Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 150 One person dies! Or the entire clan is wiped out!
Xun Yu pushed the list on the table in front of Gu Yu: "The people on the list are all local small landlords and poor scholars from Yangqu who have a long-standing grudge against Zhang Yu, or whose land was seized by him, or whose relatives were forced to death by him, as verified by Shi Lin's spies."

They were usually intimidated by Zhang's tyranny and dared not speak out against her.

Now, the time has come.

Gu Yu took the list, her eyes sharp: "What does County Magistrate Xun mean?"

"Take a few capable men with my letter and infiltrate Yangqu tonight." Xun Yu's eyes were deep.

"Avoid Zhang's spies and secretly contact the people on the list. Tell them three things."

Xun Yu lowered his voice.

"Firstly, Zhao Shi, the judicial clerk, is a confidant of the governor. This investigation has been carried out with impartiality and integrity, and he has the full support of the governor. The days of Zhang Yu and his ilk are numbered!"

"Secondly, tomorrow we will send Zhao Yuanshi to inspect the estate in person, to lure the enemy out and create an opportunity for chaos!"

"Thirdly, if you want to seek justice and reclaim the property that has been seized, tomorrow will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
They were instructed to secretly contact trusted tenants and neighbors, and when Zhao Yuanshi was 'obstructed' outside the village and attracted the attention of Zhang's henchmen, they were to immediately gather and directly attack the accounting offices and granaries of Zhang's various villages!
Seize the land deeds and account books! Especially the records of rent and loans from previous years! Once you've got them, don't linger; immediately take the items and head straight to the county government office to beat the drum for a formal complaint!
Zhao's men will be there to meet us at the drum!

Gu Yu's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Xun County's brilliant plan! Driving one tiger to devour another, seizing chestnuts amidst chaos! Zhang Yu is only concerned with guarding against Zhao Yuanshi, never expecting that his own backyard will be on fire! Those who have suffered under Zhang Yu for so long will seize this opportunity, and with the prestige of the governor and the support of the judicial officer, they will be like dry tinder, ready to ignite at the slightest spark!"

"That's exactly right." Xun Yu nodded slightly.

"Remember, be quick and ruthless! Create chaos and seize key evidence! As soon as the first drumbeat is sounded, as soon as the first tearful accusation and irrefutable evidence are presented to Zhao Shi, the stagnant waters of Yangqu will come alive! The seemingly solid wall of Zhang Yu will show its first fatal crack!"

"Yes! I understand! I will make the arrangements properly!" Gu Yu put away the list, cupped her hands and took her leave.

Xun Yu walked to the window and looked at the lights of Jinyang City gradually lighting up, his expression calm.

The Yangqu situation appears to be Zhao Shi's head-on assault at the front, but his real killing move is to exploit the inherent contradictions among powerful families in the rear, igniting the pent-up anger of the victims and delivering the most fatal blow when the enemy is most relaxed.

This is the best strategy to dismantle the deeply entrenched power of local tyrants.

The following day, on the outskirts of Yangqu City, outside Zhang's largest estate.

Zhao Shi, accompanied by several clerks and guards, was indeed left standing on the ground, with a few men who looked like managers offering forced smiles and bowing.

"Oh dear, it's an honor to have Clerk Zhao here! We are so sorry we didn't greet you properly! Unfortunately, the head of the estate went to town on business today. Without him to guide us, we dare not point out the boundaries of the fields. Getting the boundaries wrong is a serious offense! Perhaps... you could come another day?"

On the distant ridges between the fields, some tenant farmers could be seen peeking out, pointing and whispering, with faint, suppressed snickers drifting through the air.

Zhao Shi's face was ashen. Suppressing his anger, he shouted a few words, but his voice sounded weak in the empty fields. He pretended to be furious and led his men back and forth along the field ridge, as if trying to find some clues, but they were more like headless flies.

The few spies Zhang sent to watch the spectacle were thoroughly enjoying themselves, thinking that this Zhao clerk was nothing special, just putting on a show.

While Zhao Shi was drawing most of Zhang Yu and his henchmen's attention, some spies in Yangqu County and several surrounding Zhang family estates secretly worked the night before, suddenly throwing sparks into what was like a calm oil pan!

"Fellow villagers! That scoundrel Zhang Yu seized my family's ancestral land and drove my father to his death! Today, with the magistrate of Jinyang in charge and the judicial officer backing us up, let's go to Zhang's accounting office, seize back the land deeds, and demand retribution for our blood debt!"

A middle-aged man with bloodshot eyes brandished a hoe and shouted hoarsely.

"The Zhang family lent money at exorbitant interest rates, and they seized my family's land! I'll fight them to the death!"

"Steal the ledger! It's evidence that they've been drinking our blood!"

"Go to the county government! Beat the drum and appeal for justice!"

The anger that had been suppressed for years or even decades was ignited by the message from Xun Yu's messenger that "the magistrate supports him" and "Zhao's clerk will provide assistance."

Amidst the chaos created by the spies, it suddenly erupted!
Gu Yu, as expected of someone from a powerful family in Bingzhou, always chose his targets according to his own habits, ensuring absolute accuracy.

These are all people who have a deep-seated hatred for Zhang Yu and who have a certain amount of influence.

With a single call to action, their neighbors and tenants, who had been secretly colluded beforehand, surged forth like a burst dam, instantly dismantling the seemingly impenetrable Zhang family manor.

In reality, the defense was weakened because the main force was drawn away by Zhao Shi!

"What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel?!"

"Stop them! Stop them now!"

The servants and accountants left behind by the Zhang family were caught off guard, and their terrified cries were drowned out by the angry crowd.

The accounting office was smashed open, the cabinets were pried open, and bundles of land deeds, loan contracts, and rent collection ledgers were frantically looted!

Clutching the stolen ledgers, some people rushed out of the manor and ran wildly towards the county town!

"Quickly! Go to the county government office! Beat the drum!"

"Zhao Yuanshi is waiting for us!"

The east courtyard of Yangqu County Government Office.

The dusty, straightforward drum was finally grasped by a calloused, trembling yet incredibly powerful hand!

Boom!Boom!Boom!
The dull drumbeats, filled with endless injustice, resounded like thunder for the first time above the Yangqu County government office!
It instantly shattered the deathly silence that had lasted for days!
As the drums sounded, outside the county government gate, several men, covered in mud and panting but with excited eyes, clutched account books and land deeds stained with blood and mud, shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Judicial Officer Zhao, Your Excellency! This humble citizen has been wronged! I accuse Zhang Yu of seizing my land and driving me to my death! The evidence is here!"

"This humble citizen is suing Zhang Yu for illegally lending money at exorbitant interest rates and exploiting the local people! The account books are here!"

"Please, Clerk Zhao, do the right thing!"

The judicial officer's guards, who had been standing by the drum as Zhao Shi had instructed, immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Who is beating this drum to appeal for justice? What is your complaint? Do you have any evidence?!"

His voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout half of the county government office.

"Yes! I have proof! These were all stolen from the Zhang family's accounting office!"

The complainant held up the ledger and contract in his hand.

The guards examined the documents and immediately shouted, "Take the report! Bring the witnesses and evidence, and come with me to see Clerk Zhao!"

When the first person to cry out for justice was "escorted" by guards, carrying bloody evidence of his crimes, through the front courtyard of the county government office and toward the back hall where Zhao Shi was, the entire Yangqu County government office was in an uproar!

The clerk who was feigning illness forgot to groan, the accountant forgot to turn the beads, and everyone stared in disbelief at what was happening!

The news spread like wildfire, instantly engulfing Yangqu County.

"Someone's beating a drum!"

"We sued Zhang Bancheng! We stole the Zhang family's account books!"

"Clerk Zhao has received the petition!"

Those who were still watching and hesitating, those small landlords who were suppressed by Zhang Yu, their eyes instantly turned red!
An opportunity! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"Let's go! Let's go too!"

"Take our grievances and beat the drum!"

"Zhao, the clerk, really dared to accept the petition!"

dong dong dong!dong dong dong!
The sound of the drums, which had been sporadic, quickly became dense and continuous! In the blink of an eye, a long queue formed outside the east courtyard of the county government office!

Countless people who had suffered bullying rushed to the county government office with petitions filled with blood and tears, or with scattered pieces of evidence they had hastily snatched from various parts of the Zhang family to prove their innocence!

Back hall.

As Zhao Shi listened to the increasingly dense and loud drumbeats and clamor outside, the feigned anxiety and anger on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by a cold, sharp, and composed demeanor, like a hunter seeing his prey finally caught in the net.

He abruptly stood up, grabbed the bronze seal symbolizing the authority of the judicial clerk on the desk, and spoke with a resolute voice, filled with unquestionable power.

"Guards! Court is now in session!"

"Order all judicial officers and guards to be in position immediately!"

"Magistrate Sun and all officials of the county government are invited to the main hall for this hearing!"

"Today, I will hold a public trial for Zhang Yu in this Yangqu County government office to clarify the long-standing problems in Yangqu!"

As Zhao Shi issued his orders, the cold judicial machine finally revealed its ferocious fangs.

Finally, he whispered to someone beside him, "Have the soldiers from Lüchi County who arrived and were stationed outside the city last night come here! Just in case we all go down together!"

"promise!"

Half an hour later.

The main hall of Yangqu County Government Office.

The sound of the drum that had been silent for three days suddenly resounding had not yet subsided, and now, an even more surging tide of sound was almost about to overturn the roof of this building that symbolized the highest power in Yangqu.

Inside the lobby, the atmosphere was heavy as lead, the air seemed to freeze, and every breath carried a rusty weight.

Zhao Shi sat in the main seat, his dark blue official robe making his face appear even colder and harder than iron.

On the large desk before him, the bronze seal of the mythical beast Xie Zhi gleamed coldly in the candlelight, symbolizing the inviolable authority of the Ministry of Justice. On either side, the officials and guards he had brought with him stood solemnly, their eyes sharp as hawks, their hands on their sword hilts, exuding a silent, chilling aura of seasoned warriors.

The pressure from the crowd of officials and village elders from Yangqu County who had been forced to come to "hear the trial" left them speechless, their faces ashen and covered in cold sweat.

Outside the lobby, the noise was deafening.

The massive crowd completely surrounded the county government office, their angry shouts, sorrowful cries, and urgent urgings creating a turbulent atmosphere.

"Zhao Yuanshi! Stand up for us!"

"That scoundrel Zhang Yu ruined my family and caused my death!"

"Hand over Zhangyu! Severely punish the tyrant!"

"."

One by one, the victims, who were closely "escorted" in by the judicial guards, poured out their accusations, which had been suppressed for decades and were soaked in blood and tears, as if the gates of hell had been opened.

Kneeling on the cold floor tiles, their hands trembling, they presented the land deeds, loan contracts, and rent ledgers—which they had just snatched from the Zhang family manor's accounting office and which still smelled of ink and soil.

These cold papers, at this moment, felt like red-hot branding irons, searing the nerves of everyone present.

"I, Li Er, am suing Zhang Yu! Five years ago, Zhang Yu took a fancy to my family's ancestral ten mu of irrigated land. He colluded with corrupt officials in the county government to forge loan documents and insisted that my father owed the Zhang family three hundred strings of cash in usurious loans! My father was furious and went to reason with them, but he was beaten to death by their vicious servants! This is the forged loan document from back then! This is my family's land deed!"

A man in his forties, with bloodshot eyes and a hoarse voice, slammed several wooden tablets heavily onto the ground, his forehead hitting the cold ground with a dull thud.

"I am suing Zhang Yu! Two years ago, my husband fell seriously ill and borrowed three dou of grain from the Zhang family to buy medicine. The interest compounded, and in just six months, it became ten shi! After my husband died, the Zhang family came and forcibly seized my only three thatched huts and two mu of meager land! They drove my widow and my orphan out of our home! This is the grain loan agreement from back then! The bloody fingerprint on it is my husband's! He... he was still talking about this debt before he breathed his last!"

A ragged woman held a small, thin child, crying so hard she almost fainted, her hands soaked with tears as she held a wooden contract.

"I, Zhao Shitou, am suing Zhang Yu! His Zhang family is building an ancestral hall and has forcibly occupied three acres of my Zhao clan's ancestral burial land! When the clan elders tried to stop them, they were beaten and had their legs broken, and they are still bedridden! This is a petition signed in blood by several elders of the clan."

A lean young man gritted his teeth, holding a blood-stained wooden tablet and a few simple pieces of coarse cloth in his hands.

……

One tearful accusation after another, one irrefutable piece of evidence after another! The clear boundary markings on the land deeds, the shocking interest terms on the loan contracts, the dense records of exploiting tenants in the rent collection ledgers... like countless sharp daggers, peeling away layer by layer the numerous crimes hidden beneath the glamorous facade of the Zhang family.

Every charge read aloud, every piece of evidence presented, drew deafening roars and curses from the crowd outside the courtroom.

Sun Qian sat in the lower seat of the audience, his face ashen, his body trembling slightly uncontrollably. He felt as if he were sitting on the edge of a volcano that could erupt at any moment.

Many of the accusations and pieces of evidence implicated his county officials, and even subtly pointed to him, the "incompetent" magistrate! Cold sweat had soaked through the back of his official robe.

“Magistrate Sun!” Zhao Shi’s icy voice rang out suddenly, like ice shattering, interrupting the lament of yet another aggrieved person in the hall.

Sun Qian shuddered violently, almost slipping off his chair. He hurriedly stood up, his voice trembling, "Your...your humble servant is here!"

Zhao Shi's gaze was like two cold steel cones, piercing straight into Sun Qian's heart: "Where is the case file of Li Er's accusation that his father was beaten to death by Zhang Yu's vicious servant? How did the county government handle it back then?"

“This…this…” Sun Qian felt his throat go dry and his tongue tied in knots.

"This humble official...this humble official is new here and truly...truly unaware of the old files..."

"Don't know?" Zhao Shi sneered.

"Very well, considering that you have only recently arrived in Yangqu to govern, this matter is no longer your concern. You may leave now. The affairs of Yangqu will be temporarily handled by the Judicial Officer. We will decide your matter once the arrangements for Xun County are finalized!"

".promise."

Sun Qian tremblingly cupped his hands in greeting, but inwardly he was completely relieved. With Zhao Shi's words, his life was saved.

After dealing with Sun Qian, Zhao Shi suddenly grabbed a copy of the account book that had been snatched from the Zhang family from the table and slammed it to the ground with a "thud!"

He glared menacingly at the officials in the hall! He shouted!

“This family’s ‘personal favors’ ledger clearly records that in the twelfth month of the first year of Guanghe (five years ago), the clerk Liu Neng received 100 strings of cash as ‘charcoal tribute’ from Zhang Yu! The yamen runner Wang Wu received 30 strings of cash as ‘festival gifts’! This was just three days after Li Erzhu’s father was beaten to death! Gentlemen, tell me, what kind of ‘personal favors’ and ‘personal favors’ are these?!”

The ledger lay open on the ground, the few lines of ink characters like venomous snakes, gnawing at everyone's eyes.

Li Erzhu, who was kneeling below the hall, suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on several officials among them, and a beast-like growl came from his throat: "It was him! That Liu Neng! That Wang Wu! They were the ones who led people to drag my father's body away! They said... they said he fell to his death!"

The area outside instantly erupted in chaos!

"Dog officer!"

"Officials and bandits are one and the same!"

"Kill these corrupt officials!"

The crowd was furious, and the shouts almost broke through the roof.

The people whose names were called out collapsed to the ground with a thud, their lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

They knew they were finished; the sky over Yangqu had completely collapsed!
Just as the chaos reached its peak and the flames of anger were about to engulf everything, an even more violent and chaotic commotion erupted outside the county government gate!

The sounds of horses' hooves, shouts, and the clanging of swords came like a flood bursting its banks!

"Get out of my way! All of you, get out of my way!"

"Who dares to block Zhang Gong's path!"

Outside the county government gate, the crowd that had been watching retreated in terror to both sides, making way for a passage.

A group of men, armed with knives, spears, clubs, and even a few hunting bows, dressed in haphazard clothes but exuding a fierce aura, escorted a lavishly decorated carriage and charged menacingly toward the county government gate! The leader, riding a tall horse, was Zhang Yu's trusted steward, Zhang Fu, who brandished a ring-pommel sword and roared with a ferocious expression.

The carriage curtain was abruptly flung open, revealing Zhang Yu's well-preserved, yet now distorted and contorted face of rage. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the county government hall, roaring hoarsely:

"Rebellion! Rebellion has broken out! Zhao Shi! You brat! How dare you insult me ​​like this! How dare you threaten the foundation of my Zhang family! Charge! Charge into the county government! Tear that Zhao fellow to pieces!"
Arrest all those troublemakers! Let's see who dares to lay a finger on Zhang Yu in Yangqu!

Zhang Yu has gone completely mad! The fortress he had painstakingly built over decades was torn open in just half a day by the lowly people he regarded as ants and Zhao Shi, this "cruel official," exposing his bloody crimes to the light of day!

He could not tolerate this humiliation, and he could not imagine the consequences of losing everything!

Fear and rage completely overwhelmed his reason; he was determined to fight to the death! He wanted to massacre the county government!
Use the most violent means to bury this trial, along with those who accused him and the evidence!
More than three hundred servants and private soldiers raised by the Zhang family for many years, under the roar of Zhang Yu and the leadership of Zhang Fu, were like wild beasts with bloodshot eyes. They howled and smashed through the few yamen runners who tried to stop them at the entrance of the county government office, brandishing their weapons and surging into the hall like a tide!

"Protect the clerks!"

The seven or eight guards Zhao Shi brought reacted extremely quickly, drawing their swords with a clang and instantly forming a small semi-circle in front of Zhao Shi's desk, their blades pointing outwards, their eyes showing no fear, only icy killing intent.

They were all veterans who had come from the battlefield, crawling out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The scene before them was not intimidating.

The officials inside the hall were terrified, screaming and running away in panic, seeking cover.

Sun Qian collapsed to the ground, his crotch wet and hot, he had actually wet himself in fear.

In the chaos, Zhao Shi suddenly stood up!

He didn't draw his sword, nor did he even look at the private soldiers who rushed in like wolves and tigers.

He stepped out from behind the table, his tall figure exuding a mountain-like sense of oppression, directly facing the surging crowd!
The guards stood firmly around him, their blades not trembling in the slightest.

His gaze, like two cold searchlights, pierced through the chaotic crowd and precisely locked onto Zhang Yu, who was furiously enraged in the carriage!
"Zhangyu—!"

Zhao Shi's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it was like a muffled thunderclap, with a peculiar penetrating power. It instantly overwhelmed all the noise, shouts, and the sounds of clashing weapons, clearly exploding in everyone's ears, especially Zhang Yu's!

The few Zhang family private soldiers at the forefront were stunned into stopping in their tracks by the sudden shout that contained immense authority and chilling killing intent.

Ignoring the gleaming blade so close at hand, Zhao Shi continued walking, taking another step forward, bringing him to within forty paces of Zhang Yu's carriage!

He stared intently into Zhang Yu's eyes, unfocused by rage, and spoke each word with a chilling intensity, as if carved from the deepest ice of the underworld.

"You—have—thought—clearly—your—understanding—your—own—sense?!"

"Today, the moment you step into this county government office, you are committing treason! Storming the government office! Assassinating an official of the imperial court! This is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family!"

The three words "extermination of nine generations" struck Zhang Yu's heart like three heavy hammers!
His mind, burning red with rage, jolted as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head! The extermination of nine generations… over a hundred members of the Zhang family… ancestral graves, ancestral halls… a century-old foundation… reduced to ashes…

Zhao Shi's voice didn't pause at all, like a cold iron chain, continuing to wrap and tighten.

"If only you, Zhang Yu, die, your Zhang family line can be preserved, allowing you to eke out a living!"

"If you dare to use force, you will harm me, harm a commoner, and damage every blade of grass and tree in this county government office..."

Zhao Shi's gaze swept over the Zhang family's private soldiers, whose imposing aura had clearly faltered and whose faces showed hesitation at his words. His voice suddenly rose to its highest point, like a thunderclap.

"I hereby speak frankly! Your Majesty will mobilize the iron cavalry of Bingzhou with thunderous force! Raze your Zhang family's fortified village to the ground! Slaughter every single member of your Zhang family, leaving no one alive! Desecrate your ancestral graves and grind your bones to dust! Make Zhang Yu a sinner for your entire Zhang family for all eternity! May he never be reincarnated!"

"One person dies! Or the entire clan—all! Exterminated?!"

"select--!!"

The final word "select" echoed like a bloodthirsty roar in the now deathly silent front courtyard of the county government office!
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

(End of this chapter)