MLMD -Chapter 183 Suppressing the Rebellion

Lu Youyuan, struck by an arrowhead, fell from his horse like a heavy, tattered sack, landing with a thud and lying sprawled on the ground, motionless.

Several of his retainers nearby were scared out of their wits. They hurriedly reined in their horses, jumped down, and tried to lift him up, shouting loudly, “My lord! My lord!”

Unfortunately, no matter how loudly they called, Lu Youyuan could no longer hear them. Having been hit by two arrows, he had died on the spot.

Seeing Lu Youyuan killed by arrows, the culprits who had started it all quickly fled the scene and soon vanished into the crowd…

At the same time, Jiang Xin—who had been tormented by fear for several hours—was crouched by the gate with more than a dozen officials and several dozen yamen runners, listening intently to the sounds outside. Jiang Xin had even ordered a ladder to be brought so that men could climb the wall and check what was happening beyond it.

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Suddenly, a violent knocking sounded on the gate.

Jiang Xin stumbled back several steps in fright. Yang the constable hurried forward to shield him and shouted, “Protect the Prefect!”

Just then, the runner who was peering over the wall cried out in delight, “My lord, it’s Commander Yue! Commander Yue has brought troops to rescue us!”

“W–What? Lord Yue has come?” Jiang Xin exclaimed. “Quick, open the main gate wide! I will personally welcome Lord Yue!”

Creak—

The gates swung open, and Jiang Xin, together with Academic Commissioner Liao Chunyu and more than a dozen officials, hurried to the entrance, peering out with joy.

Soon, amid the sound of orderly footsteps, ranks of fully armed soldiers arrived outside the gate. Their neat formations and solemn expressions inspired awe. The newly appointed Deputy Commander Yue Yang stood proudly before the gate, clad in full armor with a long saber at his waist. Behind him stood more than a dozen personal guards holding muskets.

Jiang Xin forced himself to calm down and stepped forward. “Lord Yue, what is the situation in the city now? Have the mutineers withdrawn?”

Seeing that Jiang Xin and the others were safe, Yue Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Rest assured, my lord. I have already deployed troops to restore order in the city. Those mutineers are nothing more than a mob of street ruffians—nothing to fear. I estimate they will be suppressed within two hours. It’s just that…”

Jiang Xin, who had just relaxed, immediately grew tense again. “Just what?”

“It’s just that the common people have suffered terribly in this calamity. I have just received reports: dozens of shops and over a hundred households have been looted. More than five hundred civilians are dead or wounded, and nearly a hundred women have been violated. On the way here, everything I saw was utter devastation. Worse still, many women were thrown naked into the streets after being assaulted. It is truly unbearable to behold. The mutineers are easy to suppress—but the relief and aftermath will be a long and arduous task.”

Liao Chunyu, standing behind Jiang Xin, was filled with grief and rage. “What crime have the people committed to suffer such cruelty? Those mutineer scum should all be killed!”

Jiang Xin, however, remained much calmer. “Lord Yue, what was the cause of all this? Who instigated it? Where is Commander Lu now?”

Looking at the somewhat disheveled prefect, Yue Yang thought to himself, This Prefect Jiang does have some ability—he’s asking the key question.

With a sigh, Yue Yang replied, “My lord, when I came just now, I saw Commander Lu’s corpse. I have already ordered it to be brought here.”

“What? Lu Youyuan is dead?” Jiang Xin was shocked.

Jiang Xin knew very well that this incident must be connected to Lu Youyuan—perhaps it was even his doing. Yet even so, he did not want Lu to die. Once Lu was dead, Jiang Xin, as prefect, would bear the greatest responsibility. Yue Yang, after all, had been in office for less than three days; no matter what, the blame could not fall on him. On the contrary, Yue Yang had suppressed the mutiny and would be credited with merit. That meant all the blame would fall squarely on Jiang Xin’s shoulders. The thought made him deeply uneasy.

At this moment, Liao Chunyu asked, “Lord Yue, have all the mutineers been wiped out?”

“Not yet, but soon,” Yue Yang said, recognizing the old man as the local academic commissioner. He pointed to the side. “Sir, please look—those are the mutineers we have already captured.”

Everyone looked in the direction he indicated. From East Street, a column of fully armed soldiers was escorting a group of disheveled mutineers toward them. There were quite a few—at least three to four hundred.

Just then, the sound of hoofbeats rang out. Wu Chengfeng arrived with a troop of cavalry. After dismounting and paying his respects, he leaned close to Yue Yang and whispered a few words.

Yue Yang’s expression immediately changed, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He barked, “Those scoundrels dare to be so brazen! Take men at once and seize them! Kill anyone who resists!”

Jiang Xin, seeing Yue Yang’s anger, turned pale. “Lord Yue, what has happened?”

Yue Yang turned and said slowly, “A subordinate reports that a Thousand Commander surnamed Bai led over a hundred mutineers into a gentry household. They slaughtered more than forty people of that family and violated over a dozen women. When they tried to leave, our troops blocked them, but they refuse to surrender and are now in a standoff.”

Jiang Xin and Liao Chunyu were left speechless with shock. They could hardly imagine such madness.

“Utterly deranged… utterly deranged…” Liao Chunyu could only repeat the words.

Jiang Xin tentatively asked, “Then how does Lord Yue intend to deal with them?”

“How else?” A ferocious smile appeared on Yue Yang’s face. “Scum who wreak such havoc on the people have only one fate—summary execution on the spot!”

The words seemed to squeeze out between his teeth, chilling Jiang Xin and Liao Chunyu to the bone.

An hour later, this mutiny—sparked by a dispute over pay and escalating into full-scale rebellion—was completely crushed by Yue Yang’s overwhelming force. He then ordered all the townspeople to assemble at the drill ground west of the city.

The vast field, capable of holding tens of thousands, was now packed to the brim, a sea of people filling it.

Yue Yang, Jiang Xin, Liao Chunyu, and other officials were all present. Even Fang Jiuming and his son Fang Yingdi had arrived, along with several hundred original Hunyuan soldiers who had not joined the mutiny, as well as some officers. The Thousand Commander named Chu Di stood behind Jiang Xin.

Yue Yang stood atop a raised earthen platform in the center of the field, holding a loudhailer in his hand. After scanning the crowd, he turned to Jiang Xin. “Prefect Jiang, may we begin?”

Jiang Xin, having no energy left to argue, weakly waved his hand. “Lord Yue, proceed as you see fit.”

Yue Yang nodded and raised the loudhailer. “Men, bring up all the mutineers!”

Soon, the sound of footsteps echoed. Over a hundred armored soldiers escorted several hundred mutineers through the crowd and onto the field. Most wore the standard military jackets; others were dressed in civilian clothes. Gone was their earlier arrogance—now they were filled with panic and fear, especially as the furious stares of the townspeople seemed ready to bore through them.

“Kneel!”

“Kneel!”

Once they reached the center of the field, the soldiers behind them beat and kicked them, forcing them to their knees in a sorry state.

Glaring coldly at the ragged mutineers, Yue Yang lifted the loudhailer. “Fellow townsfolk, General Qi of our dynasty once said: soldiers are meant to kill bandits; bandits are those who slaughter the people. Once you become a soldier, you cannot live only for a little pay. A soldier must shoulder responsibility and duty! Now—bring in the bodies of the civilians!”

“Yes, sir!”

Soon another group of soldiers arrived, driving carts into the field. They began unloading them, drawing gasps from the crowd. The carts were filled with the bodies of the slain civilians.

One by one, the corpses were laid out, soon forming a large heap—four to five hundred in all.

There were old people, children, men, and women. Terror and despair were frozen on their faces. Some had died so horribly that their features were twisted. Many women lay naked, their faces contorted in anguish. With no time to find clothes for them, the soldiers could only wrap them in straw mats.

At the sight of so many bodies, the people could no longer remain calm. Many rushed forward, clutching the corpses and wailing—clearly relatives or friends of the dead.

The sight of hundreds of bodies lined up was overwhelming. Even Jiang Xin, Liao Chunyu, and the other officials turned away, unable to bear it.

Yue Yang did not stop the people from crying. When their emotions had calmed somewhat, he spoke again:

“You have all seen it. This is what happens when soldiers break discipline. Look at the bodies on the ground—this is the tragedy wrought by mutineers. When soldiers turn to evil, their harm is even greater than that of bandits. Therefore, I hereby declare once more: all those who took part in this rebellion shall be executed on the spot!”

“Boom—”

As his words fell, a wave of commotion swept through the crowd…