Chapter 229 Who is the thug?

The thugs all shrank back and did not even dare to grumble in pain too loudly.

Qin Daguang also didn't expect that these refugees could actually fight bandits and kill wild beasts.

He asked suspiciously: "You are the only people in your village? Are there no old, weak, women and children?"

Just as Qiao Erhe was about to speak, an old man's voice came from not far away:

"Yes, yes! Officer, we are here!"

Everyone turned around and saw the old village chief leading the old, weak, women and children from Qingshui Village, squeezing through the onlookers of refugees and walking in.

The old village chief walked quickly to the government officials and saluted respectfully:

"Master, I am the village chief of Qingshui Village. There are more than 500 people in our village, young and old, who really escaped from Qingzhou Prefecture. We don't want to cause trouble to the county magistrate and other officials in Shuimen County. We just wanted to go into the city to buy some necessary items such as linoleum cloth, and then rush to Fucheng, but we didn't expect to encounter such a thing. We didn't want to cause trouble, so we stayed far away. We were waiting in the woods for the buyers to come back, but when we saw this group of thugs hurting people, including women and children, we couldn't stand it, so we asked the men and boys in the village to come out to help. We really It’s not a troublemaker. If the official doesn’t believe it, you can ask everyone present.”

At this time, the scene had formed a large circle.

The servants sent by wealthy families to give porridge, the refugees who were frightened and hid far away, and the dozen or so guards on duty at the city gate who had just been forced aside by the thugs using the crowd tactics were all standing nearby. Watching the happenings on the scene is like watching a play.

Qiao Erhe glanced at the people watching the excitement around him.

The refugees backed away timidly, not daring to come forward to testify.

They are not as strong a team as the people in Qingshui Village, and they stick together with each other.

Most of them were one or more families fleeing the famine together, and many even became lonely, but they did not dare to offend the locals in these cities.

What if these government officials and the people from Qingshui Village leave later, and the locals come out to take revenge on them?

The servants of wealthy families did not dare to come forward. Most of them knew the idlers and ruffians in the city, and they did not want to offend these people and cause trouble for their masters, lest they be punished by their masters.

The city gate guards were naturally very familiar with these local ruffians who caused headaches for the government. In order to avoid provoking the revenge of these rogues, they did not dare to offend these people.

Ever since, after Qiao Erhe finished speaking, no one stood up to testify for a long time.

Qin Daguang's expression was very bad. If, as these refugees said, this incident was caused by the locals of Shuimen County, wouldn't it mean that their government officials did not manage their affairs well enough, which led to these people being emboldened and acting arbitrarily? ?

Seeing that no one stood up to testify, Qin Daguang's face improved a little, but he said to Qiao Erhe with a dark face:

"How can your words be trusted? Why is no one willing to testify? Are you lying? You are the ones leading the trouble, aren't you?"

Qiao Ran couldn't help but frown when she heard the leader's words.

She took two steps forward and was about to speak when she suddenly heard a weak female voice: "I can testify!"

The voice came from behind the government officials. They turned around and saw a ragged woman walking slowly towards this side, supported by a man also wearing ragged clothes.

The government officials unconsciously stood to both sides and made way for a passage. Everyone watched as the man and woman walked over. The young woman was holding a small baby in her hands.

When Qin Daguang saw someone standing up to testify, he looked at the man and woman with a heavy gaze.

Although the young man supported the young woman, he was obviously very scared and whispered to the woman not to talk nonsense.

But the woman walked over firmly step by step, knelt down in front of Qin Daguang, raised her head, and said very firmly:

"Officer, I can testify! The thugs who rushed out of the city were the ones who beat me. These people are all kind-hearted people, and I was saved by them. If it weren't for them, I would have been humiliated by these thugs. I Our children will also be beaten to death by them! I beg you, Lord, to make the decision for us!"

As she spoke, the woman put the child in the man's hand, put her hands on the ground, and kowtowed with a "bang bang bang" sound.

Qin Daguang's face became more and more ugly, and he stared at the young woman who was kowtowing in front of him with sinister eyes without saying a word.

However, Qiao Ran saw a flash of murderous intent in this man's eyes, and was immediately startled. She paid close attention to the actions of the yamen leader.

Qin Daguang's eyes flickered for a few times, then he suddenly pulled out his sword with a "swish" sound, pointed the tip of the sword at the woman, and said calmly:

"You, say it again! Who is the thug? Think about it later!"

The young man standing next to the woman was so frightened that he also knelt down on the ground and kowtowed to beg for mercy:

"My lord, have mercy on me! My lord, have mercy on me! We, we don't know anything! We don't know anything! My wife is scared to death, sir, don't listen to her nonsense! I'll take her away right now! This is it!" Take her away!”

As he said that, the man reached out and grabbed the woman, trying to pull her up.

But the young woman broke free from the man's hand, kowtowed twice more, and still said firmly:

"Master, what the little woman said is true! I was dragged by this group of thugs just now by my hair, and another thug snatched the child from my hands and wanted to throw my child to death! It's this heroine Their timely action saved my life and that of my child. They are indeed good people, and those lying on the ground are the real thugs! Please give me a clear warning!"

Qin Daguang was so angry that he gave these two people a chance to live, but this stupid woman didn't know what was good and what was good, so he...

Qin Daguang suddenly shouted: "You must be with this gang! You are the ones who committed the murder, and you still want to confuse the public with your lies and confuse right and wrong? Come here, arrest all these thugs and escort them back to the Yamen to wait for the county magistrate." Your Majesty’s disgrace!”

All the government officials behind him responded and were about to come forward to catch Qiao Ran and the others.

Qiao Erhe and a group of men and boys raised their weapons and blocked the old, weak, women and children behind them.

When the young woman was anxious, she reached out to pull Qin Daguang's trouser legs, trying to excuse her benefactors.

But Qin Daguang flashed a calculating smile at the corner of his mouth. With a wave of his knife hand, the sharp knife was about to chop off the woman's head.

At the critical moment, a cold light flashed in Qiao Ran's hand, and a dagger with cold light blocked the big knife.

With the sound of "duang", sparks flew everywhere, and the big knife made a big gash.

Qin Daguang was shocked by the gap in the broadsword and the numbness of his wrist, when he suddenly felt a chill on his neck, and a dagger exuding a cold air was placed across his neck.