Shen Tang: “…”
This is totally off the mark!
The battle hadn't even started yet and the magistrate had already fled.
This matter was still within Qishan's expectations, so he was not surprised at all. If the county governor suddenly vowed to defend the city to the death and live and die with the people of Xiaocheng, that would be the sun rising from the west.
Either the county magistrate has lost his brain or he has been possessed by someone.
Shen Tang: "Who is in charge of Xiaocheng now?"
The people don’t know either.
He also heard the news from other people on the road. As for who else knew it from...
It has nothing to do with him!
The most important thing now is to escape.
The man took a breath, carried his elderly mother on his back again, tied the hemp rope, picked up a wooden stick and some dry food, and said goodbye to Shen Tang and the other three. Shen Tang clenched his fists suddenly as he watched the mother and son blend into the crowd of refugees.
I thought I could reach the destination in the remaining three hours, but the result was contrary to my expectation. The official road was blocked and the side roads were filled with fleeing civilians.
The four had to change the route and took a detour. Along the way, they saw fireworks coming out of a village and a group of strong young men dressed as soldiers were arresting people.
It's obvious at first glance that Shen Tang and the others have the potential to be cannon fodder.
The leading soldier glanced at them, pointed his spear at the four of them, and shouted, "The four of you stop!"
Shen Tang paused.
He asked coldly, "You called me?"
Several soldiers gathered around, and the leader looked Shen Tang and the other three up and down, and was very satisfied with their age and physique.
"Are you from this village? Do you also want to avoid conscription?"
Shen Tang had a cold face. Even though he wanted to punch the man to the ground, he still responded: "No, he's just a traveler passing by."
It is better to have less trouble than more. The clothes of these soldiers are obviously not from the Sibao County garrison, so they are most likely rebels.
Shen Tang didn't want to cause trouble, but it was a pity that she wanted to let the man go, but she couldn't stop him from seeking death.
The leading soldier refused to listen to the explanation.
"Whether it's true or not, we'll find out once we catch you and interrogate you. If we find out you're lying... Haha! Take all of you away!"
The man waved his hand.
They have targets for "recruiting soldiers".
If the target is not met, you will be scolded when you return. You have to catch enough people for the sake of your future. If you encounter anyone who resists or obstructs, you will kill them directly.
Just as Shen Tang was about to explode, two soldiers grabbed a man from a dilapidated house at the entrance of the village and said excitedly, "Boss, come and have a look!"
This was followed by the woman's screams of struggle and resistance.
Shen Tang looked in the direction of the sound and saw a pretty peasant woman in simple women's clothes being dragged out of the house, begging for mercy. Even with the black soot on her face, it was still clear that she was a famous woman. Another man chased after her.
"... Master Bing, Master Bing, please let my wife go... I will go with you, just in case you let her go!"
The young couple hid in the firewood pile behind the dilapidated house, but they were no match for the soldiers who broke into the village and searched every place where people could hide.
The couple was soon found.
The man thought that he could just agree to go, but he still underestimated the cruelty of these rebels. Their "recruitment" target was not small, and it was difficult to complete it under normal circumstances. In order to avoid punishment, these soldiers would also look for women with good looks or figures.
What is it used for
Of course it is used to bribe the boss.
Of course, good-looking men are also fine.
If you can satisfy your boss, not only can the issue of the indicators be resolved, but you can also win his appreciation, be promoted and be reused.
From this perspective, this pretty peasant woman is much more important than the man and is related to her future.
The man stepped forward to pull and block the way. The peasant woman scratched and injured people while struggling, and finally annoyed the soldier, who kicked the man in the heart.
Don't know how to appreciate a favor!
If the kick landed solidly on a man, at the very least he would fall to the ground, or even lose consciousness in a serious situation.
Who knows—
That's when the accident happened.
A sword beam came at him, and a scream more tragic than that of slaughtering a pig was heard, and the calf of the soldier who kicked him flew out.
Yes, it flew straight out!
A huge spurt of blood splashed all over the man's face.
The woman was also frightened by this scene and almost forgot to struggle. But only for a moment, when the soldier fell to the ground with his calf lost, she opened her mouth and bit the other man's wrist, and took advantage of the pain to let go of his hand and pounced on her man.
In just a short period of time, the situation was reversed.
Shen Tang's move seemed like a signal.
Gong Shuwu broke the necks of the two closest to him with his bare hands. Qi Shan sneered and drew out his sword. Shen Tang liked to wipe people's necks, while he liked to hit people's hearts. The remaining Chu Yao did not wear a sword. After all, he had not used swordsmanship for many years, and wearing a sword was just for decoration. But he was a scholar after all. He was stronger than ordinary people, and a punch could make a person's head buzz and the world spin.
These "forced conscripts" were all ordinary people, not even the lowest-ranking officials, so Shen Tang and his four companions could kill all the remaining people.
The couple were not the only ones rescued.
Dozens of people trembled as they looked at the corpses on the ground.
Shen Tang shook off the blood on the sword and said calmly, "Pack up and escape together. This place is no longer safe."
If this team of soldiers did not go back to report, the rebels would track them down to the village sooner or later. Staying here would mean waiting for death, so it would be better to escape as soon as possible.
"Thank you, my good man! Thank you, my good man!"
Shen Tang's expression softened a lot: "No need to thank me, it's against our principles to watch someone die without helping or to stop the trouble."
Although her disguised appearance is tough and scary, her eyes are calm and she looks more like a good person who looks fierce.
But good people are often bullied.
Most of the villagers had no choice but to go back and pack up their belongings and escape as soon as possible, but a few of them were confused and cursed at the top of their lungs, pointing at Shen Tang's nose and cursing.
"You damned bastards, what are you doing trying to be a hero? Didn't you kill all the people? Why did you let us escape? If the four of you hadn't intervened, these bastards would have just captured the people and left!"
Qi Shan and the others' faces suddenly changed.
It's not that they haven't seen this kind of situation before. In fact, they all know that people's hearts are fickle, especially in these remote places, where poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people, and don't expect unruly people to "repay kindness".
The reason they changed their expressions was because of Shen Tang.
In the opinion of Qishan and the others, Shen Xiaolangjun/Wulang is still young, and facing this scene without any warning is not good for his physical and mental health.
But, I never expected—
The next moment, Shen Tang's sword was firmly against the man's neck, leaving a bloody mark. The villager felt the pain and became frightened. His face turned pale and he looked at Shen Tang in disbelief at the sudden attack.
"Oh, do you know what fear is?" Shen Tang's expression was cold, and he sneered, just like her drunken demeanor, and warned, "Don't move! If you move, I won't be able to hold my sword steady, and your head and body will be separated. Since you call me a 'fierce bandit', believe it or not, I will show you how fierce I am. After all, I have killed so many people, so what if I kill a few more blind people?"
For a moment, the atmosphere around fell to the bottom.
Shen Tang was surrounded by a cold murderous intent that even frightened Gong Shuwu, let alone these ordinary villagers
He immediately changed his words and begged for mercy, not daring to do anything else.
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