Chapter 38: Rebels Enter the City

Upon hearing this news, the people of Pingyin County were completely thrown into a panic. The imperial army had actually fled. Just before this, they had promised that if the rebels arrived, they would charge forward to fight.

This was precisely why the aristocratic families of Pingyin County had contributed so many resources—they feared that if the rebels arrived, they would be looted immediately. After all, while imperial troops sometimes maintained a certain level of decorum, rebels would not care about such things.

As it turned out, the imperial army had simply bolted.

The people of Pingyin County were at a loss. If they chose to resist by closing the city gates, they could hold out for a while, but it was unclear how long that would be.

After all, there was no military presence within Pingyin County, only the bailiffs and constables of the county magistrate's office, and their defensive siege equipment was rudimentary at best. Attempting to repel a surging tide of rebels would be an immense challenge.

Furthermore, there was another problem: if they resisted stubbornly to the end and the city eventually fell, the entire Pingyin County would undoubtedly be pillaged clean.

According to news from other towns, any settlement that resisted faced the fate of being burned, slaughtered, and looted. That was how so many refugees were created.

If they did not resist and instead opened the gates to surrender, the outcome might be slightly better. But "slightly better" was an understatement; those rebels were conquering territory and had no intention of governing; their primary objective was the acquisition of resources.

Pingyin County was paralyzed by indecision. Both choices were difficult, and both seemed to lead to death. The only difference was whether one died standing up or kneeling down.

Ten miles away.

"The imperial army has retreated?" Tan Zhen'an asked, sitting atop his horse and looking down at his scout.

"Yes, they have all withdrawn. Moreover, in the last few days, they have taken a large amount of Pingyin County's supplies," the scout reported with his head bowed.

"What a bunch of cowards. With such meager courage, they dare to lead an army into battle!" Hua Shizhong sneered.

"If it weren't for these people, how could we have risen to power? Moreover, if they used Pingyin County as a base to fight us, even if we won in the end, our losses would be heavy."

Tan Zhen'an looked at the city faintly visible in the distance, waved his hand, and ordered the entire army to accelerate.

Since the imperial army was no longer here, Pingyin County was already within his grasp. As for whether the county would resist or not, it made no difference in his eyes.

Since he intended to pillage Pingyin County, Tan Zhen'an had long since made thorough preparations.

While the people of Pingyin County were still wavering, the gates of the southern city were already thrown open. Seven or eight of the city guards were killed before the rest surrendered entirely.

Surrender was the only option; a master of the Marrow Tempering Realm was a truly overwhelming force against these bailiffs, who were at most in the Flesh Tempering Realm. At some unknown point, rebel infiltrators had already hidden within Pingyin County, and they had now broken out.

If the county magistrate's office had been resolute in its defense, they would have naturally dispatched heavy troops to guard every gate. But with such a lack of foresight, the defense of the gates had become a joke.

Chen Fei stayed in his courtyard, listening to the waves of commotion outside, feeling a sense of irritation in his heart.

Just a few days ago, he thought the rebels wouldn't come, yet here they were, right in front of him.

The medical clinic had already closed upon receiving news of the rebels' arrival. Chen Fei had considered whether he should hide at the Zhang family estate, but after thinking it over, he decided against it.

When rebels enter a city, their biggest targets are actually these aristocratic families. By hiding there, Chen Fei would easily become collateral damage. Furthermore, the Zhang family had not invited him to their manor, clearly showing they had no intention of providing him protection.

As for whether the rebels would loot the commoners, it depended on how high their moral floor was. If things got truly desperate, Chen Fei would have no choice but to move on to a new location.

At a time like this, the utility of Disguise Technique became apparent; at least he wouldn't be recognized.

"This Disguise Technique probably still has flaws in the eyes of a master. If I get the chance in the future, I must find a stronger one to learn."

With this thought swirling in his mind, Chen Fei returned to his alchemy room, approached a washbasin, and plunged his entire face into the cold water.

"Clear Heart Manual experience +1... experience +1..."

Washing hair with cold water wasn't difficult, but washing it constantly was tedious. Eventually, Chen Fei found this method: holding his breath and submerging his entire head in cold water; after a period of time, his experience points would increase once.

By now, Chen Fei had cultivated the Clear Heart Manual to the Proficient level, nearing Perfection.

Under the influence of the Clear Heart Manual, Chen Fei's state of mind had become increasingly calm and composed, allowing him to make decisions more quickly when faced with trouble.

Of course, the primary reason Chen Fei was working so hard on his cultivation was the thought that if he could no longer stay in Pingyin County, he would travel a long distance to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.

Whether he could actually join the sect was one thing, but at least the stable environment there would allow him to continue cultivating and growing. Moreover, in a large city like that, the level of medicinal pills and secret manuals would surely be much higher than in Pingyin County.

While Chen Fei was forcing himself to cultivate calmly, the officials and aristocratic families of Pingyin County were currently gathered together, staring at Tan Zhen'an.

Unlike their harmonious interactions with the imperial army, the people of Pingyin County appeared quite tense and constrained in the face of Tan Zhen'an.

"It seems everyone is here. Then I shall say a few words."

Tan Zhen'an looked at the crowd, a slight smile appearing on his face. "By now, I believe you all know very well what my purpose is here."

"We will do our utmost to meet General Tan's requirements," the County Magistrate said, looking at Tan Zhen'an with a fawning smile.

"With those words, I am relieved. Otherwise, if someone fails to deliver, they might claim we didn't make ourselves clear beforehand."

Tan Zhen'an's gaze swept past the magistrate and landed on the representatives of the various aristocratic families. "The Zhao family: one hundred thousand taels of silver and one thousand fine iron blades. The Li family: eighty thousand taels of silver and one thousand sets of half-body vine armor. The Zhou family..."

As Tan Zhen'an called out the numbers one by one, the faces of the various family members turned pale.

This was essentially stripping them of their entire foundations, leaving them absolutely nothing.

"My Zhou family has been mismanaged in recent years and cannot produce such a large sum of money. I hope General Tan can show some leniency."

"Indeed, my Zheng family is merely a small household, how could we possibly..."

*Ssh!*

A flash of blade light streaked through the hall. Before anyone understood what had happened, they were drenched in blood. The two people who had just been speaking were already decapitated.

"This is not a negotiation; it is an order. If any other family cannot comply, speak up now!"

Hua Shizhong methodically sheathed his blade, his eyes scanning the members of the aristocratic families with a mocking smile.

"Deliver the money in two days, and the supplies in ten. Dismissed." Tan Zhen'an waved his hand and left the hall. This "conversation" had indeed been nothing more than the issuance of orders.

The members of the various families looked at one another, and after glancing at the corpses on the floor, they couldn't help but shudder.

If words failed, they simply drew their blades and killed, without even a word of warning.

Everyone returned to their respective families to pass down the news. It was now a matter of buying their lives with money; those unwilling to pay would meet the same fate that had just occurred in the magistrate's office.