No one expected Yang Tao to come so fast. No one had time to react.
A few of them had already packed their belongings and ran out of the city with their families. Unfortunately, they were intercepted by Qian Su and the others.
The remaining few families moved slower. When hundreds of soldiers barged into their houses, their mansions were still in a mess. Some had already packed up, while others were still piled up. The servants were busy, and the women in the backyard were unaffected by the outside world. They were as stable as Mount Tai. According to Yan Lin's order, if anyone dared to resist, they would be killed, regardless of their gender.
At first, some of the servants pulled out their swords, but after a few of them fell, the rest didn't dare to make a move.
The master of the house stood in the hall with a pale face. A few important women were also trapped there.
The soldiers didn't touch anyone. Occasionally, some of them would sneak something into their sleeves or arms.
Jiang Pengji had always been strict with her soldiers. She didn't encourage such behavior, but she didn't forbid it either.
The soldiers were too uneducated. She could only ask them not to make mistakes of principle, disturb the people, and be lenient in other aspects.
When Yang Tao barged into the manor while wearing a suit of armor, the face of the landowning household leader darkened. His beard trembled so hard that it looked like it was electrifying.
"How dare you!"
The leader of the Shi family was over 50 years old. He had many children and grandchildren. There were 25 guards in the hall.
The older ones, such as the leader of the Shi family, were in their forties. The youngest one was only three months old. He was still crying in his mother's arms.
Children's cries were the most heart-wrenching, but also the most annoying.
At that moment, the leader of the Shi family was no longer in the mood to play with his grandson. He didn't like his grandson because he looked like himself. Instead, he felt annoyed and disgusted. His grandson's biological mother, his daughter-in-law, saw the fierce and impatient look in her father-in-law's eyes. She was so scared that she lowered her head. She secretly sobbed while gently coaxing her little son, who couldn't stop crying. The hall was even more chaotic.
"Everyone's here."
Yang Tao put his hand on the weapon at his waist and smiled at the leader of the Shi family.
"Who gave you permission to break into their house?"
The old chief's gray beard trembled slightly as he scolded.
Yang Tao didn't answer. Instead, Yan Lin, who was behind him, sneered.
"Of course, it's allowed by 'strength in numbers'."
The old patriarch was infuriated, and his wife hurriedly supported him to steady him.
"How arrogant!"
Yan Lin said, "Every dog has its day. Back then, you were heartless and betrayed us. Why didn't you foresee what would happen today? Don't think that the entire world is on your side just because you have a few words to say. Old man, you reap what you sow. "
How could An Cui convince these people to give up on Yang Tao?
Apart from Lu Zheng's eloquence and ability to pinpoint their weaknesses and worries, their greed and hypocrisy were also a major reason.
Investment is risky, so one must be cautious when entering the industry.
There was no such thing as a sure-win investment in this world.
These landowning households planned to stand firm in this chaotic world and even take advantage of this chaotic world to advance further. Naturally, they had to bear the corresponding risks. Yan Lin didn't blame them for withdrawing their investment when things went south. But it was too much to turn around and step on them.
The cause sown that day will bear fruit today.
You call others arrogant, but why don't you look at yourself in the mirror?
Even though Yang Tao didn't take it to heart, Yan Lin couldn't let it go.
These people held Yan Shuxuan, Yang Roujia, and the two children hostage to threaten Yang Tao. They almost killed Yang Tao. He couldn't forget it even if he wanted to!
Even the others could tell that Yan Lin didn't come with good intentions, let alone the old patriarch who was used to deceiving others.
He was panting with rage, and his wrinkled cheeks were turning purple.
"You're just a bunch of dogs who rely on their master's power. So what if you kill us today? At the end of the day, you're still Liu Xi's lackeys. You're just stray dogs. "The old patriarch knew very well that Yan Lin wouldn't kill them, but he wouldn't let them go easily either.
If he robbed them of their wealth and blamed the refugees and bandits for it, they wouldn't be able to avenge themselves.
Without the wealth they had accumulated over the years, how could they make a comeback in the future? There were so many main and side branches that they had become a burden. If they were robbed of all their wealth, they would only be left with a bunch of people waiting to be eaten. They wouldn't even need the outside world to kick them when they were down.
Yan Lin sneered.
Yang Tao said seriously, "Shaoyang, why are you wasting so much time talking to them?"
Yan Lin calmed down and asked, "In Zhengze's opinion, how should we deal with these people?"
Yang Tao asked casually, "They're just a bunch of prisoners. If we don't arrest them, are we supposed to worship them like Buddha?"
The old patriarch and the others were livid. Blue veins popped on their foreheads. Only Yan Lin was smiling.
"Zhengze is right. There's no need to waste our time talking to these people. Just arrest them."
After saying that, the Old Patriarch saw pairs of soldiers working together to carry boxes after boxes of items out. The Old Patriarch's eyes were about to pop out of his head. These boxes were gold and silver, financial records, account books, land deeds, and incomplete books. There were at least two hundred boxes in total.
"Bandits! Shameless! Don't go too far! "
The old patriarch's eyes rolled back and he fainted. His children and daughters-in-law were so frightened that they surrounded him.
Yang Tao snorted and waved his hand. "Keep an eye on these people, lest they collude with the enemy … Let's go to the next house."
Jiang Pengji wanted to rob the rich, but she couldn't just do it by force. She had to find a reason.
Yang Tao asked Yan Lin worriedly as he was leaving.
"Liu Lanting is really doing this. Is she planning to rob and rob along the way?"
Yang Tao thought that Jiang Pengji was too bold. She had offended the entire Nansheng aristocratic circle.
Yan Lin's eyes were emotionless. He said coldly, "So what? Liu Xi was born in Dongqing, not Nansheng. Most of the aristocratic families in Nansheng were under An Cui's protection. They didn't have any good intentions towards her. If Liu Xi didn't treat them as enemies, was she going to worship them as her ancestors? The winner takes all. She didn't kill them all and only took some of their belongings. Wasn't that merciful? Besides … She has been fighting for two years. She has enough soldiers, but she is running low on food. If she doesn't find a way to replenish her food, what will she do when she runs out of food? Turn corpses into human meat to satisfy her hunger? She has no choice … "
Yang Tao was shocked.
"Lack of food …"
Yan Lin said, "I heard that after Liu Xi started his rebellion, he has been plowing the fields year after year. The fertility of the fields is getting worse and worse. Now he is at the end of his rope. She's been fighting for another two years, and that's enough food for four hundred thousand soldiers. That's not a small sum. "
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