Shulong Daojun

Upon hearing this, the refugees exchanged glances, their faces showing a sense of relief.

After the leader and some of his men fled overnight, they were completely disoriented and lost, as if they had lost their leader.

The escape just now was merely a subconscious act out of fear for my life.

After all, with soldiers on all sides and the news of "kill without mercy" in front of them, being caught meant certain death. Who wouldn't be afraid?

However, upon hearing the words "surrender," their lives were spared, and the situation changed drastically.

Therefore, the refugees did not hesitate and knelt down, murmuring, "We are willing to surrender, we are willing to submit, please spare our lives, magistrate."

As soon as the words were spoken, several more voices, tinged with delight, rang out from the crowd: "Please, magistrate, give us some food! Please, Your Excellency, give us some food!"

However, it was those few people who had been bribed by Jiang Heng with grain who recognized him at this moment and immediately spoke up.

However, the group knew their limits and only asked for food, without doing anything else.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Heng showed a hint of surprise.

Judging by their voices, he recognized who they were, but he never expected them to speak up and even help him.

Acting according to the plan of the righteous god Xianyou, he was not worried about not being able to subdue the refugees outside Pingjiang City; the only thing he needed to consider was appeasement.

This matter is both difficult and simple.

The simple point is that the reason why the refugees besieged the city was because they had no food, and the problem could be solved by addressing the food shortage.

The challenge lies in convincing them that there is an ample supply of food, with a continuous supply to follow.

While the previous methods of appeasing the people of the two counties were feasible, the number of people seeking refuge outside Pingjiang City was far greater than that of the two counties.

With a large number of people, things are more likely to go wrong. If trouble arises during the capture of a city, it will ultimately be unwise.

Therefore, we need to think of another way to make everyone believe without a doubt.

Fortunately, a solution has been devised in the past few days, and preparations have been made.

Thinking of this, Jiang Heng looked down and met the expectant eyes of the refugees, and said solemnly, "That's how it should be."

However, the county magistrate and I are from Chuzhou County, not from this area. The official granaries in the city are beyond our reach, and even if we had grain, it would not be enough. Therefore, we cannot attend to everyone for the time being.

Even if those ten talented individuals were to rush to Chuxian to collect grain, they would not be able to return until tomorrow, ensuring that everyone has something to eat.

"We are not yet fully capable, and you will need to wait a while."

After speaking, he bowed deeply.

Without waiting for the reactions of the refugees, he changed the subject and said with certainty, "However, I hope you can rest assured that there is enough grain in Chuzhou County."

As he spoke, Jiang Heng walked straight to a local earth god in blue robes and nodded to him.

The land deity understood, strode forward, and with a slight raise of his hand, unleashed his divine power, causing a dozen burlap sacks filled with rice and wheat to appear out of thin air, hovering above the heads of the refugees.

With a flick of his sleeve, the burlap sack opened abruptly, and a few plump grains of wheat rolled out.

As the landman's finger fell again, the bulging sack instantly deflated, and wheat grains flowed out slowly like a spring, gathering in mid-air, tinged with a pale yellow, giving one a sense of security.

The refugees watched with envy, swallowing hard, their stomachs rumbling.

At that moment, the land suddenly curled its fingers, and the gathered wheat grains scattered in all directions, falling like rain.

The refugees were taken aback for a moment, then quickly scooped up their hands and scrambled to catch the falling grains of wheat. Some even tilted their heads back and opened their mouths, hoping to get as much food as possible.

A few breaths later, no more grains of wheat fell from the sky.

The people who received the grain were overjoyed and smiled happily.

Those who didn't follow were green with envy, but dared not act rashly because of the spears in front of them, and they also believed Jiang Heng's words to some extent.

Grain is so precious, yet they dare to distribute it like this; that place called Chuzhou must have plenty of grain.

Tomorrow, it will be my turn.

They consoled themselves with this thought, but the envy in their eyes grew even stronger.

Jiang Heng took in the expressions of the refugees and knew that the method had been effective and the people's hearts had been stabilized.

Next, the garrison on the city wall was notified to open the city gates and enter Pingjiang City.

Thinking of this, he approached the man with leopard eyes, bowed slightly, and said, "Please trouble you to convey my message, Daoist."

"You're welcome, it was nothing." The leopard-eyed man nodded in agreement.

He immediately walked to the spot directly opposite the city wall and said in a booming voice, "The magistrate of Chuxian County, leading the joint reinforcements from three counties, has quelled the unrest among the people outside the city. We hope the guards will open the city gates wide to facilitate our entry into the city."

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate sighed inwardly, knowing that it was time for him to step in again.

He flicked his official robe, strode forward, and arrived beside the man with leopard eyes. He looked up and shouted, "This county magistrate is here."

I have a long-standing friendship with the Prefectural Magistrate of the city. Hearing of the troubles in Pingjiang City, I have come to offer my assistance. I hope you will open the city gates quickly so that I may meet with the Prefectural Magistrate.”

Upon hearing this, the soldiers on the city wall had a vague idea of ​​the sudden surge of troops, but when their eyes fell on the thousand armored civilians, they couldn't help but wonder: how could there be so many soldiers in the three counties?

Despite thinking this, since the words came from the mouth of a county magistrate and concerned the prefectural governor, he dared not be negligent and hurriedly replied respectfully, "Please wait a moment, Magistrate."

After saying that, he turned and hurriedly left.

Before long, upon returning, a portly man was beside him.

He was the Prefectural Magistrate of Pingjiang City.

He squinted at the scene below the city, and seeing the refugees accepting their surrender, he was overjoyed and clapped his hands repeatedly, saying, "Excellent, excellent!"

After a few breaths, his gaze shifted and landed on the county magistrate.

"Oh? It was you who came to my rescue." The prefect exclaimed in surprise, then laughed loudly, "Indeed, it was worth it when I met you a few times back when I was the inspector of Chuzhou County."

However, the total number of soldiers in the three counties should not be less than three hundred, and there shouldn't be such a situation...

He glanced at the ten body-refining disciples and said carefully, "Those who are strong and powerful."

"Now, I ask you, where did these people come from?"

Although he heard from the garrison that reinforcements were coming to help, and he personally saw that the unrest among the people outside the city had subsided, this matter was clearly illogical.

When did the military strength of a county become so strong? It is almost comparable to that of a city.

Thinking of this, a hint of wariness appeared in the prefect's eyes.

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate shook his head and smiled wryly, replying, "Your Honor, I..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he caught sight of the refugees nearby. As if remembering something, he quickly changed his words, saying, "Sir, you can have the guards on the city wall come down and see for yourself."

Having said that, he immediately summoned several armored civilians to his side and ordered them to put down their spears and remove their leather armor.

Upon seeing this, the prefect felt something was amiss, but after a moment's thought, he still ordered the garrison to be lowered down the city wall.

The garrison soldier approached the unarmored civilians, examined them for a moment, and seemed to realize something. He was startled, and then his gaze swept over the armored civilians around him. He understood what was going on.

Upon returning to the city, he reported to the prefect: "Sir, the posture and eyes of those people do not resemble those who have been trained; they seem more like ordinary people."

Upon hearing this, the prefectural magistrate became even more puzzled. He looked at the county magistrate and asked, "Tell me what exactly happened. You must not hide anything from me."