touchnovel Chapter 37 Lord Chen, wait! These jackals dare to talk about surrender?
Chapter 37 Lord Chen, wait! These jackals dare to talk about surrender?
A reward of fifty taels of silver!
A reward of three hundred taels of silver!
For the vast majority of martial arts practitioners, this is a huge reward!
With the generous reward, the number of brave men surged, and the tense atmosphere in the team was ignited by a burning fighting spirit.
Chen Wenyuan's gaze swept over the locations of the Lonely Bamboo Gang and the Green Bamboo Gang, his voice as cold as a knife: "Gang Leader Xu, Gang Leader Zhao! What you seek is fulfilled today!"
"I need not say more about what should be done!"
Xu Changhe and Zhao Hengjiang exchanged a glance, both seeing a resolute determination in each other's eyes.
Fortune favors the bold; this is their only way to survive!
"Guzhu Gang lads! Follow me and kill!" Zhao Hengjiang roared and leaped out first, followed by dozens of bandits who rushed towards Songshi Town like arrows.
"Green Bamboo Gang, keep up! Don't let the Lonely Bamboo Gang get the first move!" Xu Changhe was not to be outdone. He waved his hand and led his elite troops to follow closely behind.
Zhang Yuan saw the familiar figure beside Master He—Wang Ziteng—rushing out with the crowd.
Wang Ziteng glanced back as he ran, and his eyes briefly met Zhang Yuan's in the air.
The complexity of yesterday was gone from his eyes; only a ruthless and resolute look remained, befitting someone on the run of the martial world.
He nodded forcefully, then accelerated forward without looking back.
Zhang Yuan's heart tightened, and he urged his green horse to follow closely behind Zheng Chaoyang.
Horses galloped forward at full speed as hooves flew.
After running for only a few miles, the deafening shouts of battle, the clang of metal on metal, and the desperate cries of despair surged into their ears like boiling waves.
Songshi Town is now in sight!
The low town wall was damaged in many places, shrouded in a faint golden light, and smoke filled the air.
Beneath the town wall, the scene was even more shocking.
About a hundred bandits were arranged in several tight circles, standing back to back!
They wore either leather armor or captured, damaged iron armor. Although their equipment was mixed, their formation was well-organized, and they advanced and retreated with precision.
Faced with county constables, local militia, and two other groups of men who outnumbered them several times over and charged menacingly, these bandits showed little fear on their faces. Instead, they displayed a numbness, ferocity, and ruthlessness unique to veterans.
Chen Wenyuan's carriage stopped, and he stepped out, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield. His voice boomed, "I, Chen Wenyuan, the county counselor of Fengming County, have brought the county's main force to relieve Songshi Town and quell the rebellious bandits!"
The sound pierced through the golden aura of righteousness, merging with the faint power of the Heavenly Dao, and shook the surrounding area.
From the city wall, an old man trembled and shouted, "Zhou Shouren, the mayor of Songshi Town, greets the counselor! Songshi Town fought desperately against the enemy, but fortunately, you arrived in time, and the town did not fall into the hands of the bandits!"
Chen Wenyuan glared coldly at the bandits and shouted sternly, "You've plundered the land and slaughtered the people! Surrender now!"
All eyes were on the bandits.
The lead warrior, clad in iron armor, dragged his sword forward, laughing wildly from a hundred feet away: "A mere, lowly advisor dares to be arrogant before this commander-in-chief?"
He pointed his long sword directly at Chen Wenyuan and roared, "Either you politely offer me a letter of amnesty, and my brothers and I will make a living in Fengming County; or today I'll slaughter everyone here, massacre this town, and then go live in peace in the neighboring Qingquan County!"
These words caused an uproar, and all eyes turned to Chen Wenyuan once again.
The warriors had already discerned something amiss; these bandits were no ordinary mountain bandits.
Zhao Hengjiang's trusted martial artist lowered his voice: "Boss, the county government isn't telling the truth. These are all deserters from the battlefield, ruthless old soldiers who kill without blinking an eye!"
Not far away, Old He looked grave and urgently said to Wang Ziteng, "Be careful when the fight starts. These aren't ordinary bandits; they're seasoned veterans!"
Zhang Yuan knew that "Dutong" was the official title of a centurion in the army.
In the military system of the Great Yu Dynasty, the commander of all armies was a member of the eighth rank, whose official rank was indeed above that of a ninth-rank advisor.
The five hundred military captains above them were already seventh-rank officials.
The Captain of a Thousand Armies was a sixth-rank military officer, whose official position was above that of a county magistrate.
Upon hearing that the commander-in-chief wanted to be recruited by the imperial court, Chen Wenyuan pondered for a moment.
These are all veterans of countless battles. Although they have become outlaws and lost military discipline, resulting in a significant loss of combat effectiveness, they are still soldiers after all.
If he could be recruited as the county's military commander, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
However, Fengming County lacks the financial resources to support a hundred troops, unless it is reduced by half.
We can't take all of these troops; it's better to let them fight amongst themselves, half of them.
He slowly lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Commander Liu—"
"Lord Chen, hold on! These jackals dare to talk about surrender?"
Amidst the smoke and fire on the city wall, a man dressed as a bodyguard suddenly leaned forward, his voice hoarse yet booming like thunder.
He pointed his halberd at the routed army, his eyes blazing with fury: "I am Wang Wei, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Weiyuan镖局 (Weiyuan Escort Agency)! Last night, thirty-seven households in Lijiawa were slaughtered, women and children were all brutally murdered! This morning, the granary at Tanjialing was burned and looted, and seventeen guards had their hearts ripped out and hung on trees! These blood debts have not been repaid, if Fengming County were to offer them amnesty—"
The roar suddenly rose, carrying with it the trembling cries of the people that pierced through the battlefield:
"Where is the glorious justice of the Great Yu Dynasty? Where will the wronged souls find peace? Will the people of this world accept this?"
They slaughtered civilians with cruel methods!
As soon as the voice fell, all the martial artists and gang members outside the town, as well as the able-bodied men gathered on the city wall, glared angrily with indignation in their eyes.
The surviving residents of Lijiawa trembled all over, their fists clenched tightly.
Chen Wenyuan's eyes narrowed suddenly as he looked towards the city wall.
On Wang Wei's face, blackened by the smoke, his grief and indignation were so genuine that not a drop of water could be seen.
Chen Wenyuan slowly turned his head, scanning each face scorched by anger, and the last bit of "driving away the tiger to guard the border" weighed in his heart was completely shattered.
This Wang Wei is no ordinary镖头 (bodyguard/escort)!
This open scheme is incredibly vicious!
The crimes of the bandits were exposed to the public, putting public opinion to the test.
If we were to propose amnesty at this moment, not only would the county government lose all prestige, but it would likely incite a popular uprising on the spot!
In this situation, the only option is to fight to the death!
He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only an icy resolve remained. He slowly nodded to the armored commander.
"Liu Heita, you have slaughtered the people of Fengming, your blood debts are countless, yet you dare to dream of being granted amnesty?"
Chen Wenyuan's voice was as cold as frost, yet each word resonated with the sharp, metallic sound of metal and stone.
"Chen and the local militia have a duty to defend our land. Even if we die here today, we will never yield an inch to these wolves and bandits!"
With a sudden flick of his sleeve, killing intent poured forth like a waterfall—
"Suppress the bandits! If the bandits aren't wiped out, we're all doomed! Kill!"
"kill--"
Upon receiving the order, the county constables led the charge.
The other martial artists hesitated for a moment, then Zhao Hengjiang led the Guzhu Gang members out with a roar, and Xu Changhe also led the elite of the Qingzhu Gang to rush forward.
The fleeing soldiers reacted swiftly, forming small formations of three to five men, with their round shields crisscrossing and their spears like a forest, easily blocking the warriors' charge.
Amidst the flashing blades, they would always launch a counter-attack during the gaps in their parries, targeting vital points such as joints and throats with cunning and ruthless movements.
One of the local militiamen had just begun to hack at the armored man when he was pierced through the abdomen by a short spear from the side.
The constable brandished his sword to break through the formation, but was instead knocked back by the shield and then had his Achilles tendons severed by a ground-lying sword.
Amidst the screams, the martial artists outside the encirclement grew increasingly tense.
Zhang Yuan immediately stood beside Zheng Chaoyang, gripping the sharkskin knife hilt at his waist, his eyes fixed on the changing battle formation.
Memories of the longsword left by Zhang Zhenshan surged in his mind.
The shifting formations of the iron wall encirclement and the killing trajectories of the Eight Styles of Breaking the Edge overlapped with the battlefield before them.
【Ding! 】
[Observe actual battle formations and combat, combined with a detailed explanation of the "Iron Wall Encirclement" formation diagram (Mid-grade Profound Rank), greatly accelerating your comprehension! Master basic formation variations and identify weaknesses!]
[Observe the battlefield combat and combine it with the "Eight Forms of Breaking the Edge" battlefield combat technique (low-grade Xuan level) to greatly improve your comprehension progress! Master basic battlefield combat skills and the application of momentum!]
Even without exchanging lifespan, you can quickly comprehend these battle formations through personal experience!
Zhang Yuan's expression shifted slightly.
Having seen through the battle formation, he understood that even if they outnumbered the enemy several times over, these local militia and martial artists were simply no match for the routed soldiers who had formed a battle array.