Chapter 57: The Battle of Qingfeng Gorge (1)

  I made some arrangements that night and had a good sleep in the car. The next morning, I set off normally and when we stopped for lunch, what I was expecting finally arrived. Shi and Mu, two guards, brought with them over a dozen bundles of something tied up like rice dumplings. I sent Xian Ya away as the scene that was about to unfold might not be suitable for children, so I went alone to ask them some questions.

  "Master's calculation is divine! These little rascals indeed went to our camp to investigate, and the people we had ambushed caught them all, not a single one escaped." Shi Huwei said to me excitedly.

  "Heh heh! Nothing much! Judging from their appearance, they should be scouts. To grasp our true situation, they will naturally go to our abandoned camp to take a look around. At this time, most people have dismounted, and if you launch an attack now, not one of them will be able to escape."

  "After all, it's still the young master's clever plan!"

  "Great! Did they hire him?"

  "Not yet, just passing by, because I still have to chase after Young Master, and I haven't had a chance to use torture."

  "Bring me the ringleader first, I'll interrogate him!"

  "Yes!" He turned around and left, bringing a middle-aged man with a weathered look, small eyes blinking wildly, looking so vicious and cunning!

  "Come clean now!" The poor Taoist didn't waste words with him and got straight to the point, "Which mountain bandit gang are you from, thief?"

  "This young master, we are all honest people, just passing by, why don't you distinguish right from wrong and capture us! This kind of behavior is no different from that of bandits!" Sa Dahu said stubbornly.

  "Fart, just passing by and staying with us for so long? Still checking our camp?" Shi Huwei said angrily.

  "Our horse is slow and doesn't go fast, and we're on the same road, so it seems like we're following you, but actually not! As for checking the camp, it's just being cautious, afraid of thieves harming us!"

  "How dare you! You—"

  Looking at Shi Huwei still wanting to withdraw with him, the poor Taoist quickly stopped him and said: "Uncle Shi, what are you dawdling about with him? He's stalling for time!"

  "Ah! This bastard is teasing me?" A slap went by, and poor Sadao still didn't understand what was going on, and a few teeth fell out first.

  "Ah! How can you treat innocent civilians like this? Is this the style of the Green Dragon Iron Cavalry? Waaah..." Sa Da Mu wailed.

  "Ah! You still remember we are Qinglong Iron Cavalry?" Shi Huwei exclaimed in surprise.

  "Isn't there an emblem on your armor?"

  "Stop stalling! Are you trying to waste more time? Do you want to get beaten up again?" The poor Taoist saw through his trick, "Be honest and confess already. You must be scouts for a group of thieves. Tell me your purpose and numbers, and I'll spare your life!"

  "We're just passing by!" Sa Da Mu said stubbornly

  "Idiot!" The poor Taoist scolded: "Strip off his clothes, tie him to the tree, and bring me his deputy!"

  "Wait!" Sadaaki hurriedly said: "This heaven has tied me up, and I will die in 30 minutes! Your Qinglong Army has always been strict with military discipline, never harming the common people. Now how can you treat me like this?"

  "Firstly, you're definitely a thief. Don't ask me why, I don't have the time to explain." The poor Taoist sneered: "Secondly, with you as an example, your subordinates will tell me the truth! Now, either be an example or tell the truth! Choose for yourself!"

  "This...!" Sada still hesitated

  "Get out!" The poor Taoist was impatient and angrily said:

  "I am a scout of the Wolf Fang Thief Gang!" Sa Daimu hastily shouted

  "Haha!" My two guards and I all burst out laughing.

  "Alright, I've made it clear. Later on, I'll ask others, and if there are any discrepancies, I'll freeze all of you into ice blocks!"

  "Yes, I dare not lie." Sa Da Mu said with a tremble: "We are scouts of the Wolf-toothed Thief Gang. Our gang has 3,000 people. More than ten days ago, someone came to us..."

  He told everything clearly and in detail. After listening, I smiled and said: "15,000 people, quite a bit of trouble!"

  "No need to worry, this time we've brought the elite of the elite from the Qinglong Iron Cavalry, and the entire Qinglong Army doesn't have a stronger team than us. Let alone 15,000 bandits, even if it's a regular army that's slightly weaker, we're not afraid!" Shi Huwei said confidently

  "Yes, we have more than 50 Golden Warriors here, accounting for one-tenth of the quota of the Great Han Empire. Among the 15,000 people in the Thieves' Guild, how many can be Golden Warriors? And with your leadership, young master, it's not difficult to win against them!" Mu Huwei also chimed in

  "You said your name is Sadamu?" Poor Dao asked

  "Yes!"

  "You're also considered a relatively senior cadre now, do you know about their specific action deployments?"

  "I don't know! I just arrived when they were mobilizing the mountain stronghold's troops, I don't know the specific situation!"

  "How did all 3,000 of you get here?" Poor Dao asked curiously

  "They were originally just a few dozen bandits, but later the lords of the western regions forced the people there to flee for their lives, and that's when they escaped here and the group expanded. However, this place is sparsely populated, and even when merchant caravans occasionally pass by, there isn't much profit to be made. We were also starving, and it was only after being provoked by others that we dared to rob you. If we had known earlier that it was your caravan, we wouldn't have come even if you killed us! The western regions should refer to the 12 great lords in the west of the kingdom, who were conferred as dukes when the kingdom was established and have been hereditary ever since. They now have a somewhat disobedient attitude towards the central government. My uncle's Zhuque army is mainly tasked with keeping an eye on them, rather than dealing with desert bandits."

  "Why?"

  "Who doesn't know that the Azure Dragon Iron Cavalry is formidable? That's the direct descendant of General Long, one of the four great marshals of the continent. How dare we small thieves provoke them?"

  "Who is that mysterious person?"

  "I don't know! When I came, I covered my head and told the gatekeeper that I was an old friend of the village master, so I met the village master like this. After that, the village master has been hosting me!"

  "Alright, let's get him to retreat!" The poor Taoist said to the two guards after he left: "I remember that 100 miles ahead, there is a canyon called Qingfeng Canyon. The terrain is treacherous. If they are ambushing us there, even if we are strong, we will be completely defeated!"

  "Not bad! We've been through there too, it's a good place to lay an ambush, but we can take a detour, even if it takes a few more days, it's safer!"

  "Yes! Young master, let's spare him!"

  "Damn it! You claim to be the elite of the elite, but a few bandits block your way. Instead of killing them and opening the road, you ask me to spare their lives?"

  The two men's faces immediately turned red with anger and they shouted: "Young master, please give the order! We are willing to die fighting the enemy!"

  "Good! This is more like it, the Green Dragon Iron Cavalry was invincible under Father's command, and now that it's in my hands, if we were to retreat at the sight of the enemy, wouldn't that be a loss of face for Father?"

  "The young master's teachings are that we have let down General Yuan!"

  "You are also concerned about my safety, don't blame you." The poor Tao comforted and said seriously: "However, the soldiers under my command can only hear the enemy and advance, and must not flee in fear!"

  "Yes, we will strictly follow Young Master's instructions!" The two exclaimed excitedly

  "Pass down the order, speed up the advance! I want to defeat the bandits at Qingfeng Gorge! Let them use their blood to inform the continent that the Dragon family's General has already come out of the mountain!"

  "Yes!"

  It's a bit bloody, but it's just to cater to the taste of these generals. As a monk, how can I bear to kill these refugees who have been forced into this situation? My plan is to surrender them and take them to my territory, give them a way out. It just so happens that my territory is vast and sparsely populated, their arrival will definitely help me with many things, it's a win-win situation!