Chapter Two, after the banquet at Hongmen, the night is still young
"Indeed!" Liu Yan proudly raised his head and responded with a smile, "May I ask your esteemed name, brother?"
Liu Zhi of Julu, I wish to stand shoulder to shoulder with the three gentlemen in battle! Another short man, wielding a treasured sword, strode forward from the first floor.
What a clever Cen Junran, what a perfect trap! The young man in the blue shirt furrowed his brows slightly, and soon understood the sequence of events occurring at the city gate. He clenched his left fist and struck heavily against the window frame.
But is it the young Mengchang Liu Bosheng from Chongling? At another window on the second floor, a square-faced drinker leaned out and asked loudly
Everyone listen, do not harbor Ma Zizhang, otherwise, you will be guilty alongside the thieves
The young man in the white robe, filled with resentment at their lack of ambition, found himself powerless against them. Suddenly, he stamped his foot, drew his sword from its sheath, raised it high in his hand, and shouted sternly to everyone in the inn: "I am Liu Yan from Chongling, and this is my brother-in-law Deng Chen from Xinye. We are both scions of respectable families in this dynasty. If you do not wish to die in confusion, draw your swords quickly and join me in guarding the gate!"
The officials and soldiers of the Great New Dynasty are not your ordinary "valiant" warriors. Every time they go out to suppress bandits, regardless of whether they achieve victory or suffer defeat, they always manage to bring back a number of heads that far exceeds their own losses. In order to maintain the morale of the troops, the government has never inquired about the true origins of these heads. Even if they include the elderly with white hair and young children with pigtails, they are all credited without exception
Whether in the hands of officials, local bullies, or mountain bandits, ordinary people have no chance of escape. In an instant, those who had been peering out of the second-floor window to watch the commotion, as well as the drinkers chatting on the first floor of the inn, were left in a state of panic. Some trembled and crawled under the table, some clutched their purses and hid, while others, in a daze, rushed to the door, intending to escape back home for refuge before the officials could ransack the place. Inadvertently, they pushed the inn's door, which had just begun to close, wide open again. Some trembled and crawled under the table, some clutched their purses and hid, while others, in a daze, rushed to the door, intending to escape back home for refuge before the officials could ransack the place. Inadvertently, they pushed the inn's door, which had just begun to close, wide open again
Words once spoken cannot be taken back. In this moment, they can only hope that the voices of Liu Xiu and Deng Feng are too low to penetrate the clamor of the fierce battle at the city gate
At the entrance of the inn's courtyard, the innkeeper and the staff were at a loss. Upon hearing the words of the two, they hurriedly scrambled to move the thick wooden door panels.
Do not hit, do not hit anymore. I will give, I will give...
He has a straight nose and a square mouth, and his attire is neat and tidy. Dressed in flowing white garments, with a sword that gleams like snow, he instantly captures everyone's attention.
Ma Zizhang and the bandit leaders under his command were indeed as valiant as the legends described. Although they found themselves in a desperate situation, not a single one chose to kneel in surrender. Instead, they immediately dismounted and formed ranks, covering each other as they launched a counterattack against the government troops
At the city gate, the gleam of blades continued to surge. A tall figure suddenly tore through the heavy encirclement, roaring like a wounded beast as it lunged towards the county magistrate, Cen Peng. A slender figure also sprang up closely behind, rolling through the air amidst the flashing blades, agile like the legendary mountain spirit. Behind them were seven or eight bloodied men, falling down, getting back up, getting back up, falling down again, each one unaware of how many times they had been struck, yet fiercely guarding the back of their leader.
The crossbow is a crucial military weapon, and according to the law, civilians are not permitted to possess it. However, this law has long ceased to apply to the prominent families. At this moment, the household servants of the Yin family are wielding the rarely seen crossbow known as the "Great Yellow," which has a range of up to 120 paces and is capable of penetrating any armor within 50 paces.
Do not shoot; if you miss, it will be a total loss!
In the county of Jiyang, Cheng Yin Xuan secretly led a group of household servants to climb onto the roof of a nearby residence closest to the city gate. Each servant held a peculiar object in their hands, with a faint glimmer of cold light flickering at the edges
Several plumes of thick smoke rose, followed closely by flames climbing into the sky
The city of Jiyang is quite small, and the Gaosheng Inn is not far from the city gate. Standing on the second floor of the inn, he can see the battle at the city gate in its entirety.
"We are the righteous people, the righteous people." The dark-skinned youth Deng Feng emphasized softly, and then hurriedly followed behind Liu Xiu in escape
"Wait a moment, I will expose both of you!" The young man in the white robe was so exasperated that he was both laughing and crying, shaking his fist in threat
He has always been decisive in his actions, never hesitating or looking back. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he immediately rushed towards the courtyard gate. At the same time, he shouted loudly, "Close the door, do not let anyone in, be careful of suffering the collateral damage!"
It is evident that the so-called amnesty was a trap from the very beginning. The corrupt official killed by Ma Zizhang was surnamed Zhen, hailing from the Zhen family, which has produced three high-ranking officials in this dynasty. The elders of that clan would spare no effort to crush the Ma siblings into ashes; how could they possibly tolerate the two becoming generals of the new dynasty, continuing to humiliate the Zhen family while still alive? Moreover, how could the county magistrate Cen Peng have the courage to risk offending the current Grand Minister Zhen Feng and the Grand General Zhen Han, in order to fight for a glimmer of hope for the Ma siblings?
I am sorry, this time it is certain that I will die
One after another, four or five men with different appearances and attire rushed out from the second-floor window and the first floor, holding swords, and lined up alongside Deng Chen, Feng Yi, and others
Unintentionally, both of them closed their eyes. They waited in anger for the arrival of that tragic scene. However, at that moment, two childish voices suddenly rang out from the roof: "Your Excellency the County Magistrate, be careful not to accidentally injure the County Magistrate. How can you use crossbows?"
"This is bad, someone is trying to take advantage of the chaos!" The young man in the white robe suddenly shivered and leaped out of the window.
We are only expressing our concerns about the county magistrate, which is why we spoke up! The young man with a broad forehead, Liu Xiu, stuck out his tongue and crouched down to slide down the ladder from the other side of the eaves
The voice was not loud enough to be heard by those at the city gate. However, it frightened the two young men in white robes and blue shirts to the point of losing their wits. "Liu Xiu, Deng Feng, are you two seeking death? Hurry up and come down!" Leaning halfway out of the window, the two twisted their necks and angrily shouted in a very low voice, "Come down, hurry up, don't bring trouble to the family!"
It is unclear whether they are remnants of the officials and soldiers or the remnants of the horse warriors, but a great fire has erupted in the residential area. Several individuals with the appearance of weasels, wielding short knives, are darting through the alleys, quickly spreading panic and chaos throughout the city
Oh mother! My life is so hard
Recalling the fierce battle occurring at the city gate, with white robes and blue shirts, I was instantly reminded of the earlier scene where the Yin family's servants were climbing onto the rooftops of the residences with a large crossbow. I quickly turned my head again to gaze towards the city gate, but all I could see were patches of mottled blood and dozens of indistinct corpses. The siblings Ma Wu and Ma San Niang, along with the county magistrate Cen Peng, had all vanished without a trace.
The number of officials and soldiers was more than two hundred times that of the mountain bandits, yet they were continuously defeated by Ma Zizhang and other heroes of the rivers and lakes, retreating step by step, and on several occasions, they even relinquished the city gate. It was solely due to the county magistrate Cen Peng fighting desperately with a hooked weapon that the city gate was ensured not to be seized by the Ma siblings.
Neither of them had much strength in their voices, so there should not have been many people who heard them. The young man in the blue shirt returned to the second floor of the inn once again, silently comforting himself.
Despicable and shameless! The face of the young man in the blue shirt quickly turned a shade of iron blue, and the back of his hand pressed against the hilt of the sword was throbbing with bulging veins
Catch that guy, don't let him escape
"Feng Yi from Yingchuan, I am willing to lend you a helping hand!" The square-faced wine drinker laughed heartily as he leaped out of the window, taking three steps at once to reach the entrance, standing shoulder to shoulder with Liu Yan.
The crossbow mechanism, the Yin family actually resorted to using a crossbow mechanism! The young man in the white robe suddenly leaped up, and then slowly descended back into the room. His fair face was filled with anger and regret
The young man in the white robe and the one in the blue shirt felt a deep reluctance, yet they lacked the courage to speak up or to offer assistance. The Liu and Deng families to which they belonged were both prominent local clans; although not as illustrious as the Zhen and Yin families, they were still flourishing. If the two of them could not suppress their impulses at this moment, it would inevitably lead to rivers of blood within their families in the near future
The valley is steep and rugged
Catch the girl, Zhang
"Do not run, none of you run, be careful not to be mistaken for accomplices of the bandits! Go back inside the house and stay put!" The young man in the white robe raised his foot and kicked several disoriented drinkers back into the courtyard, "Now if you run, can you outrun a crossbow bolt? So many soldiers have died in battle, if we don't take a few more heads to report back, how can we explain to our superiors?"
You and I have both forgotten, the county magistrate whose surname is Zhen was cut down by Ma Wu with a single blow!" The young man in the white robe fixed his gaze on the city gate, gritting his teeth as he added.
The onlookers rushed out through the door, as if awakening from a dream, crying out in despair, and then turned back to burrow into the inn. They wished they could transform into a swarm of mice, digging into the ground, so that no one could find them.
"Sir, please show some mercy. My family has long been in dire straits, and we are relying on this little bit..."
No matter how skilled the Ma siblings are in martial arts, and no matter how loyal their brothers are, they cannot withstand the barrage of crossbow bolts. It is already foreseeable that when the servants of the underworld pull the trigger, it will mark the end of the Ma siblings' lives
Wan Cheng Qu Yang
This injury, this injury was inflicted on me just now at the city gate by someone. I, I am truly not a mountain bandit, I am really not, ah!
Capture the thieves of Phoenix Mountain. There are informants...
A loud and arrogant shout suddenly echoed from the city gate. Following that, it spread out like a tide. Large groups of officials and soldiers, led by local clerks and constables, began to search house by house for the fleeing bandits from Phoenix Mountain. Upon seeing anything that might be related to the bandits, such as coins, silk, and bronze wares, they casually pocketed them, claiming to "relieve the people of their misfortunes".
Ah
Jingzhou Xu Yu
County magistrate Cen Peng is no longer the courteous figure he once was. With a hook and a long knife in hand, he stands his ground against Ma Wu, refusing to yield an inch. Behind him are the already closed city gates, their dark wooden panels splattered with bright red blood.
The sounds of crying and pleading followed closely behind, resonating in the ears, evoking a sense of helplessness and despair
Close the door, quickly shut the main door, whether it is officials or local thugs. Those who are blinded by rage will not reason! The young man in the blue shirt followed closely behind, also placing his hand on the hilt of his sword as he jumped down from the second floor window, chasing while loudly reminding.