Chapter 5: Shi Jia Village Ambushed on All Sides

  【Huayin County Government Office】A camel's gray shadow accompanied by rapid panting, passed through the mountain corridor and arrived at a place surrounded by flowers. Before he could catch his breath, his front foot had just stepped on the stone step, when he was pushed away by the soldiers guarding the door. Then, with a swish, a wooden knife appeared in front of him, already half out of its sheath.

  Under the moonlight, the camel clearly saw the big drops of sweat on its forehead reflected in the bright blade. The camel steadied itself and rushed to the soldier, saying: "What's going on here? Let me through quickly! I have urgent news to report to the master."

  That soldier didn't seem to buy his account, and in a suppressed tone, somewhat rudely said: "Several officers from my family are also inside drinking, how can you come and disturb the fun!"

  The camel saw that the soldier was not going to give in, so he became more anxious and rushed forward. The soldier refused to yield, and they began to push and shove each other.

  At this moment, the robust man sitting in the flower hall, hearing the noise outside, raised his wine cup and stopped it in mid-air as he listened carefully with a sideways ear. His face was very annoyed. The accompanying Liu County Magistrate of Huayin County also looked very embarrassed, put down his wine cup, and stepped out of the seat.

  As the door opened, a loud shout came just in time to startle him. When Liu Xianling regained his composure and opened his mouth to scold, he didn't expect that the camel would roll and crawl back up onto the steps like a dog seeing its master, looking as if it was even more triumphant than the soldier.

  County Magistrate Liu looked at him with great expectation in his eyes, yet also seemed somewhat uneasy.

  Only to see the camel attached to his ear and whispering, Liu County's face first gradually darkened, and then slightly relaxed. The camel finished speaking, took a look at the soldier with a puzzled face, and was even more pleased in his heart. After getting Liu County's instructions, he quietly retreated.

  When County Magistrate Liu returned to the flower hall, the man sitting at the top saw his solemn face and couldn't help but speak up: "Who was shouting outside? Why are you so worried, Brother Liu?"

  County Magistrate Liu sat down hesitantly, raised his wine cup, and put on a forced smile: "Brother Li, let's not mention it for now, lest we spoil the mood of our drinking."

  Including that surname Li, the officials have been staying in Huayin County for several days under the name of eliminating bandits. Every day is treated as a superior guest, touring mountains and rivers, music and dance, and all are complete.

  And these expenses were all incurred by County Magistrate Liu under the name of "suppressing bandits for the people", cleverly creating a pretext to collect taxes and donations. A portion naturally went into his own pocket, while another part was also used to grease the palms of the soldiers. These soldiers, having received favors from others, would naturally work harder.

  This time, seeing the county magistrate's worried face, he had even more intention of making a show.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, he didn't say anything, and that Li guy kept asking.

  County Magistrate Liu looked at the fire and said in a low, solemn tone: "You all know that today, Shi Zhong went to attack Shi Jia Village on Mount Shao Hua. We originally wanted to sit back and watch the two tigers fight each other, but just now, a secret scout informed us that although Shi Jin had a fierce battle with the bandits and was captured by them, he has just ridden his horse down from Mount Shao Hua not long ago, without any injuries whatsoever. Moreover, he looked refreshed and was drunk. That guy is usually not peaceful, I'm afraid... he has already surrendered to the bandits. This is even more unfavorable for us..."

  Before Liu County Magistrate finished speaking, the short soldier sitting in the seat interrupted him and said: "Hey, why should Shi Jin be afraid of him? Don't boost someone else's morale and destroy our own prestige." After finishing speaking, he turned to General Li at the top and clasped his fists, saying: "Please give an order, let me launch a night raid on Shi Family Village and kill them off guard!"

  General Li naturally agreed, and the short soldier was about to leave his seat.

  The county magistrate was overjoyed in his heart, but did not show it on his face. He gently pressed him back into his seat and said: "General, you are mighty and heroic, far surpassing Shi Jin. This time you go to battle, you will surely succeed. It's just that the general has just arrived and is not very familiar with the Shi family village. I'll tell you about it in detail."

  Then he dipped his finger in wine and began to draw on the table: "This Shijia Village is divided into four parts, namely Qianzhuang, Houzhuang, Dongzhuang and Xizhuang. Each village has thousands of people, they have agreed to use drumming as a signal, and respond to each other in case of emergency. And all the villagers are led by Shi Jinbiao, that's where the problem lies. This time he went back, he must have instigated the villagers to collude with the bandits. I'm afraid there will be arrangements tonight. If we launch a strong attack, won't it be like teaching Shaohua Mountain to reap the benefits?"

  The soldiers present all nodded silently, seemingly in agreement.

  That short soldier was very impatient and asked in a hurry: "What's good about that? If there's no other way, we can only fight to the death."

  The county magistrate waved his hand and said with a hint of pride: "General, don't worry, I'll just use a small trick. We'll swagger out, capture Shi Jin, and then swagger back in peace, without drawing a single sword or shooting a single arrow, without harming a single soldier."

  "Really? What a wonderful plan! Tell me quickly!" General Li's interest was piqued when he heard that there was such an easy way, and he said so with even more enthusiasm.

  "That Shi Jin's father, Shi Tai Gong, is the head of our county. Liu County Magistrate paused for a moment, glanced in the direction of the front yard, and continued: "And he is now waiting foolishly at my estate, asking us to send troops to rescue him. We can just borrow his name and go with him. It's still hard work for General, we'll set off soon!"

  The short soldier happily agreed. County Magistrate Liu immediately walked towards the front hall.

  After Shi Taigong left, Zhuang Ding reported that his son Shi Jin was kidnapped by the bandits. His heart was like fifteen buckets of water splashing up and down, fearing that his only son would be in danger. He hurried to the county government, bowed to County Magistrate Liu, explained the situation, and urgently asked him to send soldiers to rescue his son. County Magistrate Liu agreed immediately, then retreated to the back hall under the pretext of discussing with the general how to defeat the bandits.

  Afterwards, Shi Taigong urged and invited him several times, but it was all in vain, without seeing the county magistrate come out, only getting a slight indication to wait for a moment. Shi Taigong's body was in the main hall, but his heart had already flown to Shao Huashan, and whether Shi Jin was alive or dead, he was worried sick.

  Mr. Shi was anxious and wanted to leave, but at this moment, the shadow of Liu County Magistrate suddenly appeared from behind the screen. Mr. Shi saw a lifesaver, hastily jumped up from his chair, with eyes full of expectation.

  County Magistrate Liu also had an urgent look, and upon seeing Shi Taigong, he rushed up to support him with a bowing posture, hastily saying: "Those soldiers, oh dear...oh dear...alas, they've caused me so much trouble before I could barely persuade them. However, you can rest assured, your son's fortune is destined by heaven, according to reports, he is currently unharmed, but has been taken hostage by the three bandit leaders and is now in the village, using your son's name to secretly plot and plunder the village's money and grain."

  County Magistrate Liu nodded and said, "Don't worry, we can set out immediately. I'm afraid of startling the villagers and causing unnecessary harm. As the master of this village, I hope you will take a step forward and inform each household to be clear that no one should leave their homes without permission, so as not to confuse them with the thieves. I will follow General and quietly enter the village to rescue your son."

  Marshal Shi was deeply moved and shed two lines of tears when he learned that Shi Jin was safe. He then followed the county magistrate's instructions and hastily rode away on his horse.

  Shi Taigong walked ahead, and the county magistrate beckoned to the camel in hiding, whispering: "Follow this old man, if there's any change along the way, kill him immediately."

  Shi Jie Zhuang: Shi Jin sat alone in his central hall, carefully thinking about the sudden events of the day, it was as if he had just woken up from a big dream. But such a dream, he thought carefully, always made him feel uneasy. However, no matter how many times he thought about it, he couldn't figure out where this unease came from.

  At that time, Shi Jin had just returned home. Shi Taigong had gone to the county to ask for soldiers and had not yet returned. He was anxious to explain things clearly to his father, fearing that he would invite soldiers that night and make matters worse. So he hastily sent someone to ask Master Shi to return.

  This man has been working for the historian for many years, and he has always been meticulous and reliable. At first, he went out for a long time, and Shi Jin thought that maybe it was because of his physical condition or the inconvenience of moving around, but after more than half an hour had passed, this man had already gone for quite some time, and Shi Jin began to feel uneasy in his heart.

  Just as he was getting anxious and was about to leave the courtyard, he suddenly heard a loud shout outside the wall, and torches were lit everywhere.

  Shi Jin was shocked and had just picked up the Panlong Gun when the two large gates of the courtyard suddenly collapsed with a loud crash.

  Shi Jin only heard the sound of killing, and a figure with a knife came towards him...