Chapter 89 - A River of Blood

Pain!

It hurts so much!

The feeling of having one's intestines pulled out from the stomach.

Hirata Shichirō had killed countless people in his life and had done even more cruel things. But only when these things fell upon his own head did he discover how agonizing it was.

The mandarin duck formation had been modified; it was a brand-new version more suited to this era.

There was no way around it; the mandarin duck formation required the cooperation of arquebusiers, and the current Ning Kingdom did not have this kind of weapon.

As for the manure fork, although it didn't sound very pleasant, it was quite good when used. The modified fork was far thicker, longer, and harder than before.

A single thrust would leave three clean holes.

The end of the fork was even polished with two rough barbs. When it was thrust into Hirata Shichirō's body and then pulled out, the scene was bloody, crazed, and nauseating.

Who knows if the pain was too much, but Hirata Shichirō felt his entire body lighten in an instant. As more and more things were pulled out, his strength was also drained away. His body slowly went limp on the ground, twitching.

Am I going to die?

Why is it like this?

He was here to kill, to rob money, grain, and women. Why did he just die like this?

With a shudder, Hirata Shichirō's consciousness completely sank into darkness.

This was a battlefield. At this time, who would still care about Hirata Shichirō's death? On the contrary, the blood and stench stimulated their most crazed nerves. One by one, their eyes turned red, and twisting their faces, they brandished their Japanese sabers and pounced.

Pfft, pfft, pfft...

The manure forks extended from behind the wolf brushes, piercing into the Japs' chests, piercing into the Japs' bellies.

Corpses began to collapse onto the ground. The fresh blood gathered into pools and flowed slowly with the lay of the land. The road surface was dyed a scarlet color, like a river.

When someone finally broke through the wolf brush's blockade and charged forward, the long shields and rattan shields were like a hard, giant rock shell, blocking the slashes of the Japanese sabers. The manure forks then once again thrust out from the gaps. At this moment, the mandarin duck formation had turned into a meat grinder, almost crazily mincing one life after another.

"Ahhhhhh..."

Shrill screams tore through the clouds, echoing in the sky above the entire Ningping County.

Even from a great distance, one could still feel the pain and despair contained in the screams.

……

Inside the Luo Mansion were densely packed people. They were all the commoners who had migrated from near the city gate.

It was fortunate that the Luo family's estate was large enough, otherwise it really wouldn't have been able to accommodate so many people.

More than a hundred household guards were distributed around, their hands on their saber hilts, their vigilant gazes scanning the surroundings.

It's just that a few people were missing.

Song Yan was not here.

The three Song brothers were also nowhere to be found.

Even Luo Tianyi was nowhere to be seen.

Only Luo Yuheng, holding one of her youngest daughters in each hand, stood quietly below the main gate. By her side was Yushuang.

When the Luo family members first knocked on their doors, they were unwilling to believe it. After all, Ningping County was protected by city walls; those Wokou couldn't get in. But now, hearing those shrill screams, they all believed it. Each and every one of them was shivering, their eyes filled with an irresolvable fear.

Those were the Wokou! Many people had seen villages that had been plundered by the Wokou. Even the legendary underworld was probably no worse than that.

Some timid women desperately hugged their children, and were even scared to the point of crying out loud.

"Where's the County Magistrate? Where did the County Magistrate go? Why doesn't he lead men to stop those Wokou? Are their sabers only useful when collecting taxes?"

"The County Magistrate? Yang Siye? Pah."

"I heard that this time it was that old bastard Yang Siye who deliberately colluded with the Wokou and let them into the city. Otherwise, with those five or six-meter high city walls, how could the Wokou have so easily broken in? The Wokou don't have siege weapons, do they?"

"He... he's the County Magistrate! How could he do such a thing?"

"I heard that Yang Siye took benefits from the Wokou. He gets to take a seventy percent share of the wealth plundered by the Wokou. And with Ningping County attacked by Wokou, he has a reason to apply for silver from the imperial court. Eating from both ends."

Such voices came from the crowd. The originally repressed crowd instantly became agitated.

The fear that had accumulated in their hearts turned into a fiery rage.

"The County Magistrate isn't going to care about us anymore. What do we do then?"

"Luckily, we still have the Grand Princess. Her Highness the Grand Princess has already arranged for household guards to resist the Wokou. She hasn't abandoned us..."

The crowd suddenly went quiet for a moment. Pairs of eyes looked towards the gate. A not-particularly-tall figure, yet in the eyes of those commoners, she appeared so tall, as if she were sending a signal: if those Wokou want to kill you, they'll have to step over her body first.

When people are in a state of extreme fear, they are the easiest to be stirred up.

It was like some kind of faith...

"Grand Princess!"

Who knows who started it.

"Grand Princess."

"Grand Princess!"

"Grand Princess!"

The voices grew louder and louder, echoing in the sky above the Luo Mansion like a tsunami of cheers.

The shouting seemed to have restored their courage. Some men stood up. They were holding kitchen knives or axes. These were probably the most valuable things in their homes, which they didn't forget to bring when they fled.

But now, they had become tools for battle.

The Grand Princess, what a status she had. Although she was a woman, when the Wokou attacked, she stood resolutely in front of everyone. How could they, the men, hide behind a woman?

Almost all the men stood up, gripping the tools in their hands, and formed a circle around the four sides of the Luo Mansion.

Behind them were their wives.

Their children.

Some even looked towards the place where the screams were coming from, and even had an eager impulse to join the fight.

Watching this change, the corners of Luo Yuheng's mouth curled into a slight arc.

This must be what Yan'er called 'the hearts of the people,' right?

Yan'er had once asked her what she was still lacking. She had answered, 'money and grain.'

Yan'er had nodded, then shook his head.

He told her that money and grain were important, but what was more important was... the hearts of the people.

Luo Yuheng believed that after tonight's events, her prestige in Ningping County would reach an unprecedented level, although this was all her son-in-law's credit.

Sure enough, for a woman, having a good son-in-law is still very important.

……

County Yamen.

Yang Siye also stood up. He picked up a command token and tossed it to a servant.

It was time to mobilize those bailiffs and jailers. Many people might die, but if no one died, how could it show his heroism in leading his few subordinates to desperately resist several thousand Wokou?

This should count as a military achievement, right? He wondered if he, a County Magistrate, would be granted a noble title.

Thinking this, Yang Siye couldn't help but feel very happy.

The slaughter was still continuing.

The screams never subsided.

The jailers in the dungeon finally received the transfer order. Ignoring the prisoners in the cells, one by one they gripped their sabers and charged out. It wasn't until those people had disappeared into the night that one figure after another emerged from a corner not far away. Who else could it be but Yang Miaoqing's party?

Yang Siyao and an old male servant accompanied Yang Miaoqing on either side. Behind them were handmaidens and household guards.

Seeing the door that hadn't been closed, Yang Miaoqing's face flushed red with excitement.

Zhen'er.

Her Zhen'er could be rescued right away.

Who knows if it was longing or excitement, but her originally dignified and elegant face was now twitching nonstop.

She was already impatient.

The dungeon was gloomy and damp. The air was filled with a stench like that of corpses, as well as the foul smell of feces and urine. The thought that her son had actually lived in this kind of environment for nearly a month made Yang Miaoqing's eyes turn a little red, and tears fell like rain.

Since he was young, when had he ever suffered this kind of hardship?

Her son was so pitiful.

Wasn't it just killing Song Yun? Wasn't it just killing a few lowly commoners before that? Was it really necessary?

The dungeon had only one path. Both sides were lined with cells sealed by metal bars. Many of the cells held prisoners. Having been locked up in this environment for a long time, many people had already lost their minds.

Hearing the commotion, they howled nonstop like mad dogs, and the chains on their bodies also clattered. Yang Miaoqing's face was pale. She quickened her pace again. It wasn't until she was almost at the deepest part of the dungeon that she finally found Song Zhen in a cage.

When she saw Song Zhen's current appearance, Yang Miaoqing could no longer control herself and cried out:

"My son!"

"How did you end up like this?"

In the cage, Song Zhen was still alive, but he already had a disheveled and filthy appearance. The injuries on his arm and leg, because they had not received good medical treatment and rest, were now twisted beyond recognition.

The face that was once handsome in Yang Miaoqing's eyes was now also a blackish mess, stained with who knows how much filth.

Actually, with Song Zhen's condition, after a month in the dungeon, if not for Yang Siye's special instructions to have the jailers take good care of him, he probably would have been dead long ago.

Hearing the familiar voice, Song Zhen's originally cloudy eyes also suddenly lit up. A bright glint exploded in his eyes.

"Mother."

A household guard split open the door lock. Yang Miaoqing hurriedly rushed in. Mother and son embraced, holding each other and weeping bitterly.

The scene was truly a bit moving.

Yang Siyao pursed her lips: "Aunt, we should leave this place early."

Only then did Yang Miaoqing react. Who knows where those Wokou have killed their way to. They are a pack of beasts that eat people and don't spit out the bones. Although the two sides were in a cooperative relationship, if they were to really run into them, they would absolutely not show any mercy.

It would be better to leave Ningping early.

As for how many people would die in Ningping County tonight, that was not something Yang Miaoqing would consider. For her, as long as she could rescue Zhen'er, it was worth it even if a river of blood flowed through Ningping County.

Song Zhen had no shackles on him. Two household guards hurriedly supported Song Zhen, and the group headed for the outside of the cells.

Gazing at the dungeon entrance from afar, Song Zhen's eyes were full of greed, and his breathing also became rapid.

He was finally getting out.

Just then:

"Legitimate Mother, Fifth Brother, where are you two going?"

A lazy voice, sounding exceptionally familiar, reached their ears.

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