novelraw Chapter 265 - 257: Who Gave You the Right?
Chapter 265 - 257: Who Gave You the Right?
This month’s mission seems quite reasonable, not as bizarre as usual, but why is the price to take in everyone she rescues?
She wants to expand her influence, but she’s not just going to accept all sorts of disorganized, mixed-quality people!
She had 77 run a scan; with its upgraded 4,000-meter range covering half of Yuan Yang City, surprisingly, there was no trace of the Rebel Army.
Could it be that the civilian Rebel Army just happened to be in the half of the city not scanned?
Just as she was thinking this, the people sent to gather information returned.
They looked quite disheveled and from their words, it was clear that things inside were chaotic.
As soon as they went in, they couldn’t gather any information before being conscripted; those inside were ruthless, not listening to explanations. They first tried to recruit them, and if that failed, they intended to kill to silence them; they were determined to make no mistakes by letting anyone go. If it weren’t for Cheng Beiniu’s quick reactions and strong martial arts skills, they wouldn’t have been able to return, clearly showing how chaotic and tense the situation inside was.
Before everyone could relax, the sound of horses’ hooves treading through snow rang from the city gate.
Because the people gathering information had revealed their whereabouts.
After the patrol reported it, they sent a squad to apprehend them.
In the sparse falling snow, a person on a tall horse could see the dense crowd outside.
When did nearly a thousand people gather outside the city? It seemed like all kinds of people were there.
Whether they were refugees or wealthy officials and merchants, they were all targets for recruitment. Those useful and who surrendered would stay, while those resistant would be killed, and all resources would be confiscated for public use.
This was the unanimous thought of the two leading soldiers as they left the city.
"Hyah!" The war horses galloped, two groups of troops filed out quickly, forming camps in opposition, tensions rising before they even reached the forest.
The soldier on the left, on his brown-black armored warhorse, shouted, "Liu Xiaogou, that surnamed Yuan can’t compete with our You Changshi, don’t attempt the impossible, bringing about your own destruction."
"Nonsense, whether he can or can’t compete will be revealed through a trial. You Changshi is avaricious and oppressive, corrupting the people; he’s not a good man, so stop pretending here.
We are determined to take these people; if you want to snatch them, did you ask my spear first?"
The soldier on the right, also on a majestic black horse, gripped his reins with a fierce expression, raised his spear, squeezed the horse with his legs, and charged forward, "What’s the point in speaking nonsense? If you have the guts, let’s settle this with real weapons and fight it out."
"Hmph! You barbarian, you’re as hateful as ever."
With a wave of his hand, he commanded, "Men, advance, capture these people, and the fat sheep outside will be ours."
The people called "fat sheep": "..."
They hadn’t even entered the city and were already treated as lambs to be slaughtered.
Cheng Xiaoxiao snorted coldly, did my sister agree?
Who gave you the nerve to make such reckless decisions? You’re simply fantasizing, daydreaming.
Today, if I don’t properly teach this arrogant group, where will my reputation go?
The people behind her exchanged worried glances, unsure of what to do now; going back to Liao City was evidently impossible, and even if they had money, they wouldn’t be allowed back into the city now.
Moving forward... Yuan Yang City had clearly become a den of dragons and tigers.
Cheng Xiaoxiao’s quick mind turned over a few solutions, so she called a few team leaders over to urgently discuss strategies.
"As you can see, the situation in the city is unclear. We have no choice but to unite into one cohesive team to have any hope of breaking through."
The situation was urgent; none had any delusions of grandeur, but they were calculating their own little advantages in their minds.
Forming one team was something everyone was willing to see happen, but who would lead this group?
Cheng Xiaoxiao observed their subtle expressions closely, "I have some exclusive insider information, do you want to hear it?"
Han Xifeng, being the Family Head from an Aristocratic Family, naturally understood that understanding the situation could critically influence the outcome of a conflict. So he spoke first, "We are eager to hear the details."
"I heard that a month ago, the Prefectural Governor died. Now, his left and right hands are coveting the position, fighting each other fiercely. All the grain in the city has been snatched up, and the civilians have formed a Rebel Army for survival, with some second-class families involved, stirring up trouble.
Also, a first-class family from Dingzhou merged to occupy a region. Now, the city is a mix of dragons and snakes, each fighting their own battles, setting up camp against each other. We have clearly become their pawns and tools in the struggle.
Under the current plan, we can only huddle together, twist into a single rope, and unite against the outside. Otherwise, we’ll be picked apart until there’s nothing left."
The group looked quite displeased, especially Han Xifeng; his family was a third-class family, trailing at the bottom, their foundation nowhere near that of first or second-class families.
When King Yu attacked Dingzhou, the Sima family, a first-class family, had excellent equipment, yet they didn’t extend a helping hand. They quickly gathered their wealth, secretly transferred by the Hidden Guard, and as they withdrew, their fleet-footed horses opened the way, speeding so swiftly that they left others behind soon after leaving the city.
The early escapees hadn’t expected to stake out such a territory.
Yuan Yang City also had two second-class families, operating behind the scenes. On the surface, two official forces were vying for land, a melee of power struggles among many heroes. These outsiders, besides affiliating with one of the forces, what else could they do?
Upon thinking this, a sense of sorrow naturally set in.
But who would readily admit defeat?
No one wanted to become a vassal to the great families.
Suppressing his heavy heart, Han Xifeng immediately expressed willingness to form a new team. However, as a third-class Family Head, he had the capability to lead these thousand people and be the leader.
Lin Yiqiu, originally working in officialdom, had some disdain for the actions of the aristocratic families and argued his case strongly.
As former Colonel to Governor Ke, Fang Zheng and Lu Jingtian also had the qualifications to contend for this position, having gathered about two hundred soldiers between them. Being from a regular army, handling one against two was not an issue.
Niu Lizheng of Niu Family Village said nothing; his team of over two hundred were just a group of mud-legged peasants, unaccustomed to such scenarios.
So he decided it was best to follow orders.
The other two team representatives didn’t say it outright, but they had their own small calculations. Their strength was weaker, so they wouldn’t take the lead.
However, whoever became the leader needed to share the benefits proportionately before they would enthusiastically support that person.
The two of them calculated well; their own teams had only a few dozen members, comprised mostly of petty thieves who frequently engaged in sneaky and thievish acts with other teams. They’d been beaten several times and couldn’t possibly take on any significant positions; just muddling through was enough.
The group didn’t have high expectations for them; as long as they didn’t drag behind, it was sufficient.
Cheng Xiaoxiao looked at the man across from her; he had recently joined with a larger team of about one hundred seventy or eighty people—a weird mix, with half of them being courtesans.
Yes... they had all escaped from the brothel, a collection of beautiful women in various colors.
The other half of the team was comprised entirely of robust men, who were Darts Masters from two major Escort Agencies in Dingzhou, used to traveling far and wide, most rarely settled down. When spending money in those places, they’d often be miserly, never feeling fully satisfied after a night.