Chapter 225: Kill!

"Hey, head of the house, when do you think this rain will stop?"

In a simple cottage, a farmer woman frowned anxiously as she watched the rain outside grow heavier, her mind full of worry for the crops in the fields.

Their place is called Xiao Yuan Village, and the Yellow River lies nearby.

Because of its special location, last year's severe drought affected them, but not much.

As long as they work a bit harder, fetching water from afar to irrigate the fields, they have managed to survive unharmed.

But this year's rain is truly excessive; if it continues, the newly planted crops will likely be flooded.

"How would I know?"

The strong man, called the head of the household, glanced at his young children, his worries far greater than his wife's.

His wife came from elsewhere, so she might not understand; does he still not get it?

If the downpour continues like this, the concern isn't the crops but whether the Yellow River will breach its banks.

If the Yellow River breaches, survival is doubtful.

"Chun'er, how much grain do we have left?" the man asked after a long silence.

Li Chunyan was startled, said nothing more, quickly opened a large jar, counted carefully, and said, "Head of the house, we still have over forty jin of millet and some pickled vegetables; if we ration, that'll feed us for a little over two months."

At this, Li Chunyan's face showed a faint smile; thanks to decent policies, although the harvest was small and taxes were due, the shrewd, capable couple still had a fair amount of grain left.

Enough for them to live until the fields mature.

In Xiao Yuan Village, their household's condition is already top‑notch.

"Dad, mantou, mantou, eat mantou."

A little girl held up a mantou and handed it to the man, her face showing an innocent smile.

Song Shuisheng smiled at the sight, pushed the mantou back, and said, "Dad isn't hungry, Nini, you eat it yourself."

"Mm~ Dad, the mantou is tasty."

The child, not thinking much, heard Dad wasn't hungry and started eating on her own.

"Chun'er." Song Shuisheng pulled his wife aside and whispered, "Go pack our luggage now, take everything edible we have, and if it rains tomorrow, we'll leave immediately."

Li Chunyan was startled and hurried, "Head of the house, why?"

"If we run, what about the crops in the fields?"

"Chun'er, listen to me on this." Song Shuisheng solemnly said, "If the crops are gone, they're gone; we have surplus grain at home, enough for a while."

"But if our lives are gone, that's truly gone."

"Go quickly."

"Hey, hey, I... I'll go right away." Li Chunyan was frightened by Song Shuisheng's words, nodded hurriedly and agreed.

She then rushed to pack her things.

After his wife left, Song Shuisheng opened the door and saw the standing water on the ground rising, feeling something was terribly wrong.

"Chun'er, I'll help you together."

Seeing his parents' frantic haste, the ten‑year‑old eldest son responsibly helped them pack.

Even the four‑year‑old daughter, unable to keep chewing mantou, helped the family carry small items.

At that moment, heavy horse hooves thundered outside, and a squad of well‑equipped soldiers stormed into the hill village like bandits.

The leading handsome young man shouted, "The Yellow River level is rising, the river mouth will soon breach, the flood disaster is imminent; all civilians must immediately take their surplus grain and valuables and follow me to evacuate!!!"

"Say it again: the flood will erupt any moment; if you want to live, hurry and follow me to evacuate!!!"

The young man's words cracked like thunder; with dozens of soldiers dispatched, they went door to door announcing, and Xiao Yuan Village instantly fell into chaos.

All the villagers hurriedly packed food, grabbed their money, many even failed to collect clothing, and fled their homes in the rain.

Song Shuisheng's family was among them.

Compared with other villagers' panic, their family, thanks to Song Shuisheng's decision, had already packed many belongings in advance.

"Chun'er, leave everything else, quickly take the children and follow the commander out."

"Hey, hey, okay, okay!"

Li Chunyan was just an ordinary farmer woman, never having seen such a spectacle, so she naturally did whatever her husband said.

She quickly scooped up the little daughter, took the son, and ran out with Song Shuisheng.

Soon, in front of the handsome young man—who was Chai Zhewei, the eldest son of Chai Shao and Princess He Yang Zhao—large numbers of villagers gathered.

The speed was due to soldiers helping pack food in a bandit‑like manner, then driving people forward with knives.

"Is everyone here?"

"Reporting, young general, my men have already sent people to check each household; they should all be present."

Chai Zhewei's eyes darkened; honestly, he was very displeased with this 'should' answer.

But knowing he couldn't waste time, he waved and said, "Take everyone away, assign five brothers to lead them to the temporary shelters."

"Yes!"

"Wait!" At this moment, a fierce, seemingly just‑woken man stepped forward, objecting, "How can you be sure the flood is about to break?"

"You also make us take all our grain and money; what if you're deceiving us?"

"Besides, who exactly are you? We can't just assume you're Tang Dynasty troops because you wear armor and carry swords, can we?"

Song Shuisheng heard this and stepped back two paces with his wife and child.

He recognized the man as the butcher of Xiao Yuan Village, who had married two wives, both of whom he beat while drunk until they fled.

He was usually overbearing, and his reputation in Xiao Yuan Village was extremely poor.

Although his reputation was bad, his words held some logic, and many villagers showed hesitation after hearing him.

Chai Zhewei took in all the villagers' expressions, but he had no intention of explaining anything.

The flood disaster won't wait for his slow explanations.

Chai Zhewei gave the butcher a casual glance, and slowly uttered a single word.

"Kill!"

—Clang!

The silvery blade streak cut through the air, slicing raindrops, and likewise severed the butcher's throat.

"You…"

The butcher stared at the soldiers beside him, clutching his throat, unable to believe even in death that these people would act the moment they said so.

And the butcher's death utterly terrified the ordinary villagers who usually earned a living by farming.

Chai Zhewei leaned forward slightly, his cold gaze sweeping over the villagers, "Now, who still dares to question this general?"

On the spot, a multitude of villagers stood under the heavy rain, and not a single one spoke.

Li Chunyan clutched her daughter's mouth tightly, refusing to let her make any sound.

The other children's parents did the same.

Fearing that the children's chatter would anger the young general before them.

Chai Zhewei withdrew his gaze, "Take them all away, proceed according to the plan."

"......"