other team never came.
Upon inspection, it was discovered that the bodies of the slain soldiers were already cold and stiff.
The officers and soldiers reported the news up the chain of command, eventually bringing it to Yu Shida for a decision.
"What? Five people were killed? Who had the audacity to do that?"
"Reporting to the general, they are villagers from Shidong Village."
"Can we take them down?"
Those peasants who dared to kill him, once captured, must all be conscripted into the army.
The subordinate lowered his eyes, not daring to look at him. "No, by the time the soldiers from other villages discovered it, all the villagers had run into the deep mountains."
Yu Shida slammed his fist on the table in anger, “Useless! What use are you? You can’t even handle such a small matter!”
"Please forgive me, General!" The subordinate hurriedly knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
"General, please calm down! I have a suggestion," a nearby aide said, trying to defuse the situation.
Yu Shida glanced at him sideways, "Hmm?"
The aide took the opportunity to wave to his subordinates, and only after he left did he slowly speak, "Recently, many refugees from the south have come to the city. General, you can write a proclamation for the Dongyue royal family to launch a northern expedition and recruit soldiers in Nanzhou Prefecture, along with money and land for them to settle down. I believe many people will come to enlist."
"Sir, that's a brilliant idea!"
His staff solved a major problem for him in recruiting soldiers, and Yu Shida gave him a thumbs up.
Soon, the recruitment proclamation issued by the Nanzhou Prefecture Military Government was posted on the city's bulletin boards, and soldiers would occasionally read it aloud along the streets while beating gongs and drums.
Inside the government office, the registrar was complaining to Yun Zhenchuan, "Sir, the Yu family's behavior clearly shows they don't respect you."
The clerk also came from a minor aristocratic family, so naturally he was unwilling to see the Yu family become the dominant force.
"I will send a letter to Lord Feng right away. The affairs of the military government are beyond our control. Let's see what the future holds for the Yu family," Yun Zhenchuan said unhurriedly.
He had already broken ties with the Yu family, and his two nephews had even clashed with him several times. If they met again in the future, he would help Yunye and his brothers.
Upon receiving the news, Yun Si, Yun Qi, and a few others gathered together to discuss it.
"The Yu family is really rich!"
"That's right. Anyone who enlists will be rewarded with two taels of silver, plus their whole family will be granted residency and land."
"Wouldn't that make them military households?"
“They’re all refugees from the north. There’s no better deal. Two taels of silver is enough for the whole family’s expenses for a year, and they can even register their household without having to buy additional land. They’re going to die anyway, so enlisting at least gives them something to eat. Look at the long line of people enlisting; there are quite a few of them,” Yun Si explained to the two of them.
Yun Qi frowned and said, "Send a message to the city lord and the others."
Yun Si looked at Yun Xiaobei, "Where are the villagers of Shidong Village?"
Yun Xiaobei: "We will be able to leave the territory of Shigong City today."
"By the way, let's also mention this to the city lord, so that she can be prepared."
After nightfall, a carrier pigeon flew out from the sky above Nanzhou Prefecture.
With the strong financial backing of the Yu family, a total of 20,000 soldiers were recruited. They will train at the military headquarters for a month, and then Yu Shida will lead them to Dongyue to join the Wang family's troops.
The Fan family, whose gates had been tightly shut since Fan Yuejia's death, has recently seen a number of stewards frequently coming and going.
"Young Master, everything has been taken care of!" The steward bowed and handed Fan Chuanji a thick stack of papers.
Fan Bing took the note from the steward and handed it to Fan Chuanji.
Fan Chuanji flipped through the land deeds, each bearing the official seal, with great interest, a faint smile playing on his lips.
After a long while, he placed the stack of land deeds on the table and gave Fan Bing a wink.
Fan Bing, being astute, took out a silver note from his pocket and stuffed it into the steward's hand.
"Young Master, this..." The steward was somewhat apprehensive.
"Manager, please accept this. You've worked so hard; this is what you deserve."
The steward nervously accepted the silver note. Fan Bing gestured for him to leave, and the steward bowed and withdrew from the reception room.
Fan Chuanji was satisfied with the manager's competence.
The murderous intent in his eyes flashed, and a cold, bloodthirsty smile played on his lips. "Yu family, you took everything from the Fan family. One day I will take it all back and let you taste what it feels like to be trampled underfoot."
"Young Master, should we continue to keep an eye on the Yu family?" Fan Bing asked.
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