Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 616 - 614

Chapter 616: Chapter 614

Xiao’er may have exaggerated her words a bit, but the commoners didn’t know that! They weren’t aware of exactly how treason was dealt with under Imperial law, but they did understand that it was considered the gravest sin, punishable by extermination of nine families!

What’s the meaning of nine families? They weren’t entirely sure, but it was safe to say that it included grandfathers, brothers, sons, sons-in-law, maternal and paternal grandparents, aunts, and great aunts. In other words, it roughly encompassed one’s entire extended family!

The commoners gathered outside the mining area were even more outraged. Brandishing their mining tools in hand, they began to fight the guards at the gate!

Seeing the situation spiral out of control from just a few words spoken by Xiao’er, the mining area manager quickly picked up a bugle horn and blew it!

The long sound of the bugle echoed through the large mountains, partially carried away by the air, the remaining sound reflected off the mountain, resulting in echoes that drifted away into the distance.

As the bugle sound died down, the sound of many footsteps could be heard, and gradually a large number of soldiers appeared from all around.

"The Imperial troops are here, but you choose to believe the words of two thieves! Are you courting death?" the manager shouted.

The sudden appearance of so many soldiers made the miners hesitate.

At this moment, Shangguan Xuanyi had already fought his way out and opened the main gate!

Spotting this, Xiao’er spoke again loudly, "Who is Fang Zirong? Your father slipped and broke his waist when trying to salvage the food during a rainstorm! Your wife is also about to give birth. We knew about this private mine because we saved your father’s life! Your father told you to go home immediately!"

On hearing this, the man named Fang Zirong immediately raised his shovel and shouted back, "Father! Wife!... I am coming home! I am coming home!"

"I want to go home!" This statement struck a chord with homesick miners, and they began to raise their tools in unison, and shout back, "We want to go home! We want to go home!"

Moments of dynamic tension surged through the crowd!

For half a year, many had yet to send even a word of greetings back home, who would not have complaints!

The soldiers did not want to kill these miners; they were merely meant to be there to suppress them. After all, they needed people to mine the area.

The moment the gates opened, Xiao’er seized the opportunity and ordered her tiger army to charge in.

One tiger entering caused civilians to continuously scream. A group of tigers coming in silenced everyone. They dared not even breathe, fearing it might attract the tigers’ attention!

These kings of the mountains possessed an aura no ordinary folk could withstand!

The mining manager was so scared he wet himself, ’Oh my goodness!’ He had been in this mining area for more than half a year and had no clue that there were so many tigers in the nearby mountains!

Luckily, he hardly ventured out; otherwise, he might have already been eaten by a tiger and remained ignorant of it.

The appearance of the tiger army simply stunned the whole scene!

"Fellow villagers, if you want to go home, please go home quickly! These tigers won’t bite you!" Xiao’er took the opportunity to speak.

The commoners were unsure whether to believe her.

Fang Zirong couldn’t care less at this point. His home had only two elders and his wife who was about to give birth. He was desperate to go home, so he became the first to bolt.

Upon hearing Xiao’er’s words, some of the soldiers recollected their senses and attempted to stop Fang Zirong.

At this moment, one of the tigers moved. It elegantly walked towards the soldier, casting him a disdainful glance while issuing a perfunctory growl.

With such a nonchalant growl, it was as though the tiger didn’t consider the man before it worth noticing at all!

Frightened instinctively, Fang Zirong paused. When he noticed the tiger was not growling at him, he soothed his racing heart and cautiously extended a foot, slowly taking a step forward like a scene from a slow-motion movie.

The tiger turned to look at him once, then looked away.

Seeing that the tiger was indeed ignoring him, Fang Zirong heaved a sigh of relief and sprinted out without restraint.

Some soldiers wanted to give chase, but as soon as they moved, the tigers glared at them, and they dared not move anymore. It was a more effective immobilization technique than any martial arts manoeuvres!

Fang Zirong’s departure seemed to trigger something, and those restless miners began to cautiously take their first steps.

They were curious if these fierce tigers would indeed, like the girl said, not bite them.

As expected, the tigers would glance at them when they moved, then look away.

When the soldiers moved, though, the tigers would take a step towards them. It seemed like they had been assigned specific tasks – each tiger was closely watching a few soldiers.

Seeing this, the commoners became emboldened. They looked at each other and then quickly bolted out.

The soldiers couldn’t afford to let the miners get away, so they were spurred into action, fear be damned.

The soldiers moved, and the tigers moved too! The tigers inside the area were numerous times more ferocious and agile than those on the mountains.

A yellow shadow lunged forward, and the moment it landed, it had clamped a person in its jaws.

Screams of despair, horror, cries for their mothers and fathers, combined into an unbearable chorus!

The tigers tossed their heads, threw those they had bitten into the air, and they crashed into other soldiers. The force of the collision knocked over a number of them!

Watching this, Xiao’er smiled with satisfaction, ’This is even more effective than humans!’

Even the commoners who had initially run away, forgetting their fears, some of them even cheered out loud, "Good!"

They weren’t in a hurry to leave anymore! These men often whipped them, so seeing them so scared made the villagers feel quite glad!

Xiao’er thought, ’Just like I thought, our countrymen really do love a spectacle, they always have!’

Xiao’er signaled for the tigers to roar loudly and show their fierce nature, giving the soldiers a psychological intimidation. Frightening them into submission without fighting would be the best approach.

The tigers vented their might, a sight so intimidating, that anyone with a weak heart would faint, while those with strong hearts would crumple in fear!

The sight made the villagers too scared to look anymore, and this time, they all ran away without hesitation.

Finally regaining his voice, the mining manager yelled, "Are you all waiting to die? There are so many of us and only a few tigers, fight, kill them! If the general finds out, you guys will surely die! This is a military order!"

The soldiers came back to their senses upon hearing these words: Yes, indeed! Either way, they were dead! Might as well fight to the death!

Shangguan Xuanyi let fly a sleeve arrow, and the manager fell to the ground!

A man with only a loud voice and no ability was in charge? Were the soldiers blind? How could they let such a man lead them!

Seeing this, Xiao’er addressed the soldiers, "Anyone who surrenders will not be killed! I don’t care whose soldiers you are or whether you knew this was a private iron mine, what you are doing is tantamount to treason! From this moment on, those who surrender will not be guilty of past actions, and will still remain soldiers of the Imperial Court!"

Hearing these words, the soldiers looked at each other in confusion, then at the tigers, they were undecided, unsure whether Xiao’er’s words were true.