The morning weather in Shanglin was overcast, with columns of black smoke rising from the vicinity of Shanglindu. The sound of horseshoes trampling on stone streets was like the urgent beating of war drums. The village was filled with the sounds of burning, killing, looting, and wailing for mercy. The streets were also littered with the corpses of villagers who had been slaughtered.

  Zhao Neng wore a soft armor embroidered with copper and iron nails, and a pair of sharp eyes seemed to be nailed in, staring fiercely at the crimson gate of the Lin family's mansion. There were many mansions on the north shore of Linjiang Ferry, but only the Lin family's mansion was painted red to show its wealth and nobility.

  Although the surprise attack on the rural camp was successful, a fire burned down Wangxiang Tower, where Second Master Lin Xuzong and his wives lived, to ashes, and the stone bridge county's knife and bowmen were defeated on the north shore of Shanglin Ferry. However, the actual gain was not much, and at this time, they had not yet been able to capture the Lin family's mansion.

  Because the first thing to solve was the threat of the South Shore Militia, Zhao Neng led his troops to launch a surprise attack on the militia's camp. The militia camp did not expect this and thought he had brought people back, so they immediately sent someone to inform Lin Xuzong, the second young master, to come over. When a large fire suddenly broke out in the direction of Luoyang Lake, Lin Xuzong and the militia who were left behind in Shanglin were completely unprepared and fell into his trap. Those horse thieves who had been privately raised by Lin Xuzong for a high price six months ago were all bought over and controlled by Zhao Neng, who showed no mercy to the militia and launched a surprise attack on the Wangxiang Tower south of the camp at the fastest speed, killing and looting before setting fire to the tower. The first thing Lin and his men saw was the large fire in the direction of Shanglin, which was the militia camp and the Wangxiang Tower being set on fire. At dawn, when the sky was as black as ink, it was unknown how many militiamen were killed in the sudden surprise attack, and how many militiamen escaped in the chaos. However, Zhao Neng did not dare to divide his troops to launch a surprise attack on the Lin family's mansion, so at dawn, all the people he brought with him concentrated on launching a surprise attack on the militia camp on the south shore, setting fire to the camp and the Wangxiang Tower, which put everyone on high alert on the north shore.

  Although the knife and bowmen of Shiliang County were also defeated, there was no decent military force on the north shore to resist. However, many wealthy families on the north shore had thick and high walls in their large courtyards; these families closed their doors tightly and organized their guards, servants, and attendants to resist and defend until reinforcements arrived. Although there were not many people in these courtyards, Zhao Neng did not have enough time or manpower to launch a strong attack on each of them one by one. He wanted to concentrate his forces to attack the Lin family's large mansion, capture it, plunder its gold, silver, and jewels, and take the six ladies and seven ladies who were all stunning beauties, as well as many beautiful maidservants. Only then could he cut off the old man's head with one knife and vent the resentment that had been brewing for years.

  It turned out that after Zhao Hu and Sun Jing Tang were ambushed on the south bank, they discovered that there were also several enemy ships blocking the crossing point. They immediately decided to bring their men into the Lin family's mansion and join forces with Madame Gu Ying Xiu. The others in the Lin family's mansion were in a state of panic, and several madames were at a loss for what to do. The sixth madame wanted to take the young master to seek refuge with Lin Zong Hai, but Madame Gu Ying Xiu was used to being in charge in the Lin family's mansion, and the servants and underlings all listened to her orders. Upon learning that Zhao Neng had led several hundred mounted bandits in a sneak attack on the south bank, Madame Gu Ying Xiu immediately ordered the capture of Zhao Neng's father, Zhao Chang Shan, for questioning. It was then discovered that on the day of Zhao Hu's wedding, Zhao Neng had secretly returned to Shanglin and had been taking care of Lin Ting Xun, who was bedridden and unable to speak or move. They had agreed that when Zhao Neng led his men in an attack on the Lin family's mansion, he would open the door from the inside to let them in. Madame Gu Ying Xiu immediately cleared out several traitors who had been won over by Zhao Chang Shan, and when Zhao Neng came to besiege the Lin family's mansion, all the doors except for a small one were blocked with heavy sacks of rice, ready for defense.

  Although the Western River Association had already transported a batch of new tea to Jiangning, more than 50 members of the association remained in Shanglin with Sun Jing Tang. At that time, Luo Yang Huo also started a big fire, and it was unknown how many bandits flooded into Shi Liang County. Sun Jing Tang did not dare to flee wildly at night, so when Zhao Hu sent someone to find him, he led his men to abandon their boat and take refuge in the Lin family's large mansion. The 10 guards left by Lin Xuan for Zhao Hu and the more than 50 members of the Western River Association led by Sun Jing Tang became the main force defending the Lin family's mansion. In addition, Gu Yingxu organized about 60 servants and attendants to participate in the defense. The 10 guards left by Lin Xuan for Zhao Hu all carried longbows, and Zhao Hu led them up the ladder to the high ridge of the main house to defend against the enemy. When Zhao Neng arrived with his men at dawn, they were shot and killed by the defenders. Zhao Neng ordered his men to bring ladders to climb over the wall and launch a strong attack, but Zhao Hu and his men were in a superior position, shooting arrows down at the attackers while directing the Western River Association members and Lin family servants to use sharpened bamboo poles to stab at the enemy below the wall. The bandits suffered heavy casualties, and occasionally one or two of them would jump into the courtyard, only to be surrounded and killed by Sun Jing Tang and his men.

  The Seventh Lady, Gu Yingxiu, personally guarded the back door of the mansion and had Zhao Neng's father, Zhao Changshan, bound and brought to kneel at the gate. She then held a knife to his throat, forcing him to curse Zhao Neng as an ungrateful and treacherous lord. Seeing that Zhao Neng was unmoved, she ordered her men to dismantle the house and use the beams and pillars to batter the gate. She then had Zhao Changshan strangled to death and his body thrown outside the wall, while ordering her men to shout inside the gate that Zhao Neng's treachery had driven his father to take his own life in shame. The other insiders who had been won over by Zhao Changshan and Zhao Neng were also put to death and their bodies thrown outside the wall.

  Zhao Neng did not expect the Lin family's mansion to be so hard to crack. The key was that Zhao Hu led ten Wuwei soldiers and Sun Jing Tang led more than fifty Xihai gang members to hide in the Lin mansion, which he did not anticipate. His subordinates saw that the Lin mansion was difficult to attack, the people inside had a strong will to fight, and their defensive skills were very strong, so they had no intention of launching a fierce attack. Although Zhao Neng promised that if they captured the Lin mansion, gold, silver, and treasures would be theirs for the taking, and the women could be raped at will, but they also needed to have their lives to enjoy it. At this time, someone rode over and said that the main gate of a large household on the east side had been smashed open, and immediately dozens of people rode horses to "assist" there, and Zhao Neng was unable to restrain them.

  Last winter, when Zhao Neng was expelled from Dongyang, he didn't leave Dongyang too far away. He was in the northeastern region of Huizhou Prefecture, west of Hongze Lake and south of the Huai River, where he became a bandit with a group of horse thieves. Although there were only 70-80 private soldiers given to him by Lin Xuzong, they all had horses, armor, and weapons, making them one of the stronger forces on the western shore of Hongze Lake. Zhao Neng wanted to get rid of Lin's control, so he used a pseudonym in Huizhou and never contacted Lin Xuzong again. On the one hand, he led these people to plunder the local area, buying their loyalty; on the other hand, he recruited soldiers and bought horses to cultivate his own loyal followers. In just half a year, he expanded his forces to over 200 people, with more than 200 mules, becoming a notorious horse thief in Huizhou Prefecture. However, the most powerful fighters among them were still the original group of people brought out by Lin Xuzong. These people were originally loyal only to those who fed them, and they were also the ones that Lin Xuzong found hardest to control. Now, seeing that the Lin family's mansion was too hard to crack, they slipped away to rob other wealthy households in the area.

  Nearly a hundred people left beside Zhao Neng were his newly recruited men, and the rest of his subordinates had scattered to various places to rob and plunder. In addition, there was a team of about fifty cavalrymen quietly guarding the alley, led by a black-faced young woman, about 24 or 25 years old, tall and strong, wearing bright red armor, with a horse-cutting knife on her back.

  This young woman is Liu Miaojing, the younger sister of Liu An'er, the leader of the 21st Water Village in Hongze Pu. The Lin family raised private soldiers and liked to recruit powerful martial artists as guests. Zhao Nai was also a seasoned veteran, but he had never seen a fierce woman who could simultaneously open three strong bows and shoot arrows with her arms. Liu Miaojing had been exceptionally strong since childhood and learned knife techniques and military tactics from her older brother Liu An'er. When Liu An'er returned from the north of Ji with his troops, Liu Miaojing was already a well-known female leader in Hongze Pu, known as the Suzhou Red Jacket Girl. The Hongze Pu families united their water villages, and Liu Miaojing's name was listed among the top 17.

  Liu An'er had the heart to start a business, in addition to uniting with the Hongze Pu Water Village forces, also united with the flowing horse bandits and mountain village forces on the west bank of Hongze Pu, Zhao Neng was another route.

  Liu An'er's original plan was to wait until the Qin family's fleet left the East Yang Prefecture and entered the depths of Hongze Pu before launching a surprise attack. In the depths of Hongze Pu, the water area is vast and the lake water is shallow, making it difficult for large ships like Lou Chuan to maneuver. On the other hand, the small boats of the Water Fortress can take advantage of this terrain to launch a more effective attack without having to sacrifice many lives to capture Qin Chengbo's flagship. Since Liu An'er had sent out a large number of ships to secretly enter the Shiliang River and block the rear route of the Qin family's fleet, he did not place much emphasis on the troops in Shiliang County. However, he had to consider the threat posed by the Youlinli Township Camp, which possessed warships, to the Water Fortress troops. Therefore, he ordered his sister and Zhao Neng to each lead a team of cavalrymen to come to Youlinli and pin down the Youlinli Township Camp.

  Liu Miao Zhen and Zhao Neng did not initially plan to directly attack the village camp. The two cavalry troops combined had only over 200 men, while the village camp in Shanglinli had more than 700 militiamen, with good equipment and rigorous training, and strong combat effectiveness. They planned to launch a surprise attack on the Lin family's large mansion on the north shore, raid Shanglinli, and tie down the militiamen of Shanglinli here.

  Last night, after dusk, the Qin family's fleet made a brief stop in Shanglinli before heading north. Lin Xie and Dongyang officials insisted on escorting them out of the territory, greatly exceeding Liu Miao Zhen and Zhao Neng's expectations. At the same time, Lin Zong Hai took away nearly half of the local militia from Shanglinli, and Liu Miao Zhen immediately decided to change plans and launch a surprise attack on Shanglinli, completely eliminating the threat from this side.

  What was even more unexpected for Liu Miao Zhen and Zhao Nai was that the naval battle broke out prematurely in Luo Yang Lake before Qin's fleet had left Dongyang Prefecture. The dark sky also made it easier for them to launch a surprise attack on the rural camp, but they needed to cover up the people and horses in Shi Liang River and couldn't take action prematurely until the fire ships were set ablaze in Luo Yang Lake direction. They then launched a surprise attack on the rural camp and Wang Xiang Tower, only to find themselves blocked outside Lin's mansion.

  At this time, a fast horse rushed over, and a man who looked like a fisherman rode up to the front, reported his name and password, and got off quickly. He walked in front of Liu Miao Zhen and reported: "Report to the 17th master, the banner of Luo Yang Hu has won, but Qin Cheng Bo was killed by the joint efforts of the first master, third master, and ninth master. However, Dongyang Prefect Shen Rong, Tong Pan Lin Ting, Lin Fu, and others all boarded the Dongyang number and four fast sculling boats from Shanglinli to break through the siege, with a total of 400 soldiers and men breaking out of the encirclement. The Dongyang number sailed very quickly, and the brothers fought for one night, but did not pursue them. Be careful when doing things! The master also instructed that you must be especially careful about Lin Fu."

  "Damn it!" Zhao Neng cursed viciously, he never expected that the combined forces of the various water strongholds would have more than 3,000 troops, and even temporarily recruited over a thousand fishermen to join the battle. There were more than 200 large and small ships, including warships, big umbrellas, and flat-bottomed boats, all in the advantageous terrain of Hongze Bay, which was dominated by the various water strongholds. Yet, they still couldn't keep Lin Xuan's son here, and even let over 400 of their elite soldiers escape, how could he not be furious? This time, he had even dragged his old father into it!

  Liu Miao Zhen furrowed her brow, knowing that her brother's subordinates were not without brave warriors who could fight to the death. In the end, it was her brother, Wu Shi Yi and Sun Gan Zi who had to lead the troops into battle together to kill Qin Cheng Bo, which showed just how brutal the Battle of Luo Yang Lake was. The root cause was that they did not follow the established plan, and the naval battle suddenly broke out prematurely at Luo Yang Lake.

  After a while, the scouts sent out by Liu Miao Zhen also returned to report that the large ship was sailing north from Shiliang River and was less than three miles away. The soldiers were in chaos and it was unknown how many militiamen had escaped last night. Liu Miao Zhen had limited manpower and did not dare to send the scouts too far.

  "Zhao, what do you think we should do?" Liu Miao asked Zhao Neng. Although she was the leader of this trip, but Zhao Neng had three times as many men as her, so naturally she would ask for his opinion on important matters.

  The Lin family's mansion cannot be taken down, and the old father has strangled the seventh lady to death and slandered her as a self-inflicted punishment. How can Zhao retreat willingly? At this time, a strong enemy is approaching, and it is not wise to launch a strong attack on the Lin family's mansion. Zhao clenched his fists, almost piercing his fingernails into his flesh, and asked: "When will the head of the household and other heads be able to rest and send troops to Upper Lin?"

  "I'm not sure about this either, need to send someone to contact Luoyang Lake again..." Liu Miao knew that the fierce battle last night had caused heavy casualties among the various water strongholds, and even if they took Upper Linli by force, there was no solid fortress to defend. It didn't make much sense to invest a lot of troops in a big battle here.

  "Lin Tie will return by boat, and when he gets off the boat, we can take advantage of the situation to ambush him. If not, Lin Li will always be a threat from the south," Zhao Neng said, "We have over 250 elite cavalrymen, how can we fear his 400 weak soldiers..."

  Liu Miao Zhen nodded, she wasn't one to back down at the slightest show of strength. She ordered Zhao to immediately round up the bandits scattered throughout Shanglin, who were robbing and plundering homes.