Chapter 1571: Livestock
Chapter 1571: Chapter 1571: Livestock
Wolves are as common as dogs in Da Rong; the Rong people raise wolves to watch over their cattle, sheep, and horses. Therefore, when coming to Great Chu, they brought quite a few messenger wolves.
However, the Rong people worried that someone might recognize the messenger wolves, so they specifically chose wolves that looked like dogs to bring along. Even if Great Chu people saw them, they would just think the messenger wolves were wolf-dogs without giving it much thought.
"Tie up these beasts, haul them up, and we’ll deal with them after we’ve finished clearing the village of Rong people," Hong Dao said, first severing the tendons in the Rong people’s hands and feet before joining the soldiers to bind the Rong people.
The mouth, forelimbs, and hindlimbs of the messenger wolf were also tied up.
Once everyone was bound, the Rong people and messenger wolf were hoisted up, then dragged into the old house to be hidden, preventing other surviving Rong members from finding them.
"Tang Jun, are you aware of which households are hiding Rong people in the village?" Hong Dao asked.
Tang Jun nodded, "Yes, the young ones know... those beasts have plagued the village for over two months, and the leader has taken a fancy to my aunt. So we have a clearer understanding."
When mentioning the beast leader’s interest in his aunt, Tang Jun’s face was full of resentment and disgust. But since the military officer asked him, he could only respond.
Hong Dao said, "Very well, now lead us over there. We’ll start from the old village and search one house at a time until we’ve killed all the Rong people in the village."
"Okay." Tang Jun replied, a firm expression on his young face, adding, "I will be very careful not to cause any trouble for the officers."
"Mm." Hong Dao nodded with a smile and left three soldiers to watch over the Rong people, then took the rest of the soldiers and Tang Jun with him.
A ten-year-old child who’s gone through hardship is already very sensible. Tang Jun led them from the old village, pointing to an earthen brick courtyard closest to the old village, saying: "Sixth Uncle’s house, it also hides a batch of Rong people, the same Section Leader as those in the deserted well."
The Rong military system is similar to Great Chu’s; one section consists of ten soldiers and a small Section Leader. There are three Rong people in the deserted well, so there should be no more than eight people in that house.
"Follow my lead; once we’re within bow and arrow range, we’ll use poison to attack." Hong Dao knew the prowess of the Rong people and dared not fight head-on, lest they release signal smoke, causing their efforts to go in vain.
"Yes." The soldiers replied, sneaking forward. Once within range, they immediately tied poison bags to the arrows, drew their bows and shot arrows, and with a few whooshes, aimed them at Tang Laoliu’s house.
The opening of the poison bag was loosely tied. Once shot onto something, the powerful impact would burst the poison bag open, spreading the poison. By the time the Rong people noticed something amiss and ran out to check, they’d already been hit, falling with thuds.
When Hong Dao and his men rushed in, everyone in Tang Laoliu’s house, Rong people included, were down.
"No messenger wolf, hurry and find out where the messenger wolf is hiding?!" Hong Dao hurriedly ordered.
Tang Jun said: "These beasts don’t all have wolf-dogs, generally only the beast leader and the one responsible for delivering messages has them."
Hong Dao felt relieved upon hearing this, but still had the soldiers search around Tang Laoliu’s home. Only after finding no trace of the messenger wolf did he feel at ease.
But what made Hong Dao furious was discovering four naked women in the house.
They were tied like livestock to the bed, with only quilts covering them. The quilts and their exposed bodies were covered in filth.
Two of them seemed young, presumably unmarried girls, who had been ruined in such a manner.
Hong Dao’s eyes reddened... the women of Great Chu had been so defiled!
"Tang Jun, take the detoxification pills to their families." Saying this, Hong Dao raised his knife and cut the ropes binding the women, then rushed out and with several sounds, chopped off the heads of the Rong people knocked out by poison in Tang Laoliu’s house!
Tang Jun gave the detoxification pills to everyone in Tang Laoliu’s family, waking the Tang family, and told them about the Kangrong Army officer in the village killing Rong people. He instructed: "Sixth Uncle, the Rong people in the village haven’t all been killed yet. Don’t make a fuss until we finish exterminating them."
Tang Laoliu shed tears, tightly held Tang Jun’s hand, nodding repeatedly, mouth agape, wanting to speak but unable to make a sound... For over two months, they had suffered immensely, finally enduring until the day someone came to rescue them!
"Keep your doors and windows shut tightly, so no escaping Rong people break into your home. Once we’ve finished clearing out the Rong people, the adults will come to ask you questions," Hong Dao said, adding: "Since ancient times, widows remarrying has been common; remarriage is more common in the Northwest. Your family’s women have been harmed by the Rong people; do not disdain them as many women in the village are in the same situation."
The last sentence, although unpleasant, reminds them that since many village women are similarly affected, households might find solace and refrain from harming their daughters for appearances.
Tang Laoliu is better than the village chief, caring for his daughters, nodding repeatedly, indicating he would not harm his daughters and daughters-in-law for the sake of appearances.
"Tang Jun, let’s go." Hong Dao called, and once again led the soldiers away.
Qin San Lang and his men also led soldiers to assassinate Rong people silently in the village. Over an hour later, they finally cleaned out all the Rong people in the village.
Well done, nearly a hundred Rong people were hidden in Tang Family village alone, combined with the troop that Ah Tuo led away, they altogether cleared out one hundred and twelve Rong people.
An entire Company Commander’s number.
Qin San Lang looked at the reported numbers, eyebrows tightly knit. So many villages, if each one harbored around a hundred Rong people, once they converge, they’d form a massive army!
With the number of soldiers under his command, quietly killing so many Rong people is impossible. The only option is to delay, hoping Zhang Yan and Niu Dabao can quickly send the message to Long’an Prefecture and Xing’an Prefecture so the governors of the two prefectures can prepare for city defenses against the Rong people’s siege.
"Gather the villagers at Village Chief Tang’s house," Qin San Lang ordered.
"Yes." Zhang Zhong immediately took soldiers to summon the villagers.
The villagers, tortured for over two months, had many men dead, and those who weren’t were crippled and confined, leaving only the elderly and children able to move.
But those crippled men, upon learning the officers intended to behead captured Rong people, dragged their broken legs over.
Village Chief Tang, rather troublesome, seeing so many villagers had arrived, pointed at Qin San Lang and cried: "Why did you soldiers come so late? Our Tang Family village was severely harmed by the Rong people! Most grown-men are dead or injured, the women and girls are all defiled, you must give us an explanation!"
Upon hearing this, Hong Dao dashed over and punched Village Chief Tang: "You old fool, being cowardly and not daring to offend Rong people is one thing, but falsely accusing us? Without us, you’d still be locked up by the Rong people like livestock!"