Tiger Guards

Chapter 82 Bandits Attack
Under the cover of night, a dozen warriors in worn leather armor walked along the east bank of the Sushui River, leading their horses around the wilderness.

Gradually, we approached the emperor's headquarters five miles away and could already see campfires lit inside and outside the headquarters.

In a date orchard on the edge of the rice fields, these people began to unload equipment from the horse harness, remove the muzzles from the horses, and hang bags of bean feed and straw on them.

In the darkness, they took off their worn hemp shoes and scrubbed the mud off their legs and feet.

After quietly binding his feet and putting on leggings, he put on leather boots that allowed for quick movement.

The pieces of leather armor were put on one after another, and only after they were fully armed did they start eating dried meat and drinking.

There were seventeen people in total. After the meal, they began to smear white powder and ink on their faces, leaving half of their faces white and the other half black.

Many people didn't want to come, but they had to come.

If the imperial court was allowed to deprive the Wei and Fan families of their property and their troops, and then annex the county troops, the imperial court would have control of 5,000 soldiers and horses just around Anyi, Jie County, and Yanjian Yuncheng.

This does not include the 1,000 elite cavalry of the Huben and Xiongnu. Not counting Zhao Yan and Xu Huang, the current 6,000 infantry and cavalry are enough to suffocate all the powerful men in Hedong.

Even the father and son of the Wei and Fan families were forced to commit suicide out of fear of punishment. Who of the other families could resist?
In troubled times, there are no innocent people among the powerful. Whether it is moral or legal, they will all be doomed if they are investigated thoroughly.

We must launch a decisive attack to force the imperial court to retreat!

Every family has its own assassins.

Only by preserving the foundation of the powerful can the families of these warriors have enough food and clothing, and their children can get good treatment and prospects.

If the imperial court were to conduct an investigation, it would be discovered that these assassins had committed serious crimes in the past and would have no chance of escaping.

Instead of doing this, it is better to fight back bravely and seize an opportunity.

Tonight is the only chance. Once Taiwei Yang Biao and his group take control of Anyi City tomorrow, the emperor will naturally move into Anyi City.

By that time, no matter how many death warriors there were, they would not be able to attack the city, let alone escape.

Their goal was not to kill the emperor, but to show the bottom line of the Hedong tyrants.

Launch an attack, then escape.

After all, it was not a mission that would ensure death, but everyone was depressed. After all, who would dare to return home after escaping?

No one dares.

They didn't even dare to trust the escape route that was arranged.

After all, there are hostages held by the powerful master.

As the horses finished their bean feed, one of the leaders stood up and said, "Let's go."

This was not the first time they had worked together. They checked the leather covers wrapped around the horses' hooves, then mounted their horses, drove them onto the galloping road, and galloped north.

After walking about a hundred steps, they saw a night patrol team consisting of five county soldiers holding torches appear in their sight.

The sound of horse hooves made the five county soldiers subconsciously gather together and move closer to the trees on the side of the road.

Seeing the sound of hooves approaching, the leader of the team shouted, "Who is it?"

He was met with a barrage of arrows, and three of the five county soldiers were struck by arrows. One of them cried out in horror, "Shooter! The bandits from Jishan are coming!"

Seventeen knights galloped lightly on their horses, and another round of arrows shot towards the place where the torches fell. The night patrol team fell silent again.

The cavalry galloped past. The sergeant got up from the ground, took out the horn from his waist, took a deep breath and blew it: "Woo~"

The horn sounded low and distant. In the blink of an eye, several knights turned around and shot arrows backwards. The sergeant was hit by two arrows again. It was too late for him to roll over and avoid them. He fell to the ground and crawled behind a tree to avoid them.

"Enemy attack!"

Another team of night patrol county soldiers was alert, and the leader shouted loudly: "Follow me and hide!"

The county soldier holding a torch beside him was very alert. He threw the torch into the road and hid in the nearby bushes.

Seventeen knights galloped past in a line. The county soldier's sergeant deliberately shot at the air with his crossbow, dropped it on the ground and hid behind a tree. He also took out his horn, hesitated for a moment, and waited for three breaths. Only when the sound of hooves gradually faded away did he muster up his strength and blew towards the horn.

When the horn sounded, the temporary sentries set up on the roadside had no time to react. They were unable to stop the cavalry and were shot by the oncoming powerful arrows. The remaining county soldiers could only drag the wounded soldiers back to both sides of the road.

A county soldier held a crossbow and pulled the trigger at the unknown knight's rear guard. The crossbow arrow shot out, but the result of the battle is unknown.

"It's the Jishan bandits!"

A county soldier shouted in horror, and the county soldier who was shooting with a crossbow immediately turned pale and quickly dropped the crossbow.

It was rumored that the Jishan bandits could shoot at anyone they heard at night, and would even retaliate against the county soldiers who intercepted them.

The sound of trumpets spread one after another. In the "hall", the emperor and ministers were discussing the war. They were generally optimistic and the atmosphere was harmonious.

When talking about the most exciting things, the young and tender emperor's face flushed and he was full of longing for the future.

Although Zhao Ji had suggested the expedition himself several times, Liu Xie also had his own thoughts on it. The responsibility was too great, and Yang Qi, intent on protecting Zhao Ji, attributed the matter to the collective deliberation of the ministers.

Just when the atmosphere was cheerful, Zhao Ji and Qu Bei reacted quickly. When the horn sounded, they both turned their heads to look at each other. They saw each other's faces full of surprise and suspicion.

Soon, the strange behavior of the two men caused the other ministers who were talking to stop communicating, and now the sound of the horn coming from far and near became clearer.

Yang Qi stood up and glared, "What a thief!"

Zhao Ji reached out and took up the golden helmet, putting it on his head. He turned his head and looked at Bei: "Right Wise King, follow me to resist the enemy."

"It's my good fortune."

Qubei stood up and bowed to Liu Xie, who was sitting at the top of the table. "Your Majesty, the invaders are definitely not my subordinates."

The blush on Liu Xie's face gradually faded, and he nodded, then asked Zhao Ji, "Sir, would you like to send the Tiger Guards to rescue us?"

"Your Majesty, it is inappropriate to mobilize the troops at night. The Weiwei, Duke Zhou, has already deployed the county troops to guard the headquarters. The invaders are definitely not a large group. They are just small-time villains, and I can defeat them."

Zhao Ji fastened his helmet and belt, then bowed deeply, "Your Majesty, please sit down. I will be right back."

"Okay, I will wait for Zhao Qing's victory report."

Yang Qi and Weiwei Zhou Zhong stood up to escort Zhao Ji out. Inside the courtyard, Yang Qi asked, "Where do you think this thief came from?"

"I don't know. I'll just catch him alive and interrogate him."

Zhao Ji paused, then said, "Don't be too complacent. Please arrange for the carriage. If the bandits are too numerous, you can rendezvous with the Tiger Guards nearby."

He was not sure whether it was an attack by a small group of elite troops, or a mutiny by the Wei and Fan families that got out of control.

The preliminary sorting will be completed after the list is re-created tomorrow.

Qubei immediately said, "My lord and his troops are willing to protect the emperor, even to the death!"

Yang Qi was also worried about disrupting other troops at night and causing a larger-scale mutiny.

He nodded and said to Zhao Ji and Qu Bei, "Right Xian Wang and Zhao Zhonglang, immediately issue a handwritten letter and a token of trust. Send a reliable person to our camp and order the officers and soldiers not to move rashly."

"Here!"

Zhao Ji agreed, and without writing anything, he quickly walked out of the courtyard and said to Han Shu, who was approaching with a torch, "Take A Bao with you and join the Xiongnu in the manor. Order all the troops not to move rashly!"

Weiwei Zhou Zhong also followed out and asked, "Why didn't Zhonglang hand over the token and the documents?"

"Lord Weiwei, this Pei Bao is the younger brother of my humble brother-in-law. If he goes to the camp, the Tiger Guards will believe Han Shu's words."

While Zhao Ji was speaking, Pei Bao had already climbed onto his horse. Han Shu's riding slave came trotting over with a horse, and Han Shu immediately mounted the horse.

At this time, Qubei's two followers had also mounted their horses and took Qubei's token and letter.

Zhao Ji's mounted slaves also gathered around him. Zhao Ji put on his bow and hung his quiver on it, then jumped onto the low wall with his horse-slaying sword in hand.

The invading enemy cavalry was already charging into sight. A mile away, a temporary camp had been set up on the road. It had no walls, only a few campfires. The county soldiers there seemed to be resisting, but they were unable to stop the enemy's attack.

Zhao Ji turned to Zhou Zhong, a man with a white beard and sword drawn, and said, "Lord Weiwei, those who have come are probably bandits from Jishan. Rumor has it they are defectors from the imperial court, archers. There are about a hundred of them, and they are incredibly elite."

"I see! These little bitches are only capable of these tricks."

Zhou Zhong smiled, he had already reacted.

The imperial court had also heard about the origins of the Jishan bandits and sent envoys to recruit them several times, but none of them returned.

The so-called Jishan bandits are just temporary identities used by the powerful to do dirty work.

Zhou Zhong led two of the Tiger Guards and turned to leave, shouting, "The bandits are good shooters, keep your bows and crossbows away from the campfire!"

"Zhu Yu Lin Lang, prepare to throw fire and illuminate!"

Several of Zhao Ji's mounted slaves set up two nearby campfires and carried them further to the sides.

Qubei also climbed up the wall with a bow in hand, held his breath, and slowly drew his bow, aiming at the outside world.

At this time, a newly organized group of Yulin Lang arrived and, under Fude's command, threw more than a dozen torches outward across the wall.

The torch swirled in the air, and when Qu Beisa released the bowstring, he was immediately hit in the chest by an arrow, and fell backwards against the low wall.

Zhao Ji also shot an arrow, and an enemy rider, illuminated by the mottled firelight, was hit by the arrow and fell off his horse.

Not surprisingly, two or three arrows flew past him, one hit Qubei and one hit the armor on his left arm and just grazed past.

Protected by armor, Zhao Ji felt no fear and shot another quick arrow.

The cavalry slaves on both sides of him fired their bows and crossbows at the same time, but because the torches fell to the ground, it was unknown what the outcome was.

(End of this chapter)