Chapter 7
Seeing their generals surrender, the rest of the soldiers didn't say anything more and surrendered collectively.
"Well done. In a moment, follow my orders and come with me to raid their houses!" Looking at the soldiers, a slight smile played on Lia's lips.
"Raid their houses?" Ember was stunned upon hearing this.
"Yes, raid their houses." Lia nodded. "We'll start with that Aristocratic Family surnamed Jia in Wuan Commandery!"
It wasn't just the members of the Black Tiger Gang and Prefect Wang who committed evil in Wuan Commandery; those Aristocratic Families were also involved.
These families also held vast amounts of land and grain. Lia wouldn't let them off. The land and a portion of the grain would be distributed to the commoners, while she would take the money for herself.
Once they did these things, whether the soldiers surrendered sincerely or were forced, there would be no turning back. They could only follow Lia all the way to the end.
Even if they wanted to turn over a new leaf later, the Aristocratic Families whose homes they had raided would never let them go!
Realizing this, Ember's mouth twitched, and he said somewhat helplessly, "Yes."
The key to Lia's plan was that once the commoners were given land and tasted the sweetness of it, it would be difficult for those Aristocratic Families to make them hand it over again.
Of course, facing the imperial army, even if the commoners were unwilling, they would have to hand it over for the sake of their lives.
But once Lia held off the imperial army's offensive for them, the commoners' thoughts would change. They would surely find ways to help her.
So even if the commoners didn't help them openly, they would surely provide all kinds of useful intelligence in secret!
Thus, striking the local tyrants and distributing the land effectively tied the commoners and herself together. The person who came up with this method was truly incredible—worthy of being called a great man!
"However, go maintain order now. Don't let any injuries happen to the commoners, or it will go against my original intention." Lia waved her hand.
"Yes, Miss." Ember immediately called his subordinates to maintain order.
Watching Lia handle all this with ease, Merlin felt dazed for a moment. How did he not know Lia's methods were so formidable?
He usually taught her how to govern a country; no wonder Lia didn't want to learn. His governance plans were like dog shit—no wonder she looked down on them!
Striking the local tyrants and distributing the land was indeed stronger than anything else!
Of course, this was only something a penniless Lia could do. If she were to draw her sword and claim kingship in Britain, she would inevitably need the support of the local nobles. If she did such a thing to the nobles, she would surely be pulled off the throne immediately, causing national turmoil.
But here, it was different. Lia had no need to cooperate with those Aristocratic Families. Right now, Lia was a bandit; it didn't matter what she did. The Aristocratic Families were just leeks for Lia to "harvest" ruthlessly!
There were so many Aristocratic Families in the land of China—if not a hundred thousand, then tens of thousands! Just under the jurisdiction of Wuan Commandery, there were several!
Ancient commanderies were similar to modern cities, with many counties existing beneath them.
Of course, Lia wouldn't raid just any Aristocratic Family; she would still be reasonable.
Those who committed evil would have their houses raided without question. If the degree of evil wasn't high, she would only take their land. Finally, for those who did no evil at all, she would pay to buy their land.
Naturally, if you didn't cooperate, Lia would still take it by force.
Since she had decided that the land would be state-owned, she naturally wouldn't let these families hold so much land and continue to exploit other farmers, even if they truly hadn't done anything wrong.
Feeling that the commoners wouldn't cause a scene, Lia sent Ember to raid the houses.
"Merlin, follow him. I'm worried there might be some experts among those Aristocratic Families. If an unexpected situation arises, help them." Lia said to Merlin.
"Yes, yes, yes." At this point, no matter how foolish Merlin was, he knew what Lia was up to.
But he never imagined Lia would come here to cause trouble—this was a super empire, after all.
What was Lia doing? Planning to rebel and start an uprising in this place? He felt Lia's train of thought was quite extraordinary.
Thus, Merlin and Ember led the group of soldiers and directly smashed through the gates of the Jia Family!
Lia continued to distribute grain to the commoners in the square.
Speaking of this Jia Family, they were said to be descendants of the famous Jia Xu from the Three Kingdoms period.
Of course, Lia didn't care whose descendant you were; what she cared about was whether you, as an Aristocratic Family, had set a good example. If not, Lia would help him set another kind of "example"!
"Who are you! What are you doing?!" The Jia Family stewards cried out as they saw a group of soldiers rushing into their home and arresting people without a word.
However, the soldiers didn't respond at all. One directly slapped him across the face, and while he was still dazed, he was bound with a rope.
By the time he was tied up, he still had no idea what was happening.
Just then, a middle-aged man stepped out from the Jia residence. Looking at the chaotic front hall, he couldn't help but say angrily:
"You lackeys, do you know what place this is? To barge in and start arresting people without saying a word! Whose subordinates are you? Even that fellow Prefect Wang has to give me face!"
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Chapter 15: Not One Can Be Let Go
"Master Jia, greetings. We are just following orders. Please take a trip to the market square; our Miss requests your presence." Ember said with a forced smile.
Having done this, he truly had no turning back. He couldn't be happy about it at all. But if he didn't do it, someone else would, and he would be dealt with.
It could be said that now there was only one path to follow to the end.
"Ember, you should know my identity, right? I'm quite curious—who gave you the courage to come to my Jia Family and just start arresting people without a word?" Master Jia asked curiously.
Although he didn't know what had happened, he wasn't panicked. Their Jia Family's influence in Western Liang was quite large. He didn't believe the people arresting him would dare to do anything to him.
"Master Jia, let's see if you can survive first. Take everyone from the Jia Family away—don't let even a single dog go!"
"?"
Ember ignored the threat in Master Jia's words and simply waved his hand. The soldiers stepped forward to take everyone from the Jia Family away.
"Don't even think about taking our master!" Just then, over a dozen of the Jia Family's retainers jumped out from the courtyard, shielding Master Jia behind them.
These retainers were all brimming with the aura of Internal Power, and many of them were Second-rate Experts.
"Oh?" Looking at those Second-rate Experts, Merlin felt a spark of interest.
There were truly many so-called martial arts people in this country. If these fellows were thrown into Britain, they would be considered decent fighters, yet he had encountered two in a single day here.
Although the previous one was killed by Lia with a single palm strike.
However, this also showed that Lia's choice to have him help was correct; otherwise, with these people's help, it wouldn't be easy for the soldiers to take down the Jia Family.
Seeing Merlin looking at them with a playful gaze, the group only felt a wave of nausea. This man looked so effeminate; could he be gay?
Just as they were thinking this, Merlin suddenly pulled a pink flower from his robes, which only confirmed their suspicion that Merlin was gay!
Otherwise, why would a normal person pull out a flower for no reason, and such a pink one at that!
Merlin had no idea they were wondering if he was gay. He tossed the flower into the air, and it suddenly scattered into petals with the wind, drifting directly onto the guards.
When the guards were touched by the petals, their vision blurred, and they couldn't help but fall forward. In the final moment before they closed their eyes, they saw Merlin's lewd smile (actually a normal smile).
Their last thought was, "My chrysanthemum is in danger!"
After Merlin dealt with those at the gate...
Soon, a large group of people from the Jia Family—nearly dozens of them, plus a few dogs—were brought to the square by Ember.
Seeing the group from the Jia Family, a smile appeared on Lia's face, and she said, "General Ember, well done. Bring them all up."
Since Lia intended to put these Aristocratic Families on trial, she naturally had to announce their crimes in front of the common people, just like a struggle session. Otherwise, if she simply confiscated their property at will, wouldn't people say she was merely targeting the wealthy out of spite?
Lia naturally wouldn't give those with ulterior motives a reason to criticize her.
The common people below, who were still distributing grain, were very surprised to see this scene. Why was even the head of the Jia Family tied up and brought here? What was Miss Long planning to do?
However, thinking back to the previous Prefect Wang, was Miss Long going to uphold justice for them?
"Prefect Wang?" The head of the Jia Family soon discovered the cold corpse of Prefect Wang in the square. At this moment, a faint sense of unease appeared in his heart.
Looking at the smiling young girl before him, he didn't quite understand what was going on, but Prefect Wang's death definitely had something to do with her.
Master Jia frowned and looked at Lia, saying, "May I ask who you are, young lady? Why did Prefect Wang die here?"
Lia replied, "The questions you've asked are quite crucial, but it doesn't matter if I tell you. I killed Prefect Wang. As for my identity... in your words, I suppose I'm a rebel~ But I don't accept that title. Not only are we not rebels, we are an Insurgent Army!"
"Hmph, so you are a rebel. No wonder you dare to do such bold things." Hearing this, Master Jia immediately let out a cold sneer.
Only rebels wouldn't care about the lives of others. The reputation of their Jia Family wouldn't hold much weight in the eyes of these rebels.
"You're wrong about that. I told you, I'm not a rebel, but part of an Insurgent Army. An Insurgent Army does not harm the common people and only upholds justice for them. Rebels are different; they not only want to overthrow the local regime, but the common people are also targets for their robbery. There is a fundamental difference," Lia said, waving her hand.
So-called rebels only wanted to turn the tables and become the masters themselves. They didn't show the slightest leniency toward the common people, and sometimes the commoners were even their targets for looting. For such rebels, not only the imperial court but even the common people detested them to the core.
"You certainly talk a good game. So, I wonder what this 'Insurgent Army' lady wants to do to my Jia Family?" Master Jia merely snorted coldly.
"What happens to your Jia Family isn't up to me; it depends on what the people say." Lia wagged her finger and pointed at the common people below, who were looking at them with faces full of hostility.
Then Lia spread her hands and pressed them down, signaling for the common people below to quiet down.
"Hello, everyone. You fellow villagers should already know what I'm about to do. You all know this Master Jia, don't you?"
"We know him!" the common people below shouted.
"Very well. Today, I want to know what crimes this Master Jia has committed. Everyone, don't worry about him retaliating against you. Just tell the truth. If he has done anything atrocious, I will naturally redress your grievances!" Lia pushed Master Jia to the front, forcing him to see the anger of the masses below.
Their anger.
With the example of Prefect Wang before them and Lia's subsequent distribution of grain, these common people unconsciously began to approve of Lia's actions.
At this time, a man stood up and pointed at Master Jia on the platform, speaking with righteous indignation:
"Lady Hero, this Master Jia is no good person. Last month, my cousin from my second uncle's family went to their house to be a maid. As a result, she accidentally offended this Great Master and was beaten to death by his servants. My poor cousin was only fourteen years old; it was so pitiful. Finally, my second uncle went to demand an explanation, but he was also beaten and driven out, eventually dying from his injuries!"
As he spoke, the look the man gave Master Jia was already filled with hatred.
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"Weak Sankta Doesn't Want Her Feet Pinched by Arknights' Heavy Girls"
Chapter 16: Drag Them All Out for a Struggle Session
"Lady Hero, six months ago, I went to Master Jia's house to borrow money to treat my mother's illness. We originally agreed to pay it back the following month and signed a contract. But they took advantage of our illiteracy and tampered with the paper. When the day came to pay it back, it was completely different from what was agreed. In the end, not only did I have to sell all my family's land to them at a low price, but I even had to become their tenant farmer!" At this moment, another middle-aged man stood up.
As one person after another who had been bullied by the Jia Family stood up to testify, Master Jia's face turned ashen. He couldn't help but curse at the people below, "A bunch of Untouchables, what are you making trouble for? And you, you brat, what exactly do you want to do?"
Seeing this fellow dare to curse even after being identified by others, Lia didn't go easy on him. She casually drew a blade from the waist of a nearby soldier and slapped Master Jia across the face with the flat of it, knocking out several of his teeth.
"When I haven't given you permission to speak, it's best not to open your mouth recklessly." Lia's murderous gaze made Master Jia panic, and he didn't dare say anything else, merely lowering his head.
"Alright, everyone, please continue. Let us all hear exactly how many wrongs this Master Jia has committed against the people!" Lia said to the common people again after seeing the man settle down.
Seeing the once high-and-mighty master suppressed by the Lady Hero until he didn't dare utter a word, the common people felt a surge of satisfaction. They had waited for this moment for far too long.
Thus, the common people who had once been bullied stepped forward one after another with newfound courage, accusing Master Jia and denouncing his past deeds.
Master Jia kept his head down and remained silent, not daring to say a word. He was truly afraid; seeing the full-blown rage on the faces of these Untouchables, he feared they might take action against him.
But he never stopped to think: if he, as part of an Aristocratic Family, hadn't constantly fleeced and exploited these farmers, how could such a day have come?
One must know that at least half of the land in this country was in the hands of such people. Farmers worked hard for them for a whole year, yet in the end, their entire families still couldn't eat their fill. This shows just how detestable these Aristocratic Families were!
After the common people finished their accusations, Lia took out a large stack of IOUs and said, "Everyone, look here. These are all the IOUs you were forced to sign by these Aristocratic Families. From now on, these IOUs no longer exist."
Lia threw the IOUs directly into a burning brazier. Watching the notes turn to ash, the common people immediately raised their hands and cheered.
"In addition, I will also distribute their family's land and grain to all of you. What do you say to that!" Lia spoke once more.
"Good! Good! Good!!!" The smiles on the common people's faces could no longer be contained.
"You... you beast! You beast! You will meet with retribution!" Hearing Lia say this, Master Jia finally couldn't hold back. He could endure Lia burning those IOUs, but now she was taking his family property to divide it up—who could stand that?
"There is no room for you to speak here. What you should consider is how to face the anger of the people next. I wonder if someone like you, who has done so much evil, can even stay alive?" Lia simply looked at Master Jia with a cold gaze.
If it were Aristocratic Families that hadn't done anything wrong, Lia wouldn't do anything to them; they would just need to hand over their land, and Lia would even compensate them according to the land's price. But for those families that had treated human life like grass, if they expected a good ending, they were dreaming.
Next, Lia dragged out every member of the Jia Family, regardless of whether they were male or female, and let the common people identify them.
If any among them had done wrong, they were punished according to their crimes; if they hadn't, they were released. In short, she would never condone anyone who had committed a misdeed.
In the end, those in the Jia Family who had committed major crimes were sentenced to death by Lia. Those with minor offenses were given a beating and then released back to the Jia household.
As for those who had done nothing at all, Lia directly terminated their contracts with the Jia Family and allowed them the right to receive land just like the common people.
Of course, the land wouldn't be distributed immediately; that would wait until Lia had completely taken control of Wuan Commandery.
However, the common people, who had already received grain and money, were already very satisfied.
After the Jia Family was brought down, their courage grew. Some commoners even took the initiative to stand up and accuse other Aristocratic Families in Wuan Commandery, hoping Lia would drag them out for severe punishment as well!