After the cannon fodder father and daughter married into the family, the whole family regretted it

The bodies of the victims were kept in the ancestral hall.

However, the ancestral hall was burned down to only two walls, so it was almost like being placed in the open air.

The weather was hot and I could smell the faint stench of corpse before I even got close.

This smell is not just ordinary stinky, it is really enough to make people want to vomit.

Fang Tong immediately pulled the two of them and stopped moving forward.

Besides being disgusted by the smell, he was also somewhat timid.

Although he was a scoundrel in the past, he only stole things and didn't do anything evil. The murder he committed a few days ago was forced upon him.

I've been having nightmares these past few days, but I'm too embarrassed to tell anyone about it.

The yamen runners also disliked the smell, so they walked around twice and roughly counted the number of people.

"Tell me what happened that night."

A yamen runner spoke.

The old village chief said succinctly: "That group of disaster victims targeted our village two days ago, and then suddenly entered the village from a small path in the middle of the night to rob..."

After the yamen runner finished recording, he said, "Okay, we've got this down."

"As for the bodies, you guys deal with them. Just dig a big hole in the back of the mountain and bury them all. If you leave them like this for a long time, be careful of the outbreak of an epidemic."

They had no intention of taking these corpses away.

After all, the village and the county are so far apart, why would they transport corpses for free?

Just go through the process for the sake of meaning.

The old village chief immediately agreed: "Yes, yes, the official is right, I will arrange for someone to bury it later."

The body has been left here for the past few days, waiting for someone from the county government to come and take a look.

They are good citizens who kill in order to survive.

"Sir, there are still more than a dozen living victims imprisoned in the village... What do you think?"

Those were those who were injured in the fight and could not escape, and those who were caught because they did not want to leave.

"Well, we'll take these away." The bailiff took them readily.

Bringing them back alive is considered a merit.

Afterwards, the yamen runners asked about the casualties in the village and, knowing that they were not serious, decided to call it a day.

The village elder hesitated for a moment and then asked flatteringly, "Sir, many people in our village have lost their food and can no longer survive. Will the imperial court arrange for relief food..."

Before he could finish, the yamen runner sneered, "Relief grain? What the hell? There was a heavy rain a while ago, and our county was fine, but the rain destroyed the crops."

"Further ahead, in Xin'an Prefecture, the rain directly collapsed the dike in that city. Once the dike broke, the river water came ashore, washing away many people and destroying their homes. Otherwise, why would so many victims flock to our county?"

"The imperial court is also in a dilemma right now. Even if there is disaster relief food, it will definitely come to Xin'an Prefecture first. Our small county probably has no chance of getting it. If you are thinking about this, why not go to the mountains and dig up more tree bark to eat?"

When the village chief heard this, his heart sank.

The bailiff was still somewhat sympathetic. Seeing their expressions, he said a few more words.

"Don't be so foolish or discouraged. The county magistrate has already ordered us to go around the county and arrest a lot of disaster victims who are causing trouble. This should basically intimidate the remaining victims."

This time, the county government did not rely solely on armed suppression, but also used other means, such as recruiting some of the victims, resettling them, and allocating land to build houses.

Suppress some of the most brutal ones and make them work mining and road building, whatever kind of hard work they can do.

"No more disaster victims will be so bold as to come and loot directly."

Of course, what he didn't say is that it is unavoidable for some disaster victims to rob or steal.

But, we don’t have to be so wary of disaster victims stealing food in the middle of the night anymore. This can be considered good news.

Fang Tong pondered for a moment, not caring about his disgust at the corpse, and bravely approached: "The officials are kind-hearted, so they gave us peasants some advice. Kind-hearted people are blessed. I can read faces, and the officials will surely make a lot of money in the future."

Who doesn’t want to hear good words?

"You are a man who knows how to handle things."

The bailiff chuckled.

Looking at his expression, Fang Tong casually asked, "Sir, I wonder if there's anyone named Xiang among the captured victims?"

The yamen runner's face immediately darkened, and he looked at Fang Tong with suspicion: "Why are you asking about this?"

Fang Tong seemed not to notice his defensiveness. The grown man immediately burst into tears, feeling very aggrieved.

"Sir, to be honest with you, the people who came to rob our house the most that night were the victims. Among them was a victim named Xiang. I heard that the others called him the second-in-command, and his brother was the leader of the victims. I thought that if the government arrested such a person directly, the other victims would definitely not be able to make a difference."

After hearing this, a yamen runner immediately asked, "Is the brother of the leader surnamed Xiang dead?"

Fang Tong nodded, looked at the pile of corpses behind him, and pointed at one of them: "Here, sir, it's the one placed at the very edge wearing black clothes. The clothes are made of cotton."

The bailiff took a look and raised his eyebrows.

Turning around, he patted his shoulder and said, "You're quite rude. It's a pity that we haven't caught Xiang yet. He is indeed our main target."

Catching this man would definitely be a great achievement for the county government.

The yamen runner's eyes fell on the little girl behind Fang Tong, and he couldn't help but say, "Your family should be more careful when you go out in the future."

Fang Tong looked up.

The bailiff added, "We've captured some of the victims and interrogated them. The Xiang has only one relative left: his younger brother. He dotes on his younger brother, and they have a deep affection for him."

He didn't explain it clearly, but Fang Tong's expression suddenly turned ugly.

The yamen runners no longer paid any attention to him.

He strode forward and was about to leave: "Okay, now that the investigation is complete, we're leaving."

The village chief has arranged for people to tie the surviving victims into a group and bring them out.

He took a few steps forward and said politely, "My dear officials, you have come from afar. Why don't you have a meal in the village before returning?"

The bailiff waved his hand: "No."

It’s not that they are highly educated and can’t bear to trouble the people.

In the past, if guests came over or stayed for a meal, the villagers would at least kill a chicken to entertain them.

But for now, let’s go back early.

There were only three of them escorting the prisoner. If they were late and encountered something, it would be a waste of time.

The old village chief was very knowledgeable about how to be an official. He complimented them a few times, praised their hard work, and sent them away politely.

Fang Tong was no longer in the mood to watch the fun. He dragged his daughter and second brother home with his head hung low.

I thought I had solved the problem of those disaster victims and that my daughter had solved the problem.

Who would have thought that if the leader of the disaster victims was not caught, the other party might even hold a grudge against their own family.

"My daughter, don't go out by yourself during this period, even in the village. If you want to leave our house, you must report it to our family and get my approval."