HLnovel Chapter 443 The Surrender Scandal
Chapter 443 The Surrender Scandal
Uncle Liang said helplessly, "Isn't this an unnecessary question? Which of us doesn't have some animal skin or something on our clothes? We've been bandits for so long, even if we don't carry knives, we still have a bit of banditry about us, which is hard to hide in a short time."
Qu Xiao continued, "With sixty or seventy of us, such a large group, won't we scare them into running away through the back door?"
Scarface's eyes widened instantly. He suddenly realized and said, "Quick, let's go to the back door to block them. Leave half of the brothers to guard the front door. We're here to surrender, we can't let them escape to get reinforcements. If the imperial court sends people to suppress us, we won't be able to explain ourselves even if we have a hundred mouths."
Being unable to defend themselves is not the worst thing. If they are surrounded and killed on the spot by the imperial army, how can they have a chance to start anew?
The bearded man led his men to stay at the front gate, while the scarred man led half of his men to the back gate to block them, where they bumped into Lord Zhao and his entourage who were escaping through the back gate.
Lord Zhao and his advisor were protected by dozens of soldiers. They were already terrified, and when they saw that the bandits had blocked their way, their legs went weak.
"Sir, these bandits are far too arrogant! They dare to attack our yamen in broad daylight! They have absolutely no respect for the law..."
Lord Zhao said with a mournful face, "Hoping that bandits will abide by the law is not as good as hoping that Buddha will protect our lives."
Damn it, I should have burned more incense for Buddha on weekdays to ask for his protection.
The soldier who had reported earlier recognized the scarred-faced leader. He trembled, his eyes darting around, and he recognized the scarred-faced leader, guessing that the bandits blocking the back gate were half of those who had split off from the front gate.
He immediately whispered to Lord Zhao, “Sir, these people are from the front gate, only half of them. Our dozens of soldiers are no match for them.”
You must quickly order your men to protect you and your advisor and rush out to save yourselves. If you delay any longer, the people at the front gate will rush over, and we will have no way out.
Lord Zhao nodded and raised his hand to give the order.
Scarface realized that Lord Zhao was about to give an order, so he immediately clasped his hands in a salute to Lord Zhao.
"Sir, you have misunderstood. We are not here to cause trouble, but to turn ourselves in to you."
"Stop your arrogance..." He lacked confidence but was unwilling to lose face. He only realized what Scarface meant halfway through his sentence. He turned to the clerk and asked, "Clerk, did I hear that right? They didn't come to attack the government office, but to turn themselves in?"
The clerk was also completely baffled. He said incredulously, "Sir, you heard me right. He did say he wanted to surrender, but there has never been a case of bandits collectively coming down the mountain to surrender before."
Are they still asleep?
The advisor reached out and pinched his arm hard, the pain almost bringing tears to his eyes.
That much pain is definitely not a dream!
Could it be that these bandits have gone mad, abandoning their carefree life on the mountain to come down, surrender, and be imprisoned?
The advisor felt that his brain wasn't working properly; he couldn't understand it, he simply couldn't understand it.
Lord Zhao was three parts disbelieving, seven parts skeptical, and twelve parts wary. He cleared his throat and asked, "You say you want to turn yourself in, how can you convince me?"
Scarface raised his fist and said, “Sir, please look. We are empty-handed. We have not brought any knives, guns, swords, or clubs. How can we fight against your soldiers?”
If we truly intended to attack the government, why wouldn't we make thorough preparations instead of going in empty-handed?
They're not fools; they wouldn't attack the government empty-handed.
The bandits behind him nodded in agreement. "Sir, our leader is right. We have indeed come to surrender with the utmost sincerity. We beg you to consider our willingness to confess and submit to the law and give us a chance to start anew."
The clerk whispered in his ear, "Sir, in my opinion, what these bandits said makes sense. They didn't carry any weapons, they weren't arrogant, and their eyes were firm, so they didn't seem to be lying."
Lord Zhao shrugged, straightened his back, and adopted a more confident demeanor.
He pushed aside the soldiers guarding him and took two steps forward from the middle.
"Since you have come down the mountain voluntarily to surrender and confess your crimes, I am not a fool. I will uphold justice, investigate your crimes, and then reduce your punishment accordingly."
The misunderstanding was cleared up, and Lord Zhao understood that they had not come to attack the government. Scarface secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Only after receiving a positive answer from Lord Zhao did their hearts finally settle down a little.
Scarface led the way in expressing gratitude, saying, "Your Excellency's fairness and impartiality are a blessing to the criminals."
The bandits behind them all followed their leader in expressing their gratitude.
A smile visibly appeared on Lord Zhao's face, tinged with smugness and smugness.
These bandits turned themselves in, confessed their crimes, and accepted punishment. He was able to capture so many bandits without firing a single shot. This was a great achievement that came to him without lifting a finger.
If this matter were reported to the imperial court, and the court knew that he had captured so many bandits, the emperor would surely be overjoyed, and wouldn't a promotion be just around the corner?
Lord Zhao was overjoyed just thinking about it; he almost burst out laughing. He quickly composed himself and coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment.
"Ahem... Since you have voluntarily confessed your crimes, then you shall first go into the government office, line up, and confess your crimes one by one. You must confess clearly and not conceal anything, otherwise you will not be able to make amends and receive a lighter punishment."
"We understand what you mean, sir, and we will tell you the truth."
Lord Zhao, maintaining his airs, directed his men to bring the man into the government office and instructed the clerk to record his testimony.
The front gate of the government office opened, and Lord Zhao led his soldiers to let the bearded man and his entourage enter the government office to confess their crimes.
It took the clerk three whole days to finish recording the confessions of dozens of bandits.
He finished the last stroke with trembling hands, and the pen slipped from his grasp to the ground, splashing ink everywhere.
The officers and soldiers beside him said with concern, "Sir, you've finally finished taking notes. You've really worked hard."
The clerk said with a bitter face, "Who says it isn't? This thick stack of confessions was all written by me. I wrote them myself, and my wrists are almost broken from exhaustion."
Things aren't going well these days; even being a secretary has become so difficult.
When Lord Zhao heard that the clerk had finished recording the confession, he immediately ran over, lifting the hem of his official robes, his face beaming with undisguised joy.
"Master, you've worked hard these past few days. Once things are settled, I'll definitely reward you handsomely. You should go and rest now."
He didn't even look at the clerk, but gave him a perfunctory compliment.
Seeing the adult's eyes light up as he stared at a stack of confessions, the clerk shook his head helplessly.
Lord Zhao held the confession as if it were a treasure, carefully taking it to his study to examine it one by one.
His expression shifted between shock, anger, and laughter in an instant, making for a truly fascinating display.
He was shocked by the scale of the crimes the bandits had committed, angered by the ruthlessness of their past actions, and pleased that he had captured many heinous bandits with minimal effort.
This time, he was able to make a great contribution.