Chapter 29 I live and die with files
Burning the warehouse with a fire dragon is the most famous method of destroying evidence. Before the corruption is about to be investigated, everything is ruined. If there is nothing that can be investigated, it will naturally be impossible to continue.
This method is very old-fashioned but very practical, and it will exist even in later generations.
However, what Ma Su found difficult to accept was that he was heavily fortified in the archives room. There are more than ten soldiers responsible for protecting this place. At this level, the fire dragon can burn down the warehouse?
When Ma Di and others hurried to the archives room, the raging fire had enveloped the entire archives room.
Although people from the county government responded and people kept coming to put out the fire with hooks and buckets, it was already too late.
The houses of this era were all wooden houses, and even if they were fireproof, they were still flammable. If the fire goes down like this, the fire will have no combustibles at all.
But what made Ma Su look livid was that there were still a lot of blood stains on the ground.
"How brave! How brave!!" Ma Su gritted his teeth. He never expected that someone would dare to kill people and burn down warehouses in the county government. The most important thing is that the opponent's methods are very ruthless. More than a dozen soldiers were killed without even a trace of movement.
"Are all the people in the county government deaf? You didn't even hear the fighting here?" Ma Su turned his head and looked at the government officials with eyes full of anger.
Facing the chief's furious eyes, the government officials fell silent.
"Lord Sheriff, all the administrative officers around here have been transferred away for some reason." An official was silent for a while and said cautiously.
"Who transferred him?" Ma Su asked expressionlessly.
"I heard that the county captain transferred them because they were just government servants and were not qualified to refuse the county captain's orders." The official smiled bitterly and answered cautiously.
Although Didao County is a government seat, it also has a county magistrate and a county captain. These are basically the confidants or disciples of the aristocratic family. It would be difficult for Ma Di to replace them all when he first came here.
"Where is the county captain?" Ma Di was silent for a moment and asked through gritted teeth.
"Go back to the governor, we don't know..." The official lowered his head even further, not daring to look at Ma Su's expression.
"I was careless." Ma Di shook his head, his expression a little solemn. He naturally knew that these local government officials were unreliable, so he left things like guarding warehouses to his own people.
But he had too few manpower. He had to survey the farm and arrest people, so he only had a dozen people to guard the archives room.
The nobles transferred the government officials to other places and quietly killed these dozen soldiers.
Perhaps Ma Di still underestimated the power of the family, or underestimated the value of the rangers they raised.
"Prefect, what should we do? The household registration and land deeds are basically all there." The county magistrate Zhuge Liang sent to Ma Su was very troubled and walked up to ask Ma Su what to do.
"Without household registration and land deeds, it would be difficult for us to let the nobles vomit out the land they have occupied over the years. In fact, we don't even know who owns the occupied land, and who should give it to them and how to get it."
Without household registration, it is equivalent to the court being blind. The court didn't know exactly how many people there were or how much land they had.
Without any basis, Ma Su's idea of using a dull knife to cut into the family's flesh was in vain.
When the new household registration census is released, the gentry may not even know how much water has been mixed.
"Is there no possibility of rescue?" Ma Su frowned, feeling very impatient.
"Someone is trying, but they can only send people over the fire and throw the bamboo slips out before they are burned." Yao Hu also frowned and looked at the fire and shook his head.
"But with such a big fire, if you rush in to rescue people, you probably won't be able to get out. Someone is recruiting..."
"Then there's no problem." Ma Di nodded immediately, suddenly turned around and looked at the soldiers and officials behind him, and said calmly.
"Everyone, do you know? This house contains the hope of the entire Longxi County. If they are burned, Longxi County will continue to be controlled by those wealthy families, and it will be difficult for the people to bathe in the benevolence and righteousness of the great men."
"They will not be able to have enough to eat and live in peace and contentment like in Shu. They can only starve to death and die of exhaustion under the rule of the noble family until they are drained of their last use."
"I, Ma Su, will never let this happen, so the bamboo slips inside must be preserved!"
"This matter is equivalent to committing suicide. It is all based on one's own volition. If you are not afraid of death, just come with me."
With that said, Ma Su took the lead and rushed into the sea of fire with everyone looking at him in astonishment...
Rushed into the sea of fire...
In the sea of fire...
middle……
"The Sheriff rushed in?"
Ma Su's actions stunned the officials. When they realized that they could no longer see Ma Su, they were shocked.
The dignified county governor actually rushed into the sea of fire to rescue things. Isn't this something done by a gentleman? Isn't it said that a gentleman doesn't build dangerous walls?
A group of soldiers responded immediately. A dozen of them were soaked and rushed into the sea of fire to save Ma Su.
Ma Su's purpose in rushing into the sea of fire was quite simple, just to save the information at all costs. Everything recorded here is a good thing as long as it can be rescued, even if only part of it is rescued.
Anyway, Ma Su himself is not afraid of death. In other words, if he can be burned here and salvage some information, he feels that it will be very profitable.
A win-win situation!
So when everyone thought it was hopeless, Ma Su rushed in brazenly.
Braving the severe pain of being burned by the fire, Ma Di rushed into the house. As soon as I rushed in, I saw a dozen corpses on the ground, all dressed as Shu soldiers.
These were Shu soldiers guarding this place, and they all died under the sword of the sneak attackers.
"Today's revenge will be repaid tenfold." Ma Su gritted his teeth and immediately rushed to the shelf where the household registration was placed. He picked up the bamboo slips and rushed out, trying to send the bamboo slips out as much as possible.
During the rescue process, the guards also rushed in. Seeing that Ma Di was still rescuing the bamboo slips, their expressions changed.
"Sir, please leave here with us quickly, your safety is more important than this!"
"What are you doing standing still? Move with me!" Ma Di immediately turned around and ordered when he saw the guards following him.
"How much can be saved? If we can't be saved, I, Ma Su, would rather burn to death!"
"Sir! You are the county guard. An Neng can personally do such a life-threatening thing!" The soldiers helped Ma Su throw the bamboo slips out and tried to pull Ma Su away.
This kind of life-threatening thing is done by people below them, how can any leader personally come to die.
It feels like the leader of a group is charging at the front in a battle.
"What are you saying? I, Ma Su, can do what you can do. If I, Ma Su, don't come in person, what qualifications do I have to send my soldiers to death?" Ma Su said calmly without raising his head.
"A true gentleman will not watch his men burn to death in front of him. A general should not charge slower than a soldier."
Fire dragon burning the warehouse? Even if the God of Fire Zhurong comes today, don't even think about burning these bamboo slips!
Under the raging fire, Ma Su and his soldiers carried the bamboo slips almost against the choking smoke and blazing heat.
The biggest threat to people in a fire is not the crowd, but the thick smoke. When the soldiers came in, they were all wet and rushed through the sea of fire. Ma Su tore off a piece of cloth from their bodies and blocked their mouths and noses and continued to rescue them.
Fortunately, because he was familiar with this place, Ma Di quickly found out the household registrations of the most important counties and threw them out despite the fire.
Just as Ma Su finished throwing the bamboo slips on the second shelf, the shelf was suddenly burned and hit Ma Su.
"Gan!" Ma Su's last thought before he fell down.
"I haven't finished moving yet!"