Chapter 6
Lia just watched him approach indifferently. Suddenly, the sword in her hand flashed, and the Black Tiger Gang member clutched his bleeding neck, let out a few whimpers, and collapsed to the ground.
"What about the rest of you? Aren't you coming? If not, then I'll be the one to attack." Lia looked at the members of the Black Tiger Gang, specifically at the man called Lord Liu, whom she had met once before.
"Thank you, Great Heroine, for ridding our Wuan Commandery of a pest. We couldn't be more grateful; how could we possibly raise a hand against you?"
Lord Liu was truly a man who knew when to yield. Seeing their Hall Master killed in a single strike by Lia, he knew the young girl's martial arts were exceptionally high—definitely not something a few members like them could handle. Perhaps even the gang leader himself wouldn't be a match.
"Oh? You're quite sharp. But if you think I'll let you go, that's impossible. Your Black Tiger Gang has done so many evil deeds to the people of Wuan Commandery. It's too simple to think a few words can save your lives."
Lia looked at Lord Liu with a hint of appreciation, but the Black Tiger Gang's infamy was simply too great. It was impossible to let them off just like that!
Lord Liu sighed and continued, "May I say that my brothers and I weren't the ones who did those things? The ones responsible were actually the subordinates of that Hall Master you just killed. Although my brothers and I would pressure the commoners, we have never taken a life."
Hearing this, Lia thought back to Lord Liu's previous actions. Although he had gone to collect protection money before, he indeed hadn't shown any intent to kill.
Lia thought for a moment and said, "Fine, I'll believe you for now. Kill all those Black Tiger Gang members who have committed evil. I need you to do a few things for me next. Once they are finished, I will let you go."
"I understand." Lord Liu nodded, then signaled his four brothers to come to his side. He then directed a murderous gaze toward the remaining members of the Black Tiger Gang.
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Chapter 12: Strike the Tyrants, Divide the Land
Seeing Liu Ye turn his gaze toward them, the seven or eight Black Tiger Gang members immediately stood together and shouted at him, "Liu Ye, what do you think you're doing? If you kill us, the gang leader won't let you off!"
"Shut up, you scum, you dregs! If Li Tiansheng hadn't killed my wife, I wouldn't have hidden in the Black Tiger Gang and done so many bad things for you just to gain his trust and find a chance to kill him!"
At this point, Liu Ye gritted his teeth in hatred.
"Brothers, charge!" As Liu Ye's words fell, his group rushed toward the remaining members of the Black Tiger Gang.
These Black Tiger Gang members only had a bit of strength. Aside from the Hall Master Lia had killed, who was a second-class martial arts expert, the rest only knew some basic moves.
Liu Ye was also a second-class martial arts expert. Under his assault, these people quickly found themselves in a perilous situation, and before long, they were all killed by Liu Ye's group.
Seeing this, Lia said to Liu Ye, "Well done. Have your brothers beat drums and gongs to call all the people in the city. Tell them I'm going to open the granaries and distribute grain, and have them all come to the granary."
Lia's method was simple. Since she had arrived here with nothing, she needed to gain the support of the local people. At this time, there was only one choice.
Strike the tyrants and divide the land!
This was the core content of the "Land Reform" invented by a certain great man! Eventually, it led to the path of "encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing political power by armed force!"
The result of this was stimulating the farmers' enthusiasm for cultivation and removing the shackles that restricted the development of productivity.
It established Soviet regimes at all levels, achieving the exclusion of local tyrants and landlords and the effective granting of political power to the vast peasantry.
It destroyed the local regimes that had long been controlled by local tyrants and evil gentry. Finally, it established a people's regime belonging to the laboring masses and achieved a redistribution of power in rural society!
Whether in the form of armed struggle and mass movements, or the content of breaking unreasonable land ownership relations and their corresponding superstructure, or the outcome of the social transformation it brought, "Strike the Tyrants, Divide the Land" embodied a profound revolutionary significance.
It can be said that "Strike the Tyrants, Divide the Land" wrote a magnificent chapter for the survival of farmers, the development of rural productivity, and social civilization and progress, possessing an epic revolutionary significance!
"Yes." Liu Ye was stunned, not expecting Lia to ask him to do such a thing. He nodded and ordered his brothers to get to work.
"Um, Great Heroine, although doing this is wonderful for the people in the city, it will attract the attention of the garrison. I'm afraid a force of a thousand troops will come to besiege you," Liu Ye said after some thought.
Wuan Commandery had a garrison of 1,000 soldiers. They just hadn't received word of this yet. Once Lia started the drums and gongs, they would quickly discover the situation. If a thousand soldiers surrounded them, escaping would be difficult.
"It's just a mere thousand soldiers. To catch me, they'd need at least several times that force!" Lia said indifferently upon hearing this.
After several days of investigation, she had already grasped the situation in Wuan Commandery. Otherwise, she wouldn't be doing this.
"Several times? Wouldn't that be several thousand? Just how high is this girl's martial power? Even for a Xiantian expert, facing a thousand soldiers should be the limit, right?"
Liu Ye was very surprised by Lia's martial power. He doubted whether her words were true, but seeing her look so confident, perhaps the girl really wasn't worried at all.
Lia's words were, of course, not an exaggeration. Her current mana was enough to fire an Excalibur blast with mana to spare. Although she couldn't kill several thousand soldiers, escaping was certainly possible.
She wasn't worried about a mere thousand soldiers, especially since Merlin was here. She truly felt it was nothing.
So, as the remaining members of the Black Tiger Gang beat their drums and gongs, the people of Wuan Commandery heard that the government was actually going to open the granaries and distribute grain. Every one of them looked like they had seen a ghost.
It would be good enough if Prefect Wang didn't bully them; as for opening the granaries, the commoners simply didn't believe it.
However, the Black Tiger Gang members continued to beat their drums and gongs all along the way, which piqued the curiosity of the Wuan Commandery people. They walked toward the granary, and before long, a crowd had gathered.
"What's going on? Isn't that the Prefect?"
"Why is the Prefect being held at swordpoint?"
"What on earth is happening!?"
"What about opening the granaries? Why is it different from what was said?"
Seeing this scene, the commoners began to whisper among themselves, unable to figure out the situation.
Lia ignored the commoners. Instead, she gave Prefect Wang a smile, walked behind him, and kicked him in the rear.
Prefect Wang went face-first into the ground, immediately letting out a scream like a slaughtered pig.
Seeing this, the commoners felt a surge of satisfaction in their hearts, but they didn't dare say a word because, at that moment, a group of soldiers came running from the distance.
"Hey, who are you? How can you be so disrespectful to the Prefect!" The arriving soldiers saw the Prefect's miserable state and moved to step forward.
However, Lia swung her sword in front of the soldiers. A mana slash carved a trench several meters wide and five or six meters deep right before them, scaring the soldiers so much they didn't dare advance further.
This girl wasn't just an expert; she was a top-tier expert, someone ordinary soldiers like them couldn't possibly deal with.
Seeing the soldiers intimidated, Lia nodded with satisfaction.
Lia looked around and found a high platform nearby. It was well-lit and well-ventilated, and the crowd below could see it clearly—perfect for this kind of thing.
After Lia dragged Prefect Wang onto the platform, the soldiers, though afraid of her, still dutifully surrounded the platform, while a large crowd of people watched from a distance.
"Everyone, let me introduce myself. My surname is Long and my name is Lia. My full name is Artoria Pendragon. It doesn't matter if you don't understand; you just need to know my name is Dragon Lia. This time, I had the Black Tiger Gang call you all here. Rest assured, there will be grain, but first, we have some matters to handle."
Lia first introduced herself to the people, then looked at Prefect Wang and said, "Look, these soldiers want to save you. Tell me, how should I deal with you?"
Lia suddenly yanked Prefect Wang's hand, causing him to scream in pain. As the agony subsided slightly, Prefect Wang hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs, "No, don't come over! Everyone, stay away!"
Chapter 13: When the Law is Useless
He was very sensible; Prefect Wang naturally understood what Lia meant by yanking him like that.
The surrounding soldiers and their superior officers, seeing the Prefect in Lia's hands, did not dare to move an inch. They watched from a distance, yet they did not leave, remaining in their encirclement.
Lia flashed a smile at the surrounding crowd. Under everyone's confused gazes, her sword suddenly slid forward, directly piercing through one of Prefect Wang's thighs.
Prefect Wang screamed repeatedly. At the same time, seeing this, the soldiers seemed to press inward slightly.
Lia suddenly released her aura, causing the soldiers who wanted to approach to shudder. Sensing that terrifying presence, the numerous soldiers fell silent, watching quietly without daring to make a sound.
At that moment, a middle-aged man stepped out from among the soldiers. He cupped his hands toward Lia and said, "Young lady, no matter what Prefect Wang has done, the national laws will punish him. Aren't you afraid of bringing trouble upon yourself by doing this?"
"Are you suggesting I let this scum go?" Lia looked at him steadily.
"If you don't want to bring trouble upon yourself, that would be for the best." The middle-aged man looked at Prefect Wang, who was staring at him with hope, and a trace of disgust flashed across his face.
Just then, a voice shouted from the crowd, "Young lady, don't let him go! This scoundrel has done countless evil deeds!"
"That's right! Who knows how many girls' chastity he has ruined or how many people he has killed!"
"No, you can't let him go! Think of how many people he has harmed!"
"Our current misery was all caused by his hands!"
"Kill him!"
"Kill him!"
Suddenly, the scene fell into chaos as everyone joined in the condemnation of Prefect Wang.
"Young lady, regardless of the mistakes Prefect Wang has made, taking it upon yourself to kill a servant of the state is a violation of the law. You will offend the entire country. Do you really think you can stand against a whole nation?"
Although the speaker also detested Prefect Wang, his knowledge of the law made him hope Lia would not act so impulsively.
"You're right; national laws shouldn't be touched lightly. However, the deeds of some degenerates might not necessarily reach the Emperor's ears. Combined with officials protecting one another, who knows how many people die with their grievances unheard?"
"But what if even the Emperor is like this? Has this country's Emperor treated everyone well? With years of constant warfare, various tax hikes, and forced conscription, the commoners have long been suffering beyond words. What has he done for us commoners?"
Hearing this, the surrounding crowd fell silent, sinking deep into their own thoughts. The man who had been speaking also fell quiet.
After all, laws are static while people are living; one must know how to adapt.
"Everyone, all are equal before the law. But once the law becomes a tool used by certain people to bully us commoners, we must use other methods to defend our rights!"
Lia looked at the people below and continued, "Prefect Wang has oppressed the people and abandoned his humanity, destroying the families of Wuan Commandery. Those with grudges, take your revenge; those with grievances, seek your justice! Do not fear these soldiers; I will take full responsibility for everything!"
As soon as they heard about killing an official, the commoners fell silent for a moment.
Killing an official meant execution and could even implicate one's family. Which ordinary citizen would dare to do such a thing?
"Hahaha! It seems this Prefect still holds the people's hearts. Look, these Untouchables don't dare to kill me at all. Even if you try to incite them, what of it? Who dares to kill this Prefect!"
Seeing this, Prefect Wang burst into laughter. He had realized that Lia had no intention of letting him go, so he decided to act tough—perhaps he might still save his life!
"I dare to kill you!" Just then, a man holding a blade rushed forward. His face was filled with murderous intent as he charged toward Prefect Wang.
Upon seeing the man's face, Prefect Wang was scared out of his wits. He cried out in disbelief, "Lin Beizhong, it's you! How can you be...!"
"Were you going to say my legs and feet were broken? That I was living like a dog? Unfortunately for you, I met Miss Long. She healed me, allowing me to stand before you today to avenge my wife and daughter. Now, die!"
After Lin Beizhong finished speaking, he plunged his blade directly into Prefect Wang's heart.
"F*ck your mother!" If Prefect Wang could have cursed out loud, he probably would have shouted it.
This was so damn unfair. I didn't kill your wife and daughter, so why do I have to take this stab?
However, he could no longer speak. He could only point a finger at Lin Beizhong before collapsing to the ground with eyes full of disbelief.
"Someone's been killed!" Seeing this, the commoners began to panic.
Although they had been shouting to kill the Prefect, they didn't actually have the courage to do it themselves. Now that the Prefect lay dead before them, they grew frantic.
The group of soldiers also shuddered. Now that Prefect Wang was dead, what should they do? Should they charge forward to avenge him?
The soldiers immediately turned their gazes toward their commander, the middle-aged man.
Faced with the soldiers' gazes, the middle-aged man felt helpless. He wanted to say something, but he didn't dare. The young girl's gaze was fixed firmly on him; it seemed that if he made any move, she would kill him on the spot.
After killing Prefect Wang, Lin Beizhong shouted, "Everyone, do not panic! Miss Long said that after the Prefect is killed, she will distribute the grain from the warehouse to everyone. Also, the land deeds and IOUs held by the government will be burned to ashes!"
"Good!"
"Well killed!"
"Beautifully done!"
Once they heard that killing Prefect Wang meant grain to take and land to be divided, the commoners became excited again.
Lia nodded with satisfaction. She gave a nod to Merlin, who was below.
Merlin also stepped onto the stage. He took a large stack of land deeds and IOUs from a wooden box. In front of the commoners, he set them on fire.
Finally, Lia pointed to the sky and said, "When dark clouds appear in the sky, we should correctly point out that this is only a temporary phenomenon. The darkness is about to pass, and the dawn is just ahead!"
"Rest assured, I will take over Prefect Wang's former position and ensure you all receive what you deserve. Now, let us distribute the grain. Line up, one by one. No taking extra, and I will not give you more or less than your share!"
She then turned to the soldiers and said, "Do you intend to avenge Prefect Wang, or will you follow my orders from now on? If you do, you will also receive substantial rewards."
Chapter 14: Confiscating the Property
Hearing Lia's words, the soldiers looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
If they followed her, wouldn't that be rebellion? With so few people, wasn't rebellion just seeking death?
"You had better think carefully. If you oppose me..." Lia thought for a moment and pointed the stone in sword toward a small hill in the distance.
"Golden Sword of Assured Victory!"
As Lia stirred the magical energy within her body, a massive surge of golden mana struck the hill. Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the hill was blasted into powder, with rocks and dirt flying everywhere!
Lia's strike stunned the soldiers. In ancient times, there were legends of a female swordsman from the State of Yue who could sweep away three thousand soldiers with a single strike. Seeing Lia's strength now, they had no choice but to believe that such god-like people truly existed in the world!
"You have only two choices now: surrender or die!" After doing all this, Lia looked at the soldiers with eyes full of murderous intent.
To her, these soldiers were quite important, so she didn't want to kill them. She could only use this method to intimidate them.
The soldiers' commander was very decisive this time. Faced with the choice between life and death, he chose life! The honor or disgrace of the nation had nothing to do with him!
"Your subordinate, Ember, pays respects to the young lady. I am willing to surrender and follow your lead from now on." As for what would happen later, he would see; for now, saving his life was the priority.