Chapter 377: Condemning the people and punishing them
"Clang."
In a dilapidated village not far from Donghu Village, which is composed of countless wealthy families around Donghu Shuize, there was a sound of metal falling to the ground.
The dilapidated village looked even more dilapidated because of the outburst of the Yellow River. If it weren't for the daily necessities of the common people still placed in the courtyard, it would only make people think that this was an abandoned ancient village that had long been abandoned.
And as the first sound sounded, the whole village began to hear one after another.
Wait until the sound of metal falling to the ground is over.
In the night outside the village, a long and long horn sound was also heard.
A group of Habayashi right guard officers and soldiers who had changed into common people's clothes looked at each other and then nodded.
"Donghu Village is rich and unkind!"
"Destroy Donghu Village and become the master of the country!"
The sound was so loud that the whole village was shaken. Even the big dogs guarding the village were so frightened that they lay in the corner and did not dare to move.
But in the entire village, except for the repeated calls from the officers and soldiers of the Habayashi Guards, there was no movement.
In the distant night, the long trumpet sound suddenly became faster and sharper.
The expressions of the officers and soldiers of Habayashi's right guard changed, and the content of their shouts also changed.
"Killed!"
"Dead people!"
"People from Donghu Village started killing people!"
"He killed someone..."
The officers and soldiers of Habayashi's right guard kept shouting, and after a few shouts, they quietly disappeared into the night outside the village.
At the same time, the same things were happening in the villages dotted with Donghuzhuang.
However, the reactions are much the same.
It seemed that these villages, which were obviously inhabited by people, had turned into deserted and lonely villages tonight.
only.
Everything is changing.
Bang.
In a courtyard whose walls had collapsed, the light of an oil lamp suddenly lit up behind the small window.
Then, the lights came on one after another.
Like stars in the night sky, they are scattered in the wilderness of Kaifeng Mansion.
Creak.
The rotten wooden door groaned, revealing a gap, spreading more light into the courtyard outside.
Suddenly, a black shadow blocked the light, but seemed to be pushed out of the door and into the yard by those weak but exceptionally bright lights.
He is a common man who has already put on clothes.
The legs of his trousers are still stained with the mud he brought back from the river today.
The man walked to the place where the noise was coming from in the courtyard, bowed his head and took a knife in his hand.
"It's a knife!"
A low cry came from the yard next door.
The man turned his head and saw everyone in the village getting up and walking out of the house.
In the dark night, someone made a sound of surprise.
"It's His Royal Highness the Emperor's Grandson! His Highness sent someone to deliver it!"
"When I was working on the river today, I saw His Highness the Emperor Taisun coming with someone!"
In the village, there began to be noisy noises.
But everyone is still hesitant.
Outside the village, the officers and soldiers of Habayashi's right guard, who had clearly left, quietly came over again.
Under a courtyard wall, an officer and soldier with the loudest voice raised his head.
"His Highness must have been involved in the matter, so he asked us to make our own decisions!"
"If someone is killed in Donghu Village, find out the murderer and bring it to His Highness. The Emperor's Grandson will definitely make the decision for us!"
As the officers and soldiers opened their mouths, the remaining officers and soldiers shouted again.
"Destroy Donghu Village and become the master of the country!"
"Destroy Donghu Village and become the master of the country!"
One sound after another, one sound louder than the other.
Gradually, the people in the whole village, armed with swords and guns in their hands, also joined in the shouting.
Gradually, the voices of the people drowned out the voices of the officers and soldiers.
Finally, the officers and soldiers of Habayashi's right guard truly left quietly.
And the people in the village, armed with swords and guns, also walked out of their homes one after another, and under the starry sky, they took the first step towards Donghu Village.
And those people who did not have swords and guns also picked up manure forks, hoes, hatchets, etc. in their yards.
The people moved.
…
And in Donghuzhuang.
The families who owned almost the entire area around Donghu Village, from Zhongmu County in the west to Kaifeng Fucheng in the east, were all stunned.
The man who is the master of the family has vowed to produce a family with two rankings of Jinshi in the next subject. He also holds a knife in his hand and looks at the people outside the gate of the mansion with some surprise, at the people who have stopped in the night in the distance.
crowd.
The imperial court did not ban swords and guns, only crossbows and other sharp weapons.
Originally, the man had become ruthless and vowed to chop down a few people to establish his power if these mud-legged people dared to rush to the door of his house, so that these mud-legged people would know who was the biggest in Donghu Village.
Just now?
The mud-legged men who had been shouting all the way, holding torches, actually stopped far away in the night.
The man pricked up his ears and his expression suddenly changed.
Those 'mud-legged men' were actually shouting into the air, shouting about killing people, killing people, and so on.
These people are not idiots!
The man's expression changed drastically.
Just when he was about to take action, he saw those people in the dark began to flee.
flight!
After thinking for a while, the man felt that this word was the most appropriate.
Bang.
The steward of the house, who hadn't noticed the strangeness yet, looked at the mud-legged people receding like the tide, and finally his whole body went limp, and after taking a long breath, he fell to the cold ground.
"Finally retreated, finally retreated..."
There were even younger members of the clan holding swords and long knives, hiding the fear previously on their faces, revealing expressions of disdain and domineering.
"A mud-legged person is a mud-legged person. The thunder is louder and the raindrops are lighter. He deserves to be poor for the rest of his life!"
"Oh!"
No one noticed that the owner's face was even more ugly than before.
To the side, not far away, from another family that had lived in Donghu Village for generations, several stewards and servants came over.
"Young men are here on the orders of the master of the family, and want to remind your family."
"Something's not right tonight."
The steward who rushed over from the neighboring residence of Donghu Village had just finished speaking when, in the distant wilderness under the dark night, a far greater momentum suddenly erupted than before.
"Close the door quickly!"
"Take the bamboo fork and put it on the wall!"
The middle-aged head of the family's eyes trembled, and he immediately turned around, dragging a member of the clan who was still clamoring for mud-legs earlier, but was now stunned by the noise in the wilderness, and ran towards the gate of the house.
The steward who had just rushed over to remind me took a look at the mud-legged people who had already rushed out of the night. His legs were trembling. He wanted to turn back but did not dare to go through the night. Finally, he swarmed with the people here.
They squeezed into the mansion gate.
In the darkness, on the only road leading to Donghu Village away from the surrounding villages, Zhu Yunxi, protected by many guards in golden robes, surrounded by Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Shangbing, Gao Guang, Pei Benzhi and other officials, quietly stared at the brightly lit Donghu Village in front of him.
Gao Guang and Pei Benzhi looked at everything happening in front of them and felt their hearts trembling.
In the darkness, every step of the people holding weapons and farm tools seemed to step on their chests.
Such an act of inciting the people is almost unheard of for them.
Now these people are heading towards Donghu Village.
But once the reverence for the laws of the country is opened in the hearts of these people, after tonight, will these people still be willing to live as docile subjects of the court?
In the minds of Pei Benzhi, Gao Guang and others, this issue is a question mark.
Zhu Shangbing whispered in a low voice: "Everything has been arranged. Several cattle and sheep were slaughtered, and the area near Donghu Village was covered with blood."
Zhu Gaochi immediately turned back and looked at Zhu Shangbing. He didn't know that he had such preparations.
Xiaopang turned his head again and glanced at Zhu Yunxi who was standing in front. Then his eyes suddenly enlarged and he turned his head hurriedly.
Zhu Shangbing whispered: "What are you looking for?"
Zhu Gaochi pushed Zhu Shangbing and searched behind the crowd.
After working for a long time, Zhu Gaochi took a few deep breaths.
He raised his head and stared at Zhu Shangbing: "Where are those people!"
"Which people?"
Zhu Shangbing pouted, with doubt on his face.
Zhu Gaochi glanced at the officials behind him out of the corner of his eye, and lowered his voice and said, "You will bring the people you captured from outside the camp tonight!"
Zhu Shangbing's eyes flickered for a moment, and then his whole face became shriveled, and he said angrily: "The people below are all useless, but they actually let those people run away! Who knows where those people have fled to now...
…”
After finishing speaking, Zhu Shangbing coughed a few times as if he had a stuck in his throat.
Zhu Gaochi's face was ashen and he gritted his teeth: "Why do you do this!"
Zhu Shangbing couldn't answer, so he hummed twice and turned to pay attention to the movement outside Donghu Villa.
The little fat man was so angry that he had nowhere to vent his anger, and his heart was filled with unbearable anger.
Zhu Yunxi turned around, silently looked at Xiaopang who was secretly angry, and said in a low voice: "Mencius Teng Wengong said in the second chapter: punish his crimes and hang his people. If the rain falls at the right time, the people will be happy."
After the irritated little fat man heard these words, his eyes flickered twice, he opened his mouth, but in the end he let out a soft sigh.
Pei Benzhi, who was standing behind the three people, stepped forward lightly and bowed: "The Song Dynasty Book asked the prisoners for rumors: it stirred up the clouds and scattered the rain, comforted the thoughts of the severe drought, mocked the people for their crimes, and accumulated feelings for the late successors. The Zhou Dynasty Book Xiao Jingzhuan also said
He said: Today, the Wei captives are greedy and have no regard for the justice of punishing the people. They will definitely be cruel and punish many barbarians.
Henan Road has been plagued by malpractice for a long time, and the people have hidden anger in their hearts and resentment in the fields. As time goes by, the grievances will be dragged down, causing disasters to the country and the state. Today, the people are given a golden sword to attack the unjust and punish the guilty, which can soothe the people's grievances."
Gao Guang, who stood side by side with Pei Benzhi, opened his mouth, but in the end he swallowed back the words that had reached his lips.
He wanted to say that it was reasonable to punish the people and punish them, but it was not appropriate to use it at this time.
It's just that tonight's events have reached this point. Talking more will only make the emperor's grandson unhappy, so he simply becomes a silent spectator.
Zhu Yunxi was very satisfied with Pei Benzhi's explanation of his thoughts. He looked at the little fat man who was still a little depressed, reached out and patted the other person on the shoulder: "To comfort the people, we are also burning in Henan Province tonight.
For the second fire, it depends on where this fire will burn."
Zhu Gaochi didn't say a word, but his eyes looked in the direction of Donghu Village.
The people Zhu Shangbing picked out outside the camp tonight must have been placed on the only way to Donghu Village. As long as the people who come over see the corpses, they will definitely feel the deepest feelings in their hearts.
Anger was also aroused.
He couldn't help but take a few more glances at Donghu Villa, which was brightly lit in the distance and dazzling under the starry night.
After tonight, this place will probably be abandoned for many years.
…
No one noticed that under the night cover around Donghu Village, the previous people with capable figures, fierce eyes, thick arms, and calluses, all in their twenties and thirties, had quietly disappeared.
They were replaced by people who came from surrounding villages.
The angry people walked out of the darkness everywhere and walked into the bright lights from Donghu Village.
More and more people gathered together, and the momentum was huge.
"what is that?"
The people who were rushing in front suddenly expressed doubts and pointed at a black figure lying on the roadside.
It seems that the weapons and farm tools in their hands gave the people a sufficient sense of security.
Several people walked together toward the black shadow on the ground.
The crowd behind them stopped briefly.
In the dark night, the breathing sounds of the angry people became quieter.
"It's human!"
"It's the person Donghuzhuang killed!"
Suddenly, the people who came forward to investigate roared in unison.
The crowd was completely blown away.
No one thought to find out which village the body belonged to.
Everyone only felt that there was a ball of anger burning in their hearts. The anger and resentment that had been accumulated for many years finally broke out completely under the stimulation of blood and corpses.
"Smash Donghu Village!"
"Stand up and take charge of the country!"
"Smash Donghu Village!"
"Smash Donghu Village!"
"..."
At the end, everyone was shouting that they wanted to destroy Donghu Village.
And the shouts of killing continued to be heard all around Donghu Village, echoing from everywhere.
People began to rush towards Donghu Village, which was already in front of them, desperately.
In their eyes, the brightly lit houses are like mountains weighing on them, on their backs, and in their hearts.
It was so overwhelming that they couldn't breathe.
In just a moment, the entire houses that had been inhabited for many years around the East Lake swamp were surrounded by angry people.
Swords and dung forks were struck at the gates of the houses, making loud banging sounds.
Some people want to climb into those houses through the courtyard walls so as to vent the anger accumulated in their hearts for many years.
On the courtyard wall, those children and servants who had lived in other families for a long time were holding long bamboo forks in their hands, like spears in the army, and they were piercing the mud-legged people who were trying to climb up outside the courtyard wall.
.
The blood dyed the white courtyard walls of the high-class residence red, but it was like fuel poured on a fire, making the raging fire even hotter.
boom!
Boom boom!
In the dark night, several loud noises were heard around Donghu Village.
The people who had been blocked by the courtyard wall suddenly found that the tall courtyard wall blocking their eyes suddenly collapsed, exposing holes.
"Fight in!"
"Smash Donghu Village!"
Like a tide, the people rushed into the houses around Donghu Village from under the collapsed walls one by one.
The killing finally came as expected.
The bright lights of Donghu Village were gradually dyed red, as if it was a happy day. Every house had hung up red lanterns that glowed with festive red light.
As time went by, the killings became more and more intense.
The large number of common people armed with weapons is simply not something that the people in the East Lake Village who have enjoyed wealth and wealth for many years can compete with.
House after house was set on fire, and the firelight made the water of East Lake brighter.
The people of Kaifeng Mansion unleashed their anger and wanted to burn the entire East Lake swamp.
Zhu Gaochi stared blankly at Donghu Village, which had turned from pillars of fire to seas of fire. He was obviously involved in most of the events tonight, but seeing it all become reality gave him a dreamy feeling.
Zhu Yunxi coughed lightly, stretched out his hand to pat Xiaopang's back, and whispered: "Now as long as we tie up the end, the people here will be loyal to me, the Ming Dynasty, within three generations."
Zhu Gaochi's eyes swayed and he spoke in a low voice: "The scattered swords and guns need to be recovered. We still need to do things to avoid being talked about."
The matter was irreversible, and the first thing Zhu Gaochi thought of was to try his best to eliminate the possible impact of this incident at the very beginning.
Zhu Yunxi hummed and looked at Zhu Shangbing aside.
After a while, Zhu Shangbing led people to Donghu Village.
In the houses around Donghu Village.
When the angry people killed all the people in sight wearing silk and satin, set fire to every house, and emptied every granary, they finally calmed down.
There is no one left alive in Donghu Village.
The people who calmed down finally realized what they had done tonight.
"Did I kill someone?"
"How could I kill someone? Am I going to be beheaded?"
Some people began to feel uneasy, looking at the corpses on the ground, with rivers of blood flowing around them, and began to fear what would happen tomorrow.
"We are killing people who do evil things! The emperor's grandson is here today, and they will definitely help us. Otherwise, where did the swords and guns in our hands come from?"
Suddenly, another young and powerful voice came from the crowd.
The panicked people couldn't help but subconsciously ask: "What should we do now?"
"We can't keep the swords and guns of the imperial court. They are all lost. Otherwise, if the imperial court asks, how could we have betrayed the emperor's grandson?"
"What kind of grandson? These swords and guns were obviously made privately by the people in Donghu Village!"
"Yes! It was these people who had evil intentions and built it privately!"
There seemed to be countless people in the crowd reacting and shouting out their thoughts.
And after being reminded, the people also understood what they should do.
Knives and spears were stuffed into the hands of the Donghuzhuang people lying on the ground, while more weapons were stuffed into the warehouses that had been emptied.
After the people of Donghu Village were smashed tonight and no longer had any weapons in their hands, the sound of neat armors came from outside Donghu Village.
Someone who had been staying outside came in.
"The troops from the imperial court are coming!"
In each of the houses, someone immediately picked up the call and shouted loudly.
"It must be the imperial court and His Royal Highness Taisun who have made the decision for us!"