New and dark light years

Chapter 335 Taking Over the County
"Boss, you go first!"

"There are soldiers here too, and they've surrounded us."

"Cover the retreat for the boss... Ah!"

"Boss, this way, this way, I'll clear the way for you."

"They've broken through, boss... ah..."

"Boss, I have never... regretted following you!"

Zhang Zouzhi ran through the woods, and fewer and fewer soldiers could keep up with him, but fewer and fewer brothers remained by his side.

He ran for a while longer before finally stopping.

His face felt sticky, so he wiped it and gasped for breath.

He counted, and realized that he had fewer than thirty brothers left who could stay by his side.

Everyone was covered in blood, and it was unclear whether it was from the enemy or their own people.

Through the gaps in the trees, you could see the light of torches shining in the distance.

"Damn it, these soldiers are so difficult to deal with. Compared to them, the soldiers from Rong County don't seem like soldiers at all."

“These are the subordinates of a good official. It’s different from having a good boss, just like our boss.”

"Too."

Hearing this, Zhang Zouzhi was overcome with grief: "I'm not a good leader. If I hadn't tried to break out tonight, we wouldn't have fallen into this ambush..."

"Boss, don't say that. Even if we stay in the city, we can't hold it with the strength of those soldiers. You said it yourself, the one who came is a good official. It's not shameful to lose to a good official."

"Yeah!"

The twenty-odd people echoed each other, and indeed, not one of them showed any anger or dissatisfaction. Their eyes were still full of trust when they looked at Zhang Zouzhi.

Zhang Zouzhi took a deep breath: "Let's go. With Li Lin here, we can't stay here any longer."

"Where to go?"

"We can't go to Yue County; it's too dangerous there. Let's go to Xiang County instead."

"Xiangjun?"

"I've heard that Xiangjun is also suffering from poverty lately. We can recruit soldiers again," Zhang Zouzhi said with anticipation. "Qin Tuo could establish his own territory, and so can I, Zhang Zouzhi!"

A group of people got excited: "Let's go, let's go, let's become kings someday!"

Hahahaha!

The laughter drifted away.

…………

The next morning, in the town of Yourong.

Li Lin stood at the foot of the city wall, looking at the three human heads hanging in front of him, and sighed helplessly.

Then he went to the county government office.

At this moment, only a few yamen runners were standing in the county government office, all of them looking tense, as if facing the end of the world.

If other officials had come, these yamen runners would not have survived, regardless of whether they had done anything wrong.

But Li Lin didn't like to make the lower classes take the blame, so he asked, "How are you able to survive under the oppression of the traitors?"

These men immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud.

They all trembled like leaves.

One of them mustered his courage and stammered, "Sir...we...we...we didn't do anything wrong...so that we...can live."

"Just because you say you didn't do anything wrong doesn't mean you didn't do anything wrong," Li Lin asked with a smile. "Who can prove that?"

"Neighbors...can!"

Li Lin raised an eyebrow slightly and said to his subordinates beside him, "Drag them away and question the neighbors along the way. If they are truly innocent, release them."

The group collapsed to the ground, their faces showing expressions of relief at having survived a disaster.

Li Lin sat in the main seat of the court for a while, and not long after, Xiao Chunzhu came in.

"Commander, we have conducted a preliminary investigation and found that the common people in Rong County have not been harassed. The unfortunate ones are all the wealthy families or officials."

Li Lin was somewhat surprised. Zhang Zouzhi really did not attack the common people, just as the previous envoys had said.
"Let's take stock of the major families where there were deaths and injuries, and see how many survivors are left."

Xiao Chunzhu said, "It seems there were no survivors. All the wealthy families they attacked had their houses burned down."

"Only targeting large investors?"

"It seems so."

Li Lin nodded slightly, then said, "Go and find out carefully what the reason is for Zhang Zouzhi's uprising."

"Yes!"

Just then, a captain surnamed Luo jogged in: "Commander, we've caught a few traitors who escaped the net."

"They didn't all evacuate?"

"I heard that they were so excited while committing adultery that they forgot to regroup with the majority of the rebels. When we entered the city, they hid, but unfortunately, they were reported by the surrounding residents."

"Bring them up."

Soon, several men were tied up and thrown into the courtroom.

These people had blank expressions. When they saw Li Lin, they didn't say anything, but just hung their heads and remained silent.

"You...committed adultery? And then didn't leave?"

"Revenge, forgetting the time." A man looked up and said slowly, "Kill us, we have no complaints."

Seeing their faces contorted with a desire to die, Li Lin waved his hand and said, "Drag them to the execution ground and behead them."

He understood that there was no need for further investigation. But just as he was about to be dragged away, the man who had spoken earlier suddenly said, "County Commandant Li, there are still people hiding in the underground tunnels beneath the Yang residence. You can go and take a look."

Li Lin nodded, then waved his hand.

The man was dragged away, and Li Lin led his men to the 'gate' of the Yang residence.

The place had been burned to a crisp, and only a small section of each of the two large doors remained.

Meanwhile, the soldiers were using makeshift stretchers to carry out one blackened, dried-out corpse after another.

Most of the corpses were headless, while the corpses with heads were clearly female skeletons.

Just by looking at the misaligned and twisted bones in their bodies, it's clear that they were abused before they died.

Dozens of soldiers were conducting a thorough search of the burned-down mansion. With many men, things got done quickly, and one of them soon discovered something amiss.

"There is an entrance here."

"Open it, go in..."

A group of people forcefully dragged away the broken wall at the entrance, then opened the mechanism at the entrance, and more than a dozen people squeezed in.

Before long, they dragged the two of them up.

A boy and a girl, both around fifteen or sixteen years old.

The two men were trembling all over. When they saw Li Lin and saw that he was wearing an official robe, they rushed over.

The girl screamed, "Why did you only come now? The traitors almost wiped out my family, and you only just arrived... You useless trash! Why did you only come now!"

Another boy also looked at Li Lin with resentment.

Li Lin's expression was indifferent: "Who are you two?"

"You don't even know us, how can you be an official?"

"I am not the magistrate of Yourong County, but the military commander of Jin County South Route. I have come here to quell the rebellion."

"That's no excuse for your late arrival. I remember we sent out distress messages to the surrounding counties a long time ago." The girl's face twisted in disbelief: "You should have arrived three days ago, why are you only arriving now?"

Often, before a large army sets out, it needs to prepare provisions in advance.

It takes time.

Li Lin didn't want to explain these things to the other party, but frowned and said, "Who do you think you are, daring to question this official!"

“I am Yang Shuhong. Consort Yourong in the palace is my aunt. Don’t think that just because you’re a military commander, you can be a prefect. I would dare to question you.” The girl pointed at Li Lin’s nose and cursed.

Snapped!
Li Lin slapped the girl's face away: "So you're just a distant niece. I thought you were Consort Rong!"

"You dare to hit me?"

"Want another slap?" Li Lin asked with a sneer.

The girl covered her face, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and backed away, staring at Li Lin in disbelief.

The boy next to him was also stunned for a moment, then looked away. His eyes were noticeably clearer, no longer filled with the resentment he had shown before.

Li Lin said to Xiao Chunzhu beside him, "Take them into prison."

"Why? We are the victims! Why are you imprisoning us? What do you mean by this?!" Yang Shuhong exclaimed anxiously.

"I suspect that the Zhang family's rebellion in Rong County is directly related to the Yang family."

Immediately, someone stepped forward and dragged the two away.

Li Lin said to Xiao Chunzhu beside him, "Take men into the tunnels and search them thoroughly. Don't overlook any clues. Also, send people to question the ordinary people and get them to reveal the 'evidence' of the Yang family's crimes. Understand?"

Xiao Chunzhu naturally understood, and he smiled and said, "This humble official knows."

Li Lin then turned and left. He returned to the county government office and first took inventory of the property there.

Because Zhang Zouzhi and his men left in a hurry, they didn't take much of the county government's property with them; the money and grain in the storerooms were still plentiful.

So Li Lin posted a notice recruiting respectable men as yamen runners, offering them money and rations.

With such a generous reward, a great many people came to apply.

Li Lin also invited some disillusioned old scholars back to serve as registrars and clerks, while he led his men to patrol Yourong County.

It only took two days for Yourong County to get back to normal, and it was even better than when the three county officials were still in office.

On the third day, Li Lin finished a case and was about to rest when Xiao Chunzhu, who had been waiting for a long time, came up and handed him one or two booklets.

"Commander, this book contains evidence of the Yang family's crimes in Yourong County, as well as all the things they did that caused public outrage and resentment." Xiao Chunzhu smiled and said, "This is an account book that was searched out of the tunnel. It records all the money transactions of the Yang family and can be used as evidence."

Li Lin glanced through the incriminating evidence and frowned, saying, "Are those two young members of the Yang family imprisoned really so wicked?"

"The other pieces of evidence are more or less exaggerated, but for these two, I have not embellished them at all; they are all the truth."

Li Lin snorted: "Those two little beasts, it's a waste to let them live for two more days. Take them out and behead them now, so as not to waste food."

"Yes!"

After Xiao Chunzhu left, Li Lin went to the post station next to the county government office.

When Zhang Zouzhi occupied the county government office, he did not touch the people at the post station, because they knew that the people at the post station were just as miserable as they were.

"Please leave these two booklets at the Yulin County government post station. Tell them it's my request and ask the people at the Yulin post station to help deliver them to the Jinjun military camp and give them to Commander Mu. Thank you for your help."

"No trouble at all, sir, you flatter me." The messenger bowed repeatedly, trembling with fear.

Li Lin said, "When we arrive at the Yulin County post station, just give them my name and they will reimburse you for your hard work."

The messenger was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

After the messenger left, Li Lin laughed.

With these two booklets... Consort Rong might be in for a tough time this time.

If the Empress is happy, she might actually be able to obtain the position of Chief Supervisor.

(End of this chapter)