Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1352: Lost All Family Property
As Xiao Mohe and his party mounted their horses and prepared to break out, their positions naturally became more and more clear. Although there was a deviation from the position that the Tang army had previously guessed, it had completely lost its surprise.

The two cavalry teams of the Tang army were stationed on both sides of the reed marsh, waiting for the enemy cavalry in the reed marsh to fall into their trap.

However, the Wuzhong villagers who had been harvesting reeds before became extremely excited. They waved their tools and shouted to Xiao Mohe and others who had already rushed in: "Catch the thief and kill the enemy, and you will be rewarded with land for your meritorious service!"

Xiao Mohe and his party were already panicking, and the excited reactions of the villagers caught them off guard. The war horses were not fast enough to rush through the dense reeds, and their vision was obstructed. Several of the riders were caught off guard and tripped by the ropes, fishing nets and other items brought by the villagers. Before they could struggle to get up, they and their horses were thrown heavily into the reeds.

Xiao Mohe had just led his troops to the outskirts of the reed marsh when powerful and swift arrows shot towards them. These arrows hit his armor, causing him to feel breathless. As for the other soldiers whose armed protection was not as good as his, they were constantly shot and killed during the charge.

At the same time, the two Tang cavalry teams outside had formed a fierce battle formation outside the reed marsh, ready to attack them head-on as soon as they rushed out of the reed marsh.

Even though Xiao Mohe was brave and heroic, he was helpless in the face of such a dangerous and harsh situation. Even if he rushed out and killed a few opponents at the risk of his life, it would be difficult to reverse the current disadvantage.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning, and even his short first half of life flashed through his mind. Seeing that he was only a few feet away from rushing out of the reed marsh and about to suffer a more fierce attack, Xiao Mohe pulled the reins hard, pulling the horse under his crotch upright, and the whole person fell from behind, then quickly jumped up from the ground and shouted to the forkhand outside the reed marsh: "General, please spare my life, I am willing to surrender!"

At this point, whether they were willing to surrender or not actually made no difference. It just depended on how many people were captured alive. So the Tang soldiers outside the reed marsh did not stop the attack. They still drew their bows and shot some of the enemies who were still resisting. Then they ordered the others who were willing to surrender to dismount and discard their weapons and walk to the open space outside the reed marsh.

Xiao Mohe and the hundreds of his followers walked out with their heads lowered. However, before they could stand firm outside the reed marsh, many Wuzhong followers rushed out from behind, rushed to knock these people to the ground, and tied them up tightly. Then they looked at the Tang army soldiers on horseback with uncertainty and asked, "Excuse me, General, does this count as the merit of capturing prisoners alive?"

As they spent more time together, these Wuzhong villagers also learned more about the treatment enjoyed by the Tang army soldiers, and their desire for military merit has reached an extreme. Not to mention Xiao Mohe and others, even if the king Chen Chang appeared here at this moment, the thought that emerged in their minds would probably not be that the king's majesty is difficult to touch, but how many hectares of good land would be granted for capturing the king?

Under the enthusiastic performance of these Wuzhong folks, the Tang army soldiers did not even dismount, and the battlefield was cleaned up. Xiao Mohe and others were tied up and carried on the shoulders of those folks, and they went to Shen's manor more than ten miles away in a high-spirited and mighty manner.

At this time in the Shenjia Xiaxi Manor, all the Shen clan members and the villagers gathered inside the manor fence. Led by their clan leader Shen Zhong, they confronted the Tang army outside the manor across the wall.

"If Dai Gong came to visit, I would be flattered and would bring my whole family, young and old, to greet you. But now Dai Gong has led his troops and horses into the village with weapons. Although the villagers did not dare to offend the might of the king's army, they were frightened and occasionally behaved rudely, which is also human nature."

Shen Zhong was not just greedy, he was also well-informed and stubborn. Even when facing the Tang general Ruo Feng who suddenly led his troops to surround the village, he could still maintain a humble attitude and argue: "I also suffered misfortune in Jiangling last year. Fortunately, the current Tang Emperor is benevolent and compassionate to the people, and respects scholars. This is why I was able to survive the disaster and return home safely.

This kindness is still remembered, and I often teach the younger generations in my clan that the Emperor of Tang is unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness, outstanding in heroic spirit, and generous in his ability to rule the country. If he can rule the world next year, it will be a great fortune for the scholars of the north and south! Dai Gong is the confidant and beloved general of His Majesty the Emperor of Tang. He should be grateful for this magnanimous intention and then show kindness to the people of the world who are thirsty for kindness. How can he abuse his power and oppress others?
"My family is made of flesh and blood, and it is difficult for them to withstand the sharpness of a knife. However, we live in this place in Wuzhong, and we are honest and upright, and we have nothing to be ashamed of. Even if the whole family goes to the disaster, we will not lose our integrity. Today, you have come to me with your power, and I don't know why I have committed a crime. Whether I live or die today, justice will be done in the world in the future!"

When Ruo Feng heard Shen Zhong's righteous speech, he couldn't help but sneer. Fortunately, he knew the truth early on, otherwise, just looking at this person's righteous appearance, he would be intimidated by him and wonder if he really made a mistake.

"Mr. Shen, please be patient for a moment. Your reputation is well known in Wuzhong, and I have also heard a lot about it. I was busy with military affairs before and had no time to visit the village. Although it is abrupt for me to come to your house suddenly today, there is a reason. If you don't know why, I will tell you calmly later. Mr. Shen, please rest assured that today, whether your family survives or not, it will never affect the justice of my king's rule. If I abuse my power and reward unfairly, you don't need to blame me, Mr. Shen. My lord will punish me to comfort the people!"

Ruo Ruofeng raised his finger and pointed at Xiaoyu, then looked at the Shen clan members inside the wall and said, "I advise you Shen clan disciples to go back to your homes. If you still gather here and act rebellious, you will inevitably sacrifice your lives for our army later!"

When the Shen family members heard these murderous threats, their faces turned worried. Some of them could not help but shrink back and retreat into the village, but there were still some Shen family members who stood firmly beside the clan leader Shen Zhong.

Ruo Ruofeng was not in a hurry to enter the manor, but under the angry glares of the Shen family, he leisurely rode his horse around the manor to observe, and raised his hand to arrange where the soldiers should be surrounded and attacked. Seeing this scene, the Shen family members in the manor became more and more worried, especially Shen Zhong, who was the backbone of the group. Because he had something to hide, he pursed his lips tightly and looked pale.

Seeing that it seemed difficult to get away with it this time, Shen Zhong's tense expression gradually relaxed, and a bit of flattery appeared between his eyebrows. As he walked out of the manor, he said loudly: "Country people are rude and rude, how can we turn away distinguished guests? It's getting late now, please come into the manor and let me prepare the bed for you..."

If Shen Zhong had been so tactful when they first arrived, Ruo Feng would still be interested in playing along with him, but now she was no longer in that mood. After hearing what he said, she just waved her hand and said, "Of course I have to enter the manor, but there's no need to rush. I have to let Mr. Shen know my intentions and convince him, so that he won't blame me for coming to disturb him."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a commotion of people and horses coming from behind. Then a knight rode up and reported to Ruo Ruo Feng, "Sir, we have captured and killed all the bandits. No one has escaped!"

Ruo Ruofeng smiled slightly after hearing this, and then raised the whip in his hand and pointed it towards the manor, shouting, "Enter the manor! If anyone dares to stop us or resist, kill them!"

"Wait a minute, wait..."

After seeing this, Shen Zhong was naturally horrified and wanted to go forward to argue, but was scared away by the armored soldiers who had been waiting outside for a long time and raised their swords. Some of Shen's brothers and sisters went forward with weapons to protect the clan leader, but they were mistaken for resistance by the soldiers outside and were shot on the spot.

As the armored soldiers outside the door rushed in, the Shen family members were frightened and retreated one after another, and the clan leader Shen Zhong was directly controlled by several warriors who jumped off their horses. The rest of the people in the village fled into the village one after another.

This was not a fair confrontation at all. The Tang army soon took control of the manor. Some Feng went straight into the manor's living room and sat down. Then they had the captured Chen army soldiers brought up to confront Shen Zhong.

At this point, there was no room for quibbling. After being captured by the villagers and beaten black and blue, Xiao Mohe quickly explained the mission of this trip and the secret contact between him and Shen Zhong. Shen Zhong no longer had the momentum he had before. He collapsed to the ground with a pale face.

Ruo Feng was not surprised that Shen Zhong and other local people had contacted Chen Qian. Given the various actions of the Tang army in Wuxing in recent days, it would be strange if they did not find a way to save themselves. Shen Zhong's capture was just another legitimate way to bite off a piece of fat meat.

However, when Xiao Mohe introduced himself, Ruo Feng was a little surprised: "You are Xiao Mohe? Xiao Mohe, the general of Qiantang Town? If you are not stationed in Qiantang, why are you here to die?"

"The criminal has come here because he was harmed by someone. He angered King Linchuan before and he holds a grudge against him. King Linchuan also wants to seize the defense of Qiantang City, so he forced Hou Gong and Hou Andu to send out the criminal..."

Xiao Mohe was also very clear about why he had fallen to this point, and immediately bowed his head and said, "I used to serve the Chen family loyally, but now the country is in decline and does not tolerate loyalty. If you are willing to forgive me and give me life, I am willing to serve you and the Tang Dynasty with all my heart!"

Ruo Ruofeng was not at the frontline and did not know much about the situation there. When he heard what Xiao Mohe said, he said, "I don't need your loyalty, but your recent occupation of Qiantang has indeed caused a lot of trouble to my division. I will send you to the frontline now. If you are lucky enough to survive, you may be able to return to the capital with me on the day of triumph."

After instructing the soldiers to send Xiao Mohe and some captives to the front line overnight, Ruo Feng looked around the manor outside the hall, which was already shrouded in darkness, and then ordered: "Search this manor quickly, and don't leave out any money, silk, grain, or other materials!"

"Do not……"

Shen Zhong, who seemed to be dying, became agitated after hearing these words, and let out a shrill roar that was even more terrifying in the night.