Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

County Magistrate Chen Zhi came back from outside and went to the county government office to find Yang Ling.

"Greetings, Marshal!" Chen Zhi clasped his fists and bowed.

"Sit down!" Yang Ling motioned Chen Zhi to sit on the armchair opposite.

While Yang Ling was drinking tea, Chen Zhi was not idle either. He took out the urgent letter he had just received and handed it to Yang Ling, explaining, "General, someone sneaked into Jeju City last night and kidnapped the county magistrate Zhao Wenhua and three county clerks."

"What?" Yang Ling's face suddenly changed when he heard that.

"We have now found out the identities of that group of people. They are from the East Factory. They have captured Zhao Wenhua and three county clerks and threatened us to hand over you, the commander-in-chief. I think we should wipe out this group of thieves to prevent them from causing harm to the people."

"Yes!" Yang Ling nodded in agreement. "We have to admit that this group of people are very smart. They actually know how to use the pressure of public opinion. We really can't do anything to them. However, the East Factory's men dared to sneak into the county town and kidnap Zhao Wenhua and others. They are so bold that they must be severely punished and the people must not be disheartened."

"Marshal, the court has adopted a weak attitude towards the East Factory in recent years, causing it to become more and more arrogant and domineering. They even openly attacked officials. I suggest that all officials be summoned immediately to launch a siege on the East Factory." Chen Zhi suggested.

"No hurry!" Yang Ling shook his head and said, "Although the East Factory is arrogant, they are the Jinyiwei after all. If we act rashly now, it will anger the Jinyiwei. If we are not careful, the Jinyiwei will take the opportunity to attack us, and then we will suffer the loss."

"I understand, but what should we do? Should we just let them continue to do what they want?"

Yang Ling thought for a moment, then raised his head and said, "Since the people from the East Factory have captured Zhao Wenhua, County Magistrate Chen, and three clerks, I'm sure they will use them as hostages to force us to agree to certain conditions. Let's stay put and observe their movements."

Chen Zhi said worriedly: "Marshal, the people from the East Factory have captured Zhao Wenhua and others. I'm afraid they want to force us to be cautious. We must not fall into their trap!"

"Don't worry! I know what's going on." Yang Ling said confidently, "If they are really coming for us, they will definitely not kill us easily. They will definitely leave someone alive as a hostage."

"If we refuse to hand over Zhao Wenhua and others, will they kill people to vent their anger?"

Yang Ling snorted coldly, "If the people from the East Factory dare to take action, we are not afraid of them. There is no need to be afraid. As long as we work together, the people from the East Factory will not be able to hurt any of us!"

As soon as Yang Ling finished speaking, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside.

"Marshal, it's bad, the enemy is crossing the river!"

Yang Ling quickly stood up and ran out, following the sound outside.

Yang Ling arrived at the top of the city wall and saw hundreds of ships sailing towards the shore against the wind on the north bank of the Ji River. Flags were flying on the ships and shouts of killing could be heard faintly.

Yang Ling suddenly realized that the East Factory had already made preparations and planned to launch a surprise attack on Jeju in the dark and windy night. No wonder the other party crossed the river first.

Yang Ling secretly sighed that he was lucky. After they arrived at Jeju, they had to hurry on their way, so they did not mobilize troops for defense. Unexpectedly, they capsized in the ditch and almost fell into a trap.

"Archers, get ready. The crossbows are set up!" Yang Ling turned and shouted to the soldiers behind him.

"Marshal, we are short of manpower and only have forty or fifty crossbows!" Han Shizhong said with a wry smile.

"Try to hold them off and wait for reinforcements to arrive!"

As soon as Yang Ling finished speaking, the Dongchang fleet had already reached the shore. Countless Dongchang soldiers wearing iron armor landed and rushed towards the city wall waving swords.

"Meet the enemy!"

Yang Ling drew his sword and led the charge down the tower, shouting, "Brothers, follow me and kill!"

"Protect the commander!"

Han Shizhong and other officers drew their swords from their waists, followed Yang Ling with their subordinates and rushed down the city wall.

The East Factory had a larger number of people and had the advantage of terrain. Yang Ling and his men were simply unable to stop their offensive and were quickly defeated and thrown off the city wall. The East Factory men quickly took control of the entire city.

After the people from the East Factory drove out all the defenders in the city, they immediately sent out several teams of foreign servants to escort Zhao Wenhua and others to retreat to the west gate, intending to escape back to Quanzhou Prefecture for refuge.

"Chase!"

Yang Ling watched helplessly as the people from the East Factory took Zhao Wenhua and others away and successfully captured the city, feeling filled with regret.

He did not expect that the people from the East Depot were so ferocious and fierce that they captured the city in just half a day. If they had started to arrange defensive measures last night, perhaps it would not have been so easy for the people from the East Depot to capture the city.

"Marshal, what should we do?" Deputy Commander Li Fu asked in a low voice.

Yang Ling gnashed his teeth and said, "No matter what, we must not let the people from the East Factory rescue Zhao Wenhua and others!"

Yang Ling immediately gave the order: "Order the defenders of Jizhou City to assemble immediately and intercept the people from the East Factory!"

Although the defense of Jizhou City was lax, after learning that the people from the East Factory had broken into the north bank of the Ji River, Yang Ling chose to fortify the city without hesitation.

The military and civilians in Jeju City began to fight back under the organization of officers and soldiers. They set up various chevaux de frise, deer horns, and wooden fences on the streets, and then shot at long range with bows and crossbows.

However, the defense of Jeju City was poorly equipped and their bows and arrows had a limited range, so the effect was not ideal. Many Dongchang thugs took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the city and looted property.

After paying a heavy price, Yang Ling finally stopped the people from the East Factory from sending Zhao Wenhua and others out of the West City Gate.

Yang Ling personally led two thousand elite soldiers to line up outside the city to block the enemy. The two sides faced each other across the river, and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

The people from the East Factory stopped about 20 feet away from Yang Ling. The red-robed man who led them shouted sternly, "Yang Ling, you dare to disobey the imperial decree and commit treason. You deserve to be put to death!"

Yang Ling stared at the guard opposite him with a cold look in his eyes and said in a cold voice: "I will say this for the last time. We are following the king's orders. If you dare to obstruct us, you will be our enemy and we will kill you without mercy."

"Kill without mercy!" the guards from the Eastern Depot shouted in unison.

"Hahaha, Yang Ling, you have come to this day!"

Zhao Wenhua's voice came, he rode his horse slowly to the front, pointed at Yang Ling and taunted: "You traitor, you must die a horrible death. Do you think you can live till dawn? I tell you, you are dead this time. I advise you to surrender obediently, maybe we can spare your life, otherwise don't blame us for destroying you."

"Marshal, I am willing to lead my troops into battle!" Han Shizhong rode forward, clasped his fists and volunteered.

Yang Ling waved his hand and said, "You can lead the others to cover the rear, there is no need to take risks."

The people from the East Depot have already broken through the city of Jeju, and the city of Jinan is in danger. If he is captured by the East Depot again, both the Donglin Party and the imperial court will lose their support, and the situation will become even worse.

"Yang Ling, it's not too late for you to kneel down and beg for mercy now. Otherwise, when we take over Jeju City, we will cut you into pieces and grind you into ashes!" Zhao Wenhua threatened with a grim smile.

Yang Ling was too lazy to pay attention to Zhao Wenhua. He turned around and shouted to the people around him: "Brothers, today is our chance to serve the country and achieve great things. Follow me!" After that, Yang Ling took the lead in charging forward, and the rest of the guards followed closely behind Yang Ling and pounced forward.

Yang Ling was the first to charge into the Dongchang team. His swordsmanship was ferocious and domineering. Every slash he made could bring about a bloody storm. All the enemies who stood in his way were torn into pieces. Soon, the front of him was filled with corpses, and the blood gathered into streams, dyeing the loess red.

"Kill!"

Other soldiers also followed Yang Ling and fought bravely. They rushed into the enemy group with spears in hand, shouting and killing the people from the East Factory, making them cry for their parents, howl in pain, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Yang Ling and others were like tigers among a flock of sheep, constantly reaping the lives of the Dongchang people. They were so excited about killing that they even forgot to conserve their strength and only cared about venting their anger.

The people of the East Factory had never seen such a scene before, and they were so scared that they retreated and quickly organized people to resist. However, under the fearless charge of Yang Ling and others, these people soon couldn't hold on and retreated step by step.

Zhao Wenhua hid in the crowd and trembled. He did not expect that Jeju City would be captured by Yang Ling in just half a day. This was unbelievable.

"boom!"

Yang Ling suddenly kicked the enemy in front of him away, then reached out and took off the bird cage on his shoulder, took out the bird inside and threw it to the ground.

"Coo, coo, coo--" The frightened bird struggled desperately, flapping its wings, white feathers spewing out of its mouth, and then it flapped its wings and flew into the air.

This bird was none other than the carrier pigeon that Yang Ling had captured in Jinan. After it flew into the sky, it headed straight for Jining Prefecture. It was going to bring the message to Zhang Weixian, hoping that Zhang Weixian would be prepared for the situation in advance.

"Marshal, what are you doing?" Deputy Commander Han Shizhong asked puzzledly.

Yang Ling did not explain. He saw that the people from the East Factory were retreating faster and faster, so he quickly led his troops to chase after them, vowing to stop these thieves from the East Factory and never let them escape.

When the officers and soldiers of Jizhou City saw the defeat of the East Factory, they laid down their weapons and surrendered. After Yang Ling led his troops to clean up the battlefield, he immediately led his troops to continue chasing and killing the enemy.

The pace of Yang Ling and others became more and more rapid. Soon they arrived outside the north gate of Jinan Prefecture, and then saw that the people from the East Factory had rushed out of the city.

Yang Ling immediately gave the order: "General Han, immediately send several hundred cavalrymen to monitor the enemy's escape route along the way. After confirming that it is safe, return to the city. At the same time, let the soldiers rest and then prepare to cross the river."

"I humbly obey my orders!"

A moment later, hundreds of cavalrymen poured out of the city, dispersed and chased after the troops fleeing to the East Factory, and at the same time sent out scouts to investigate the terrain along the way.

Yang Ling led his troops to the north gate. He stood on the city wall and looked at the city of Jinan Prefecture. He saw smoke and dust billowing in the city of Jinan, and shouts and explosions could be heard everywhere.

The battle outside the city was coming to an end. As the East Depot's troops retreated in a hurry, they did not bring much food with them. As Jinan City had just been captured, the East Depot's troops retreated in a hurry, so except for Yang Ling, there was no food in the city. Fortunately, Jizhou Prefecture had two large canals, and the food reserves in the city were enough to feed more than 3,000 soldiers for half a year.

Yang Ling felt relieved when he saw this. He turned around and ordered, "General Han, order the soldiers in each camp to build fortifications on the spot. At the same time, order people to seal off all the fortresses and forbid anyone from entering or leaving without permission."

"As ordered!"

Yang Ling said to Chen Zhi: "General Chen, you must immediately dispatch 5,000 elite soldiers to guard the east gate. We must not let the enemy escape."

"Yes, sir!" Chen Zhi agreed.

"Lieutenant General Liu, gather your troops immediately and organize the militia and local soldiers to defend the city!"

"Here!"

Yang Ling then ordered: "Lieutenant General Li, you must immediately lead your men to clean up the remaining Donglin Party remnants in the city and eradicate all these evils!"

"I obey your command!" Liu Chuang agreed.

"Captain Xu, Captain Wu, you are responsible for the security of the city. No one is allowed to enter or leave without permission."

"Here!"

"Captain Sun, Captain Zhou, you are responsible for recruiting civilians and maintaining order in the city. Anyone who dares to cause trouble or disobey military orders will be killed without mercy!"

"I will obey your orders!"

After Yang Ling explained everything to everyone, he breathed a sigh of relief, then sat down on the steps next to the battlements and wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve.

Han Shizhong came over and asked with concern: "Marshal, how are you? How is your injury?"

"It's okay, it's just a superficial wound!" Yang Ling shook his head. Thinking of the fight just now, he couldn't help but sighed, "We are still a step late after all. If we had conquered Jeju City half a day earlier, maybe Jeju City would not have fallen, and the people from the East Factory would not have dared to rebel."

Han Shizhong smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "Marshal, you also know the nature of those beasts in the East Depot. They are hungry wolves. They will not give up until we have been gnawed to the bone. It is a miracle that we can defeat the East Depot's troops."

Yang Ling nodded slightly. Although he was reluctant to admit it, he had to accept the reality. The people from the East Factory were indeed difficult to deal with.

This group of people acted in an extreme way, were greedy, vicious, insidious and cunning, and were simply committing all kinds of evil. If Yang Ling had not arrived in time today, the situation in Jeju City would have been absolutely unimaginable.

Thinking of this, Yang Ling couldn't help but be glad of his choice. He decisively sent troops to Jeju and eventually captured Jeju City, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

After Yang Ling pondered for a moment, he turned to Han Shizhong and said, "Pass on my order. All the property in Jeju Prefecture will be returned to the national treasury."

Han Shizhong nodded in agreement, turned around and walked to the edge of the tower and shouted: "Brothers, all the wealth in Jeju Prefecture belongs to you, so you can plunder as much as you want, don't be polite!"

"Thank you for the reward, Marshal!"

"Haha, that feels so good!"

"Brothers, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and take action!"

After hearing this, everyone cheered and picked up their weapons and armor and rushed into the city.

After the troops of the East Factory withdrew, the city of Jizhou was in chaos, and a large number of civilians and gentry took the opportunity to escape. When they saw the army outside the city, they were overjoyed and rushed to the city gate to kowtow to Yang Ling.

Yang Ling breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this scene, and then shouted loudly: "Please excuse the formalities, gentlemen!"

Yang Ling had people guide the people to both sides of the street and sent people to maintain order.

Under Yang Ling's persuasion, the people gradually stopped bowing, but they still knelt on the ground, unable to speak due to excitement.

Yang Ling looked at these people and suddenly didn't know what to do with them. (End of this chapter)