RPAGF Chapter 692 Toll Roads
Chapter 692 Toll Roads
Chapter 692 Toll Roads
"You audacious scoundrels! Not only have you insulted a high-ranking official, but you also dare to incite a disturbance! Arrest them all!"
At this moment, He Renlong arrived in haste with his men. He was following Wang Wenzhou's orders and was working with Wang Wenzhou in a charade.
Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting's face turned green. "He Renlong, you traitor! You're in cahoots with the mad dog Wang Wenzhou! If you lead your troops to arrest even a few Hanshan residents, it will surely incite a civil unrest!"
"He Renlong, stop!" Sun Chuanting shouted.
He Renlong smiled slightly, quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, these unruly people, misled by villains, dare to repeatedly claim to be killing important officials of the court. Their intentions are despicable!"
"Shut up, take your men and get back to the camp! Qiao Qian Gao, convey my military order: anyone who dares to leave the camp without my command will be punished for treason!" Sun Chuanting wished he could kill He Renlong right now, but he didn't dare. After all, He Renlong had 4 to 5 men under his command. If he were to kill He Renlong like this, it might incite a mutiny.
He Renlong shrugged at Wang Wenzhou. "Lord Wang, the old fox won't fall for it. I can only return to camp now."
Sun Chuanting, carrying his sword, walked up to Jiang Yongjie and beheaded him with a single stroke.
"Pfft..." Blood spurted out, and everyone was stunned.
Wang Lin was terrified; she had never seen anything like it before. Wang Wenzhou quickly covered Wang Lin's eyes and gently comforted her, "Sister-in-law, don't be afraid. Look at your ex-husband, he's so ruthless! Not only did he make his subordinates take the blame, but he also killed them without hesitation! Sister-in-law, it's lucky he lost you to me, otherwise he would have sold you out sooner or later!"
At this point, Wang Wenzhou curled his lip and continued, "No! He used you as a bargaining chip, which is tantamount to selling you out!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Lin burst into tears. How could this scoundrel be so wicked, speaking like that in front of so many people? How could she ever face anyone again?
Wang Wenzhou quickly hugged Wang Lin and kissed her. After the kiss, Wang Wenzhou said tenderly, "Sister-in-law, don't be sad. You have to believe me. I'm definitely not like Xiao Sun. I would rather sell myself than sell my own baby!"
Gao Guiying rolled her eyes at Wang Wenzhou; this rascal was just too irresponsible. She hadn't wanted Wang Wenzhou to bring Wang Lin along, given Wang Lin's past with Sun Chuanting, but this rascal wouldn't listen to her advice and insisted on bringing Wang Ying to show off.
Suppressing his heartache, Sun Chuanting dared not look directly at Wang Lin and Wang Wenzhou. He cupped his hands to the people and said righteously, "Fellow elders of Hanshan, I have already personally killed the evildoers. I guarantee that the soldiers of my Beidaying will never do evil again!"
"Heh!" Wang Wenzhou sneered, "Little Sun, you're shameless! You killed a subordinate and pinned all the blame on him! Do you think the people of Hanshan are stupid? Without your orders, who would dare to set up roadblocks and collect money everywhere? The ringleader must be punished!"
"The ringleader must be punished!" In an instant, the onlookers shouted slogans again.
Sun Chuanting was so angry he almost vomited blood. He realized that Wang Wenzhou was deliberately trying to incite hatred against him and encourage the people to kill him. He wasn't afraid of death himself, but the key issue was that if he died, his loyal subordinates would definitely kill the mob to avenge him.
If this happens, he will fall into Wang Wenzhou's trap, as Wang Wenzhou wants to use him to incite a popular uprising.
"Hmph!" Sun Chuanting snorted coldly, cupped his hands to the crowd, and said loudly, "Fellow elders of Hanshan, do not listen to this lowly man..."
Before Sun Chuanting could finish speaking, an old man threw a rotten egg at his head.
"Crack!" The rotten egg broke, instantly soaking Old Sun.
Sun Chuanting was furious. "I am a high-ranking official of the court. I have humbled myself to explain to you common people, but you not only refuse to listen to my explanation, but you also treat me like this! I... I cannot punish you now, but there will be a day when I will punish you."
"Hmph!" Sun Chuanting snorted coldly and said loudly, "Pass down the order to close the camp gates. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my command!"
After finishing his speech, Sun Chuanting strode back to his camp under the protection of his guards.
"The ringleader should be executed!"
"Hey, you surnamed Sun, don't go!"
"You corrupt official, give me back my son!"
Led by several accomplices, the people persisted in their demands.
Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly, cupped his hands to the people, and said helplessly, "Fellow elders of Hanshan, I am no longer an official of the court. This old codger, Sun, is a high-ranking official of the court, and I can't do anything to him!"
Wang Wenzhou beckoned to Li Decheng and said sarcastically, "Lord Li, stop hiding. As the prefect of Hanshan, how can you face your conscience if you don't speak up for the people under your jurisdiction?"
Although Li Decheng arrived, he didn't say a word. He had long understood that Wang Wenzhou was behind this, and if he got involved, he would be caught in the middle.
Li Decheng said with a wry smile, "Lord Wang, I am merely the Prefect of Hanshan. I cannot command Lord Sun's subordinates! Besides, Lord Sun has already guaranteed that no more soldiers will commit evil deeds. In my opinion, let's just let this matter go!"
"Bah!" Wang Wenzhou cursed, "How can we let this go? Did the people of Hanshan die in vain? You still have the nerve to call yourself the Prefect of Hanshan? You have no shame! Look at this! Look at this!"
Wang Wenzhou pointed to more than a dozen coffins and said with a heavy heart, "These people were all honest and simple folks from Hanshan. They were killed by thugs because they refused to be extorted by corrupt officials and argued their case. Do you think Sun Chuanting can absolve himself of his crimes by killing just a few of his subordinates? If it weren't for his orders, how could any thugs dare to set up roadblocks on their own?"
Li Decheng cursed inwardly, "Mad dog Wang Wenzhou, stop fooling me! Don't I know you? Eighty percent of these dead are your men. You're doing this to stir up trouble and incite a popular uprising. Lord Sun saw through your scheme and tolerated it, yet you still won't let it go. What's the point?"
"My lord, please do me justice!"
"We beg Judge Wang to uphold justice!"
The actors playing the deceased's family members were quite good; they all wept and knelt before Wang Wenzhou, kowtowing repeatedly.
Wang Wenzhou waved his hand and said loudly, "Don't worry, everyone, I will definitely write a letter to Zhu Youjian and ask him to kill Sun Chuanting, that criminal! Of course, we can't let our guard down either, and we can't let that old bastard Sun Chuanting continue to harm the people of Hanshan."
Wang Wenzhou pointed to the military camp and said, "This military camp is located in Hanshan County. Therefore, I have decided to raise funds to build a toll road around the military camp. Anyone who passes by will have to pay a toll. All the income from this road will be used to compensate the families of civilians who have been harmed by the soldiers."
"Wang Qingtian is mighty!"
"Wang Qingtian is wholeheartedly devoted to the people; this is a blessing for the people of Hanshan!"
The people immediately began to fawn over Wang Wenzhou.
Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly and continued, "Hanshan is currently facing financial difficulties and cannot afford to hire toll collectors, so we need everyone's help. Those who are not busy at home can stroll along the highway every day. If you see any soldiers passing by, you can charge them 5 taels of silver per person. Half of the collected silver will be yours, and the other half will be handed over. If they dare not pay, please rest assured, elders of Hanshan, our hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers are your strongest support!"
"Wang Qingtian is mighty!" The onlookers were immediately excited; no one disliked making a little money.