I live in Dayu Changsheng

Chapter 53, what to ask

In the 32nd year of Emperor Shizong of Yu State, there was a severe drought in the three states in the south, and there were many refugees...In October, Li Xuantong surrounded Changshan City...The Xia family, a large family in the city, opened the city gate at night, and the county was broken.

……

In the direction of the city gate, the sound of shouting and killing, the sound of drums beating... was earth-shattering.

"The city is broken!"

"The thieves are coming in!"

"The Xia family turned against the water and offered the city..."

……

Such terrified shouts spread into the city like a tide, causing great chaos.

Some yamen servants, arresters, and beaters who were still struggling to maintain order, all scattered in unison amidst such voices.

……

Xia family, the main hall.

"Old master, that thief misled my Xia family!"

A middle-aged man in brocade clothes said in grief and indignation: "... Judging from the reaction of the peace thief, I am afraid that the Lin family has no intention of dedicating the city..."

"That's right, the person who delivered the board to my house clearly wanted to borrow a knife to kill someone!"

"I think this must be a trick of the bandit army..."

"His heart can be punished!"

……

dong dong!

Sitting at the head was an old man with gray hair, wrinkled face, and gorgeous silk cloth. At this time, the black dragon-headed crutch in his hand was knocked, and suddenly, the whole room was silent.

This person is the old man of the Xia family.

From the outside, this is just an ordinary wealthy old man, but if there are martial artists here, they will definitely notice: this person's temples are bulging, his breathing is long, his heart is beating, and the subtle sounds of blood flowing have an indescribable rhythm The feeling is like a hidden thunder, if you don't move, it will be nothing, and if you move, it will be thunder and fire.

"Our Xia family has already dedicated the city and voted for the rebel army. They are members of the rebel army. From now on, don't say anything about the rebel army."

The old lady of the Xia family made a final decision and finalized the matter: "Besides, this may not be a bad thing...at least, it's not right now... Later, I will go with the old man to meet General Xuantong..."

Now that the Xia family has already boarded the boat, there is no way to get off. He is old and smart, so he naturally knows that at such a moment, the most taboo is the first and the second.

"Yes!"

Everyone in the hall agreed in unison.

No matter what thoughts they had in their minds at this moment, they all suppressed them one after another, and subconsciously obeyed the decision of the old man of the Xia family, which was the prestige accumulated over the years.

"certainly,"

The voice of the old man of the Xia family paused: "The person who brought the wooden planks, check slowly... If it is really a member of the rebel army, then that's all..."

"If not, but someone else..."

Boom!
He hit the ground with his cane, and the solid wood floor under his feet shattered: "Kill without mercy!"

Such a cold voice made everyone in the Xia family shudder.

——As the old man got older, it was rare for them to see such emotional expressions. It can be seen how angry the old man was by the cunning villain who played tricks.

To some extent, this is also a skill.

……

Lin.

"Okay, okay! That old man, strike fast enough! Decisive enough!" Patriarch Lin Xiong of the Lin family slapped the yellow rosewood table with his palm, causing the entire wooden table to shatter in an instant.

This person has a ruddy complexion and long and narrow eyes. He is a middle-aged man in his 40s. His eyes are particularly bright, as if they are shining brightly.

Down below, the direct descendants of the Lin family gathered here, all with bitter expressions on their faces, whispering and whispering, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive, as if the sky had fallen.

"Patriarch, what should we do?" Someone asked in panic.

"That's right, the Xia family suddenly abandoned us to offer the city... When the Taiping thief enters the city, I'm afraid they will seek our family's bad luck!" There are people who can understand.

"Not necessarily, it's a big deal to cut the flesh..." Some people have illusions.

……

"What are you panicking about?!"

Lin Xiong gave a deep sip, calmed down the people below, restrained his anger, his face became rigid, and ordered in an orderly manner: "Our Lin family, quickly change our attitude, use all our connections, and use all our connections to attack the Peaceful Thieves with all our strength... No, the rebels Relationship... don't be petty, be prepared to cut your flesh..."

"On the other hand, prepare for the worst..."

He gave orders one by one.

Hearing the Patriarch's arrangement, everyone in the Lin family down below realized the seriousness of the matter, and their hearts all trembled, each of them wilted like frost-beaten eggplants.

At the corner, the face of Lin Feng, the third son of Lin, was also clouded with sorrow.

He would never have imagined that all the reasons why the Lin family is in such a situation today are all due to his plunder a few days ago...

……

Shouts like 'the city is broken' and 'the peace thief has entered the city' spread in all directions like a tide.

Jiang Ping'an woke up from his sleep: "The city is broken?!"

He gathered himself together, turned over from the bed and sat up, hurriedly put on his clothes, pulled on his shoes, and ran into the yard.

When we got outside, the shouting became clearer, like a mountain roaring and a tsunami.

"Broken?! The city is really broken!"

Jiang Ping'an murmured, and after being startled for a moment, he suddenly started laughing out loud.

Of course he has a reason to laugh!

For individuals, once the city is broken, their own situation will be safe, and there is no need to worry about the imperial court, the head of the city and the Taiping bandits desperately.

and……

In such a chaotic time, relying on the old connections to take care of things... If it is done properly, not only can you keep your official skin, but it is not impossible to rise up...

This is not an idiot's dream!
In the past, there were radishes and holes in the city, but now the peace thieves have come, the world has been turned upside down, and the class has changed...

It is the best chance to turn around.

A person like Jiang Ping'an knows how to be a man, knows how to make money, and has connections. As long as his luck is not too bad, he can get along well in any world...

If you encounter such a changing opportunity, it is even more likely to rise with the same wind!

"Only one thing, this city was broken too coincidentally, too quickly, and suddenly, as if... it was specially prepared for me..."

For some reason, Jiang Ping'an suddenly thought of Fang Rui's going out last night, and his intuition at this moment told him: The city's destruction has something to do with Fang Rui!

Of course, such an 'absurd' idea was just a flash, and it was rejected by myself.

"I'm really stunned!"

Jiang Ping'an patted his forehead: "How could this be Brother Fang's handwriting? He is just an ordinary warrior, rank eight, and he beat rank seven to death. How can he control the situation in the city?"

However, no matter what, he believes that making friends with Fang Rui is one of the most correct decisions he has made in his life.

at this time--

Boom boom boom!
There was a hasty knock on the door: "Lao Jiang?!"

……

"The city is really broken?!"

Fang Rui murmured, listening to the huge commotion outside, rubbed the center of his brows, and put aside the feeling of "the mast and scull vanished in smoke while talking and laughing", "planning a strategy, and winning a thousand miles away"... the feeling of being in control of everything, to the back of his mind , regained his composure.

"Arrogance and complacency are not good. Be careful, humble and introspective, which is the way to survive forever."

"Furthermore, Changshan City is already on the verge of collapse, and the Xia family may have planned to dedicate the city for a long time... How much role I really played in this is still unknown..."

"However, no matter what, it's finally done. The Lin family will probably be ruined...just,"

Fang Rui sighed, "The most chaotic time has come!"

In the past, the Taiping bandits were in a stalemate with the forces in the city, and the people were in dire straits, which was considered a long-term pain; now that the Xia family is offering the city, the most chaotic moment has come, but it will get better after a while... It is a short-term pain...

Although long-term pain is worse than short-term pain...

"However, to a certain extent, I made the choice on behalf of the people in the city!"

Fang Rui suppressed some guilt in his heart, and hardened his heart: "In this world, all living beings are striving to survive, either striving for the top, or being carried forward by the tide of the times..."

At this moment, he thought of those neighbors in Liushu Hutong: Uncle Changlin and Uncle Mantang, who were arrested on the top of the city, escaped from the city to take refuge, but were very likely to be captured by the Taiping bandits, Uncle Zaohuai, Uncle Fuquan, and Uncle Baishi. ...

"Compared to those people who can't help themselves, who don't know when the wind will blow, and where the wind will blow from... I want to take the initiative and control my own destiny..."

"Those who know me say I am worried, and those who don't know me say what I want? I just want to live, bring my family and friends, and live a good life!"

If it happened again, Fang Rui would not hesitate, and would definitely make such a choice.

"Brother Rui!"

At this time, the third lady got up.

Fang Xue came out of the house almost one after another.

"Brother!"

"Brother Ariel!"

Even the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, were woken up by the noise, and came out the door holding hands.

"Are you all up?"

Fang Rui looked back and smiled gently: "It's okay, didn't I tell you before? The city is broken, that's all, I will protect you well..."

……

As Fang Rui expected, Changshan County was at its most chaotic.

The local ruffians and thieves in the city formed gangs and mobilized like locusts, smashing and breaking doors with open fire, raping and looting.

For them, the most chaotic moment is the best moment, a grand gluttonous feast is waiting to be seated...

Even, it's not just ordinary people's houses... The fire became more and more intense, and finally, it burned to the big family.

Those idle warriors who had been waiting for many days, with strength and ambition, also dispatched one after another, like tigers descending from the mountain after a long time of hunger, showing their minions...

Pawnshops, money houses, and some big households with weak power... are all their targets!

Even Rulin and Xia, the top two households in Changshan County, had some dazed idle warriors break in, but it didn't take long before they turned into corpses and were thrown out...

Without the city wall, it is true that the two big families cannot fight against the peace bandits, but it is not a problem to suppress the idle warriors in the city.

Of course, at such a moment, the strength of Lin and Xia's family can only protect the lair alone... that's all.

Except for these few special places, the rest of Changshan City is in chaos.

On the streets, there are people running away, crying, robbing... and those who were dazzled by the hostility and set fire...

Looking down from a high altitude, the entire Changshan City, dotted with flames, dances and erodes with the pitch-black night. Blood and fire, red and black, are surging and sweeping amidst the sound of crying...

If you pull down the angle of view, you can see that in every fire, there are a large number of hideous faces and distorted shadows...

It's like hell on earth.

……

Tianshuijing Hutong, Fang's yard.

Perhaps it was suppressed for a long time. During the most chaotic time, a few days ago, the hooligans who were intimidated by Fang Rui's reputation spontaneously gathered more than a dozen people to find their way back.

"People inside, get out of here..." Someone slammed on the door.

"The kid who lives here is surnamed Fang, right? I heard that you are crazy, come here, come out and let the old men have a look!" The words were full of ruffian.

"A high-ranking martial artist? Pooh, what a bird?! Now, haven't you become a coward?" This is jealous.

"That's right, a turtle with a shrinking head...hahahahahaha!"

"I'll count by dozens, and if I don't open the door, I'll set it on fire!"

……

"Mother, third sister, you guys bring Ling'er and Nannan in...don't worry, it's fine, it will be fine soon."

Fang Rui watched Fang Xueshi, San Niangzi, Fang Ling, and Nannan enter the house, the smile on his face gradually subsided, and his expression was cold.

"Why did you come here to seek death?!" He murmured, striding towards the front yard.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven... three..."

Just when the hooligans outside counted to 'three'—

Click!

The door to the front yard slammed open.

However, before the faces of these local hooligans showed joy, they saw an incredible scene, their eyes widened, and the expression on their faces instantly turned into panic!
"rise!"

Fang Rui turned into a human-shaped trebuchet, and smashed the boulders piled up by the front yard one by one, pointing at people's heads.

What do you mean by 'strengthening the mountain and overwhelming the world'? !
Because this stone is big enough, there is no need for a big aim at all, it will hurt you if you rub it, and you will die if you touch it...

boom!boom!
In the blink of an eye, the two or three local hooligans headed by them were smashed to pieces and deformed.

"Fuck, this is the high-grade warrior you said? It's a trick!"

"Ah, don't hit me!"

"Good man spare your life!"

……

After screams, the battle entered garbage time.

Except for those who were smashed to blood, deformed, and directly dead, Fang Rui went out with the simple knife, and cut the wounded ones and those who escaped after catching up...

The loud and shrill screams from this side frightened many hooligans in the distance to dare to come over.

The whole process is only twenty or thirty breaths.

To be honest, the terrain is limited, so it's not easy to use it. Fang Rui is not easy to rush over and kill randomly; he is also afraid of being associated with it, so he dare not use lime powder or iron nails...

Otherwise, the battle would end faster.

Subsequently.

Fang Rui disposed of more than a dozen dilapidated corpses, throwing them a little further away so as not to disturb others.

Only then did I return to the house.

"Mother, third sister, Ling'er, Nannan... don't worry, those people have been dismissed by me, and they are fine."

Fang Rui sat down with a relaxed expression, and didn't mention the bloody battle process. He changed the subject and said, "Now that the Taiping bandits have entered the city, it is a foregone conclusion to dominate Changshan County..."

"In the future, we won't be able to call it 'Peace Thief' anymore. We have to change the name to 'Rebel Army'. Don't let it slip."

"I know."

Fang Xueshi and San Niangzi nodded seriously, and after writing it down, they instructed the two little girls again.

Just sat down for a while.

Boom boom boom!
There was a sudden knock on the door outside.

"Someone is here again."

Fang Xue's and San Niangzi's hearts tightened, and even the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, trembled.

"It's okay, it should be Brother Jiang and the others...Mother, third sister, you look at the two little girls and stay in the room. I'll go out and have a look."

Fang Rui explained and went to the front yard.

Open the door.

Sure enough, it was Jiang Ping'an, with Jiang's sister-in-law, Niu Dun, and Xiaodou Sprout, but besides them, there was another unremarkable man in his 30s who was wearing an official uniform.

Fang Rui was keenly observant and noticed at a glance: this man's hands were thick and dark in color, like refined iron.

Obviously, he is a martial artist.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"Brother Fang, this is Catcher Huang..."

Jiang Pingan didn't show it on his face, but there was a look of bitterness in his eyes: "I'm going to guard the county government office and bring your sister-in-law, nephew, and niece here, and I want you to take care of them..."

"Huang Butou, can Brother Fang and I have a few words alone..." He looked at Huang Butou.

"Lao Jiang, hurry up!"

Huang Butou waved his hands impatiently.

'At this time, go to guard the county government office? !Isn't this joining the national army in [-]?How could Brother Jiang be so insane?Could it be... forced? !
Fang Rui thought to himself, but remained calm on the surface, following Jiang Pingan to the side.

"Brother Jiang, what's going on?"

The martial artist has a keen sense of hearing, and at this distance, deliberately lowering his voice is useless, so he just asked vaguely.

Jiang Ping'an also knew this, and while he was talking, he was winking in secret: "...the county government is in danger, and Huang Butou is loyal, how can I fall behind? Huang Butou is an eighth-rank warrior, and he leads..."

"Sure enough, as I expected, there is another hidden story. Brother Jiang was persecuted by that Huang Butou..."

Fang Rui's heart moved, and he quickly extracted two key pieces of information from Jiang Ping'an's words: [-]. This Huang Butou is a diehard loyalist to the imperial court; [-]. This person is an eighth-rank warrior.

"...We brothers are of one mind...Your sister-in-law, nephew, and niece, please... I wonder if Brother Fang can take care of me?"

As Jiang Pingan said, he made a concealed vertical cut with his right hand - he turned his back to Huang Butou, so he was not afraid of being discovered.

Obviously, these words have other meanings, not asking 'may take good care of sister-in-law, nephew, and niece', but asking: Can the two work together to kill this yellow catcher.

Perhaps there is a deeper meaning: if he can do it, he will join hands and make the vote; if he can't, he will just abandon his fantasy and give up his life to feed the tiger.

'A mere eighth-rank warrior...'

Fang Rui nodded slightly: "Brother Jiang, don't worry!"

"Then please!" A look of excitement appeared in Jiang Ping'an's eyes.

The two came side by side.

"Huang Baotou, you have explained it, let's go!"

As Jiang Pingan said, his right hand slowly moved down to reach for the waist knife, and he waited for Huang Catcher to turn around and strike with Fang Rui.

However, Catcher Huang didn't take any action, and looked directly at Fang Rui: "I see, you are also a warrior, right? Why don't you go to guard the county government together?"

'A dead man, it's a beautiful idea! '

Fang Rui's heart moved, and he refused: "I'm sorry, I'm not a member of the government, but my mother and sister...need to be taken care of..."

"If, where do I have to ask you to go?!"

Huang Butou looked unkind, and scolded: "Shuzi doesn't know right from wrong?! There is a country first, and a family second. As a member of my Great Yu, everyone is responsible for guarding the land..."

'A sloppy loyal minister?If it weren't for your official skin, the delicate silk lining, and the fine white jade hanging around your waist... I would really believe it...'

'Moral kidnapping?Or, if you want to take pictures of cats and tigers, also force me to do so? '

Fang Rui was amused.

If he didn't feel the shock, he threw the dozens of bloody corpses a little far away. I don't know if this person would dare to say this.

——Before, Fang Rui dealt with the dozen or so hooligans, the incident happened briefly, only a few dozen breaths before and after... At that time, Catcher Huang was at Jiang's house, so he didn't see this scene. Those screams were okay to scare others, but they couldn't scare him.

At this time.

Taking advantage of Huang Catcher's attention being attracted by Fang Rui, Jiang Pingan quietly took two steps back, seized the opportunity, pulled out his waist knife, and chopped it off with one blow.

Warriors are excellent at listening to voices, and Huang Catcher, who was talking to Fang Rui, changed his face slightly, and instinctively flung his body to the side.

scoff!

This lore kills a knife, but it fails to do its best.

He just cut through Huang Catcher's official uniform and inner lining, and in a tooth-piercing sound, he cut through the cowhide-like skin, leaving a bloody wound on his back.

"How brave!"

Huang Butou bared his teeth, turned around, and after dodging Jiang Pingan's another knife attack, he grabbed Jiang Ping'an's throat with his big hand like a cattail fan, like an eagle grabbing a chicken.

There was hundreds of catties of force in this grip, and a ferocious smile appeared on his face. He seemed to see the scene where Jiang Ping'an's neck was twisted.

However, just when there was only a slight difference——

click!
Huang Butou's hand was held, as if clamped by huge iron clamps, and he could not move.

It was Fang Rui who made the move!

"Such a lot of strength..." Huang Catcher's eyes widened instantly, and he was about to turn his head instinctively, but was kicked over.

Fang Rui raised his knife and strode forward.

"you you……"

Huang Butou, who fell into the mud, struggled twice, but failed to get up from the ground. He only felt that he had lost his intuition where he was kicked just now, and his whole body was numb, and he couldn't lift his strength.

"Don't come here... stop... presumptuous... don't you dare to kill an official?!" Huang Catcher was shocked and frightened, with a ferocious face, and shouted.

Fang Rui didn't say a word, when he came to this person, the blade brushed like a horse.

puff!

The head rolled down, Huang Butou's terrified expression froze on his face, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

"Are you still an officer?!"

Fang Rui shook the blood stained on the Pudao, looked at Huang Butou's headless corpse with an indifferent expression: "Once the city wall is broken, people's hearts will be gone, officials are no longer officials, and people are no longer people! "

……

(End of this chapter)