lcionline Chapter 206 Violent Grain Requisition (Part 2)
Chapter 206 Violent Grain Requisition (Part 2)
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Although the enemy outnumbered them by two, the soldiers of Qiongzhou Camp, having formed ranks and engaged in a fierce exchange of thrusts, feared no one. After several thrusts, the people of Huangjiazhuang were left with corpses scattered everywhere, blood splattered all over the walls and the ground, having suffered losses exceeding thirty percent.
The able-bodied men usually only imagined bandits and pirates as their enemies, and they could maintain their fighting spirit by defending the earthen walls. Now, after being hit by muskets and having their opponents breach the walls, they were at a complete disadvantage in hand-to-hand combat, and their losses were so heavy that they had long been considering retreating. If it weren't for their homes and families behind them, they would have already collapsed.
Huang Renying, trembling at the back of the crowd, hadn't expected them to actually dare to attack, brazenly assaulting a village without any scruples or backup plans. Whether the imperial court would investigate the Qiongzhou garrison for their massacre of civilians was no longer important to him; preserving his life was the most crucial thing.
Returning to their familiar fighting style, the Qiongzhou soldiers were in their element, their mechanical and ruthless assassinations forcing the young and strong to retreat.
A strange sight unfolded atop the earthen wall: a group of red figures forced their opponents, more than twice their size, to slowly retreat, appearing from above as if a small ball was pushing a large ball.
After leaving behind the corpses of their clansmen, the able-bodied men of Huangjiazhuang could no longer endure the one-sided hand-to-hand combat. The fear of death overwhelmed their loyalty to the village and their sense of responsibility to their families. They dropped their spears and scattered in all directions, finally collapsing.
Su Da let out a long breath. Although the number of able-bodied men on the other side still far exceeded that of his own, the collapse before him basically signaled the end of the battle. A group of poorly armed peasants could not compare with a regular army. After the rout, it would be impossible to organize an effective counterattack.
Soldiers, guns at their ready, descended the earthen wall. The village was filled with the terrified screams of women and children, chickens scattered, dogs barked, and the occasional sound of jars and pots being knocked over and shattered. All the Huang family members were gripped by immense fear; their only hope for resistance had been defeated, and their morale shattered. Those who entered the village were imperial soldiers, no more benevolent than bandits.
Huang Renying had fled back to his house long before the young and strong fled, and sat trembling in the main hall. If he could keep the enemy outside the walls, everything would be fine, and he could appeal to higher authorities, accusing the Qiongzhou garrison of abusing its power, misusing its soldiers, and harming the people. But now that they had broken in and injured some people, they were bound to retaliate. He didn't know how many clansmen they would kill, but as the clan chief and head of the manor, he would definitely be the first to be hit, and his life would be in danger.
The soldiers opened the gates of the manor, and Li Ergou led his men inside. He said to Su Tui, "Brother Su, let's find their clan leader first."
Su Da Tui shook his head: "Master Li, we need to control all the able-bodied men in the village first, so that Huang Family Village has no ability to resist, before we can talk about serious matters."
Li Ergou agreed: "You can make the decision on this matter. As long as Huangjiazhuang obediently pays its taxes, that's fine."
Su led his soldiers to search house to house. Any able-bodied men found, regardless of whether they were armed, were tied up and taken away. Women, children, the elderly, and the weak were left unattended.
Even when the able-bodied men joined forces, they were no match for the enemy. Once separated from their men, they dared not resist and obediently surrendered. However, the women in the women's homes, seeing their husbands being tied up and taken away, fearing for their lives, became desperate and lunged at them, biting and tearing at them. The soldiers showed no mercy, striking them with their rifle butts until their heads bled, and they immediately became docile.
The able-bodied men were bound hand and foot and taken to the village's threshing ground, where they were all forced to kneel on the ground. Soldiers surrounded them on guard. On the outer perimeter were the men's families, who wept as they watched their sons and husbands kneeling on the ground.
Su Tui said to the women, children, and the elderly, "If you want them to live, bring your clan chief and his family here."
Upon hearing this, the people all turned and ran towards Huang Renying's house.
Huang Renying was hiding at home, racking his brains for a solution, when suddenly a large group of people rushed in. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were all women and elderly people from the village, each with red eyes, staring intently at him.
He was stunned for a moment, then asked, "What...what are you trying to do?"
A bold woman said, "Elder, all the men in our family have been tied up. The soldiers said you have to come forward. You are the only one who can save them now."
Huang Renying was furious: "You actually believe what those scoundrels say? I'm staying here to figure out a solution. All of you, get out!" She was joking; she was trying to avoid them, how could she possibly survive if they came knocking on her door?
Normally, no one in Huangjiazhuang would dare to disobey him, but today, as soon as he spoke, no one moved, as if they were nailed to the ground.
"You want to rebel..." Before Huang Renying could finish speaking, an old man shouted, "Saving our child's life is the most important thing! If the clan chief refuses to go, we'll carry him there!"
Encouraged by someone, everyone rushed forward, some lifting hands, some feet, carrying Huang Renying out of the house like a pig. His wife and son in the next room were not spared either, all dragged and pulled to the threshing ground.
Li Ergou looked down at Huang Renying, who was slumped on the ground, and asked, "You are the clan chief of Huangjiazhuang, right? You actually dared to incite your clansmen to resist paying taxes and even injured soldiers from the Qiongzhou camp. You must be tired of living, right?"
Huang Renying wanted to refute, but looking at the heavily armed soldiers around her, she swallowed her words and simply snorted softly to express her dissatisfaction.
His youngest son jumped up, pointed at Li Ergou, and cursed: "You old scoundrel, your master relies on force to act against the law and break the rules of the court. People who are despicable will be punished by heaven. I want to see how long he can be so arrogant."
Huang Renying was startled and whispered, "Lun'er, don't do this..."
This was his youngest son, Huang Lun, who had passed the preliminary examination for the imperial examination at the age of twenty and become a formal student, now a subsidized student of the county school, commonly known as a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination). In Lingao, where the literary atmosphere was not strong, Huang Lun could be considered a promising young man. You should know that many scholars were stuck at this stage, still a preliminary student even with a white beard.
Youth is often impetuous, especially for a young scholar like Huang Lun, a future candidate for the imperial examinations. While at the county school, he had witnessed firsthand the various "retrogressive" actions of the Qiongzhou garrison, such as demolishing the city walls to build a new city and accepting taxes on behalf of others. He had long been disgusted by these actions, and now the practice of requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together was an insult to his own people. He could not tolerate it any longer and immediately jumped out to give a good scolding.
Li Ergou had never been called an old scoundrel before, and he was completely stunned. Back in Yanchang Village, he was known as a peasant and a salt hog, but after following Liu Yeji, everyone around him respectfully called him Master Li. This was the first time he had ever received such a "refined" insult.