Tiger Guards

Chapter 740 Daxian Mountain
On the west side of Daxian Mountain, at the foot of the Yishan Mountains.

Sun Ce's steed from the Western Regions was swift and fast, and his attendants could not catch up with it.

While he pondered and weighed the options, he let his mount do its thing, and when he came to his senses, he was already on a mountain ridge in the foothills of Yishan.

The trees on the mountain ridge had long been cut down by woodcutters, and in recent years some shrubs and mixed forests have also grown, which are generally not tall and do not block the view.

Sun Ce, on horseback, could turn his head left and right and see the outline of the ancient Qi Great Wall built along the mountain to the south.

A mountain breeze blew, and Sun Ce felt a chill inexplicably run through his body.

He instinctively tightened the reins with his left hand, and his mount snorted and scrambled its front hooves to the ground in unease.

Sun Ce patted the horse's mane with his right hand and looked around at the low, mixed trees in the distance. This should be a regular road used by the mountain people.

In such a chaotic world, the roads bear the marks of trampling, and the bushes on both sides show signs of being cut down and pruned.

After confirming that there was no danger nearby, Sun Ce pulled on the reins, preparing to return the way he came.

However, as the horse carried him along the mountain path, it led him into a ravine.

As luck would have it, the three villagers finished chopping firewood and emerged from the bushes, each carrying a bundle of firewood on their backs.

They also saw Sun Ce. Before they could untie the bundles of firewood, they could only huddle together by the roadside, bowing their heads and not daring to look Sun Ce in the eye.

Sun Ce noticed that although the three woodcutters were thin, they were agile and strong, and he could feel their muscles even through their coarse clothes.

Sun Ce had no interest in soldiers with such muscular builds. He believed that soldiers with such muscular physiques were not good at enduring prolonged battles, and that only those with broad shoulders and thick waists were the elite and good soldiers in his eyes.

Besides the chivalrous swordsmen, military martial arts emphasize practicality and resilience.

Seeing that the three woodcutters were struggling to get up from the weight of the firewood on their shoulders, Sun Ce's initial wariness dissipated.

Woodcutters would cut down wet firewood, gather it on the spot, and then dry it. It might take some time before they would come back to bundle and dry the firewood.

After cutting off the side branches and twigs, keep the heat-resistant main trunk, bundle it up, and take it home for storage.

As for selling to the outside world... even in the vicinity of Linzi City, after two rounds of chaos in Qingzhou, there was no longer an environment for woodcutters to survive.

The population has decreased so much that the remaining people live in areas with only normally growing grass and trees, which is enough for them to cook and eat.

By selectively mowing grass and cutting down trees in the fall, you can stockpile enough heating fuel for the winter.

While woodcutters were no longer needed by ordinary people, government agencies, the military, and powerful clans still needed to organize woodcutters to gather firewood daily for reserves.

Sun Ce didn't see any markings on the three woodcutters' tattered clothes, so he concluded that they were mountain folk who gathered firewood for the government.

Just as Sun Ce passed by, a mountain dweller who was squatting quietly cut the hemp rope on his shoulder with a short knife, still half-squatting to support the bundle of firewood, preventing it from tilting or swaying.

With his other hand he leaned on his long cane used for chopping wood and climbing mountain paths. When he confirmed that Sun Ce was three or four steps away, he suddenly looked up and threw his short knife.

Almost immediately after him, two other woodcutters also threw out their short knives.

Flesh and blood are vulnerable to sharp weapons. The three woodcutters stabbed Sun Ce in unison, and he was caught off guard and was immediately stabbed in the back.

"You scoundrel, how dare you harm me!"

Enraged, Sun Ce yanked hard on the reins and kicked the horse's belly, causing his prized steed to gallop away at breakneck speed.

But before he could run ten steps away, three more hand axes came flying at him in a whirlwind.

Just then, Sun Ce glanced at it as he turned around, and suddenly turned to dodge, tensing the muscles in his back at the same time.

A single axe cleaved his spine, sending waves of pain, heat, and heaviness through him. Another axe struck behind Sun Ce's right shoulder. A flying axe spun past his right cheek.

At that moment, Sun Ce turned around from the left. He turned his head too suddenly, and his right cheek was slashed open by the flying axe, causing blood to gush out immediately.

"Kill him quickly!"

A woodcutter shouted encouragement and threw his gleaming, patina-covered hiking stick. Two other woodcutters followed suit, but the sticks failed to hit Sun Ce or knock him off his horse.

When the three woodcutters saw that Sun Ce had ridden his horse fifteen paces away, they immediately turned around and ran without thinking.

They didn't actually know Sun Ce; they just saw him riding by alone while they were chopping wood, and that's when they got the idea to rob his horse.

It wasn't that he was after the price of the horse; he just wanted to ambush and kill the knight in fine clothes, then take the horse and tie it up in a secluded place.

Once things have calmed down, I'll go and devour this horse.

Despite the pain, Sun Ce spurred his horse and galloped for over a hundred paces before seeing Jiang Qin and more than twenty riders approaching him.

Upon approaching, Jiang Qin was the first to dismount and kneel on the ground, saying, "This humble general failed in his duty of protection; please forgive me, Your Majesty."

The accompanying knights dismounted and knelt on the ground. Sun Ce's personal knights bypassed these people and came to Sun Ce's side. They immediately observed and diagnosed Sun Ce's injuries and were all greatly surprised.

Despite the pain, Sun Ce asked Jiang Qin, "Why is Gongyi here?"

"This humble general was hunting in these mountains when he heard the valiant soldiers under your command calling out to you, so he led his cavalry to follow you."

After Jiang Qin answered, he looked up to observe Sun Ce's injuries. His expression changed drastically, and he felt extremely troubled: "This subordinate will cover the rear. Your Excellency, please return to camp immediately."

He couldn't really explain it clearly. The army camped in open areas along the mountain roads east of Daxian Mountain and didn't control or clear out the nearby mountain people too much.

He really came here to hunt and get some wild game to improve his meals, and if he was lucky, he might even meet a mountain woman.

He felt he couldn't explain things clearly. The most crucial point was that after his good brother Zhou Tai was given to Zhao Ji by Sun Ce, it made it difficult for Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai's fellow villagers to establish themselves and do anything.

Sensing Jiang Qin's fear, Sun Ce endured the pain and said, "Thank you, Gongyi. The assassins were woodcutters from the mountains, only three of them. You must capture them alive!"

"Here!"

Jiang Qin responded loudly, and breathed a sigh of relief.

If he can capture these three assassins alive, he can immediately clear himself of suspicion.

He rose to make way, even sending half of his knights to join the escort. Watching Sun Ce walk to within thirty paces, Jiang Qin slowly drew his sword and pointed it at the other side of the mountain path: "Chase! Capture the assassin alive! A hefty reward awaits whoever catches him!"

"Here!"

A dozen elite cavalrymen mounted their horses, took out bows and crossbows, or spears and halberds, and chased after them along the mountain road.

Their hunting dogs also became excited, barking wildly as they darted quickly through the bushes high above the road.

Jiang Qin simply reined in his horse and remained still, observing the bloodstains on the ground that were already covered in mud, and then turning his head to look at the trail of blood that had dripped along Sun Ce's retreat route.

He frowned, feeling that this was not the usual style of the Marquis of Qi.

If it were truly a minor injury, the Duke of Qi would have already personally killed those three assassins; why would he have relied on others?

Even if he didn't have the physical strength to kill the thief and avenge himself, given Sun Ce's vengeful nature, he would stay here to supervise until he personally confirmed that the assassin had been killed.

Jiang Qin knew Sun Ce too well, and suddenly felt a heavy weight on his body, his future bleak.

(End of this chapter)