"Where are you from, Master Zhang? What are you buying at our shop?"
Several shop owners saw that Lord Zhang was actually shopping in person. This was something they had never encountered before. It seemed that the turmoil in Chengdu should be over, otherwise why would Lord Zhang come out? They didn't know how many people were arrested, but as long as Lord Zhang was still there, they would be able to live a good life. These people were all chieftains who opened shops in the city. With Lord Zhang's care, they couldn't say they were making a fortune every day, but their sales were booming.
"No one in the store can be let go. Arrest them all."
To the surprise of these shop owners, when Lord Zhang saw their changed expressions, he immediately ordered his men to arrest them. What on earth was going on? Our chieftain and you are in-laws, and we usually pay you tribute. How can you arrest people just like that? You even own shares in some of the shops.
"What are you doing, sir? Aren't we a family? Our young lady is the young lady of the mansion..."
A shopkeeper said in surprise that there had never been such a thing before. Today, Lord Zhang actually brought people here to arrest people. This must mean that things are going to change. While speaking, he winked at another clerk, and the clerk also understood what was going on. There was a falcon in the corner tower on the top floor. As long as it was released, people on the mountain would know that something had happened below.
"Don't let him go upstairs, don't let him go upstairs, there's a falcon upstairs that's alerting the mountain..."
When Lord Zhang saw someone running up the stairs, he immediately screamed. Now he didn't dare to hold back. As long as he could control the people here, it would mean that Li Xiang's first mission was completed, and the chances of his family surviving would be a little higher. But if he let the people here release the falcon, then the Qian family would be much closer to the gates of hell.
The young man had already rushed to the second floor. Although the two guards chased him, they were definitely unable to catch up with him at the current distance. Just when Lord Zhang was about to despair, the soldier next to him instantly fired several sleeve arrows at the top.
It was the first time that Lord Zhang and his men had seen this kind of weapon. Two sleeve arrows killed the young man directly. No matter how fast you run, can you outrun this thing?
The two soldiers gently pushed open the door and found a falcon inside staring at them. At this time, the two looked at each other and decided to kill the falcon in order to prevent future troubles.
"Why on earth is this happening? Why on earth is this happening?"
The shop owner, who was also a trusted figure of the chieftain, was now tied up. When he passed by Master Zhang, he almost vomited blood. "Haven't we always cooperated well? We used to have a good life, but what are you doing now?"
"Take it away and go to the next one."
Lord Zhang did not have the time to explain to him. There were several similar shops in the entire Chengdu city. If he did not act quickly, if they got the news, he might not be able to complete the mission. Failure to complete the mission meant that someone in his family might die. He still knew which was more important.
It took three hours for Lord Zhang and his men to raid four shops, capture thirty-nine people, and kill seven. The four shops contained tools used to notify people on the mountain, but all of them were brought back.
If you do something like this without help from inside, no matter how strong your armed forces are, you will not be able to win in the end. Take the current situation for example, even if you can capture all the people, they will notify the people on the mountain, and then the entire stronghold will enter a combat state. If we send people to attack, how many people will die?
Now that these people have been captured, they will be severely tortured. At the same time, Lord Zhang, including his two daughters-in-law, will also be interrogated. They must tell everything that happened on the mountain, and then the two sides will be compared. Anyone who lies will be killed immediately.
Hearing the screams coming from the room next door, Lord Zhang was trembling all over.
Because both daughters-in-law still had to feed their children, Li Xiang pardoned these two women. Feeding children was always worthy of respect, but the same could not be said for the dowry brought by these two women. As long as they came from the mountain stronghold, any content in their minds must be beaten out.
"Don't be so nervous. I can see from what you did today that you still want to serve the court. As long as I can deal with these chieftains in one fell swoop, you and your family can go to Goguryeo and live a good life. I won't make things difficult for you. But you will have to rely on your health for the rest of your life. Everything here has nothing to do with you."
When Li Xiang turned around, Lord Zhang was trembling. He didn't know what his future held. He only knew that the lives of his entire family were in Li Xiang's hands. As long as Li Xiang was unhappy, all of them might be executed on the spot. He did feel a little regretful that his whole life had ended up like this.
When he first became an official, he was thinking about being worthy of the emperor and the people. However, he was ostracized and sent to this place, and his thoughts changed. At that time, he only thought about living a good life and didn't care about the lives of the people.
He is not the only one who has this idea. Almost all the officials here have this idea. Those who are squeezed out are from poor families and have no roots. Moreover, being an official here may mean you stay here for the rest of your life, and the people above you will not pull you out.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I will certainly do my best to cooperate with Your Highness's actions."
Since he has taken the first step, he no longer worries about what to do next. Now, no matter what Li Xiang asks him to do, he will do it without hesitation. It is all for the survival of his family. For this goal, he can do anything.
"You know a lot about the mountain chieftains. Can you explain them to me?"
Li Xiang asked someone to bring a seat. After all, this guy was in his fifties. If he kept shaking like this, his description might not be very coherent. After having a seat and a cup of hot water, this guy felt much better than before. He carefully searched all the information in his mind and tried to tell Li Xiang as much detail as possible.