In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 889 The Situation Escalates, Doing the Impossible

Lu Yunyi instructed the coachman and his guards to take his wife back first.

He himself entered the government office through a side gate and came to the courtyard.

You can still hear the noisy arguments outside, as well as the officials' constant attempts to stop them.

Lu Yunyi grabbed a clerk and asked him where they were discussing their meeting.

Just as I was about to walk over, the noise outside the yamen suddenly intensified.
What started as arguing and complaining escalated into shouting and cursing.

His expression turned cold, and he froze, turning back to look.

The guard standing at the door suddenly changed his expression.
He hurriedly ran outside, his hand still gripping the long sword at his waist.

"what happened?"

Gong Xianzhi also gripped the hilt of the knife:
"Sir, I'll go take a look."

"No need, let's go together!"

The two hurried to the entrance of the government office.

Upon seeing what was outside, the two men's expressions changed slightly.
The tragic incident that occurred at the entrance of the Yuezhou government office involuntarily came to mind.

At the entrance of the military command's office, what was originally just a few shop assistants and clerks red-faced and shouting insults at each other.

One of the workers, his face flushed, shouted at the top of his lungs:

"You corrupt officials, you always flaunt your power and influence, but now that you owe money, you refuse to pay it back. Is there no law left in your country?!"

One of the clerks, not to be outdone, retorted:

"You unruly people, making trouble here for a few stinking coins! How dare you run wild in the Military Commandery!"

As he spoke, the clerk deliberately leaned forward and bumped the waiter with his shoulder.

Enraged by the bump, the waiter shoved the clerk, cursing:

"You dare to lay a hand on me!"

The clerk stumbled and nearly fell, but regaining his balance, his eyes widened in anger. He rushed forward, grabbed the waiter by the collar, and roared:

"You dare push me? You have some nerve!"

The two men instantly started fighting. The people around them were stunned for a moment, and then their companions rushed over.

The guys were shouting "Beat that son of a bitch!" while waving their fists.

The officials were not to be outdone, shouting to arrest these troublemakers, and the two sides ended up fighting.

Upon seeing this, the city's outer defense troops' expressions changed drastically, and they immediately stepped forward to stop them.

A centurion shouted:
"Stop it, all of you! Anyone who causes further trouble will be killed without exception!"

However, the situation had already spiraled out of control, and both sides were furious, so no one listened to him.

One of the men was stopped by the city guards and struggled to shout:

"You lackeys, you help corrupt officials bully us, today we'll fight them to the death!"

As he spoke, he broke free from the city guards' grasp and rushed back into the crowd.

When the city's defense troops saw that their attempts to stop them were futile, they became somewhat enraged.

A soldier shouted, "Sir, don't be polite with them, just attack!"

The centurion hesitated for a moment.
But seeing the scene becoming increasingly chaotic, he gritted his teeth and gave the order:

"Get them out of here!"

Upon receiving orders, the city's garrison immediately rushed into the crowd, pushing and shoving with their shields and blocking with their spears.

This action, however, only added fuel to the fire, further enraging the crowd.

A burly man snatched the city guard's shield and slammed it down on a nearby soldier, shouting:
"Fight them!"

This act of smashing sparked an even bigger conflict.

The crowd went berserk, bumping around wildly.

Some of the workers picked up stones from the ground and threw them at the officials and city guards.

Some officials even took the opportunity to kick and beat the employees next to them.

In an instant, shouts, curses, and the muffled thuds of stones hitting people mingled together, creating a chaotic and complex scene.

In the chaos, someone drew a long sword from their waist.

A cold glint flashed in the wind and snow, then it began to hack wildly in all directions.

One of the workers couldn't dodge in time and was slashed on the arm; blood gushed out instantly.

His arm fell to the ground, he screamed and collapsed.

The scene seemed to fall silent all at once, frozen in an eerie stillness.

The situation spiraled out of control in the next moment.

The others went even crazier when they saw the blood.

The city's garrison soldiers also drew their swords and brandished them to drive away the crowd.

A clerk, his face slashed by a knife, clutched his face and screamed in agony:

"They've used knives! Fight back!"

The men weren't to be outdone; some pulled out daggers from their pockets.
Some grabbed the city garrison's knives, and the two sides fought fiercely.

Blood splattered on the stone steps of the yamen, staining the area red.
The ground was covered with messy snow footprints, people who had fallen, and scattered items.

A young shop assistant, his face filled with terror, brandished a dagger and lunged at a clerk, shouting:

"Pay back the money!"

The clerk dodged to the side, the dagger grazing his clothes.

He seized the opportunity and kicked the waiter in the stomach, causing the waiter to fall to the ground.
But he quickly got up and rushed forward again.

An old clerk, who was used to a life of luxury...

I've never seen anything like this before. I was so frightened that my face turned pale and my legs went weak.

One of the guys seized the opportunity and rushed over, shoving him.
The old clerk stumbled and fell to the ground, hitting his head on the stone steps, causing blood to flow freely.

He lay on the ground, weakly calling out:
"help"

At this moment, Zhou E and Pan Jing were in the back room discussing the repayment of money with representatives from the three families.

Suddenly, a flustered minor official rushed in, panting, and shouted:

"Sir, something terrible has happened! A fight has broken out at the door, and knives have been drawn!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou E and Pan Jing's expressions changed drastically.

Zhou E jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over. His eyes widened, and he roared:
"what?"

Pan Jing's face turned deathly pale. He stood up, his eyes flashing with a fierce light as he glared at Zhou E.

"You're still using this trick!"

The two of them didn't have time to think and rushed to the door.

Along the way, they heard shouts of battle coming from outside, which made them increasingly anxious.

When they ran to the door, they were stunned by what they saw.

Chaos reigned at the entrance; people stumbled about like headless flies, and blood stained the ground.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, as if we had entered a battlefield.

Pan Jing swayed and almost fell, but his guards quickly caught him.

Pan Jing steadied himself, his eyes wide with anger, and roared:
"Stop it, all of you! Stop it!"

However, his voice was drowned out by the shouts of killing, and no one heard him at all.

Seeing the tragic scene before him, Zhou E stamped his feet in frustration and shouted to his personal guards:

"Quickly, pull them all away, hurry!"

The guards, upon receiving orders, rushed into the crowd and attempted to separate the two sides.

One of the guards rushed up to a henchman brandishing a knife and shouted:

"Put down your knives, stop!"

But the man was already in a bloodthirsty frenzy and wouldn't listen to anything, slashing at the guard with his sword.

The guard dodged to the side, blocking the blow with his arm guard.

Then he kicked the guy to the ground and snatched the knife from his hand.

Pan Jing watched all this, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. He clutched his chest, panting, and said:

"What on earth happened? How did it get like this?"

Zhou E gritted his teeth and said:
"Lord Pan, I told you long ago that the people of Liaodong are known for their fierce and unruly nature; a promise cannot be broken."
Otherwise, at best, people will take to the streets; at worst, it could escalate into a civil unrest! Now you'd better think about how to handle this!"

Pan Jing's face paled slightly; he was caught off guard by this attack.
The five major clans in the city had originally agreed to repay the money later, but unexpectedly, just a few days later, three of them took to the streets to cause trouble, stabbing him in the back.

hateful! hateful!
Pan Jing was furious to the extreme.

At this moment, Xu Cheng also squeezed through.

He was covered in sweat, his clothes were torn, and he said anxiously:

"Sir, what do we do now? The situation is out of control."

Pan Jing took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and shouted:

"Pass on my order: all city defense troops must immediately separate the two sides. Anyone who dares to attack will be punished for treason, and their families will be brought to ruin!"

Upon receiving the order, Xu Cheng immediately ran to the side and loudly relayed the command.

Upon hearing the order, the city's garrison troops, without further hesitation, swarmed forward.

They worked diligently to separate the crowd, using shields to keep the two sides apart.

Use long spears to intimidate those who are still in a frenzy.

Gradually, the shouts of battle subsided, and the crowd slowly dispersed.

But many people were already lying on the ground, some unconscious, some groaning in pain.

Blood mingled with the snow on the stone slab.
It resembled a blood-red shaved ice, emitting a pungent odor.

Pan Jing looked at all this and murmured:
"Oh no, oh no, this is a huge mess."

Just then, Lu Yunyi also came out of the yamen. He looked at the miserable scene before him and his face was very gloomy.

"My lords, now that things have escalated to this point, how do you intend to resolve this?"

Zhou E and Pan Jing exchanged unreadable glances. Zhou E then slapped his thigh hard.
"We can't delay paying the money we owe; we have to pay it."

"Give them? What are you going to give them? They've already agreed to let me hold off for now."
"You're causing trouble here again today, is that your doing?!"

Pan Jing looked at the bloodstains on the ground and didn't stand on ceremony with Zhou E.

Zhou E's eyes widened suddenly:

"Lord Pan, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

Merchants are fickle, as you know, how can you believe their nonsense!

Pan Jing's eyes widened in anger, and he pointed at Zhou E, shouting loudly:
"Zhou E, stop pretending!"
If you weren't behind this, how dare those people be so audacious as to openly cause trouble in front of the Military Command's office and even injure people with knives!

Zhou E, not to be outdone, stiffened his neck and retorted:

"Lord Pan, this is clearly unfounded suspicion!"

Although I, Zhou E, disagree with you politically, I would never stoop to such a despicable act.

What benefit would I gain from inciting the people to riot?

"Benefits?" Pan Jing sneered.
"You're just trying to use this opportunity to disrupt the situation and prevent the road construction from proceeding smoothly."
So that I can pack my things and get out of here, and you can take the position of Commander-in-Chief!

Zhou E was so angry that he trembled all over and his face turned red:
"Pan Jing, don't make false accusations!"
I, Zhou E, am wholeheartedly devoted to Liaodong. How could I possibly do something that would harm Liaodong's interests!
What are your true intentions in slandering me like this?

The two argued more and more fiercely, their voices grew louder and louder, and spittle flew everywhere.

People around them turned to look, but no one dared to step forward and stop them.

Lu Yunyi frowned as he watched the two arguing, and seeing that it was escalating, he sighed softly.
"What time is it now? You still have the mind to argue here!"

The most urgent task is to treat the wounded and reassure the public, not to stand here blaming each other!

Zhou E and Pan Jing were awakened by Lu Yunyi's words and stopped arguing.
But their faces still showed anger as they glared at each other.

Lu Yunyi looked at them, his tone stern:
"Both of you are the local officials of Liaodong."
It's utterly disgraceful to shirk responsibility like this!

If this matter reaches the imperial court, how will we explain it to them? Let's deal with the aftermath first.

Upon hearing this, both Zhou E and Pan Jing felt a chill run down their spines.
They knew Lu Yunyi was right.
If the court were to blame us for this, it would be a great loss.

Pan Jing took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down:

"Lord Lu is right. I acted rashly and lost my composure."

After speaking, he looked at the officials and clerks around him who were exchanging bewildered glances, and gave the order:
"Carry the injured into the government office and find a doctor to treat them."
Then go and appease the people.

Tell them that the Military Commandery will definitely give them a satisfactory answer.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar.

Immediately afterwards, three fast horses galloped to the front of the military headquarters.

The men on horseback dismounted; they were Wen Jingchen, Li Maocai, and Lin Shichang.

The three men were in a hurry, their faces full of anxiety.
They were all shocked when they saw the chaotic scene before them.

Upon seeing the three, Pan Jing's face immediately darkened, and he coldly asked:
"You three still dare to come?"

Wen Jingchen quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"Lord Pan, we heard that something happened in front of the Military Commandery, so we came to investigate."
I wonder what exactly happened that has escalated to such a serious extent?

Pan Jing snorted coldly:
"Hmph, you still have the nerve to ask!"

"Wasn't it your own managers who led people to cause trouble at the yamen, even drawing knives and injuring people? Do you know your crimes?"

The three men looked terrified upon hearing this.
Wen Jingchen said, "Lord Pan, we really have no idea about this matter!"
The family was indeed running low on money; the managers of various households hadn't distributed their year-end bonuses yet, and somehow the news had gotten out.
The shopkeepers then took it upon themselves to cause trouble.

We just received the news and rushed over immediately.

Li Maocai quickly echoed:
"Yes, Lord Pan, we know nothing about this matter."
We would never dare to commit such a treasonous act! We implore Lord Pan to investigate thoroughly!

Lin Shih-chang was on the verge of tears:
“Lord Pan, we are all law-abiding citizens who have always respected the government. How could we have done such a thing?”

Someone must be sowing discord behind our backs, deliberately framing us!

Pan Jing looked at the three of them, his eyes filled with suspicion:
"That's easy for you to say! You just agreed to my request, and now you're causing trouble."
Do you really think I would believe your nonsense?

Upon hearing this, the three of them inwardly groaned in despair.
They knew that no matter how they explained, Pan Jing would find it hard to believe.

Just then, Zhai Yunxi, the prefect of Liaodong Prefecture, stepped forward.
He cupped his hands slightly and said:

"Lord Pan, in my humble opinion, now that the matter has already occurred..."
The most urgent task is to resolve this matter first; the issue of assigning responsibility can be discussed later.

Pan Jing glanced at him and said coldly:
"What are your thoughts, Lord Zhai?"

Zhai Yunxi rolled her eyes and said:

"Lord Pan, those troublemakers simply want their money back."

"If we could return the money to them first, perhaps this matter could be resolved."

Pan Jing frowned and said:

"Lord Zhai makes it sound so easy, but where would the Military Commandery get the money to repay them?"

"There are still 100,000 taels of silver in the warehouse."

Pan Jing's eyes turned cold instantly as he stared intently at Zhai Yunxi:
"This 100,000 taels of silver was specifically allocated by the imperial court for road repairs; how can it be easily misappropriated?"

"Lord Pan, you are mistaken."

The situation is chaotic now. If we don't appease the people first, how can the road construction proceed smoothly?
If the people continue to riot, causing even greater unrest,
Not only will the road construction project fall through, but we'll all be held responsible!

Upon hearing this, Pan Jing's gaze swept back and forth between Zhai Yunxi and Zhou E.

He now strongly suspects that the two have colluded.

Seeing that Pan Jing hesitated, Zhai Yunxi continued:
"Lord Pan, these 100,000 taels of silver are just sitting in the treasury anyway, why not take them out to solve our immediate problem?"

Once the road construction officially begins and new revenue streams emerge, we can make up for it then.

Moreover, if this matter is handled properly, it can also demonstrate the sincerity of our yamen (government office) to the people.

It's also good for road construction; at worst, we can just borrow new roads from the old ones.

"Yeah yeah."

The surrounding officials all voiced their agreement.

For them, keeping the city calm is more important than anything else.

Whether or not the road is repaired is not their concern.

Anyway, promotions are none of their business, they don't get any bonuses, and they suffer all sorts of hardships, so they just want to continue living like this.

Seeing that most people agreed, Pan Jing fell into a long silence.
He felt at that moment that he was fighting against the entire military command.

"Alas, let's discuss this matter further and allow me to consider it some more."

After saying that, Pan Jing turned and left, his steps slow, and everyone could see a sense of desolation in his back.

Seeing him leave, Zhou E decisively gave the order:
"Lord Zhai, open the treasury and return the silver!"

Zhai Yunxi suddenly raised her head, looked at Lu Yunyi standing to the side, and then nodded emphatically:

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)