The Ming Dynasty: Starting with bandits, it swept across the land.

Upon hearing Wei Mingdao's words, Zhou Dezhao stopped tearing the silk.

Wei Mingdao knew that his mentor usually acted with the demeanor of a scholar-official, but was not a fiercely independent person at heart.

Even ants in this world try to survive, let alone humans?

Zhou Dezhao stood up and went to the bedroom. Wei Mingdao waited for a while, but Zhou Dezhao still didn't come out.

Is it because there's no one to serve you that even changing your clothes takes so long?

Just as Wei Mingdao was complaining in his heart about why there had been no movement for so long, Zhou Dezhao came out.

He was still wearing the same official robes as before.

"My dear teacher, what's going on?"

Wei Mingdao was taken aback.

"Mingdao," Zhou Dezhao said calmly, clearly having thought it through, "I understand now. Although I am not as strong as Lord Yang Zhongmin, I know that as an official, I have a responsibility to protect the land."

Upon hearing this, Wei Mingdao thought to himself that things were going to get bad and was about to try to persuade him again, but Zhou Dezhao stretched out his right hand to block Wei Mingdao, signaling him to stop talking.

"In the two hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, has there ever been anyone who has been able to escape responsibility for losing land while holding office? I know you mean well, but there are always responsibilities that must be borne in one's position."

After saying that, Zhou Dezhao handed a small bundle to Wei Mingdao.

The burden wasn't big, but it was heavy.

"This is the official seal of Yijun County Magistrate and a letter I wrote for you. As long as you deliver it to Prefect Fan of Fuzhou, he will surely understand the whole story."

"Go."

The last two words seemed to have exhausted all of Zhou Dezhao's strength.

Wei Mingdao knew that things were beyond repair, and no one could stop a man who was determined to die.

Wei Mingdao could only put the bundle aside, straighten his clothes, and respectfully bow to Zhou Dezhao before picking up the bundle, turning around, and pushing open the door to leave.

Zhou Dezhao watched Wei Mingdao disappear, then looked at the silk he had just thrown on the ground and couldn't help but laugh at himself:

"Zhou Dezhao, Zhou Dezhao, you're still worrying about these things at a time like this... In the eyes of the King of Hell, who cares whether a hanged ghost was made of silk or hemp rope?"

After saying that, he picked up a waist knife that he had thrown on the ground earlier and went into the bedroom.

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The Yijun County Government Office is located at the highest point of Yijun City. There is a long street leading down from the county government office to the city, which is the most prosperous street in the entire Yijun.

When Wei Mingdao returned to the county government earlier, groups of bandits were knocking on doors and knocking on shops, taking away anything they wanted.

The shop owner pleaded and begged the bandits for mercy, but they just laughed and continued to rob the shop with even greater merriment.

When Wei Mingdao saw it, all he could do was curse, "You bastard!"

However, although these bandits looted, they did not intentionally kill anyone. This is why Wei Mingdao told Zhou Dezhao earlier that they could change their clothes, smear ash, and sneak out of the city.

But when he set off again from the side gate of the county government office, he found that the long street was different.

A band of over a hundred bandits marched down the long street, banging gongs. When they saw a shop being looted, they immediately attacked the looters inside with clubs without saying a word.

They only stopped when the people inside begged for mercy, tied their hands with ropes, and led them to the back of the line.

When Wei Mingdao saw it, there were already three or four hundred men with ropes wrapped around their hands, following behind this band of bandits.

He looked stern; this must be the most elite force in the rebel army.

Then look at the leader who was giving orders at the front of the team. He was about twenty years old. He wore a coarse old cloth coat that was stained with sweat and an old felt hat. His features were ordinary, but his eyes were very clear.

He observed carefully and memorized the leader's details.

Standing at the front of the line on the long street, Li Chengye felt somewhat helpless. He hadn't wanted to get involved in this mess, but now he was stuck with it anyway.

After finding the Liu family warehouse, he ordered his men to pack up their belongings and take turns resting.

From the start of the battle to the collapse of the city walls, everything finally settled down, and it was already noon.

The weather in June is scorching hot.

After explaining the arrangements to Yang Chongwang, including taking turns on duty, eating, and resting, Li Chengye found an empty house, found a shady spot, and lay down.

He lay down and slept until the sun was setting.

He was exhausted from the battle. He hadn't had a proper rest since the night before, and last night he was busy preparing equipment and didn't get any sleep at all.

The fierce battle that morning had exhausted all their energy.

When I woke up, I found a large bowl of golden millet rice next to me, with some solidified mutton fat on top.

It must have been Chengen and the others who prepared the meal, found him asleep, and then brought it over.

The rice was a little cold, but the well-cooked millet mixed with mutton fat smelled wonderful.

Li Chengye woke up hungry and wolfed down the large meal. He still felt a little hungry, but his condition had improved considerably.

He had just stepped out of the house when he almost tripped over something.

He looked closely and realized it was a person.

A woman holding a baby is squatting on the ground.

The woman must have been dozing off and didn't notice Li Chengye's appearance, so her outstretched leg tripped him.

The woman was startled awake by Li Chengye's words. She instinctively opened her mouth to curse, but upon seeing Li Chengye, she knelt down and kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, spare me! This lowly woman didn't recognize you!"

Li Chengye was completely baffled by Zhang Er's actions. What was going on?

Before he could even realize what was happening, people were kowtowing all over the alleyway in front of the house he had come from.

He kept repeating the same thing as the woman: "Your Majesty, spare my life."

Only now did Li Chengye realize that the entire alley was packed with people, men, women, old and young.

Judging from their attire, they were clearly city residents.

At this moment, Cheng En pushed through the kneeling crowd, walked up to Li Chengye, and explained to him what was going on.

It turns out that after Wang Er entered the city, he was unable to control his subordinates, which led to his old camp now looting the entire city.

The blocks near the north wall were occupied by Li Chengye and others, and since they were mostly poor people, the old camp's men ran into a few obstacles and did not come over for the time being.

Seeing that there was order and no murder or robbery, the surrounding people came with their families.

Yang Chongwang and the others originally wanted to stop them from entering, but as more and more people gathered, and they were unwilling to draw their swords against these unarmed people, they had no choice but to let them in.

However, according to the previous rules of Li Chengye's camp management, they were to be separated and not allowed to move around without reason, while the family stayed together in one place.

They planned to make more detailed arrangements after Li Chengye came to think of it.

After hearing the whole story, Li Chengye was also at a loss. Roughly calculated, there were more than two thousand people in these alleys; almost half of Yijun County had come.

Fortunately, the thousand or so people left behind at the camp didn't let them into the city, otherwise it would have been a complete mess.

Then someone came to report that Luo Dai had come to visit.

Li Chengye had a good impression of Luo Dai.

Having come from a frontier military background, he was disciplined and methodical in his conduct.

His squad of over two hundred men was probably the only elite force that Wang Er could boast of besides his cavalry.

The last time Li Chengye was promoted to captain, it was because he said a few words that Wang Er gave him, Huo Tu, and Black Scorpion a cartload of grain when allocating manpower. Otherwise, with the grain that Li Chengye brought from Qingshi Village, they would have run out of food by now.

"Brother Luo, what brings you here?"

Li Chengye went up to them and immediately asked them the purpose of their visit.

At this moment, Wang Er was busy, so why would he send his subordinate to come here?

Luo Dai smiled wryly: "Brother Li, the city is in chaos. The old camp is disobeying orders and looting on its own. Chief Wang hopes to borrow troops from you to restore order in the city."

"Borrowing troops?"

Li Chengye understood; indeed, the shouts of battle and cries of agony within the city were growing louder and louder.

I originally thought Wang Er could control it, but now it seems he's helpless.

But he couldn't refuse to lend the soldiers, since he was still under Wang Er's command.

But if it's like Liu Bei borrowing Jingzhou and never returning it, then we'll be in trouble.

Since that was the case, Li Chengye simply said to Luo Dai, "Then I will go with Brother Luo to restore order to the whole city."

Luo Dai was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

After making some plans, the two of them each led a team of their own men and searched the streets by banging gongs.

If a soldier hears the gong and immediately returns to his unit, he will be pardoned.

But if they hear the gong and remain obstinate, they will be punished with a rod for minor offenses and beheaded for major offenses.

As for how to determine the severity of the crime, that's up to you.

Li Chengye set off from the north gate, searching along the streets with gongs. Only a small number of veteran soldiers heard the gongs and returned to their ranks, while the rest continued to do as they pleased, some even brandishing knives and shouting at Li Chengye, "What can you do to me?"

Li Chengye didn't tolerate it either; he now understood what it meant to be merciful in command of an army.

After beheading more than a dozen people, the soldiers who had been robbing the place became afraid and dared not fight back even if they did not return to their unit.

Then he walked all the way to the long street in the center of Yijun City.

Looking at the long line of veteran soldiers with their hands tied behind them at the back of the column, Li Chengye felt that after today, many people would probably hold a grudge against him.