Chapter 6: Suppression

  "You, you..." had originally held high hopes for the Song army, thinking that once they arrived, Xiong would be killed and the people and livestock of Wu Family Village would be safe. But unexpectedly, before even hunting Xiong, the soldiers began to wreak havoc, leaving Wu Qing seething with anger.

  "Hey, Wu Zongchang, we're here to save you guys. Give us some good food and drink, and get a few pretty women to serve us, isn't that right?" One of the soldiers couldn't help but crack a smile, and simply threw away the last layer of fig leaf.

  "Bandit, you dare!" Luo Yuan's voice approached Wu Xiaoniang's side, a pair of big hands stretched out, about to wrap around Wu Xiaoniang's waist, scaring the little girl into a loud shriek, her face pale with anger and glaring eyes.

  "It's really spicy, the spicier the better!" Luo Yuan's laughter grew even more enthusiastic: "Little girl, don't resist, if you serve Lord Yang comfortably, your brother's revenge will have hope."

  The people of Wujiacun were stunned and came together to stop them, but they were blocked outside by the soldiers, with nothing to do but stare blankly.

  "That's enough!" Wu Jie stepped forward and shouted loudly. His voice was not loud, but Wu Jie's anger was evident, and he had a certain air of authority.

  "Who are you? How dare you shout at me!" Luo Yuan's voice was full of disdain, his mouth curled up in a sneer as he sized up Wu Ji: "With a physique as poor as yours, I can take down ten of you with one punch."

  Although he was arrogant, what he said made sense. With Wu Ji's skills, even ten people wouldn't be his match. However, Wu Ji naturally wouldn't put up with him and coldly said: "Listen well, I am Wu Ji, the youngest scholar of Gui Xian County. If you dare to act recklessly again, I won't hesitate to report you to Lord Zheng."

  "Xiucai?" Luo Yuan's face showed a look of surprise and fear.

  The Song Dynasty implemented a national policy of valuing literature over military affairs, and the status of scholars was elevated to be above others. Even if two officials with the same rank, one literary and one martial, were together, it was inevitable that the literary official would receive more respect, while the martial official could only play a supporting role and try to curry favor.

  Wu Jie revealed his identity as a Xiucai, and it really had an intimidating effect. The soldiers were somewhat at a loss for what to do.

  "Hum! You're not very old, but you've got a lot of nerve, daring to impersonate a scholar. Do you know your crime?" One soldier was somewhat skeptical.

  A small junior high school student, do you need to pretend? Wu Ji was somewhat unhappy, his face was full of anger, and he scolded: "This Shuxiang's reputation is well-known far and wide. You saw this Shuxiang, not only did you not show courtesy, but also so rude. Are you unwilling to receive military pay? Bring pen and ink, this Shuxiang will now impeach you."

  Wu Qing and others were somewhat stunned and had not reacted yet, but Yang Xiuxiu had already reacted and hastily responded with a "yes" before going to make arrangements.

  The couple's coordination was quite intimidating, and Luo Yuan's voice was somewhat dazed: "You're really a scholar?"

  "That's still fake!" Wu Jie raised his head, putting on a proud attitude: "This humble scholar read poetry books at the age of seven, composed poems at eight, had articles spread throughout the countryside at ten, and passed the imperial examination as a scholar at sixteen. If it weren't for my weak body, I would have gone to the capital to take the exam long ago."

  Wu Ji was just talking nonsense, but Yang Xiu Xiu had a happy face, being able to marry such a good husband was her greatest happiness.

  "Yes! Yes! What Jiji said is absolutely true!" Wu Qing also reacted and hurriedly echoed.

  As a result, the soldiers had no choice but to believe. They didn't take the people of Wujiacun seriously at all, thinking they could get some benefits, but unexpectedly, they offended the scholar, which was not something that these small soldiers could afford to provoke, and they looked at each other in dismay, unable to speak.

  "Haven't you shown any courtesy? Hmph!" Wu Ji grabbed the opportunity and let out a cold hum, seemingly very annoyed.

  "We've met Wu Xiuciai!" Luo Yuansheng said. They didn't dare not to show respect, and they all apologized: "We didn't recognize the golden face of Wu Xiuciai, and we were too rude. Please, great Wu Xiuciai, forgive our small offense."

  In the Song Dynasty, the word "little" was extremely humble and would not be used in ordinary situations. However, compared to a scholar, even a minor general like Xiaoyi was far inferior, with an insurmountable distance of 108,000 li between them. Although Luo Yuan and his companions were reluctant, they had no choice but to put aside their pride and curry favor with Wu Ji.

  "You just collided with this young master, but this young master is magnanimous and won't hold it against you." As soon as Wu Ji's words came out, Luo Yuan and the others let out a sigh of relief. But before they could even finish their breath, Wu Ji's tone suddenly turned severe.

  "You are not abiding by military discipline, harassing the people, oppressing the good and kind. How can you be lightly forgiven?" Wu Ji's tone was extremely severe, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light as he swept his gaze over Luo Yuan and others, who felt that it wasn't just a glance, but a sharp sword piercing their hearts, making them feel unbearable.

  "Please forgive Wu Xiuciai!" Luo Yuan and his men bowed their heads to a ninety-degree angle, they were really scared.

  Oppression must be grasped well, Wu Ji knew it was almost done, and the tone turned again, with a slightly slower tone: "Since you have military duties on your body, just remember for now. Today is already late, tomorrow, you will go hunting bears. If you can kill bears, Ben Xiucai will not blame you for past mistakes, and report to Zheng Daren, praising your achievements!"

  "Thank you, Wu Xiuciai! Thank you, Wu Xiuciai!" Luo Yuan let out a long sigh of relief as his heart finally put to rest, and hastily guaranteed: "Please be assured, Wu Xiuciai, we will definitely hunt the bear tomorrow."

  Wiping away the cold sweat on his forehead, this Wu Xiuzai is weak and timid, how can he be so frightening? He's scared out of his wits.

  "The land in Zhuangzi is limited and it's not convenient to keep you here. There, there is a vacant lot with a clear spring and a forest, you can set up camp there." Wu Ji pointed forward with his right hand and sent Luo Yuan and the others away.

  Staying in the village, at least there's hot water and firewood, and maybe even some good food and drink. If we go to the forest, there's no firewood or water, and if there is water, it's just spring water, and you have to fetch it yourself, and find your own firewood too. Luo Yuan was extremely unwilling, hesitating and not speaking up.

  "How did you end up here? Oh, you're soldiers, fond of harsh environments. Hmm, not bad, not bad!" Wu Ji exclaimed with a look of sudden understanding, loudly praising: "There's a wetland over there, although it's autumn and cool, there are still many snakes and insects, lacking firewood and water, you can go there. You're truly impressive, even when on military duty, you don't forget your strict training. This humble scholar will definitely memorialize Lord Zheng to extol your merits."

  Wu Jia exclaimed in admiration, as if he really appreciated Luo Yuansheng and the others. However, when Luo Yuansheng heard this, he was furious and resentful, thinking that Wu Xiucan was too ruthless to send them to a place infested with snakes and insects. He had the urge to lash out, but couldn't afford to provoke Xiucan, so he gritted his teeth and said: "Thank you, Wu Xiucan, we'll go wherever you want us to go."

  "Go!" Luo's voice was full of reluctance, but he had no choice and set off with his soldiers.

  "Third Uncle, gather all the able-bodied men in the village and guard the entrance of the house. Keep an eye on each family's livestock and members, don't let the robbers get away." Wu Jie's voice came from behind, Luo Yuan's voice was so angry that his teeth itched, this Wu Xiucan was really a ruthless character, not giving them any chance at all.

  Wu Ji's words were a warning to them, telling them not to think about making any small moves, as it would be futile.

  With Wu Jie's words, Luo Yuan and his men did not dare to make trouble, and they behaved themselves that night.

  The next day, Luo Yuansheng took the soldiers to hunt bears in the mountains. Before leaving, he asked Wu Qing to send a few strong men to lead the way for them. This was necessary, so Wu Qing called up over ten strong men and led the soldiers into the mountains.

  Wu Jie and others prepared a funeral for Wu Qiang, intending to bury him. This matter was completed without much trouble.

  Wu Ji inserted an incense stick on Wu Qiang's grave and bowed three times. Although Wu Ji had only been with Wu Qiang for a short time, he had a very good impression of him. However, fate played tricks on people, and in just one day, they were separated by heaven and earth. Wu Ji couldn't help but feel sad in his heart.

  After burying Wu Qiang, Wu Ji thought of taking in Wu Xiaoniang, but then he thought that he couldn't even support himself, and if he added another mouth to feed, it would be even more troublesome, so he had to give up on the idea.

  "Oh no! Oh no!"

  "Something big has happened! Something big has happened!"

  Wu Jie and his men had just finished Wu Qiang's funeral, when three sturdy soldiers who had gone into the mountains to hunt returned in a hurry, each with a look of shock, anxiety, and unease on their faces, as if the sky had fallen.

  "What's going on?" Wu Qing hastily asked.

  "The soldier was bitten by several!"

  "The General has been bitten to death!"

  Three sturdy men with seven mouths and eight tongues spoke out the truth of the matter.

  It turned out that after Luo Yuansheng and his men entered the mountain, they started hunting bears. Who would have thought that this bear was too cunning, still circling with them, until the soldiers were alone before starting to attack. Three soldiers were bitten, and Luo Yuansheng was the most unlucky, losing a leg. However, fortunately, the rescue was timely, and he managed to save one of his lives.

  "How can this be good? The military officer was injured, and once the investigation starts, how will we respond?" Wu Qing was shocked on the spot, completely losing his composure, and compared to yesterday's bear suddenly injuring someone, it made him even more at a loss.

  This involves the military, and it's known that the Song Dynasty's military was undisciplined and prone to chaos, so if things were to get out of hand, no one could stop them.

  PS: During the new book period, urgent need for collection, recommendation and clicks, thank you friends for your support!