"Absolutely not! Absolutely not!"
Before the soldier could take any action, Kong Pengxing immediately stopped him.
Not only had they let these ordinary civilians rush into the city, but there had also been a brawl at the city gate. They were already guilty of dereliction of duty.
If they were to arrest so many people and take them back, the matter would only escalate, making it even more difficult to resolve.
Ultimately, it was their fault for blocking people without cause in the first place.
Thinking of this, Kong Pengxing looked around but didn't see He Jin.
He gritted his teeth in anger. This coward who had fled at a critical moment.
Just as Kong Pengxing was cursing He Jin in his heart, he looked up and saw He Xun staring down at him.
Although He Xun didn't say a word, just by his expression, Kong Pengxing broke out in a cold sweat.
He forced a smile and said, "We'll do as General He says. Line up again and enter the city."
As his words fell, the civilians at the city gate began to enter the city in an orderly manner, with neat queues and good discipline.
However, some of those entering the city walked straight into the city, while others were left to line up on one side.
As Kong Pengxing watched the number of people in the line increase, he was just starting to feel confused when he saw He Jin being supported by a soldier and walking towards them. There were also several ragged refugees being escorted behind him.
He Jin covered his head, showing a pained expression, and the bloodstains on his front were particularly obvious.
Seeing this, Kong Pengxing's face immediately darkened. How dare he come back!
"Brother, they intended to harm an official of the court. They are extremely vicious and may become a future threat. Brother must punish them severely."
He Jin pointed at the refugees being escorted behind him, his tone extremely angry.
He had almost been caught by these people just now. If it weren't for the timely appearance of the soldiers, he might really have been killed by these villains.
Even so, he hadn't planned to come back after being rescued.
It seemed that this matter had gone wrong. He should have gone to Du Wenbai first to give him a heads - up so that he could prepare in advance and come up with a countermeasure.
But these soldiers insisted on dragging him back, saying that they had to let He Xun see with his own eyes that he was safe and sound.
Safe and sound?
His head had been broken by those villains. How could he be considered safe and sound!
When the refugees behind him heard He Jin's address, their indignation grew even stronger. Some of them even snorted.
He Xun ignored their attitude and simply asked,
"Is there anyone from Changming County among you?"
After getting an affirmative answer, He Xun motioned for the soldiers escorting them to take them to the refugee group on one side.
"Brother! They tried to kill me!" He Jin frowned and emphasized again.
Didn't He Xun hear him just now?
"Did you find any weapons or knives on them?" He Xun asked.
"No."
"What about hidden weapons or poison?"
"No."
He Xun turned his gaze to He Jin:
"You heard that, Magistrate He. They're not some super - powerful heroes. They can't kill people with their bare hands. The situation was a bit chaotic just now. Magistrate He probably misjudged."
His tone was calm, and his face showed no sign of fluctuation.
The escorted refugees were a bit surprised and looked back at He Xun one after another.
There was no cover - up among the officials?
He Jin immediately understood what he meant. His face darkened, and he said,
"In that case, I'll go back to the yamen first. My head was injured by these villains, and I need to go back for treatment."
Saying that, he deliberately took his hand away from his head, showing the blood - soaked wound.
"Surgeon Shi, come quickly and treat Magistrate He's wound."
He Xun glanced at He Jin's wound but didn't intend to let him go.
Du Wenbai, that old fox, was perfunctory in his work and always shirked his responsibilities. It was time for him to take some blame.
As they were talking, everyone outside the city gate had already entered the city, and quite a number of refugees had gathered.
Previously, the small merchants and nearby civilians who had hidden themselves because they thought the situation was bad now emerged one by one, gathering in groups of three or five to watch the excitement.
He Xun glanced at those people and saw that quite a few refugees were also mixed in.
He walked a few steps to the line of refugees and said coldly,
"Changming County suffered a disaster before. The Emperor has heard about it and is very worried. He has specially allocated disaster - relief silver for you, which will be distributed to Changming County soon. With this silver, the people of Changming County can live through the winter in peace."
Before his words fell, there was a commotion in the line in front of him. Some cheered loudly, while others wept with joy.
He Xun didn't say anything more. When their emotions gradually calmed down, he continued,
"In addition, the Emperor is very considerate and loves the people. He has also specially allocated disaster - relief grain for Changming County, which will be sent to Changming County soon. The grain - guarding team is currently short of some people. Is there anyone among you who is willing to guard the grain and return to your hometown?"
The crowd cheered again, and the voices of volunteers grew louder and louder.
"Me! Me!"
"I'm willing!"
...
He Xun scanned the crowd:
"The journey to Changming County won't be too fast. The old, the weak, the women, and the children can keep up.
Since it's a grain - guarding team, the more people, the better. As long as you're in good health, you can give it a try. Those who are willing to participate in guarding the grain and returning to their hometown can now go to the Guard Commandery to register their names."
Saying that, he motioned for the soldiers to let the people go.
The line of refugees scattered in a rush, cheering as they ran towards the Guard Commandery. The refugees who had been watching the excitement also dispersed one after another, obviously going to spread the news.
After the crowd had dispersed, He Xun asked Feiyu,
"Did you write down all the names just now?"
Feiyu clasped his fists and said,
"Not a single one was missed. The names of those who are not from Changming County were also noted down one by one. Someone will follow and investigate them later."
He Xun nodded and said,
"All those who signed up must be verified one by one to see if they finally return to their hometown."
People are at a disadvantage when they leave their hometown. No one is willing to leave their homeland unless it's absolutely necessary.
If these refugees really came to the capital to make a living because they couldn't survive, then now that there was both silver and grain being distributed, they should naturally go back.
But if someone didn't go back, they would have to take a good look at what they came to the capital for.
"General He, are you really just going to let them go like this?"
Zhao Pengxing looked extremely embarrassed.
Although it was their fault first, they couldn't just let them break into the city for nothing. They should at least keep a few for them to account for.
"That's right. And those who tried to harm me, even if we don't take their lives, we should at least give them some lessons."
He Jin immediately echoed, looking resentful.
"They rushed into the city, and you drew your swords. Fortunately, no one was killed. You should be grateful for that. As for letting them go, if the Emperor blames us for this, I'll take full responsibility."
He Xun leaped onto his horse and then looked down at He Jin from above:
"As for you, you'd better release those refugees in the prison as soon as possible."
After saying that, He Xun spurred his horse and left. The hooves of the horse flew up, splashing mud and water all over He Jin.
He Jin covered his head and stared hatefully at He Xun's retreating back.
He dared to release those who had rebelled. He was really arrogant.
In that case, he would just wait to see how the Emperor would punish him.