It's really hard to just farm peacefully.

Chapter 202

After all the commotion inside and outside the house, Jiang Yan felt an irresistible sleepiness.

When she woke up in the morning, people in the streets and alleys of Lingshui County were talking about the tragic massacre of the Hong family that happened last night.

The Hong family, a merchant family that monopolized the sale of grain and salt in Lingshui County, had 25 members. Except for three little kids who were hidden in the cellar, the rest were killed.

"Do you know who the murderer is?" Jiang Yan held a bowl of corn soup in one hand and a chipped vegetable pancake in the other, and joined the street food stall gossip group.

The auntie who was more informed shook her head: "The government hasn't caught anyone alive, and we still don't know who did it."

The old man sitting next to him sighed: "Who knows, it might be a group of bandits sneaking in to do evil. The Hong family is too rich, so they will definitely be the first to be picked."

"That shouldn't be the case. I heard that not much was missing from the Hong family's warehouse. If it was really done by bandits, wouldn't they have emptied it out?"

Jiang Yan swallowed the food in his mouth and asked doubtfully, "Is the Hong family far from here? Wasn't there a large group of people heading north in the middle of the night last night? It might be them."

The sound of horse hooves last night was very clear. Any residents along the street who were not fast asleep should have been able to hear it. Moreover, the screams occurred after the sound of horse hooves, so there is reason to suspect that those people did it.

"It's not them." Someone had guessed this a long time ago, but according to the information the aunt verified with nearby residents, there was a time difference.

Moreover, "someone had the audacity to peek through the crack in Hong's door. Masked men in black had already killed people with knives. The men on horseback came from behind and engaged in a fight with the men in black."

Jiang Yan thought for a while: "That should be the enemy of the Hong family, right?"

The aunt didn't quite believe it: "Their enemies are not young or old, but his brother-in-law is a high-ranking official. Who would be so ignorant as to touch them?"

"Maybe the high-ranking official is gone or has been dismissed." Jiang Yan didn't know anything about these relatives, so she casually asked, "Who is his brother-in-law? How high is his official rank?"

"He's our governor, the local tyrant above the local tyrants."

Jiang Yan's first reaction was to the letter of accusation from two days ago, and she initially identified the murderer and the reason for the attack. The others present also quickly realized this and scattered like frightened birds and animals.

The Prime Minister Wu in the capital is also notorious for his vindictiveness and cruelty. At the end of last month, news of a bloody incident came from other places, and another one happened yesterday. Ordinary people like them are like ants and cannot be provoked at all.

Jiang Yan left the food stall, carrying a bamboo basket on her back, and headed towards the north city gate. She encountered many checkpoints along the way. The situation wasn't as severe when she walked through the city a day ago.

Had the struggle become so serious without her realizing it?

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In Heyang County, Heding Prefecture, General Lu stood on a high place in the county town to personally command and supervise the battle.

Since he recruited laborers from several southern counties and sent them to the provincial capital and other places to carry out cleanup and repairs, Governor Lu clearly felt the hostility from the people under his rule.

Governor Lu rewarded a group of people and made an example of another group, but not only did his situation not improve, he was occasionally attacked by stones, rotten leaves, and even night-blooming incense when he went out.

What's worse is that a few days ago, the north and south gates of Heyang County were broken down by refugees from nowhere, and they are now trying their best to seize the city from Governor Lu.

Time passed bit by bit, and by late at night, the only things left under the control of Governor Lu and his subordinates were the county government office and a few surrounding official residences.

Commander Lu had a stern face. He had not lost a battle in almost ten years, but this time he had stumbled.

"Commander, the horses are well fed. We will break out in an hour."