Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 256 The World Has Changed (Part 1)

Qian Yaozu did not inform other officials about his plan to take action against Song Yan, as it was better to keep such matters secret.

However, the mobilization of more than nine thousand people was a huge commotion in this closed city, and it couldn't be hidden. Those officials probably just didn't believe that Qian Yaozu would lose. After all, nine thousand against three thousand, in the eyes of these officials who didn't understand military affairs, there was absolutely no possibility of losing.

It wasn't until the soldiers kicked open the door that they finally understood that Pingyang City... had changed.

The smell of blood was even stronger.

Accompanied by the cold wind, it entered my nostrils, carrying a nauseating odor.

No one knows how many people died in the city that night. Occasionally, some people on the streets would see the guards marching in neat rows into mansions, and soon screams would erupt.

The screams quickly subsided, as if nothing had happened.

Through the open gate, one could see corpses lying haphazardly in the courtyard, and crimson stains covering the ground.

What was clearly a terrifying event did not frighten any of these people. On the contrary, what welled up in their chests was the joy and excitement of being able to vent their resentment.

Corrupt official.

They're all corrupt officials.

They should have died long ago.

Occasionally, some women would run out of the official residence, find their relatives, and the family would hug each other and wail.

Some of the bolder ones, after the soldiers left carrying the grain and boxes, sneaked into the official residence, suppressing their fear of the corpses, and reached out to search the bodies. When they found a piece of silver or something else of value, they laughed.

Excited smiles, contrasted with the corpses scattered everywhere, create a chilling scene.

Within the city of Pingyang, there is a particularly quiet area.

East City.

The street was exceptionally wide, with only two residences on either side: the Huang residence and the Zhang residence.

This is the place where the Zhang and Huang families live. Only locals from Pingyang City would find it hard to believe that the two major families of Pingyang Prefecture are actually neighbors.

The spacious streets were exceptionally clean, unlike other parts of Pingyang City, where refugees lay on the ground, excrement was everywhere, and there were even uncollected corpses, permeating the air with a nauseating stench.

It is said that there were once refugees who, in order to survive, tried to beg for food from the Zhang and Huang families.

Before this, whenever there was a natural disaster, the Zhang and Huang families would set up soup kitchens to provide relief to the victims, and they were quite well-known for their benevolence in the Pingyang Prefecture area. However, this time, the Zhang and Huang families kept their doors tightly shut, not even willing to give out a single grain of food. Even if there were refugees gathering in front of their doors, they would be driven away by their servants wielding sticks.

I heard that quite a few people were killed, but in the end, nothing came of it.

At this very moment, thousands of soldiers had completely surrounded the Zhang and Huang families' residences, preventing anyone from leaving. At the gates of both families stood nearly a hundred servants and guards, each wielding sticks or even machetes. Despite being surrounded, they showed no fear whatsoever, even looking at the peasants around them with a defiant and somewhat irritating expression, clearly not taking the soldiers seriously.

I'm really not afraid.

Given the status of the Zhang and Huang families in Pingyang Prefecture, even the Prefect of Pingyang would have to obey them. Officials like the Prefect and the Sima would have to respectfully present their visiting cards if they wanted to pay a visit. These people are just lowly peasants now, and the two families wouldn't take them seriously at all.

After a century of hard work, how could one not have some solid foundation?

The servants and guards alone numbered in the thousands, each tall and strong, and fierce in battle. Even the outlaws active in Pingyang Prefecture had close ties with the two major families, and some of them were powerful martial artists who served as instructors within the two families.

It's no exaggeration to say that in Pingyang Prefecture, the Zhang and Huang families were the absolute rulers.

A man who looked like a steward approached the officer and asked him a few questions in a low voice. It was unclear what he said, but the steward's face looked rather unpleasant, his brows furrowed, as if he was angry. He then abruptly turned and went back to the Huang residence.

The main hall of the Huang residence.

Several people were enjoying their tea, seemingly unaware that their residence was surrounded and completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere outside. A middle-aged man in his forties, with a dignified appearance and a somber expression, exuded an air of taciturnity. While drinking tea, he mostly listened to the conversations of those around him and rarely spoke.

This man's name is Huang Tianyang, and he is the current head of the Huang family.

He was a capable man. More than ten years ago, the Huang family faced a crisis. The century-old family was almost ruined. Huang Tianyang, who was only in his twenties at the time, led a few servants into the territory of the Jurchens and successfully opened up a new trade route for the Huang family, saving them from ruin. After that, Huang Tianyang naturally inherited the position of family head.

Hearing footsteps, I looked up and saw that the butler had already returned from outside.

Noticing his master's gaze, the butler shook his head: "The negotiations have failed."

"Those soldiers showed no intention of leaving."

Huang Tianyang frowned, but his face remained calm. He just felt a little uncomfortable because the guards had really shown him no respect this time.

This is the first time in over a decade that someone has dared to look down on the Huang family.

He slowly placed the teacup on the table. Those familiar with Huang Tianyang knew that the head of the family was angry.

"What's going on outside now?"

With the government troops sealing off the two major families, they were rendered helpless, unable to let their spies out or let their spies in.

Before, all I heard was deafening crying and thunder.

Very scary.

The steward composed himself before explaining, "This afternoon, the magistrate of Xinhou County arrived outside the city..."

"I know this."

"Uh... The governor was extremely angry, so he mobilized more than 4,000 law enforcement officers and more than 4,000 soldiers, totaling about 9,000 people, to kill Song Yan."

To deal with just one person, they actually deployed nine thousand men.

Qian Yaozu is truly getting worse as he gets older.

The four people in the lobby all looked somewhat disdainful.

This isn't something to be proud of, so why make such a fuss?

Is this because you're afraid others won't know that you, Qian Yaozu, murdered your subordinates?

"and then?"

The butler shrugged and said, "And then, Qian Yaozu failed."

puff.

An elderly man in his sixties had just taken a sip of tea when he spat it out. Not only the old man, but the expressions on the faces of the other three were also extremely strange.

Good heavens, nine thousand against one, and they still lost?

How exactly did I lose? I simply can't fathom it.

Fortunately, the steward provided the answer in time, without keeping them waiting for too long: "I heard that Song Yan had already laid an ambush outside the city."

"As soon as the law enforcement team and the more than 4,000 soldiers rushed out of the city gate, Song Yan ordered his men to block the city gate with fire arrows. After that, he surrounded the city from three sides with 3,000 soldiers. As soon as Qian Yaozu's men went out, they fell into the trap."

Inside the lobby, several people exclaimed in surprise, their expressions showing that they finally understood.

Although the position of the newly appointed county magistrate was not particularly important, the position of the border garrison commander was not to be underestimated. Therefore, they had gathered a general understanding of Song Yan's situation: he was ruthless, cunning, knowledgeable in military formations, and skilled in fire attacks.

Thanks to Song Yan, the Japanese pirate threat in the coastal areas of Ningguo has almost been quelled.

Initially, I thought those words were mostly boastful exaggerations, but now it seems that Song Yan is truly capable. Coupled with the pre-arranged traps and the three-sided attack, Qian Yaozu's defeat was only to be expected…

"More than nine thousand people were all slaughtered."

"Zhang Zhen also led the remaining soldiers of the prefecture in rebellion, sealed off the prefectural government office, and captured Qian Yaozu alive. Subsequently, in accordance with Song Yan's orders, the four gates of Pingyang City were sealed off, and the Xilin Academy and the homes of officials of all ranks in Pingyang Prefecture were raided and their families exterminated."

The four people in the hall all raised their eyelids in unison: "Confiscate their property and exterminate their clan?"

"Yes."

"The residences of over a hundred scholars from Xilin Academy and one hundred and thirty-two officials in Pingyang City were all ransacked," the steward said slowly.

His tone was calm, but the atmosphere in the hall changed instantly. It was no longer as relaxed as before, but filled with a suffocating oppression.

The four of them exchanged glances, and each could see the seriousness in the other's eyes.

For aristocratic families like theirs, what they fear is not officials.

Every official has weaknesses.

That gives you the opportunity to negotiate terms and reason things out.

What I fear most are ruthless people who would wipe out an entire family at the slightest provocation.

"Master Zhang, what do you think?" Huang Tianyang asked, looking at an old man opposite him.

The old man, named Zhang Ci, was the head of the Zhang family in Pingyang. Because he was over seventy years old, those who knew him often called him Master Zhang. Although he was just a merchant, he loved reading poetry and books and was very knowledgeable. He was quite famous in the literary world and was also very capable in business. Originally, the Zhang family was not as good as the Huang family, but after Zhang Ci took over the Zhang family, the Zhang family prospered and is now on par with the Huang family, and even has a slight tendency to surpass them.

Today, I only entered the Huang residence to discuss matters with Huang Tianyang because Qian Yaozu suddenly mobilized a large army. Who would have thought that the residence's soldiers would surround it, preventing anyone from entering or leaving, and thus I could not return.

Normally, officials and merchants in Pingyang Prefecture would give Zhang Gong some respect for his face, but today these peasants showed him no respect whatsoever. He was initially a little angry, but now that resentment had completely vanished. His wrinkled old face was full of solemnity, and even his usually cloudy old eyes had a sharper glint in them.

After a brief silence, Zhang Gong slowly spoke: "At the age of seventeen or eighteen, he is ruthless. Tonight alone, I fear that more than ten thousand people will die in Pingyang City."

"In my opinion, Song Yan is an ambitious person."

“What he wants is not Xinhou County, but probably the entire Pingyang Prefecture.”

Huang Tianyang snorted: "This brat is arrogant. How could a mere boy like him possibly conquer such a vast place as Pingyang Prefecture?"

Zhang Gong shook his head: "What's wrong with the boy? If he can really subdue the Pingyang City garrison, he will have nearly 20,000 troops under his command, and then he will be someone we can't afford to offend."

Huang Tianyang still underestimated him somewhat, after all, he was just a young upstart: "Master Zhang, are you perhaps trying to back down?"

"Don't forget, this is Pingyang, not that kid's Ningping."

"We're the ones who call the shots here."

"In my opinion, that kid probably just has too many soldiers under his command and not enough food and pay to support them."

"That's why they surrounded the Huang and Zhang families, wanting to make an example of them and get us to hand over some food and money... As for the officials of Xilin Academy, they are the chickens that were killed."

"It's laughable. If this kid had lowered his stance and begged honestly, I might have given him several thousand bushels of grain. But now that he dares to directly surround the Huang family, I can't give him a single grain."

"If we back down now, we'll probably be bullied all the time."

Zhang Gong frowned deeply.

He also had this suspicion in his mind.

But for some reason, I always felt uneasy, as if things weren't so simple.

It looks like things are about to change!

Just then, a commotion arose at the door, accompanied by the sound of clashing weapons. Huang Tianyang and Zhang Gong exchanged a glance, knowing that the person in charge had arrived. They immediately stood up, and Huang Tianyang gave the steward a look before heading towards the door with Zhang Gong.

Before they even reached the door, they could smell a strong stench of blood.

The smell made Huang Tianyang's expression change drastically, and he subconsciously quickened his pace. When he finally reached the door, he saw thick, fresh blood splattered on the ground and walls in front of the door.

Like a blooming plum blossom.

Hundreds of corpses lay on the ground, some occasionally twitching, their heads all severed.

A large group of soldiers clad in black armor.

The armor hadn't been cleaned in who knows how long, covered in clumps of dark brown grime that sent chills down one's spine. The steel blade in his hand still reeked of blood, as if it had chopped off too many heads; the blade was already somewhat warped.

Among this group of black-armored soldiers was a handsome young man of sixteen or seventeen, with a cold expression.

Beside the young man was a stunningly beautiful woman in her early twenties, as if she were a celestial being descended to earth.

Just then, the sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy opened his mouth: "Huang family head, Huang Tianyang?"

Although they were just servants and nothing important, slaughtering Huang family servants in front of the Huang family's gate would be a disgrace to the Huang family.

Huang Tianyang's already gloomy face darkened completely: "I have met the magistrate... May I ask the magistrate, what exactly did my Huang family's servants do to deserve such a fate?"

By deliberately addressing him as the county magistrate, Song Yan was also being reminded of his own status; he was merely the lowest-ranking official.

Song Yan's lips curled into a smile: "I've heard that the Zhang and Huang families are prominent families in Pingyang."

"I have come to pay my respects because I admire you greatly."

"However, these wicked servants actually attacked me without cause."

"Patriarch Huang, tell me... should these people be killed?"

(End of this chapter)