Chapter 990

First Volume, Chapter 990: Sudden Armed Conflict

Qin Feng stretched out with force, preparing to return to the Inner Courtyard to check on Li Xiaolan, when suddenly a loud shout came from outside the County Yamen.

"What? This really happened?"

"He's gone too far! Come, take me there—if it's true, I'll break that dog's legs!"

Qin Feng recognized Ning Hu's booming voice and immediately changed his mind, stepping out of the County Yamen just as he saw Ning Hu, escorted by several soldiers, storming toward Chengdong.

"Little Marquis, what's going on?"

Hearing Qin Feng's call, Ning Hu halted at once, but his anger showed no sign of fading.

"Brother Qin, it's just trivial nonsense—no need for you to worry, I'll handle it."

Trivial?

If it were truly trivial, why would Ning Hu be stirred up? Though Changshui County was now impregnable and no longer under threat of Enemy Army siege, this was still wartime—a sensitive period where even the smallest incident could spark disaster.

Under Qin Feng's pressing questions, Ning Hu finally revealed the truth.

It turned out a violent brawl had broken out in Chengdong over the distribution of Materials and Supplies, causing two clans to clash violently, with over forty people involved.

Upon learning the full story, Qin Feng frowned: "A large-scale brawl involving dozens? That's trivial?"

"Come, take me there."

Qin Feng dared not underestimate it—no matter how vigilant one is, a Family thief is hard to guard against; such a massive conflict might be deliberately incited by a spy hidden within the City, and if so, the consequences would be dire.

Seeing Qin Feng was coming too, Ning Hu, to prevent accidents, summoned Liu Ming as well, leaving only Zhang Zhenhai to guard the City Gate in case of emergencies.

The three of them, accompanied by two soldiers, made five in total, and set off toward Chengdong.

Since no Battle had occurred recently, apart from the two soldiers, Qin Feng and the others were dressed in warm clothing, without Armor.

By the time they arrived at the scene, chaos had indeed erupted.

The armed clash had ended, but both sides remained in Standoff, with ten plus injured men, women, and children lying sprawled haphazardly between them.

As was customary in clan conflicts, all ages and genders joined the fray, wielding whatever weapons they could grab—hoes, kitchen knives, sticks—anything within reach.

In clan conflicts, these Common People often displayed morale no less fierce than that of the Regular Army.

Hence, clan fights were invariably brutal, and deaths were practically routine.

At this moment, both sides were hurling accusations and insults at each other; to understand what had truly happened, Qin Feng did not rush to intervene but stood aside to observe.

From their words, Qin Feng deduced the two clans were the Wang Family and the Zhou Family—both major surnames in Changshui County.

But since the City had been sealed off, the number of civilians remaining inside was small, and relatives outside could not arrive, so both sides had mustered only local clan members—each side numbered roughly twenty.

Leading the Wang Clan was a middle-aged man in his forties, pointing across the crowd and roaring.

"Damn you, Zhou! I've hated you lot for ages!"

"Last time our clan rebuilt our homes, the foreman you Zhou people sent cheated us out of six hundred cash—still counting that debt!"

"On previous distributions of Materials and Supplies, you Zhou people, thanks to your ties to the Housheng, took more than your share—fine, we tolerated it. But this time, the portion allotted to our Wang Family was cut by a full ten percent—this is beyond endurance!"

"Hand over everything you stole, or today's not over—even if I drag this to Lord Qin's doorstep, I'll fight for this dignity!"

Facing the Wang-surnamed man's tirade, the Zhou elder across from him refused to back down.

"Heh, what are you yelling about? Louder than a stray dog in the City."

"Our Zhou Family has more women and children, more people—we naturally deserve a larger share. Fair and reasonable."

"Your Wang Family has few people, and you've got the most bachelors in the City—don't you feel ashamed? Pah!"

"That's right—the Housheng distributing the Materials and Supplies? He's one of ours. Jealous? Tough luck."

The Zhou clan members all chimed in, smugly mocking the Wang clan.

"Heh, you're just jealous—you can't stand others doing well."

"If you had the connections we do, you'd be even worse—we're all the same kind. Why pretend to be loyal and righteous?"

"Got less Materials and Supplies? Good! Go complain to Lord Qin if you've got the guts—see if he's got time to care."

"Exactly—who is Lord Qin? Would he waste his time on trash like you?"

Listening to their insults, Liu Ming beside Qin Feng's face grew darker by the second.

After hesitating repeatedly, Liu Ming finally ventured a cautious suggestion into Qin Feng's ear.

"Lord, these rioters should all be executed, as a warning to others."

Qin Feng was not at all surprised by Liu Ming's cruel suggestion—after all, Liu Ming specialized in Military Intelligence, assassinations, and "punishment"; calling him a "Face-to-Face Executioner" was not an exaggeration.

Moreover, Liu Ming did not kill without cause—he operated under Yu Fa Ke Yi.

During wartime, the City was under martial law; these Common People daring to gather and engage in armed conflict were already guilty of Death Penalty.

But considering the Changshui County Common People had been dragged into this war against their will and had contributed significantly to the City's Military Defense, "Massacre" was too extreme.

Furthermore, Qin Feng had painstakingly won the people's trust through a series of favors; if he suddenly began slaughtering them, the common folk would never again willingly aid him—and the cost would far outweigh any benefit.

Qin Feng gave Liu Ming a glance, signaling him to hold his temper and wait a little longer.

Ning Hu, beside them, could no longer contain himself, whispering sharply: "Brother Qin, did you hear that? The Common People say the Housheng is embezzling—how could such a scoundrel exist in our ranks?"

Ning Hu was heartbroken; he reacted so strongly because Qin Feng had provided the finest "Army Welfare," and yet someone still dared to steal and sully Qin Feng's reputation—his intentions were truly evil.

Qin Feng lowered his hand, calming him: "Not everyone managing Logistics is ours—many are Changshui County's own garrison troops, and some respected local gentry."

"Didn't the Zhou people say the Housheng distributing the Materials and Supplies is one of theirs? He's likely a local temporary appointee—not one of ours."

Hearing this, Ning Hu's dark expression eased slightly—he would never tolerate corruption or abuse of power among his own men.

At that moment, the Wang and Zhou clans' quarrel grew even fiercer.