The north city gate, which had been closed for months, was opened today.
The refugees who had been lying in wait nearby were all itching to take action, hoping to rush in at this opportunity. For them, the city was hope, while outside the city there was only death.
However, as the city gate swung wide open, what emerged was not hope but rows of soldiers. The sharp pikes in their hands glinted coldly in the scorching sun, as if they could pierce into the bodies of the rebels at any moment.
Seeing this, those refugees all gave up their thoughts and didn't dare to take a single step forward.
When Wang Dali led a group of people including Wang Cai to the north gate, this was the scene they saw.
Xia Shouzheng, the prefect, was standing under the sun with a servant holding an umbrella for him. Behind him was a row of ordinary people tied up tightly. At a single glance, Wang Dali recognized Wang Cai's father and mother.
Wang Cai, standing beside Wang Dali, naturally saw them too. His eyes blazed with anger and he almost rushed forward, but Wang Dali managed to hold him back in time.
"Where do you think you're going? Don't you value your life? Can't you see the guards behind them?"
Signaling others to hold Wang Cai back, Wang Dali suppressed the rising anger and tried his best to stay calm. "My lord Xia, if you have any grievances, come at me. There's no need to involve innocent people."
Hearing this, Xia Shouzheng deliberately smiled in a rather embarrassed way. "Wang Dali, actually I don't want to do this either. After all, they are ten lives! But as long as you give up resistance and return the stolen grain, I might consider releasing them."
Hearing this, Wang Cai's gaze immediately fell on Wang Dali, with obvious eagerness in his eyes. He wasn't the only one with such thoughts. Many of them had relatives in Xia Shouzheng's hands.
At this moment, all the pressure was on Wang Dali alone.
However, there were still some clear - headed people. Uncle Wang from the Wang family immediately saw through Xia Shouzheng's scheme. He slapped Wang Cai on the head and roared loudly, "Don't be deceived by him, boy!"
"Not to mention the matter of the grain. Even if we manage to rescue them all, what then? What about the imperial taxes? Can you pay them? And what about the charge of robbing the granary? Has Xia Shouzheng absolved you of this crime?"
As soon as these words were spoken, those who had been considering compromise immediately came to their senses, but they still hesitated in their hearts. After all, those tied up were their relatives!
Seeing that Wang Dali remained silent, Uncle Wang directly shouted at the other side, "Xia Shouzheng, don't try to deceive us with such words. A corrupt official like you will surely be brought to justice by the court sooner or later!"
"Tsk, even a rustic knows about the court?"
"Let me tell you the truth! I've already reported your rebellion to the capital. The imperial army sent by the court will arrive in a few days to suppress you rebels! Then I'll see who the court will bring to justice!"
Rebellion? Imperial army? Suppression?
The words were very simple, but Wang Dali felt as if he couldn't understand them at all. Sensing that he was in a daze, Xia Shouzheng didn't hesitate to add fuel to the fire.
"By the way, I might as well tell you that I just received news that the vanguard of the imperial army has already arrived in Yangxian. They're probably discussing when to deal with you rebels now!"
"You'd better pray for your own safety!"
All along, Wang Dali had been the backbone of this group of people. His disappearance, along with that of several others, really panicked everyone. Fortunately, he had left a message before he left, which calmed down the chaos just now.
Noticing that the crowd was gradually calming down and dispersing, Shang Luoshu pulled Lu Yinxi to a corner and told her the news he had obtained from Fang Qinhu on the mountain just now.
"What does Xia Shouzheng mean by this?"
Calculating the travel time, the imperial army would arrive in the next two days. If he was on Shang Mozheng's side, it was impossible for him not to know this news. But he had chosen this moment to target those ten people.
"I have no clue either. The only thing I can think of for now is probably related to Wang Dali's disappearance."
The man made a conclusion, and Lu Yinxi deeply agreed.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Wang Dali is not here now, and the group is in a state of unease. Why don't we take this opportunity to try and sound them out?"
With the leader absent, it was a good time to infiltrate the group!
The girl's words made a lot of sense. Shang Luoshu didn't hesitate to agree, but still reminded her, "Be careful."
"Don't worry!"
After saying that, Lu Yinxi returned to her role.
She lowered her eyes and walked in small steps to the corner. She stopped beside a middle - aged woman, squatted down, and said timidly, "Sister, may I ask what just happened?"
The girl had observed in a limited time that, compared to others, this middle - aged woman was more talkative. She might be able to learn something from her.
The middle - aged woman first glanced at her and then waved her hand in disgust. "Wang Dali said that we're not allowed to talk to you. You'd better leave."
An order like this was issued after just one night. This man must be hiding something, right?
Lowering her head even more, Lu Yinxi bit her lips. Her eye sockets were flushed red, and her eyes were glistening with tears. She looked extremely aggrieved. "I don't mean anything else... I just want to ask..."
Once people get old, they don't like to see the younger generation cry. This middle - aged woman was obviously the same. When she saw a tear roll down Lu Yinxi's eyes, her heart softened a bit.
"Alright, alright. It's not a big deal anyway. It should be okay to tell you. Actually, early this morning, everyone found that Wang Dali was missing, and there was a commotion."
"He's an adult, isn't he? He won't get lost. Is it necessary to be so worried...?" It's overdone.
She pursed her lips and still looked at the middle - aged woman with timid eyes.
"He's different." The middle - aged woman's voice was filled with a bit of seriousness. "Wang Dali is the backbone of our group. We can't afford to lose him..."
"Backbone?"
Lu Yinxi "didn't understand" what she meant and showed a look of confusion at the right moment. Staring at her with her watery eyes, she made the middle - aged woman's heart soften again. She didn't care so much anymore.
"Because it was thanks to him that we were able to gather together in the first place. But it's not entirely accurate to say so. If it weren't for Lin Dazhuang's idea, we wouldn't have..."
Lin Dazhuang?
The sudden appearance of this new character alerted Lu Yinxi, but the middle - aged woman stopped talking there.
As if she had mentioned something taboo, her face changed and she quickly covered her mouth. Then she shooed Lu Yinxi away like a fly.
"You go, go quickly..."
The girl couldn't force her to continue, so she could only leave with an embarrassed smile.
Back at the dilapidated house, she immediately told Shang Luoshu the information she had obtained.
The man couldn't figure out for a while what role this suddenly - emerged Lin Dazhuang played in this incident. He would ask Fang Qinhu and the others to investigate later.
"Xier, if there are no accidents, the imperial army will arrive tomorrow. You should pack up in advance. We'll join them tomorrow."
"Okay."
As soon as the words fell, the door was suddenly kicked open. Behind the rickety wooden board was Wang Dali's cold face.
His gaze swept around the room, and then he said, "Tie these two up for me!"