Whenever he thought that Qin Yining might have suffered the same pain as these women, Pang Xiao's anger boiled. Turning around and glaring at the more than a thousand captives behind him, Pang Xiao exhaled deeply and only said one word: "Kill."
Huzi immediately understood and ordered the soldiers to move towards the captives.
When the bandits saw the murderous intent of the soldiers, they were all scared witless and kowtowed repeatedly to beg for mercy.
"Spare us, ancestors, spare us, we have already surrendered!"
"Yes, we will turn over a new leaf and never be bandits again. The world is not good and we had no choice but to become bandits on the mountain. We really didn't mean it!"
"Please spare us, please spare us, Your Majesty!"
…
Pang Xiao looked back and said coldly: "If This King lets you go, what will happen to the common people who have been harmed by you? Do you have a reason to be bandits and harm others just because you are pitiful?
"You are men, but you rely on your strength to bully the weak and oppress good women. Don't you have mothers and sisters at home? Don't you have wives and daughters? You trample on other people's women. Have you ever thought about whether you are worthy of your conscience?
"This King hates people like you the most. If you have the ability, go fight against the foreign enemies! Go to the north and fight the Tatars! You have so much strength, but you use it all to bully women! You all deserve to die! "
At this point, Pang Xiao said sternly: "Kill! These bandits are wicked beyond redemption. Leave none alive! "
"Yes!" This was the first time that the remaining nine hundred plus soldiers were so willing to obey Pang Xiao's orders.
Although they had been bribed to cause trouble for Pang Xiao, they had truly witnessed Pang Xiao's ability in this battle. They had never seen such a clean and efficient command before.
What's more, the way Pang Xiao dealt with the bandits and saved the people had won their admiration. Regardless of whether they were on the opposite side in the past, just looking at Pang Xiao's character now, it was worthy of admiration.
They were soldiers and looked down on those who relied on their strength to commit crimes. Even after they were caught, they still acted pitiful and had no choice. Just like what Wang Ye had said, if they had the ability, they should go to the battlefield and kill the enemy. What kind of ability was bullying women, the elderly, and children?!
For a moment, Mount Azure Dragon was filled with the smell of blood. The bandits' cries and pleas for mercy were mixed together.
The women who wanted to commit suicide were all dumbstruck when they saw this hellish scene.
They had never seen so many people being killed in one breath in their entire lives. Moreover, it was done in the blink of an eye. The thick smell of blood filled the air, making them want to vomit.
However, even though they were afraid, they were more elated by the fact that they had gotten their revenge.
Some women were crying, some women were crying and laughing at the same time. Some even wanted to commit suicide. Pang Xiao hurriedly ordered people to stop them.
"Even if you are homeless, can't you be stronger? Live for yourself? This King promises that after we get out, he will find a way to arrange work for you. He will guarantee that no one will bully you and you will be able to make a living with your own two hands. Since you managed to survive in such a dangerous place, can't you cherish your own lives? This King will not go around announcing where you came from. He will only treat you as refugees and settle you down. Believe me! "
Pang Xiao anxiously comforted the crowd. There were also many kind-hearted people left in the army who also tried to persuade them. They were all clumsy and rough men. They didn't know how to speak in a genteel manner. They only tried to persuade them in the most honest way possible.
"Big sister, you are still young. Why do you want to die because of someone else's words?"
"Little girl, it would be such a pity if you died. If your parents knew, wouldn't they be in so much pain?"
…
Surrounded by such kindness, the women finally couldn't help but let go of their emotions and burst into tears. However, everyone gradually gave up on the idea of committing suicide.
Pang Xiao listened to the continuous wave of mournful cries and his heart didn't feel good.
He turned around and ordered Huzi: "Go down the mountain and find the Princess Consort. Ask her if there is a place in her village that can temporarily accommodate these women. If the Princess Consort asks, just tell her the truth. "
"Yes, I will go now." Huzi heard the order and immediately rushed down the mountain.
Pang Xiao ordered people to count the treasures and valuables in the Cang Long Mountain Bandit Stronghold. A small number of literate people went to register the names, ages, birthplaces, and skills of the rescued people to make it easier to manage.
He wasn't in a hurry to bring the people down the mountain because out of the seven hundred people he rescued, nearly five hundred were women. Even if he brought them back to the army camp, there was no place for them to settle down. It was better to wait here for news.
*
Qin Yining was currently holding Brother Han and comforting him.
Perhaps it was the beginning of spring, but the child had caught a small cold in the past two days. Qin Yining's heart was extremely distressed. Even though Bing Tang repeatedly assured her that the child would be fine, she was still so worried that she couldn't sleep the entire night. At this time, Brother Han and Brother Zhao had both taken their medicine. Brother Zhao was being comforted by Bing Tang. Qin Yining was actually comforting Brother Han, whose illness was more serious. The two children had just fallen asleep when the warm curtain in front of the door was lifted. Ji Yun silently walked in. She curtsied and pointed outside.
Qin Yining knew something had happened. She held the infant and hummed a small tune in a low voice. She placed the child in the cradle and softly instructed the wet nurse to take good care of him before tiptoeing out of the warm room.
When she reached the corridor, Qin Yining gathered her shoulders and asked in a low voice: "What is it?"
"Princess Consort, Huzi has returned. He said that Wang Ye has something to say to you."
Qin Yining nodded and immediately went to see Huzi.
Huzi's soft armor was black, so no dried blood could be seen. However, his hair was messy and there was a faint smell of blood on his body. It was obvious that he had been through a fierce battle.
Qin Yining worriedly stepped forward and asked anxiously: "What happened?"
Huzi quickly bowed and explained with a smile: "Princess Consort, don't worry. This is the blood of those bandits. Wang Ye is not injured, and neither am I. Today, Wang Ye took us to suppress the bandits. "
"Suppress the bandits?" When Qin Yining heard about suppressing the bandits, she subconsciously thought that it was the plan they had discussed before.
But on second thought, there weren't that many bodyguards on the Four-Way Pass. It was unlikely that Hu Zi, who was always by Pang Xiao's side, had to go into battle to kill the enemy and get himself covered in blood. Therefore, they must have really gone to suppress the bandits.
Qin Yining carefully asked about what had happened today.
Huzi explained how General Huzi's camp had been in chaos and how Pang Xiao had arranged everything. Finally, she talked about the women who had nowhere else to go and wanted to commit suicide.
"Wang Ye managed to persuade them with great difficulty, but there were still many women who couldn't accept it and committed suicide before he could. It was very pitiful. The camp was filled with men, so there was no way to bring these women back. Therefore, Wang Ye came to beg Princess Consort to see if there was any way to settle them down. Do you have any work on the farmstead? Let them do it first and at least give them a way out. "
When Qin Yining heard Huzi's words, she could relate it to the tragic scene at the time. Her heart was moved. Even if she didn't have a place to settle these people down, she would think of a way.
Qin Yining said: "Don't worry. There is a lot of work to be done on the farmstead. Also, I just discussed with Master Zhong about setting up a silk factory and a weaving factory. We need women to do the work for mulberry trees, silkworms, and textiles. Even if this didn't happen, I would still find other people to do it. If these women are willing, they can all come to my place. "
When Huzi heard this, her face lit up with joy: "Princess Consort, you are such a good person!"
She bowed to Qin Yining and said: "I will go back and tell Wang Ye. Wang Ye will definitely be very happy. Don't look at how Wang Ye killed those bandits without batting an eye. What Wang Ye hates the most is letting innocent people die in vain. "
Qin Yining smiled, her eyes curved as she said: "I know. He is the kindest and most gentle person."
More importantly, Pang Xiao was a person who could think from a woman's point of view. He didn't have so many stereotypes in his heart and looked down on women.
She could see this point when Qin Yining kidnapped her to the Tatan and Pang Xiao risked defying the imperial decree to find her. He didn't suspect her at all.
When Huzi heard Qin Yining praise her for being a good person, Wang Ye, she was happier than anything else. She happily bowed to Qin Yining and asked about the situation at home. Then she hurriedly walked out.
Qin Yining ordered someone to find Master Zhong and arrange for the women to settle down.
"Princess Consort, we still don't have complete confidence in setting up the factory. The factory site hasn't been chosen yet. I'm afraid we still have to settle the people on the farmstead first."
"I also think so. We can let them learn during this time." Qin Yining said with a smile.
Master Zhong said with some worry: "Princess Consort, what I mean is that if these weak women are arranged to live on the farmstead, I'm afraid it will cause dissatisfaction in many people's hearts, especially Head Shopkeeper Xia. You just exempted the tenants on the farmstead from paying rent. I'm afraid Head Shopkeeper Xia is stomping his feet right now. "
Qin Yining smiled and said: "I know what you mean. But let's just do what we need to do. There's no need to care about other people's thoughts.
If he is dissatisfied, he can come directly to me. "
Seeing Qin Yining smile so calmly and happily, Master Zhong felt his heart lighten up and also smiled.
Shopkeeper Zhong then led his men to arrange food and lodging for those women.
When Huzi returned to Mount Cang Long, he saw dozens of horse carriages winding along the mountain road. Each carriage was filled with gold and silver, treasures, porcelain, silk, and even furniture made of red sandalwood and yellow rosewood.
Huzi clicked his tongue: "My goodness, these bandits really know how to plunder. Where did they get so many valuable things?"
"Didn't they all get it from robbery? The rich families around here have all been robbed clean by them. " A soldier spat. It wasn't clear whether he despised these bandits or was jealous that they could make a fortune.
When Pang Xiao heard Huzi's reply, she thought of Qin Yining's confident appearance when he said he could settle these women without any pressure. Her smile became even gentler.
His wife had always been an intelligent and capable person.
With her at home helping him manage the household, he could work hard outside without worry.
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