Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 229 Not Retreating
If it weren't for the soldiers around him, Wang Hu would have loved to burst into laughter and pat his chest.

"Look, I'm a military general for the Liang Dynasty now."

And it's some damn Dragon Guard.

The name Long Weijun sounds impressive; is he giving himself an official title?
Thinking of this, Wang Hu looked at the soldiers squatting on the ground and kicked them out, saying, "Shout louder." Jiang Sanniang said not to kill too many surrendered soldiers in front of everyone, but his hands were really itching. Seeing those drooping heads, he wanted to cut them all off.

Wang Hu dropped the head he was holding, which frightened the soldiers so much that they shrank back and collapsed to the ground.

Wang Hu suddenly realized that they could start a rebellion because the government troops of Daliang were all spineless cowards. With just over twenty men, they had taken down over a hundred soldiers with little effort. If the Manichaeans and Maitreyas joined forces, wouldn't attacking a city be a piece of cake?
Thinking this over, Wang Hu looked at Xie Yuyan. Xie Yuyan was also dressed in a soldier's uniform. The darkness of the sky concealed her features, making it impossible to tell that she was a woman. At most, she was just thin and short.

We walked a little further ahead.

They saw a dozen soldiers rushing down the mountain. Upon seeing Wang Hu and his men with knives, they immediately cried out, "My lord... my lord, spare our lives..."

The soldiers dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground to beg.

Wang Hu let out a laugh that sounded particularly eerie to the soldiers, but they could only grit their teeth and continue pleading.

"Kneel to the side. Someone will come and take you to the military camp after dawn."

Zheng Long stepped forward and gave instructions.

The soldiers, as if granted a pardon, quickly gathered together in the direction Zheng Long pointed.

Mr. Wen, who was standing to the side, did not expect everything to go so smoothly. He couldn't help but look at Jiang San Niangzi again. The methods that Jiang San Niangzi had shown were enough to prove her identity.

How could an ordinary woman do such a thing?
The soldiers continued shouting, and Xie Yuyan and his group moved forward. Mr. Wen and his men were even more confident that they could take advantage of the chaos to capture Wang Yan and then leave the place.

"Be careful," Xie Yuyan instructed everyone. "Those soldiers who refuse to surrender will only fight back desperately when they encounter us."

It's quite simple. Since those people refused to bow down to the "Dragon Guard Army," they had already made up their minds to resist. Those who plot rebellion will only face death if they are caught, so once the two sides clash, it will inevitably be a life-or-death struggle.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Wang Hu looked at Xie Yuyan. “Jiang San Niangzi, just stand behind me and I’ll protect you. I’ll show you how I cut off those people’s heads.”

Wang Hu gripped his longsword tighter as he spoke: "Isn't it good to have someone kill you? It's really boring when everyone kneels down and begs for mercy." He hadn't killed enough yet.

After lingering in Daming Prefecture for months, I'm finally able to have a good, satisfying fight.

Mr. Wen said, "It's a pity that there's no more black oil."

Xie Yuyan deliberately left them at the foot of the mountain to consume all the black oil, because they might encounter Wang Yan and the villagers of Chenyao Village at any time after they went up the mountain.

Black oil is a difficult substance to control; if handled improperly, it could harm them.

Since that's the case, why not use it all on those officers and soldiers?

The group climbed the mountain together, occasionally encountering hidden soldiers. Zheng Long and Wang Hu each slashed them down with a single stroke, killing several people silently.

Of course, some came down the mountain begging for mercy. Wang Hu wanted to kill them, but Zheng Long let them go.

They are too few in number. Although they have the upper hand for now, it is like walking on ice. If they are not careful, they will be exposed. Therefore, it is best not to provoke the soldiers to resist.

However, no matter how careful you are, there will always be a moment when you are exposed.

Zheng Long encountered another group of soldiers who had abandoned their weapons. This time, however, the leader of the soldiers suddenly shouted, "No, they're not wearing the Imperial Guard's armor."

The sound startled Zheng Long, and Wang Hu, who was behind him, immediately struck without hesitation, slashing the soldier's neck with his blade.

Xie Yuyan immediately frowned. This is bad.

The armor of the Imperial Guards and the Garrison Army were different, but at this time, it was impossible to tell them apart. The soldier was clearly trying to trick them.

Zheng Long didn't fall for it immediately, but Wang Hu acted too quickly.

This is tantamount to admitting that they have a problem.

"Come on."

Xie Yuyan shouted, but it was too late. A sharp whistle rang out from the group, clearly signaling a message.

Footsteps could be heard from all around, indicating that people were heading this way.

Wang Hu knew he had caused trouble, but he didn't care and picked up his knife to slash at another person.

"Grandpa, I am a member of the Dragon Guard! Kneel down now!" Wang Hu shouted, his eyes bloodshot.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Long and the others joined the battle with the soldiers.

Xie Yuyan did not rush forward; she simply raised her head and looked around.

Zheng Ming, who was fleeing in panic, was determined to find Wang Yan, but he was ultimately unwilling to give up. He wanted to find out whether the people who caught up with him were really the Dragon Guards.

So he turned around and went back.

The reason he became suspicious was entirely due to the Dragon Guard's swift action; they went straight up the mountain to arrest people. Logically, even with an imperial decree, they should have gone straight to Daming Prefecture to arrest Prefect Liu.

And he had just realized that there were also their people among the Imperial Guards...

Especially the Imperial Guards of Hedong Road.

In short, Zheng Ming felt there was a problem.

Now, looking down at those people, his suspicions were confirmed. As Zheng Ming was thinking, his eyes met those of one of the group.

It was too dark for them to see each other clearly, but Zheng Ming was certain that this group of people were following this man's orders. Without hesitation, Zheng Ming immediately charged towards the man.

Xie Yuyan watched as Zheng Ming lunged at her. She could neither escape nor retreat. If she left with the Manichaeans and let Zheng Ming go down the mountain, the soldiers who had surrendered would return to Zheng Ming's command.

Everything they had done tonight would be for naught, and more importantly, there would be no second chance to storm the mountains. Therefore, even knowing he was being watched, Xie Yuyan still couldn't avoid it.

Before Zheng Ming could reach them, soldiers approached. Xie Yuyan swiftly drew her sword, killing one and wounding another. However, she was not as strong as the men, and as she was entangled with several men, she found it increasingly difficult to cope.

Zheng Ming arrived at that moment, the blade in his hand gleaming coldly in the moonlight, and he thrust it straight at Xie Yuyan. The slash was swift and fierce. Xie Yuyan raised her waist knife to parry, but felt a jolt in her hand, and the knife immediately slipped from her grasp. Zheng Ming's weapon then pierced her abdomen without any resistance.

At that very moment, an arrow shot through the darkness, its tip piercing through Zheng Ming's armor and embedding itself in his flesh.

Zheng Ming's body trembled, and Xie Yuyan took the opportunity to dodge backward.

She didn't feel any pain; the blade hadn't penetrated very deep, only scratching the skin.

Zheng Ming wasn't so lucky. Intense pain struck, and he was enveloped in the fear of impending death. He turned his head and saw that someone had appeared not far behind him at some point.

That was the person he had been searching for these past few days, Wang Yan.