I asked you to go hunting, and you ended up wearing a yellow robe?

There was complete silence in front of the soup kitchen.

The refugee camp had over a thousand people, a vast, dark mass kneeling down.

No one dared to look up at the still-dripping blood from the knife tip.

Qi Shan flicked the blood off his blade, glanced at the kneeling refugees, and spoke softly.

"Porridge, line up to get yours."

"Follow the rules, queue up and obey."

"Anyone who cuts in line for porridge will have their spot on the tree branches by the door."

Several old women who had just been pushed down trembled as they kowtowed, muttering:

"This official is truly an upright and just magistrate."

"Dawn has finally broken in Qingyang County!"

"Master Qi!"

........

Qi Shan: "Drag the corpse into the city gate and hang it there for three days."

Meng Da swallowed hard and quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"yes!"

When the eleven headless corpses were dragged away, they plowed more than a dozen dark red marks into the ground.

No one dared to move in the refugee camp; not even the children dared to cry.

Qi Shan mounted his horse and was about to return to the city when the blacksmith's apprentice emerged from the alley, covered in sweat.

"Officer Qi! My master wants you to come over right away! The stuff is ready!"

Qi Shan's eyes lit up, and he grabbed the reins and galloped toward the blacksmith's shop.

A secret room in the backyard of the blacksmith's shop.

The old blacksmith lifted the tarpaulin, revealing five brand-new firearms neatly stacked in a wooden box.

The barrel still gleamed with the blue light of quenching, and the wooden stock was polished to a shine.

Qi Shan picked up a handful and weighed it; it was lighter than he had imagined.

"Have you tried it?"

The old blacksmith shook his head, his face showing exhaustion, his lips chapped and peeling.

"I didn't dare try it. This thing makes too much noise and might attract attention."

"However, it was made according to the blueprints. The barrel was bored five times, the powder chamber was deepened by three-tenths of an inch, and the trigger spring was replaced with refined steel."

Qi Shan patted him on the shoulder, his gaze falling on the firearms.

"Thanks for your hard work."

The old blacksmith rubbed his hands together, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"Officer, this thing... I've been a blacksmith all my life, and I've never seen such an exquisite firearm."

Qi Shan smiled but didn't reply. He wrapped the five Storm Guns in an oilcloth, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the back mountain.

Deep in the dense forest behind the mountain.

Qi Shan had Meng Da keep watch outside the woods while he led Wang Tiezhu into the ravine.

Wang Tiezhu's eyes nearly popped out when he saw Qi Shan pull a Storm Gun out of the oilcloth bag.

"Officer, what's this guy?"

"Stand back."

Qi Shan loaded the gunpowder and projectiles, and with a click, pulled the hammer open.

Fifty paces away stood three layers of water-soaked cotton armor, covered by a captured border guard's lamellar armor.

He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

With a muffled thud, a flock of birds took flight from the woods.

When the smoke cleared, Wang Tiezhu ran over and saw that his mouth was agape enough to fit an egg.

All three layers of cotton armor were pierced, leaving a hole the size of a finger in the lamellar armor, with the bullet embedded in the tree trunk behind.

"Goodness... what if that hit someone..."

Qi Shan fired four more shots.

Every shot pierced through heavy armor, and its rate of fire was more than twice as fast as that of a bow and arrow.

He stroked the still-hot gun barrel and grinned.

"From now on, it will be called the Storm Gun."

Wang Tiezhu scratched his head and burst into laughter:

"Storm Gun? What a great name! What a great name!"

"If this thing can be of great use to the officials, then I, Wang Tiezhu, will have rendered a service to Qingyang County."

.......

Qi Shan wrapped the Storm Gun again, then mounted his horse.

As soon as they emerged from the ravine, Meng Da came to greet them, his expression not very pleasant.

"Officer, bah! Master Qi! Sun Maocai has escaped!"

Qi Shan reined in the horses: "When?"

"Just now! While the guards at the west gate were changing shifts, his old steward drove a mule cart and mingled with a convoy of manure trucks out of the city!"

"There are three boxes on the vehicle; they look quite heavy."

Qi Shan sneered.

"Take a few men to see Magistrate Sun off, and bring the box back to me intact."

Meng Da licked his lips.

"people?"

"Leave no survivors!"

Meng Da grinned, mounted his horse, and ordered six constables to take a shortcut and give chase.

Fifteen miles outside the city, on a desolate road.

Sun Maocai sat on the mule cart, clutching a sandalwood box tightly to his chest, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

The old steward cracked his whip, and the mule ran so fast it foamed at the mouth.

"Master, hold on a little longer! Once we cross that mountain ridge, we'll be in the prefectural city!"

Sun Maocai glanced back in the direction of Qingyang County, his teeth grinding together.

"Qi Shan...you wait...until I get to the provincial capital..."

Before he finished speaking, seven or eight horsemen sprang out from the woods beside the road.

Meng Dalema stood in the middle of the road, a half-smile on his face.

"Magistrate Sun, where are you going so late?"

Sun Maocai's face turned pale instantly, and he scrambled backward, pressing his back against the wooden box.

"Meng Da! How dare you block an official appointed by the imperial court!"

"I have a letter of denunciation in my possession! If I die, someone in the provincial capital will immediately deliver it to me!"

"You'll all die then!"

Meng Da dismounted, drew his sword, and walked at a leisurely pace.

"Magistrate Sun, what are you saying? We're just here to see you off."

The old butler rushed forward and grabbed Meng Da's leg, only to be kicked to the ground.

Sun Maocai screamed, his voice like a pig being slaughtered.

"Don't come any closer! My brother-in-law is the Assistant Surveillance Commissioner of the Provincial Surveillance Commission!"

Meng Da stopped and tilted his head.

"Oh, Assistant Surveillance Commissioner."

Sun Maocai thought there was a chance for things to turn around and nodded quickly.

"Yes, yes, yes! As long as you let me go, this matter..."

A flash of light.

Sun Maocai clutched his left leg and screamed in agony; his shinbone was broken.

Meng Da squatted down, pulled the letter of denunciation from his arms and stuffed it into his own clothes, then grabbed his hair and pressed him to the ground, before wielding the knife.

The screams abruptly stopped.

Meng Da tore off a rag to wipe the blood off the knife, then turned to his other brothers and said, "Leave no survivors!"

In an instant, the battlefield was engulfed in fierce fighting, and blood flowed like a torrent!

..........

afterwards.

Meng Da reminded the others: "When we get back, we must tell everyone that Magistrate Sun encountered bandits on his way out of the city and unfortunately died. We chased after him for ten miles but couldn't save him."

Meng Da instructed his men to carry the three boxes onto the horse's back, and before leaving, he turned back and added a sentence.

"Oh, by the way, when you go to the county government office to claim the body tomorrow, remember to bring a coffin."

The six riders disappeared into the night, leaving behind only two corpses on the desolate road and a strong smell of blood.

Qi Family Courtyard.

Su Yue sat under the lamp, studying the new blueprints with a focused expression.

Qi Shan pushed the door open and came in. She jumped up from the stool and threw herself into his arms, rubbing her little face against his chest.

"Husband! Why are you only just getting back!"

Qi Shan rubbed her head and spread the oilcloth package on the table.

"I've tried it. It can penetrate heavy armor at fifty paces. Your blueprints weren't drawn in vain."

Su Yue picked up the Storm Gun and examined it from all angles for a long time before suddenly frowning.

"The joints in the gun barrel are still too thick, gunpowder residue cannot be cleaned properly, and the durability is insufficient."

"Let me think..."

She bit her lower lip and thought for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up.

"We can add a copper hoop at the seam! Then apply a layer of fish glue!"

Qi Shan wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, rested his chin on her shoulder, and spoke in a low voice.

"My little Yue'er, just how much stuff is in your head?"

Su Yue's ears tickled from his breathing, and she shrank her neck and giggled.

After the two of them bickered for a while, the bed started creaking again.

In the next room, Jia Qinghan turned over, covered her head with the blanket, and her face was burning hot.

An indescribable bitterness gnawed at her heart like ants, keeping her awake all night.

The next day, just as dawn broke, the courtyard gate was pounded on loudly.

Qi Shan put on his clothes and opened the door. Jia Hui stood outside in a tight-fitting outfit, her face ashen, her armor still damp with dew.

"Something terrible has happened."

Her voice was strained.

"Heilongzhai has colluded with the Yelü tribe, and three thousand barbarian cavalry have already crossed the border and are heading towards Qingyang County."