Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 673 Scared off
"Commander."

The guards on both sides reacted quickly, leaping off their horses to rescue Yang Jun.

Yang Jun reacted quickly, bracing himself with his hands and immediately flipping over to avoid being trampled by the horse's hooves.

"Commander, are you alright?" The guard helped him up and immediately asked.

Yang Jun composed himself and immediately looked around. A group of people had suddenly appeared and were already fighting with his guards. The person who had thrown the stone was still some distance away from him.

The impact of the rock was as if the person were right in front of him, so... if the person got any closer, he would definitely be injured.

Yang Jun asked, "Who are these people? How many of them have come?"

The guard hurriedly replied, "It looks like there are... at least thirty or fifty of them." It was too dark to see clearly, and he didn't know if there were other people hiding around.

The men protecting Yang Jun were elite troops trained by Yang Jun, but even so, they still suffered considerable losses when suddenly facing those people.

Those people were exceptionally strong, incredibly powerful, ruthless, and deadly with every strike. The murderous aura and bloodlust emanating from them were the result of years of deadly combat, making them far superior to ordinary soldiers in the government office.

Killing was too common for them. Their reckless fighting style from the start was hard for anyone to handle. Blood was drawn almost immediately, and in the blink of an eye, five or six corpses lay on the ground.

Seeing this, Yang Jun was even more puzzled. Where did Xie Yuyan get these people from?
Was it ordered by the Wang family? Would Prime Minister Wang really openly help? If the Wang family did mobilize manpower, which soldiers were they using? Only by clarifying these points can we respond.

Yang Jun was momentarily lost in confusion.

……

Zhao Zhongliang and Sun Changchun were at the forefront. Their militia team was different from ordinary people. They traveled around the border town all year round and did dangerous work.

For them, once they take action, they are fearless and unstoppable.

In the darkness, Zhao Zhongliang discerned that the one surrounded by the group must be their leader. Unfortunately, they were still far away, and by the time he got there, the leader might already be hiding behind them. With that thought in mind, he didn't hesitate and immediately picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at them.

As the man was struck and fell from his horse, chaos erupted on the other side. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhao Zhongliang drew his weapon and led his men forward.

Zhao Zhongliang swung his knife and killed one person. Before the corpse had even fallen, he snatched the spear from the corpse's hand. The next moment, the spear tip pierced into the abdomen of another person.

In a mere instant, Zhao Zhongliang's face and body were covered in blood, as if he had been baptized by a bloodbath. He looked exceptionally horrifying, and Yang Jun's men were stunned and their morale was immediately suppressed before they could even make a move.

What's most terrifying about this militia team isn't their fighting prowess, but their skillful teamwork.

At the front were a dozen or so men who had followed Zhao Zhongliang the longest and knew his fighting style best. They followed behind him and finished off their opponents using almost the same methods.

This force of militiamen advanced with unstoppable momentum, causing Yang Jun and his men to suffer repeated defeats.

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly chaotic, Yang Jun did not panic. He quickly understood the group's intention: instead of going straight to rescue Xie Yuyan, they were entangled with him here to throw those attacking Xie Yuyan off balance.

Since Xie Yuyan had planned ahead, upon hearing the commotion here, he would seize the opportunity to counterattack and defeat them in one fell swoop.

"Send word that no matter what happens, those attacking the Xie family do not need to return to reinforce them," Yang Jun said decisively. "Go quickly! Retreating rashly will result in even greater losses."

The guards responded.

However… almost immediately, they heard shouts: “Reinforcements have arrived! The imperial army has arrived!”

"Follow me to capture the traitor and take down Yang Jun."

"Take down Yang Jun."

"Take down Yang Jun."

A deafening roar, like a tsunami, came from where Xie Yuyan's troops were. Yang Jun froze, as if all the blood in his body had been drained away, leaving him completely stiff. Those people were indeed calling his name.

How did they know?
Who leaked the information?
Yang Jun's mind went blank. He had brought his men all the way here without even telling his staff in the mansion the truth. When his wife asked, he always said that he was just going to the camp to train the troops.

Only a few people he trusted implicitly helped him take care of everything.

Even if he used his connections to get through customs and leaked the news, those people only knew that he had sent someone, and they were unaware that he was among them.

Sweat rolled down Yang Jun's forehead.

What does that shout mean? It means his entire scheme has been observed. If it really is imperial troops arriving, then… does the imperial court already possess all the evidence?

Did Xie deliberately lure him here?

"Commander, what should we do?"

Yang Jun came to his senses, and the next moment he knew that whether Xie Yuyan really knew the truth or was deliberately deceiving him, she had now achieved her goal.

Because if the men he sent to attack Xie Yuyan heard this, they would surely return to rescue him. It was precisely this action that would confirm to Xie Yuyan that he was indeed there.

This statement came at the perfect time.

"Let's go," Yang Jun ordered, "we'll withdraw first." If the Wang family finds evidence and reports it to the authorities, and they really mobilize troops, then there will be more than just these few dozen people.

Although it's more likely that Xie Yuyan got the information from somewhere and was just bluffing to deceive him, if he lost the bet, he would lose his life.

He didn't dare to gamble.

The guards responded and began to relay Yang Jun's orders.

"Don't let them get away."

Shouts came from above.

Taking advantage of Yang Jun's hesitation, Zhao Zhongliang's killing intent intensified.

Zhao Zhongliang was already furious with corrupt officials, so he showed no mercy. He killed anyone who followed Yang Jun, leaving them no way out.

These people came here to silence witnesses. Since they had decided to harm others, they had to accept being killed in return.

Killing those beasts who don't care about other people's lives is to rid the world of a scourge.

Unfortunately, Yang Jun's horses and men were also elite. Although Xie Yuyan seized the opportunity and suffered some losses, some still protected Yang Jun as he retreated eastward.

Zhao Zhongliang's forces are certainly insufficient. They can be used as a surprise attack to achieve victory, but their ability to continue the pursuit is uncertain...

"We can't chase them."

Liu Erlang rushed over, panting, saying, "Madam gave prior instructions that we were only allowed to come and help them out. If we were to defeat those people, we were absolutely not allowed to go after them."

Sun Changchun and the others were clearly unwilling, but Zhao Zhongliang ordered, "Listen to Erlang." The eldest daughter-in-law wouldn't let them off the hook.

Since the eldest daughter-in-law had foreseen this, she naturally arranged everything that followed.

Liu Erlang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Let's go check on Madam's condition first." It was thanks to Zhao Zhongliang's intervention that they were able to control the militia on their own.

(End of this chapter)