Chapter 1186: Your Entire Family Is Wuzhen Chaha
The remaining twenty-four Jinyiwei immediately scattered. Some broke off in pairs, others in threes, and a few went solo, all scrambling out of the dormitories.
Some clambered out of windows, others burst through doors, and a few even scrambled out of drainage ditches...
The unspoken command was simple: survive! Escape!
Mi Qianhu himself strode out through the main entrance. As a Thousand-Household Commander, he couldn't act in a way that brought shame. Even if he had to flee, he would do so with his back straight, standing tall.
However, the moment Mi Qianhu pushed open the door and stepped out of the dormitory building, he saw a lone figure standing in the middle of the path ahead: Deputy Factory Manager Bin Sheng.
Mi Qianhu's eyes narrowed. "You're waiting for me?"
Bin Sheng replied, "I am!"
Mi Qianhu widened his stance, settling into a ready position.
Bin Sheng pressed, "Which faction do you belong to? You can tell me now, can't you?"
Bin Sheng scoffed. "Hmph! It's not hard to guess! You're one of the Manchu Qing's Wuzhen Chaha, aren't you?"
Mi Qianhu's eyes widened. "What?"
Wuzhen Chaha? Mi Qianhu felt a surge of insult.
The Wuzhen Chaha were the Han Chinese troops who served the Manchu barbarians.
And I, a dignified, hereditary Thousand-Household Commander of the Great Ming's Jinyiwei! A Qianhu, no less!
Even a high official like Shi Kefa was merely a hereditary Hundred-Household Commander.
Yet I am a Qianhu—what unparalleled nobility!
The Mi family, from generations past, had served as hereditary Jinyiwei for the Great Ming imperial court.
And now, to be mistaken for a Han dog of the Manchu barbarians!
It was intolerable.
Mi Qianhu exploded in rage. "You're the Wuzhen Chaha! Your entire family is Wuzhen Chaha!"
Bin Sheng was stunned. *This man instantly knew my origins? So they really are Later Jin spies sent specifically for me. No wonder they also sent people to target my Yanzi, planning to eliminate my entire family. They're here to eliminate traitors and, incidentally, steal the blueprints for the great steam vehicles.*
With a swift motion, Bin Sheng drew a long saber.
Mi Qianhu scoffed, reaching behind his back and pulling out an iron staff he'd scavenged from the workshop. Its length and width were similar to a Xiu Chun Dao, and it served well enough as a substitute saber.
"Come on then!" Bin Sheng sneered. "I'd like to see how many assassins the Wuzhen Chaha can send to deal with me, Bin Sheng!"
Mi Qianhu snarled, "Dare to utter those three words, 'Wuzhen Chaha,' again, and I'll make sure you die without a complete corpse!"
Bin Sheng scoffed. "What's there to be afraid of? Wuzhen Chaha, Wuzhen Chaha, Wuzhen Chaha! The Wuzhen Chaha are all spineless dogs! I despise the Wuzhen Chaha, so what now?"
If the Wuzhen Chaha had treated him well, why would he have betrayed them back then and remained at the Chang'an Automobile Factory?
Mi Qianhu roared, "Watch my blade!"
He lunged forward, sweeping his iron staff at Bin Sheng.
Bin Sheng's saber flashed in a counter-sweep. *Clang!*
The two instantly clashed. One, a master of the Jinyiwei; the other, a former master of the Later Jin.
Both were supremely skilled in martial arts, and their duel was a dazzling display.
Meanwhile, skirmishes erupted all around the dormitories...
Simultaneously, the former Later Jin personnel – now distinguished Labor Models – had joined forces with the Chang'an Automobile Factory's Security Department and Militia Regiment. They had begun their 'net-closing operation,' with large groups of militia and security guards, led by the Labor Models, completely surrounding the dormitory area, leaving no escape.
The Jinyiwei, facing a crushing encirclement, had no option but to fight to the death.
*Clang!*
A militiaman's shield deflected a Jinyiwei's dagger, leaving his face ashen with fright. "He's too fast," he stammered. "I'm no match for him."
"Ah!" A militiaman was kicked to the ground, tumbling several times. "This fellow's martial arts are incredibly potent!"
"Seize them!"
"Take them alive!"
"We still don't know their origins; we can't kill them, or the trail will go cold!"
"Here... over here..."
"Send a few more men this way!"
"Cast the net!"
Several militiamen, holding a massive fishing net, sprang forward and flung it over two Jinyiwei.
The two Jinyiwei struggled desperately, but it was useless. As the net was drawn taut around them, they found themselves utterly ensnared, unable to move, and could only close their eyes, awaiting their fate.
One Jinyiwei, hair flying wildly, broke through two defensive lines. But at the third, a Labor Model swept a long staff against his calf, sending him tumbling with a *thud*. Three militiamen immediately rushed forward, pinning him to the ground with pitchforks, rendering him immobile.
The Jinyiwei had drowned in the vast ocean of a people's war; there was simply no swimming out.
With tens of thousands of workers at the Chang'an Automobile Factory, how could a mere two dozen Jinyiwei possibly fight their way out?
Within moments, all the Jinyiwei were apprehended.
Only Mi Qianhu remained, still clinging to a desperate resistance.
Bin Sheng had exchanged over thirty blows with him, yet a victor had still not been determined.
This was the employee dormitory district, right next to the family living quarters, so the area was teeming with people. Yanzi had rushed over at the sound of the commotion, and seeing her husband engaged in a fierce saber duel, she was utterly terrified, screaming incessantly, "Be careful, my love! Be careful!"
"Hey, don't shout!" someone cautioned. "If you keep screaming like that, you'll only distract your husband."
The words startled Yanzi so much that she clapped a hand over her mouth, remaining silent for a long moment.
Another spectator remarked, "I never knew Factory Manager Bin possessed such impressive martial arts skills!"
"He never showed it before."
"We only knew Factory Manager Bin was technically skilled, diligent, and never put on airs with the regular workers—a truly excellent person. Who would have thought he was also a master of martial arts?"
"Just look at Factory Manager Bin's saber work! My heavens! He must have trained for more than a decade to acquire such skill."
"Yanzi! Your husband is truly formidable!"
Yanzi, however, had no mind for compliments. She watched the flashing blades and clashing steel with growing anxiety. "Why isn't anyone helping my husband?" she fretted. "Why is everyone just standing there watching?"
"We can't help!" someone explained. "Factory Manager Bin just said this man came specifically for him, and he intends to personally sever some karmic debt or something like that. He told everyone not to interfere."
"Oh? So this man is Factory Manager Bin's personal enemy?"
"With such incredible saber skills, for Factory Manager Bin to be working as a simple factory worker here at Chang'an, he certainly must have a fascinating past."
"Ah, I see."
At this critical juncture, the duel between the two men intensified.
Bin Sheng swept his saber, and Mi Qianhu met it with a sweeping strike of his staff.
Both their attacks were aimed squarely at their opponent's vital points.
But halfway through his strike, Mi Qianhu suddenly had a chilling realization: he was wielding an iron staff, not a Xiu Chun Dao. If both struck vital points simultaneously, he would die, while Bin Sheng would only be grazed by the staff, at most sustaining an injury.
"Damn it!"
Mi Qianhu was greatly alarmed. He instantly abandoned his desperate attack, pivoting sharply to the side.
However, changing tactics mid-duel meant he had already lost the initiative.
Bin Sheng was overjoyed. He pressed his advantage, unleashing another saber strike that threw Mi Qianhu's footwork into disarray. With a swift leg sweep, he sent Mi Qianhu tumbling to the ground with a loud *thud*.
Bin Sheng's long saber plunged downwards, resting its tip against Mi Qianhu's throat...
Mi Qianhu's movements instantly froze.
Bin Sheng demanded, "Besides you two dozen, how many more did the Wuzhen Chaha send? Are there others outside waiting to assist?"
Mi Qianhu spat. "Pah! You're the Wuzhen Chaha! Your entire family is Wuzhen Chaha! Tungusic savages! Barbarians! Han dogs bred by wild boar hides!"
*Slap!* Yanzi suddenly rushed forward from the side, delivering a resounding slap across Mi Qianhu's face. "Who are you calling a Tungusic savage?" she snapped. "I'm no savage!"
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