Shulong Daojun

Inside the county town gate, not far away.

Upon hearing the cheers, the county magistrate's legs trembled involuntarily, and he almost fell. Fortunately, the guards beside him helped him up in time, and he regained his balance.

The guard hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Sir, is it... really necessary to prepare two doses of medicine to be decocted and taken?"

The county magistrate immediately looked annoyed and glared at him, saying, "Go away, what nonsense are you spouting! I'm perfectly healthy!"

But where did all these soldiers come from in Chuxian?

There were several hundred people in total, a large group, clearly exceeding the quota for a county's soldiers; it was truly strange.

He muttered a few words, not daring to think too deeply, then raised his hand to beckon the guards to come closer, and said in a deep voice: "Starting tomorrow, close the other three gates, leaving only the south gate open for passage, and send troops to strictly check, and anyone without a travel permit shall not be allowed to enter the city."

If anyone from Chuzhou County wishes to enter the city, they may be allowed in only after a thorough search, and they must be kept under surveillance.

The garrison soldier dared not be negligent and respectfully replied, "Yes, sir."

"Hmm." The county magistrate nodded casually and was about to take a step out.

Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly paused, pondered for a moment, and continued, "The matter of sending troops to assist another county tomorrow is hereby cancelled. Instead, we will send two scouts to that place to gather information."

The garrison soldiers' expressions tightened, and they quickly bowed and clasped their hands in response.

Outside the county town gate.

After calming the surrendered people down, Jiang Heng went to Lin Shu, bowed slightly, and said, "My lord, everything went smoothly."

"Not bad." Lin Shu smiled and praised, then after a moment's thought, slowly said, "As for the grain, you can ask Gu Changming to handle it. Make it clear that you are acting on my orders, and I don't think there will be any problems."

As for the refugees in the other county, we can proceed as before, capture them tomorrow, and take them under our control.

Jiang Heng looked resolute and said, "I will certainly not fail your trust, sir."

Now that they were facing the enemy, the spirit and appearance of the thousand armored civilians were quite different from before; they were bolder and more powerful.

At this rate, capturing the refugees in another county tomorrow should be a piece of cake.

The only concern is whether Chuxian County has sufficient grain reserves.

With Lord Qinglong's assistance, Chuxian County has sufficient grain reserves, but as the number of refugees continues to increase, it may be difficult to meet the demand.

Therefore, it is necessary for Lord Qinglong to frequently visit Chuxian County to help ripen the rice and wheat.

Thinking of this, Jiang Heng was about to explain the matter, but before he could speak, a voice entered his ears:

"The refugees in the other place are different from those here. After looting the village, they have become somewhat violent. This is something we need to be careful about."

However, seeing that Jiang Heng was quite confident, Lin Shu spoke up to remind him in time to avoid unnecessary casualties due to carelessness.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng's expression turned serious, and he said, "What you say is true, sir."

As soon as he finished speaking, he revealed what he had been thinking.

After Lin Shu agreed, he felt relieved.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Heng found Bei Chen and asked him to take him back to Chuzhou County to explain the matter of the grain to Gu Changming.

A short while later, they returned.

The next day.

Once the grain had been properly transported and the surrendered people had been appeased, Jiang Heng submitted a memorial to the emperor, which was approved. He then left two body-refining disciples and two hundred armored civilians to guard the area.

The rest, led by the man with the leopard eyes, marched in unison toward another county.

At this point, the people who had surrendered had received their grain and were already mostly at ease, so there was no need for them to stay any longer.

Moreover, Lin Shu mentioned the word "safety" and asked Bei Chen to stay here temporarily, instructing him to be extra careful.

If there is any disturbance, a little magic can be used to deter them, but the lives of the surrendered people must not be harmed.

Because they were neighboring counties, not far apart, we set off at sunrise and arrived before sunset.

The body-refining disciples were sent ahead to scout out the location of the refugees before reporting back to Jiang Heng and the leopard-eyed man.

After discussing it, the two decided to stop five miles away to avoid being discovered too early.

At the same time, remembering what Lin Shu said, the two decided not to act according to the time previously agreed upon with the county magistrate, but instead let the eight hundred armored civilians rest on the spot and go to sleep before it got dark.

Wait until the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) to awaken them, then take up their spears and wait, and quietly take action around the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

When people are most tired and sleep the most soundly, they can act quietly and succeed.

The full moon hung high in the sky, surrounded by patches of dark clouds that drifted with the wind, sometimes partially obscuring the moon, sometimes completely blocking it out, and its clear light gradually faded.

Below, the leopard-eyed man led eight hundred armored civilians in a light-footed manner. When they approached the location of the refugees, they stopped and waited for the right moment.

Ahead, dozens of refugees huddled around a bonfire, their heads drooping, eyes half-closed, looking drowsy.

Occasionally, someone's head would suddenly drop, jolting them awake. They would quickly shake their companion, saying, "Wake up! Your shift is about to end, just hang in there a little longer..."

Before he could finish speaking, he closed his eyes again, feeling sleepy.

A short while later, dark clouds once again completely obscured the full moon, plunging the world into darkness.

At this moment, the leopard-eyed man waved his hand and shouted in a low voice, "Advance—attack his lower body."

As soon as he finished speaking, the eight body-refining disciples lowered their spears. The armored civilians in the front row understood, took a deep breath, and their eyes flickered slightly before settling on something.

This morning, when they saw the black and red bloodstains on the spear, they realized that they had actually stabbed a person last night. Their faces turned pale, and they retched uncontrollably. It took them a long time to recover.

Therefore, if an order were given to kill, his hand would tremble and he would not dare to do so.

But if it's just a stab to the legs or feet, it seems acceptable, and I feel a little relieved.

Thinking of this, the armored civilians in the front row immediately raised their spears and advanced step by step, with the people in the back row following closely behind.

As they drew nearer, the sound of leather armor rubbing together grew ever closer.

The drowsy refugees seemed to sense something and suddenly awoke, but were too weak to move for a moment.

Just as he was trying to regain his senses, the spear pierced straight through him, embedding itself in the flesh of his thigh. A horrifying pain instantly shot into his brain, causing his eyes to nearly bulge out and his mouth to open as he was about to let out a wail.

Just then, a cloth shoe stomped down and stuffed it into his mouth, leaving him only able to whimper.

However, a commoner wearing armor saw that he was about to speak, and in a moment of panic, he raised his foot to block him.

However, you can stop one person, but you can't stop dozens; there will always be some who slip through the net.

Then a long howl startled everyone – Ahhhhh!

In the distance, scattered noises arose, mixed with curses and anxious voices, creating a chaotic cacophony.

At that moment, the leopard-eyed man's pupils narrowed, and he roared, "All troops, listen to my command—Stab!"

Eight body-refining disciples lined up in front and roared in unison. Eight hundred armored civilians drew their spears and followed closely behind, following their usual training habits. With a flick of their spears, drops of blood flew from the tips.

They immediately took a step forward and pressed forward with their spears.

Under the cover of night, before the refugees could react, eight hundred armored soldiers, armed with leather armor and spears, attacked like wolves among sheep, stabbing anyone they encountered in the groin, causing endless screams and wails.

Use harsh words to suppress harsh words, and use stern expressions to stop stern expressions.

Those who have developed a violent streak should be dealt with even more fiercely to deter them.

A moment later, a voice of surrender came from the crowd.