Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 517 Help Me Love Me, Only the Sword in My Hand
Just as Chen Junqing was about to do something big, Zhang Baiyu also met the civil servants and medical officers who came to support the Jingnan Army. After encouraging them, he asked Xiao En to take them to the army to rest first, and then looked at Su Kuan and others who followed Zheng Yiqi into the general's tent.

After hearing Su Kuan's words, Zhang Baiyu rubbed his eyebrows with a headache.

This is not the first time such a thing has happened. In fact, the counterattack of the powerful and wealthy has never stopped. There have even been cases where several officials who were responsible for measuring land fell into the canal with their horses and drowned.

This was not a rebellion organized by many powerful people, but a tacit cooperation to oppose the national policy.

Not to mention that there are many relatives and even family members of high-ranking officials of the Song Dynasty in Huaidong, who have backers in the court. Even if Chen Junqing personally went to their door, they would just put on a stern face and refuse to cooperate.

For Zhang Baiyu, the entire Huaidong area is now in a state of chaos. Whenever he manages to suppress one side, the other side starts to make trouble again.

When the army passed through, the people who were extremely respectful to Chen Da Xianggong might turn hostile two days after the army left. The Dongping army only had more than 4,000 people at most. How could they hold down the entire Huaidong area?
If we don't take strong measures to deter others and follow proper procedures one by one, we will never be able to clear them all out even after the Battle of Yashan!
Sometimes Zhang Baiyu wanted to force all the wealthy families in Huaidong to rebel and then kill them all.

But it's just imagination after all.

"You guys go back with the canal boat first." Zhang Baiyu carefully examined the land deeds of Su Kuan and others, and then said seriously, "Don't worry about anything when you get home. Just focus on farming. Someone will naturally take care of you when the time comes."

Su Kuan naturally had no suspicion and left with many thanks.

Zhang Baiyu sat in the main seat, looking at the documents. After thinking for a moment, Dianlun lifted the curtain and walked out from the side of the general's tent.

"Manager Zhang, should we continue killing the bandits now?" Dian Lun asked with a frown.

Zhang Baiyu didn't respond and started another topic: "Ah Lun, you just heard what Mr. Chen said to me. What do you think?"

Dian Lun bowed and said, "I don't have any other thoughts."

"Oh?"

Zhang Baiyu was curious, but Dianlun was even more curious. "Why would Chief Zhang think I had any other ideas? When we were riding slaves, collecting manure, and starving, where was this damned Chen Xianggong? And why should I obey his orders?"

Zhang Baiyu nodded. "That's true. If that's the case, you should all set off and hide in the canal boats. I'll have Commander Li Jun lead 500 soldiers to cover you. Since you dare to show up, and even local officials are involved, we must strike hard!"

Dian Lun agreed and was about to put on his jacket and leave when he heard hurried footsteps outside the tent. A military messenger came running, called out his name, and then presented him with a letter tightly sealed with wax.

Zhang Baiyu tore open the letter on the spot, and just took a glance at it, his face turned extremely ugly.

"Go and make a copy of this letter and deliver it to Prime Minister Chen." Zhang Baiyu called over a military advisor. "Then ask him for me, is this what Prime Minister Song is capable of?"

Seeing Zhang Baiyu's gloomy face, Dian Lun couldn't help but ask, "Manager Zhang, what happened?"

"Never mind. You'll find out sooner or later." Zhang Baiyu shook his head. "The Chuzhou Shanyang and Xuyi armies have been forcibly conscripting young men into the army, causing civil unrest. Our Prime Minister Zhang Jun is preparing to mobilize troops to suppress them."

As he spoke, a sneer appeared on Zhang Baiyu's face. "Prime Minister Zhang Jun is even planning to recruit a large number of civilians to serve as laborers during the spring plowing season to transport food and fodder to the army."

"He really... really wants to govern Huaibei and Huainan, and he doesn't care about anything else."

Dian Lun's expression finally changed. Just as he was about to say something, Zhang Baiyu waved his hand and said, "You should leave immediately and finish the matter at hand before discussing other matters."

Dianlun bowed and then turned and left.

The mobilization of the army was naturally slow, and Su Kuan and others, who were eager to return home, boarded the grain ship heading south without even eating. They had a smooth journey and returned to Gaoyou County.

After getting off the ferry outside the city, Su Kuan felt that the atmosphere at the dock was a bit tense, but he didn't care and walked directly towards the village.

However, the three of them did not feel the joy of returning home, but became more and more frightened as they walked, because it was the busy farming season of spring plowing, and most of the fields on both sides of the official road were empty, with only scattered farmers working in the distance.

Those farmers looked like frightened birds. As soon as the three men approached, they immediately turned around and ran away.

Awu and Sun Er were both a little confused. After all, Su Kuan had more experience and immediately realized that something was wrong. He could not help but pick up his machete and quickened his pace towards the village.

However, after passing a forest growing beside a hill, what came into the eyes of the three people was a group of burnt houses and a messy village.

Awu and Sun Er were stunned for a moment and were about to rush out, but Su Kuan was quick-witted and grabbed them and pushed them into the woods.

"Brother! Let's... wuwu..."

Awu had just said two words when Su Kuan covered his mouth, and for a while only sobbing sounds could be heard.

"Shut up, both of you! Something's wrong!" Su Kuan roared in a low voice, then hid behind a big tree and peeked out.

Sure enough, there were two sturdy men sitting at the entrance of the village, holding machetes in their hands, basking in the spring sunshine under the wall, looking lazy.

"Are these thieves?" Sun Er was a little surprised and confused.

Su Kuan sneered and said, "He is definitely a thief, but I'm not sure if he is a bandit." "The rest of the people in the village..." Ah Wu seemed a little afraid, his lips moving, as if he didn't dare to say that guess.

"Don't let your imagination run wild." Su Kuan shook his head and said, "It will be night in two hours. Let's gather our strength first. We can sneak in later and ask the thieves and everything will be clear."

Awu nodded repeatedly, then took out some dry food from his bag and distributed it to the two of them. He then picked up the water bag and drank the dry food, then leaned against a big tree to regain his strength.

When the sun was setting, the three of them quietly came to the village entrance.

At this time, the two people guarding the village entrance had already returned to the house to rest. Su Kuan slowed down his pace and, relying on his familiarity with the village, walked towards the thatched house that was the most intact.

The three of them walked around the village, and after making sure that everyone was in the house, they hid in a burned-out house and waited for their opportunity.

When it was already pitch dark, the three men covered their faces with scarves and launched a surprise attack.

First, they threw a few meat buns that they were reluctant to eat over the wall. After making sure that there was no dog among them, the three of them directly climbed over the wall and entered.

After all, they were from the military, so there was no problem with the three men's skills. However, they were not experienced thieves after all. I don't know who it was, but when they climbed over the wall, they stepped directly into the water tank, making a loud noise.

"Who?!" Someone in the house woke up and shouted loudly.

"Your dear grandpa!" Seeing that his whereabouts were exposed, Su Kuan didn't waste any words and shouted loudly in the dark. Then he kicked the bolt of the inner room and rushed in waving a short-handled machete.

There were about five people in the room, but it was dark and no one could see each other. Su Kuan could only use his machete to hack and hit the five people on the bed, making them scream in pain.

Awu lit the torch he had prepared in advance and rushed into the house quickly, but saw that those people were begging for mercy.

"One is dead, and the rest are injured. You two, strip them naked and tie them up!" Su Kuan said in a hoarse voice, "Throw them into the yard."

A moment later, four naked and bloody men were tied up and kneeling in the yard.

"Please spare our lives, sir! Please spare our lives!" The four men begged for mercy.

Su Kuan said coldly, "Let me be frank with you. First, explain the situation clearly. Who are you? Why are you here?"

The four of them seemed to understand something and suddenly fell silent.

Seeing this, Su Kuan kicked one of the men over and chopped him down with his machete, cutting his neck in half.

He wanted to cut off the other person's head, but gave up because the blade of the machete in his hand was already bent.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you!" Seeing Su Kuan looking at them with a bloody machete, the others were also frightened.

"We...we are Mr. Ge's guards, and these two are the county yamen runners." One of them said with a sad face, "Two days ago, the county magistrate said this was a bandit den, so he sent the county yamen runners and archers, plus Mr. Ge's guards, to wipe out the bandits.

Then the county lord thought there were still some fish that had slipped through the net here, so he asked a few of us to guard here. If we knew this was the territory of the heroes, we would never dare to be here!!!"

As he spoke, the man banged his head on the ground and cried non-stop.

"Where are the people in the village?" Awu asked loudly, holding up his machete.

The man stopped crying and hesitated for a moment before saying, "We killed about ten of them, and their heads are still hanging on the city walls. The rest, young and old, were taken to the county jail... As for the rest... we don't know much about the rest either."

After hearing this, the vague premonition they had before became a reality, and all three of them looked as pale as death.

Su Kuan didn't expect that although they acted quickly, the wealthy families and the county government retaliated even faster, and they actually did things so decisively within just two days.

In order to destroy the hidden land deeds, they burned down the entire village.

Thinking of this, Su Kuan calmed down and looked in the direction he came from.

Zhang Zongguan of the Dongping Army is a good man, and Feihu Langjun of the Jingnan Army is also a good man, but good people cannot save everyone.

The one that can truly save lives...

As he spoke, Su Kuan looked at the blunt-edged sword in his hand.

It’s still the knife in my hand!

"Kill these three thieves!" Su Kuan ordered his two companions coldly, then threw down the machete in his hand: "Since the heavens won't let me live a peaceful life, we won't live like this!"

(End of this chapter)