Voluntary Execution

When the crowd saw the mud and stones being extracted from the bamboo tube, their eyes widened.

"What's going on? Why would the mud and rocks come out on their own?"

"Could it be that there are demons underground helping us?"

"Does His Excellency have the ability to summon ghosts and deities?"

"What kind of technique is this? Why can't I see it? There's no spiritual energy fluctuation!" Bai Liangpu and Yang Shan were both shocked.

In this world, there were indeed some extraordinary methods that could accomplish such a thing. However, those were special talents with high cultivation.

They couldn't understand how Zhang Beichen could send mud and stones to the surface without using any spiritual energy.

The drilling continued. Through the lever device and the manual impact drill, the speed of the drilling was very fast!

Zhang Beichen was being conservative. In fact, it didn't even need four hours.

Just two hours later, the mud and stones extracted from the ground became moister, and even mud appeared!

And at this time, the length of the bamboo tube that was buried had already reached nearly six hundred feet!

In addition to the depth of the excavation, the depth of excavation was close to the underground water layer!

Everyone looked at the bottom of the well until a bailiff exclaimed, "Water is out! There's muddy water!"

He saw muddy water gurgling out of the bamboo tube. The underground water had already been drawn out and was still mixed with mud.

As the water continued to flow out, the well water became clearer and clearer.

"He really managed to get water!" The bailiffs were extremely excited, and the soldiers also exclaimed, "This well is at least seven to eight hundred feet deep, right? How many hours did we take to get this?"

"It's water! There's really water!" Seeing the water coming out of the bamboo tube, Yu Yong and the others burst into tears. It was difficult for ordinary people to understand their feelings. They were struggling to survive in this barren land.

Every year, in order to fight for water, they had to risk their lives and fight with others. They were supposed to be at the age where they could enjoy the rest of their lives, but for the sake of water, they became murderers!

If they had been able to draw out water a few years ago, they wouldn't have ended up like this.

"We've got water! We've got water from the well!" the people cheered.

"Lord Zhang is mighty!"

"Lord Zhang is truly a godly man. I've heard that the almighty can summon ghosts and deities. My Lord must have ordered the ghosts and deities to draw out well water for us!"

"There's water! We finally have another well in Baiyang County!"

There were cheers everywhere. Even the prisoners who were tied up and had indignant expressions on their faces were cheering and crying.

"Big Brother, how... how did he do it?" Bai Liangju was dumbfounded. He couldn't understand how a small bamboo tube, which was only the size of a bowl, could drill eight hundred feet into the ground and extract water!

"How would I know?" Bai Liangpu was also depressed.

If it was so easy to dig a well, they would have done it long ago!

He looked around and saw that even the prisoners were shouting Zhang Beichen's name.

'Where did this kid pop out from? He has such means!' Bai Liangpu cursed inwardly. He knew that as long as Zhang Beichen could solve the problem of water supply for the people, he would be their savior in the hearts of the people of Baiyang County!

Zhang Beichen's prestige would be greatly increased, and no one would go against him!

Yang Shan looked at the well water with a resentful expression. It was a good thing for the people of Baiyang County to get water from the well, but it was not good for him!

Because this well was not his!

"My Lord, your methods are good. I, Che Yang, am impressed!" Che Yang cupped his hands.

Liu Wen, Ah Da, and the others were even more respectful as they said, "My Lord, you're mighty. You have dug wells for the people, your merit is boundless!"

Zhang Beichen looked at Yu Yong and the others and asked, "The county has fulfilled its promise and dug out the well water. After that, the county will continue to use this method to dig wells so that the people of Baiyang County can drink and use water. What else do you have to say?"

Yu Yong reached out his hand, took a mouthful of well water, and then drank it all in one gulp, and so did the others.

"This is our fate!" Yu Yong sighed deeply, then turned around and knelt down in front of Zhang Beichen.

"My Lord, please accept this old man's bow for helping the people to dig a well!" He said.

As he spoke, he lowered his head and bowed. The others did the same.

"This is what I should do," Zhang Beichen said, "You guys shouldn't have fought, and you shouldn't have killed anyone!"

"Every year, the number of people who die in Kingdom Qin due to armed fights is more than twice the number of people who die on the battlefield! If everyone is like this, how will the people of Qin survive and how will Kingdom Qin continue to exist?"

Hearing his words, the ex-soldiers were ashamed.

"We were too rash!"

"Sigh, if Lord Zhang had come to Baiyang County a few years earlier, we wouldn't have ended up like this."

Yu Yong took a deep breath. His eyes were filled with determination as he turned to the crowd and said, "Old friends, this time we have broken the law!"

"Now that Lord Zhang has solved the water problem for our children and grandchildren, why should we make things difficult for Lord Zhang?"

"Since we've already committed a capital crime, why don't we end it ourselves? Let us use our lives to enforce the law for Lord Zhang and the people! Are you all afraid?"

Hearing his words, none of the veterans showed any fear. Instead, they said, "We are people of Qin, soldiers of Qin, what do we have to fear?"

They shouted to the people around them, "Everyone, please remember to strictly abide by the law in the future, and take us as your warning!"

After saying that, Yu Yong slammed his head against a rock and died.

It was the same for the other veterans. All the criminals who had been sentenced to death had all died here!

Seeing this, Zhang Beichen couldn't help but feel sorry for them. He said, "Although they broke the law, they're all good men. Let's bury them!"

The commoners were silent. The veterans and the others all had prestige. If Zhang Beichen had killed them earlier, the people definitely wouldn't have let it go.

But now, Zhang Beichen had dug a well for them. For justice, the veterans were willing to die. Everyone chose to mourn.

At this time, Zhang Beichen's aura suddenly increased dramatically. The shadow of the black bird appeared again, and it dropped a wisp of pure heaven and earth spiritual Qi on Zhang Beichen.

Zhang Beichen's lost essence Qi from earlier had been replenished. Not only that, but the Qi pressure points in his body had also condensed into a liquid state.

His cultivation base had reached the second realm!

"Another heaven and earth resonance!" Hu Cheng couldn't help but feel envious as he looked at Zhang Beichen.

"I've always been a self-proclaimed genius, and I've spent a total of three years cultivating from the first realm to the second realm! He, on the other hand, went from the initial stage of the first realm to the initial stage of the second realm in just one month!"

"But if I think about it carefully, his cultivation is not easier than mine. If he hadn't dug the deep well to get water today, he would have been killed by the backlash of breaking the law! This person is indeed a genius!"

"Hateful, hateful!" Bai Liangpu, Bai Liangju, Yang Shan, and the rest were all cursing inwardly. They had put on this show together to plot against Zhang Beichen.

Some of them had even died because of this. They had thought that they could "break" Zhang Beichen's law, but they didn't expect him to use this method to resolve this situation. Not only did he improve his legalism cultivation, but he also gained great fame!

From now on, no one would dare to violate Zhang Beichen's orders in Baiyang County! His position as the county magistrate was finally secured!

Zhang Beichen ordered the bailiffs to clean up the bodies of the veterans. The civilians and thousands of prisoners were still waiting for his follow-up trial.

"Lord Zhang, I know that you are a strict enforcer. Are you going to execute all these people?" Bai Liangju asked.

Zhang Beichen glanced at him and said, "Of course not. There are different degrees of crime. The murderers have all been punished."

He looked at the prisoners, who were waiting for his punishment nervously.

Zhang Beichen announced, "Most of you are accomplices, but there are also people who injured others. The county announces that all ordinary prisoners will be sentenced to three to five years of labor, depending on the degree of injury they have caused!"

"Minor offenders and accomplices will be sentenced to six months to one year of labor. During the period of your service, the county government will provide you with food and lodging. You have a chance to go home and visit once a month. If you perform well, you could even be released in advance. If you do it again, you'll be punished even harsher!"

"All those sentenced to labor will be arranged to dig wells, and build canals, and reservoirs in Baiyang County! Do you all hear that?"

The prisoners were very worried at first, but when they heard the details of Zhang Beichen's punishment for them, they were relieved. Although they would be doing labor work, it was not hard for them to accept that they would be digging wells, and repairing the reservoir, and the canal for their own use.

Furthermore, there was room and board, and every month, they would have the chance to go back and take care of their family. It was much better than they had imagined.

"Yes, My Lord," the crowd shouted.

"Despicable!" Bai Liangpu and Yang Shan were so angry that their lungs were about to explode. After all, the people who were involved in the armed fight were their clansmen, slaves, and tenants.

There were thousands of people, and Zhang Beichen had turned these thousands of people into his free labor, and these people didn't even complain. This was a huge blow to the Bai and Yang families!

"My Lord, where do we have that much food?" Liu Wen reminded Zhang Beichen in a low voice. This kind of large-scale project could not be done by just anyone. It would still take a few years to feed thousands of people. How could there be so much food?

"Of course, he has enough!" A voice suddenly rang out. The voice was crisp and carried a hint of pressure.

Everyone turned around and saw a person riding a white horse. On the white horse was a woman in a black and red robe. She was tall and had a cold and proud face. She was also wearing gorgeous accessories. She galloped on her horse, her long robe fluttering in the wind. She looked extraordinary!

Seeing her face, Bai Liangpu, Yang Shan, and the others were shocked and quickly knelt down.

Che Yang also knelt down with a group of soldiers and shouted, "Greetings, Your Highness!"