"You're right! We can't let them transport the grain to the grain stores. Otherwise, we'll starve to death! "
"The officials are colluding with the merchants to drive up the price of grain. Taiyuan City will be closed for more than a month. If we can't buy any grain, we'll all starve to death!"
"We can't let these grain be transported to the grain stores!"
Someone from the crowd surrounding the grain transport team quickly followed suit and shouted.
If one were to observe carefully, one would easily notice that these people who were shouting were standing at the back of the crowd. They were all wearing navy blue short shirts made of coarse cloth and headscarves. At first glance, they looked like ordinary people, but their skin was paler and their bodies thinner. Some of them even had scars on their faces or arms. One look and one could tell that they were definitely not ordinary people!
This was a premeditated robbery of grain!
"We can't let these grain be transported away. We want to buy grain!"
"We want to buy grain! We want grain! "
As these people fanned the flames in the crowd, the ordinary people who didn't know the truth suddenly became restless. The huge crowd suddenly surged toward the grain carriage. Arrester Wang and the other county yamen runners all drew the sabers at their waists as if they were facing a great enemy.
"How dare you! All of you, stop right there! What are you trying to do? Are you trying to openly rob the grain transport vehicles of the officials and openly go against the imperial court? "
Constable Wang held his sword in front of him. The aura of a martial artist suddenly erupted from his body as he shouted at the restless crowd with a ferocious expression.
The sound of the yamen runners unsheathing their swords and Constable Wang's stern shout made the people who were charging at the front of the crowd freeze involuntarily. At the end of the day, the people of this era had a natural fear of the officials. Unless it was absolutely necessary and they couldn't survive, no one would be willing to go against the officials!
Whoosh ~!
Bam ~!
Just then, a stone flew toward Constable Wang from the left. Constable Wang's attention wasn't focused behind him at all, so when he heard the sound, he couldn't react in time. The walnut-sized stone hit the back of Constable Wang's head directly to the left!
Constable Wang's vision darkened and he almost fell down. In pain, he subconsciously covered the back of his head with his hand. However, he felt something wet and sticky. When he removed his hand, his hand was actually covered in blood!
"Who is it? Who the hell is throwing stones? "
Constable Wang was instantly enraged. He turned around and prepared to look for the "murderer"!
A few yamen runners hurriedly protected Arrester Wang to prevent him from getting hurt again.
The surrounding commoners, especially those who were close by, were even more afraid when they saw that Constable Wang's head was bleeding from the impact. Everyone's hearts were shrouded with thoughts of retreating!
But even if they wanted to retreat, there were people who didn't want them to!
"The county yamen runner is going to beat someone up! Collusion between officials and merchants! Collusion between officials and merchants! "
"They don't want to give us a chance to live. Hurry up and take the food! My wife and child are still waiting for the rice to be cooked! "
Someone shouted from the back of the crowd.
Not only were they shouting and jeering, they were also taking action. More than a dozen young men in navy blue shirts pushed the people in front of them to squeeze toward the cart. The temporary stalemate was broken in an instant. Some commoners who didn't know the truth in the crowd heard that the yamen runners were going to "commit murder" and collude with the grain merchants. They also started to jeer. The crowd surged and shouts rang out everywhere!
As for the crowd standing in front, they saw the truth clearly. They knew that the yamen runners weren't beating anyone up, so they didn't want to snatch the food. However, their bodies were no longer under their control. Under the shoving of the people behind them, they were getting closer and closer to the grain cart step by step!
Just like that, the people who didn't know the truth added fuel to the fire. As for those who knew the truth, they didn't have time to say anything. They could only allow themselves to be pushed toward the grain cart by the people behind them!
More than a dozen grain carts were quickly engulfed and swallowed by this powerful flood of people!
"All of you, stop! Are you trying to rebel? "
Constable Wang only had less than thirty yamen runners with him, but there were hundreds and thousands of commoners around them. Although the yamen runners had knives in their hands, how could they really brandish their butcher's knives at the defenseless commoners of Taiyuan City?
After all, these yamen runners were basically locals of Taiyuan City. There might even be relatives or neighbors among these commoners!
Besides, even if they really dared to brandish their knives, there were hundreds and thousands of commoners in front of them. They might be able to cut down one, but could they cut down hundreds and thousands of them?
Even if they had the ability, they wouldn't be able to escape death if the higher-ups investigated the matter! After all, this was an era of peace, not a time of war. The laws of the Great Tang were strict. The imperial court would definitely investigate a vile case like the massacre of commoners by soldiers!
At this time, Constable Wang's roars and threats had no effect at all. The commoners in front of them had almost gone crazy. Seeing the sacks of food on the grain cart in front of them and thinking of the rumors in the marketplace that Taiyuan City would be sealed off for at least a month, how could these commoners, who didn't have much food in their homes, not be tempted?
Thus, the crowd surged forward while the yamen runners were forced to retreat! The public's will was like a surging torrent that no one could stop!
After seeing someone carry a sack of rice and run away, the rest of the people followed suit. The food on the grain cart became less and less, and the scene became more and more chaotic. Some commoners fought over the food, while others were pushed to the ground and trampled on by the people behind them!
Faced with this crazy crowd, Constable Wang and the other yamen runners were scattered. In this turbulent "torrent," they could only go with the flow. Some of the yamen runners even hid under the grain cart to avoid being crushed or trampled!
Faced with this out-of-control situation, they had knives in their hands, but it was of no use! They could only watch helplessly as the food on the grain cart was snatched clean by these crazy commoners!
As for the dozen or so youths who had kicked up a fuss at the back of the crowd, they took advantage of the chaos and quietly slipped away!
Constable Wang found today's events very strange. In the past, when the commoners of Taiyuan City saw the yamen runners, they were not as fearful as tigers, but they were always in awe of them. Today, however, this group of commoners actually dared to openly oppose the yamen runners and even snatch the grain from the official storehouse. This was simply too abnormal!
Furthermore, Arrester Wang had a feeling that someone was secretly pushing these commoners to the point where they had come to snatch the grain. Especially when the bailiffs were in a stalemate with the commoners just now, there were always people behind the crowd who were inciting and spreading rumors. That was why the commoners were so angry!
"Ceng Ming, Shi Hong! Don't worry about this for now. Go and catch those people for me! "
While the commoners were fighting over the grain, the dozen or so youths in navy blue shirts took the opportunity to turn and leave. Constable Wang's eyes were like lightning, and he naturally sensed that something was wrong. He muttered to himself for a moment and guessed that the current situation was very likely instigated by these people. Thus, he hurriedly shouted at the two yamen runners nearby.
However, all around them were the commoners who had already fallen into a frenzy. It was very difficult for them to even take a step forward, let alone chase after them! They could only watch as these people disappeared at the end of the street!
…
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