"You can't enter. The one behind."
"Sir officer, my travel permit is in perfect order. I've been on the road for half a day..."
"Get out, get out! You can't enter, that's final."
An old man was shoved out by the city guards. He staggered and almost fell, but was luckily caught by someone beside him.
"Damn it! Are they trying to drive us to death?"
A burly man angrily threw the furs in his arms to the ground. He could no longer suppress his anger.
"It's still raining. We can't even go back home."
"It's okay for them to extort benefits from us on normal days, but now they won't even let us enter the city. My whole family is counting on me."
Immediately, someone loudly echoed, filled with indignation.
The commoners in front were also eager to enter the city. Seeing the rain starting, they no longer queued up but rushed forward in a crowd. Some took the opportunity to squeeze in, and there was chaos at the city gate.
He Jin immediately shouted, "Stop them! Stop them!"
So the city guards immediately set up the horse-blocking barriers. Seeing that they couldn't force their way in, the crowd began to throw things.
Stones, wooden blocks, and wild vegetables were all thrown at them.
"Are they crazy? They're really crazy! Kill them all for me."
He Jin was so angry that he trembled. How dare these rascals be so bold.
Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Kong Pengxing quickly stopped him.
"Why should you get angry with these rascals, Lord He? Although they are being unruly, they are just ordinary commoners. We can't kill them, we can't."
It was true that these commoners were causing trouble, but it was also the guards who had blocked them first.
All of these people had proper travel permits. If there were really any casualties, it would be hard to deal with afterwards.
Hearing this, He Jin's face became even more gloomy. Then he sneered at the crowd outside.
"Since you're causing trouble, none of you will be allowed to enter. None of you!"
His smile was clearly provocative, and his voice was colder than the late-autumn rain.
The people blocked outside the city were even more angry and shouted one after another that they wanted to enter the city.
He Jin just stared at them coldly. He neither closed the city gate nor let anyone in.
At this moment, a sharp stone flew over from somewhere and hit him on the head.
He Jin only felt a sharp pain on his head. When he touched it, his hand was slippery and covered with blood.
He Jin's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the commoners. They actually dared to attack him!
"Lord He!"
Seeing that he was bleeding, Kong Pengxing and the city guards were a bit flustered and rushed over to check on his condition.
He Jin pointed at the commoners and said,
"You dare to harm an official of the court. I think you don't want to live anymore."
"Anyway, you never intended to let us live!"
"Yes, we want to enter the city."
In the heavy rain, someone pushed away the horse-blocking barriers, and the commoners swarmed forward.
"Stop them! Stop them!" He Jin roared angrily.
The city guards immediately stepped forward with their spears, trying to drive the intruders back out.
Seeing a large number of people pouring in, He Jin knew that there must be some refugees mixed in among them. He immediately said,
"None of these people can be let in. Draw your swords. If anyone dares to force their way in again, kill them on the spot!"
Seeing the shining blades, the commoners who were rushing towards the city immediately calmed down and looked hesitant.
Just then, a noisy shouting came from the other side.
"That's him! That's the one who has been arresting people everywhere. It was him who arrested Lao Wu and threw him into prison."
"We just want to find a way to survive. Since you won't let us live, then no one will."
Looking over, a group of ragged refugees were coming through the rain menacingly.
On one side were the menacing refugees, and on the other side were the commoners struggling to get in. Caught between the two, the sword-wielding city guards immediately lost their advantage.
The two sides were in a standoff, their emotions running high, and a big fight seemed imminent.
"Charge! They don't know who we are. They won't dare to attack."
"The law doesn't punish the multitude. The law doesn't punish the multitude!"
Someone shouted, and the balance was immediately broken.
So the commoners at the city gate rushed forward in a swarm again. Some even snatched the spears and held them in front of their chests, threatening the approaching city guards.
The gathered refugees rushed over to help lift the horse-blocking barriers. Some grabbed the swords, while others blocked the guards. The city gate was in complete chaos.
The two sides attacked together, and the city guards didn't know who to deal with first.
In the chaos, someone rushed towards He Jin. He Jin was so scared that he kept backing away.
"You, you guard the city gate well. I'll go find reinforcements."
At this moment, He Jin didn't care about the refugees anymore. He followed the chaotic crowd into the city.
The situation at the city gate became more and more chaotic. Kong Pengxing also got desperate and shouted loudly,
"These people are rebelling. Execute them on the spot. Execute them on the spot."
The city guards, having received the order, no longer had any scruples and drew their swords to attack.
There were screams everywhere. Some were injured, some fell, and the rain mixed with the blood on the ground, making it muddy.
Just then, the sound of horseshoes came from afar, mixed with the rhythmic sound of footsteps.
With a loud gong sound, a majestic voice came from above.
"Stop!"
Through the hazy rain, people saw He Xun sitting on a tall horse, coming in full armor.
Behind him were the soldiers in strong armor and holding sharp weapons.
He Xun looked down at them from above. Wherever his eyes swept, people stopped fighting one after another.
The rain gradually stopped, and the city gate gradually quieted down.
He Xun leaped off the horse and slowly walked up to the crowd. He said coldly,
"You want to rebel by forcing your way into the city gate?"
It was quiet all around, but a voice came from behind the crowd.
"They won't let us enter the city."
"Yes, we have travel permits. Why won't they let us in?"
Everyone complained one after another, looking as if they had nothing to lose.
He Xun glanced at Kong Pengxing faintly and then said,
"All of you, retreat outside the city gate."
As he spoke, some soldiers escorted a few people who had just sneaked into the city during the chaos out from various places.
Seeing this, everyone was discouraged and looked dejected.
They had originally hoped to find a way to survive, but now they had the charge of forcing their way into the city, and they still couldn't get in.
"Queue up again and enter the city."
When He Xun's words fell, everyone was stunned at first, and then they got excited. Without saying a word, they all retreated outside the city.
Kong Pengxing looked at the city guards who were getting up from the ground and frowned unhappily.
"General He, they just forced their way into the city. Are you just going to let them off so easily?"
He Xun stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the military doctors treating the commoners. He said coldly,
"Why did they force their way into the city?"
Kong Pengxing was at a loss for words. Then he said dejectedly,
"But General He can't just let them off like this. If such behavior goes unpunished, where will the dignity of the Department of the Palace Secretariat be?"
Of course, he didn't dare to talk about himself. He could only bring up his direct superior. He thought He Xun should at least give some face to the Department of the Palace Secretariat.
"Then you find out the people who forced their way into the city. I will surely punish them severely."
Kong Pengxing was at a loss for words again. His eyes swept over the crowd. They were all the ones who had forced their way into the city.
"It seems that Lord Kong wants to arrest all these people here to take the blame. That's okay. Throw them all in front of the Sage later and let the Sage judge for himself. Arrest them."
He Xun motioned for the soldiers beside him to take action.