"Still as clever as ever." The young soldier listened with great joy, feeling relieved that they could push the issue onto Lord County Magistrate, so they wouldn't have to worry about it. He then pulled the small Section Leader aside and asked, "Leader, if the soldiers come knocking again, do we open the gate or not?"
The small Section Leader didn't even think twice this time and replied, "Of course, open it. They've won; if we don't open the gate, they'll report us to the Capital, and we'll be done for."
He added, "Be respectful to them, say nice things, curry favor with their horses."
"Yes, yes, I understand," the young soldier replied, escorting the small Section Leader away.
Not far from the city gate, You An, You Ping, Bu Fang, and Hong Dao were tidying up the corpses of the Seventh and Eighth Village Chiefs, while the soldiers were pulling horses and picking up weapons. These items were valuable, and they took whatever they could find first.
