"I am innocent! General, I am innocent!" Dai Yun's order was quickly carried out. Dai Yun's personal guard, Chen Jiu, did not know what was going on. He was ordered to arrest Chen Jiu.
When Chen Jiu arrived outside the camp, he realized what had happened to him.
Chen Jiu was forced to kneel down in front of the densely packed Jiangdong people.
"Chen Jiu, these villagers said that you brought people to slaughter their village. Is this true?" Dai Yun asked Chen Jiu with a gloomy face.
"I'm innocent! I'm innocent! General, I didn't! I didn't!" Chen wouldn't admit it even if he was beaten to death. If he admitted it, he would be beheaded. There was no other way. Moreover, Yangzhou was very strict when it came to killing innocent people. Once there was someone who killed innocent people, not only would he be beheaded, his entire family would be expelled from Yangzhou. All the rewards given by Yangzhou would have nothing to do with him.
"You did not?" Dai Yun looked at Chen Jiu. "Then let me ask you, why did you leave the camp?" Dai Yun asked Chen Jiu. Zhang De was also at the side. He took out the record of leaving the camp. It was written that Dai Yun and five of his soldiers left the camp for a period of time.
"General, that's to return the fish meat to the people!" Chen Jiu yelled.
"So you slaughtered the villagers along the way?" Old Master Qiao shouted at Chen Jiu.
"No! Slaughtered the villagers? How is that possible? We only sent five people! How can we slaughter the villagers? " Chen Jiu shouted. The people of Jiangdong were valiant. Not to mention five people, even ten soldiers might not be able to slaughter a village. If things went wrong, they might even lose their lives.
"That's right. There are only five of them. How are they going to massacre the entire village?" The commoners began to discuss among themselves. Dai Yun also frowned.
If five people were able to slaughter an entire village, then Jiangdong would lose a lot of face. One must know that the people of Jiangdong often fought with the Shanyue and the Danyang people. Each and every one of them were good fighters.
"Are you sure it was five people?" Old Master Qiao asked Chen Jiu.
"How could it be fake? General, Zhang De has the records of the departure from the camp, and we haven't sent out the livestock and fish yet." Chen Jiu said to Dai Yun. It turned out that there were a lot of villages that delivered livestock and fish. Dai Yun only needed to give an order, but his subordinates had to run around until they broke their legs. Chen Jiu wanted to know where those villages were. If he didn't know, it wouldn't be good for him to deliver the livestock and fish. After all, he couldn't just run around with the fish and fish when he didn't know the way.
"Go and see if there are any of those things! Also, bring those soldiers who went out with Chen Jiu to me! "Dai Yun needs to give these people an explanation. Otherwise, he will not be able to give an explanation to Yangzhou's lord.
"Yes! Soon, the carriages were pulled over. At the same time, the five subordinates of Chen Jiu arrived as well.
Dai Yun asked them one by one, but the result was the same. The five of them went out to ask for directions. They were wearing the armor of the Yangzhou Army. This was Jiangdong, so they didn't dare to go too far.
"Old Master Qiao, what do you think?" Dai Yun asked Old Master Qiao to think for himself. If Old Master Qiao's subordinates really massacred a village, then Dai Yun would not tolerate it and would kill them on the spot. If not, then Dai Yun would not let his subordinates suffer injustice.
"Five people is impossible." Old Master Qiao shook his head. He had lived here for decades, so how could he not know the customs of the people of Jiangdong? Not to mention the Yangzhou Army, even if Jiangdong's Sun Ce angered the people, they would stand up and rebel.
"I seem to have seen this general before." Someone said from the side. Chen Jiu struggled to turn his head. His face lit up with joy. "It's you, big brother. It's you. Do you still remember? We asked you for directions, and you even led us for a while. In the end, I gave you 10 big bucks." Chen Jiu was overjoyed. The person who spoke to him was the local that Chen Jiu had asked for directions.
Dai Yun waved his hand, allowing the commoner to come forward. When Old Man Qiao questioned him, the Jiangdong commoner answered truthfully. He had indeed met Chen Jiu and the others. He had told them where the village was and had even led them there. After leading them there, they had returned together.
"I … I … I don't think it's these people." Xiao Yi's father stammered as he looked at Chen Jiu and the five Yangzhou Army soldiers kneeling on the ground.
"Not these people? You have to look carefully! " Old Master Qiao said to Ah Yi's father.
Ah Yi's father was surrounded by hatred. Now, he seemed to have calmed down a little. Ah Yi also shook his head. "It's not this uncle. Xiao Yi wants to find that uncle." Xiao Yi was still young. It was obvious that the person who massacred the village was his playmate.
"Old Master Qiao, now it should be clear. The people who massacred the village are not our Yangzhou Army." Dai Yun breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally cleared up the misunderstanding. If the people of Jiangdong were to turn against him, then the people's hearts would be destroyed.
Old Master Qiao nodded his head.
"General!" Behind Dai Yun, one of Huang Gai's guards pulled Huang Gai. "This is not good!"
Huang Gai frowned. He did not expect Dai Yun to be able to suppress this matter. "Let them do it!" Huang Gai did not want to let the Yangzhou Army settle this matter peacefully.
"Yes!" A secret signal was sent out.
"In that case, we have misunderstood the general. The people of Jiangdong will definitely give the general justice!" Old Master Qiao was a sensible person. He did not want so many people to attack the heavily guarded camp.
This was not an ordinary armed fight. If it was not handled well, then it would be a war. Tens of thousands of Jiangdong people against the 10,000 Yangzhou Army.
"There is no need for justice! It's better to catch the culprit as soon as possible and let those dead people rest in peace. If there's anything you need, Old Master Qiao, you can come to my camp to find me at any time. "Dai Yun also wanted to help Old Master Qiao find out the truth.
Listening to Old Master Qiao's words, Dai Yun wiped off his cold sweat. It was obvious that someone wanted to frame the Yangzhou Army. The number of villages that were massacred was as high as seven or eight. That was close to a thousand families. If Old Master Qiao was not here today, it would have been a massacre. So after the cold sweat, Dai Yun was angry. Who wanted to frame the Yangzhou Army? He wanted to find the culprit more than Old Master Qiao.
"Of course! If there is a need, this old man will come! " Old Master Qiao was about to turn and leave. He was about to explain to the people that this was a misunderstanding. However, someone suddenly shouted.
"This is not a misunderstanding. They are the culprit. They hid the culprit! Fellow villagers, we must avenge the people that were massacred. "
Old Master Qiao also felt that something was wrong. Although he was not a high official, he had lived for a long time and could smell the conspiracy. It was obvious that someone was fanning the flames.
Old Master Qiao coughed twice and pressed his hands together. Old Master Qiao was old and had a high reputation. The people below all listened to him.
"Everyone, calm down. This is indeed a misunderstanding …" Just as the old man was about to continue speaking, there was a sudden whoosh. The old man's pupils dilated. He lowered his head to look, and the strength in his body seemed to be dissipating bit by bit. There was a sharp arrow stuck in his chest. It was shot from behind him, and behind him was the Yangzhou New Army's main camp.
"Old Master!" Dai Yun was stunned and could not help but shout. "Who is it? Who shot the arrow! "Dai Yun's eyes swept over the Yangzhou Army. "Zhang De, I want an explanation!" Dai Yun gritted his teeth and said. He was about to explain the misunderstanding, but who knew that it would turn out like this.
Zhang De was also stunned. Those who shot the arrow were obviously his subordinates. He simply wanted to cry. Who did he provoke? Why did all these things happen to him? "General, I also don't know!"
"It's him, it's him!" Zhang De's subordinates also reacted. They grabbed a person who was wearing the Yangzhou Army's uniform. When he put down the bow, the arrow disappeared. But before he could leave, he was caught by Zhang De's subordinates. If you looked carefully, you would find that this person was Huang Gai's personal guard.
"It's not me, it's not me!" The archer shouted as a cold light flashed in his eyes. He pulled out a saber from his waist and looked at the Yangzhou New Army soldiers who were holding him.
"Ah!" "How can an arm be as sharp as a saber? My good arm was cut off by the roots."
"You still dare to attack? Come on, take him down!" The Yangzhou Army soldiers on the side also pulled out their swords. It seemed that the archer would not be able to escape.
"Fellow villagers, you see, this group of thieves entered Jiangdong, killed our people, robbed our money and grain, and now they even want to kill Old Master Qiao. Fellow villagers, what are you waiting for? Let's fight them!" Among the people, one by one, they were filled with righteous indignation. Some of them were really angry when they saw Old Master Qiao's death. There were also some people who were laughing in their hearts while shouting loudly. If you looked carefully, you would find that these people did not know any of them.
"General, they are going to attack the camp!" Zhang De said to Dai Yun.
"Where is the archer?" Dai Yun gritted his teeth and asked. Zhang De's subordinates actually dared to shoot the arrow.
"We have already caught him!" Zhang De said to Dai Yun. There was a stubborn archer who still wanted to struggle, but he was already restrained by several Yangzhou New Army soldiers.
"Zhang De, you brought a good soldier!" Now if the situation was not urgent, Dai Yun would have killed Zhang De.
"General, these are not my soldiers!" Zhang De hurriedly explained, because he saw the killing intent in Dai Yun's eyes. Even if he could safely pass this time, he, Zhang De, would still have to go to the Ministry of War. If he went to the Ministry of Justice, he would be finished.
"Not your soldiers? Then whose soldiers are they? "
"General, I don't know! He's wearing our clothes, but the armor isn't ours! " Zhang De explained. Yangzhou New Army's armor was made with the new iron forging method, so other people could only copy the appearance, but there was still a big difference.
"They are not our people!" Dai Yun looked at the archer. The archer's mouth was cursing and it was obvious that he was speaking Jiangdong dialect. Although there were many Jiangdong soldiers in the Yangzhou New Army, they were not sent this time because Liu Mang was afraid that these Jiangdong soldiers would meet their relatives on the battlefield. That would be fun. Just like when Sun Ce took Danyang soldiers to attack Wancheng city, there were Chu soldiers in the Danyang army. When they arrived at Wancheng city, they suddenly found out that Sun Ce was beating his little granduncle. In the past, when they saw his granduncle, they had to kowtow to him.
As a result, none of the soldiers sent to Jiangdong were originally from Jiangdong.
"Someone is trying to frame us!" Dai Yun gritted his teeth.
"Since we have already caught the archer, we should ask General Huang Gai to help us explain. With his reputation in Jiangdong, it should be possible." Zhang De suggested to Dai Yun.
Dai Yun thought for a moment, but he had no other way. The people had already begun to attack the camp.
"General Huang, we have already caught the archer. This is not our Yangzhou New Army's doing. This is a conspiracy. General Huang, please help us explain." Dai Yun explained to Huang Gai.
"Oh! General Dai, isn't it just an explanation? What's so difficult about that? "Dai Yun didn't expect Huang Gai to agree so readily.
Dai Yun's face was overjoyed. "Then I will have to trouble General Huang. If this matter is settled, I will certainly report it to Milord."
Huang Gai smiled and nodded. He said to Dai Yun. "Then Dai Jiangjun, please open the camp gate."
"Open the camp gate?" Dai Yun was a little hesitant. It was precisely because the camp gate was open that the people could not rush in.
"General Dai, rest assured. With this old man here, Dai Jiangjun has nothing to be afraid of. Give me the archer. "Huang Gai said to appease Dai Yun.
"Good! I will leave everything to General Huang. Men, open the camp gate for General Huang! "Dai Yun ordered his men. He did not see that after the archer was handed over to Huang Gai, there was a sneer on the corner of Huang Gai's mouth.
"The gate is open! The gate is open!" As soon as the gates opened, the commoners rushed in. They saw Huang Gai in the center. Huang Gai's reputation in Jiangdong wasn't small, he was even higher than Old Man Qiao. After all, he was a General.
Dai Yun was counting on Huang Gai to help him explain the situation, but he didn't expect Huang Gai to stand there and shout, "Fellow villagers, this Yangzhou army has invaded our territory and killed our people, and now they have killed Old Master Qiao. This is intolerable. Fellow villagers, follow me and charge to get justice."
"What!" Dai Yun looked at Huang Gai and finally reacted. "Huang Gai! Despicable! " Dai Yun gritted his teeth. He was still waiting for Huang Gai's help. It turned out that all of this was planned by Jiangdong.
"Oh!" Huang Gai seemed to have noticed Dai Yun's gaze. Both of them looked at each other. "All soldiers are cunning! Fellow villagers, follow me to kill. "
"General, what should we do now?" Zhang De anxiously asked Dai Yun. This was because the gates of the water stronghold had already been opened. The rioters were surging in. It was impossible to stop them from the outside. Now, they could only fight or retreat.
"Hateful!" Dai Yun fiercely gritted his teeth. He was also in a difficult position. Although there were tens of thousands of Jiangdong's people, the Yangzhou New Army was not afraid of them. However, once they fought, there would be casualties. Once there were casualties, the hatred between the Yangzhou Army and the people of Jiangdong would be formed.
The people of Jiangdong would lose their hearts. On the battlefield, death could be said to be for the sake of their masters. However, killing the people of Jiangdong would become a feud. However, if they did not fight, the gate of the camp had been breached. There was no other way.
"Retreat!" Dai Yun thought for a moment and decided on the safest method. That was to retreat. They would rely on the river and the camp to survive. He even thought of using the warships to retreat. The Jiangdong Army camp could be lost but the people of Jiangdong could not be lost.
"General, look at the fire!" Someone exclaimed. It turned out that there was a fire on the river.
"Our warships?" Everyone stared at the fire. Their escape route was also cut off. Their morale suddenly dropped.
"General, we will fight with them!" Zhang De said to Dai Yun. They couldn't fight, and their escape route had been cut off. Rather than die in vain, they might as well fight it out.
"Fight? With what? " Dai Yun could only smile bitterly. Because of his hesitation, the sky had already darkened. Alright! Jiangdong had already calculated everything. The sky was dark. It was now ancient times. Other than looking at the moon at night, it was generally dark. Recently, dark clouds covered the sky. Therefore, the entire camp was dark except for the places that were on fire. If it was during the day, Dai Yun could rely on the elites of the Yangzhou New Army to defeat the mob. But now that the sky was dark, it could be said that everyone was at the same starting line. They could not see each other clearly. The people of Jiangdong were originally a mob, but the fighting strength of the Yangzhou Army was weakened to a certain extent.
"General Dai Yun, surrender. You have no chance of winning!" Huang Gai's voice sounded again.
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