bookrandom Chapter 21 The Shence Army has finally arrived!
Chapter 21 The Shence Army has finally arrived!
On the streets of Beining City, a few scattered residents nervously emerged from their houses.
They heard the shouts of victory, but their faces showed no joy; instead, they were numb or pessimistic.
As native inhabitants of this city, they were already accustomed to war and to being plundered.
As for victory, that seems like a long time ago.
"Sir! Sir! Please, have mercy! This is my life savings, you can't take it away!"
At a roadside pancake stall, an old man was clutching a purse tightly and refusing to let go.
The soldier, with a face full of scars and a stout build, kicked the old man to the ground with a vicious thud, snatched the purse, and cursed, "I'm risking my life to guard the city gate for you, it's only right that I take some money from you!"
The surrounding people dared not utter a sound, but their eyes were filled with anger.
"What are you looking at? If you keep looking, I'll arrest you all and put you in jail one by one."
The soldier grinned menacingly and laughed loudly.
Just then, a dark shadow suddenly flew over and hit him on the forehead.
The soldier winced in pain, touched his forehead, and found blood.
Just as he was about to burst into curses, he saw a sword sheath on the ground, exquisitely crafted and inlaid with extremely rare gemstones.
He immediately crouched down to pick up the scabbard, but a foot stepped on it before he could.
"Who the hell is so blind that they even..." He cursed and looked up, but in an instant, it was as if someone had grabbed his throat with both hands, and he could no longer utter a single word.
"Go on, keep talking!"
Qin Xuan's gaze was as cold as a knife as he calmly stared at the ruffian of the city defense army in front of him.
The rogue soldier's heart skipped a beat, and he gave an awkward smile: "You are a general, I dare not take this scabbard!"
"Then how dare you rob his silver?"
Qin Xuan pointed to the old man lying on the ground, groaning in pain.
The thug realized Qin Xuan's status was different and dared not act rashly, but he didn't take the robbery too seriously either, and just chuckled dryly, "This has always been the case, why is it not allowed now that the Shence Army is here?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Xuan's eyes suddenly flashed with intense killing intent.
Beside him, Zhao Luoying was so angry that her pretty face turned pale, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on the long sword in her hand.
Guan Xingsheng, Du Manjiang, Ning Yuanfeng, and others were filled with rage and wished they could kill this military scoundrel on the spot.
"Beining City has become a place that the Jurchen army can trample on at will because of soldiers like you."
Qin Xuan said coldly.
He never imagined that a city defense force could be so depraved and shameless!
With soldiers like these, how could Beining City not be breached?
"General, don't put it so harshly. We all know how powerful the Jurchen army is. Rather than throwing our lives away in vain, it's better to..."
"Shh..."
A flash of cold light, and Qin Xuan's sword had already severed the opponent's head.
The man died in disbelief that Qin Xuan would actually kill him.
"Guan Xingsheng and Du Manjiang, listen to my command!"
Qin Xuan suddenly roared, and the two men immediately knelt on one knee and clasped their hands in greeting: "Your subordinate is here!"
"From this moment forward, you two will lead the Shence Army to conduct a city-wide manhunt. Anyone who violates military discipline will be arrested and brought to justice. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without exception."
"Yes!"
Knowing that Qin Xuan was extremely angry, the two immediately obeyed the order.
"Ning Yuanfeng, you take part of the Shence Army and get to work on post-battle repairs."
Qin Xuan didn't want to make a big fuss, but the city defense army was rotten to the core. With such a city defense army around, even if it were incorporated into the Shence Army in the future, it would only be a malignant tumor in the end.
Therefore, he intends to take advantage of this great victory to raise the Great Qi army flag that the city defense troops had knocked down.
Only in this way can he truly enforce his orders and gain the support of the people in Beining City in the future.
"Shence Army! They are the Shence Army, not the city defense army!"
Suddenly, some people shouted excitedly, and then more and more people understood what was happening.
The name of the Shence Army resounded throughout the entire Great Qi Empire.
But the people of Beining City never imagined that such an invincible army would one day come to the northern border.
"We are saved!"
"We're going to have good days from now on! The Shence Army has finally arrived!"
"..."
The people kept calling out the words "Shence Army," as if these three words could bring them the greatest warmth.
Qin Xuan's eyes reddened slightly, while Zhao Luoying beside him had already shed tears.
The people of Beining City are suffering terribly!
A quarter of an hour later, Qin Xuan brought Zhao Luoying to the Beining City Government Office.
Surprisingly, this place had not been ravaged by the Jurchen army. However, looking at the grand mansion with its high gates and spacious courtyards, Qin Xuan felt a sense of irony.
"I am an important official of the imperial court, you cannot arrest me!"
As soon as they entered the hall, the shouts of Wu Ren, the prefect of Beining City, could be heard.
"Your Highness, I am innocent! I did not collude with the Jurchen Kingdom!"
Upon seeing Qin Xuan, Wu Renxin immediately burst into tears, crying out that he was innocent.
"You'll find out soon enough whether you're innocent or not."
Qin Xuan gave a cold laugh, then nodded at Zhao Luoying.
The latter immediately clapped his hands, and then another team of Shence Army soldiers led in a large group of people.
Upon seeing these people, Wu Renxin instantly collapsed to the ground.
"We fought the Jurchen soldiers to the death, but you, your advisor, your clerk, and even the head constable were seen indulging in debauchery with these merchants in brothels during the day. You say you are innocent?"
Qin Xuan suppressed his anger, but the ferocity on his face made him look like he wanted to devour someone.
After the Red Cherry Army captured the North Gate, Zhao Luoying dispatched a portion of cavalry to search for and capture the scattered Jurchen soldiers.
As a result, one of the Red Cherry Army units, in their attempt to capture someone, accidentally stormed into a brothel and witnessed this bizarre scene.
A dignified prefect, yet he failed to defend the city when the gates were breached, and failed to cooperate with the reinforcements when they arrived. No wonder the people of Beining City have been living in constant waterlogging.
"Your Highness, I was forced into this!"
A middle-aged man knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, and shouted, "I'm just a merchant, how could I possibly have any contact with the soldiers of the Jurchen Kingdom?"
"It was all the idea of Prefect Wu, who said that if all the wealthy merchants in the city paid a protection fee to Tu Lan, they would be protected."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xuan kicked Wu Renxin hard in the face.
The latter immediately let out a scream, and blood flowed freely.
Seeing this, Wu Renxin suddenly turned ferocious: "I am the lord of a city, the prefect, and a third-rank official. Even if I am guilty, it is not up to you, Prince Chu, to judge me!"
"Even when death is imminent, they still dare to remain stubbornly unrepentant."
Qin Xuan laughed angrily: "Men, break his legs first."
"Let's see who dares! I am..."
Wu Renxin still wanted to assert his authority, but the Shence Army were not the kind of people who feared power.
Two Shence soldiers immediately pinned Wu Renxin to the ground, and then another Shence soldier raised a thick wooden stick that reached his arm and struck him hard.
The screams, like those of a pig being slaughtered, instantly echoed throughout the hall, sending chills down the spines of the corrupt officials and wealthy businessmen who had been arrested.