Meng Fu said coldly, "Kid, you want to do this the hard way? Well, some people won't cry until they see the coffin. Brothers, take them down. "
As he spoke, Meng Fu had already rushed out. He held his mace and swung it high in the air. In the blink of an eye, Meng Fu was already in front of Du Qi's carriage and smashed his mace down.
Mordor did not bring his hammer along since it was heavy and not easy to carry. His hammer was given to the soldiers at the rear. As for Moledo, he only had a saber at his waist. Facing the mace that was smashing down, he unsheathed his saber and met it head-on.
"Clang!"
When the saber and the mace collided, an ear-piercing sound was heard. Clanging sounds were heard as the saber swept past and two of the spikes on the mace were cut off.
The impact of the collision was transmitted to Meng Fu's arm. This powerful force made it difficult for Meng Fu to stabilize his body. He staggered back two steps before stabilizing his body. His hand that was holding the mace felt a trace of pain and numbness.
"Again!"
Mordor shouted again.
He took a step forward and slashed down with his saber. The saber was like a torrential downpour as the blade turned into a stream of light that reached Meng Fu's head. Meng Fu could not dodge in time and could only raise his mace to block. When the two weapons collided, Mordor's strength was stronger this time, so the mace was sent flying and fell to the ground with a clang.
Meng Fu's palm was burning and the web between his thumb and forefinger was cracked. He sat down on the ground, his face full of shock. Suddenly, he shouted, "Run!"
The people under him were all villagers.
They were not bandits.
They were not bandits either.
They could only deal with ordinary people and collect some tolls. The burly man he was facing now was extremely strong. Even if there were more people like him, they would not be able to defeat him. Wouldn't they be courting death if they continued to charge forward?
Hence, when Meng Fu shouted, the people who were rushing forward stopped in their tracks, not daring to move forward. Meng Fu was also prepared to stand up and escape, but just as he stood up, Mordor's saber had already landed on his neck.
As long as Meng Fu took a step forward, he would be killed.
"Don't, don't, don't kill me, I won't move." Meng Fu smiled embarrassedly, revealing a look of horror and fear. He immediately begged for mercy.
Du Qi looked at the rest of the people who were running away and said indifferently, "Whoever dares to run away, I'll kill that bastard."
As soon as he said that, everyone stopped running. Meng Fu was their leader and they were all from the same village. Therefore, no one cared about themselves and left Meng Fu behind. After the group of people stopped, none of them left.
Du Qi slowly walked forward and looked at Meng Fu and the rest of the commoners, saying, "You guys are pretty impressive, huh? A bunch of commoners like you actually dare to block the path and collect tolls."
Meng Fu raised her head and said, "Young Noble, we admit defeat today. But we're not the only ones here. In other places in Yizhou, there are also villagers spontaneously organizing themselves to collect tolls on the official road. Moreover, we haven't killed anyone from the beginning to the end. We're just collecting some money symbolically. "
Du Qi sneered, "Oh, you're reasonable. Tell me, when did this matter begin? "
Meng Fu said, "About two years ago."
"Two years!"
Du Qi pondered for a moment. So, there were already road tyrants on the official road in Yizhou during Luo Yansheng's time. This group of commoners collected tolls and were also selective. They wouldn't provoke those with a large number of people and would only target those with a small number of people. Therefore, even if something happened, it didn't get out of hand.
However, Du Qi didn't encounter such people along the way in Gaochang Province. Now that he encountered such a situation as soon as he entered Yizhou, Du Qi wasn't happy.
Du Qi asked, "Which village are you from?"
Meng Fu said, "We're from the nearby Danshan Village. The quality of our soil is too poor and unsuitable for farming. Therefore, we don't have any sources of income and thought of collecting tolls. "
Meng Fu then knelt down and said, "Young Noble, please be magnanimous and spare us. We will never do the same thing as collecting tolls again. The people of Danshan Village won't participate in it again. "
Du Qi sneered, "If there's a first time, there will naturally be a second time. You've made a mistake, so if I let you go now, you won't do it again. Soon, you'll do it again. Moreover, you said you're poor, but I don't think you're poor. Although you're wearing ordinary clothes, you don't look sallow and emaciated. "
After a pause, Du Qi continued, "Arrange someone to go back and inform the people in the village to prepare ten strings of coins to ransom you. Otherwise, none of you will be able to leave. If we kill you today, we'll die in vain. "
Boom!!
The commoners were in an uproar.
Ten strings of coins.
This wasn't a small amount!
Even if they used to collect tolls and saved up some money, ten strings of coins would still make them feel the pinch. As they discussed, many people even began to shirk responsibility and blame themselves.
Du Qi looked around and continued, "All of you, shut up and arrange for someone to pass the message. If you don't do it now, I'll kill you immediately. Since you're robbing people, you'll die in vain. "
When everyone heard this, they all shut up.
When Meng Fu heard this, he said decisively, "Meng Laoer, go back and inform the elder to prepare the money. Every household will fork out money and gather ten strings of coins to redeem him. "
Most of the people in Danshan Village had the surname Meng.
There were elders in the village.
They were the ones in charge.
As Meng Fu finished speaking, Meng Laoer stood out. He was a child less than twenty years old. He wasn't tall and had a thin body. He nodded at Meng Fu and left quickly.
Meng Fu was unwilling and begged for mercy again, "Young Master, we failed to recognize Mount Tai this time. We're willing to apologize for offending you. But Young Master, can you reduce the 10 strings of coins a little?! To you, ten strings of coins is a drop in the ocean. To us villagers, it's not easy to gather money from each family. "
Du Qi said, "You're here to collect tolls, but do you think it's easy for others to earn money?"
Meng Fu smiled embarrassedly.
He wanted to seek forgiveness from Du Qi, but he didn't expect to be rebutted by Du Qi the moment he opened his mouth. Under this premise, Meng Fu didn't know how to continue.
Du Qi said, "Meng Fu, let me ask you a few questions."
When Meng Fu heard this, a hopeful look appeared on his face and he hurriedly said, "Please ask, Young Master."
Du Qi said, "As far as I know, Yizhou is exempt from agricultural taxes and corvee labor for three years. In addition, there are many factories that need people to work and many fortifications are in progress. As long as one has the strength and is willing to farm, it shouldn't be difficult to earn money. "
Meng Fu smiled embarrassedly.
He didn't reply.
There were indeed many opportunities in Yizhou. As long as they were willing, they could earn money. The problem was that after collecting tolls and tasting the benefits, many people had other ideas.
As Du Qi said, after the first time, there would be a second time. Some people were unwilling to work outside to earn money, nor were they willing to farm honestly. They relied on tolls to live.
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