They were chattering.
At night, the chirping of insects could be heard in the vast wilderness.
Ta Ta.
A series of footsteps and the sound of armor clashing could be heard.
In order not to let the Liyang County guards see anything amiss, Hou Junji decided to head to Liyang County at night.
In addition, in order to distinguish between friend and foe, Hou Junji had each soldier tie a red cloth to their right hand. This way, they could tell who was friend and who was foe.
When the night was dark and the wind was high, the army quickly arrived at Liyang County.
The garrison of Liyang County was on guard on the city wall. When he heard the sound of hurried horse hooves, he looked in the direction of the sound.
Sui Jun, who was wearing dark green armor, arrived with a group of soldiers in red armor.
Hou Junji stood out in the crowd, and he was easily spotted.
The five thousand Sui soldiers behind Hou Junji were all disguised as the Jiangdong Army. Two thousand of the Jiangdong Army remained as captives, and the remaining one thousand were stationed in Wujiang County.
Outside the city, the remaining five thousand soldiers of the Sui army and Cao Yun were secretly preparing to attack. As soon as Hou Junji entered the city, they would charge out.
"Looks like General Hou has returned triumphantly.”
When the city guards saw Hou Junji, they let down their guard.
As he congratulated Hou Junji, he ordered the gates to be opened.
Rumble!
The city gates opened with a heavy thud, and when they were fully opened, Hou Junji's expression became fierce.
"Enter."
Hou Junji's lips moved.
The army followed him into the city gate.
Whoosh.
A gust of cold wind blew. After entering the city, the army suddenly stopped. The soldiers guarding the city were curious and went forward to ask.
Hou Junji's eyes flashed with killing intent as he pulled out his sword.
The long sword let out a clear whistle as the head of the soldier fell to the ground, and blood sprayed out.
The blood, which was already bright red, looked even redder under the moonlight.
"Kill them!"
Hou Junji shouted.
The Jiangdong Army was released in an instant. They let out a loud cry, like cheetahs diving into a flock of sheep. They killed all the Sui soldiers around the city gate.
The Jiangdong Army was too fast, and each of them was fearless. Just their eyes were enough to make one's heart tremble.
"Attack!"
Hearing the commotion in the city, Cao Yun quickly gave the order to attack.
The vast army of five thousand soldiers charged in, and for a moment, the city gate was in chaos, causing a huge commotion.
"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"
The Sui army in the city continued to rush toward the city gate.
However, the city gate had already been broken. With 7,000 Jiangdong soldiers and 5,000 Sui soldiers, how could the 5,000 Sui soldiers in the city resist?
Especially when they saw that the soldiers in bright red armor were very brave in battle, like wild beasts. Their attacks were not only ruthless but also agile. How could ordinary troops compare?
"We won't kill those who surrender!"
Hou Junji galloped through the city on his warhorse. As he shouted his slogan, he berated the people of the world and how the Imperial Court treated them.
Hou Junji had prestige in the army, and many soldiers were furious at Wang He's actions. Adding on the bravery of the Jiangdong Army, many of the Sui soldiers chose to surrender.
Wang He was currently putting on his armor when Cao Yun and Hou Junji had barged into his room.
"Hou Junji, how dare you mix with the rebels!”
Wang He shouted angrily.
"Take him away and behead him at sunrise.”
Cao Yun said indifferently.
The terrified Wang He was taken away by the sneering Hou Junji.
As they were traveling late at night, by the time the battle ended and the soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield, the sunrise had already risen.
After hearing about what happened last night, many people gathered in the city center.
The disheveled Wang He had been dragged out by Hou Junji, his face filled with terror and despair.
"The people are suffering from hunger. As a county governor, not only did you not open the granary to provide relief, but you also stopped the refugees from entering the city.”
Hou Junji's eyes were bloodshot.
"No, don't!"
Wang He's eyes widened. He had never thought that he would end up like this. At this moment, he was filled with regret. He had never thought that he would be so unbearable in the hearts of the people!
As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled out the sword at his waist and aimed it at Wang He's neck.
With a crisp sound, Wang He's head soared into the sky. When his head landed on the ground, his eyes widened with regret and fear, and blood poured down.
"Good!"
"This dog official should have died long ago!"
The eyes of the commoners below were red as they shouted.
Some of them even burst into tears. After all, many of their relatives died of hunger because Wang He did not open the granary.
"This heartless beast!"
There were also people who kept cursing.
It could be seen how popular Wang He was. Many people wished for him to die.
Cao Yun stood in a pavilion nearby and witnessed the reactions of the people after Wang He's death.
"The importance of the people's hearts is vividly experienced at this time.”
Cao Yun muttered to himself.
After beheading Wang He, Hou Junji had followed Cao Yun's orders to open up the granaries of Liyang County to the people. Many of the commoners were even more moved when they heard the news.
"This is what parents should do.”
"General Cao is really considerate of the people!"
The commoners kept repeating this sentence with reddened eyes. The hearts of the people of Liyang County were on Cao Yun.
Opening the granary to the people was to help them tide over the current difficulties. Only by letting them eat their fill could they have the strength to open up wasteland and cultivate. Only in this way could the basic grain production of Liyang County be guaranteed.
After all, in this chaotic world, food was the most important resource. This was even the most important point.
The grain near the granary had been opened up. Almost all the people of Liyang County were lining up near the granary to receive the grain. At this time, the people were orderly and there was no fighting.
This was unexpected.
" My lord's granary has been opened."
Hou Junji returned to report. Opening the granary was Cao Yun's first order.
"The order was that if the common people were to open up wasteland, they would be exempted from taxes for three years. If they were to recover their farmland, they would be exempted from taxes for one year. Anyone who participated in it would be able to receive rations, but if they were lazy, they would have nothing.”
"In addition, we can start conscription. If you want to have enough food, come and join the army. As long as you pass the screening and become a soldier, you will be able to receive enough food.”
Cao Yun pondered for a moment before issuing two orders in succession.
"Yes, sir!"
Hou Junji was overjoyed. His lord's policy was truly shocking.
As soon as the policy was announced, it quickly attracted the attention of the people.
Among the crowd of people, there was an elegant scholar who was quietly watching all of this, as if he was an outsider who was isolated from the world.
"Using tax exemption to attract the people to take the initiative to cultivate the land, and at the same time, the recruitment of soldiers is also based on the attraction of food and not forced recruitment. This policy completely prevents any conflict with the people.”
The scholar's expression was a little surprised as he muttered to himself.
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