Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 16 Hair Cut
Yan Yi was wearing a green robe with a black collar and a crown today, with a long sword at his waist and a horse named Xuelibai on his hips.

He likes this mount very much. It is not only very smart, but also has extremely fast acceleration and sprinting speed. It is a rare good horse.

More than twenty cavalrymen were escorting prisoners including Wang Mai in the front, while Sun's wife was sitting uncomfortably in a baggage cart, following closely behind.

Yan Yi led forty or fifty riders at the back, guarded by Si Qing and others and a bearded military marquis.

Yan Yi was quite surprised to see this military marquis with a face as red as a date appear here. He specially called him to his side and rode towards him: "Marquis Li, will your presence here today hinder your execution of military orders?"

Li Chou's beard trembled as he spoke. "No, no, ever since the young master chopped off the heads of those thieves who were looting the people yesterday, there are only a few soldiers wandering around outside the city today. It's spring now, unlike winter, so there aren't many bandits out here. They're just petty thieves."

Yan Yi nodded slightly. As long as they were strictly controlled and made to realize that the risks far outweighed the benefits, they would not dare to act recklessly. At least they would restrain themselves for a while and see how the situation developed.

As long as these military leaders do not come out to harass and plunder the people, the danger posed by the nearby bandits will not be great.

The spring rain and sowing season are usually the times when there are few bandits. Only during the autumn harvest and winter will those bandits hiding in the mountains and forests swarm out and plunder the village pavilions.

Li Chou continued in a loud voice, "As soon as the roosters crowed this morning, the refugees and common people from around Tingbu all rushed to Wuheli. I was still in bed when I heard the report and got up to see what was going on. I thought they were going to cause trouble, so after finding out more, I brought most of my brothers and followed them. Anyway, the military order ordered me to protect these refugees, so I naturally followed them wherever they went."

"This Li Chou looks rough, but he is actually smart and knows how to cope with situations." Yan Yi thought to himself and reached out to pat Li Chou's shoulder. The gesture was quite intimate and immediately made the ugly-looking big man grin.

The pavilion was less than a mile away from Wuheli. While they were chatting, a row of walls appeared in their sight.

There is a long ditch dug outside the wall. To the east is the official road, to the north and south are farmlands, and to the west is a small hill.

At this time, there was a crowd of people between the mountain and the wall.

Seeing so many people at the scene, Si Qing and others showed surprise and vigilance on their faces. Even Yan Yi, the instigator, was surprised.

"Young Master is here!"

Someone shouted, and the crowd suddenly became excited, like a huge curtain, slowly moving towards the south side of the wall.

The cavalrymen rode forward, blocking the crowd and, with nervous expressions, cordoned off a passage more than ten feet wide.

The crowd stopped outside the passage, heads moving and voices buzzing. Word quickly spread about the identities of Wang Mai and the others at the front of the group.

"Kill the corrupt officials!"

Following a shout, countless voices roared out, resounding throughout the venue.

Wang Mai and the others were pale and limp, and were half-supported and half-dragged onto the stage by the cavalrymen beside them.

All the inquiring eyes were immediately focused on Yan Yi, who was riding a white horse and was extremely eye-catching.

Due to the original owner's bad reputation, the local people in Wucheng showed a certain degree of rejection towards him, but compared with before, it has improved a lot.

Instead, it was the refugees from Danyang who looked at Yan Yi with the most earnest eyes, and with obvious kindness.

After ascending the wooden platform, Yan Yi placed one hand on the hilt of his sword and surveyed the surroundings, which gradually quieted down. "Fellow villagers, I have come here today to recruit soldiers. However, what I have seen and heard along the way has been shocking, and I feel guilty."

Yan Yi leaned slightly aside and pointed to Sun's wife, who was standing nearby in coarse mourning clothes. He spoke gravely, "This is Sun, a native of Guzhang, Danyang. She moved to Wucheng with her husband to escape the war. But just a few miles away, in broad daylight, they were robbed by bandits, and her husband was killed. Though I'm incompetent, I understand the weight of our responsibility to defend our land and protect our people. Now, this tragic loss of a family has occurred right here under my watch. The blame is undeniable. It's all my fault!"

After saying that, he walked up to his grandson's wife, and in full view of everyone, he put his hands together, bowed, and bowed solemnly.

Sun's wife was terrified and hurriedly knelt down, crying, "Young Master beheaded the murderer and ordered people to preside over my husband's funeral. He is my benefactor, so what has he done wrong? How dare I accept such a generous gift from you!"

The thousands of people below the wooden stage were completely silent, each one of them incredibly shocked by this scene.

In this era of male dominance and female inferiority, it is very rare for men to show respect to women other than their elders, let alone for the Lord of Wucheng to show such great respect to the wife of a commoner in front of thousands of people.

Si Qing and others were horrified and went forward to help Yan Yi up, but he shouted them away.

Only after the maid cleverly helped Sun's wife up did Yan Yi get up.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they heard a clang. Yan Yi drew his sword, held it across his chest, grabbed a lock of hair with his left hand, swung the sword and cut it off, shouting, "This head still has to serve the country, so I'll keep it for now. I'll use it as a substitute to atone for my sins. Heaven above, I bear witness that anyone who dares to rob the people from now on will be punished by law!"

"Young Master, please make the decision for us common people. We are deeply grateful for your kindness!"

The audience was filled with emotion, as if a dark cloud had been lifted from their heads, revealing a ray of light. Some people knelt on the ground, wiping away tears.

The wealthy and powerful families living north of Mutai were terrified, and the timid ones among them were so frightened that their hands and feet were shaking slightly.

Yan Yi shouted again, "Sun's husband was murdered. Although the perpetrator has been executed, his family still needs to pay Sun 100,000 coins in compensation. Anyone who violates this will be severely punished!"

Sun's wife was so moved that she wiped away tears and thanked him repeatedly.

Yan Yi looked at Sun's wife and asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

"I am willing to follow the arrangements of the young master." Sun's wife lowered her head and said.

Yan Yi thought for a moment and said, "After your husband's funeral is over, you can go out and explore. Geqiting has seven li. If you like, you can choose one to settle down. If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can come to the county and tell me."

Sun's wife looked around for a few times and whispered, "This place is very good. I am willing to stay here."

"Very good!" Yan Yi nodded and ordered the head of Wuheli to come over. He instructed, "Help Sun find a suitable house, not too big or too small. Sign the deed and seal the contract for her. Have the owner come to my house to collect the money. If she needs anything in the future, please help her."

The village head said respectfully, "Don't worry, young master. We are neighbors and we will help each other."

"Young Master is fair in his dealings!"

"Young Master is kind and virtuous!"

The people around him saw Yan Yi's detailed instructions and handling of the matter, and they couldn't help but sigh in admiration and expressed their approval.

(End of this chapter)