The situation in Qingzhou Mansion began to become turbulent. The two sides were still in a stalemate.
On the fourth day, a large amount of grain, rice and other materials shipped from Jimo Yingcheng entered Qingzhou Fucheng, and the General Military Office began to sell them at low prices in the city, suppressing the price of grain.
At the same time, Wang Jing, the leader of the Chamber of Commerce, also came with a large number of merchants from Jimo Yingcheng, bringing all kinds of goods, all of which were sold at low prices, which greatly eased the nervousness of the people in the city.
At the same time, the deadline for the General Military Mansion's order has passed, but few merchants in the city have opened their shops, and no merchants have surrendered to the General Military Mansion. In fact, some small shops were afraid of the notice from the General Military Mansion and opened their doors secretly, but then they seemed to be robbed and smashed by some gangsters. The shopkeepers were beaten, and the other merchants did not dare to come forward after seeing this.
There are still many people wandering around the streets in the city, and anyone with a discerning eye can tell that they are mostly officials, merchants' domestic slaves, clerks, and the like, as well as a large number of local ruffians. They gathered in small groups, either shouting loudly, or holding a lot of anonymous posters, and continued to post them everywhere in the city.
Outside the Prefectural Government and the General Military Mansion, there was a sea of people again, and a large number of merchants came to gather to petition. Huang Mingde, a scholar of the prefecture's Yamen, also went out again, leading hundreds of scholars to fiercely denounce the evil of business taxation.
Huang Mingde stood outside the gate of the General Military Mansion and spoke for half an hour, while the soldiers kept making noises. At this time, Huang Mingde felt happy and was about to continue his speech.
Suddenly, a sound like a roaring mountain and a tsunami came from the east: "Wan Sheng!" The sound echoed throughout the city, and hundreds of scholars here suddenly fell silent.
Then the ground seemed to tremble faintly, like the sound of a large group of people marching in order.
The sound of neat footsteps getting closer and closer, Huang Mingde and others looked at each other: "What is going on?"
At this moment, the domestic slaves, clerks, and local gangsters who had gathered in various streets rushed back, and everyone shouted in horror: "The soldiers of the General Military Mansion are on the streets!"
Huang Mingde and hundreds of scholars were immediately dumbfounded. The General Military Mansion was going to suppress the scholars and the common people. What should they do? All the scholars shouted for Huang Mingde to come up with a strategy quickly.
But Huang Mingde didn't have any ideas. At this time, like everyone else, they all looked panicked, and their faces were ashen. Many people had already made up their mind to run away!
Huang Mingde's face was ashen. He didn't expect that Liu Yan would dare to send troops to suppress it. At this time, Huang Mingde mustered up his courage and said loudly: "Don't panic, don't panic. I don't believe it. Under such a bright and clear world, the commander-in-chief really dares to do something that would make people angry." , oppressing the scholars and the common people. Isn't he afraid of speaking out and making history clear?"
As soon as these words came out, many scholars seemed to have found a backbone, and many people agreed.
"Yes, I, we, plead for life for the people, and we are passionate about justice, even if we die!"
"In the past, there were five righteous men in Suzhou who resisted the eunuchs and the traitors, and were not afraid of rape. They eventually left their names in history. As a tombstone, a man understands that life and death are important, and the importance of an individual is more important than the country. It was Liu Yan who oppressed the scholars to reward them. I will be calm and not afraid!"
When Huang Mingde saw that everyone was responding to him, he became more excited. He waved his hand and shouted: "Follow me, gentlemen, and have a discussion with the soldiers and horses of the General Military Mansion to see if they dare to risk the disapproval of the world and massacre the businessmen." son!"
The crowd swarmed forward, and the merchants and scholars united as one, holding banners high, shouting all the way, and headed toward the east of the city. There are also a large number of domestic slaves and ruffians holding tiles and stones, either rushing in groups or scattered around, marching in a mighty manner!
Suddenly there was a deafening sound of bird cannons, followed by exclamations, and a flood of domestic slaves rushed back, shouting at the top of their lungs: "The soldiers and horses of the General Military Mansion are killing people, the officers and soldiers are killing people!"
The crowd was in chaos. Huang Mingde and others were stunned. The merchants and others who had sneaked in were also shocked and pale: "Liu Yan really dares to take action?"
The sound of neat footsteps of the new army officers and soldiers of the brigade kept coming. At this time, a voice sounded: "I have ordered from the chief military officer of Qinglai Town: the new army soldiers and horses began to quell the chaos, arrest slaves, thieves, and adulterers. The whole city will be under martial law immediately." . General order: Do not gather people in the market, do not riot, do not insult the government. Anyone who disobeys the order will be punished with violent punishment, not to mention death!"
"The soldiers and horses of the General Military Mansion are benevolent and righteous troops. They do nothing to harass the people. The soldiers and the people are waiting with peace of mind to calm down the chaos. There is no need to panic!"
In order to deter the merchants and scholars to the greatest extent, Liu Yan ordered Shen Tuo to lead the soldiers of the middle camp to go to the streets to quell the chaos. At this time, Shen Tuo was riding on a war horse. Wearing iron helmets, they held guns and blunderbuss, marching in order, and their killing momentum immediately caused the surrounding areas to lose all sound!
In front of such an army, Huang Mingde suddenly felt how ridiculous what he had done these days was!
Looking at the merchants, scholars, idlers, domestic servants, and servants gathered in the streets, Shen Tuo didn't bother to talk nonsense to them. He directly took out a piece of paper from his arms and declared: "By the order of the General, we will capture the slaves." The thieves are Huang Mingde and others, and they will be captured immediately. You must put the imperial government first and work together to capture the traitors. If you dare to interfere, you will be considered accomplices!"
Like a bolt from the blue, Huang Mingde was stunned immediately. When did he become a slave and a spy?
Huang Mingde hurriedly shouted: "Nonsense, nonsense! I am definitely not a slave and a thief, Liu Yan is talking nonsense!"
Shen Tuo looked grim, waved his hand and said sternly: "Get someone!"
A group of New Army soldiers rushed towards Huang Mingde like wolves and tigers. Huang Mingde shouted: "No, no, I am not a spy!"
Several domestic slaves in his house and the scholars next to him subconsciously blocked the way.
But there was only a loud sound of a cannon, and blood mist suddenly spattered. These people were all knocked out and fell to the ground dead!
Seeing their miserable state, many businessmen suddenly burst into chaos, and a large group of people ran towards the new army!
"put!"
The deafening sound of bird gunfire sounded again, and in the rising smoke, more than a dozen people were knocked to the ground again!
Huang Mingde subconsciously wanted to run away, but he was hit by a heavy gun butt, and his face immediately blossomed and blood flowed profusely.
He covered his face, fell to his knees, and screamed in pain! No one can act rashly at this time, otherwise they will be treated as slaves and thieves and will be killed on the spot! m.
Amidst the stern orders, the chaotic team of businessmen finally came to a halt. They all stood with expressionless expressions, all of them dumbfounded. The domestic slaves and ruffians around them also hurriedly knelt down on the ground. Some people were surprised to find that they were holding rubble in their hands, and they quickly threw it away!
The thick smell of blood filled the air in the sunlight. Looking at the corpses on the ground and hearing the injured moaning in unison, many people couldn't help but vomit. Some people were so frightened that they started to cry. The morale of the people who were united as one before was now gone!
The situation took a turn for the worse, leaving many scholars unable to react. Wasn't it a just act to resist the collection of commercial taxes? Why did it suddenly become a disaster for slaves and thieves? Some people were even killed in front of their eyes!
At this time, Huang Mingde was thrown to the ground by several strong New Army soldiers, his hands were twisted, and he was firmly trapped.
Shen Tuo took a deep look at him and shouted: "Huang Mingde was immediately taken into custody for interrogation. Everyone present was taken into custody together. After the suspects have been carefully eliminated, we will ask the mayor to make a decision."
Faced with the charge of being a traitor and a spy, all the merchant princes present did not dare to move. They just let go and howled as if it was the end of the world.
At the same time, the new army soldiers of the brigade began to move around. According to Liu Yan's deployment, the soldiers arrested people according to the roster and sealed up a large number of shops in Qingzhou City. In an orderly manner, almost eight out of ten shops in the city were destroyed. Seize!
The people in the city couldn't react to what happened. Fortunately, the soldiers and horses of the General Military Mansion did not commit any crimes, which reassured them a lot. Many people hid in the streets and talked in their houses. It didn't take long for rumors to spread that Xuezheng Huang Mingde and many other officials and merchants were Tatars.
At this time, many people were yelling: these thieves who were killed by a thousand cuts were actually working as spies for the Tatars. Even if they were cut into pieces by a thousand cuts, it would not be an exaggeration. Many people even speculated that the recent school and market strikes in Qingzhou Prefecture were instigated by these subtle people.
There were constant sounds of breaking down the door, and all the officials on the list, whether they were civil servants or military generals, were broken down and arrested by the New Army soldiers. Regardless of whether they were officials or businessmen, whether they were from thousands or hundreds of households, general flag officials, gentry, or merchants, they were taken directly from their homes, and their families were monitored. At the same time, all the fields under their names were sealed.
During this process, as long as anyone dared to resist arrest, he would be killed on the spot. The sound of gunshots was heard one after another in the city. It seemed that there were quite a few people who could not understand the situation!
With a loud noise, the gate of a house in Qingzhou Prefecture was broken open by the New Army soldiers. Two groups of New Army soldiers from the middle battalion rushed into the house. This was the house of Wang Chuan, the official of the Qingzhou Zuowei Hundred Households.
Seeing the new army soldiers breaking through the door, everyone in the mansion was shocked and angry.
Wang Chuan rushed to the front yard immediately, scolded him angrily, and then led a group of servants forward aggressively, all holding spears and clubs. But before they could rush forward, the flag commander who led the team loudly said: "We are investigating Wang Chuan, an official from one hundred households in Qingzhou Zuowei, as a slave to the enemy. The evidence is conclusive. We will arrest him and bring him to justice under the orders of the chief military officer of Qinglai Town. You can't wait." Help the tyrants to perpetrate their crimes, so as not to end up in ashes!"
Wang Chuan was shocked and angry after hearing this. His brain was a little short-circuited, and then he shouted loudly: "Liu Yan is so bold, he dares to forge evidence and frame him..."
Before Wang Chuan finished speaking, the flag commander of the team said coldly: "The commander-in-chief of Qinglai Town has an order: Anyone who dares to raise troops to resist will be killed without mercy!"
After saying that, the flag commander gave an order, and a deafening sound of bird cannons sounded. More than a dozen bird cannons were aimed at the servant in front of him and the trigger was pulled!
The blood mist shot out, and the servants fell down like ears of wheat blown by the wind. Wang Chuan was also shot and was beaten so hard that he staggered and fell backward. When he fell to the ground, he was dead, but his eyes were wide open, staring at the sky, with an unbelievable look on his face!
The remaining servants screamed, the leader and flag commander's cold voice sounded, and there was another roar of gunfire, and many servants were knocked to the ground.
"Search for me, don't leave even a single house behind!"
The flag commander gave an order, and all the soldiers filed in and began to search Wang Chuan's house, which immediately caused Wang Chuan's family members to scream.
On this day, the city of Qingzhou was in chaos. A large number of scholars, merchants, soldiers and idlers who made trouble in the streets were killed and injured, and many of them were caught in the street.
At the same time, the houses of dozens of officials in the city were raided and ransacked by the New Army officers. Anyone who resisted was beaten to death on the spot. For a whole day, the city was filled with the roar of gunfire, accompanied by cavalry and cavalrymen. The sound of large troops marching.
The prefect Wang Congyi was hiding in the Yamen, looking very ugly. I originally thought that the turmoil would subside soon and was just a normal protest, but I didn't expect that it would involve slaves and thieves.
Wang Congyi still didn't believe the fact that people from the General Military Mansion came to report the situation, but when the situation gradually got out of control and when Wang Congyi saw the list of slaves, Wang Congyi had to believe it.
"Kill someone, kill someone!"
Wang Congyi's face turned pale and he murmured: "This Liu Yan is really deadly. How will we get along with him in the future?"
Some people died, but not completely...
