PNB Chapter 437: Burning Suzhou
Chapter 437: Burning Suzhou
Outside the tent.
Fang Xiaoxiao followed Pei Yan, dodging the patrol soldiers.
Fortunately, the patrolmen weren't too proactive in their patrols, so they weren't discovered.
About fifteen minutes later, the group arrived at the location of the soldiers suffering from the plague.
This was a spot that Pei Yan had already scouted out beforehand.
Fang Xiaoxiao took out a glass bottle from her bosom, which contained freshly extracted germs.
She first waved to Pei Yan and the others, signaling them to take a few steps back, then opened the bottle and used a dagger to slash open the tent in front of her.
After doing all this, he turned around and gave everyone an "OK" sign.
Pei Yan recognized the gesture; it meant "it's done."
"move!"
Fang Xiao muttered to herself and followed the others as they slowly left.
But things didn't go as planned. Before they had gone far, they bumped into a burly man with a scar on his face wielding a long knife.
The burly man, hiccuping from drinking, staggered over to Fang Xiaoxiao and the others.
Because the surroundings were too dark, the big man couldn't see the faces of the people clearly, and only spoke in a drunken manner.
"Hey, you bunch of bastards, why aren't you resting in your tents at night? Where are you going dressed in night clothes?"
Fang Xiaoxiao's eyes darted around, then she lowered her voice and said in a rough tone.
"Reporting to General, I was thinking of taking a few brothers to Suzhou for a stroll, and maybe find some women along the way. Didn't the General say he was going to burn Suzhou down?"
"If we don't have some fun these next few days, we might never have another chance."
Pei Yan and the others nodded in agreement.
The burly man squinted at the group and quipped.
"Haha, you guys really are like dogs that can't change their nature. Those women from Suzhou are indeed very attractive."
"Hurry up and go, or you won't have another chance to play tomorrow!"
"???"
Fang Xiaoxiao grasped the key point of what the big man said.
She quickly pressed for more information.
"What do you mean by that, General? We don't quite understand."
“A bunch of idiots! The General just gave the order in his tent: Suzhou will be burned down first thing tomorrow morning. You lot, remember to get back to the camp by sunrise, or else…”
The burly man clicked his tongue in a slightly mocking tone.
Fang Xiao was startled, not expecting the event to be two days earlier than planned.
But she still lowered her voice and told the big man in front of her that she would definitely return to the camp before sunrise.
After bidding farewell to the burly man, the group hurried to the government office in the city.
She needed to quickly inform Prefect Yang of this important news and have him leave the city overnight, along with the wealthy merchants and gentry who were still enjoying their family time at home.
Upon arriving at the government office, Fang Xiaoxiao jumped off her horse before it even stopped and hurriedly ran towards the back hall of the office.
Pei Yan then instructed his men to notify the wealthy merchants and gentry who remained in the city.
Inside the back hall of the government office.
Fang Xiaoxiao informed Prefect Yang of what had just happened.
Prefect Yang, dressed in his official robes, looked terrified.
The county magistrate behind him was so frightened that he trembled.
"Your Excellency, let's get our men out of here right away. We must get away from Suzhou before sunrise, or the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Madam Fang, thank you for your reminder. I will immediately send someone to notify all the major families to evacuate from this place."
"No need, I've already had Pei Yan send someone to inform them. You just need to follow us."
Fang Xiaoxiao urged the others to get up and headed towards the door.
After some tossing.
The group of wealthy merchants and gentry reluctantly arrived at a cave entrance.
They all looked like wilted eggplants, all droopy and lifeless.
Someone complained dissatisfiedly.
"You people are really something. Didn't you agree to create some kind of bullshit germ that would kill those bastards?"
"Yes, they even claim to be the most amazing female doctor, a reincarnation of Hua Tuo, with miraculous healing skills. I think they're just deceiving us."
"Quiet down, everyone. Madam Fang has done a very good job. If anyone dares to say anything more, I, Su, will not be polite to them!"
Grandpa Su leaned on his cane, glaring angrily at the crowd.
For him now, if it weren't for Fang Xiaoxiao's help, their Suzhou city would have long been turned into a sea of fire, let alone that they could still be here safely and peacefully.
Although these wealthy merchants and gentry usually bullied men and women, they had no temper whatsoever when facing the old master of the Su family, and could only complain in their hearts.
When Fang Xiaoxiao led Prefect Yang and the others to the entrance of the cave behind the mountain, they saw a group of people dressed in luxurious clothes and knew that these were the rich and powerful people.
When the group turned around and saw that it was Fang Xiaoxiao, each person had a different expression, but none of them were particularly pleasant. Fortunately, Prefect Yang was there, otherwise the group would have complained about Fang Xiaoxiao or made sarcastic remarks about her.
Although Prefect Yang was old, he was still in good spirits. He cleared his throat and comforted everyone.
"I hope everyone is safe and sound here!"
"I will not say much, but I would like to tell you all that your property and houses will likely be reduced to ruins after tonight. Please do not grieve, for this is a man-made disaster that could not be avoided."
No one dared to contradict the prefect, because they understood the saying, "Where there's life, there's hope."
These people's ancestors had all experienced great disasters and poverty, so in their view, money is gone, but as long as they are alive, there is hope.
That's why they say this is a wealthy person, not a nouveau riche.
Fang Xiaoxiao was very satisfied with the group's performance and was about to tell everyone that such days would not last long, because she had already spread the germs in the garrison tents, and the garrison would die in just three days.
Unexpectedly, someone then voiced their dissatisfaction.
"Your Excellency, it's easy for you to talk when you're not in our shoes. We've all worked hard our whole lives to build up this little bit of wealth. Now you're just going to throw it away like that? How are we supposed to live?"
The speaker was an obese man who was panting heavily even when walking.
Fang Xiaoxiao turned around and saw the man wiping away tears while trying to get rid of the people blocking his way.
He doesn't give off the air of a truly wealthy person; instead, he seems like someone who suddenly became rich overnight after winning the lottery.
The man's words quickly attracted several people who had had similar experiences.
Several people walked forward, weeping.
A fat woman even stood with her hands on her hips, pointing at Fang Xiaoxiao and cursing loudly.
"It was this bitch who lied to us, saying that the garrison would not burn the city for another three days, which prevented us from taking all the money out of our house in time."
"Yes, it was her. If she hadn't talked nonsense, how could I have left my life savings in the mansion?"
"Pah! I bet she's colluding with that bandit army, spreading rumors to scare us all. I even suspect that the story of the garrison burning the city was completely fabricated, made up by her and the garrison together."
"If what you say is true, then the plague was also caused by her. Otherwise, how could she have coincidentally produced a medicine that could cure the disease? I have reason to suspect that she and the garrison in the city conspired to embezzle all the money and grain of the people of Suzhou."