Chapter 41: Release people to establish their power

Speaking of the direct people, Chen Zikun couldn't help but think of the twelve bandits who were imprisoned in the county jail. He was born as a horse thief. He did not feel as deeply as ordinary people as he did. Instead, he felt inexplicably sympathetic. If he could conquer one or two bandit armed forces for my use, wouldn't it be able to solve the bandits and expand the troops, and the best of both worlds.

"Come!" Chen Zikun slapped the table.

"Yes!" Adjutant Zhao jumped in.

"I will interrogate the bandits."

"yes!"

In a short while, the main hall of Nantai County Yamen was packed up. Forty big soldiers lined up from the hall to the bottom of the hall, with their chests and waists erected, holding large guns in one hand, and were majestic on all sides. Twelve dust-faced bandits were tied with their hands, and were signed in to the hall like a string of grasshoppers tied to a rope. They ordered them to kneel down, and no one dared to look up.

"Magnificent~~~~" The soldiers rhythmically hit the ground with their butts, and were still pronunciating the words. Wang Degui and Li Changsheng carried a guillotine and came from the back hall, slapped to the ground, and stood on the left and right with a hip, which was quite like a dynasty Ma Han.

This guillotine was used by rural farmers to cut pig grass. The blade is very wide and the cold light is shining. If you use it to cut people, it will definitely be better than a knife or a knife. Most of the bandits are from village households. Knowing that the guillotine is powerful, they were immediately scared and trembling. A few timid people urinated on the spot. The water marks in the court were covered with the smell of urine, but there was no joke about them. Everyone knew that blood was coming to the court today.

"Ascending the hall!" Wang Degui and Li Changsheng howled at the top of his throat. Chen Zikun came from the second hall with a black cloak and the chief of staff. In the scorching summer, cicadas were chirping outside. In this solar term, it was a bit of a costume to wear a tweed cloak, but in order to protect the military to get the momentum of the first time, Chen Zikun took the initiative to go to the hall.

The county magistrate's seat was covered with a brand new yellow cloth, with pen holders, signs, gavels, and cinnabar pens on it. Chen Zikun came to the seat, shook his shoulders, and the cloak fell down. Deputy Zhao put it away. Then he walked to the mountain and sat upright on the chair, but he couldn't help but glance at the top of his head.

The four big words "The mirror is hanging high" on my head. I haven't cleaned it for many years, and a layer of dust has accumulated. There are spider webs in the corner, which is slightly despicable.

"Pa" Chen Zikun slapped the aggro, and a bandit was blowing from behind and foaming at the back, lying on the ground and twitching. Zhao Yufeng quickly asked someone to drag him down.

Chen Zikun shook his head secretly. This is not the kind of bandit he wants to recruit. What he wants is a rebellious and powerful bandit. Such a person who can faint with a slap of a canopy can be killed even if he takes a gun.

Before he was interrogated, he was half defeated. Chen Zikun was no longer interested in taking airs and asked lazily: "Where are you guys?"

No one dared to talk to each other. The murderous aura in the court today was too strong, which scared them all.

"Mom, I'll raise my head up." Chen Zikun slapped the awkward again, and immediately raised a row of faces below, numb, confused, fearful and helpless. You can tell that you are honest farmers when you look at your face.

"You talk back and forth." Chen Zikun pointed out the oldest bandit with the deepest wrinkles on his face.

"Yes, if you want to know, we are all villagers from Xiamapo, Nantai County."

"Nonsense, you are bandits!"

"Yes, yes, we are bandits... sir, the common people are wronged!" The old bandit was still timid at first, and when he saw Xueliang's guillotine, he suddenly called for grievance again.

"Where does the injustice come from?" Chen Zikun relaxed his tone a little.

The old bandits told the story that they were all villagers in the Xiamapo area. They were originally quite well-behaved, but since the seventh year of the Republic of China, they had been drought for three consecutive years. Last year, the Huai River flooded again, and the crops were not harvested. The people had to pay two rents, one of the bandits and one of the government, and they would be imprisoned if they could not pay them. They were wearing shackles and paraded on the streets. The villagers even had to rob the seeds and grains for the next year. They really couldn't survive and became bandits.

After saying this, the court fell silent. Even the big-headed soldiers standing in the hall lowered their heads. Chen Zikun said sadly: "How old are you this year? Who else is there in your family?"

"Sir, I'm forty-five this year. I originally had three sons. The eldest brother couldn't pay the rent. I asked the security team to arrest him and beat him to death. The second brother joined the army and died in another province. The third brother got sick and had no money to hire a doctor, and he was gone."

Chen Zikun waved his hand: "You can rest first, next one."

The next arraignment was a man in his thirties. His experience was different from the former. He was robbed by the bandits because his wife was a little pretty. When he had enough money to redeem the person, he was already in a daze and hanged himself in less than two days. He was empty of both his people and his wealth and he even had to become a bandit.

After a few more trials, Chen Zikun was in a worse mood and no longer had the intention to ask them about their original intention of being bandits. These so-called bandits are essentially different from the Kanto Horse thieves, that is, they were all unable to survive and embarked on this path.

"Who are you bosses?" Chen Zikun asked another question.

"We are leading Chen Shou from Chenjiadian." A bandit replied.

Chen Shou, this name is very familiar. He came to attack the county town yesterday. He was the one who was bombarded by the security team with cannons?

"What's the origin of this Chen Shou?"

The old bandit replied: "My lord, Chen Shou is the third child. He has been brave since childhood. He killed the landlord's cow at the age of sixteen. He ran to Shaolin Temple to learn boxing. He returned to his hometown a year ago and avenged his parents. He pulled up a pole to rob the rich and help the poor. As long as the poor people in a radius cannot survive, they will all join Chen Shou."

Chen Zikun nodded and said to himself: "So, this Chen Shou is still a righteous bandit."

He thought for a while, made up his mind and said, "Come on, pull all these bandits out!"

I suddenly burst into tears. According to the usual understanding, pulling out usually means "pulling out and killing".

Chen Zikun added: "Take it out of the city."

The bandits were even more sure that their death was approaching. The envoy of the Guardian had just taken office and would definitely kill them to Fayishi.

The large group of people rushed the bandits out of the city. The young bandit Shuangxi, who had not recovered, also carried it over with the door panel. The other two injured bandits also carried it out, but it had turned into corpses.

In the east of the county town, the Xia family mansion, Qiu Fuzhao came in happily. Before he could enter the living room, Mr. Xia's throat sounded like a thunderous voice: "What are you doing in a panic?"

"Master, the guards are going to the hall to ask about the case today. They just took all the captured bandits out of the south gate, and they are afraid they will be shot." Captain Qiu wiped the sweat channel. He had just seen it on the top of the city and hurried to report to the boss.

Mr. Xia calmly turned his two iron gills and said, "How do you know you are going to be shot?"

Qiu Fuzhao blinked and said, "Drunk people and establish their authority, everyone knows it."

Mr. Xia snorted: "I think this Lord Chen is not that simple. Go quickly and see what kind of play he is singing. Just send someone to report if you have something to do. Don't come here in person. After all, you are a leader and you have to be a little more elegant."

"Yes, yes, the master is teaching me, so I'll go and see it now." Qiu Fuzhao turned around and went out, and saw a female student in white and black dress coming in. He immediately stood aside, nodded and bowed: "Hello, Miss."

The female student didn't look at him directly and flew into the yard happily: "Dad, I heard that two beautiful wives came to the county, and I want to go and see them."

Xia Dalong smiled kindly and said, "Good daughter, those are the two wives of Chen Hujun Envoy. Another day, my father will hold a banquet in the mansion, and you will see it when the time comes."

The female student was very happy: "Dad, what day?"

Xia Dalong's eyes narrowed into a slit: "Be good, you will be the same day."

"Okay, OK, just today."

"It's not possible today. It's too urgent. Dad wants to treat him. The show is so big. It's too late to prepare for three or five days."

The female student pouted and said coquettishly: "Dad will lie, it's OK in a few days. I want to invite my classmates to the banquet."

"Okay! You can hire as many people as you like, except for the boy named Gong."

The female student suddenly changed her face: "Dad, he is my classmate, why can't he come to visit?"

Xia Dalong said: "The family surnamed Gong is unauthentic and has been against Daddy. I feel nauseous when I see them."

The female student said, "I'm still disgusted when I see you, a local tyrant and a bad gentry!"

Xia Dalong still had a smile on his face: "Good daughter, what did you say just now, dad?"

"National tyrant, aren't it?" The female student stubbornly looked at her father with a slanted look, and the air became tense.

Xia Dalong suddenly laughed, and tears came out of tears: "Good daughter, you are so brave, okay! Follow me. If someone else says this, I will put him in a sack and throw him into Huaijiang to feed the turtle, which means you dare to be so presumptuous."

The female student snorted and twisted her body and ran away. Xia Dalong looked at her slender back and couldn't help but think of the fifth concubine who had died for many years. She was his favorite woman and the only woman who gave birth to a daughter for him. He had several children, but only this daughter survived. Others either died prematurely or died suddenly. The fortune teller said that this was retribution.

It was the retribution for Xia Dalong to force the county magistrate to death during the Xinhai period.

Outside the south gate of the county town, the bandits stopped in front of a slope. Chen Zikun rode on his horse, looked around, and said, "Let's be here."

The soldiers untied the ropes on the bandits and let them stand in a row. The bandits knew that their death date was coming, but no one cried or begged for mercy, and they stood numbly.

Zhao Yufeng walked over, took out a handful of silver from his pocket, stuffed a piece into each of them, and Shuangxi, who was lying on the door panel, was no exception. After sending the money, he said, "My lord of the guards said, "I think you are a bandit who is desperate and you will be a bandit, so let's go home."

The bandits looked at each other and were at a loss with the heavy Yin Yang. Didn’t they say they wanted to be shot? Why was it suddenly released? The gap was too big, which made them unbelievable.

"If you don't leave, are you planning to let me keep you for dinner?" Chen Zikun said.

The bandits scattered in a hurry, and a few of them were kind-hearted and carried Shuangxi away.

Qiu Fuzhao, who was on the top of the city, was so shocked that he took a deep breath: "Where is this singing? Hurry up, report to Mr. Xia, wait, I'll go in person."

He ran to the Xia family mansion again. Xia Dalong was practicing martial arts in the yard. The Xia family has been serving as soldiers for generations. His grandfather and his father are both soldiers of the Green Camp. Only Xia Dalong has a promising career. He passed the Guangxu martial arts exam and became the leader of the patrol battalion. To this day, he is already the most powerful man in Nantai County, but he has not given up his martial arts skills. He beats him wherever he has two iron gills.

Seeing Qiu Fuzhao coming in, Xia Dalong didn't even look at it, and waved at a sparrow on the treetops: "Come on!" The iron gall flew out, and the sparrow fell to the ground.

"Master, good kung fu!" Qiu Fuzhao put his big-brimmed hat under his armpit and slapped it.

Xia Dalong glanced at him, returned to the Grand Master's chair placed in the corridor and sat down. He picked up the small teapot and took a sip. The little maid stepped forward with a wink and beat her back.

"What's the matter, say."

"Go back to the master, the guards released all the bandits."

"What? Say it again."

"He, he, he, he let all the bandits go."

"Hmph, this man surnamed Chen is setting my authority for me." Xia Dalong sneered.

Qiu Fuzhao scratched his head, his face full of confusion: "Master, killing people is to establish authority, how can he establish authority?"
Chapter completed!