sbdcsierra Chapter 330 Swift and Decisive Measures!
Chapter 330 Swift and Decisive Measures!
The entire prison fell into a long silence as they watched the head roll away, as if the air itself had frozen, the only movement being the blood on the ground.
The Rongdi people felt their hair stand on end. When they first saw Shen Li being reasonable, although they knew she was not someone to mess with, they were not afraid and felt that not leading the way would not be dangerous.
But seeing her so decisively behead someone, they realized that a ruthless civil official was far more terrifying than a general who only knew how to use force.
A spurt of blood sprayed onto Shen Li's chest. She glanced at it casually, then looked at the Rongdi people in the prison: "You have all been frightened. I am a very reasonable person. As long as you cooperate, I will not make things difficult for you."
None of the Rongdi people dared to meet her friendly gaze again.
Prefect Zhao Mao looked at the blood flowing on his feet and felt the warmth of the blood at his ankles. He felt his whole body stiffen and then began to dry heave repeatedly.
He roughly understood how Shen Li had risen to the fifth rank at such a young age. It seemed that it wasn't just about family background; her military achievements and merits in suppressing rebellions were likely genuine.
"This humble official has lost his composure, please forgive me, sir... Ugh..." Zhao Mao couldn't hold it in any longer and turned away to vomit.
Shen Li shrugged apologetically, but didn't stop walking out: "Please change into the clothes of the people of Da Zhao. I will wait outside."
She couldn't stand the smell of prison, and even more so the filth and bloodstains on her body, so she found a room in the government office and changed into clean clothes.
If she had time, she would definitely have taken a good shower.
"Miss, you were so decisive just now. I never expected you to take action." Peony said, her voice full of surprise as she helped her change her clothes.
"He was a man of courage, and his crime certainly didn't warrant death, but in that situation, if he wasn't killed, he wouldn't be able to intimidate the people below." Shen Li felt a little regretful, but she didn't regret it.
She knew this was the only way when the man spoke arrogantly, and for the sake of the bigger picture, she had no choice but to do it.
The people on the front lines are suffering and the disaster is devastating. She cannot afford to be merciful here. Only in this way can she deter those Rong and Di people in the shortest amount of time.
The Rongdi merchants, originally fifty-seven but now fifty-six, all obediently changed into Da Zhao clothes and, at dusk, followed Shen Li out of the city to join the troops led by Chen Su outside the city.
The fifty-six men were scattered among the squads, with more than a dozen people watching each man day and night.
These Rongdi people followed the caravan, and they also had a task along the way: to point out the locations of tribes they knew on the Rongdi map. Some caravans left the Rongdi only a little over a month ago, and even nomadic peoples do not move around much during the winter.
These people had no idea about this section; they thought they were just responsible for leading the way. They hadn't coordinated their statements beforehand, and now that they were separated, they were afraid that their drawings would differ from their companions'.
The female official named Shen Li once 'kindly' stated that if anyone was found to have drawn a fake, they would be buried alive on the spot.
Those who painted actively received the finest meat and vegetables, while those who painted slowly were left with only cornbread and faced extremely unfriendly stares from the Da Zhao soldiers.
The Rong and Di people, isolated and helpless, quickly began to write. Shen Li then received a series of marked maps. Because each caravan had recently gone in a different direction, each map was incomplete and needed to be integrated together.
Shen Li didn't trust her rough and ready subordinates to do these things, so every night she would take out the booklet that Shen Mubai had given her. It contained basic information about the captured Rongdi people, and it was clear at a glance which people belonged to which caravan.
She put the maps marked by each caravan together, marked the common locations, and noted down the locations of doubt in preparation for repeated questioning.
And so, during the day she marched with the squad, and at night the soldiers slept soundly, snoring loudly, while she alone in the tent organized the maps, marking each one on a large map.
"Miss, you should rest early. You won't be able to take it if you keep going like this," Lianqiao gently advised as she added lamp oil to the lamp.
"Didn't I tell you to go to sleep?" Shen Li looked at the map in front of her, not sleepy at all, but rather very excited.
"This servant has already woken up." Lianqiao draped a robe over her before asking, "Why didn't you capture more Rong and Di people along the way and find some to proofread the map? That would have saved you the trouble."
"You certainly know how to save trouble," Shen Li chuckled. "But if this matter becomes common knowledge, do you think the Rongdi will move out overnight?"
“…Oh.” Lian Qiao understood: “Miss, are you planning a surprise attack?”
"At least you understand."
“But you’ve arrested so many people, you can’t keep this a secret for long, can you?” Lian Qiao asked with some concern.
"Third Brother will do his best to keep it a secret for me. Besides, news of this matter is not easily disseminated during the war. By the time the news reaches Rongdi, our army will probably have already won the battle." Shen Li was not worried about this at all.