Chapter 49

Just now, the castle lord Guo Rong, who had just spoken up, was also tied up and thrown there, his eyes scattered, his face pale from excessive blood loss. Something seemed to be stuffed in his mouth, and upon seeing Lu Yao, he could only make "mhm mhm" sounds, writhing desperately but unable to speak.

Lu Yao had no interest in him and went straight to the granary. The granary was located in the center of the back yard, with extremely narrow doors, only three feet wide and five feet high, allowing only one person to crouch and enter. The air vents were very high, indeed making it easy to defend but hard to attack.

Gao Xiang and Shen Jin followed Lu Yao closely, both with grim faces, exchanging several glances. Gao Xiang stammered, "General, as you can see, the granary is really hard to attack. Most of our brothers were injured or killed there... So the brothers got a bit hot-headed, and it's hard to stop them at this time... The situation got a bit chaotic..."

Lu Yao glared at the two of them, "What do you mean by 'hot-headed'? I think it's more like 'lust-driven'! Do you even know you are the army of the court? The things you did are worse than bandits!"

Gao Xiang ran his hand through his messy hair and smiled bitterly, "General, to be honest, young men are often hot-blooded and lust-driven."

"Yes, yes..." Shen Jin also forced a smile, about to chime in, but seeing Lu Yao's eyes cold as ice, he stopped.

Lu Yao crossed his arms and stared at the two of them, then sneered after a while, "Very good! Very good indeed!"

He angrily paced back and forth, suddenly pointing at the two and scolding, "You are not bandits, you are soldiers! They are not barbarians, they are the people under the court's rule!" Shen Jin and Gao Xiang's faces, originally with a bitter smile, gradually stiffened, and their waists bent lower and lower.

"Listen well, both of you!" Lu Yao said slowly, his words as cold as ice, "Those who kill the people shall die! Those who rape women shall die! These are military orders, and I will not change them. Who were the ones who brutally killed Guo Rong's family and relatives? Who were the ones who raped the women of the Guo family? Find out tonight and bring them to me by tomorrow morning!"

"... Yes!" Shen and Gao's faces turned ashen.

Lu Yao glanced at Shen and Gao and went straight to the granary.

This granary was a crucial target in this battle, and Lu Yao dared not be negligent, so he had to go in and inspect it personally.

Inside the door was a corridor, with marks of sword and axe slashes on both sides, and a strong smell of blood. It was clear that Shen Jin and Gao Xiang had indeed put in effort to attack the granary. The corridor extended along the outer wall, about four or five zhang long, and beyond it was the storage space of the granary.

The sight inside the granary almost made the usually calm Lu Yao jump. The grain was stored in large straw bins, piled up like a small hill! In addition, there were layers of silk and cloth, piles of wuzhu coins as high as two or three people, and various gold and silver objects shining with treasure, and many other things that could not be counted. These supplies even exceeded the usual storage of the government granary in Bingzhou. This granary alone was probably enough to supply the troops under the command of Duke Yue Shi for two months!

Lu Yao looked up at the grain almost touching the roof beams and cursed inwardly, "How much of the people's wealth has been plundered!" This Guo family castle controlled only about five hundred households, at most self-sufficient. To accumulate such wealth, the Guo family must have done many unspeakable deeds.

Such a harvest was truly unexpected. Who would have thought that the owner of this castle had such a strong ability to accumulate wealth? The supplies in this castle far exceeded the initial estimate by three to five times, making Lu Yao's military action seem like a deliberate act of robbing the rich to help the poor.

Earlier, a few clever soldiers had already started counting the supplies. At this moment, someone shouted in surprise, having found a copper official seal in a hidden small room, with the inscription "Han Zhong Du Chang" (Han Prefect of Zhongdu). This was not the seal of the Han Dynasty founded by Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, but the seal of the "Han State" established by Liu Yuan in Zuoguo City! Guo Rong's private acceptance of the barbarian's official position now completely confirmed his guilt.

Lu Yao turned and called for Xue Tong, ordering him to personally guard the place, and no one was allowed to take anything without orders, and violators would be killed without mercy. Xue Tong loudly responded and immediately arranged the guards. Xue Tong, a traditional military man from a family of generals, was the most loyal and reliable. This important task could only be entrusted to him for Lu Yao to feel at ease.

Returning to the outer room, there was a flurry of activity. After capturing a castle, there were many tasks to be handled, not as simple as the soldiers washing up and going to sleep. First, people had to be sent to take control of key areas, such as the gates, stables, warehouses, and wells; then patrol posts, passwords, and authorities had to be arranged; followed by the census and household registration to prevent any mischief; then skilled workers and able-bodied men had to be selected and organized; and finally, capable personnel had to be dispatched to report the victory to Jinyang. There were countless tasks to be done.

The castle was captured at dusk, and all these tasks had to be handled one by one. The subordinates were busy like spinning tops, and Lu Yao had to make do with two pancakes for dinner. By the time everything was settled, it had been two hours, and Lu Yao, exhausted, rubbed his cheeks and yawned, feeling sleepy.

He was now in a side courtyard on the east side of the Guo family residence, which was originally Guo Rong's study, divided into inner and outer chambers. The outer hall was the proper study, used by Lu Yao for handling affairs. Beyond the back door, through a delicate garden, was the bedroom where the owner rested during leisure time. The original owner, Guo Rong, was already tied up and imprisoned somewhere, and his trusted major and minor stewards had almost all died in the battle. However, the lower-ranking servants and slaves were mostly still around. He Yun, the captain of the bodyguards, had them under control.

With the general's arrival, everything was arranged properly, for fear of any lack of attention. As soon as Lu Yao stood up, a maid led him to the bedroom.

He Yun had been busy for the past two hours and had just gotten a moment of rest. He followed closely behind Lu Yao but stopped at the door of the inner chamber, waiting outside.

When Lu Yao entered the bedroom, he was suddenly dazzled. The room was luxuriously decorated, with red candles burning high, curtains hanging low, and high-quality incense scattered in several warm stoves, filling the air with a fragrant aroma. Behind the heavy curtains, a woman was kneeling on the large, soft bed. This naturally surprised Lu Yao, and he quickly turned around, but the maids had already closed the door.

Feeling somewhat awkward about leaving, Lu Yao hesitated for a moment, then turned back and squinted to look through the curtains. The woman's face was not very clear under the layers of light silk, but her figure was small and delicate, with a very alluring and voluptuous curve.

He took a few steps forward and lifted a curtain, and the view became clearer. The woman's clothing was rather thin, exposing large areas of skin, and her fair complexion almost made Lu Yao feel a bit dazzled, even causing some internal heat. There was a table nearby with tea utensils, and Lu Yao poured himself a cup of water, drinking it in one gulp. The tea was at a suitable temperature, but the internal heat did not subside; instead, it intensified.

Lu Yao put down the teacup heavily and walked straight to the bed. The woman was looking at Lu Yao, and their eyes met. She was about sixteen years old, a young and innocent girl, yet she had a mature charm. Her eyes were extremely black and bright, like rippling water, evoking a sense of longing. From her round forehead, delicate nose, to her small chin, she formed a beautiful curve. The curve extended down to her delicate neck and shoulders, and her full chest was faintly visible under the sheer clothing.

Lu Yao was not a novice in such matters, but since coming to Bingzhou, he had been constantly fighting on the battlefield, with no time for such things. Now, with beauty before him, the long-suppressed desire burst forth.

He couldn't think any more and roughly pulled the girl into his arms. She let out a soft cry, her chest turning red with shyness, but she obediently pressed against his body. Lu Yao swallowed hard and leaned down to kiss her fiercely. The girl responded gently, initially somewhat awkward, but soon her breath became sweet and seductive, creating a feeling of intense pleasure. Her softness and gentleness further fueled Lu Yao's strength, and the heat he had been trying to control erupted like a volcano.

Lu Yao made a few meaningless grunts, tightly embracing the girl and rolling onto the bed. With a slight effort, he tore off her thin dress. Just as he was about to proceed, a tear appeared in the corner of the girl's eye, and she whispered, "I beg the general to spare my father."

"What?" Lu Yao was momentarily stunned.

The girl repeated, "I beg the general to spare my father."

At this moment, Lu Yao's rough hands were forcefully kneading the girl's smooth skin. He struggled to maintain his last bit of rationality and asked, "Young lady, who is your father?"

"My father is the criminal Guo Rong." The words the girl spoke were like a bucket of ice water poured over Lu Yao, almost making his abdominal muscles spasm.

His lost rationality instantly returned, and Lu Yao got out of bed, gracefully taking a brocade blanket to cover the girl. He took a deep breath and exhaled, then nodded slightly to the girl, "Young lady, I apologize for my earlier rudeness."

The sudden change in the situation left the girl at a loss. She let out a soft cry and instinctively clung tightly to the blanket, hiding herself inside.

******

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