Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 283 Appease
Betrayal always comes so quickly, and the ending may not be as satisfactory as imagined.

Liu Guotai stared at the scattered corpses in the Juyi Hall of Guimeng Village, speechless in a daze.He just felt that his hands and feet were cold, and he didn't know what went wrong.In the middle was the body of a strong man, who was hit by dozens of arrows and died in a terrible state. It was Qin Bajia, the boss of Guimeng Village.

Obviously in the Green Camp a few days ago, the discussion was to lure a few bandits from nearby to Guimeng Village to appease them together, and if anyone resisted, they would be killed.In this way, he can not only behead his head as a military merit, but also surrender, which means he has the road to promotion.

Also puzzled is Cao Yong who accompanied Li Xiong, the general of Dengzhou, to "suppress the bandits".That's right, why didn't you see the "beckoning" step in the middle, and just arranged for the archers to shoot a volley?When he heard the news and came with Li Xiong, the dust had settled here.

The smell of blood in the room made people uncomfortable, and Cao Yong faintly gave birth to some anger.

Although "suppressing bandits" is originally a matter of the green camp, it is after all the boundary of Yizhou, and when Li Xiong arranged for Liu Guotai to be the internal response, he was right there.What was really said at the beginning was to "recruit security" first, and then kill those who were stubborn and refused to recruit security.

Li Xiong, the commander-in-chief of Dengzhou, stood triumphantly in the Juyi Hall of Guimeng Village, looking at the scattered corpses on the ground, and said to Cao Yong who came with him: "Cao Ezu, this appeasement place is very dependent It's a shame! It's a pity that the bandit leader escaped, but he didn't get all the credit!" There was a hint of complacency in the words: "However, the leaders of several bandit villages around are here, so it can be regarded as a lot of profit! "

While talking, someone came to report again, saying that other bandits were protecting women and children and confronting the officers and soldiers in the back mountain, please show me to Li Xiong.

Li Xiong smiled ferociously, waved his hands and said, "Kill! Tell these thugs to see what Tianwei is! We, sons of the green camp in the Qing Dynasty, are we eggless mountain products?"

Cao Yong frowned slightly. Mr. Zhuang had said before that if Li Xiong, the general soldier of Dengzhou, came to suppress the bandits, he would have to kill them.Because when Li Xiong first arrived in Shandong a few years ago, he suffered a great loss because of the Yimeng mountain bandits. Due to the defeat of the bandits, he was demoted from a second-rank lieutenant to a third-rank guerrilla.

Those on the ground, since they are the leaders of the various villages, should not be killed unjustly. After all, there are countless robbery cases reported in the county newspapers over the years.It's just that those family members, women and children outside, Cao Yong can't just watch Li Xiong use his life to make military achievements.

"Li Junmen, wait a minute!" Cao Yong glanced at the corpse on the ground, and asked slowly: "What is the meaning of this, why is this officer at a loss?"

Although the chief soldier is the second rank, which is much higher than Cao Yong's fourth rank, but He Shuo's forehead is equivalent to the rank of the first rank of martial arts. In this way, Cao Yong's status is higher.

Li Xiong is a member of Prince Zhuang's mansion, except for the failure to suppress the bandits in the past few years, his official career has not been smooth in the past two years, and he went to Beijing to see him twice last year.Although Cao Yong said that his status was higher than him, he really didn't look down on him in his heart, but he was not easy to offend on the surface.

Li Xiong replied with a smile: "If you return to the forehead, these bandits have always been tough. If they don't take advantage of their surprise, how can they behead nearly a hundred? I'm afraid they would have slipped back into the mountains long ago!"

Cao Yong narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at Liu Quantai, who was ashen-faced beside him, and said softly: "Could it be that the officer made a mistake, and the order above was not 'to caress', but to 'suppress'?" Li Junmen meant , but it’s really a great credit to have a ‘no chicken or dog’, I don’t know if the Long Live Lord is satisfied with this longevity gift?”

When Li Xiong heard the words, Kangxi had always governed the country with "benevolence and filial piety". No matter how much credit he made, if he was labeled as "killer", his future would be hopeless.Not to mention that Jiazi Wanshou this year is the time for the government and the public to sing praises.

Thinking of this, his expression was a little stiff, and when he looked at Cao Yong again, his eyes became more scrutinized.

Cao Yong was looking at the one with the most arrows in the middle, and asked Liu Guotai who was standing beside him, "Who is that? Could it be Qin Bajia?"

Liu Guotai was startled by Cao Yong's voice, and when he looked at him and Li Xiong again, his eyes were filled with panic, and he nodded stiffly.

Once Qin Bajia died, the clue to pull the finger might be broken again.Liu Guotai has already explained that both he and Zhang Laosan are natives of Yizhou, and only Qin Bajia and his several guards are foreigners.The few near Qin Bajia's corpse seemed to have tried their best to protect him and died, presumably they were his confidants.

The soldiers who came to ask for instructions were still waiting for Li Xiong's instructions, thinking that the master Guerrilla outside was still waiting, and his face showed a trace of anxiety.

Cao Yong couldn't stand by and watch, let Li Xiong think about whether he should start killing, and said: "Since there are still stubborn bandits in the back mountain, let the military gate and this officer go and have a look!"

Li Xiong originally thought that Cao Yong, relying on his identity as a guard, joined in the bandit suppression in order to grab credit.Although he was bored in his heart, he also knew that even if he didn't come to share the credit, someone else would come.

There is a Heshuo son-in-law standing here, proving that the credit is real, and if he sends some money to the capital, his rank can't help but be raised again.

Today, in a time of peace and prosperity, beheading more than a hundred people is a great achievement.

Li Xiong thought about it, and he stopped being greedy, and said to Cao Yong: "Since the father-in-law ordered, let's go and have a look. Long live God is the most kind, even for these ignorant bandits, he is also a mighty kindness. Moreover, this year is Jiazi's longevity, which is the joy of all people in the world."

In the depression in the back mountain, the officers and soldiers had already surrounded the remaining bandits.The old, young, women and children were inside, and the young and strong men were outside, confronting the officers and soldiers with sticks, knives and guns in their hands.

Surrounded by three and missing one, the purpose is just to lure these people here.The terrain in the middle is low, and the officers and soldiers surrounded them with bows and arrows, and waited for the order from their superiors to kill and make meritorious deeds.

The two guerrillas who led the team got impatient and were about to send people to urge them, when they saw Li Xiong and Cao Yong leading people over, and hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "I have seen the army gate, I have seen Cao's son-in-law! "

Li Xiong just looked at Cao Yong, did not open his mouth to speak, but made up his mind, even if he wanted to "caress", he should take the majority of the credit himself, and Cao Yong should not let Cao Yong take the lead. boring.However, he has to be pushed to the front of the stage, so there are faults and big burdens.

Cao Yong is not a fool, how could he allow him to pluck himself clean, and said to Li Xiong: "Li Junmen, this is to..." When it comes to this, he is silent.

Li Xiong laughed "haha" twice, and said: "Of course I want to 'caress', otherwise how can I show the benevolence of the old man Long Live." Having said that, he pointed to Liu Guotai who came over, and ordered Said: "You, you boy, hurry up and shout to the master, put down the stick and come here quickly, otherwise... hum..."

After hearing this, Liu Guotai felt as if he had received an amnesty. Since he was useful, it seemed that his life was saved.Therefore, he immediately wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead, stepped forward and said loudly: "Fellow folks, our gathering here is already inconsistent with the laws of the country. Now, with the grace of the imperial court, we are allowed to go out of the mountain and become good citizens. Such a merit, why don't we let me I’m so grateful! Let go of the stick and come out with your children and grandchildren..."

Before he finished speaking, he heard a young man say angrily: "It turns out that Liu's second child is you, a bastard who sold his brother for wealth! I can't blame these green camp officials who know the way, you have no conscience, be careful, old man!" God has eyes..."

There were two young men beside him who were about to curse, but two fast arrows were shot, one to the throat and the other to the chest, piercing the man who had just cursed.

The man let out a muffled grunt and fell to the ground, dying instantly.

It turned out that the noisy crowd was extremely silent, and no one said a word for a long time.

With a dark face, Li Xiong asked, "Which bastard is owed? Get out of this town!"

But there are two generals, with bows in their hands, coming over with their heads down.One is taller and the other is slightly shorter, both in their 20s.

Li Xiong yelled: "Drag on, give these two brats who don't understand the rules twenty whips to open their eyes."

The two commanders looked very panicked, looking at the guerrilla behind Li Xiong.They had received the guerrilla order long ago, and if the other party came forward, they would immediately shoot and kill them.The purpose is just to cause conflicts, so as not to be restrained by the word "Fu" and to gain more credit, why is it "unknown to the rules" now?

There was a general who wanted to ask questions, but was glared at by the guerrilla, and then shut his mouth obediently.He thought in his heart, it was only twenty lashes, and the military sect has always been friendly, so there is a reason for punishing them in front of everyone.

But the punishment in the army is to remove the armor, this whip is really painful when it comes down, even two young and strong men can't help screaming.In an instant, the audience could hear the two of them shouting.

Cao Yong didn't know what Li Xiong was trying to do, but he just looked into the crowd and estimated that there were 200 people, except for the dozens of young and strong, the others were mostly women and children.Looking into the eyes of the officers and soldiers, there is deep fear and unspeakable resentment.

Cao Yong only felt that he was panicked and couldn't breathe.How are these so-called bandits different from those ordinary people at the foot of the mountain?At first, it was nothing more than peaceful people, but they fled to the mountains for various reasons. How many of them are really heinous?

In a blink of an eye, the whipping was over, and the two commanders were put in front of Li Xiong again.

Li Xiong snorted disdainfully, and said, "You bastards, you still have the nerve to scream! These are minor offenses. Next time you commit another crime, follow military law."

The two had no choice but endured the pain and thanked Junmen for their kindness, but in their hearts they cursed and cursed the guerrilla who sent the message to them.

After Li Xiong waited for the two to thank them, Fang raised his arms, pointed to them and said, "This town remembers you two, the sharpshooter in the bid..." At this point, he pointed to the taller one , said: "Your name is Lu... Lu Wu!" Pointing to the short guy, "Your name is Shi Liao! This town is right, right?"

The two generals never expected that the military gate would remember their names, they were all grateful and speechless.

Li Xiong said with a smile: "You two are from the same village, you were born as Orion, right?"

Lu Wu and Shi Liao clasped their fists and replied: "The bidder is originally a Dengzhou Orion, what the military gate said is exactly!"

Li Xiong nodded, and said to the several military officers who followed him: "The punishment is over, it's time to reward, just now that was counted on their beheading book, and another 20 taels of silver will be rewarded!"

That person was his confidant, so he naturally knew his intentions, took two palm-sized silver ingots and sent them to Lu Wu and Shi Liao.

Lu Wu and Shi Liao looked like they were dreaming, their expressions were muddled, and they didn't want to thank you for holding the money.

Cao Yong, however, seemed to have some understanding, looked at Li Xiong, this is a character.

Li Xiong took two steps forward and said in a loud voice: "The Holy Lord is coming, the world is peaceful, how can you allow us to gather in the mountains and harm the place? Today, the grace of heaven is mighty, and the Holy Lord is merciful. I hope that you will be kind to me." What a blessing! In addition to Li Xiong of this town, there is still Dongyan Shou Dao Master Cao here today, and those who are willing to serve the people, send back the documents and resettle them in their original places; those who are willing to make a bright future and seek wealth can join the army of this town!"

Although these people who were forced by the world to go into the mountains to become bandits did not have a good impression of the people in the government, but Cao Yong has a high popularity because of the stabilization of food prices last year.When they went down the mountain occasionally, they also heard about it and knew that he was a good official.

For that "Li Junmen" who was full of righteousness, the punishment and reward just now also made everyone less hostile.

Seeing a young man coming out of the depression, he asked hesitantly, "I'm also a hunter, can I eat as a soldier?"

Li Xiong nodded straightforwardly: "Naturally at that time! It's easy to become a soldier, but whether you can get promoted and make a fortune depends on your real skills!"

Except for a few dead siblings who refused to surrender and were shot to death, all the other young men put down their weapons.Another person pointed to the two women in the crowd and the two children beside them for credit, and said, "I tell the officials, they are the eldest grandma and the third grandma..." At this point, they forgot to change their words: " No, it's Boss Qin's wife and Laosan Zhang's wife, and the two younger ones are Laosan Zhang's sons!"

The young woman who was accused of being "Old Lady Qin" immediately knelt on the ground and cried, "I have been wronged by my family, I have been wronged by my family! Two officials, my family was originally a good housewife. The winter before last year, I went back to my mother's house with my husband. The bandit saw that her husband was killed, and her slave was also robbed up the mountain to marry her enemy. Although she couldn’t keep her chastity, she felt extremely ashamed, if it wasn’t for her husband’s revenge, she wouldn’t have survived to this day.” Then, he said Today she worked hard, tampering with food, wine and food to assist the government in suppressing bandits.

The pear blossoms were raining, but Li Xiongzhi was itchy from crying, thinking in his heart, he couldn't blame Boss Qin for murdering and taking his wife, how could such a beautiful woman be blessed by ordinary people?

However, Cao Yong heard the story of being robbed mentioned by this woman familiar. Wasn't it the winter of the previous year when Old Man Qiu's son was killed and his wife disappeared?He took a closer look at the woman, although she was crying like rain, but there was no trace of sadness on her face, thinking that she was really ruthless to Boss Qin, a bandit husband.So, he asked, "Who is your name, and where are you from?"

Listening to Cao Yong's opening, Li Xiong was a little unhappy. What does this mean? Could it be that he is also looking at this little lady?
The woman kneeling on the ground and crying is Tian Xiuxiu. Although the officers and soldiers came here in such a fierce manner, they shot and killed many people as soon as they came up, which made people panic when they saw it.But seeing that Liu Guotai was safe and sound, and the two officials and lords in front of him looked upright, he felt a little relieved, lightly parted his cherry lips, and replied: "The Qiutian family, my slave, originally came from Zhaojiazhuang in the neighboring county. Four years ago, she was married to the Qiu family in Balizhuang, Nanshan Township, and her deceased husband's name was Qiu Dabao."

These words are right, Cao Yong sighed when he thought of the old man Qiu who was still waiting for the case to be concluded.

Seeing that Cao Yong was not responding, Li Xiong asked, "Forehead son-in-law, how should the Qiu Tian family deal with it?"

Cao Yong replied: "If this woman's identity is true, it involves a case in Daotai Mansion. When I first took office last year, I received a pleading paper from an old man surnamed Qiu, saying that his son was killed and his wife was robbed. It is consistent with what she said. If there is no other arrangement from the military gate, I want to take this woman to Mengyin County to confront the old man Qiu, and the case will be settled."

Li Xiong said with a smile: "Since this is the case, then the town has nothing to say, so please arrange it if you can."

As soon as Li Xiong said this, Guerrilla behind him replied in a low voice: "Junmen, according to previous news, Boss Qin still has a son!"

Li Xiong listened, stopped laughing, looked at Tian and said, "Where is the son of the bandit leader Qin Bajia? Tell the truth soon!"

Tian's whole body trembled with fright, and she whispered with tears: "Let Zhang Laosan take him away!" Speaking of this, the tears flowed more and more, but it was really hurt.Pregnant in October, mother and child are in harmony, but I don't know if I can see them again in this life.

Liu Guotai was wondering why Mrs. Tian didn't hold the baby, and now he knew the reason, and felt very uncomfortable. He couldn't help but secretly prayed to the gods and Buddhas to bless Zhang Laosan to escape safely.However, I am very fortunate. If my son is still here and is regarded as Qin Bajia's flesh and blood, he may not escape death.

**
(End of this chapter)