Chapter 454 - 455: Labor Arrives

Chapter 454: Chapter 455: Labor Arrives

Tian Er led his men, slowly approaching the city wall. The sky grew dark early on a snowy night. If they were lucky, they could still get out of the city before the gates closed.

"Mr. Tian, should we go back and discuss this with the Mountain Leader? If the other party is prepared, the few of us might be done for."

Tian Er laughed smugly. "Look at you, you coward. Even if we get caught, as long as Lord Shan steps in, they can’t do anything to us. They’ll have to send us out of the city respectfully, just like always."

"But we killed one of their local officials last time. I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to get away this time." The men around him knew that their previous skirmishes were minor. To avoid war between the two nations, the other side had simply endured it.

But this time was different. They had committed a major murder. The enemy could be lying in wait for them inside.

"You’re just a coward. We all know the lay of the land from before. We’ll make this quick. We retreat before they can react. If they can’t catch anyone, the whole thing will have to be dropped." As Tian Er said this, he let out another smug laugh.

"Besides, this is the element of surprise. How could they ever see this coming? How could they imagine we’d dare to strike again so soon?"

Producing the household registration papers they had stolen earlier, the group entered the city without a hitch.

He led his men along the familiar route to the back office of the Magistrate’s yamen. Before Tian Er could even knock, the door swung open, startling them so badly they almost turned and ran, thinking they’d been exposed.

Seeing only one large man emerge, they quickly lowered their heads, pretending to stare at their own shoes.

"Are you the ones who were supposed to be delivering something?" Jiang Shiniu asked, sizing them up.

Tian Er replied, "Yes, we were held up by an inspection at the city gate. Is the young fellow from before around? I’m in a hurry to leave the city. Can you have him inspect the goods quickly?"

Jiang Shiniu smiled. "He’s busy in the rear courtyard right now. Since there are so many of you, why don’t you just carry the things in yourselves!

I’ll send someone to the rear courtyard to let him know, so he can settle the payment with you quickly. Don’t want to delay your journey home."

’Something’s off,’ Tian Er thought. But seeing only one man dealing with them, he figured their plan hadn’t been exposed.

Steeling himself, he commanded the men behind him, "Let’s get these things inside. If the young fellow is pleased with them, maybe he’ll give us a nice reward."

The arrow was already nocked on the bow; he had to let it fly. Tian Er led his dozen or so brothers inside, carrying and shouldering their loads.

As Jiang Shiniu closed the door, he made casual conversation. "It must be tough for you mountain folk. Having to travel in such a large group every time you go out... life must be hard, huh?"

Seeing him close the door at a leisurely pace, Tian Er’s nerves settled again. "It is. The mountain paths are rough and remote, so it’s safer for us to travel together.

So, do we take this to the rear courtyard? Which way?"

After sliding the bolt on the door, Jiang Shiniu asked curiously, "Haven’t you been here before? You’ve forgotten the way so quickly?"

"What do you mean, we..." Tian Er and his men stared at Jiang Shiniu, instantly on alert. They were just about to pull their weapons from the wild boar carcasses when, before they could make a move, several other doors burst open simultaneously. Dozens of men rushed out, completely surrounding them.

Before they could even react, all dozen of them were forced to the ground, their hands bound and their belongings stripped from them.

Tian Er shouted, "What are you doing? We’re just here to sell our game!"

At that moment, Gu Wenheng walked out with Ming Feng. "Here to sell game? I don’t think so. From the looks of it, you seem more like you’re going hunting.

I just wonder... who is the hunter now?"

Tian Er was about to argue, but then he saw that all the weapons they had hidden inside their game had been found and laid out.

Gu Wenheng picked up one of their katanas and tapped it curiously on the ground. "You hunt with this piece of junk? That’s rather crude.

Want to know what a good hunter around here uses?"

Gu Wenheng didn’t expect an answer. "Since you love being mountain folk so much, I shall grant your wish. You can spend the rest of your lives fulfilling that desire!"

Tian Er struggled to get up. "We didn’t do anything! What are you trying to do?"

Gu Wenheng said, "Didn’t do anything? You murdered an official of my dynasty. That crime alone is enough to have you executed a thousand times over.

Since you’ve walked right into our trap, you should have the decency to realize you’ve reached the end of the road.

Take them away. And remember, don’t injure their hands or feet. Next year’s grain harvest is depending on them."

Jiang Shiniu replied, "Yes, My Lord."

Chief Constable Fan Changxi, however, was completely bewildered, having no idea what the Lord Prefect was planning.

But now that the men were captured, even if they didn’t cripple their limbs, there were still plenty of ways to make them suffer.

Tian Er sensed the malice in the air. "I don’t care what you’re planning! Let us go, now! Otherwise, when our Lord Shan arrives, not a single one of you will escape!"

Gu Wenheng was almost impressed by their convoluted logic. "You should be more concerned with whether you’ll be leaving here in one piece.

Everyone in this city knows how many lives you’ve taken. What do you think would happen to you if we threw you out into the streets right now?"

It was pointless to waste any more words on people like this. Gu Wenheng raised his hand, signaling for them to be taken away.

Just then, there was another knock on the main gate. Hearing the familiar secret signal, Dazhuang opened it.

"My Lord, that should be all of them. There’s no backup waiting outside the city, and we didn’t see anyone in the streets." Qi and Ba, the most skilled martial artists among the guards, had been sent out to scout.

But Gu Wenheng felt no joy. The enemy had dared to brazenly enter the city with just a dozen men. It showed just how little they thought of the Rong Dynasty’s defenses.

Just as he was about to dismiss everyone, Zhou Shixiong’s voice boomed from outside the gate.

"Brother Gu, you’ve got some nerve!" The moment they met, Zhou Shixiong didn’t give Gu Wenheng a chance to speak, immediately unleashing a torrent of scolding.

"If Mr. Xiao and the others hadn’t been worried something would happen and sent someone to inform me, I would’ve never known you’d dare to use yourself as bait!"

Gu Wenheng said, "Brother Zhou, let’s talk inside."

Zhou Shixiong snorted and stomped inside. "A wise man doesn’t stand by a crumbling wall! You think you’re one of us military generals..."

Gu Wenheng never knew a burly man could nag so relentlessly. It was deadly. From the moment he entered the room, Zhou Shixiong had been lecturing him for a full fifteen minutes. His tea had been refilled twice, yet Zhou Shixiong still showed no signs of letting him off the hook.

Gu Wenheng quickly surrendered. "Brother Zhou, I know I was wrong. This time, everything happened so suddenly.

I was afraid that making a big move would spook them. It was a close call, but at least we managed to secure some more labor for our wastelands."