New and dark light years

Chapter 477 The Grass on the Wall

The county magistrate, Tian, ​​spoke with tremendous force, pointing at Li Lin and shouting as if he were using all his strength.

There was even foam flying out of his mouth.

Li Lin stood a zhang away from the iron cage, not getting any closer, and quietly waited for the other party to curse him.

Magistrate Tian cursed for almost half an incense stick's time, and finally got tired of cursing. His mouth was dry, and he was even a little dizzy. He was leaning against the iron railing, panting heavily.

Li Lin asked with a smile, "Finished cursing? Can we have a proper chat now?"

Magistrate Tian wanted to continue his tirade, but seeing Li Lin's calm demeanor, he understood what was going on. He turned around, sat down on a pile of hay in the corner, and said, "You want to persuade me to surrender?"

Li Lin shook his head: "That's not what I meant."

"Then what do you want to talk about!"

Magistrate Tian looked at Li Lin with some curiosity. Putting aside their respective positions, Li Lin's appearance, demeanor, and otherworldly temperament were still quite impressive.

This is why Magistrate Tian can now chat with Li Lin calmly.

"Do you know what happened in Luoping Military Town and Dafeng Village?" Li Lin asked seriously.

“Luoping Military Town?” Magistrate Tian snorted. “The garrison there didn’t even resist and let you into Gui County. That’s a serious dereliction of duty. I suppose they’ve surrendered to you, just like that scoundrel Gao Yuan.”

Li Lin frowned: "You really don't know the situation in Luoping Military Town? And the situation in Dafeng Village?"

"What could possibly go wrong there?" Magistrate Tian sensed something was amiss.

After all, Li Lin's expression was too serious.

Li Lin remained silent for a while, then looked at Magistrate Tian with an expression that was both inquisitive and dismissive of someone looking at an idiot.

Magistrate Tian felt his scalp tingle under Li Lin's gaze. After a while, he couldn't hold back any longer and jumped up to curse, "Li traitor, just say what you have to say. What's with all this pretense?"

Li Lin snorted: "In Luoping Military Town, everyone is dead."

Magistrate Tian's eyes were bloodshot: "You did this? Are you even human? They were just doing their duty. After you captured the military town, you killed them all... Was that necessary? We are all people of the Great Qi."

At this moment, he suddenly remembered something, and his face became even angrier: "You also mentioned Dafeng Village, are you going to exterminate the people of Dafeng Village as well? You beast!"

"The people of Luoping Military Town and Dafeng Village are indeed all dead."

"Beast! Beast!" Magistrate Tian pointed at Li Lin, trembling all over. "Dafeng Village was just a village of ordinary people, including children. You killed them all! You're not human!"

Li Lin shook his head slightly: "I didn't do it."

"You didn't do it? Are you kidding me?"

“It’s true, but I didn’t kill him,” Li Lin said.

"If not you, who else?"

“I have no reason to lie to you, after all, you are already a prisoner. Those people have been dead for a month. When we arrived at Luoping Military Town, all we saw were skeletons.”

“You’re lying. I approved a shipment of grain last month and sent someone to deliver it. I even got the official seal for receiving the grain back.” Magistrate Tian’s eyes were full of disdain. “You’re saying they’ve been dead for a month? How is that possible?”

"As I just said, there's no need for me to lie to you."

Li Lin's expression remained calm.

At first, Magistrate Tian didn't believe it, but as he looked at Li Lin's calm demeanor, his expression gradually changed from disdain and distrust to suspicion, and finally his face began to tremble.

"Luoping Military Town...and Dafeng Village, has something really happened?" Magistrate Tian asked incredulously.

Li Lin did not reply; he did not want to repeat himself a third time.

"How is this possible? How is this possible?"

Magistrate Tian instinctively stepped back, his pupils dilating—a sight that only appears when one is extremely terrified and unable to accept something.

Soon, Magistrate Tian bumped into the wall, muttering to himself, "There are two or three hundred villagers in Dafeng Village, and... several hundred in Luoping Military Town, all dead. Why haven't I received any news?" Li Lin sized up the other man.

Magistrate Tian was an ordinary person with little vitality. Moreover, his heart was beating very fast, and he was sweating profusely due to tension and pressure. In less than ten breaths, wet patches appeared on his clothes.

"It seems you're not doing a very good job as county magistrate. You're completely unaware of such a big matter."

Magistrate Tian suddenly looked at Li Lin: "Zheng Hu... Chief Zheng, he should know what it is. Last month I sent him to deliver grain to the military town, and he brought back the handover documents with the official seal. Find him, quick!"

Li Lin turned his head and looked at the guard beside him, saying, "Go and invite Magistrate Gao here."

The guards left.

At this moment, Magistrate Tian was biting his fingernails and pacing around in the prison.

Li Lin stood quietly as well.

Not long after, Gao Yuan walked in. He glanced at Magistrate Tian in the prison, then bowed to Li Lin: "This humble official greets Your Excellency the Military Governor."

Gao Yuan's voice startled Magistrate Tian, ​​who was biting his finger and muttering to himself.

He lowered his bloodied right hand, rushed to the iron fence, and shouted to Gao Yuan, "Gao Yuan, where is Zheng Hu? Where is he? Tell him to come here quickly, we have important questions to ask him."

Gao Yuan looked at Li Lin, and seeing that Li Lin did not speak, he replied, "Tian Wending, didn't you send Zheng Hu to Guicheng to take over the altar? He said that the altar in the military town was about to break and needed to be replaced."

“I did not issue this order,” Magistrate Tian roared. “I haven’t even heard of the altar.”

Gao Yuan looked at Magistrate Tian with some skepticism: "But that's what he said, and then I assigned him a hundred local militiamen."

Li Lin asked, "Do you know about the Gu people?"

“Of course I know,” Tian Wending said. “The official document you submitted a few months ago has been forwarded to us by the Secretariat. Gao Yuan and I have both seen the document.”

Li Lin frowned and said, "I'm talking about the little Gu people in Dafeng Village."

"What is that?" Magistrate Tian looked at Li Lin, his eyes filled with unease.

Gao Yuan also looked at Li Lin.

Li Lin said to the guard beside him, "Have Captain Wu bring those children over here."

The guards immediately ran out.

The prison fell silent.

But some people didn't want to be quiet. Magistrate Tian snorted and said, "County Commandant Gao... no, he should be called Magistrate Gao now. You're amazing. You're like grass on a wall that can see the wind. I admire you very much."

Gao Yuan ignored him and stood quietly.

Magistrate Tian, ​​having been rebuffed, looked at Li Lin again, but the disdain on his face was gone. He asked, "Governor Li, judging from your appearance, you are a well-educated, courteous, loyal, and righteous person. Why do you want to... become a tyrant?"

Li Lin looked at him and smiled, "I've been asked this question before. My answer was, 'Why did Emperor Taizu of Qi rebel after receiving such great favors from the previous dynasty?' Now, I'll answer you with the same question, understand?"

Magistrate Tian's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Then he sighed dejectedly, "In the end, it is the common people who suffer the most from all the fighting and strife."

At that moment, several footsteps of varying weights could be heard outside.

Then a slightly overweight military officer led nine children in.

The children were terrified when they entered the prison, and they huddled together behind Captain Wu.

Upon seeing these children, both Gao Yuan and Magistrate Tian's expressions turned extremely unpleasant.

They were all smart people and saw through the trickery at a glance.

These children have clearly been deliberately made to look like this.

"Sacrificing young children to concoct poison!" Magistrate Tian glared at Li Lin and roared, "Who is so vicious? I swear I will never forgive him!"

(End of this chapter)