In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

"The leader is dead!"

"The boss has been killed!"

When the bandits saw the one-eyed man die a gruesome death, their already wavering morale collapsed instantly.

They let out a terrified scream, dropped their weapons, and turned to flee into the pine forest on either side.

"Don't pursue a cornered enemy! Protect the supplies!"

Pei Zhao reined in his warhorse and loudly issued the order.

A bloody battle has finally come to an end.

Inside Black Wind Gorge, corpses lay strewn across the land, and blood flowed like rivers.

Of the thirty salt protectors, five were killed, seven were seriously wounded, and the rest were all injured.

But none of them cried out or complained.

Leaning on their blood-stained swords, panting heavily, they looked at the corpses of the bandits scattered on the ground, their eyes flashing with an unprecedented ferocity.

It was the fierce gleam of a beast that had shed its cowardice and fear after teetering on the brink of death, transforming into a true wild animal.

They held on!

Despite being outnumbered three to one, they not only protected the supplies but also killed the bandit leader One-Eyed Dragon and drove back the ruthless bandits of Black Wind Stronghold!

Looking at the group of men covered in blood, Pei Zhao finally showed a relieved smile.

He knew that the sword his lord had wanted, the one capable of fighting tough battles, had finally been forged today!

"Collect our fallen comrades' bodies, bandage their wounds." Pei Zhao's voice was deep and powerful. "With the one-eyed man's head, continue forward! To Qing'ao Well!"

……

By evening, the news had reached Yaozhou City.

Tian Boyong was leisurely drinking tea in his study, waiting for One-Eyed Dragon to bring him good news.

Suddenly, the door was flung open, and the steward stumbled in, his face ashen, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Grandpa Tian! Something terrible has happened!"

"What's the panic? The sky's not going to fall." Tian Boyong frowned, put down his teacup, and asked, "Did One-Eyed Dragon succeed?"

"No...no..." the steward stammered, "One-Eyed Dragon...One-Eyed Dragon is dead! The hundred-plus men of Black Wind Stronghold were utterly defeated by the county government's few dozen guards! The county government's convoy has safely arrived at Qing'ao Well!"

"What?!"

Tian Boyong suddenly stood up, smashing the teacup in his hand on the ground.

His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

The ruthless bandits of Black Wind Stronghold couldn't even defeat a few dozen newly recruited thugs and hooligans.

"Old Tian..." The steward swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he added, "And... Pei Zhao even had the one-eyed dragon's head hung on the latch at Qing'ao Well... Now the whole of Yaozhou is saying... saying that the county government's army is invincible..."

Tian Boyong felt a sudden darkness before his eyes and collapsed onto the armchair.

For the first time, he truly felt that the new county magistrate, whom he had regarded as an ant, was no longer someone he could manipulate at will.

......

News of the Battle of Black Wind Gorge spread like wildfire throughout Yaozhou City overnight.

The one-eyed man's head was hung high on the newly erected wooden fence outside Qing'ao Well. That hideous, unseeing head became the most direct and bloody declaration of the county government's military force.

In the past, the people of Yaozhou were terrified of Black Wind Village, and even the local garrison turned a blind eye to them.

But now, this fierce band of bandits has been utterly defeated by the few dozen guards recently recruited by the county government, and even their leader has been beheaded!

This was nothing short of an earthquake for Yaozhou.

While shocked, ordinary people and merchants also felt a secret joy.

They had suffered for the Tian family and Black Wind Village for a long time, and this newly arrived county magistrate seemed to be a living Yama who could make decisions for them and fight tough battles.

But for those in Yaozhou who actually sit at the card table and reap the rewards, this is an extremely dangerous signal.

Yang Xuan not only seized the profits from Qing'ao Well's salt production and used that money to develop knives, but even more terrifyingly, he also began a large-scale overhaul of the salt well's production equipment through craftsmen like "Thousand-Handed Huang."

They have money, a knife, and skills.

Yang Xuan is using an extremely aggressive and efficient approach to firmly establish his roots in the soil of Yaozhou, and is even beginning to threaten the original rulers of this land.

The main hall of the Tian family mansion.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like you could wring water out of it.

Tian Boyong sat in the armchair. His sleepless night had made his already somewhat aged face look even more haggard, but his eyes shone with a fierce light like a wolf.

To his left sat Hu Rong, the head of the Hu family; Song, the manager of Sihai Trading Company; and Lei Laohu, the leader of the largest caravan in Yaozhou, known as "Over the Mountain Wind".

These individuals represent over 90% of the underground forces and illicit interests within Yaozhou City.

"Old man, we can't wait any longer!"

Hu Rong was the first to lose his composure. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice filled with panic.

"News has come from Qing'ao Well: the county government has not only taken over all the accounts, but they've also brought back all the craftsmen we kicked out, including Old Huang! I heard they've invented some new type of soft bucket and iron cable winch, and their salt production has more than doubled!"

"Yes, Old Man Tian!"

Manager Song was so anxious that he kept slapping his thigh.

"Now, merchants in the city don't dare to take old notes from us anymore; they're all going to the county government with real money to beg for new ones. Our brokerage business has been shut down for seven or eight days. If this continues, we'll starve even before the county government investigates!"

Lei Laohu rubbed his bald head and said in a muffled voice, "I don't care about your affairs. I only know that One-Eyed Dragon is dead and Black Wind Stronghold has fallen. Now the brothers in the underworld are all laughing at me, Lei Laohu, saying that we local Yaozhou men have been trampled underfoot and shitted on by a down-on-his-luck outsider. I can't swallow this!"

Tian Boyong coldly looked at his three restless allies and tapped his fingers heavily twice on the armrest of the armchair.

"What's the panic? The sky hasn't fallen yet!" Tian Boyong's voice was hoarse and gloomy. "Even if Yang Xuan had three heads and six arms, Yaozhou isn't something he can take on by himself!"

"But Elder Tian, ​​the knife he wields is too sharp now," Hu Rong said in a trembling voice. "Pei Zhao and his gang are simply a bunch of killing gods. If our guards and servants were to go up against them, they would probably be throwing their lives away."

"No matter how hard a knife is, it can't be as hard as the rules!"

Tian Boyong suddenly stood up, a ruthless determination flashing in his eyes.

"Does Yang Xuan think that by defeating a few bandits and bribing a few hundred peasants, he can rule Yaozhou with absolute power? Has he forgotten that the salt from Qing'ao Well isn't just for our Tian family? How many important figures in the prefecture, the province, and even Chang'an City rely on the tribute from this well for their livelihood?"

Tian Boyong walked to the center of the hall and glanced at everyone.

"I've already sent a letter to the prefecture. Don't forget, on the day of the warehouse robbery, a military badge from the military headquarters showed up. The military is even more anxious than we are. Once the bigwigs in the prefecture give the order, even if Yang Xuan is a dragon, he'll have to coil up before me!"

Upon hearing this, Manager Song's eyes lit up: "Does Elder Tian mean that the prefecture is going to intervene?"

"Not bad." Tian Boyong sneered. "However, before the people from the prefecture arrive, we must first find out Yang Xuan's true intentions. Let's see if he wants to overturn the table or just wants to occupy a few more seats at the table."

"What does Old Man Tian plan to do?" Lei Laohu asked.

"Hold a banquet."

Tian Boyong squeezed out those two words through gritted teeth.

"In my name, Tian Boyong, I have prepared a banquet of the highest honors at the Wangjiang Tower in the south of the city. Yang Xuan is cordially invited to attend!"

Hu Rong was startled: "Old Master Tian, ​​this... could this be inviting trouble? What if he causes trouble at the banquet..."

"He wouldn't dare," Tian Boyong said decisively. "Wangjiang Tower is our territory. You and Lei Laohu have all your most elite men lying in ambush around there. Besides, for this meal, I not only invited Yang Xuan, but I also invited a distinguished guest he absolutely cannot afford to offend!"

A strange smile appeared on Tian Boyong's lips.

"Doesn't Yang Xuan like to establish his authority? I'll give him the biggest stage and see if he dares to put on this show in front of everyone!"