Chapter 62: Night Raid on the Enemy's Lair

  Just as Xing Boutu and Zhang Liang wanted to go to Bao'an Town to find some local strong men to help, Gao Huaichuan suddenly raised an objection.

  "Xing big brother, wait a minute! I think this is not right!" Gao Huaiyuan hastily and quietly stopped Zhang Liang who was about to get up and leave.

  Zhang Liang no longer dares to underestimate Gao Huaiyuan, as it was thanks to the efforts of Gao's people that they were able to find the thieves' lair so quickly. Moreover, they discovered that Gao Huaiyuan performed even more skillfully in capturing thieves than these professionals who specialized in this line of work. Zhang Liang couldn't help but look at Gao with a new level of respect and hastily squatted down again.

  Xing caught the head and looked at Gao Huaiyuan, asking in a low voice: "Young Master Gao thinks there's something wrong? Hurry up and tell us, do you have any good ideas?"

  After a moment of contemplation, he analyzed to them: "It's best not to go to Bao'an Town, because after we came over this time, my people discovered that these thieves usually replenish their food in Bao'an Town. It's possible that there are also their people in Bao'an Town. If Zhang Da Ge goes to Bao'an Town to find the village elder and gather militiamen, it might alarm them, and once their people know, they will definitely think of a way to inform these thieves. The thieves will immediately escape, which would be counterproductive to our plan. Therefore, for now, it's best not to go to Bao'an Town to ask for help!

  "As for manpower, our side isn't necessarily inferior either. Let me think carefully and see if there's a good way to take down these thieves!"

  Xing caught the head and those captured roles, listening to Gao Huaiyuan's words, felt that he made sense. The bandits could hide in this area, indicating that they were familiar with this area. If people were dispatched from Bao'an Town, it was true that they might be startled, and when they hid here, it would be a waste of effort.

  Xing Butou agreed with Gao Huaiyuan's opinion and no longer considered going to Bao'an Town for help. However, as for how to deal with these thieves, they didn't have a good solution either. So, they once again placed their hopes on Gao Huaiyuan.

  Gao Huaiyuan found a better vantage point to observe the bandits' lair, lay there for half a day, then slowly crawled back, looked at the sun in the sky, and said to Xing Buzhang and others: "The method is not that there isn't one, it's just a bit risky! If we can catch them off guard, it won't be difficult to get rid of these bandits!"

  "Oh? Then Master Gao, you'd better tell us your plan quickly! Let's discuss it together!" Xing and the others immediately became excited.

  Gao Huaiyuan then gathered Xing Tou, Zhang Liang, Zhou Huan and Xue Yan together, speaking to them in a low voice, and took out a small wooden stick to draw on the ground...

  Soon, everyone nodded in agreement, and some people stayed behind to keep an eye on the bandits' lair. The others slowly retreated to a nearby forest, took out some dry rations, ate something with water from their canteens, and then fell asleep. They hadn't slept all night yesterday, so they were all quite tired, and soon everyone entered the land of dreams.

  Xiang Er stood on the wall of the courtyard, occasionally scanning the outside, but didn't notice the flocks of birds flying out of the distant forest, and was still secretly pondering in his heart.

  He entangled Zhang Hei Hu, wanting to find Gao Huaiyuan to avenge him and vent his anger. As a result, he not only failed to get revenge but also got himself caught by Gao Huaiyuan and beheaded in public. He became a wanted man in Daye County and had to flee in a hurry, running hundreds of miles away to Yongxing County before stopping.

  But he escaped in a hurry, only daring to take small roads, stealing and sneaking around to make a living, making him look like neither human nor ghost. After arriving at Yongxing County, he was really unable to run anymore, and had no way to make a living, so he could only find some local bandits and continue to be an outlaw, becoming a thief.

  The leader of this group of bandits was named Yang Tong, also a ruthless man. He had gathered around him over a hundred idle rascals who specialized in robbery and theft. After Xiang Er joined him, he became one of his underlings. As luck would have it, soon after Xiang Er arrived, the people's anger was aroused by Yang Tong's actions, and the local authorities in Yongxing County gathered troops to launch a surprise attack on Yang Tong's stronghold. More than half of the hundred or so men were killed or captured, but Yang Tong proved to be a formidable opponent, leading two or three dozen men in a fierce breakout. However, they no longer dared to stay in Yongxing County and had to find another place to settle down.

  He narrowly escaped death again, and then gave Yang Tong an idea. He let Yang Tong lead the way to Da Ye County first, as he was more familiar with the area. He knew that the surface of Niangzi Lake was vast and the terrain was complex, making it a good place to hide. Moreover, he had mixed in this area before, so he brought Yang Tong and others along, fleeing back to Da Ye County, where they found a place to settle down, killing everyone in the house and occupying it as their temporary den.

  Yang Tong was very satisfied with this place and felt that it was more stable than his old nest in Yongxing County, so he stayed here.

  Xiang Er knew that although he was familiar with this area, he didn't dare to show his face easily. After all, he was a wanted criminal in the local area, and if he showed his face, he might be recognized by someone, which would lead to trouble with the authorities. So, he found a local friend and joined Yang Tong's gang, specializing in supplying food and other things to them in Bao'an Town. He himself stayed in this villa, specifically to provide strategic advice to Yang Tong, pointing out which wealthy families in Daye to target for their murderous robberies.

  As a result, they made a fortune in just one month and lived a life of luxury. They even abducted several beautiful women to satisfy their lust, and they indeed had a very enjoyable time.

  He originally wanted to ask Yang Tong to avenge him and go find Gao Huaiyuan's trouble, but last time he was scared by Gao Huaiyuan and feared that this time Yang Tong would fall into Gao Huaiyuan's hands again. Recently, they discovered two catchers appearing near their old haunt, and Yang Tong, being a ruthless guy, was afraid of his tracks being exposed, so he took the initiative to get rid of the two catchers and sank them in the lake, making it a clean sweep.

  But this matter also made them vigilant, afraid of attracting the attention of the authorities. So after making a fortune these days, they all retreated and hid in their houses, no longer taking risks easily. Anyway, they had made a good profit during this period, and there was no shortage of food, drink, or women, so life wasn't too difficult.

  Yang Tong, after being taught a lesson the last time in Yongxing County, became much more cautious and strictly controlled his subordinates, not allowing them to go out and wander around, so as not to be discovered by the locals, which is why Xing Bao and others were exhausted from searching but couldn't find their trail.

  Moreover, Yang Tong ordered his men to stand guard around the village without interruption. As soon as there was any movement, they would immediately escape into the lake. This afternoon, it happened that Xiang Er was on guard at the wall head, lying on the wall and looking around in all directions, feeling extremely bored. So he began to ponder again, thinking that after a while, he should find Gao Huaiyuan to take revenge. That Gao Huaiyuan must have money now, and his little daughter is also beautiful, so it would be good to bring her back and enjoy her thoroughly, venting his anger.

  He had been leaning against the wall for half a day, and when he saw that the sky was already dark, he finally waited for the shift change time. However, after waiting for half a day, no one came to take over his shift. So he went down to find someone to take over his shift. When he found the person who was supposed to take over, he discovered that this guy was drunk and unconscious. Therefore, he looked for Yang Tong and asked him to arrange someone to take over his shift.

  Yang Tong glanced at Xie Er with a slanted eye and casually replied, "Since that's the case, you won't die from waiting for a while. These days, you've been cooped up here every day, eating until you're as fat as a pig. It's good to get some exercise! Someone will come to pick you up later tonight!"

  He was being bullied and humiliated, but he didn't dare to speak out. Among this group of people, only he himself was from Daye County, yet he still didn't dare to take action, so the others looked down on him and often bullied him. He still didn't dare to say anything. If he had known it would be like this, he wouldn't have brought them here in the first place. Now he has to put up with their nonsense.

  Then Xiang Er went to the kitchen to get some food, and also grabbed a jug of wine. He dragged himself back up onto the wall, where he started eating and drinking. On this dark and stormy night, what was the point of keeping watch on the wall? It wasn't as useful as that hidden post outside guarding the entrance. What a waste of effort!

  With a belly full of grievances and discontent, Xiang Er sat on the wall, drinking wine. Unbeknownst to him, as the night deepened, the sounds of fist fighting and women's soft crying from within the courtyard gradually subsided. He too began to feel dizzy from drinking, and fell asleep with his head on the wall, drooling onto it, but didn't hear the muffled grunt coming from the hidden stake at the entrance of the alley.

  Gao Huaiyuan wore a black outfit, and in the darkness of night, he stealthily made his way along the path he had observed during the day. He crept up to the entrance of the Zhuangzi estate and overheard the sound of the thief's chattering mouth. The thief seemed to be savoring something, eating with gusto. Gao Huaiyuan then drew a dagger from his waist and pounced on the thief from behind, covering his mouth with one hand while stabbing him in the back with the other.

  Anyway, this wasn't his first time killing someone, and these thieves really deserved to die. Gao Huaiyuan suppressed his nervous emotions, raised his hand and knife, and plunged the dagger deep into the back of this thieving sentry's heart. This thief seemed to have a pretty hard life, although Gao Huaiyuan covered his mouth, he still managed to let out a muffled hum, making Gao Huaiyuan break out in cold sweat, fearing that he would alarm the night watchman on the wall again.

  He continued to press the thief's mouth shut, preventing him from breathing. The dagger in his hand twisted again, and he felt a warm, sticky liquid splashing onto his hands and body. The air was suddenly filled with a bloody smell. Although this was his second time killing someone, he still felt uncomfortable inside. After all, it was a human life that had been ended by his own hands. The two people didn't even know each other, no grudges or grievances between them, yet he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease after taking his life.

  But soon he adjusted his mentality, telling himself that these people deserved to die and didn't deserve sympathy. Keeping them in this world would be a waste of food and harm the common people!

  Feeling that the guy in his arms had stopped struggling, his body went limp and slid down, Gao Huaiyuan held him up and slowly put him on the ground, then pulled him quietly to drag him into the nearby woods, trying not to make a sound. Then, under the cover of night, he plunged deep into the dark shadows beneath the wall.

  After listening carefully, Gao Huaiyuan felt relieved. He actually heard a snoring sound coming from the wall. It turned out that the night watchman upstairs had fallen asleep. In his heart, he secretly thought: "This is truly heaven helping me!"

  He then waved his hand quietly towards the forest, and immediately two black shadows quickly ran over and stuck to his side, who were Xing Bu Tou and Zhang Liang.

  The two of them nodded in unison, extending their thumbs to express admiration. This time, Xing Duozhang was originally going to take the lead and solve the hidden stakes outside the village, but Gao Huaiyuan looked at Xing's tall and majestic figure and instead volunteered to be the vanguard.

  Actually, as for today's action plan, apart from Gao Huaiyuan, he also specially let Jia Qi participate in the planning and strategy to train him a bit. And Jia Qi didn't disappoint him. After Gao Huaiyuan initially formulated the plan, Jia Qi proposed some revision opinions on many details, making the entire action plan much more perfect. This also shows that Gao Huaiyuan didn't misjudge the person back then. Although Jia Qi can't be a general, at least being a qualified staff officer is no problem. Given time, he will definitely mature up as well.

  The most critical part of the entire operation is to quietly eliminate the hidden guards outside the villa without making any mistakes, otherwise, if there's even a slight slip-up, it will alert the sentry on the wall and definitely alarm the thieves inside. If that happens, the whole operation will be completely ruined, and who knows how many lives will be lost in the ensuing fierce battle?

  Gao Huaiyuan had a light body skill, his movements were swift and agile, far surpassing those of the likes of Xing Buto and Zhang Liang, and his eyesight was also superior to that of ordinary people. After some thought, Gao Huaiyuan decided to take matters into his own hands for the sake of both himself and everyone else's safety.

  So he had Xing Tou and Zhang Liang follow behind him, using his instincts honed from frequently getting beaten by the Three Mountain Scavengers to avoid the branches and bushes along the way, making little noise, and without startling the bandit, snuck up behind him and took care of the guy.

  His methods made Xing Dubao and Zhang Liang re-recognize him, and they began to fear him. This Gao Huaiyuan not only had good kung fu skills but also killed decisively, with a ruthless hand, absolutely not comparable to ordinary people. So the two men were both admiring and shocked at the same time.

  But this is no time for them to ponder these things, they must go with Gao Huaiyuan to the other side of the bay, and after killing the thieves there, they can surround the yard.

  Under Gao Huaiyuan's lead, Xing Boutu and Zhang Liang both drew out their short knives, grasping them in their hands, and stealthily followed Gao Huaiyuan under the cover of the high wall's dark shadow, making their way towards Shuiwan. Tonight was really unlucky, with the moon shining brightly in the sky, hindering their ability to conceal themselves and causing some trouble.

  Fortunately, they chose a relatively late time, and those thieves had already started to feel drowsy by then, their vigilance had basically been lost, which gave them the opportunity to make their move. The three of them tried their best to control their footsteps not to make any noise, and crept from the shadows to the outside of the bay, then borrowed the cover of the reeds and small trees, and quietly made their way to the water's edge. They saw two men guarding the boats, one lying on the boat fast asleep, the other sitting under a tree on the shore, yawning with his mouth open, muttering that it was still early, why hadn't anyone come to relieve them of their shift yet, and it would be good for them to go back, find some pretty little girls in the courtyard to play with, and then take a nap.

  While muttering to himself, he suddenly felt a slight movement behind him, so he wanted to turn his head to see who had come over. He didn't feel tense in his heart and thought it was their own people coming to pick them up!

  But before he could turn his head, he felt his mouth being tightly covered by someone, and then a cold object slashed across his neck. Instantly, he was unable to make a sound, as his entire trachea and blood vessels in his neck were cut open. A hissing sound of air escaping from the wound filled the air, and fresh blood sprayed out from the severed blood vessels, landing on the leaves of the grass nearby with a faint rustling sound. He tried to shout, but it was too late, and he frantically kicked his legs in an attempt to wake up his partner who was sleeping on the boat. However, another sharp pain struck his chest, as someone stabbed him again in the heart. This time, he had no strength left to struggle, and his consciousness slowly began to drift away from his body, until he collapsed under a tree by the riverbank.

  This time, Gao Huaiyuan did not make a move, but instead, Xing Boutu's hand went down. This kind of thing was originally his duty, and it wasn't worth letting Gao Huaiyuan do it himself. Zhang Liang saw Xing Boutu succeed and his body sprang up, lightly falling onto the boat. The boat began to shake up and down in the water with his fall. He didn't dare to slow down, immediately ducking into the dark cabin, swinging a knife, and then blood splattered everywhere. This unlucky guy was beheaded by Zhang Liang while he was dreaming, his head rolling to one side, and a large amount of fresh blood spurted from the neck of the headless corpse onto the surface of the boat, gathering at the bottom of the boat, forming a pool of blood.

  Gao Huaiyuan watched all this happen with a cold eye, his attention focused on the person above the wall, listening to his snoring, and feeling settled in his heart. So far, things have been going very smoothly, without any twists or turns.