Chapter 290: Everyone's Arrived
As the sun dipped below the horizon, long shadows stretched from the mountains.
Li Daoxuan held a Chinese burger in his left hand, his right pressing the directional buttons outside the box, playfully studying the terrain around Single Tomb Village.
Lost in his research, he suddenly noticed Cheng Xu and Xing Honglang about two or three miles south of the village. Each led a small contingent, heading straight for Single Tomb Village.
Seeing his miniature people always brought Li Daoxuan joy. He pressed the 'North' button again, checking the path ahead for any ambushing enemies or fierce beasts blocking their way.
The Heavenly Lord, acting as their devoted guardian, was incredibly diligent when protecting his miniature people.
He scanned the entire route; there were no beasts or ambushes. As he continued to scroll, his view eventually returned to Single Tomb Village.
It was then that Li Daoxuan couldn't help but let out a surprised "Oh?"
There were people in Single Tomb Village!
And they were clearly not government soldiers. Judging by their attire, they looked like... horse bandits!
Li Daoxuan wondered inwardly: "What's going on? Where did these people come from?"
Interesting!
It seemed some strange turn of events was about to unfold.
He frantically adjusted his viewpoint and soon, a little over a third of a mile north of the village, he spotted a large contingent of government soldiers. They weren't displaying their banners, but there was no doubt: this time, it had to be Wu Zimian.
This was going to be quite a show!
Li Daoxuan closed the box lid, allowing the small cloud representing him to vanish, and fully entered 'spectator mode'.
Zao Ying and her one hundred and twenty subordinates rested for a good two hours, eating some provisions until their spirits finally recovered. The chase by Hong Chengchou's retainers had truly terrified them to their core.
They never expected such a formidable official to be active in Shaanxi territory!
Zao Ying stood, brushing the dust from her rear. "Alright, have you all rested enough? Get up, it's time to move."
Her subordinates began to rise. Just then, a horse bandit on lookout raced over from the village entrance. "Boss, boss... A large contingent of government soldiers has appeared about a third of a mile north of the village, and they have a great many warhorses with them."
Zao Ying's heart leaped. "Hong Chengchou's people again?"
Hearing this, Li Daoxuan felt a touch of surprise. "Oh? So you were being chased by Hong Chengchou, then?"
Her subordinate replied, "Not Hong's people, but they deliberately kept their banners furled and didn't show their insignia. I couldn't tell which government force it was."
Zao Ying gave a cynical laugh. "Government soldiers, marching with furled banners? Sounds like they're not up to anything legitimate; they must be involved in some shady dealings. And carrying a large number of horses... I understand now. It's the Yansui Regional Commander, Wu Zimian. Just a few days ago, rumors were circulating that he was selling off a batch of warhorses."
Li Daoxuan heard this and found himself both amused and exasperated. Was this Wu Zimian really that infamous? Xing Honglang had guessed it was him just by hearing about the horse sales, and now this female horse bandit immediately pinpointed him as well.
Wu Zimian was practically renowned in both the underworld and official circles! With such a scandalous reputation for these brazen shenanigans, wasn't he afraid of being punished by the Imperial Court?
The lookout whispered, "Boss, should we avoid them?"
Zao Ying scoffed, "What's there to avoid about Wu Zimian? He's no Hong Chengchou. Instead of a regional commander, he's more like a great unscrupulous merchant named Wu. We might as well have a chat with him and buy some horses."
Zao Ying's group simply stopped moving and waited in Single Tomb Village.
Before long, Wu Zimian's forces arrived.
That fellow was quite cautious; his main camp didn't enter the village. He only sent a small squad ahead. Spotting Zao Ying's group, the leading retainer declared loudly, "What's three plus two?"
Zao Ying thought: *A password, eh? Good thing I already know Wu Zimian's password; it's no secret in these circles anymore.* She replied loudly, "Thirty-two."
The retainer was overjoyed. "Excellent, a buyer."
Zao Ying said, "Heh heh, I hear your lord has a batch of warhorses for sale."
The retainer replied, "That's right. No need for pleasantries. Five hundred horses, thirty-five thousand taels of silver. Money for goods, on the spot. Our general is known for his straightforward business dealings."
Zao Ying said, "That price is a bit high..."
The two of them immediately entered 'negotiation mode'.
Li Daoxuan watched this scene from outside the box, finding it both amusing and irritating. *Now this is just unreasonable, isn't it? I was the one who spotted these warhorses first; they're meant for me! I can send any supplies to my miniature people, but not living creatures. Where did this female horse bandit spring from? Stealing my business?*
This simply couldn't stand!
However, Li Daoxuan wasn't the type to be so cruel as to "slap someone dead just for stealing his business." Killing someone for such a flimsy reason would be absurd, and he couldn't bring himself to do it.
His mind began to churn. *Should I reach down, lift Xing Honglang, and fly her over for a three-way negotiation to snatch the order?*
Just as the thought crossed his mind...
More people were arriving from the northeast!
And this time, quite a few had arrived, numbering several thousand. Their attire was a chaotic mess: some wore government armor, others ragged hemp clothes, and some even silk merchant's robes, yet without an ounce of merchant's demeanor, the clothes clearly ill-fitting.
Li Daoxuan let out another "Oh?". He saw it now: this new group was flying a large banner. On it was emblazoned a single, large character: "Wang".
It was Wang Zuogua from Yichuan!
His appearance here was no surprise; ever since his uprising in the early years of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Wang Zuogua had been active around Huanglong Mountain.
Wang Zuogua was entirely different from when he first attacked Bai Family Fortress. Now, his demeanor seemed more composed and profound, and his attire was significantly more refined. Gone were the ragged clothes, replaced by a general's scale armor, making him look imposing and dignified.
Before, he had simply appeared ferocious, but now, within that ferocity, there was a touch of shrewdness.
He turned to his trusted general, Miao Mei, and asked, "Is Wu Zimian just up ahead?"
Miao Mei chuckled, "Yes! He's stopped in Single Tomb Village up ahead, apparently trading warhorses with someone in the village." A sneering smile flashed across Wang Zuogua's face. "Wu Zimian is a good-for-nothing. His few subordinates are nothing to worry about. But if we charge in rashly, he'll definitely take the warhorses and flee. We can't outrun horses on foot."
"Miao Mei, Fei Shanhu, Da Honglang, the three of you will each lead a detachment and split up. Together with my main force, we will surround Single Tomb Village from all four directions—north, south, east, and west. We must secure those five hundred warhorses."
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