While they were discussing their speculations, there was a heavy knock on the door outside the house, and a domestic slave ran in in a panic and reported:
"Sir, it's bad, there are many troops and carriages coming outside!"
Now they are in a state of shock. What's going on? It had only been half an hour since they had been together, so why were they called to their door so quickly?
Although he was full of doubts, under the comfort and guidance of the white-haired old man, his son still walked out of the inner hall.
The army came directly to the door, but it had not happened in a hundred years. He wanted to see what happened.
As soon as the gate of the house was opened, the armored soldiers who had been waiting outside for a long time immediately came forward. Xue Erzhang immediately organized his servants to go and block these soldiers who tried to enter.
Then he shouted righteously at the top of his lungs:
"You treacherous officials and traitors dare to break into private houses. I have to write a petition and report it to His Majesty. You just wait to be imprisoned and beheaded!"
But who knew that the leading general was not frightened by his words at all. He took out an order from his arms and said loudly:
"According to His Majesty's order, the taxes, money and food owed by each family are recovered. Anyone who disobeys or refuses to obey will be punished!"
Xue Erzhang couldn't believe it, so he stepped forward and wanted to grab the order from the general's hand, but his strength was not comparable to that of someone who had been in the army all year round.
The general pushed him away, took out the long knife from his waist, stood in front of him and shouted:
"We are on an errand, and anyone who dares to stop us is disobeying the order. If we don't back away, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
These domestic slaves turned back and glanced at Xue Erzhang, who was holding his buttocks and crying out in pain on the ground. It was obvious that the general's few words did not scare them.
From this small detail, we can see to what extent the imperial authority in the south and the court's control have declined.
Even the lowest level people are not taken seriously, let alone these wealthy noble families who already claim to be the first class people.
Sure enough, the first words Xue Erzhang said when he was lifted up from the ground by the housekeeper was to organize the slaves and servants to directly confront the army.
I saw him saying:
"What are you still doing? What are you doing to support you? Why don't you drive these murderers out of the way?"
Following the master's order, these domestic slaves and servants immediately pulled out the sticks they had prepared from behind the door and beat the soldiers outside.
This behavior really had a miraculous effect. Although the soldiers all had swords and spears, they did not dare to wave them at these people, and they were quickly driven out.
Amidst Xue Erzhang's scorn and curses, the door of the house was closed again, while the soldiers stood outside the door with expressions of pain.
"Qianhu, what should we do? Should we withdraw?"
A sergeant asked the general with a slight lack of confidence. It was obvious that he was very afraid of the nobles in his heart.
The general was also a little weak at this time. He thought that being more fierce would make these people submit obediently, but he did not expect this to be the result. He was directly blasted out by the stick, which was completely beyond his expectation. .
Although His Majesty has made it clear that anyone who disobeys can be killed without mercy, and the general has emphasized it more than once, but when it comes to taking action, the psychological pressure and burden are too great.
"What else can we do? Send someone quickly to report to the general and the young prince!"
At this point, the situation is no longer within the control of a powerless Xiao Qianhu, so the best option is to invite his elder brother.
Li Zhicai was responsible for the dispatch of the whole city under the Bell and Drum Towers. When he received such a military report, how could he not be angry in his heart.
He immediately rode off with more than fifty soldiers. When he arrived outside the house, the first thing he did was to hit the leading general with a whip.
"How many times have I told you that you just need to follow His Majesty's orders and my military orders, but I think you are totally lying!"
Li Zhicai was strict in running the army, and he was quick-tempered, but he also had clear rewards and punishments. Therefore, he had a high prestige in the army, and his subordinates were also afraid of him.
The whip whip on his body was extremely painful, but the general was able to endure the severe pain, as if Li Zhicai could see it.
"What are you afraid of? It's so embarrassing. Now follow my general's orders and break down the door!"
Being turned away, Li Zhicai also thought that these nobles were not easy to deal with, and they were not honest.
It's just that he didn't expect that after he had emphasized it so repeatedly, his subordinates were still so cowardly and did not dare to act, which really made him angry.
Li Zhicai gave the military order, and the soldiers immediately brought a huge log of sufficient weight, aimed it at the gate of the house, and smashed it directly.
In order to prevent anyone from escaping and missing, the soldiers surrounded the entire house and blocked the way.
Xue Erzhang, who was bragging about his prowess in the lobby just now, was shocked when he heard the knock on the door. Are these mud-legged people so brave as to eat a bear's heart and a leopard today?
After only a few breaths, the housekeeper came in with a panic and reported. Xue Erzhang felt like he was slapped in the face. He still clearly remembered the words he had just boasted about.
"Father, everyone, let me take care of it!"
After Xue Erzhang saluted the calm old man, he left the inner hall again under the leadership of the butler and headed straight for the gate.
Seeing the servants carrying wood and stones to block the door, Xue Erzhang immediately asked them to stop and opened the door. He had to teach these mud-legged people a lesson today.
He has already thought about the words and ideas in his mind, how can he make them remember it forever, and he can use this matter to perform well and increase his reputation.
But what he didn't know was that this time was completely different from just now. When the door opened, the angry soldiers immediately rushed in with weapons.
Before he could speak, the soldiers had already rushed in. He was kicked to the ground without any precautions. Before he could get up, he felt a stream of heat spurting out from his neck, completely and randomly. Lost consciousness.
The angry general cut off Xue Erzhang's head, raised it above his head and shouted:
"Those who disobey His Majesty's orders and resist the heavenly armies will suffer the consequences and be killed by me!"
The soldiers who had just suffered a severe beating saw Qianhu being so violent, and the resentment that had been buried deep in their hearts for a long time suddenly burst out.
They didn't care who the person in front of them was, as long as they stood in front of them and blocked their way, they would directly knock them to the ground.
When the housekeeper saw these mud-legged people, he started killing them like crazy and rolled and crawled towards the inner hall.
"What happened outside? Why is it so noisy? Why is there the sound of swords and armor? Where is you Zhang?"
Seeing the usually well-behaved butler running into the inner hall in such a mess, the old man felt uneasy and immediately asked.
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