Chapter 197: Follow me with the knife in hand, kill the three heroes and seize the city tower

Since ancient times, ordinary people have been more afraid of officials than bandits!

Thieves come like a comb, soldiers come like a grate, and officials come like a shaver.

If the Zhu family was suppressed because of rebellion, then the fertile land on Dulonggang would belong to the officials.

If the land, on which nearly 20,000 people depend for their survival, is gone, every one of them will suffer from the cold and hunger and have to beg for food!
The common people are not afraid of thieves because when thieves come they will only steal one year's harvest. If they are righteous thieves, they will even leave some food for them.

And what about the officials!
Not to mention one year's harvest, they are eager to collect taxes for the next hundred years and take away the last grain of food in the hands of the people.

Cao Jie used a little trick to introduce a big conflict between the government and the people, which made the people of Zhujiazhuang turn against him and panic.

Of course, it will take some time for the situation to develop.

Liu Tang and others manipulated the frightened hard-working people of Zhujiazhuang and began to make plans.

Pantuo Road, inside the village.

In front of Cao Jie sat an old man, trembling with fear as he sat on the chair with half of his buttocks resting.

"You have seen through the true situation of Pantuo Road, but the Zhu family still has high walls and deep trenches, thousands of servants, countless money, food and weapons. You must not be careless!"

Cao Jie did not comment and asked, "What's your name, sir?"

The old man said, "Most people in this village have the surname Zhu, but I have the surname Zhongli, and I have lived here for generations."

"Old man Zhongli." Cao Jie nodded and asked, "Why did you take the initiative to come forward and tell me this?"

"Alas! My Lord, I am a person of a different surname and have suffered from the bullying of the Zhu family. Now the Zhu family is going to rebel. If I don't add insult to injury, then am I helping the tyrant?"

"That makes sense. How do you think we can take over Zhujiazhuang?"

"I don't know how to break through, but I know that those people with the surname Zhu are unreliable. You should still take a long-term view, sir!"

"Haha, I have my own way to make them work for me."

It is impossible for Zhujiazhuang's population of nearly 20,000 to all live in that stone tower.

The village protected by high walls had a population of no more than a thousand, most of whom were conscripted men and maids and servants serving the Zhu family.

Attacking such a village is easy but also difficult.

What Cao Jie wants is not just the life and death of the Zhu family, but the foundation built by the Zhu family over generations and the public opinion for a future uprising.

If they were bandits, they wouldn't have to consider these things. They could roam the world with the victims.

But if you want to be a bandit and establish your own base, you have to consider a lot of things.

Zhujiazhuang has a population of nearly 20,000 and thousands of households. If one village cannot be conquered, how can we mobilize the people of a county, a state, or even the entire Shandong province in the future?

At this moment, it is a good opportunity to try our hand by attacking Zhujiazhuang.

Liu Tang and others ran around in the village outside the village, shouting loudly.

"Knife in hand, follow me; kill three thieves and seize the tower."

At the first sound, Liu Tang was full of vigor and enthusiasm. He waited for his neighbors to get their weapons and then attacked the Zhu family.

"Knife in hand, follow me; kill three thieves and seize the tower."

The second time, Liu Tang and others were still full of expectations.

After all, attacking Zhujiazhuang would also bring huge benefits to their people. The money and grain stored by the Zhu family alone was enough to attract people.

"Knife in hand, follow me; kill three thieves and seize the tower."

When they heard the third sound, a “?” popped up in their minds.

Liu Tang shouted until his throat was smoking, but still no one showed up from the village.

Those villagers from Zhujiazhuang who were arrested also ran away and their whereabouts are unknown.

Suddenly, blood pressure skyrocketed.

But I gritted my teeth, but I was powerless.

We can't put a knife to their necks and force them to line up to attack Zhujiazhuang!
"Brother, no one is coming!"

Ruan Xiaoqi rushed in angrily, picked up the cold tea on the table, gulped down half of the pot, and said angrily: "I think it's better for us to take action and rush over to tear down Zhujiazhuang." "Seventh brother, look, you're anxious again!" Cao Jie added another bowl of tea for him.

"Brother, it's not that I'm anxious, but those people are really useless! If you have the time and energy, you might as well do it yourself."

Ruan Xiaoqi made a knife shape with his hand and said, "The three brothers of the Zhu family are only that strong. They are definitely not our opponents."

Cao Jie comforted him: "The people's hearts are unusable, not because they are really unusable, but because they have not yet awakened."

"How to awaken?"

"Keep shouting."

"How long will it last?"

"almost!"

When Liu Tang and his party were shouting slogans back and forth, repeatedly, and even awkwardly on Dulonggang, as if they were charging on a battlefield, the three heroes of the Zhu family on the city wall of Zhujiazhuang laughed loudly, as if they were watching a group of clowns performing.

Zhu Long, Zhu Hu and Zhu Biao, wearing armor and holding sharp weapons, overlooked Dulonggang.

"I finally understand what they are going to do? They want to incite those villagers to attack my Zhu family? Hahahaha..."

“How many people did they inspire?”

"I can't say there are very few, I can only say there is none!"

"Where are the people from the Hu and Li families? If they join forces, they can gather a thousand men. We must not be careless. Go and find out quickly. Maybe they are hiding in some corner."

"Brother, you overestimate those two families... Not a single one of them came!"

"Really?"

"It's absolutely true. I shot old man Li Ying in the left arm. He is now recuperating at home!"

"Haha! I thought they had some tricks up their sleeves? Turns out they're just this good. Let them yell to their heart's content..."

Liu Tang and others shouted back and forth seven times, and finally got tens of thousands of people to show their heads.

However, they did not come to help attack Zhujiazhuang, but to watch the fun.

At first, these people were indeed frightened.

After all, he is a government official and is involved in the Zhu family's rebellion, so how could he dare to go against him?

But now, there was no sign of the government soldiers, and those burly men who had no courage themselves were encouraging these farmers to attack the Zhu family. It was simply a joke.

"The time has come!"

Cao Jie looked at the people who were sneaking around in the corner, mounted his horse, and galloped towards Zhujiazhuang.

"Brother, what should we do now?"

Every one of the heroes looked a little listless.

Cao Jie waved his arm and said loudly: "Brothers, the time has come! You see... the Zhu family only has a thousand people, and we have tens of thousands of troops to help us. The time to destroy the Zhu family is now!"

Where can we find tens of thousands of people to help?
Those are just the cowardly common people who came to watch the fun!

The heroes smiled bitterly, not understanding Cao Jie's intention.

But Cao Jie knows that if these cowardly people are given a little sweetness, they will become a pack of howling wolves.

The entire Zhu family will be devoured alive at any time.

Zhujiazhuang is the sweet treat Cao Jie gave them.

As long as they eat the meat and drink the blood, there is no going back.

This was Cao Jie’s first time winning over the people and manipulating public opinion, and he was not yet experienced.

But if you become the focus of everyone's attention, you are halfway to success.

Next, it’s up to the brothers to make great efforts.

In front of the high walls and deep trenches of Zhujiazhuang, Liu Tang began to challenge...

(End of this chapter)