Chapter 648: There Was Still National Vengeance to Settle |
Publish Time: 2026-07-23 03:27:36
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Tian Shenglan and the Mongolians converged toward each other.
Both sides surprisingly used the prairie salute, raising their hands with a “Hu He” call, and then embraced, appearing extremely enthusiastic.
Then on Tian Shenglan’s side, they presented one hundred shi of food, while the Mongolians brought out a large handful of bloodstained gold, silver, and jewels.
They were enjoying the trade immensely…
Suddenly, the thunderous sound of hoofbeats arose.
Deputy General Li Bei led a unit of cavalry charging over from the west.
Commander Zuo Liangyu led a unit of cavalry charging over from the south.
Once the three cavalry routes emerged, their momentum was overwhelming.
These were no ordinary cavalry; they were all elite border army cavalry. Even if the Mongolian cavalry saw these elite border army cavalry, they would have jumped in shock.
The Mongolian who was trading with Tian Shenglan suddenly grew furious and drew his sword. “Tian Shenglan, did you betray us?” he demanded.
Tian Shenglan was startled. “No, I didn’t arrange this. Our private deal has been exposed. We must work together to fight our way out,” she replied.
The Mongolians all swiftly mounted their horses.
Tian Shenglan also hurriedly led her subordinates to mount their warhorses.
With enemies closing in from the east, west, and south, they naturally could only flee north to the prairie.
“Northward! Gallop!”
The Mongolians and Tian Shenglan led their troops northward in flight.
And at that moment, in the northern grass bushes, Bai An and Iron Bird Flies had been waiting for a long time.
Bai An suddenly leaped out from the bushes and roared, “Fire arrows!”
From the bushes, rustling sounds followed as a large number of heads popped up—all of them elite border army crossbowmen. As soon as they emerged, they immediately drew their bows, nocked arrows, and unleashed a barrage of wild shots at the foremost Mongolian cavalry.
Cries of agony and horse whinnies continuously rang out.
But the brave Mongolians still charged forward—they had no choice but to charge ahead. If they didn’t break through from the north, they would never escape.
As they charged close, numerous Three-Eyed Divine Firearms unexpectedly emerged from the bushes.
“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”
After a blast of gunfire, the Mongolian cavalry were all eliminated right there; not one horse managed to get away.
Tian Shenglan had been slower than the Mongolians, so she was still alive.
But she looked around frantically; from all sides, border army cavalry surged forward. Now, it would be impossible for her to escape even with wings.
Tian Shenglan simply gave up, reining in her warhorse and shouting loudly, “You cannot kill me! If you kill me, who will deliver supplies? Small Shanxi merchants can’t reach Datong; the bandits won’t let them through. Only prominent merchants like me can come… You cannot kill me, you cannot kill me!”
She screamed hoarsely.
Just then, from the grass bushes far ahead, one person emerged. It was Iron Bird Flies, who laughed heartily. “Tian Shenglan, I just delivered fifty carts of food to Datong, fifty carts!”
Hearing this, Tian Shenglan froze on the spot.
Iron Bird Flies said, “Come on, come on, say it again—can we kill you?”
Tian Shenglan: “Damn you, Iron Bird Flies! I’ll drag you to hell with me if I must die.”
Digging his heels into his horse’s flanks, he charged ferociously toward Iron Bird Flies.
Iron Bird Flies stood completely still, showing no intention of moving. The officials refrained from firing arrows or firearms again, merely watching Tian Shenglan with cold indifference.
Tien Shenglan rapidly closed the distance from afar, charging to a point not far in front of Iron Bird Flies. With a swift shua, he drew a curved blade, preparing to charge a bit closer before slashing down…
Yet, when they were still five or six paces apart, Iron Bird Flies suddenly produced a short firearm, one about the length of his forearm, exquisitely small. He flicked his wrist and fired: “Bang!”
Tian Shenglan toppled from his saddle.
The warhorse, now devoid of its rider’s control, stumbled sideways and galloped past Iron Bird Flies…
Iron Bird Flies blew at the wisps of white smoke curling from the muzzle of his short firearm and snorted, “Times have changed!”
Having put on a bit of a show, he was just about to turn away.
Suddenly, he saw Tian Shenglan writhing on the ground…
A single shot hadn’t finished the man off.
“Well? Not dead yet?”
Iron Bird Flies slowly walked forward. He saw Tian Shenglan clutching his abdomen, blood gushing like a spring between his fingers. It seemed the musket ball had only hit his stomach, meaning he wouldn’t kick the bucket immediately.
This threw Iron Bird Flies into hesitation. This guy actually wasn’t dead? Should I finish him off with another strike to send him on his way, or should I just watch him slowly gasp his last?
The Deity Statue hanging on his chest suddenly spoke: “All men must die, but some require a little helping hand. Iron Bird Flies, light a grenade and stuff it into his mouth…”
Now there was no need for hesitation. Under Tian Shenglan’s horrified gaze, Iron Bird Flies slowly lit the fuse on the grenade and then crammed it into Tian Shenglan’s mouth.
He dusted off his hands, turned, and walked away.
After walking several meters, he crouched down and covered his ears. A deafening “Boom!” erupted from behind him. Only then did a peculiar smile spread across Iron Bird Flies’s face. “Brothers, half the vengeance is done. Kill one more Zhai Tang, and your blood debt will be settled.”
The Deity: “When personal vengeance is complete, there remains the vengeance of the nation. We cannot truly settle this score until every single treacherous Shanxi merchant who colluded with the enemy is dealt with.”
Iron Bird Flies: “Right! There’s still the vengeance of the nation to be exacted.”
…
The fifth year of Chongzhen, August. Bandits attacked Xizhou.
Xizhou’s Guard Commander, Gao Yi, fled through the north gate. Xizhou’s Prefect, Yang Wei, resisted, wounding many bandits with arrows before being hit by a stray arrow himself and falling from the eastern wall. Xizhou city was breached, and the bandits occupied it for three days.
Afterwards, the bandits successively breached Qinshui, Yangcheng, Gaoping, Lingchuan, Lu’an, Zhangzi, and other places. The situation in Shanxi suddenly began to deteriorate again.
“Report!”
A fast rider galloped furiously into Hedong City, charging straight towards Xing Honglang and Gao Chuwu. The messenger, fighting for breath, urgently gasped out: “The bandits… the bandits have taken Shouyang outside Taiyuan City! The Provincial Governor of Shanxi, Xu Dingchen, led troops to relieve it. The villains abandoned Shouyang, raced south, and have broken through Zezhou!”
Hearing this battle report, Xing Honglang couldn’t help but feel a jolt of alarm herself.
Shouyang was extremely close to Taiyuan!
Xu Dingchen was stationed right within Taiyuan City, yet the bandits had managed to take Shouyang before help could arrive. This showed the bandits’ siege tactics had become frighteningly swift.
In the first years of Chongzhen, the bandits had merely troubled villages, attacked small towns, or raided minor county seats. Now, they could breach towns near Taiyuan City with terrifying speed.
What’s more, they were capable of withdrawing before the officials’ troops arrived as reinforcements, swiftly moving south to breach Zezhou City. They had truly undergone a transformation.
“Zezhou is only a little over two hundred li from Hedong City,” Xing Honglang frowned. “At the bandits’ current speed of movement, two hundred li can be covered in mere days. That means we are no longer safe here either.”
The messenger confirmed: “Yes! The Provincial Governor will soon lead his army south to pursue and exterminate the bandits. Before that happens, the Provincial Governor commands you to firmly defend Hedong City and hold the vital area of the saltworks above all. You must not lose it.”
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