Chapter 1769: Tian Dahua’s Son?
Chapter 1769: Chapter 1769: Tian Dahua’s Son?
Ji Zhenniang watched in bewilderment and ran over, saying, "That’s it? Shouldn’t we take them to the county government office for punishment? Locking them up like this, what’s the point? We’d have to waste grain feeding them."
That would be too much trouble.
Gu Jinli said, "If they got their hands on a real contract and dared to scheme against people in the village, it means they have connections in the government office. If we take them there for trial now, do you think we can win?"
It’s likely Qian Qiwen and the others will be fine, but instead, we might be secretly harmed by the county government.
Ji Zhenniang was shocked, "No, that can’t be, right?"
After all, it’s the county government, a place for seeking justice for the people, can it really help the evil men?
Gu Jinli: "Their business is already up and running, and it’s not just them; people from several villages are collaborating together. What’s impossible for them now?"
Ji Zhenniang was frightened and ran to find Xie Cheng, grabbing his arm and said, "Husband, the people here are really bad, we have to be careful."
Xie Cheng patted her hand, offered some comfort, then looked at Qin San Lang and asked, "San Lang, are they only colluding with the County Captain alone? If so, that’s not too bad; if Qiu Troop Commander is involved too, our situation would be dire."
Prepare to fight a tough battle.
Qin San Lang said, "We don’t know yet, need to interrogate them first. But even if Qiu Troop Commander personally leads troops to surround the village, we’re not afraid; we have quite a few soldiers."
"What are you talking about? That Qiu Troop Commander is involved too? What do we do? We have so many womenfolk, and if a fight breaks out, the village doesn’t have walls to block them. Where would we hide?" Ji Zhenniang was very scared, looking at Gu Jinli, nervously advising, "How about we first go to Daokou Gully and beg General Xu to send troops to eliminate Qiu Troop Commander?"
Gu Jinli rolled her eyes at her and said, "Is General Xu your father? Even if he were, at times like these, he couldn’t send troops to handle such trivial matters."
Those in power expect their subordinates to handle things well, not to look for them to resolve minor issues whenever trouble arises.
Ji Zhenniang choked on her words, unable to argue back, and could only look at Xie Cheng with teary eyes.
Xie Cheng said, "Zhenniang, don’t be afraid. We’ve fought against the Rong people; even if we face Qiu Troop Commander, we won’t suffer losses. Rest assured."
San Lang is someone who handles matters with great order. With him overseeing, the chance of a confrontation with Qiu Troop Commander is low.
"Xiao Yu, go inside first. I’m going to arrange things with Uncle Niu and the others. I’ll come back and tell you if there are any developments." Qin San Lang held Gu Jinli’s hand, sent her into the main house, and after giving her some instructions, left.
When he left the house, Xie Cheng and Zhang Yan had already settled their wives and children and followed him out.
Daqing stayed in a hidden spot, guarding the home, ensuring their safety.
Not long after, the village echoed with the sound of copper gongs; soldiers maneuvered through the village, setting up formations, and within half an hour, they formed two defensive lines, surrounding Gu Family Village.
Qian Qiwen and his group were watched by sentries. Seeing Qian Qiwen and the others went in to rescue them but didn’t come out, and with the troop movements in Gu Family Village, they knew something was amiss, and the sentries ambushed outside the village quickly ran to Lin Family Slope.
"What did you say? Qian Qiwen and Brother Ding were caught? There were dozens of people going; how could they all be caught!" Court Official Lin was shocked, grabbed the messenger Lin Changshou and asked, "Are you sure you saw correctly?!"
Lin Changshou nodded, his dark thin face showing pale white: "Brother You, the brothers saw it clearly, Elder Qian and the others were captured shortly after entering the village, and we even heard them screaming from being beaten, screaming miserably, the brothers outside the village were scared just hearing it."
Court Official Lin heard this and panicked, "I told them not to take this job, they wouldn’t listen, and now they’ve been caught!"
They were soldiers and had killed Rong people, not the sort to be easily messed with.
"Brother You, what do we do now?" Lin Changshou panicked, "If those soldiers kill Elder Qian and the others and leave afterward, how will we explain to Lord County Captain?"
"Shut up, we’ve been doing this business for a long time, how can a major incident happen?" Court Official Lin didn’t want to hear such ominous words, thought a bit and said, "You stay here and keep an eye on things, I’m taking people back to the county to inform Lord County Captain; he’ll figure out a solution."
"Alright, Brother You, don’t worry, the brothers will definitely keep an eye on Gu Family Village." Lin Changshou eagerly hoped he’d go find County Captain Tang.
County Captain Tang had connections with Qiu Troop Commander, as long as County Captain Tang personally took care of this Gu Family Village business, they wouldn’t take a fall.
If County Captain Tang doesn’t care and they mess up the business with Gu Family Village, they would definitely be punished, possibly gravely... even death!
Lin Changshou thought about those from Lishui Village who messed up transactions; he had buried a few himself. The more he thought, the more frightened he became, his face grew paler.
Court Official Lin knew this matter couldn’t be delayed, picked a few people and rode off on horseback.
Before leaving, he asked Lin Changshou, "Do those soldiers know about Lin Family Slope?"
Lin Changshou answered, "Brother You, don’t worry; we’ve been eating dry food, haven’t made a fire, they haven’t discovered our whereabouts."
"That’s good, keep an eye on those brats; they’re valuable for money." Court Official Lin felt relieved, headed to the county to report.
The ’brats’ he mentioned were a group of children caught after the war.
These children included boys and girls, and they planned to sell them soon for silver.
However, they were destined not to sell this group of kids.
You An had been watching Lin Family Slope for a while, and as soon as Court Official Lin took people to the county to report, You An led his men charging out.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? This is our Lin Family Slope, don’t mess around!" Lin Changshou and a few remaining henchmen saw You An with his group, were greatly frightened, quickly grabbed weapons, and confronted You An’s group.
However, You An sneered, "Those who know what’s good for them better put down the knives, or if you get hurt, we won’t be responsible."
"Quit spouting nonsense, tell us where you’re from, why are you here at our Lin Family Slope? Do you know what we do here? Who’s backing us? You came without investigating, that’s bold!" Lin Changshou and his group had experienced war, each like a bandit, now glaring furiously, trying to intimidate You An’s group by mentioning their backing.
You An laughed, deliberately asked, "Who’s your backing? We really want to know!"
Saying this, he gestured to his men behind him.
With a few swishing sounds, his men stepped forward, pulled out large knives, and pointed them at Lin Changshou’s group.
Lin Changshou originally didn’t want to say, as Lord County Captain had instructed them to not reveal him as their backing even if the business falls through; otherwise, if he gets implicated, no one would save them.
But Lin Changshou was terrified today, shouted at You An and his group, "Our backing is the County Captain of Gaoshui County, right now he controls everything in Gaoshui County. He has taken in and supports a large group of formidable people, any one of them can kill you."
He continued, "It’s not just the County Captain, even Qiu Troop Commander is backing us. If you’re smart, release Elder Qian and the others and leave, we’ll call it even!"