Bai Jinhuan replied in a deep voice, "Yes!"
Wu Shuangren looked up at the sky; the sun had already climbed to its zenith, and it was almost noon.
"You stay here and guard these surrendered soldiers with the First Battalion. I'll take the Imperial Guard to He Family Town."
Wu Shuangren said.
He ordered the militiamen wearing infantry armor to take off their armor, and then had the remaining infantry armor carried out of the ship.
Thirty-eight bodyguards with good physiques and skills were selected and made to wear iron armor.
Wu Shuangren also put on a set.
Finally, he picked up his longsword, mounted his horse, and had someone take He Xingzhou with him. The eighty-odd riders left the dock and headed towards He Family Town!
The sound of hooves was like muffled thunder, and the dust billowed behind them like a yellow dragon. On the official road along the way, some pedestrians heard the sound of hooves from afar, looked up, and saw a dark mass of iron cavalry rushing out of the dust. They were so frightened that they scrambled to the side of the road.
It's less than three miles from Yi Province Wharf to He Family Town; you can get there quickly on horseback.
There are no tall city walls around He Family Town, only a low earthen wall that surrounds a large area of buildings. Tens of thousands of people live there, a third of whom are surnamed He.
A few servants lazily stood guard at the town entrance, questioning people coming and going to prevent any suspicious individuals from sneaking into the town.
Hearing the sound of hooves, the group turned around in surprise and soon saw dozens of riders rushing out of the dust. The riders in front were completely covered in iron armor, with only their eyes showing, which gleamed coldly!
"Oh my god!"
The servants were all startled.
"These are officers and soldiers!"
"They must be the elite troops from the capital!"
"The Yi Province military commander has arrived with his men?"
As they spoke, the group quickly moved aside, showing no courage to stop or question them. They simply watched as Wu Shuangren led his personal guards and rode straight in.
The streets of He Family Town are fairly wide, enough for three horses to ride abreast. The horses' hooves clattered on the bluestone slabs, making a series of sounds like drumming.
People along the way looked at Wu Shuangren and his group with terrified eyes, hiding inside their houses and not daring to come out.
The He family mansion is located in the middle of the town, with a vermilion gate and two stone lions at the entrance, making it very imposing.
Wu Shuangren rode his horse to the gate of the He residence, gave a signal, and his guards rode around the residence, surrounding the entire mansion.
After completing the encirclement, Wu Shuangren dismounted and led thirty-eight personal guards dressed in infantry armor directly into the mansion.
The gatekeeper was so terrified that he didn't dare to stop them.
Hearing the commotion outside, more than twenty servants had already gathered in the front yard, all dressed in leather armor, carrying swords and spears, and looking ready for battle.
"Who dares to come to my He Family and cause trouble...?"
The leader shouted, but when he saw who had barged in, his words caught in his throat, and the servants froze on the spot.
Kneel down!
Wu Shuangren, holding a long-handled broadsword, stood on the steps, looking down at the group of people in the courtyard. "Or die!"
"... Who are you? Is there some misunderstanding?"
"Kill!"
Wu Shuangren stopped talking and pointed his long-handled broadsword forward.
The armored guards behind him pounced like tigers released from their cages!
What followed was a massacre. Even though these servants were skilled in martial arts, they were almost powerless against the well-coordinated guards dressed in infantry armor.
Some lay in pools of blood, some threw down their weapons and surrendered, some fled...
"Gather everyone in the courtyard. Anyone who resists, kill them!"
Wu Shuangren gave the order, "At least four people per group, do not act alone."
"Yes!"
The guards obeyed and left.
Wu Shuangren had his personal guards bring He Xingzhou in, leading him through the front yard to the main hall in the central courtyard.
He Xingzhou knelt outside the main hall, while Wu Shuangren sat down in the main seat.
In less than half an hour, all of the more than one hundred people in the He family were escorted to the main courtyard in the central courtyard.
The cries of the woman and child were intermittent.
Wu Shuangren stood up and walked out of the hall. He Xingzhou knelt at his feet, his whole body limp.
"Your patriarch, driven by greed and a desire to curry favor with the Mist Hidden Temple, robbed my goods and killed my men at the docks!"
Wu Shuangren's voice resounded throughout the courtyard, drowning out all other noises.
The He Family looked at him with fear or resentment.
"All those in charge of the He Family, from He Xingzhou downwards, step forward!"
Wu Shuangren shouted.
"..."
No one stepped forward; everyone lowered their heads.
"If no one steps forward, then you will all die with He Xingzhou!"
Wu Shuangren said coldly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd stirred, with some crying out and others begging for mercy.
He Xingzhou was happening and desperately kowtowed to Wu Shuangren, pleading, "Militia Commander Wu! Master Wu! All the blame lies with me. Please have mercy and spare my family!"
Please!
He banged his head on the ground again and again, his forehead quickly breaking open and becoming a bloody mess.
But Wu Shuangren ignored him, his gaze sweeping over the restless crowd. He unleashed his Internal Skill and roared like thunder, "I'll count down to ten. If no one steps forward, or no one identifies anyone, then you all die!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The guards surrounding them all drew their swords.
The crowd became even more agitated, and finally someone spoke up to identify the culprit:
"He's the steward of the He Family!"
"And him too!"
"Him too!"
"..."
A group of people pushed and shoved each other, hurling insults.
Wu Shuangren gestured to his guards, who stepped forward to separate the pushing and shoving crowd, pulling out all those who had been identified and separating them to one side.
During this process, some people collapsed to the ground, giving up resistance; some begged for mercy; some cursed loudly; and some tried to escape.
Those who tried to escape were all killed on the spot with a single blow, and the courtyard was filled with the stench of blood.
After the initial chaos, fifteen people were identified and separated.
Wu Shuangren called the fifteen people to him one by one, inquiring about their identities, and then asked if there were any other leaders among the crowd.
After this questioning, four more people were arrested.
These nineteen people He Xingzhou's first wife, his brothers, sons, nephews, and others; they were all at the center of power within the He Family.
Wu Shuangren looked at He Xingzhou, whose head had already been smashed open, and suddenly swept his Mo Dao downwards, cleanly and neatly severing the head of the He Family!
He then gestured to his personal guards beside him.
swish swish swish --
The guards swiftly drew their swords and slaughtered the remaining nineteen men one by one!
The head rolled off, and the blood stained the blue bricks on the ground dark red.
The courtyard was filled with crying; someone had fainted from fright, and the smell of blood was strong.
"Take all the heads with you, and all the armor you find."
Wu Shuangren gave the final order and strode towards the outside of the He residence.
In fact, there was still a lot of money and valuables in the He family mansion, but he did not order a looting, because he could not afford to worry about those things now.
If we can win the next battle, all the wealth in this place will be ours!
If we can't win, seizing more money now will only benefit others.
By the time Wu Shuangren returned to the dock with his personal guards, it was already dark.
Several hundred people remained kneeling on the ground, guarded by Bai Jinhuan and a large contingent of militiamen, and dared not move.
"Find all the ringleaders!"
Wu Shuangren gave the order.
Among those who surrendered were some He Family, whom he naturally wouldn't let go.
After another round of trouble, the seven members of the He Family were in charge were identified.
"Kill!"
Wu Shuangren gave the order expressionlessly.
In the end, the twenty heads brought from the He family mansion, along with the seven heads from the dock, were laid out in a row on the ground.
Wu Shuangren stood in front of this row of heads and looked down at his hands.
When I first lived in Bo County, I felt disgusted whenever I saw the corpse of someone I knew.
When he killed those people from the Xie family in West River Market, he still needed a bunch of reasons to convince himself.
And now...
A person's heart can harden over time!
The militiamen nearby were also looking in their direction.
Looking at the row of heads on the ground, the anger of the large group of people who were furious about the deaths of their comrades gradually subsided.
From West River Market to Yi Province Wharf, Wu Shuangren fulfilled his promise to them.
Anyone who hurts me must pay the price!
The He Family servants and laborers on the dock looked at Wu Shuangren, who stood in front of that row of heads, wearing iron armor and holding a long sword, with fear in their eyes, as if they were looking at a demon god!
"Commander-in-Chief."
Bai Jinhuan walked to Wu Shuangren's side, sensing that his leader's mood seemed unusual.
Wu Shuangren turned to look at Bai Jinhuan, his eyes now firm and confident again:
"Go and arrange for the brothers to eat in turn."
"Yes."
Bai Jinhuan the order and left.
At 11:45 PM, a winding fire dragon appeared on the official road outside the dock.
The main force has arrived!
The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as Xu Jing rode his horse at the head of the procession.
Wu Shuangren took a deep breath and rode his horse to meet them.
After meeting with Xu Jing and Guo Jiwang, he briefly recounted the events at the Yi Province Wharf.
"You even have infantrymen?!"
Xu Jing looked shocked.
Wu Shuangren glanced at the county constable but offered no further explanation.