Chapter Thirty-Six: Shouldering Heavy Responsibilities

  Liufeng thieves want to rob the city of Xingcheng, don't say whether it's true or not, just thinking about it makes people feel unbelievable. Huangfu heard it with his own ears, and the feeling was like a fantasy, something that could never happen.

  The bandits have been causing trouble for a long time, and there has never been a precedent for looting the county town, so no one would believe it.

  "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Huang Fu Su did not let Wu Ji speak and immediately vetoed it.

  "If that young man is Zeng Dayan's son, then it must be so." Wu Ji was very certain.

  Wu Ji knew that if he didn't make this matter clear, Huang Fu would not believe him: "It's not the time to talk about this now, I'll keep it brief. Yesterday, Lord Zheng and He Wanquan discussed military strategy, wanting to eliminate the Flowing Wind Bandits. He Wanquan was arrogant and rude to Lord Zheng, being overbearing and domineering in front of him, with an air of invincibility. That's because he had something to rely on. At the time, I didn't understand what his reliance was. Now, I do. Let's hurry and tell Lord Zheng, otherwise the consequences will be unthinkable."

  If this isn't a military coup, but rather the bandits' plan to raid and plunder the city of Guiyuan, then Zheng Tai is their primary target. He Wanquan has come specifically for Zheng Tai. Once Zheng Tai falls into his hands, the consequences are unimaginable.

  "Gulp! Gulp!" Huang Fu swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva, still finding it hard to believe: "That's really Zeng Dayan's only son! He Wanquan and Zeng Shaoming are together, and it's not impossible that the Flying Wind Bandits will raid Guishen City!"

  He finally believed in this terrible consequence, but it was too hard for people to believe, and the words were stuttered.

  Wu Ji and the others were about to rush over, but it was already too late. Zheng Tai came out of the house wearing official attire, exuding an air of authority, and glared at the soldiers, shouting: "Are you rebelling?"

  "Dog officials, we want military pay!"

  "You corrupt official, how dare you deduct our military pay and starve us!"

  "General Zheng, our family can't even afford to open a pot of rice. Please be kind and give us the military pay!"

  Some of the soldiers were stern and threatening when they saw Zheng Taishi, while others begged him.

  "You corrupt official, how dare you deduct the soldiers' pay! You won't be spared!" He Wanquan waved his hand, and Zeng Shaoming led several robust soldiers to rush up, without saying a word, and tied up Zheng Tai.

  "Who are you?" Zheng Tai did not panic, her eyes wide with anger, staring at Zeng Shao Ming, she shouted: "You have a big nerve! How dare you arrest an official appointed by the imperial court? Don't you fear having your family's property confiscated and your clan exterminated?"

  "Haha!" Zeng Shao Ming looked up at the sky and burst out laughing: "What a muddle-headed dog official! Do you know who I am? I am the eldest son of the great bandit Flowing Wind, Zeng Shao Ming! My grandfather had long killed officials and rebelled against the government, you can't intimidate my grandfather!"

  "Liú Fēng Thief?" Zheng Tai was shocked, he never thought that Liú Fēng Thief would dare to appear openly in front of the county government office and even capture him alive.

  Zheng Tai was a clever person, and as soon as he turned his mind around, he immediately understood the cause and effect. His eyes cracked open, blood flowed out of his eyes, and he stared at He Wanquan with a loud shout: "He Wanquan, you scoundrel! You actually dared to collude with Liu Feng thief!"

  "What's so good to eat in the military rations? Why not go and join Zeng's household, where you can have a big bowl of meat, a big bowl of wine, and a generous share of gold? What a wonderful life! He Wanquan turned his head, facing the crowd of soldiers, and began to stir them up: "Brothers, this is Young Master Zeng's household! From today on, we are no longer government soldiers, but brothers of the Zeng household! Whatever Young Master Zeng says, we will do. If he eats meat, we eat meat; if he drinks wine, we drink wine; if he shares out gold, we share it too. In short, he will never treat us unfairly! Are you willing to follow me up the mountain?"

  With a wave of his hand, several tall and robust soldiers holding steel knives with fierce glints in their eyes surrounded the crowd of soldiers.

  These people must be bandits, and they are intimidating the soldiers.

  Except for a few insiders, the rest of the soldiers were still in the dark, and now they were suddenly awakened, shocked to the core, and at a loss.

  "Those who follow me up the mountain will not lack good days! Those who do not follow me up the mountain, don't blame He Mouren for not recognizing his brothers!" With a wave of his hand, a swift and fierce knife light flashed by, and a soldier's head flew up, with fresh blood splashing all over the ground.

  "Are you willing or not?" He Wanquan urged again.

  "If you are unwilling, this corrupt official is now in my hands. This is killing an official and rebelling, the government will not let you go, staying here is a dead end! Only by following us up the mountain can you have a way out!" Zeng Shao pointed at Zheng Ta and loudly spoke of the pros and cons.

  "Don't listen..." Zheng Tai was fearless in the face of danger, just as he was about to persuade the soldiers, but before he could finish his sentence, Zeng Shaoming pointed at him and he lost his voice forever.

  "Quickly release Lord Zheng!"

  "We don't want this military pay anymore!"

  Some soldiers were unwilling to be thieves and were busy begging for mercy.

  "Hmph!" Amidst He Wanquan's cold hum, three miserable cries rang out, and the heads of three soldiers flew off.

  "Grandfather Zeng, we have families, if we go up the mountain, what will happen to our families?" A soldier carefully made an excuse.

  "You've come to our mountain, and your wife will be the mistress of the manor! We have many families up here on the mountain. Our women are not like yours, pale and thin; they're fair and clean, with skin as tender as a lotus root in a pond!" Zeng Shaoming began to tempt him.

  Under the temptation and iron-blooded suppression, many soldiers, although unwilling, had to surrender and were willing to go up the mountain to become bandits.

  "Great! This is He Mowan's brother!" He Wanquan was very satisfied with the result, and with a big wave of his hand, he shouted loudly: "Brothers: you have followed me for so many years, I have never let you down! Today, I will give you another great fortune! Go, capture all the people in the county government, and divide up the money, grain, and silk! The imperial court owes us military pay, this is the imperial court's compensation!"

  This move is a bit ruthless, once the soldiers do it this time, there's no turning back, they can only follow him up the mountain to become bandits. Some soldiers still have a clear head, but in this situation, they have no choice but to do it.

  The soldiers shouted and rushed towards the county government office.

  Looking at the soldiers who were about to charge forward, He Wanquan and Zeng Shaoming exchanged a glance, extremely pleased.

  "Run fast!" Wu Jie saw the soldiers rushing up and reminded him in a hurry, then took off running.

  At this time, it's not possible to escape. Once caught by these robbers, the consequences are unpredictable. However, Wu Ji's body, although much better than before, is still very weak, and how fast can he run?

  "Heavens! This is also too terrible! If I can escape this time, I must practice martial arts and make my body stronger!" Wu Ji regretted not knowing any martial arts.

  "Go!" Just as Wu Jue was about to speak, someone spoke in his ear, and then his body felt light, as if he had risen into the clouds.

  It was Huangfu Song who had Wu Ji tucked under his arm, fleeing out of the city. The speed was really too fast, the scenery in front of him flew backwards, if Wu Ji hadn't experienced it personally, he wouldn't have believed it.

  He turned his head to look at Huangfu Song, only to see that at this moment, Huangfu's figure was straight and upright, with a flying spirit, like a sharp sword out of its scabbard, giving people a sense of oppression. This situation, Wu Ji had seen once before, still very surprising.

  "Don't ask! Even if you ask, I won't say!" Huang Fu looked at Wu Ji's surprised expression and spoke bluntly.

  "He has secrets! That's okay, as long as he doesn't have malicious intentions towards me!" Wu Ji's mind turned quickly and he immediately had an idea. If we're talking about secrets, Wu Ji himself had more secrets than Huangfu Song, there was no need to pry into Huangfu Song's secrets."

  Huang Fu Suo tucked Wu Ji under his arm and quickly escaped from the county government, asking: "Lord Wu, where are we going now?"

  "What did you ask me?" Wu Ji was taken aback.

  "Alas!" Huang Fu sighed: "If my guess is not wrong, the entire Guishen County has been caught off guard. From Governor Zheng down to the lowest-ranking officials, everyone has fallen into the hands of the Liufeng bandits. Among so many officials and clerks, only you and I managed to escape. You are a high-ranking official, if I don't ask you, who can I ask? My mind is in disarray, I'm at a loss!"

  "Am I the biggest?" Wu Ji was stunned, his heart shook, and cold sweat seeped out of his back.

  Of course, Wu Ji was shocked. Although Guishen County is not large, it is a county after all, and there are many officials and runners. Unexpectedly, only he and Huang Fu Suo escaped, the loss is too great, far beyond imagination.

  Wu Ji, a small and insignificant clerk, unexpectedly became the most important person in Guixin County, with the heavy responsibility of saving Guixin County falling on his shoulders. Wu Ji felt dizzy.

  Such a thing, even if you cross over ten times, you may not encounter it, but he encountered it just once.

  What should be done in such a situation where there are no soldiers and no yamen runners?

  PS: In the Three Rivers Billboard, seeking collection, recommendation and clicks, thank you.