Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 31 What are you doing here?
The county magistrate froze all over, and the fingers of his right hand loosened, and the cake between his fingers fell to the ground.

He was dazed for a moment, then revealed an angry expression of being humiliated. "How dare this thief cause chaos in the county? Send someone to catch him immediately!"

"Master Dianshi and the barracks led their men there. When the general's soldiers heard that their superior had been killed, they all clamored for revenge. Master Zhao must have heard the news as well. If he leads a few hundred militiamen into the city to suppress the bandits, he'll be a mouthful and won't be so easy to deal with..."

"He's lost his son, so it's only right that he should be allowed to show off for a few days. Even if he refuses to leave, there's no need to worry. We can appoint a captain to temporarily take charge of those soldiers. The two sides will eventually fight, and we can sit back and reap the benefits from the county government. The county will still be ours."

"Mr. Dong is wise." The lawyer complimented him flatteringly.

The magistrate raised his hand, took another piece of cake from the plate, put it in his mouth and nibbled a small piece, then immediately brushed off the crumbs on his clothes. "It's really a long autumn now, and there are many bandits and robbers."

"Perhaps the rebels were dispersed and became bandits elsewhere, causing increasing unrest in many prefectures and counties."

"Right now, bandits are rampant everywhere, the tax burden this year is heavy, and there is also the debt of the 'Shanxi House'. I'm afraid it will take some effort, alas..." The county magistrate shook his head and put down the unfinished cakes. The quick-eyed and quick-handed lawyer had already handed him a cup of throat-soothing tea.

"If we increase our floating income over the next two years, Mr. Dong's debt to the Shanxi merchant will be settled, and I can put some money in my pocket."

"Alas, they say officials travel thousands of miles just to get rich, but I've been in office for two years and I'm still clean..."

The county magistrate lamented that he had studied hard for many years, but today he could not earn any money as an official.

When he was taking the imperial examination in the capital, he passed by chance, but his constant social engagements and gifts, as well as his extravagant display of wealth, were dozens of times more than those in his hometown. As a result, he owed thousands of taels of debt.

Therefore, the creditor sent a legal advisor to accompany the county magistrate to take office, in order to supervise him to make the money and repay the debt as soon as possible. As for the legal advisor beside him, he was hired by him with money.

The lawyer grinned when he heard this, thinking to himself that you make so much money a year and still remain clean, while I make less than one percent of what you make in a year.

"After we've quelled the bandits in the county, go to the Household Revenue Department and inform them that Mr. Zhao's taxes will be reduced by half this year. After all, they're sending off their loved ones, so we should offer some comfort."

"That's natural."

"The heaven is cruel and the world is unpredictable. You never know when you might die..." The county magistrate looked at the shaking teacup in his hand, and the dark tea gradually became turbulent.

"Oh no!" At this time, a yamen runner ran into the back garden in a panic. He accidentally fell in front of the pavilion and his face was covered with dust.

The county magistrate suddenly felt a bad premonition. He stood up anxiously, waiting for the yamen runner's answer with an expectant look. "What happened?"

The lawyer hurriedly pulled the bailiff up and brought him before the county magistrate.

"Thieves, thieves have broken into the county government office!"

"Ah!?" The county magistrate was shocked, and the legal advisor also felt his legs go weak. The county government office was unstaffed at the moment, and the thieves were going to take advantage of the situation and break in.

"Weren't the thieves fighting with the county soldiers in the restaurant? Why are they coming to attack my county government?"

"It's absolutely true! It's all thanks to the captain who closed the door to the second hall. Otherwise, the one coming in now wouldn't be a minor, but a thief!"

There was a bloody mark on the yamen runner's head, obviously he was hit by a weapon.

"Master, please make a decision quickly. If the thieves climb over the wall of the second hall, the back garden will be right after the third hall!"

"Ah!" The county magistrate felt as if his head was split in half by a knife, and the freezing cold water poured down on his head. His whole body was cold and he couldn't stop shaking.

He never expected that his casual lament about the fickleness of fate would come true and happen to him!

The county magistrate raised his hand and slapped himself, "Oh, my mouth..."

He suddenly realized a terrifying truth: the county government office was the most heavily defended location in the county. The fact that the thieves dared to attack it either meant they had sufficient numbers and were confident they could safely evacuate when the county soldiers and local militia arrived to provide support, or that they had reinforcements behind them and that taking the county government office was simply to create chaos so that the larger force could march into the entire city.

"It's the intruders!" the county magistrate exclaimed. "The intruders are trying to seize our Shangcheng County!"

"Dong Weng, hurry up and leave! Now is not the time to talk about this. As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood."

"No! As an official appointed by the imperial court, I have the responsibility to defend the land and protect the people. How can I easily abandon the city and flee? Our Ming Dynasty has nurtured scholars for three hundred years. Today is the day to kill the enemy and repay the country!"

The county magistrate pretended to go back to his room to get his sword and fight the bandits to the end.

However, the legal advisor who had been with the county magistrate for several years saw through his employer's little tricks at a glance. He was playing the same trick as the emperor who refused three times before ascending the throne. It was not that I wanted to be the emperor, but you forced me to be it, so I had to follow public opinion and sit on the throne.

The lawyer thought that Dong Weng did not want to run away with the reputation of "abandoning the county town", and others had to ask him to leave so that he could explain to his superiors in the future that he had no choice and thus reduce the political stain.

I won’t take the blame, and I won’t bear the criticism.

Thinking of this, the master couldn't help but sneer. He immediately stopped laughing and sternly scolded the servant beside him, "What are you still standing there for? Quickly escort the master to hide somewhere else!"

A group of servants and yamen runners immediately took action, carrying the master towards the back door.

"Don't pull me! Don't pull me! I want to fight the thieves to the death!"

Although the county magistrate spoke bravely and resolutely, his legs ran faster than the yamen runners who were holding him. The yamen runners had to speed up to keep up with the county magistrate in his Taoist robe.

When the group rushed to the back door, they found that the small door was hung with an iron lock and several bolts.

The county magistrate and his lawyer looked left and right, but no one could open the door.

"Where is Menzi? Where has Menzi gone?" A group of people were so anxious that they were sweating profusely and jumping on the spot. This little person who usually wouldn't say a few words has now become the key to the final decision.

But in this desperate situation, no one knew where the little doorman had gone. Several yamen runners stepped forward with swords drawn, hacking at the door lock with all their might.

However, the knives used by the yamen runners were just inferior products used to intimidate the common people. They were not powerful enough to chop people, let alone chop door locks with such excellent properties.

They took turns hacking at the door several times, and even the blades were bent, but they still couldn't break the door lock. For a moment, everyone was a little at a loss.

At this moment, a terrifying cry came from behind, "Look! The one wearing the Taoist robe is the county magistrate!"

A shout startled both the enemy and us.

Suddenly, three strong men with bloody faces crawled out from the roof of the second hall, which was originally empty. The blades in their hands were covered with blood foam, and the glaring smell of blood could be seen from a long distance away.

"Hehe, today I really gained a lot. I didn't expect that there would be a big official behind me!"

"Kill, kill, kill! I want rivers of blood to flow!"

"Enemy reinforcements are coming, hurry up and finish them off so we can go home and eat braised chicken wings!"

The thieves with ferocious faces looked like bloody zombies emitting evil spirits, running wildly on the roof with knives in their hands. They climbed the wall one after another, stepped on tiles, and ran. Countless tiles were stepped on and fell to the ground with crackling sounds.

"Ahhh! The thieves are coming!" Someone shouted, and the servants who had just surrounded the county magistrate immediately scattered.

(End of this chapter)