Chapter 304: Assassination Plot
Right as Gao Family Village welcomed Zao Ying and began forming its cavalry battalion,
on Huanglong Mountain.
Wang Zuogua, who had just engaged in a fierce skirmish with Yansui’s Regional Commander Wu Zhimian, resulting in heavy losses for both sides, sat down around a large rock with the leaders of his four units.
“Damn it all!” Wang Zuogua grumbled, his face dark with frustration. “I had them! Wu Zhimian’s five hundred warhorses were practically ours, but then some group sprang out of nowhere and snatched the duck right from my beak!”
Miao Mei, the second-in-command, whispered, “That group came from the south. The most formidable among them is called Old Ghost Head from Guyuan, and with him were Xing Honglang from Yongji and Zao Ying from Yichuan. It seems they are a rather powerful force of rebels.”
Wang Zuogua’s expression was grim. Though they were all ostensibly ‘righteous armies,’ he didn’t waste breath condemning the other side for ‘fighting within their ranks’ or ‘attacking their own kind.’
The world might be teeming with rebel forces, but they were far from united, and it was hardly surprising to see them fighting amongst themselves.
Ultimately, they were all rogues who lived by the sword, and betrayal among thieves was simply par for the course.
Wang Zuogua pondered for a long moment, his dark expression unchanged. “If that group retreated south, they must have headed for Chengcheng County, right?”
Wang Zuogua mused, “That reminds me of something. Last year, Bu Zhan Ni and I combined forces and also attacked Chengcheng County. We were repelled at Bai Family Fortress by strange weapons... a memory that’s still fresh.”
He had been knocked flat by a Block Missile, and that was indeed hard to forget; after all, the weapon was far too absurd.
“The strange bombs they used this time, which killed a swath of our men with a single throw, couldn’t possibly be from Bai Family Fortress as well, could they?”
Wang Zuogua recalled something, then turned to Da Honglang. “Did you figure it out? How did those men suddenly die?”
Da Honglang opened his palm, revealing a small, round iron pellet. “It was these things. The bombs they threw would explode, simultaneously scattering these tiny iron pellets in all directions. Anyone hit was either killed or wounded—they’re incredibly lethal.”
Wang Zuogua, Miao Mei, and Fei Shan Hu all leaned in to examine it. After seeing it, they shook their heads. “How can one guard against this thing when it’s designed to injure? Such a preposterous weapon must surely be the work of Bai Yuan.”
Da Honglang nodded. “Undoubtedly!”
Wang Zuogua’s expression turned serious. “So, from now on, every time we attack Bai Family Fortress, as long as we face Bai Yuan, we’ll have to contend with these things?”
Da Honglang nodded. “Irresistible.”
Wang Zuogua pressed, “So the matter of someone interfering and snatching our warhorses – we’re just going to let it go?”
Da Honglang declared, “Of course not! Big Brother, we must avenge this slight, otherwise, all the heroes in the pugilistic world will look down on us.”
Wang Zuogua sighed, “We can’t fight them, so how do we get revenge?”
Da Honglang suggested, “We disguise ourselves, get close to Bai Yuan, the master of Bai Family Fortress, and then launch a surprise attack to kill him.”
Wang Zuogua countered, “That’s a good plan, but Bai Family Fortress is heavily guarded. How could we easily sneak in?”
Just as he spoke, a scout reported from nearby: “To the four leaders, we’ve received intelligence that Chengcheng County is forming a large militia, said to be thousands strong, to guard against roving bandits.”
Wang Zuogua bristled. “Isn’t that directly aimed at me?”
The scout continued, “We hear that the person responsible for organizing this large militia is Bai Yuan, the master of Bai Family Fortress. He’s currently in Chengcheng County town, gathering militia instructors from all the villages and towns to discuss grand plans.”
A light bulb seemed to switch on above Wang Zuogua’s head. “He left Bai Family Fortress and went to the county town? Hehehe, the county town is a chaotic mix of dragons and snakes, filled with refugees. It’ll be far easier for our men to infiltrate the county town in disguise than to sneak into Bai Family Fortress!”
He turned to Da Honglang. “Fourth Brother, immediately arrange a team of seasoned pugilists, skilled and capable, to disguise themselves as refugees. They are to infiltrate Chengcheng County town, scout out the situation, and if a good opportunity arises, casually assassinate that Bai Yuan for me.”
Da Honglang chuckled, “Don’t worry, Big Brother, I’ll take care of it.”
Early that morning, Li Daoxuan awoke as usual.
As he ate his coconut-fragrant golden cake and nibbled on a braised egg, he checked in on the development of his miniature kingdom.
Gao Family Village was peaceful, with the newly arrived Zao Ying already busy forming the cavalry battalion. The first batch of cavalry naturally consisted of the one hundred and twenty horse bandits she had brought with her.
Though these horse bandits were excellent riders, their equipment was shoddy, and their provisions insufficient. They currently lacked a truly imposing aura.
But that was no problem!
Soon, several handcarts rolled out from the Craftsman Well, laden with over a hundred sets of armor, standardized waist knives, uniform spears, and small handheld crossbows that could be easily used from horseback.
However...
Zao Ying glanced at the small crossbows and chuckled. “Why do you all prefer crossbows? These are too small; they don’t shoot far, and they’re quite inconvenient to use from horseback.”
Cheng Xu looked a little awkward. “Our Gao Family Village militia is recruited from farmers and trained from scratch. They’ve never fought before. To become proficient with a bow and arrow would require a very long period of training. The Heavenly Lord said that practicing archery would only be a waste of time, as everyone would eventually switch to firearms. So, we skipped archery altogether, and naturally, we could only use crossbows.”
Zao Ying was about to make a sarcastic remark about this idea, but then she had a change of heart. Recalling the battle at Duzhong Village, the Gao Family Village militia’s ‘firearms’ had indeed been quite powerful. Perhaps the Heavenly Lord’s idea was truly correct.
So she refrained from further teasing and chuckled, “All right, your men can use crossbows, but my men can use bows. They’re already proficient, so they won’t need extra practice and won’t waste training time.”
And so... the small crossbows were regrettably returned.
Cheng Xu laughed. “If you want bows, we don’t actually have many here. Miss Zao, why don’t you go to the school and find Mr. Song? Ask him for help in drafting blueprints for a good bow, then take the blueprints to the Craftsman Well to have them custom-made.”
“School? Mr. Song?”
Zao Ying did as she was told and headed toward the school.
Li Daoxuan, too, grew interested. He hadn’t paid much attention to Song Yingxing recently; what exactly had the fellow been up to? He decided to follow Zao Ying and see.
Zao Ying entered the school, walked through the corridor, and watched the children reading aloud in the classrooms on both sides. Inwardly, she couldn't help but be astonished.
She had known that Gao Family Village’s ambitions were grand, but she hadn’t expected them to be this grand. What magnificent aspirations must they have to establish a private school on such a massive scale? Were they truly cultivating talents for a rebellion?
Other roving bandits simply couldn’t compare! Not in the slightest!
Taking two steps at a time, she reached the fifth floor and arrived before the library.
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