Chapter 54: The Suffering of the Liao People

  Onlookers cheered loudly, with some shouting:

  "Beat him to death if you must, this scoundrel has brought calamity to our fellow villagers. You're doing a good deed for the people, even the magistrate won't make things difficult for you!"

  "Kill this Liao dog!"

  "Beat him to death..."

  The scene was indeed exciting, but Li Meng secretly frowned. Kong Youde and his troops had set sail in February, so even if there were Liaodong people, they might not be those rebels. Moreover, since the Manchu Tartars rose up in arms, the Liaodong people either entered the pass or crossed the sea to Shandong, how could they all be rebels?

  If you really have such a heroic spirit, why not go and kill the Tartars? The people in front of you are being beaten to their satisfaction, but those who are being beaten are still the children of the great Ming dynasty, they are flesh and blood brothers. If it were those rebel soldiers who brought disaster to the people in Dengzhou, who would dare to stay in Shandong? Not to mention encountering the imperial court's soldiers, even if they encountered ordinary people, they would all be beaten to death.

  As Wang Hai was about to clench his fist and rush in, Li Meng grabbed him and held him back, frowning and saying:

  "What's the point of joining in the commotion and driving people away?"

  Wang Hai was taken aback, seeing Li Meng's severe gaze, and didn't dare to speak. He quickly turned his head to call for someone. Those few blacksmiths were not enough, so they rushed back into the blacksmith shop, picked up an iron hammer, and were about to strike when a cold voice shouted from beside them:

  "Stop it! You can't kill someone in broad daylight!"

  The blacksmith was startled by the loud shout, his hand shook and the hammer almost hit his apprentice. He was about to turn around and scold, but saw that the person who shouted was Li Meng. The people around may not know him, but when Li Meng came to forge the short spear, because ordinary people forging weapons were relatively taboo, the blacksmith had to inquire clearly, so he naturally knew that the man in front of him with a commoner's appearance was Li Meng, the salt administration inspector.

  The ironworker's face quickly changed from a look of righteous indignation to one of fawning smiles as he repeatedly said:

  "Magistrate Li taught him that he had been a bit rash at first and almost made a big mistake."

  If it were the Wei family's military dependents who had been taught a lesson by Li Meng, they might have even dared to retort a few words. However, the merchants doing business in this city are much more cunning. The onlookers, who were originally excited and indignant, were very displeased when Li Meng came out to stir up trouble. When they heard him being called "Lord Li", they all quieted down.

  "These Liaodong people are guilty, if we kill them it would be letting them off easy, instead let's make them work as oxen and horses, be slaves for their whole lives, never able to turn things around for generations."

  Li Meng's face was also full of "righteous indignation", and he pointed at the Liaoning people lying on the ground, loudly scolding them. Originally, he wanted to persuade them, but suddenly thought that the great chaos in Dengzhou had just subsided, if he rashly rescued someone, if he was accused of "harboring Liaoning people with ulterior motives", it would be troublesome.

  Throughout history, government authorities have been most sensitive to treason and rioting.

  When Li Meng said he wanted to sell these Liaomin as slaves, the crowd in the field was stunned for a moment. Then, without knowing who started it, everyone cheered and shouted. At this time, Wang Hai led those salt workers and rushed over, shouting coldly from outside the crowd:

  "What are you all doing gathered here in broad daylight? Disperse!!"

  Looking at the twenty or so young people standing there with stern expressions, the crowd of onlookers suddenly dispersed in all directions. No one dared to say a word more than necessary. These people were halfway down the road, or had returned home before they realized something was amiss. Selling oneself into servitude in a wealthy household was supposed to be a good thing!

  Li Meng didn't say much to the blacksmith, and instead let Wang Hai and others carry the person away directly. The blacksmith and his apprentice bowed and smiled as they saw them off.

  After this incident, Li Meng's good mood was gone, and he returned directly to the mansion. The adjacent patrol office building was already bustling with activity. The salt merchants who had lunch together were discussing various details there. The Liao person brought back by Li Meng was beaten so badly that he couldn't get up, and Wang Hai arranged for a salt worker to find a doctor for him.

  The Liao civilian was put on the bed, and his head was covered earlier. There were no scars on his face. As for Li Meng who saved him, the Liao civilian did not say any words of gratitude. He stared blankly at the ceiling, and Li Meng spoke up:

  "What's your name? Where is your home?"

  The Liao civilian did not respond, and Li Meng thought he had not heard him, so he opened his mouth to ask again. Suddenly, the Liao civilian burst into loud wailing, it's more accurate to say that he let out a long howl, perhaps he had been pretending to be mute for a long time, suppressing his emotions for a long time, and now he was crying out in anguish:

  "There's still home, but outside the pass it's been occupied by the Tatars. I came to Dengzhou Prefecture, and Kong Youde did this kind of thing again today. Can't stay in Dengzhou, can only come here... But I'm also a subject of the Great Ming, where can I go?"

  While crying, Li Meng felt uncomfortable in his heart. Although Lai Prefecture seemed peaceful and uneventful, the world was full of turmoil, and those who suffered were these innocent civilians.

  As the Liao people cried and complained, they suddenly ignored their own serious injuries, struggled to get out of bed, but their arms were in pain and couldn't support themselves, and they fell directly under the bed. They desperately knocked their heads against Li Meng's and begged:

  "Sir, I, Guo Dong, would be willing to serve you like a cow or horse, it's nothing. My family is outside the city, my wife and children are waiting for me to bring them food, please sir, give them something to eat, my child is not even one year old yet, don't let him starve."

  Li Meng reached out to support him, looking at the heavily injured Guo Guang, and didn't dare make any big movements. He just let him lie flat on the ground and asked:

  "Don't worry about your family outside the city, I'm asking you, what will you do?"

  Hearing Li Meng's response, Liao Min Guo Dong suddenly had spirit and wanted to kowtow, but was pressed down by Li Meng who wouldn't let him move around, and forced himself to speak:

  "Xiao Ben is a craftsman from Liaodong, his family has been making weapons for the military town for generations, and he has inherited the skills."

  Li Meng's face had already shown a smile, and he turned to call in a salt boy, asking where Guo Tong's wife and children were outside the city, letting the salt boy go to arrange for them. Seeing that his family was settled, Guo Tong, who had been tense and desperate all along, relaxed from head to toe, and only then did he feel the pain of the injuries from being beaten all over his body.

  It just so happened that the doctor Wang Hai had invited arrived at this time, and after entering the house, he began to diagnose and treat. However, what Wang Hai found strange was that Li Meng, who was inside the house, seemed even more excited, and without regard for Guo Dong, who was being treated, asked:

  "Are there several other artisans like you who escaped with you to Jiaozhou City?"

  "As for us, we are all military and artisan households of the Liaodong Right Guard. Four years ago, we came to Dengzhou with a group of twenty or so households. When Kong Youde rebelled, we were living in Haicheng, but last year we couldn't stay there any longer..."

  "How many craftsmen blacksmiths are there who can forge weapons like you?"