The Thief Prince

Upon hearing Li Zheng's words, Cao Su's expression changed drastically: "How dare you... how dare you!"

He was afraid of death, but not that much.

At least if he dies at the hands of bandits, his family will be spared.

However, if the bandits tricked him into opening the city gate in his name, causing widespread death and destruction in Dang County, his family would also be implicated.

Dang County already had few troops to begin with, and with the addition of archers and yamen runners, the garrison now numbered only a few dozen.

This band of thieves is different from ordinary mountain bandits; they are extremely powerful in combat. How can Dang County be defended?

Li Zheng didn't care what Cao Su was thinking. He told his men to keep an eye on Cao Su and then went down to prepare.

He selected more than thirty of Wu Anqing's brothers, as well as twenty henchmen who could ride horses, and also found twenty horses from Zhou's army on the battlefield.

The group stripped the soldiers of their armor and clothing, and then carried several captured soldiers' flags on their backs.

He also took off a captain's armor and put it on, still wrapped in a black turban.

With everything prepared, Li Zheng mounted his horse and said to Wu Anqing, "Brother, pretend to be Cao Su. When we get to the city gate, just act like you've suffered a defeat and you'll get away with it."

Wu Anqing nodded, placing the eyebrow-tipped dagger horizontally in front of the saddle: "I'll do whatever the chief says."

More than fifty men rode out of the woods, turned onto the official road, and headed straight for Dang County.

It's only about 20 li from Dangshan to Dangxian County, a journey of half an hour by horse.

It was midday, and the sun was at its strongest. The soldiers guarding the city walls were drowsy from the heat.

Seeing a cloud of dust rising from the official road in the distance, a troop of men carrying Zhou army flags came galloping towards them, and the guards immediately became more alert.

As the group approached, it was clear that the leader was wearing the armor of an imperial guard, and the fifty-odd riders behind him were all dressed in the armor of government troops, with bloodstains on their clothes. They were undoubtedly government troops.

At this time, only a few barricades were placed across the city gate, and the city gate itself was not even closed.

A soldier guarding the city rushed forward: "May I ask who you are, General?"

Wu Anqing immediately shouted, "I am Cao Su, the military commander of Danzhou. I was ordered by the prefect to suppress the bandits, but we were ambushed on the way. I must return to Dang County to reorganize my troops for another battle!"

"Quickly clear the way and let this military commander into the city!"

Upon hearing of the defeat, the soldier's heart sank: "Commander, please wait a moment. I must first report to the magistrate and receive his orders before..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Anqing had already lashed out with his horsewhip, striking the soldier squarely across the face and instantly leaving a bloody welt.

"Who do you think you are, daring to block my path!"

"I suffered at the hands of bandits in the woods, and now I have to put up with the rudeness of a mere gatekeeper like you? Get out of my way!"

The soldier winced in pain, took two steps back, and several of his comrades rushed forward to support him.

Seeing that this "Supervisor Cao" had a fierce look on his face, everyone guessed that he had suffered a defeat and was in a bad mood. At this time, whoever messed with him would be in trouble.

The leading old soldier sighed and waved to his companions, "Move the barricades and let the general pass."

Several guards worked together to drag the barricades aside, making way for the road.

Wu Anqing spurred his horse and slowly rode into the city, followed by more than fifty riders in single file.

Li Zheng followed in the middle of the line and saw that there were only seven or eight guards, and most of them were loose and disorganized.

He felt relieved. After the dozen or so riders in front of him had entered the city gate, he drew his hand axe and swung it backhand.

The axe blade cleaved into the neck of the nearest guard, who collapsed, clutching his neck, his fingers stitched together like a gushing faucet.

Li Zheng roared, "Seize the city gate!"

More than fifty riders attacked simultaneously, drawing their swords in unison.

Before the guards closest to the city gate could react, they were already cut down.

Two other guards screamed and ran away, shouting, "The bandits have entered the city! The bandits have entered the city!"

Li Zheng drew his bow and arrow from the side of the saddle, drew the bowstring taut, and aimed at a guard with a single arrow.

The arrow struck him squarely in the back; the guard kicked his legs twice and then stopped moving.

While the other person was still running, Wu Anqing drew his bow and shot an arrow that struck the man's calf.

In just over ten breaths, the city gate had been captured.

Li Zheng shouted to his men, "Leave ten men to guard each city gate, and do not let anyone out!"

He then said to one of his henchmen, "Go and inform the others that they should come to the city to meet up after they have finished cleaning up the battlefield."

The henchmen responded and went off in different directions.

Li Zheng then had the remaining men follow him into the city.

He walked into the street and scooped up the guard who had been shot by Wu Anqing: "Where is the county government office?"

The guard pointed eastward with trembling hands and stammered, "Go to the end of East Street, and that's the one with the blue-tiled gate..."

Li Zheng threw him to the ground, turned around and waved to the dozen or so people behind him: "Let's go! To the county government!"

. . . . . .

Previously, it was said that Huang Fuwen had taken a new concubine, and they were very much in love at first, spending all their time together during the day.

Today was no exception; they were taken to the back room of the county government office, where the two were snuggling together when suddenly a commotion broke out in the front hall.

First came the sound of tables and chairs overturning, followed by several short screams.

Huang Fuwen frowned and flung open the door: "Who dares to make a scene in the main hall? I am here, how dare you..."

Before he could finish speaking, a large, blood-stained foot came flying at him, kicking him squarely in the chest.

Huang Fuwen cried out "Ouch!" and was sent flying back into the room, his official hat flying far away.

When he finally got up, dizzy and disoriented, and saw who it was, he felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

Li Zheng and his group rushed in, and the small room was instantly filled with the stench of blood.

Huang Fuwen sat on the ground like a fool, while the concubine was the first to come to her senses.

Upon seeing so many fierce-looking men burst in, she was so frightened that she grabbed Huang Fuwen's arm and screamed at the top of her lungs.

The voice was shrill and sharp; if it weren't for the fact that it was daytime, it would have been no different from encountering a female ghost.

Li Zheng frowned and shouted, "Stop yelling!"

The concubine was terrified and could only close her eyes and scream at the top of her lungs.

One of Li Zheng's henchmen was perceptive. Seeing that his brother was getting impatient, he didn't say a word and stepped forward to cut the concubine's neck with a knife.

The concubine immediately fell silent. Her body remained upright, but her head slumped limply to the side, resting on Huang Fuwen's shoulder.

Poor Huang Fuwen, a mere scholar, had never seen such a scene before.

I felt a fishy smell rush up my throat, my stomach churned, and I vomited until I was completely disoriented.

Now, the room was filled with the smell of blood and vomit, making it impossible to stay there.

Li Zheng dragged Huang Fuwen outside, and the sunlight hitting him made him a little more awake.

"Heroes... Gentlemen, let's talk this out."

Li Zheng squatted down and patted his cheek: "Didn't you send people to beat me up? How come you don't recognize me now that we're face to face?"

Huang Fuwen's eyes widened: "The hero is..."

"Li Zheng".

Huang Fuwen immediately recalled the six blood-written words left at Changfeng Temple: "The murderer is Li Zheng!"

My heart felt like it had been overturned with seasonings, a mixture of sourness, bitterness, and astringency.

Oh, this is terrible! My life is over!