Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 203 Iron-Blooded (Part Two)

Unable to withstand the terrifying atmosphere, the wealthy man struggled and shouted, "General, it's the Yu family!"

"The Yu family and the Prince of Liaoxi have been exchanging glances for quite some time now. Ever since they learned that General Pei was coming, the Yu family has been acting suspiciously. It must be that the Yu family is colluding with the Liaoxi army to assassinate General Pei!"

Yu family?

Pei Qinghe narrowed her eyes and glanced over.

The wealthy men were horrified and quickly moved aside, revealing a man in his fifties.

The man was dressed in unremarkable clothes, had a round face, and looked quite kind. He belonged to one of the most prominent families in Beiping County.

The Yu family made their fortune through human trafficking, a ruthless and unethical business. They amassed a fortune over decades. Even the Yu family members themselves couldn't calculate their exact wealth. The head of the Yu family was also known as "Yu the Millionaire."

Pei Qinghe had a small booklet in her hand, which Shi Yan had specially compiled a few days ago. The booklet listed all the well-known families in Beiping County, and the businesses of each family were clearly marked. The Yu family was on the first page of the booklet.

To support an army, every wealthy family listed in this booklet has to bleed themselves dry.

With today's pretext of assassinating the Pei family army, dealing with them is even more logical.

Pei Qinghe coldly ordered, "Drag him over here."

Pei Yan, dark-skinned and burly, exuding a murderous aura, strode forward. The long knife in his right hand dripped with blood, and with little effort, he dragged Yu Baiwan, whose face was pale and who was trembling all over, to Pei Qinghe.

"General, you are wise! The Yu family did have some dealings with General Li of the Liaoxi Army in the past. However, ever since General Li raised his flag and declared himself King of Liaoxi, all contact has been severed."

"I knew absolutely nothing about today's assassination attempt. This bastard is framing me!"

"I'm willing to give up half of my family fortune, please spare my life, General!"

Yu Baiwan spoke rapidly and urgently, shouting and struggling to kowtow and beg for mercy while glaring angrily at the man who had spoken earlier.

The head of the Fang family was also one of the top wealthy families in Beiping County, running a pawnshop. Their ruthlessness was no less than that of the Yu family. While the Yu family trafficked children and women, the Fang family, for some valuable antiques, secretly orchestrated schemes that led to the ruin and death of families.

Shi Yan was very meticulous in his work; he marked the Yu and Fang families with the words "can be killed".

The Li family head who was beheaded on the spot earlier was no good either. As a major grain merchant in Beiping County, the Li family hoarded grain and inflated prices. Grain prices in Beiping County more than doubled in just two years, much higher than in Yan County. Many people couldn't afford grain and starved to death in their homes. They were forced to sell their fields, houses, wives, and daughters to survive. The Li family, on the other hand, made a fortune, rising to become one of the top wealthy families in Beiping County.

They are all among those who should be killed.

Desperate to save his own life, the head of the Fang family cried out, "General, I am also willing to offer half of my family fortune. Today's assassination attempt was orchestrated by the Yu family. Those six assassins were all death squads sent by the Liaoxi Army. General, you can have your men examine the corpses carefully!"

Yu Baiwan glared at him, but before he could utter a string of curses, Pei Qinghe's icy voice rang out: "Send him on his way."

Pei Yan swung her knife decisively.

Yu Baiwan's head rolled to the ground, his bloodied face frozen in the shock of his death. The corpse fell a step slower, slowly collapsing.

The head of the Fang family breathed a sigh of relief, and the other wealthy families also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Having found the mastermind and killed Yu Baiwan, General Pei had vented his anger. They were now safe…

Before he could even catch his breath, Pei Qinghe's murderous voice rang out again: "Kill this one too."

"okay!"

Pei Yan swung his sword down.

The head of the Fang family was decapitated. In a short moment, four heads fell to the ground, and four corpses lay in different positions, blood splattering everywhere, the stench of blood so thick it made one want to vomit.

The wealthy men could barely keep their knees up; their faces were deathly pale.

The prefect Shen, who was kneeling at the front, was so shocked by the bloody scene that his stomach clenched and he turned around and vomited all over the ground.

No one dared to look up at Pei Qinghe.

The restaurant lobby was completely silent.

Pei Qinghe's icy gaze swept over everyone. The crowd wished they could bury their heads in their necks, fearing they'd be the next unlucky one to be called out.

“The Pei family army has never killed wealthy families in Yan County, and they have never harmed the common people in the slightest.” Pei Qinghe said coldly, “Today, as we enter Beiping County, I have no choice but to make an exception.”

"You all look carefully to me. The Pei family army's blades are extremely sharp. They can kill Xiongnu barbarians, defeat the Fanyang army, and today they can kill even more people."

"Prefect Shen!"

Prefect Shen had just vomited violently, and his voice was weak and feeble: "Your humble servant is here!"

"A dignified prefect, yet he was completely unaware that an assassin had infiltrated the city. He is utterly incompetent." Pei Qinghe showed no mercy to Prefect Shen.

Prefect Shen was filled with shame and bowed his head to apologize.

Pei Qinghe, too lazy to listen to Prefect Shen's rambling nonsense, gave a direct order: "From today onwards, the security and defense of Beiping Prefecture will be entirely handled by the Pei family army. The civil administration in the Prefect's office will still be your responsibility. If any more mistakes are made, you won't have to keep your head."

At least we escaped disaster today.

Prefect Shen was sweating profusely and repeatedly agreed.

Pei Qinghe turned to Pei Yun and instructed her: "Take men to the Lou, Yu, Li, and Fang families, leave some food for survival, and confiscate the rest to use as military funds."

Pei Yun will be stationed in Beiping County for a long time in the future, so let her handle the matter of confiscating property to establish her authority.

Pei Yun bowed and accepted the order, leading two hundred men away with a murderous look on her face.

Pei Qinghe continued, "All the wealthy families will be imprisoned in the prefectural jail and interrogated thoroughly. Anyone who has colluded with the Yu family will be executed by this general. If it is determined that they are unaware of the truth, they may be released at the discretion of the court."

Regardless, not being killed on the spot greatly increases one's chances of survival.

The wealthy families breathed a sigh of relief. Far from harboring any resentment, they were all filled with gratitude, repeatedly kowtowing to thank General Pei for his kindness.

Chaotic times belong to warriors. Whoever has the knife or the strongest fist calls the shots.

General Pei's restraint in not killing everyone to vent his anger after encountering assassins was already remarkable. Even if he had, what difference would it make? Would an army avenge wealthy families like them? Look at Fanyang, Guangning, and Liaoxi counties—how many wealthy families have been robbed and slaughtered?
Those with quick minds have already started planning to give up most of their family fortune just to survive.

The wealthy were taken to prison, and the prefect was helped back to his office. The bustling streets were deserted; only the city gate guards remained to maintain order.

The moment Pei Qinghe stepped out of the restaurant, the city gate guards felt a chill and all lowered their heads.

This ruthless display of power completely shocked everyone.

(End of this chapter)