My eunuch godfather

Seeing that things were not going well, Zhang Jixu and Zhang Wenlang immediately led their confidants and fled towards the market south of the intersection.

Many thieves, instinctively following the two leaders, fled into the market.

boom!

The scene before them stunned Zhang Jixu, Zhang Wenlang, and the others:

The market only had entrances at the north and south ends, and the fire spread to the southern end of the market.

The fire has set fire to the roofs and many shops, completely blocking their escape route!

"Brothers, we can't escape today!"

This time, Zhang Wenlang reacted even faster than Zhang Jixu, turning to face the pursuing government troops and forcing a bitter smile:

"Time to hit the road!"

Having said that, with eyes blazing with fury, he lunged at a government soldier who had caught up with him and swung his sword with all his might.

The government troops did not expect that the fleeing bandits would be trapped with their escape route cut off, and would be driven to despair.

Unable to withstand Zhang Wenlang's slash, he was struck in the face by the broadsword and let out a scream.

"Kill them!"

Many of the thieves were provoked by Zhang Wenlang's rage and turned to charge at the pursuing government troops!

Only a dozen or so government troops managed to reach the market, but they were immediately in danger when they faced fifty or sixty bandits who were fighting desperately.

"Follow me!"

Zhang Kun, who was constantly looking around to get a general overview of the battle, noticed that the situation was not good and immediately gave orders to the guards around him.

Other soldiers either pursued the bandits fleeing north or west, or feigned attacks on the rooftops; only a dozen or so soldiers followed.

"Master Kun!?"

Tang Sheng swung his broadsword to catch Zhang Wenlang's powerful strike, the impact numbing his tiger's mouth.

He kicked Zhang Wenlang to the ground, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw people rushing over to help. The one leading them was none other than Zhang Kun. He exclaimed in surprise:

"Retreat immediately!"

These bandits, having lost their way out, will unleash a fighting force far exceeding their usual strength under the leadership of a ruthless leader like Zhang Wenlang.

Zhang Kun ignored Tang Sheng's advice, gripped his katana with both hands, raised it above his head, and stared intently at the thief in front of him.

The thief also swung his knife, but Zhang Kun was faster and his blade was longer:

A single slash sliced ​​open the thief's chest diagonally, the wound penetrating deep into his heart and lungs!

He then turned to the side, raised his arm, and used the Iron Arm Binding to block the opponent's weakening strike.

Blood splattered on Zhang Kun's armor, staining the blue silk cloth a brownish-red.

Zhang Kun didn't have time to savor the feeling of killing someone with his own hands for the first time. He slammed his head into the corpse and swung his knife to slash at the next thief!

Although Zhang Kun's men were all fully armored and well-trained, they were still fighting three against one, and their opponents were desperate and cornered.

The clash of metal, the flying of blood and flesh, and the pervasive stench of corpses marked the beginning of a bloody battle that was a fight to the death.

bass!

Having endured countless attacks, Zhang Kun was suddenly stabbed in the back by a thief with a short spear.

It must have been in the scapula area; the spearhead pierced through the nail seam, but fortunately the wound wasn't deep.

Zhang Kun initially felt a chill down his back, followed by excruciating pain. He turned around and swung his sword to cleave the opponent's short spear.

Then he raised the knife above his head and slashed down with force!

Damn it, you dare to hurt me? Prepare to die!

Zhang Kun's strike was too forceful; the blade penetrated half a foot into his flesh and got stuck in the bone, making it impossible to pull out.

Another thief lunged at him, and in his haste, Zhang Kun loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword, grasped the handguard with his fingers, and threw a punch!

The energy absorption effect of the current hand guards was not good, and Zhang Kun's fingers also began to hurt, probably due to a fracture or even a broken finger bone.

Hey!

Tension, pain, and blood loss caused Zhang Kun's heart to pound and his adrenaline to surge, plunging him into an indescribable state:

Everything is slowing down, external sounds are becoming indistinct, and only heartbeats and breathing remain.

Vision became clearer than ever before, and many absurd, trivial, and whimsical thoughts began to pop up.

What day of the twelfth lunar month is it today? I think it's almost New Year's Day?

Zhang Kun swung his arm and smashed it down on the thief in front of him, the profanity that was about to come out of his mouth surprisingly turning into, "Happy New Year!"

Why are you fighting on such a nice day? Isn't it better to celebrate the New Year?

The thief in front of him was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground. Another thief swung his knife at him, but Zhang Kun smashed it away with his iron arm bind.

Immediately following was an elbow strike that shattered the thief's nose—which sworn brother taught him that? Was it called Bajiquan or Baji Beng?

"You corrupt official, prepare to die!"

Not far away, Zhang Wenlang and Tang Sheng were locked in close combat, with the former pinning the latter to the ground and gripping his neck tightly with both hands.

Having exhausted too much strength, she could no longer crush Tang Sheng's throat instantly, but she still managed to choke him until he was on the verge of death.

It's you! You're the one who's preventing everyone from celebrating the New Year!

Zhang Kun instinctively drew the short knife from his waist, rushed over, and delivered a powerful knee strike, knocking Zhang Wenlang to the ground.

He then knelt down and pinned the other person down, grabbing their face with his left hand and inserting two fingers into their eyeballs.

Amid Zhang Wenlang's loud screams, he plunged the dagger into the other man's neck with his right hand and twisted it forcefully!

Huff, huff...

With a deep breath, Zhang Kun's rationality quickly returned. His hands froze for a moment, then he resumed his actions, severing Zhang Wenlang's head.

This fellow is dressed in armor and is a formidable fighter; he is most likely a bandit leader.

"The ringleader is dead, lay down your weapons!"

Zhang Kun stood up, holding Zhang Wenlang's head high, and shouted, "The ringleader is dead! Lay down your weapons!"

Zhang Wenlang's beheading caused the bandits' morale to collapse once again, leading to their complete breakdown.

Some immediately dropped their weapons and knelt in surrender; some turned and ran; others stood there stunned, then either cried or laughed...

Zhang Jixu did not participate in the battle. When Zhang Wenlang led the others to counterattack, he gradually retreated to the side.

They bent over, even crawled on the ground, and slowly approached the entrance at the north end of the market.

Taking advantage of Zhang Wenlang's beheading, which drew the attention of the government troops and the bandits, Zhang Jixu got up and ran away.

At the T-junction outside the market, the government troops, lacking command, scattered in disarray while pursuing the bandits.

Moreover, most of them were exhausted and rested against walls or tall objects, while some who were injured even collapsed to the ground.

Zhang Jixu was overjoyed and ran wildly westward.

Whoosh whoosh!

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats rang out in the distance, quickly approaching.

Immediately afterwards, several arrows pierced through the air and almost simultaneously pierced Zhang Jixu's body.

Zhang Jixu collapsed forward to the ground, struggled weakly for a few moments, and then died.

The wounded soldiers struggled to their feet, and upon recognizing who had approached, they breathed a sigh of relief.

It turned out that Zhang Jingzhen led the servants of the Duke of Ying's mansion, leaving Wang Sheren's shop from the east and then making a large detour back to the west.

"Where is Commander Zhang?"

Zhang Jingzhen encountered and killed many fleeing bandits on the road, and saw corpses strewn all over the T-junction.

Knowing that a fierce battle had taken place here, he urgently spoke to the government troops who were still able to stand.

The officers and soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment, only then realizing that their commander had disappeared.

"Commander Zhang!"

Zhang Jingzhen immediately dismounted and shouted as she searched for Zhang Kun.

"There!"

A sharp-eyed soldier pointed to the market to the south and shouted to Zhang Jingzhen and the other soldiers, "Master Kun is over there!"

In the market, Zhang Kun collapsed to the ground due to blood loss and exhaustion.

He was holding a short spear with Zhang Wenlang's head stuck in it.

Tang Sheng, along with the government soldiers who were still able to move, surrounded Zhang Kun, keeping a wary eye on the remaining bandits.

"Stop those thieves!"

While giving orders to the servants beside her, Zhang Jingzhen quickly walked up to Zhang Kun.

"Young lady!"

Zhang Kun, covered in blood, tried to stand up using the short spear, but failed, which aggravated his wounds and caused another wave of pain.

He grinned miserably at Zhang Jingzhen and asked, "Did you find Brother Zhiyuan?"

"Thank you, Commander Zhang. I have found Zhiyuan safe and sound."

Zhang Jingzhen looked at Zhang Kun with complicated emotions and thanked him in a deep voice.