Chapter 8: The Official Army as Bandits

Upon hearing this, Xu Haoyue recalled that when he had just crossed over, he had nearly been killed by two soldiers from the Southern Tang. Their intentions were strikingly similar to what Zhao Kuangyin had described. It seemed that Zhao Kuangyin suggested that the troops of the Zhou Dynasty often engaged in such acts of robbing merchants. In times of chaos, it was likely that the military governors who held power in various regions acted in a similar manner. However, didn't Zhao Kuangyin possess a travel permit issued by Liu Renzhan, the military governor of the Qinghuai Army? Xu Haoyue, feeling puzzled, then asked, "Brother Zhao, don't you have the travel permit from their military governor? Would they still dare to rob us?"

Seeing Zhao Kuangyin and Mi Xin rush into the woods, cries of despair erupted from within, yet the battle situation remained unclear. Although Zhao Kuangyi and the other two were valiant, they could not disperse the encircling bandits for the time being. Xu Haoyue grew somewhat anxious and dismounted, shouting to Cui Han: "Brother Cui, you need not worry about me; go ahead and assist Brother Zhao and the others first."

Zhao Kuangyin let out a cold laugh: "Will you really let us pass if we pay you?"

After taking more than ten steps, a flock of startled birds flew across the forest, their chirping echoing throughout the area. Everyone was taken aback, and even Xu Haoyue noticed that someone had disturbed the birds in the woods. Zhao Kuangyin sneered and shouted loudly: "Friends in the forest, come out! What kind of hero hides and cowers?"

Cui Han smiled slightly and said: "Second Master is positioned above Cui Han, and it would not look good to break the facade. Moreover, if the enemy hears this, it would be difficult to deal with if they form a crescent or circular formation. I believe Second Master will understand this."

The leader of the group of bandits, seeing the situation, was drenched in sweat and was about to shout for his men to charge forward and fight to the death. Suddenly, a thunderous sound of hooves echoed along the official road, and a cloud of dust rolled in from the distance. Everyone turned their gaze in that direction, where a group of cavalry was galloping towards them, with the character "Tang" prominently displayed on their banners. It appeared to be the Tang army cavalry led by Sun Yu, the deputy envoy of the Qinghuai army camp, whom they had encountered earlier.

Upon hearing the command, the band of thieves under the Great Han quickly formed a formation. It was evident that they were not merely a group of disorganized brigands. After establishing their ranks, they ceased to fight individually. With their long knives raised in unison, they managed to stabilize their previously faltering position. Under the leadership of the Great Han, they surrounded Zhao Kuangyi and his two companions, continuously striking from all sides. It was clear that although the discipline of the Qinghuai army was lacking, their formation and ability to confront the enemy were quite well-trained.

The four great guards shouted their orders loudly, while Tian Chongjin and Li Huaiyi drew their waist knives and charged in with fierce cries. Zhao Kuangyin and Mi Xin were even more agile than leopards, rushing into the dense forest. Having already penetrated into the midst of the bandits, Zhao Kuangyi's long sword was already drenched in blood; in just a moment, he had injured several people, like a ferocious tiger. After Tian and Li joined the battle, the more than one hundred bandits could no longer withstand the onslaught.

Zhao Kuangyi did not wait for the steed to fall; he had already rolled to the side, evading the thundering horse that collapsed. He then sprang up, his long sword darting into the midst of the bandits like a swimming dragon. Zhao Kuangyin saw his brother recklessly charge forward and exclaimed, turning to Cui Han, he shouted: "You protect Mr. Xu! Tian Chongjin and Li Huaiyi, you two step forward to guard our second brother. Mi Xin, you follow me to first disperse the archers in the forest!" Zhao Kuangyin, being a seasoned warrior, instantly recognized that the greatest threat to everyone was indeed the archers in the woods. He instructed Mi Xin to accompany him to eliminate the archers, showing no fear of how many bandits might be lurking in the forest, clearly confident in his own martial skills.

Zhao Kuangyin had not yet spoken when Zhao Kuangyi sneered, "This travel pass can be bought for a few silver coins. How many travel passes does the Qinghuai Army sell in a year? Liu Renzhan won't be able to investigate or find out. " Upon hearing this, Xu Haoyue glanced at the expressions of Zhao Kuangyin and the others, all of whom appeared completely unfazed, instead finding this to be quite ordinary. A chill ran through his heart; it seemed that in this chaotic world, power truly spoke through force. No matter how wealthy one might be, without military power and influence, one could be killed at any moment, with no guarantees whatsoever. It seemed that Zhao Kuangyin and his companions had also engaged in such murderous and plundering activities in the past, fully aware of the intricacies involved.

Cui Han felt a bit moved and hesitated for a moment before saying: "It still won't do. Mr. Xu need not worry. The Qinghuai Army's phalanx formation is not difficult to break. As long as Master Zhao and the others engage for a while, they will see the flaws. With dozens of people forming the array, the formation is not tight. We can attack from both flanks, and this formation will surely be broken."

The Tang general, upon seeing several individuals with extraordinary attire and demeanor, pointed at them and sternly questioned, "Who are you? What brings you here?"

Indeed, Zhao Kuangyi was not foolish; in the midst of conversation, he discerned a flaw. With a sharp whistle, he quietly communicated something to Tian and Li beside him. Immediately, Tian and Li separated and charged fiercely towards the two diagonals of the knife formation, causing the bandits' formation to be thrown into disarray, and signs of collapse became apparent.

The man grinned menacingly and said: "Hand over all your wealth, every last bit, and strip down to nothing. If you do that, I will let you pass. Otherwise, I will kill you one by one and take it anyway"

Seven individuals walked slowly forward. At this moment, there were no refugees on the official road; they had all gathered in front of the porridge shed to eat. The official road was quiet, occasionally interrupted by the sound of birds chirping in the forest. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating an indescribable eeriness. Xu Haoyue felt an increasing sense of murderous intent in the woods, as if many pairs of eyes were watching him. Glancing beside him, Zhao Kuangyin maintained a calm and composed demeanor, exuding an air of confidence, while Zhao Kuangyi looked around anxiously, his hand resting on the long sword at his waist, displaying great vigilance. The four bodyguards were even more on high alert, and Xu Haoyue felt the oppressive atmosphere intensifying, as if countless eyes were observing him. He looked again at Zhao Kuangyin, who remained unperturbed, and then at Zhao Kuangyi, who was scanning the surroundings, his hand firmly gripping his sword. Cui Han, with a cold expression, closely followed him, not leaving his side for a moment.

Indeed, dozens of shouts erupted as over a hundred men dressed in coarse linen shirts emerged from the forest. At the forefront, a burly man with a face full of flesh shouted: "We control the Ying Mountain Road; if you wish to pass, you must pay a toll!"

Xu Haoyue, riding on horseback, was jolted along, realizing that riding was not necessarily a comfortable endeavor. The insides of his thighs and his sides were chafed and burning with pain. After riding for a while, Xu Haoyue was just about to tell Zhao Kuangyin that he could not ride and preferred to walk like the Four Great Guardians, but before he could speak, Zhao Kuangyin spoke first in a deep voice: "Cui Han!"

Xu Haoyue let out a sound of realization as he observed the situation. Indeed, there was at most one person at each of the diagonal sides. If one person were to hold the front, the other two could launch a fierce attack from the sides. It would be difficult to adjust the formation of the knife array, and it would inevitably become disordered. Given the martial skills of Zhao Kuangyi and his two companions, not a single bandit would be their match. After another round of assault, the bandits would surely collapse. Xu Haoyue did not expect that Cui Han had such keen insight. He asked, "Brother Cui, you are truly impressive; why did you not call it out?"

Zhao Kuangyi, unable to contain his impatience, shouted loudly and urged his steed forward, charging straight ahead. He sternly commanded, "Ask if my sword agrees!" The long sword was drawn gracefully, and the steed let out a long neigh, galloping fiercely with all its might.

Cui Hanlang replied loudly, "Yes!" and then stepped forward a few paces, his gaze firmly fixed on Zhao Kuangyin. Xu Haoyue felt that Zhao Kuangyin's subordinates were indeed extraordinary, and their future achievements would certainly be significant. Zhao Kuangyin said coldly, "You must protect Mr. Xu at all costs, even if it means sacrificing your life. There are likely ambushes ahead, and someone intends to assassinate us."

Watching a few people leave, Sun Yu waved his hand, and a young officer approached him. Sun Yu whispered, "Have Deputy General Zhang take some men to intercept these individuals ahead of them. They carry a considerable amount of gold and silver, and their guards are few. Just kill them by the roadside, mutilate the corpses, and use them as decoys for Zhou Dynasty spies. Make it clean and efficient." The young officer understood and grinned maliciously, saying, "I understand, sir."

Xu Haoyue was slightly surprised, while Zhao Kuangyi took the initiative to ask, "Elder brother, what is the matter that is not right?"

The general let out a sound, dismounted, took the document and glanced at it briefly, then discreetly tucked away the gold leaves. He replaced his expression with a smile and said: "So it is Master Zhao, the merchant. I am Sun Yu, the Deputy Envoy of the Qinghuai Army. Since Master Zhao has the merchant's pass, there is no need for further inspection. However, there are many bandits on the road to Yingshan, so it is best to be cautious along the way"

The leading man was taken aback, unable to believe that these seemingly ordinary merchants were actually highly skilled martial artists. Moreover, they appeared to be well-versed in the ways of killing, striking without mercy and with extreme ferocity. In an instant, over ten of his subordinates had already been killed or injured. The man shouted, "Form a formation! They are not merchants; they are spies from the State of Zhou!"

The burly man was taken aback, quickly stepping back a few paces and raising the long knife in his hand, shouting, "Fire the arrows!" In the dense forest, the sound of arrows whistled through the air as more than ten feathered arrows sliced through the atmosphere and flew towards them. Xu Haoyue gasped; although he greatly disliked Zhao Kuangyi, he couldn't help but exclaim in alarm upon seeing him in danger. Unexpectedly, Zhao Kuangyi, who appeared to be a dandy, was quite skilled in horsemanship. Hearing the burly man's command, he quickly crouched down beside the saddle, evading several arrows shot in a volley. However, the horse could not escape and was immediately struck by several arrows, letting out a long whinny before collapsing to the ground.

Zhao Kuangyin, upon seeing him collect the golden leaves, smiled faintly and nodded slightly, saying: "So it is General Sun. Thank you for your concern. I have been a merchant for many years and will certainly be cautious. We still have a journey ahead, so I will take my leave here. Next time I arrive in Shouzhou, I invite General Sun to share a drink."

After the Tang army's cavalry surrounded the porridge shed of the refugees, the leading armored general immediately noticed Zhao Kuangyin and his companions. Their attire was luxurious, clearly indicating they were not refugees. Even Xu Haoyue had changed into a scholarly outfit, donning a cap that somewhat concealed his hair. Zhao Kuangyin, his brothers, and Xu Haoyue, along with their horses, stood out conspicuously among the crowd of refugees.

"Have you forgotten how the troops of the Great Zhou treat merchants who are alone and unfamiliar?" Zhao Kuangyin said coldly, "That Tang general surnamed Sun has an unfriendly expression and will surely send men to ambush us ahead, killing and robbing, and then randomly framing the corpses with charges to settle the accounts, gaining both wealth and power.

Then Sun and Tu Shuyu smiled with a peculiar expression, saying, "Well then, Master Zhao, take care on your journey." Zhao Kuangyin and the others did not linger at the porridge shop and slowly rode away.

Xu Haoyue was also curiously observing the armored general, and the reason was simple: the general's armor was quite imposing. This was the first time Xu Haoyue had seen ancient general's armor up close. Although he had encountered some Southern Tang soldiers before, they mostly wore simple cloth garments covered with two pieces of leather armor fastened together, providing basic protection for the chest and back, which was far less majestic than the armor of the general before him. The armor on this general covered most of his body, with leaf-shaped armor plates strung together, slightly dark in color, complemented by a polished, shiny black helmet, adorned with fluttering tassels, giving him a formidable appearance. In fact, the general was wearing a type of armor known as zha jia, which was quite common during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Its craftsmanship was somewhat simpler than that of fish-scale armor. The Southern Tang was relatively prosperous compared to other nations, and most mid- to lower-ranking generals were equipped with this type of armor. Xu Haoyue was unaware of this; it was as if a country person had entered the city. To Zhao Kuangyin and others, this zha jia seemed very ordinary, but to him, it appeared to be of high quality.

Zhao Kuangyin stepped forward, clasped his fists, and smiled slightly, saying: "We are merely merchants, having heard that there is an abundance of silk in Yingshan, we have come to collect silk threads." His responses were fluent, indicating that he was well-prepared. Then, Zhao Kuangyin took another step forward and whispered, "May I ask your esteemed surname and name, General? I am acquainted with Liu Renzhan, the military governor of the Qinghuai Army, and I also possess a merchant pass for silk collection issued by the Qinghuai Army. Please take a look, General." After saying this, he took out a document from his bosom and handed it over. Xu Haoyue, with keen eyes, noticed that Zhao Kuangyin also slipped a few gold leaves along with the document.

Cui Han shook his head and said, "Master Zhao has ordered me to ensure your safety; I cannot leave without permission. Military orders are as solid as a mountain." He inadvertently let slip this information without realizing it. Xu Haoyue frowned and said, "You should go quickly; I can manage on my own. If I can't fight, I can still run, can't I? Have you forgotten how I escaped right under your noses last night?"