The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 83 Massacre of the Village
Two days later, at Xuanhua Gate of the Imperial City.

The newly appointed Grand Commander of the Jing Army is standing on a high platform, reviewing his troops.

He read the oath in a deep and powerful voice:

"Gentlemen, heed my command! Today we are not only the shield of the royal family, but also the sword of the common people!"

All the government troops of Nanhe Prefecture were killed by the rebel army, and the unsuspecting civilians were caught up in the chaos!
His Majesty has specially dispatched my Jing Army to quell the rebellion and bring peace to the people.
Purifying the body but not the will, iron will forging a loyal soul.
After we have annihilated the rebels, His Majesty will surely bestow rewards upon us to recognize our loyalty and bravery.

"Purify the body and cleanse the mind!"

"Iron blood forges loyal souls!"

"Purify the body, not the mind!"

"Iron blood forges loyal souls!"

"."

The Grand Commander himself was a eunuch, and he understood the mind of eunuchs very well.

Fame and fortune were things that had never crossed their minds.

Who would become a eunuch after reaching adulthood if they weren't forced into a corner?

If given a chance to make a fortune, they'll hold on tighter than anyone else!

Having even a minor official position is enough for them to make a name for themselves in their hometown!
As long as their fighting spirit is ignited, there's no worry that these 50,000 men won't be able to defeat a mere 20,000 refugees!

Judging from the way the 50,000 "purified soldiers" shouted in unison, you can tell that today's brainwashing was quite effective!
The various factions could not prevent the old emperor from issuing a direct imperial edict, but they also would not allow the Qing army to monopolize the victory in suppressing the bandits.

Emperor Wen of Bei, this tool-like emperor, has done a very good job all these years!
The extended families also worked together seamlessly.

They only scheme behind the scenes; on the surface, they seem very harmonious.

An unborn prince dared to attempt to disrupt the situation they had so painstakingly maintained.

How could they tolerate this?

The national treasury's meager funds were used up after only providing disaster relief to the two most severely affected prefectures.

What practical benefits could the emperor, a figurehead, possibly offer to the loyal and capable soldiers who had distinguished themselves in suppressing bandits, besides verbal praise?
There have been far too many peasant uprisings in the last two weeks.

It's just that the riots by those displaced people didn't start as big as the one that originated in Lushan County, Ruzhou Prefecture!
In order to prevent the "clean army" from having more opportunities to seize military power.

Various interest groups are frequently making moves behind the scenes.

Soon, all thirteen provincial administrations across the country received military orders from the Ministry of War.

First, all checkpoints must strictly check travel permits, and prefectures where there are disturbances caused by displaced people must prohibit their citizens from leaving the country;

Secondly, those who are refugees with murder cases among their opponents can be killed on the spot, and those who kill a certain number can be promoted to the corresponding positions.

Apart from promotions in the military, all bonuses are clearly priced.

The military order was delivered even faster than the Qing army set off, traveling 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) by express courier to the thirteen provincial administrations.
The exiles were completely unaware of all these changes.

After leaving Tianshui County, the two leaders changed their original plan. They bypassed the city of Nanhe Prefecture and headed west.

This infuriated the villagers of Shitouzhai, who had been waiting for them for several days on the main road leading to the prefectural city, and they cursed all day long.

Thus, the two groups that had briefly traveled together were completely separated.

Without Old Zhong as their guide, the group took detours the whole way, except for heading west.

This day is at the hour of You (18:00 PM).

They finally managed to roll down the mountain path and saw a village at the foot of the mountain in the distance.

The officials were overjoyed:
"Oh, we've finally found the right way! This village is in a pretty remote location."

"Boss, we don't know how many wrong turns we'll take if we rely on ourselves. Why don't we find someone in this village who knows the terrain to guide us for a few days?"

"Boss, we're running low on food!"

Mao, the head of the gang:

"Don't worry, everyone. I see there are some fields around this village. We'll go into the village to find lodging and buy some rice and grain while we're there."

The carriages were abandoned long ago when the journey over mountains and valleys took place.

Even the officials' legs were worn out from walking. After discussing for a while, the two leaders sent two clever officials to go into the village first and talk to the person in charge.

The rest of them sat down on the ground and refused to move.

About half an hour passed.

The two officials who went to the village to gather information returned in a panic.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, those closer to the group could clearly see that the two men's faces were deathly pale, their pupils dilated, and their expressions terrified.

Upon seeing his colleague, he immediately pounced on him.

The leaders shouted:

"What's wrong with you? What's so scary!"

"What happened? Why are you making such a fuss!"

"You guys haven't seen a ghost, have you? Stop shaking your legs!"

The two took a breath, their teeth grinding together, their voices trembling as they spoke:

"Boss, there are... there are people, people are massacring the village!"

"Men, women, young and old, all are killed with a single cut."

"They...they also beheaded the able-bodied men they had killed."

When the two recalled what they had witnessed, they felt that their future nightmares had become tangible.

"They put their severed heads into the bundles they were carrying! It looks like they were going to take them with them!"

The leader surnamed Huang was shocked: "Who dares to be so bold?"

The two officers looked around.

One person whispered, "It looks like, it looks like they are over a hundred soldiers from the government army, wearing standard uniforms."

The two leaders: "."

After a long pause, the leader surnamed Mao finally said, "We dare not speak recklessly. Are you sure it's not someone impersonating the government troops?"

"I am absolutely certain that their uniforms are very similar in style to those of our Daming Prefecture's army!"

The leader, surnamed Mao, was still not giving up: "Could this village be a bandit village? Or a village that was forcibly occupied by refugees?"

"There are men, women, young and old!"

The two leaders were speechless.

What wrong did this remote little mountain village commit that warranted the massacre of over a hundred soldiers?

Especially the act of beheading!

They dared not guess further.

Years of experience working as yamen runners have taught them that if someone were caught in this situation, no matter who it was, the other party would likely not leave them alive.

"You...you guys weren't discovered, were you?"

"Don't worry, boss. We saw the soldiers' horses tied to a tree before we even reached the village entrance, so we sneaked into the village."

They're not stupid. They would dare to show up after stumbling upon such a large-scale murder scene. They're not asking for trouble!

The subordinate became increasingly fearful as he thought about it:
"Boss, what do we do? They're taking people from their homes and killing them in the middle of the village. By the time we got there, there weren't many survivors left."

The leader surnamed Huang closed his eyes tightly.
"What should we do? Can the yamen runners we've sent from various county offices in Daming Prefecture possibly control them? Let's quickly turn back the way we came and stay far away from these people. We'll spend the night on the mountain!"

What chance did these seventy men have against more than a hundred government troops who had massacred the village?

Besides, it's not something they have the right to stop!
They did not choose a secluded place for their conversation.

Those who were closer to the group heard the gist of the story.

Gan Minglan and Zuo Wenkang, with their exceptional senses, heard everything clearly from beginning to end.

(End of this chapter)