As we all know, Zheng Qiao massacred the city several times to vent his anger.
But some massacres were not just about killing people, because there was no profit in it. What was the purpose of joining the army and fighting in wars? In the final analysis, it was just to make a living. Except for a few bloodthirsty, perverted, and inhumane people, few people would treat killing as a form of entertainment.
The city was sealed off and besieged.
The ultimate goal is to plunder money. It is also a "reward" for the soldiers. Because the military pay is usually low, in order to make the soldiers more loyal and fight for their lives, they need "rewards". They rob money, food, and women, and whoever grabs them gets it.
The first to be hit were the wealthy families in the city.
Every one of them counts, no one can escape.
The second is the "middle class" in the city.
The lowest are the common people, who make up the largest group.
The common people in the city were willing to hand over their money in order to survive for a day, but no one was stupid. How could the latter easily hand over all their assets? How could the former believe that such a small amount of money was the life savings of this family
The more money the common people hid, the less the soldiers who came to plunder would gain. There was an irreconcilable "contradiction" between the two. Some soldiers would be reluctant at first, but would be moved by the common people's pleas, but the result of doing so was to watch others get rich.
These soldiers have to make a living, they have hungry children at home, and parents waiting to be served, and they need money and food to feed these people. Only by getting rich can they live a good life. How to get rich? Naturally, they use all means to force out more money.
These soldiers began to "involve internally".
The means of threats and coercion gradually escalated.
From intimidation to beatings, it was effective at first, but soon it became difficult to get the common people to pay, so they upgraded to using sharp weapons to injure people, chopping off people's hands and feet, and finally killing the "poor" to warn the "rich". While squeezing the common people dry, they gradually lost their way.
Killing powerless common people no longer felt any psychological burden, and one could even experience a secret and strange pleasure from it.
The belly was cut open and the intestines were removed, and the corpse was measured with a pond.
There were corpses everywhere and blood was flowing for thousands of miles.
For the common people trapped in the city, death is a relief. The horror of the massacre is that it gives hope again and again, but also increases despair again and again. They are squeezed dry of the last drop of oil and water, waiting for the butcher to raise his knife and fall.
Huang Lie’s wife and daughter are among them.
Once when he was seeing a poor old man, the old man asked him if he had a family. When he found out he didn't, he gave him his granddaughter, whom he couldn't afford to raise, and said, "My granddaughter is very honest. Why don't you let her be your wife? Just give her something to eat and she won't starve to death."
The woman followed Huang Lie just like that.
She was a country woman with an ordinary appearance. She gave birth to a son with mediocre talent and a daughter with plain appearance. She was cowardly and docile in character. She took care of the housework silently, accompanied Huang Lie to the mountains to collect herbs, went to the fields to grow crops, and took care of Huang Lie's younger brother and cousin.
Huang Lie also knew that he owed her.
I saved some money and rented a house.
The original intention was to allow women and children to settle down here.
Who knew that Zheng Qiao would attack the city and massacre the people there.
When the enemy soldiers broke in, the woman's house was left with only old grain and rice bran. After the search, there was nothing else left. The enemy soldiers naturally didn't believe it, so they threatened the woman's son's life. Seeing that it didn't work, they finally believed that the family was really poor. With a gloomy look on their faces, they stabbed the woman's son.
Right in the center.
The woman went mad instantly and wanted to fight to the death with the enemy soldiers.
The enemy soldiers were enraged and raped her and her daughter as if they were their son's corpses, and finally cut off their heads. The massacre lasted for five days, and the number of people alive in the city was less than 50%. When Huang Lie and his men returned home after collecting herbs, the corpses had already stank.
This story makes those who hear it sigh and feel sympathy.
Jiang Sheng frowned: "This man has such a past? It's a pity that what he did afterwards was not as merciful as Zheng Qiao."
Poor and hateful!
Liao Jia was not at all touched.
Again, the same old saying - in this world, who can survive without some wounds on their body? The difference is whether the "wound" heals and forms a scab, or rots and breeds maggots. He asked: "After that, Huang Lie used his reputation over the years to rise to power?"
Xun Zhen shook his head: "No."
It's not easy for a mere bell doctor to get started.
"But he did keep this hatred in his heart. He practiced medicine only to save lives before, but later practiced medicine to accumulate reputation and connections and to find opportunities. By the way, his noble master is indeed quite capable, and the unique skills he passed on to Huang Lie are a bit weird."
Jiang Sheng asked: "Where is the evil door?"
Xun Zhen had not been in contact with Huang Lie for too long, and only knew a little bit: "Huang Lie used his noble master's unique skills to train a group of heavy shield warriors. If nothing unexpected happened, the lord had fought with these heavy shield warriors in the battle of Luxia County..."
"You said that those heavy-shield warriors were trained by Huang Lie using evil means?" At this time, Kang Shi's voice came from outside the door.
"It should be close to 90 percent."
Kang Shi's mind flashed with the appearance of those heavy shield warriors. Although a long time had passed, he still remembered that these heavy shield warriors were very strange: "They are all second-class top-grade warriors, as strong as bulls, breathing in unison, attacking in unison, and they don't know what pain is."
Liao Jia said: "This doesn't sound like a living person."
"More like a puppet." Kang Shi sat down and added a detail, "Wuhui's sinking into water and fire doesn't work."
Xun Zhen secretly took a breath of cold air.
He had worked with Chu Yao in the battle of Yonggu Pass, and he knew very well how powerful the opponent's signature Word Spirit was. How could a mere second-class upper-level person be immune? It was possible for one or two people to rely on their willpower to resist sinking into water and fire, but if everyone was immune...
The possibility is even slimmer than Qi Yuanliang coming ashore and becoming a good person.
Kang Shi also felt that this was a difficult situation, so he asked, "Han Zhang, do you know how many heavy shield warriors Huang Lie has under his command?"
Xun Zhen said solemnly, "When I joined Huang Lie's camp, he only had 2,500 men. But by chance, I heard Huang Lie say that he could have 5,000 men in a short time. Now, I'm afraid there are more and more heavy shield warriors..."
"It's ten thousand."
A voice joined in.
It's the lord.
Several people wanted to stand up to greet him.
Shen Tang waved his hand to signal them not to be polite.
She sat at the top with an opened letter in her hand. This letter should be the main reason for this urgent summons.
"I just received a letter from Yi Ruzhang He."
"Zhang He? Zhang Yongqing?"
Everyone was surprised.
Longwu County is closest to Tianhai, followed by Shangnan, while Yiru is limited to previous epidemic cooperation and medicinal material trading. Other than that, the two families have almost no dealings. Why did Zhang He suddenly do this, and what did he write in the letter
Shen Tang didn't keep the secret.
Pass the letter on.
Several people passed it around one by one. At this time, other colleagues also arrived one after another, and the empty meeting room was soon filled with familiar faces. Zhang He kept his words simple and only wrote two things.
"First, it is rumored that Huang Lie already has 10,000 heavy shield warriors under his command. These people have something to do with the epidemic we found in Heyin and other places. Huang Lie's hands are not clean. Even if he didn't do it, he has a lot to do with it."
"Secondly, Huang Lie invited forces from Tianhai, Shangnan, Yiru and other places, hoping to form a dragon-slaying plan and overthrow Zheng Qiao's royal court in one fell swoop. What do you think?"