Chapter 255

Pfft!

Two half‑meter‑long sharp daggers stabbed into the County Magistrate's back, piercing his chest.

He lowered his head in disbelief, eyes wide open, watching the two blood‑stained dagger tips protrude from his chest; excruciating pain spread through his body, a suffocating feeling overwhelmed him, and the fading of his life became starkly clear at that moment.

"You… you actually dare… dare to kill me…"

The County Magistrate braced his hands on the windowsill, straining with all his strength to turn his head, blood continually trickling from the corner of his mouth, "I… I am… the County Magistrate… the County Magistrate…"

Fang Hui said coldly, "Dog official, even in death you show no remorse."

The County Magistrate could no longer hold himself up, he slumped to his knees, then his head lolled to the side and he collapsed at Fang Hui's feet, breathing his last.

"Li He, big brother!" a youth ran in from outside, shouting, "A few of the household slaves took advantage of the chaos and fled!"

Li He asked, "Is anyone still alive in the County Magistrate's residence?"

The youth replied, "No one's left; only those three who ran away remain."

Li He nodded and said, "No problem; they must have gone to the County Office to fetch reinforcements. Leave four people here to handle the scene, and the rest will follow me to the County Office."

"Yes, big brother!"

"——" (dash line) no content.

The three household slaves who fled from the County Magistrate's residence were not only terrified out of their wits but also injured; they rode their horses straight to the County Office, their minds filled with the idea of summoning constables to help at the Magistrate's home.

In the past, they wouldn't have needed to run all the way to the County Office; they could have encountered patrolling constables along the way.

But because of the anti‑bandit campaign, nine out of ten houses in the county seat stood empty, so the constables naturally felt there was no need to patrol the streets, and with the freezing weather they all slacked off.

The three household slaves, vomiting blood and cursing the constables all the way, finally managed to reach the gate of the County Office.

They found that the main gate of the County Office was tightly shut.

Moreover, the gate had been locked from the outside with a chain.

"Something's happened… come quickly… a major incident!"

The three dismounted from their horses and staggered up the steps.

Affected by their injuries, their voices were weak and breathless.

One of them thought to beat the road drum beside the gate, dragging his bloody body to the drum, only to find there was no drumstick.

Then he remembered that the County Magistrate had forbidden commoners from beating the drum to lodge complaints and had already thrown away the drumstick.

He could only use a hammer or ram his head against it.

The other two leaned against the gate, pounding and shouting:

"Is anyone there?"

"Come out quickly… the County Magistrate… the Magistrate's home has been attacked by brigands!"

"……」 No named.

Inside the County Office.

A constable who had drunk too much alcohol went to the outhouse to relieve himself; as he passed the courtyard of the County Office, he faintly heard movement outside the gate.

"Huh? Is someone beating the drum and knocking on the door?"

"Who dares to be so bold as to disturb the tranquility of the County Office?"

The constable muttered curses as he walked to the back of the gate, pressing his ear against the door panel to listen.

He seemed to hear words like 'County Magistrate' and 'brigands'.

"Have you run into brigands? Should we go report to the County Magistrate?" the constable scoffed, "Don't make a fuss! The County Magistrate has no time for your petty troubles—get lost, or I'll throw you in jail!"

The household slaves outside heard the voice, but realized the other party had misunderstood, and they became furious.

Exhausted and unable to shout, the three of them joined forces to pound on the gate.

"Huh? You still have fight left, huh? Watch me not take care of you!" The constable also lost his temper, lifted the bolt, and was about to open the door.

They discovered they could only pull the gate open a palm‑wide gap, with several chains lying starkly before them.

He was about to unleash a tirade when he suddenly recognized the three people lying on the ground outside the gate as familiar faces.

He crouched down for a closer look and exclaimed, "You're the County Magistrate's household slaves?! What happened? Why are you so badly injured?"

The three finally managed to speak with the constable; the breath they had been holding leaked out halfway, and on the spot two of them fainted.

The remaining one, blood‑soaked hand outstretched, clung desperately to the constable's arm, gasping, "Someone… has broken into the master's house… started a massacre… hurry… please go…"

After barely getting those words out, he too collapsed into unconsciousness.

The constable had no time to wonder why the gate had been chained from the outside; he rushed out in panic, shouting, "Everyone, come out quickly! The County Magistrate has met with disaster!"

Soon, more than forty constables and officers of all ranks from the County Office rushed into the courtyard.

The jail warden arrived last with five prison guards, standing at the edge of the crowd to look out.

The officers expended immense effort but could not break the chains outside the gate; those chains were sturdier than any they had ever seen.

They quickly realized that not only the main gate, but every entrance and exit was blocked by the same kind of chains.

Left with no choice, they used an axe to chop a hole in the gate panel and dragged the three servants of the County Magistrate's household into the County Office.

Two of them, severely wounded, had already breathed their last.

The remaining unconscious one was revived with a splash of cold water.

They then learned that a group of teenagers in their early teens had suddenly stormed the County Magistrate's residence; the youths wore clothing impervious to swords and spears, and their blades were like divine weapons, so even the Magistrate's hired enforcers could not withstand them.

"I… I, before fleeing, heard… heard a brat shouting something about… executing Heaven's will, rebelling… exterminating… exterminating the dog officials…"

The sole surviving household slave, using his last strength, said, "They clearly came prepared… hurry to rescue… rescue the County Magistrate, or else… we'll all be doomed…"

As his words faded, that household slave breathed his last.

The officers and constables were stunned like a thunderclap, thrown into chaos.

Only the six men in charge of the prison remained calm, instead each looking at the others with a look of deep significance.

The jailer who had previously said he wanted to secretly get some grain from the County Office's storeroom even turned his head to look toward the storeroom.

Clerk stepped forward to control the situation, shouting loudly: "Don't panic, everyone! They're just a bunch of brats; even if they have defensive gear and fierce weapons, they absolutely cannot match our dozens of men! In my view, the entrances and exits of the County Office have been locked by them beforehand, which shows they are quite fearful of us!"

Upon hearing this, the County Officers finally regained their composure.

The clerk added: "What nonsense rebellion, just relying on a bunch of brats? I think it's merely a momentary impulse and foolishness; kids in their early teens love to cause trouble! So there's nothing to fear! Now everyone take up your weapons and rush to the County Magistrate's residence—wipe out these lawless scum!"

At the order, the County Officers sprang into action.

Usually, the patrol officers and constables on external duty carried sabers, and some of them, responsible for important security and guarding the County Gate, were also equipped with bows and leather armor.

In less than the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, these County Officers were ready.

The clerk waved his hand: "I and a few clerical County Officers will stay behind; you all set off immediately!"

The officers stepped forward.

A few jailers, however, hesitated in the corner.

These six people were never valued in the County Gate, and now no one noticed their odd behavior.

"Boss..." a jailer lowered his voice to the head jailer, saying, "This is a good opportunity... what if we..."

The head jailer furrowed his brows, his expression torn.

The older jailer said: "Either we sneakily stay behind and grab something from the storeroom amid the chaos, or we follow to the County Magistrate's residence—make a decision quickly, or we'll be too late."

The jailer who had already been thinking about it declared firmly: "I'll stay behind; judging from the injuries of those three servants of the County Magistrate, the Magistrate is likely in dire straits, so going there would be useless."

As the remaining dozens of officers were about to leave, the clerk was about to withdraw his gaze sending them off; he needed only to turn his head and sweep a glance to spot those few jailers hiding in the corner of the courtyard.

The head jailer made up his mind: "Quick, hide."

The six hastily crouched and hid behind the nearby flowerbed.

The clerk's gaze happened to sweep over, but because the distance was a bit far and the flowerbed in the County Office courtyard was tall and long, planted with evergreens, he failed to notice.

Over there, the six lay prone on the ground, crawling toward the storeroom.

Meanwhile, dozens of officers had torn down the County Office gate, just about to step over the threshold, when suddenly they saw a group of youths brandishing knives charging up the steps, lunging straight at them.

The officers were too numerous, crowded at the County Gate unable to maneuver, and immediately retreated.

"Archers!" someone shouted.

Eight archers immediately raised their bows and nocked arrows.

Swish!

Swish swish swish!!

Long arrows flew toward the youths outside the gate.

They did not dodge; instead, they lowered their heads, tucked in their chests, and crossed their arms to shield their heads.

The bronze long arrows struck them, piercing only the outer fabric fibers, failing to penetrate the thin layered armor underneath.

The County Office archers, seeing this, almost dropped their jaws in shock.

"We have arrows too!" Li He raised his hand, "Let them see what we've got!"

As his voice fell, several youths holding crossbows stepped forward, standing at the threshold and unleashing a volley of shots with a swish-swish-swish.

The sound of piercing air came one after another.

The crossbow bolts were short and sturdy, extremely fast.

On the spot, several officers couldn't react in time and were hit by the bolts.

"Cover! Save them!" a Captor Head roared, "Archors! You sons of bitches, are you rice buckets?! Keep firing! What are you standing there stupid for!"

Officers in leather armor swung their blades to block the crossbow bolts while dragging the wounded backward; a few quick-reacting ones, without time to take down their back shields, directly used door planks as makeshift cover.

The County Office archers came to their senses, but before they could loose a second volley, Li He led the youths in like wolves, filing in and throwing the officers' formation into chaos.

"Look what this is!"

Li He shouted loudly and flung the sack he was holding into the courtyard.

The sack hit the ground, and a bloody head rolled out with a gurgling sound.

The faces of all the County Officers and constables turned pale.

"County... County Magistrate?"

"This is the County Magistrate's head!"

"Sir... he... he's dead?!"

Exclamations rang out.

The County Officers and constables all froze in place.

A few jailers heard the sound, were also startled, stopped, cautiously lifted their heads, and peered from the edge of the flowerbed.

Li He held a dagger, surveyed the crowd arrogantly, and said, "Indeed, the dog County Magistrate's head has been cut off by us; if you lay down your weapons and surrender, I can spare your lives."

"Wait... Li He? It's you, you brat!" Zhao Captor Head's face showed extreme shock, "You... you've gone mad?! Killing the Magistrate, storming the County Office—this is a crime of exterminating nine generations!"

Li He still felt somewhat favorable toward Zhao Captor Head.

Compared to others, this guy could be considered relatively decent among the Ze County officers; though greedy for money, at least when paid he actually gets things done and keeps his word.

"We have already decided to rebel; once we draw the bow, there's no turning back," Li He said coldly, "Zhao Captor Head, considering our past acquaintance, I suggest you set an example and surrender to me."

Zhao Captor Head's face turned livid with anger, "You little brat, I really didn't expect you to have this much guts; surrender to you? Are you trying to drag us into rebellion and then get wiped out by imperial troops? With the waves you can stir up, I advise you: hurry up and confess and accept punishment!"

Li He laughed, "Confess? Accept punishment? When has Ze County ever had any law to speak of? The dog Magistrate oppresses the people, and when you act as his henchmen, have you ever confessed and accepted punishment?"

That sentence left the County Officers and constables blushing.

Li He added: "Heaven is high and the emperor far away; as long as you don't spread the news, His Majesty will hardly know what's happening here. Anyway, Ze County is already in total chaos, the deserving Magistrate has been slain by us, we can rebuild order and restore the people's livelihood, and you too have a chance to start anew."

Zhao Captor Head's face grew even uglier.

Yet he also felt Li He's words made sense, and that this bunch of brats could actually storm the Magistrate's residence and behead him—surely they are formidable opponents; if he really fought them, he might not have a chance to win.

But for a grown man, and a Captor Head at that, to hang out with a bunch of brats would be too embarrassing.

For a moment he fell into hesitation.

"You damned little brat!" another Captor Head said disdainfully, "No matter how recklessly I behaved before, I was still a proper official runner! If we surrender to you, wouldn't we also become Great Marsh rebels? Do you think I'm as stupid as you? Brothers! Kill this bunch of ignorant little brats, and we could count ourselves as having suppressed the rebellion and earned great merit!"

Those words instantly had a great effect.

A bunch of County Officers and official runners grabbed their knives and charged at the youths.

The melee thus began.

However, Zhao, harboring doubts, quietly withdrew a bit, not rushing to join the fight.

Behind the flower bed, several jailers were greatly shocked.

They never expected Li He to be so bold.

A jailer muttered, "When this kid was first locked up, I already felt he wasn't an ordinary person… Now looking back, he really isn't ordinary."

Another jailer said, "It makes me feel ashamed—I at most grumble a few words, even curses I have to hide in private, never daring to directly oppose the County Magistrate, yet this kid outright killed the County Magistrate. Brothers… we really can't even compare to a child."

"You say, can Li He leading a bunch of kids possibly win?"

"Li He's numbers are too few, and they're all little brats—I think—"

Before he could finish speaking, they saw several official runners lying in a pool of blood.

The Prison Head said, "No, do you see? These kids are practically invulnerable to blades and spears, and the daggers they use are harder and sharper than our official swords! Maybe they can actually win!"

"Then what about us…"

"Screw it! I've had enough of this rotten County Office!"

A jailer shouted, charging out of the flower bed, raised his knife and hacked down from behind a Constable who had always bullied him, laughing loudly: "Hahaha! Great! Li He, bro—I'm coming to help you!"