The remaining arrows in Cheng Jiaoniang's hand did not shoot out anymore, but Manager Cao had already sent someone to rush forward.
These soldiers were unarmed and had been tortured. In addition, two people were shot dead in the blink of an eye. They were so frightened that they collapsed psychologically and had no ability to resist.
This just happened in the blink of an eye, and people around me didn't even understand what was going on.
The man who was on fire had been extinguished by being beaten with earth and branches by the people around him. He was already dying and burned beyond recognition, but the followers of the Zhou family still recognized who he was.
"It's the one who incited the soldiers to drive the people away." The attendant whispered, "There is an oil can next to him..."
Manager Cao suddenly realized this and looked in disbelief.
"Madam, is this man going to set fire to us?" he said.
"I don't know, maybe." Cheng Jiaoniang said, giving the bow and arrow in her hand to Manager Cao, "You can take care of the rest."
I don’t know, probably…
Manager Cao was a little stunned and looked down at his bow and arrow.
If you don't know, you dare to shoot someone to death...
Would you rather kill someone by mistake than let one go?
This is killing!
However, is killing someone nothing unusual for a lady?
Because the fire was discovered in time, and because the Zhou family's followers had experienced large and small fires in the capital, they quickly organized the people present to put out the fire and rescue people.
The civil structure of the inn house was in disrepair and it would be difficult to control the fire, but fortunately the fire was in the upper room area at the back, where there were fewer people living there, giving the crowded front yard time to escape.
Therefore, not many people were burned, but many were injured due to crowding and trampling.
Feng Lin, who was at the point of the fire, also luckily escaped.
Because of the sulking incident at night, he had not slept well. Although he was the target and the fire was the worst here, he woke up in time and struggled to crawl to the door, adding his loyal relatives.
Sui broke in regardless of the danger and rescued him even with his strap on. However, his arm was injured by a falling wooden beam and his throat was injured by smoke and choking. His life was safe.
When the sky got brighter, the fire in the inn was reduced, because basically everything that could be burned was burned out, and everything was scorched black. People who were frightened and exhausted from fighting the fire lay on the ground on the road outside the inn.
At night, I only cared about saving my life, but it didn't matter. Now that I had saved my life, I thought about the lost property and property, and cries could be heard from time to time.
Amid the ruins, two followers came supporting Feng Lin.
Looking at this man, whose clothes were burnt black, whose face was as smoked as the bottom of a pot, and whose arms were hanging around his neck with a belt, limping towards him, Yi Cheng, who had narrowly escaped death, felt like he was seeing a living ancestor.
"My lord!" they cried and took it.
The common people have also seen it. Although they are not sure what kind of official this is, the image of this official who loves the people like a son was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people last night. After seeing him again, they felt a lot calmer after the panic after the disaster.
.
"grown ups!"
"grown ups!"
Countless people rushed over crying and shouting.
"Is Feng Lin dead?"
In the same house in the same village, the clerk no longer had the warmth as before, but asked urgently.
The two men looked at each other and shook their heads.
"He's not dead?" The clerk's face turned blue and he sat back, "Wang Da Liuzhong was killed... It's over, it's over..."
When they heard these two words from the clerk's mouth, the two men felt cold in their hearts. This was even more heartbreaking than when they saw their companions clutching at each other to death in the chaos.
"Not necessarily, not necessarily." They couldn't help but hurriedly said, "The fire was very severe. We rushed back to report the news, but we didn't confirm it. He must be dead and couldn't escape. We were around the house.
All set on fire…”
"Whether he dies or not, it's all over... It's all over. Wang Da Liuzhong was killed on the spot, and the soldiers were also caught... This is enough, enough..." The clerk shook his head and murmured, "How could this happen?
Who is he? How could he be killed?"
The two men had cold limbs and set fire to kill people. Neither of them had been afraid, but when they became themselves at the end of the road, the feeling was really indescribable.
"I don't know, I don't know what's going on." they said tremblingly.
They had been staying behind, and when they rushed out after lighting a fire, they saw the clerk lying on the ground, covered in fire. Another mistake, and the tax collector was shot through the neck with an arrow.
They only saw a lot of people standing on the other side. They turned around and ran back without even seeing who they were.
"There is no need to ask this now." The clerk said, holding on to several cases with a pale face.
What can you do if you know who it is? Go over and kill them?
"Sir, what should we do now?" the two men asked tremblingly.
what to do?
"Escape!" He spat out one word.
Run! Run away!
This is how things are in this world, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, there is no third option.
Fortunately, he is thorough in everything he does. Even if he is sure of something, he must be prepared with both hands.
His family and relatives have been sent far away in advance, and he also carries with him enough money to live for a while.
The morning fog of autumn drifted by, bringing with it a thick chill.
The clerk galloped along the path on his horse.
The countryside in the early morning was peaceful and calm, with farmers getting up early, dogs barking occasionally, and no pursuers behind them, but the secretary's mood was uneasy and a little desperate.
Once he escaped, he had nothing left.
There is no more Cao Shuban in this world, and there is no more Cao family accumulated by three generations of Taicang Mansion.
Compared to the adults on Taicang Road who faced the storm and cleaned up the mess, he, Secretary Cao, was relatively lucky, but why was there still deep darkness in his heart.
How did it fail? How did it backfire?
It’s really hard to lose without even having to settle down.
In the early morning wilderness, one man and one rider hurried away like a lost dog.
"You want to burn me to death?"
Feng Lin said, looking at the four people who were being escorted and kneeling on the ground in front of him.
"No, no, it's not us." The four soldiers shouted hurriedly, kowtowing repeatedly, "We were also ordered by others."
Anyway, these little soldiers are never important. If things get big, the superior will always be responsible in the end. As long as the fight breaks out, they, the ant-like little people, can still be ignored. They will be beaten and punished and driven out.
thing.
When they heard that the fire was deliberately set, the people present became even more furious.
"Burn them, burn them!"
I don't know who shouted first, but more voices started shouting, and rocks and sticks were thrown at them.
"It was Commander Liu Zhong from Taicang Road who ordered us." The soldiers shouted, "He promised us a lot of money..."
As soon as they finished speaking, they were kicked down by Manager Cao.
"Fuck you, a small official from the Taicang Road Transfer Department can command you, the emperor's personal guards!" He cursed, "You're fooling fools!"
The soldiers cried out again and again.
"Where is Liu Zhong?" Feng Lin asked.
Manager Cao waved his hand, and his entourage carried Liu Zhong and another person who had been burnt to coke.
The burning was so miserable and the stench was so thick that the people around were eager to see but also afraid. They closed their eyes and covered their mouths and noses, dodging and squeezing around.
"It was fine and suddenly it burned itself..."
"What? He has an oil can on him. He obviously got mad..."
"It seems like retribution!"
Amid the discussion, Feng Lin stepped forward to look at the two corpses, supported by his personal followers.
Although he was a civil servant, Feng Lin had been in charge of prisons and had also examined corpses, so he was not uncomfortable or afraid. He even squatted down and looked at the charred corpse carefully. He moved his hand and found that there was an iron arrowhead at the throat of the corpse.
Appear.
really…
Feng Lin couldn't help but look up at Manager Cao on the side.
Although this steward is not tall, he is very strong, which shows that he has a lot of skills. At this time, he is holding a bow in his hand.
"Good archery skills." Feng Lin said with admiration.
Guanshi Cao clasped his fists.
"Thank you for the compliment, sir." He said with a smile.
The two attendants around him looked slightly surprised when they heard this and glanced at Manager Cao.
The sky was bright and the sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance.
"Sir, all the people from the nearby government offices are here, and so are the soldiers and horses from Taiqing Road." The guard who was rushing over dismounted and shouted.
Not far away, hundreds of people gathered and meandered their way.
The post station caught fire, burning the imperial officials and a large number of people. This was a serious matter. Officials from the nearby counties rushed over. On the way, they encountered officers and soldiers in strict armor and with solemn expressions and murderous looks. They were even more shocked.
Although they had not arrived at the scene yet, the careful officials basically understood that this was definitely not a natural disaster but a man-made disaster.
When they saw the tragic scene, everyone looked shocked. Whether they were really sad or fake, they were all filled with grief.
"This is the culprit who set the fire. Come and see, are you familiar with me?" Feng Lin said in a hoarse voice.
Several officials pushed and pushed, but they couldn't escape, so they had to come forward. When they saw the person lying on the ground clearly, they took a deep breath.
"Do you recognize it?" Feng Lin asked coldly.
"No...I don't know." The three of them replied in unison, lowering their eyes.
Feng Lin sighed.
"Sir, this place is dangerous and it is not advisable to stay for a long time. Please go to our Taiqing barracks first." An officer dismounted and said, saluted Feng Lin, and then gave a junior salute, "Uncle Feng Shi, Changqing and I are from the same sect."
Feng Lin looked at him and nodded.
"But Zhong Qing, Zhong Zijian?" he asked.
"That's my nephew." The general saluted again and said.
"Changqing mentioned you to me before we left," Feng Lin said in a hoarse voice.
"Brother Changqing also wrote to me. It's all my fault that I didn't know that Uncle Shi was already here and didn't protect him in time... I almost suffered a serious mistake..." the general said with a guilty look on his face.
Feng Lin smiled coldly.
"This is not your careless fault, this is the fault of some people who are too bold," he said.
The general said nothing and invited him back to the barracks with him again.
"No, I'm not leaving." Feng Lin said, "I'm just waiting here, waiting for people to come and take a look, for Your Majesty to take a look..."
Having said this, he pushed away his followers and staggered towards the inn where there were still lingering flames.
"My lord, be careful."
The officials and guards shouted.
Feng Lin stood still in the ruins. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were ragged, and his face was charred. He turned around in a panic and pointed around with his uninjured hand.
"Let everyone in the world come and take a look! What is happening here!"
"Let everyone in the world take a look! How cruel and crazy these corrupt and perverting people are!"
"I will guard here. I won't go anywhere. I will ask them from Taicang Road to deliver the account books to me! I am sitting on the ruins. And, you, go and build a coffin for me...
"
"...I want to imitate the Crouching Tiger of the Han Dynasty, take a coffin, and take a good look at this Taicang Road!" [Note 1]
The hoarse voice spread, although it was not that loud, but those who heard it felt their ears hurt.
They raised their heads and looked at the embarrassed figure standing among the ruins under the early morning light. It didn't look so ridiculous, but it was so tall and dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at it.
*************************
Note 1: Dong Xuan, who was appointed magistrate of Luoyang County at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, took office carrying a newly painted black coffin, indicating that Luoyang was a holy land in Kyoto, where powerful officials gathered. If corrupt officials were severely punished, it would inevitably offend some of the royal relatives and lead to death.
, so he was always ready to die for the country, so he had no choice but to bring a coffin to take office. The rich and powerful nobles in the capital were all afraid of him, and they were nicknamed "Crouching Tiger". (To be continued)
