Chapter 435
Chapter 435
“Then use those damn eyes of yours and see for yourself. What do the warriors of the State of Qiang look like? Do you think anyone holding the banner of the Heavenly Wolf Raiders is from Qiang? Look closely!”
In truth, it wasn't difficult to distinguish someone from Qiang from someone from Yue. The people of Qiang lived as pastoralists on the high plateaus, so their skin was generally ruddy or dark. Even their facial features were different from the people of Yue.
“Have you had a good look? Look again. These are the warriors of Qiang. Every one of them has a dark, ruddy face, a stout build, short, and ugly. On top of that, they’re bow-legged.”
Hearing Shen Lang’s words, the Qiang warriors glared at him angrily.
‘Damn you, pretty boy, what’s that supposed to mean? We fought for you, and this is how you trample on us and insult us?’
Shen Lang’s gaze swept over the Qiang soldiers, and they instantly flinched.
‘He’s right. We have dark, ruddy skin, we’re stout and short, ugly, and bow-legged. This pretty boy in front of us is the one who invoked the wrath of the heavens and wiped out tens of thousands of Qiang troops and Aruotai. Let’s not mess with him. Let’s not.’
Shen Lang turned to the scholar and spoke.
“Did you see clearly? Now, think back. Were the Qiang soldiers who set fires, murdered, and plundered in Baiye Commandery real or fake?”
The scholar closed his eyes and said nothing.
“Speak. Were the Qiang soldiers who plundered, murdered, and set fires before real?”
“Who knows? The sword is in your hand now. Whatever you say goes, doesn’t it?”
Shen Lang’s eyes narrowed.
“I see now. You know the truth but pretend not to. You want to pin this false accusation on me? Fine. I’ll grant you your wish. I have no choice, as this is to prove you right.”
Shen Lang plunged the dagger into the scholar’s chest, and everyone gasped in shock. The scholar coughed up blood, staring at Shen Lang in disbelief.
‘Is… is this man truly insane?’
“It matters not how many remnants of the Su Clan I kill!”
Shen Lang looked at the commoners and smiled.
“Some of you are genuinely foolish, some know the truth but feign ignorance, and some are just trying to profit from the chaos. I will state it plainly here. The plundering, arson, and murder committed by Qiang warriors across the land have nothing to do with me. Someone impersonated them to carry out the slaughter. Do you all understand?”
As soon as Shen Lang finished, someone from the crowd of thousands shouted insidiously.
“How can you prove that? Do you have any evidence that you’re not involved? It was clearly your doing, and it’s too late to try and talk your way out of it now.”
Shen Lang pointed at him.
“The person who just spoke, step forward!”
In that instant, the crowd fell silent, their mouths shut. The one who had just shouted also went quiet, smirking to himself from within the crowd.
‘I’m hidden among the people, what can you do to me? The law can’t punish a mob. What are you going to do? You foolish pretty boy.’
Shen Lang pointed in a certain direction within the crowd and said.
“He is over there. Those of you around him who wish to expose him, point him out.”
But no one pointed out the speaker. Instead, the people huddled closer, burying the man deeper within the crowd. Shen Lang smiled.
“Interesting, very interesting. You all know the looting has nothing to do with me, yet you still choose to be my enemy, to oppose me. Is it because you need an outlet for your resentment? Fine. Very well. If you won’t expose him, I’ll just have to arrest everyone in that area. Seize them!”
At Shen Lang’s command, hundreds of warriors surged forward without hesitation and dragged out the dozens of people from the area he had indicated. Instantly, they began to wail and cry like tormented ghosts.
“I’ll just kill them all. Kill them all!”
The moment those words were spoken, the dozens of people simultaneously pointed at one man.
“It’s him! He’s the one who said it.”
The culprit was immediately identified, captured, and brought forward.
“Whose man are you, inciting the people here? Yang Yongnian? Zheng Tuo? Or someone sent by the Su Clan? But it doesn’t matter who your backer is! Cut him in half!”
A moment later, the man was sliced in two at the waist. Several people in the crowd wet themselves in terror again. Shen Lang looked at the dozens who had been captured, took out a ruler, and slapped each of them across the face.
*Slap, slap, slap, slap.*
He struck them all hard enough to draw blood from the corners of their mouths.
“Now, will there be anyone else interrupting me or acting deviously?”
The people all bowed their heads, not daring to utter a word.
“I just declared that the plundering by the Qiang soldiers had nothing to do with me. Yet you claimed I was making excuses, trying to absolve myself of guilt! That claim is wrong. I did not do it, so no one can pin that crime on me. I had never killed commoners before, but today, I have! Not only did I kill your companion, but I also struck these remnants of the Su Clan.”
Shen Lang took out his official seal and toyed with it.
“In any case, I care little for official posts, so I care even less for public sentiment. In other words, I don’t give a damn whether you live or die. You fools can continue to do as you please. Go to the capital and report me directly to the Emperor, do whatever you want, I couldn't care less.
I came here to Tianxi Province for one reason only: revenge, to annihilate the Su Clan. Upholding justice, siding with the people, salvaging a perilous situation, earning merits—I couldn't care less about any of that. Are you cursing me in your hearts? It doesn’t matter. But if anyone dares to cross me, I don’t care who they are or how pitiful they may be, I will kill them all. Then I will brand them as remnants of the Su Clan. Of course, the people of Zhenyuan City fought alongside me, so I will show them some small consideration.
As for the rest of you, you could all die, and I wouldn't even bat an eye. I am Shen Lang, the son-in-law of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate, and a rather stubborn man. If you wish to seek revenge on me, you are more than welcome! But for those who don’t want to die right now, clear the way. Otherwise, the list of Su Clan remnants I need to trample to death will only grow longer. Three, two, one!”
As he finished, the thousands of people there silently parted.
“Fools…”
Shen Lang mounted his horse again, spitting out the insult with contempt, completely ignoring the thousands of hostile stares. He turned his body and spoke to Yang Yongnian, the Central Commandant of Tianxi Province.
“Lord Yang, let’s go back.”
Yang Yongnian clutched his bleeding ear with one hand, pointed at Shen Lang, and shouted in a furious voice.
“Shen Lang, you are finished, finished! You led Qiang cavalry to attack the official army of Yue. That’s tantamount to treason. You’re done for! Shen Lang, you… what are you doing?”
Shen Lang replied.
“Nothing much. It seems you’re having trouble moving quickly, so I’m helping you.”
To his horror, Yang Yongnian realized a rope had been placed around his neck. Not only that, but Shen Lang held the other end. Just like that, Shen Lang began to drag Yang Yongnian away as if walking a dog. At first, the pace was slow enough for Yang Yongnian to keep up, but as they went on, Shen Lang urged his horse faster and faster until Yang Yongnian could no longer follow. He eventually fell to the ground and was ruthlessly dragged along by the rope.
“Hiyah, hiyah!”
Shen Lang spurred his warhorse desperately. The body of Yang Yongnian, Central Commandant of Tianxi Province, was dragged madly across the ground. Soon, the clothes on his back were worn away, and his exposed flesh was scraped bloody against the earth.
“Aaaargh!”
Yang Yongnian let out an utterly wretched scream, his soul nearly leaving his body.
“Shen Lang, spare me, spare me! I’ll confess. It was Zheng Tuo. Zheng Tuo’s cavalry disguised themselves as Qiang soldiers and plundered, murdered, and set fires everywhere. He killed over ten thousand innocent people and framed you for it. We captured the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Estate without a fight, so we had to stage the scene of a fierce battle. We reported killing eight thousand of the Su Clan’s grand army, so we needed a large number of heads. That’s why we killed the commoners and pinned the blame on you!”
To save his own life, Yang Yongnian shouted at the top of his lungs. Shen Lang dismounted and looked at the commoners behind him.
“Did you all hear that?”
They all heard. The truth was now revealed; the one who had killed the innocent people was not Shen Lang, but Zheng Tuo. But the thousands of commoners still stared at Shen Lang with eyes full of hatred. Shen Lang had already anticipated this outcome. Because often, the masses don’t want the truth; they just need a target for their resentment.
Yang Yongnian had always treated them with a gentle face, and they had never even seen Zheng Tuo. Moreover, to win over the people, Zheng Tuo had distributed the food from the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s estate to the citizens of Baiye Commandery. In contrast, they had seen Shen Lang before, and each time he was triumphant and unbearably arrogant, which had wounded their pride. For that reason, no matter how much Yang Yongnian confessed that he and Zheng Tuo were the ones who had madly plundered and killed the people, in their hearts, the culprit for this affair was already Shen Lang. There was no reason for it, other than the fact that they disliked him.
This was human nature. In the minds of these common folk, anyone who spoke pleasant words to them was a good person. In contrast, Shen Lang, who always acted high and mighty, cold and heartless, was undoubtedly a bad person and a corrupt official in their eyes. Shen Lang had long seen through this, which was why he found being an official not the least bit enjoyable. This kind of thankless job was best left to people like Zhang Chong.
“Fools!”
Shen Lang cursed once more and spurred his horse into a frantic gallop.
“Aaaargh!”
Yang Yongnian’s miserable screams echoed again. After being dragged for dozens of miles, he could no longer even scream. Everything below his thighs had been ground away.
An hour later.
Shen Lang’s two thousand cavalrymen charged into Zhenyuan City. Everything below Yang Yongnian’s waist was gone, and he had long since stopped breathing.
Shen Lang asked Wuyue.
“Is Yang Yongnian’s family in Zhenyuan City?”
“Yes. Two sons, a younger brother, and eight nephews live here.”
“Did they commit evil deeds?”
“They committed every evil deed imaginable. When they impersonated Qiang soldiers to commit all sorts of atrocities, they also participated.”
“Then kill them all and send their bodies to Zheng Tuo at the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Estate!”
“Yes!”
Another hour later, all of Yang Yongnian’s family living in Zhenyuan City had been killed. In addition, the bodies of the thousands of trash soldiers Yang Yongnian had brought with him were loaded onto carts and sent to the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Estate.
“After a short rest, we will dispatch troops to the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Estate.”
At Shen Lang’s words, Wuyue asked in a trembling voice.
“Young Master, are we to attack the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Estate?”
Shen Lang nodded.
“That’s right.”
“But we have already eliminated Su Nan’s entire clan. Haven’t we already achieved a perfect victory?”
“I originally did not intend to deal with Zheng Tuo. His daughter, Zheng Hongshan, is Jin Hui’s wife, after all. Besides, even if I didn’t touch him, His Majesty would take care of him. But even though I left him alone, he took the initiative to provoke me. This is no different from him pressuring me to annihilate his entire army and his clan.”
If Grandmaster Banye had been there, she would have understood why Shen Lang had so many enemies.
“But Young Master, Zheng Tuo currently has an army of twenty thousand, and the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Estate is built in an incredibly strategic location, like an iron fortress.”
“Rest assured. When have I ever fought a battle I wasn’t confident in winning? Since I have said I will eliminate Zheng Tuo, I will definitely eliminate him! Since I’ve come to pacify Tianxi Province, I might as well sweep it clean!”