novelapdf Chapter 1472: Tempering the Heart in the Mortal World (6)
Chapter 1472: Tempering the Heart in the Mortal World (6)
Chapter 1472: Tempering the Heart in the Mortal World (XVI)
"Bold and unruly!"
When Wang Chen cut off the second head, a team of fully armed soldiers rushed over and started killing the refugees around Ye Dai and others, killing more than a dozen people in an instant.
Ye Dai is the daughter of Ye Xiangming. Although she was born in a foreign family, the county magistrate's favor towards her has long been an open secret in Qing'an County, and not many people are unaware of it.
And these soldiers responsible for maintaining law and order outside the city are all Ye Xiangming's subordinates.
When the victims gathered around them just now, these soldiers became very alert and reacted quickly.
They were even more brutal and ruthless than Wang Chen. They would kill even those who knelt on the ground and begged for mercy. They used heads and blood to warn other refugees.
It’s not that these soldiers like killing people, but if they don’t use such cruel means to kill chickens and scare monkeys, then nearly ten thousand refugees will be impossible to control, and the consequences will be disastrous if they cause chaos.
A minor disturbance was quickly quelled.
"Let's go back."
Wang Chen sheathed his sword and said softly to his wife and concubine, "Let others handle the relief work in the future."
Ye Dai nodded with a pale face.
She had always been raised in seclusion and had no idea of the cruelty of the world. Today she had learned a good lesson.
All three views have been severely impacted.
Not long after Wang Chen returned home with his wives and concubines, his father-in-law Ye Xiangming hurried to the door.
The county magistrate had obviously received the news. He came over to inquire about the situation, and then scolded Ye Dai with a stern face.
Ye Dai was scolded so much that she burst into tears.
Ye Xiangming also complained to Wang Chen: "Don't spoil her too much and let her do whatever she wants."
Wang Chen smiled bitterly: "My son-in-law knows."
"This is none of my husband's business."
Ye Dai quickly wiped away her tears and defended Wang Chen, "It's all my fault."
"You ah you!"
Ye Xiangming actually still loved his daughter very much. He waved his hand feebly and said, "Go and reflect on yourself. Wang Chen and I still have something to discuss. We'll have dinner here tonight."
After Ye Dai left, Ye Xiangming said to Wang Chen in a serious tone: "The current situation is not good..."
First, Qing'an County asked the provincial capital for help, but the provincial capital said it was powerless. Not only could it not allocate any relief grain, but it also asked the county government to withdraw some grain from the official warehouse to support the provincial capital.
Because all seven counties of Changyi Prefecture suffered from disasters, the drought in several counties was particularly severe.
The situation in Qing'an County is considered good.
Currently, tens of thousands of disaster victims have gathered outside the city, and the number is still increasing.
The price of rice in the city has risen to twenty cents per catty, and there have even been incidents of rice shops being looted. The grain reserves in the city treasury can only support two or three months at most.
If there is no new rice in the warehouse by then, the consequences will be disastrous.
As the saying goes, when it rains it pours. The refugees in Santai County, which was hit hardest by the drought, rioted and almost took over the county.
"It is very likely that a drought demon has appeared in Santai County."
Ye Xiangming's expression was extremely ugly: "Once the drought demon appears, the land will be barren for thousands of miles. It is impossible for our Qing'an County to remain unscathed!"
For the mortal world, drought is undoubtedly one of the most terrible disasters.
The drought demon often appears in the world along with natural disasters. Wherever it appears, rivers and lakes dry up, the wilderness becomes barren, and it can also bring fires.
It is normal for a drought demon to destroy an entire city!
In order to deal with this drought demon, Changyi Prefecture has recruited martial arts masters and elite soldiers, and sought help from the magicians of Baiyun Temple, preparing to kill it.
Although it is said that the sooner the drought demon is killed, the better, but as a natural disaster, it is not so easy to deal with.
I don’t know how many people will have to die before this problem can be solved!
But this is not the most troublesome thing.
The biggest problem lies with the court of Nanli Kingdom. Ever since King Nanli fell seriously ill half a year ago, the open and secret struggles among the princes have entered a white-hot state, greatly affecting the national situation.
All these situations combined make people feel that the country is about to fall into chaos and that chaos is imminent.
Once the sky falls, Ye Xiangming, who has always been powerful in Qing'an County, dare not say that he can guarantee the safety of his wife and children.
"To prepare for a rainy day, we still have to make plans early."
The county magistrate finally said to Wang Chen: "You and I both need a way out."
Ye Xiangming was not making empty threats. In less than half a month, the situation in Changyi Prefecture deteriorated rapidly.
With no way to survive, the refugees of Santai County fought desperately at all costs and finally captured the county town.
They looted all the wealthy families in the city, killed many gentry, and then took a large number of civilians with them to form an army of bandits, and launched raids on the neighboring areas of Santai County.
When the news spread, the entire Changyi Prefecture fell into panic.
These bandits grew rapidly like a snowball, sweeping across Changyi Prefecture like locusts, with their number exceeding 50,000.
This huge bandit army did not attack the provincial capital with strong defenses, but went down the river, taking more victims with them while attacking local county towns.
Only one month later, Yongping County, located in the upper reaches of the Qingshui River, was captured.
Yongping County is adjacent to Qing'an County. Its fall means that Qing'an County will face the front of the bandit army!
When the news came, all the gentry and merchants in the county were in a panic.
Many people hurriedly fled the city with their families, heading further south to escape the disaster.
A large number of people from the countryside poured into the county town, causing the public security in the county to deteriorate rapidly. Ye Xiangming patrolled the streets with soldiers every day and killed batches of rioters.
By early July, the county town was overcrowded and the city gates were completely closed.
Because the bandit army is coming.
Woo~
The desolate sound of the horn spread throughout the area. Outside Qing'an City, large numbers of bandits came from all over the mountains and plains.
There were over ten thousand people, and it was endless. The bandits surrounding Qing'an County were at least fifty or sixty thousand strong. They covered a large area of the wilderness in a black mass, which made people's scalp tingle just by looking at it.
You have to know that the population in Qing'an County is not that large. Ye Xiangming has only 300 soldiers under his command. Even if the county government's constables and runners are included, the armed force does not exceed 500.
They were facing an enemy that was a hundred times more powerful!
Under such circumstances, the county magistrate Yu Heqian and the county assistant Ye Xiangming were unprecedentedly united. They not only used tough measures to conscript the servants of the gentry and wealthy families in the city to guard their homes, but also organized all the members of the local gangs and distributed weapons to them to serve as soldiers.
In addition, a group of able-bodied men were temporarily recruited, and finally a garrison force of 3,500 people was formed.
In fact, if a critical moment really came, the old, the weak, women and children in the city would have to go to the city wall and fight to the death, otherwise they would be destroyed and slaughtered.
The brutality of the bandits is beyond the imagination of ordinary people!
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The first update is sent.