The Red Mansion

Chapter 122 Deploying Troops

Nine ruthless bandits lay dead outside the teahouse, their blood staining the yellow earth.

Only two ruthless bandits remained standing. One of them, already terrified, collapsed to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly, pleading, "Heroes, spare my life! I was only following orders, please have mercy..."

Jiang Nian glanced at him coldly, then turned to Qi Jianyu and said, "One for each of you."

Qi Jianyu understood.

The two men simultaneously drew their bows and nocked arrows. The bowstrings twanged, and the arrows flew through the air, striking the two bandits squarely. The one kneeling and begging for mercy had no chance to speak again before he fell backward, his eyes wide open, clearly dying with his eyes still open.

Jiang Nian raised his hand and pointed at the tall, hunched figure lying on the ground, then said to Meng Xiong, Chang Ye, Qi Jianyu, and Dai Shijiao, "Eliminate evil completely. Hand this man over to me, and kill all the others if they survive!"

Having said that, Jiang Nian drew a short-handled knife. The blade gleamed coldly, its edge as thin as a cicada's wing, clearly extremely sharp. He gripped the knife and walked towards the bearded man, his boots making a sticky sound as they stepped over the pool of blood.

The tall, bearded man, lying paralyzed on the ground, saw Jiang Nian approaching with a knife. His face turned ashen, and he begged for mercy in a trembling voice: "Hero, spare my life! I... I am a trusted confidant of Master Zhou San Kui. If you spare my life, you will surely reward me handsomely..."

Jiang Nian crouched down, her gaze sharp as lightning, staring intently at Gao Huzi, and asked in a deep voice, "Where does Zhou Sankui live? How do we find him?"

Gao Huzi turned his head and saw Meng Xiong and the other three men finishing off the remaining bandits with their knives. The screams of agony stopped abruptly as the blades passed by. He trembled and asked Jiang Nian in a trembling voice, "Heroes... are you here to capture Lord Kui's soldiers, or... or are you Lord Kui's enemies?"

Jiang Nian frowned, placed the short-handled knife against Gao Huzi's neck, and said coldly, "I don't have time to waste with you! Where does Zhou Sankui live? How do I find him? Answer me immediately!"

Gao Hu Zi was both terrified and frustrated, feeling that the young man in front of him was a real jinx from the underworld, too frightening!
Gao Huzi's voice trembled: "If...if I tell you, you...you will spare my life?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through his neck.

Jiang Nian used a short-handled knife to slash a bloody gash across Gao Huzi's neck, and said in a deep voice, "You've already uttered an extra word. If you dare to say another half word, I'll take your life!"

Gao Hu Zi was terrified, blood seeping from his neck. He dared not say another word, and could only stammer, "Master Kui... Master Kui's whereabouts are uncertain, and he owns many houses... He only... He only goes to the Dragon King Temple in the west of the city to hold meetings on the fifth and twentieth of each month..."

Jiang Nian removed the blade from Gao Huzi's neck and pressed on, "Is it the Dragon King Temple in the west of Yexian City? What time do they hold meetings on the 5th and 20th of each month?"

Gao Hu Zi said, "It is the Dragon King Temple in the west of Yexian City, and the time is Shen Shi (3-5 PM)."

Jiang Nian said solemnly, "I am an imperial bodyguard, and I am here on imperial orders to deal with Zhou Sankui!"

Gao Hu Zi was startled again, thinking to himself, "No wonder he's so bold and ruthless." He said in a trembling voice, "So it's the Imperial Envoy..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Nian flicked her wrist and plunged the knife into Gao Huzi's heart, causing blood to spurt out.

Gao Huzi's eyes bulged out, and before he could even scream, he was already dead.

Jiang Nian drew her sword and stood up. A few drops of scarlet blood still dripped from the tip of the sword, falling onto the yellow earth and instantly seeping into the ground, leaving only a few dark marks.

Meng Xiong, Chang Ye, Qi Jianyu, and Dai Shijiao had already gathered together.

Jiang Nian asked calmly, "Were any survivors?"

Chang Ye cupped his hands and reported, "The thieves have all been dealt with; no one has been left alive."

Jiang Nian nodded slightly, her gaze as calm as a still well.

Inside and outside the teahouse, all was completely silent. The manager huddled in the back kitchen, his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white; the waiter was ashen-faced and slumped on the ground; several customers were either dumbfounded or covered their faces, unable to look directly at him, and some of the more timid ones had already started vomiting.

The beauty who had just cried for help in the carriage was both surprised and terrified. She was surprised because Jiang Nian and his group of five had saved her; she was terrified because she hadn't expected them to be so ruthless, killing all of Gao Huzi and the dozen or so bandits under Zhou Sankui.

A middle-aged man, over forty years old, shakily stepped down from the carriage and knelt down in front of Jiang Nian with a thud. His body trembled as he said, "Thank you so much, heroes, for saving my life!" His voice was so shaky that it was almost incoherent.

Jiang Nian's gaze sharpened as she looked the middle-aged man up and down, then asked, "Who are you?"

The middle-aged man hurriedly replied, "I am Li Zhiyi, a doctor from Yexian County. Because Zhou Sankui tried to take my daughter by force, I had no choice but to flee with my wife and daughter. However, we were caught up by Zhou Sankui's thieves on the way."

As soon as she finished speaking, a woman and the young girl who had called for help got out of the car. The mother and daughter knelt down in front of Jiang Nian to express their gratitude.

Jiang Nian asked the mother and daughter, "What are your names?"

The young woman hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "My name is Li Yanmei." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, yet every word was clear.

The middle-aged woman was too embarrassed to give her name, and simply said, "My surname is Sun."

After Jiang Nian told the three of them to stand up, he carefully examined the young girl and found that although she was pretty, she was not very beautiful. Her skin was a bit dark, and she was inferior to Yuan Chun, Xue Baochai, and Xiang Ling in his family. She was not his type.

He turned to look at Meng Xiong and thought to himself, "I promised Meng Xiong before I left the capital that if he helped me with this mission, I would find him a beautiful wife. This girl in front of me is suitable."

Li Zhiyi glanced at the corpses on the ground, and seeing the blood soaking into the yellow earth, he couldn't help but shudder. He asked Jiang Nian, "The heroes have killed so many bandits, what should we do?"

Jiang Nian remained calm, took a guard's badge from his waist, held it up to the sunlight and showed it to Li Zhiyi, and said in a deep voice: "I am an imperial guard of the emperor, and I have come to Laizhou by imperial decree to deal with the salt smuggler Zhou Sankui!"

Li Zhiyi's knees buckled and he knelt down again. Sun Shi and Li Yanmei were overjoyed. Li Yanmei's almond-shaped eyes shone like black agate soaked in water, and she exclaimed softly, "Is it really so?"

Jiang Nian's lips curled slightly, revealing a faint smile: "How could it be false?" She then said seriously, "However, to ensure the capture of Zhou Sankui, we still need to conceal our tracks. You will all come with me to Dengzhou immediately." As she spoke, her gaze swept across the three faces.

Li Zhiyi asked in confusion, "Why is Your Excellency going to Dengzhou?"

Jiang Nian said calmly, "Deploy troops!"

Before Li Zhiyi could ask any more questions, Jiang Nian said to him, "You ride in my carriage; I have something else to ask you." She then specifically said to Meng Xiong, "You drive their carriage."

Immediately, everyone boarded three horse-drawn carriages.

When Li Yanmei boarded the carriage, she stumbled due to her weak legs. Meng Xiong caught her in time. Li Yanmei was both ashamed and frightened. She quickly thanked Meng Xiong and slipped into the carriage, leaving behind a lingering medicinal fragrance. It turned out that Li Yanmei had been learning medicine from her grandfather and father since childhood and was a rare female doctor in this era.

A horse-drawn carriage was driven by Dai Shijiao, with Jiang Nian and Li Zhiyi riding in it.

A carriage was driven by Qi Jianyu, with Chang Ye as a passenger.

A carriage was driven by Meng Xiong, carrying Sun Shi and Li Yanmei.

Under the midday sun, three carriages sped away from the scene, heading towards Dengzhou Prefecture, which borders Laizhou Prefecture to the east. Inside the carriage, Jiang Nian took out a towel to wipe the arrows and short-handled knife, and casually said to Li Zhiyi, "Tell me in detail what you know about Zhou Sankui."

Li Zhiyi hurriedly began to recount the story in detail...

Two quarters of an hour after the three carriages sped away, the soldiers guarding the city gates of Changyi County finally arrived. They found eleven corpses lying haphazardly outside the teahouse, blood forming several thin streams, and some stray horses grazing on fodder. Some soldiers were stunned into silence, while others were terrified and their legs went weak. Because the soldiers were outnumbered, they looked at each other in bewilderment, not daring to pursue the vanished carriages.

……

……

The reason Jiang Nian needed to go to Dengzhou Prefecture to mobilize troops was because Dengzhou Prefecture had a garrison commander-in-chief stationed there.

Laizhou Prefecture was a directly subordinate area of ​​Dengzhou Town, and its defense was directly commanded by the Dengzhou Town General. Coastal defense also relied on the Dengzhou Navy for patrols.

Yexian County, the county attached to Laizhou Prefecture, had only one garrison commander as the main garrison officer of Laizhou Prefecture, who was in charge of the local garrison and surrounding areas, and was directly under the jurisdiction of Dengzhou Town.

Jiang Nian and his group traveled in three horse-drawn carriages and rushed to Penglai County in Dengzhou Prefecture.

The carriage with its green canopy rolled along the official road, raising clouds of yellow dust. Willows swayed by the roadside, but no one stopped to admire them.

They were not intercepted by government soldiers along the way, nor by Zhou Sankui.

Penglai County was an attached county of Dengzhou Prefecture and the seat of the Dengzhou Garrison Commander.

Upon arriving at Penglai County, one sees towering city walls with crenellations arranged like teeth, naval warships arrayed in a menacing formation at the harbor, and a forest of spears and halberds in front of the general's office, heavily guarded.

Jiang Nian successfully entered the Dengzhou Town General's Office and met General Fang Yuanxiang.

Jiang Nian laid out all the credentials, including the royal command flag, the imperial envoy's seal, Emperor Taishun's secret edict, and the guard's waist tag, on the rosewood table and displayed them to Fang Yuanxiang.

Upon seeing this, Fang Yuanxiang hurriedly picked it up and examined it closely. After verifying its authenticity, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Only then did he believe that the young man in front of him was the imperial envoy and bodyguard who was ordered to handle Zhou Sankui's case.

Jiang Nian straightened his clothes and said solemnly, "His Majesty has issued an imperial edict to you!"

After saying that, he walked to the center of the room and stood facing south.

Fang Yuanxiang hurriedly went to Jiang Nian's side and knelt down with a thud: "Your subject, Fang Yuanxiang, the General of Dengzhou Garrison, respectfully listens to Your Majesty's decree!"

Jiang Nian declared loudly: "You are the General Commander of Dengzhou, yet you failed to secretly report the matter of Zhou Sankui, the salt smuggler of Laizhou. This can be considered a dereliction of duty. However, considering your past merits, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself. You must do your utmost to assist Imperial Envoy and Imperial Bodyguard Jiang Nian in handling the Zhou Sankui matter. There must be no mistakes, or I will punish you!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yuanxiang's official robe appeared to be soaked with sweat. After a long while, he finally said, "Your subject... Your subject Fang Yuanxiang obeys the imperial decree and thanks you for your grace!"

When he looked up, his official hat was still trembling, and his beard was covered in dust.

Jiang Nian carefully put away the voucher and said calmly, "General, please rise. I still need to discuss the strategy with you in detail."

Fang Yuanxiang then got up.

When Fang Yuanxiang heard Jiang Nian recount how he had killed eleven of Zhou Sankui's most ruthless bandits outside Changyi County, he couldn't help but gasp. He thought to himself, "This young guard is incredibly ruthless, even more decisive than I was when I was suppressing the pirates."

Immediately, Jiang Nian pointed out the map of Laizhou while discussing with Fang Yuanxiang the strategy for dealing with Zhou Sankui. Though called a discussion, it was actually Jiang Nian giving orders; as the imperial envoy, he could control Fang Yuanxiang, the garrison commander of Dengzhou.

After the discussion, Fang Yuanxiang held Jiang Nian in even higher regard, feeling that this young guard was truly extraordinary. He was both ruthless and decisive, as well as steady and composed, and his troop deployment was like that of an old general.

Fang Yuanxiang prepared a banquet to welcome Jiang Nian. On the table were two jugs of local fine wine, as well as seafood and several kinds of snacks.

Jiang Nian bowed and thanked him, saying, "I appreciate your kindness, General. However, I have never been fond of drinking, and I am under imperial orders. How could I let wine interfere with my duties?"

Fang Yuanxiang nodded upon hearing this, recalling that he had never been so selfless and dedicated in his youth, and even less so now... His old face flushed red, and he hurriedly said, "I was being presumptuous."

He immediately ordered his men to replace the wine with Longjing tea.

Fang Yuanxiang ordered someone to arrange an inn for Jiang Nian and the others near the Dengzhou General's Office. After Jiang Nian had a simple meal, he personally escorted her to the inn.

Originally, Li Zhiyi, Sun Shi, and Li Yanmei, a family of three, were still somewhat worried. They were worried that Jiang Nian was not a real imperial envoy, that Jiang Nian and his group of five were not really going to handle Zhou Sankui's affairs, and even that the five of them would harm them.

When they saw Jiang Nian arrive at the Dengzhou Town General's Office, their doubts dissipated. And when they saw General Fang Yuanxiang personally escort Jiang Nian to the inn, they believed him even more.

The inn is called "Penglai Pavilion".

After Li Zhiyi and his family of three checked into their guest room at Penglai Pavilion, Li Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief and said to his wife and daughter, "It seems that this Guard Jiang is indeed an imperial envoy! I never thought that my Li family would escape from a desperate situation and meet such a benefactor. Zhou Sankui is truly getting his just deserts!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw that Mrs. Sun was already kneeling in front of the Guanyin statue, kowtowing repeatedly: "Thank God, we have finally met a true deity!"

As night fell, in the backyard of Penglai Pavilion, a patch of newly blooming pear blossoms was bathed in the lamplight.

After finishing his discussion in Jiang Nian's room, Meng Xiong's boots clattered as he turned the corner of the corridor. Suddenly, he saw a woman standing under a pear tree. Upon closer inspection, he recognized her as Li Yanmei. She was wearing a traditional Chinese jacket, her hair was half-up, and a silver hairpin was tucked into her hair.

Meng Xiong was immediately at a loss, his towering body frozen in place. When he recalled Jiang Nian's words to him, "Li Yanmei can be your wife," his rough face began to turn red.

Li Yanmei turned around at the sound of the voice and saw that it was Meng Xiong. She was first surprised, then smiled and said, "Lord Meng, are you on night patrol?" Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, yet it sounded like a nightingale singing in a valley.

Upon hearing this, Meng Xiong hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting, but his elbow struck a pillar with a thud. He stammered, "Miss Li... I am not an official of the court, but merely a servant of my master. My master is the imperial envoy and bodyguard."

Seeing his embarrassment, Li Yanmei became calm and moved gracefully, saying, "With your skills and Lord Jiang's support, you will most likely become a 'lord' in the future."

Before he could finish speaking, a gust of wind blew by, scattering a few pear blossoms that landed on Meng Xiong's face and body, but Meng Xiong didn't bother to brush them off.

He was captivated by a fragrance that combined floral notes with the medicinal scent emanating from Li Yanmei.

Li Yanmei had initially found Meng Xiong's appearance somewhat frightening, but now, as she secretly peeked at him, she found him rather cute.

Suddenly, they heard the door creak open, and Li Zhiyi came out of the room. The two hurriedly separated.

(End of this chapter)