Chapter 85: Aftersound
The Fengyang County City is in chaos tonight. People are walking everywhere, coming from all directions of the county city. Their destination is very clear, which is the most prosperous Ruyifang Market in the county city.
An official document was sent out from the prefectural government this afternoon, stating that Liu Ruyi, the owner of Ruyifang, had colluded with bandits, secretly stored weapons and intended to rebel, and he should be put to death.
It can be considered as a complete rebellion against the Liu family from an official perspective.
Soon, the county governor sent out soldiers to surround Ruyifang Market and capture the "rebels".
Of course, whether the managers and workers in Ruyifang are considered to be rebellious is a matter for the officials who are responsible for executing orders to judge.
Since it is a rebellion, the assets must be seized.
Moreover, the incident happened suddenly, the mobilization of personnel was chaotic, and there were some "thieves" who obstructed the process. Therefore, it is understandable that important items were "accidentally" lost during the seizure process.
I think that with the wisdom of Governor Hong, he would probably be able to accept this situation.
Besides, for such a big matter, the prefect did not even send his own guards, and left all matters to the prefectural governor. This was obviously understood by smart people as a kind of "tacit consent".
Thus, in the second half of the night, the Ruyifang Market, which was surrounded by government soldiers, fell into complete chaos.
Under the leadership of their superiors, government soldiers broke into the Ruyifang shop, arrested the trembling shopkeeper and clerks, and tied them up with ropes.
They also took away all the loose change and valuables that were easy to carry.
They dare not touch the big things.
But it’s okay to make a little money.
And it wasn't just the county soldiers. The families of some officials in the city also "enthusiastically" came to help maintain the city when they saw that the soldiers were short of manpower.
We are all people who serve the country and are loyal to the court.
Now that chaos has occurred, it is only natural to help colleagues maintain order.
What's even more outrageous is that a group of foxes and rats in the city, like sharks that have smelled blood, gathered in groups of three or five and covered their faces with black cloth.
Also as "enthusiastic people", come to help.
The most conspicuous Liu Mansion had its doors tightly closed and was guarded by a group of housekeepers. They were now as panic-stricken as headless flies.
The butler and the master are both missing.
Faced with the current situation, their only choice is to stay here and prevent the soldiers outside the door from rushing in like bandits.
Once the gate is lost, the entire Liu Mansion will be flooded with blood.
Some people even climbed over the wall and committed evil in the backyard, and some even tried to set fire.
"Get out! Everyone, get out!"
Two streets away from Liu's residence, in the midst of the chaos, the door of the Ruyifang silk shop was forcibly broken down by a group of soldiers. Amid the waving of gleaming blades, an old soldier with a frivolous manner shouted:
"You are rebels, why don't you surrender! Put down your weapons and surrender... Oh, this young lady has a good figure, haha, she must be the family of the thief, we can't let her escape!
Surround me on both sides and drive out all irrelevant people!
I want to interrogate the prisoner's family first on behalf of the adults."
Against the backdrop of several torches, the old soldier had a smile on his face and had already started unbuckling his belt as he walked forward.
In front of him , the shop owner, like an old hen protecting her chicks, just opened his arms and trembled as he protected his daughter amid the strange laughter of the palace soldiers.
The old shopkeeper's eyes were filled with fear.
He was already filled with despair; the crying and noise coming from outside the door told him something ominous was happening. The poor little girl could only grab her father's arm, she was so scared that she couldn't even speak.
Her big eyes were filled with tears.
"Excuse me."
At this moment, a low voice came from outside the door, with a strange accent, which made the old soldier, who had already unbuttoned his pants, extremely unhappy.
He turned his head and saw a young man wearing strange clothes and short hair standing there.
In his hand he held a title deed.
"Is this Ruyifang Market?"
Su looked around and didn't seem to be surprised by the chaos in front of him. He had seen this kind of thing many times in the wasteland and didn't care at all.
The only thing he cares about now is whether he can complete his mission tonight.
"Are you blind? Can't you see the huge Ruyifang Market sign?"
The old soldier cursed and said:
"Get lost! Don't come and disturb my good deeds."
"This land deed is from Ruyifang City."
Su was not angry. He waved the deed in his hand and said calmly to the group of soldiers in front of him who looked unfriendly:
"This place now belongs to Kunlun Square. Please leave. We will take over this place."
"Ah?"
The old soldier sneered and pursed his lips. Several soldiers on the left and right immediately grabbed their weapons and pressed towards Su. The old soldier shouted:
"I don't understand what a land deed is! I've never heard of Kunlunfang! My superiors asked me to arrest the rebels, it was an order from the court.
If you dare to obstruct, you are like a bandit!
Catch this damn bastard for me!"
Sue tilted her head.
As the torches flickered, four or five soldiers rushed towards him with knives in hand. The wasteland warrior's left eye glowed slightly, and the wandering cursor locked onto the man in front of him in less than a moment.
Sue didn't even need to raise her hand.
The left arm prosthesis connected to the chip fire control system, like a precise robotic arm, completed a series of actions including drawing the gun, aiming, and shooting within one second.
After five gunshots were fired almost simultaneously, the strong smell of blood filled the lobby of the silk shop.
Five corpses with exploded heads fell to the ground, frightening the shopkeeper and his family to death.
The old shopkeeper immediately fell to his knees and begged for mercy loudly.
"Kunlunfang, from tonight onwards, will take over all the properties of Ruyifang."
Su's eyes swept across the shop in front of him, and he said without changing his tone:
"Do you want to continue to fulfill the contract and work for Kunlun Square? Or do you want to terminate the contract now and become a free man?"
"I am willing to work for Kunlun Square!"
The old shopkeeper suddenly got an idea and shouted:
"Please, my king, protect my family!"
"Well, the contract is concluded. We will be responsible for your safety, which is one of your basic employee benefits. In addition, please clean up the bodies here.
Don't let the blood pollute the precious property of Kunlunfang."
Su said this, then turned and left under the astonished gaze of the old housekeeper. On the street in front of the silk shop, the abnormal noise was being quickly suppressed.
Three hundred trained new recruits, divided into groups of ten, easily broke through the encirclement of the palace soldiers.
Having entered various places in Ruyifang City, the unique crisp sound of bolt-action rifles has become the most distinctive sound effect in this area after the chaos.
"Jasmine, send out the drone."
Su Zuoyou looked at the situation and said to his supporters in Fengshan through the chip communication:
"While clearing the enemies from the sky, use tricolor fireworks to provide tactical guidance to the team. In thirty minutes, I want to see a Ruyifang City that is completely under our control!"
"Received! Drones 1-10, firepower authority activated, decentralization completed."
Jasmine's crisp voice sounded immediately.
Following the response, ten signals were incorporated into the chip control of Su and the three wasteland warriors. On the battlefield where the coordinates were completed, the next moment, there was a fire shot down from the sky, covering the three areas.
Sue was still standing there.
But under his control, four black box-like drones patrolled the surrounding streets like his eyes, his fingers, and his weapons.
If we encounter people who take advantage of the chaos to rob, we will shoot them.
These drones are small in size and use small-caliber rays, which are not lethal, but are more than enough for carrying out explosion suppression missions.
"Old Four, I'll give you command of the four teams. Block the east side of the market."
Su said in the newsletter:
"From now on, Ruyi Market is closed. No one is allowed to enter or leave! Until Jasmine arrives to take over and count our property and supplies.
You are given free fire."
A few seconds later, the fourth brother asked in a weak voice:
"Only guard the east side? And ignore the other three sides?"
"There are drones on duty over there, and Fox is leading people to lay mines in three other directions."
Su said briefly, and the next moment, the fourth brother's voice became louder.
"Are you crazy? How could you bury that thing in the city?"
"It was Jiang Xia... the boss ordered it."
Su was silent for a few seconds and said:
"Follow the order."
"The boss said so? That's fine."
The fourth brother responded and obeyed the order unconditionally.
Communications were immediately shut down.
Su moved his shoulders and took out the classic replica M107 sniper rifle from behind. He was about to find a vantage point to assess the situation when he suddenly felt someone approaching from behind.
"Shua"
As he turned around, the cold Colt touched the forehead of the girl behind him, which scared her.
"Um?"
Su looked at the girl in front of him who was wearing a floral dress and had a bun on her hair. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. Her dark and thin face was full of confusion.
He recognized the girl.
This is the girl who was almost executed on the spot by the soldiers just now.
"Daddy said, please...please have a drink of water, my king, to moisten your throat."
The little girl was so scared that she almost cried.
But in his hands he held a wooden tray with an exquisite little teapot and a teacup on it. Just by smelling the tea, he knew it was top-quality tea. It was probably a thank you from the old shopkeeper who almost ruined his family.
"I'm not some great king."
Su took back the gun and did not apologize.
He directly reached out for the teacup and drank the hot tea in one gulp without any expression. His throat was fitted with a prosthesis so he would not be burned by the scorching hot tea.
"It tastes good, thanks."
Su expressed his gratitude in a very formal manner, then turned around without any reluctance and walked into the darkness of the street with his gun in hand.
The little girl was left standing there in a daze.
The man who saved her innocence...
very strange.
The girl with a nice figure stared at the direction where Su disappeared and thought so.
——
In the same city, in the prefectural residence on the other side, Prefect Hong Tao was in his study, flipping through the books in his hands in the daylight brought by a few exquisite candles.
Although it is still in the style of a book of this era, there are four large seal characters on the cover.
"The Beginning of Artillery"
Butler Hong also changed back into his black butler uniform and stood beside the master, saying nothing, waiting for the master's comments. The chaos in the city did not spread here.
The governor's personal soldiers, who had received training together with the new recruits, were guarding outside the courtyard with bolt-action rifles in hand.
“This book is very strange.”
Governor Hong was a well-read man and had read many books on military strategy, but he had never read a book as difficult as the one in his hand.
Especially those incomprehensible formulas and diagrams, which made him feel as difficult as a beginner.
"It doesn't have much description, but it uses numbers and specifications to form a book. I don't know whether the 'artillery techniques' in this book are true or not, but it has its own system, so I don't think it's made up."
The governor put down the book, rubbed his forehead, raised his head, looked at Butler Hong, and said:
"Maolin, you've been with Jiang Xia for many days, what do you think of him?"
"He is a rare and brave man, but he is also a heretic."
Butler Hong said bluntly:
“He can’t be used by the court. His heart and actions show that he has no intention of getting close to the court. Although he calls himself a businessman, I think there is a gulf in his heart.
My ambition is definitely not limited to just one Ruyifang. "
"Well, to receive such an evaluation from Mao Lin, it seems that Jiang Xia is definitely not an ordinary person."
The governor laughed and twirled his beard. After a few breaths, he said:
"Since he wants to meet me, Mao Lin will go there for me afterwards to see what he wants to say to me."
"Um."
Butler Hong nodded and continued:
"Master, if you let them do what they want tonight, I'm afraid it will hurt your reputation."
"Injury? It doesn't matter."
Governor Hong shook his head, leaned back on the armchair, picked up the Introduction to Artillery, flipped through a few pages, frowned, and said as he read:
"The intention of using Liu Ruyi's child's head to shock the tiger has been spread. Next, we need to clarify the matter of Fengyang County. Mao Lin, you have been by my side since you started your career. You have seen a lot and know a lot.
Isn’t what happened tonight just as I always say?
Since ancient times, the first priority for an official is to be aware of the overall situation. Never do things that should not be done, and even if you should do something, you have to choose the right time.
Not too late, and certainly not too early.
How can those who dare to fish money out of the frying pan tonight be called sensible?
Besides, in the officialdom, each person has his own position.
Don't clean it.
Where does the new position come from, to give to people who have made contributions? And if you don't reward people for their contributions, how can you be a superior?
For example, Sun Xiuting, although he is a bit pedantic, he is a capable person. He has made great contributions this time, so it is only natural that he should be granted the title of a prefectural magistrate.
For example, Mao Lin, you have followed me for twenty years. You have such talent, you can't let it go to waste behind an old man like me.
After I return to the capital, I will hand over Fengyang County to you, only then will I feel at ease."
"Master! No!"
Butler Hong was startled and said in a deep voice:
"As a relative of the emperor, if you do private transactions, it may cause dissatisfaction to His Majesty. This will bring disaster! You must not do it!"
"His Majesty?"
Governor Hong sighed, flipped through the pages of the book, and said softly:
"My brother-in-law... well, let's not talk about it."
"If I ask you to stay here, then you can stay here peacefully. I have my own ideas."
