Xie Ming

Chapter 81 Leading Troops into the Town
16: p.m.

Xiao Jingchuan led Qi Dayong and Jin Xuan's teams of seventy to eighty people, lined up in an orderly manner, and officially entered Jiulong Town, welcomed by Xu family head Jialin and a group of clan members, young and old.

The first thing they did after entering the town was to execute the notorious bandit Ma Dabiao, also known as Ma Dabangzi, in front of the Xu Family Ancestral Hall in the center of the town!

Xu Jialu rang the bell to summon most of the men in the tribe, who gathered in three layers inside and outside to watch.

The bandit leader Ma Dabangzi was beheaded to show the public, and the people in Jiulong Town all applauded and praised General Xiao for his bravery!

Xiao Jingchuan took advantage of the situation and stood on the high platform, swearing to wipe out all the bandit gangs around Jiulong Town one by one to ensure peace in the area!
As soon as this announcement was made, it immediately won the hearts of a large number of people. They all said that Qi Jiguang was the one who protected the country and the people, and that General Qi was no exception!
Amidst the high spirits, joy and peace at the scene, perhaps only a few clan leaders and the two cousins ​​Jialin and Jialu had some concerns.

As for his worries, there are two things he is concerned about.

First, sending troops to suppress bandits requires military pay, how to raise this money for rewarding the troops? General Xiao led his troops directly into the town without making it clear in advance. If he asked for too much money afterwards, the whole town might be in trouble.

Secondly, since the soldiers have entered the town, how should these people be properly settled? After listening to Xiao Jingchuan's words, I understand his meaning. I am afraid that they are not planning to leave in the short term. Over time, these soldiers will definitely cause trouble in the town, and the whole town will not be at peace!
But then again, even if those in charge of the tribe had hidden concerns, they did not dare to show too much on their faces. Instead, they acted more enthusiastic.

You time on the 17th (: in the evening).

At the invitation of Xu Jialin, the head of the Xu family, a grand banquet was held in the Xu family ancestral hall in Jiulong Town, with more than 20 tables of banquets prepared to entertain Xiao Jingchuan and his soldiers.

During the banquet, the atmosphere was very harmonious, and some elders in the clan frequently urged Xiao Lang to drink. Xiao Jingchuan was caught off guard and drank a little too much.

But his body was drunk but his mind was not. He paid close attention and secretly glanced at Xu Jialin. Jialu and several elders were whispering about something. It was not convenient for him to ask directly, so he just pretended to keep it to himself.

The banquet lasted until the evening hour (19: p.m.).

Xiao Jingchuan and his soldiers came out of the ancestral hall after having eaten and drunk their fill.

Some prominent elders and clan leaders of the Xu family also accompanied them.

"Well, General Xiao, it's getting late. Let's talk about the overnight accommodation for the soldiers," Xu Jialin asked tentatively.

"Ah! Yes, General, Chief Gang has already ordered us to urgently vacate ten houses in the east of the town for the soldiers!"

"The people of Jiulong Town are few and weak, so we can't be as grand and elaborate as the big towns outside the mountains. We are sorry for the inadequacies in our hospitality. I hope the general will forgive us, please forgive us!"

Xu Jialu took over the conversation, and his flattering words came out more fluently, so he helped Jialin maintain the situation.

"Well? A residential house, or was it vacated urgently?"

"No, absolutely not!"

"I, Xiao Jingchuan, have always issued strict orders when leading the army. No one is allowed to disturb the people's livelihood. Those who disobey the order will be executed!"

"Don't do anything that will disturb the people!" Xiao Lang said sternly.

"Oh, my great General Xiao, vacating a few houses is not a big deal!"

"We are doing this voluntarily! Normally, we would just want to serve, but we haven't had the opportunity, right?!" Xu Jialu's words were very beautiful.

"Don't mention this matter again. I told you, you can't do it!"

"Long Court!"

"Yes, General!" replied Gu Changting from the side.

"I think the narrow alley at the east corner of the ancestral hall, which faces Chief Xu's house, is a good choice. It can also shelter you from the wind!"

"Go, tell the soldiers to set up temporary camp in the narrow alley. We entered the town in a hurry today, so we can sleep in the alley!"

As soon as Xiao Jingchuan gave the order, Gu Changting, Qi Dayong and Jin Xuan immediately lined up their troops and marched towards the alley in front of Xu Jialin's house. This scene shocked all the clansmen present and made them stand there in shock, unable to recover for a while!

Never seen it before!
During the late Ming Dynasty, military discipline was lax. Even the regular army in the provincial capitals and big cities had very worrying military discipline control. It was still acceptable in the military camps and garrisons, but once they were out, those soldiers behaved not much differently from bandits!

Therefore, we can understand how rare it is for Xiao Jingchuan's troops to be so disciplined. It is inevitable that the townspeople would be so amazed and surprised to see this scene!
"Ah, this, General Xiao, this may be inappropriate."

Xu Jialin was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt that he should ask again to show his sincerity, but Xiao Lang did not give him this opportunity and simply waved his hand to stop talking.

"My dear uncles and brothers of the Xu family, I have troubled you a lot today. Now that it is getting late, I will not talk to you any more. We can talk tomorrow if there is anything else!"

As he spoke, Xiao Jingchuan bowed to express his gratitude to all the clan members present. The clan elders who had accompanied him hurriedly returned the greetings one by one. They all looked quite surprised, with a strange look as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.

After saying this, Xiao Lang and Xu Jialin went their separate ways, leaving everyone standing there in shock.

Soon, the two men walked side by side into the narrow alley where the clan leader's house was located. They saw that the soldiers who had arrived here earlier had already started to busily set up simple tents. Some of them, who were in a hurry and did not bring any equipment with them, fell asleep against the wall. This team of seventy or eighty people had such a hard time sleeping outdoors, but no complaints were heard.

Seeing this, Xu family head Jialin felt even more awe and admiration for Xiao Jingchuan and the team under his leadership!

"Oh, by the way, General Xiao, this time you took action to wipe out Ma Dabangzi's gang of bandits. Not only did you protect the people of Jiulong Town, you also helped me rescue my daughter Hongwen!"

"I just held a banquet in the ancestral hall to entertain you. Besides that, I hope that the general can return home with me now, so that I can bring Hongwen to kowtow to you to thank you for your great kindness!" Xu Jialin's request seemed very sincere.

Hearing this, Xiao Lang intended to push it again.

"Haha, Patriarch Xu is too polite!"

"Protecting the country and the people is the duty of a soldier or a general. Why should I thank you so much?"

"It's getting late, and the clan leader's family is all women. It may be a big inconvenience, so I won't bother you anymore. However, I do have something else to discuss with the clan leader. I will come to your house tomorrow morning to discuss it in detail!" Xiao Jingchuan said.

"Hey, General, that's very polite!"

"What do you mean by female relatives? If you hadn't rescued Hongwen, she would have died in the bandit's den!"

"Besides, General, the soldiers are sleeping in the alleys, which is very negligent of us!"

"You have been so kind to my family, how can I allow you to spend the night in this alley?"

"If I don't take you back, even my wife and my daughter won't agree!"

"Besides, I have some quilts and bedding at home. Bring them all over and use them as bedding for the soldiers. Although it is spring now, it is still cold in the mountains. Sleeping out in the open like this might make them sick!"

"General, don't quit again!"

"Come home with me and have a cup of tea. It will help to get rid of the alcohol smell!"

Xu Jialin's hospitality made it difficult to refuse, so Xiao Jingchuan stopped struggling.

"Haha. Since the clan leader has said so, I'm sorry to bother you so much!"

After saying that, Xiao Lang smiled bitterly and shook his head, and had no choice but to follow Xu Jialin to the door of his house.

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(End of this chapter)