Chapter Sixteen: Escaping the Bandit's Lair (Seeking Recommendations and Bookmarks)

  Bin Shi Qian, who was mixed in with the captured soldiers, felt very frustrated and disheartened. As a proud battalion commander, he had actually been captured by a group of bandits. This loss was not ordinary, if his superiors found out, he would definitely be punished severely.

  Moreover, the thousand households and deputy thousand households of Weizuo have all been killed by the thousand households. One hundred households were also killed, and the remaining nine hundred chiefs are squatting here with themselves. The board will naturally fall on the heads of these people.

  "Old friend, old friend..."

  A voice sounded in Bin Shiqian's ear, and when he turned his head, it was Bai Zong Qi Wu Ming.

  "What's going on?" asked Bin Shijian weakly, who had been starving for a whole day.

  "Old friend, look at those bandits, there are only twenty or so of them. Why don't we launch a surprise attack and then take advantage of the situation to make a run for it? What do you think?" Qi Wuming's face still had two new scars on it, obviously inflicted by the bandits after he surrendered today. At this moment, the face of this hundred general was full of eager and ambitious expression.

  "Kill them all and then run away?" Bin Shi looked at Qi Wu Ming with a strange expression, nodding towards the captured soldiers in the distance, "Are you sure you want to bring these useless things to do something?"

  "It's not natural." Qi Wuming smiled somewhat awkwardly, "I've figured it out today. These useless people can't do anything except eat our food. I've calculated that we still have over a dozen servants at home, plus Old Lu, Old Su, and Old Lan, I don't believe we can't handle those twenty or so bandits."

  "But don't forget, we have nothing in our hands now." Bin Shiyan said coldly.

  Zi Wuming curled his lip and said discontentedly, "Old Bin, you're a good person in every way, but you do things too cautiously and it's not pleasant at all. I reckon those bandits didn't have time to deal with us today, that's why they locked us up here. But if they recover tomorrow, our hard days will begin. Haven't you seen that the brothers haven't had any food or water for a whole day? Who can stand it like this?"

  Bin Shiqian nodded his head after a moment of contemplation, feeling that it made sense. Qi Wuming excitedly slapped his thigh and said in a low voice, "Good, I've been waiting for you to say that. Let's gather our household guards first, then suddenly attack and take out a few of those bastards who robbed them, and then we'll get the rest."

  The combat effectiveness of the stationed army was poor, but they were captured by a group of bandit soldiers. These hundreds of people always had an unyielding spirit. Moreover, if they waited until tomorrow, who knew whether those bandits would start killing? Therefore, whether it was to vent their anger or to save their lives, they had to fight back.

  Late at night, under the secret command of Qi Wuming and several hundred generals, more than a dozen remaining family soldiers and dozens of bolder garrison troops quietly arrived at the edge of the square. At this time, around Guangzhou, there were only a dozen or so bandits sitting scattered, some sitting on earth piles dozing off, even those who hadn't fallen asleep yet were leaning against long spears standing by, swaying unsteadily.

  Bin Shidian and others who had already reached the edge of the square were about to give the order to take action when suddenly several crossbow arrows flew out from one side, knocking two bandit soldiers who were dozing off to the ground.

  "Ah......"

  A bandit soldier, having not been hit by a fatal blow, fell to the ground in agony, rolling around and letting out mournful cries.

  "Enemy attack... everyone be careful."

  The thieves who were originally lying on the ground sleeping quickly woke up one after another, grabbing their weapons in a panic and getting up. Soon, several crossbow arrows flew out from the grass beside them again, and instantly three more thieves were pierced through their bodies by the sharp crossbow arrows. The flying blood gushed out like a fountain, and the thieves' thin flesh could not withstand the strong crossbow's arrow at all, their bodies falling apart like thin paper hit by a naughty child.

  "They're in the bushes! Brothers, take them out!" One of the bandits recognized the direction from which the crossbow bolts were flying and ran towards the bushes.

  His words had barely fallen when several soldiers wearing tattered Ming-style uniforms jumped out of the grass, threw away their crossbows, drew their cavalry sabers and charged at the bandits who were just getting up.

  The sudden change stunned the several hundred Baizong and house slaves who were about to take action, Bin Shiqian was the first to come to his senses, he shouted: "Brothers, someone has come to rescue us, let's charge!"

  With a loud shout from Binshi Qian, several hundred men and more than ten family servants rushed out first.

  Just out of the bushes were a few people, including Pang Gang. They used strong crossbows to take down several bandits and immediately drew their weapons and charged at the bandits. In Pang Gang's hand was the curved knife that had been exchanged for today. This type of curved knife is a variant of the Damascus curved knife, with an arc-shaped blade about 100 cm long, 1 cm thick, and weighing around 2.5 kg. Its characteristic is its sharpness! Unparalleled sharpness!

  Pang Gang wielded the curved knife and slashed wildly among the bandits, sending several who had just scrambled to their feet tumbling to the ground along with their weapons. For a moment, Comrade Pang Gang was quite majestic, feeling rather like Zhao Zilong of the Three Kingdoms period on Changban Slope.

  At this time, Bin Shiqian and several other hundred households, more than a dozen family soldiers, and the masses of the Tun army who rushed to support from the square also joined the battle. Soon, fewer than twenty thieves around the square were killed by them.

  Pang Gang, who had just finished the fierce battle, was panting heavily with his curved knife still in hand. At this moment, several Ming soldiers wearing military uniforms walked up to him. One of the officers asked: "Whose hundred-man unit are you under? Are there only a few of you?"

  Pang Gang fixed his eyes on him, and this hundred officials with a square face was not his direct superior? He quickly stood up straight and reported: "Sir, have you forgotten that two days ago, Qian Hu Da Ren had already assigned me to be under your command?"

  "Ah? I remember now, you're that merchant who was oppressed by Lord Zhao and later forced to... Hmm, granted amnesty by Lord He. Looking at the young man in front of him with his unusual attire, Bin Shiqian finally remembered that this was the very same merchant who had been forced upon him by He Zhengnan just yesterday. His curiosity was piqued, but this wasn't a good place for chatting. He glanced towards Wangjiatun, which was already starting to boil over, and turned to hurry the several hundred men around him, saying: "This isn't a place to linger, let's go quickly."

  Without needing to be told, the crowd, including the military officers, began to scatter and run towards the southeast. Otherwise, once the bandits reacted, these unarmed people would only have death waiting for them.

  Pang Gang shouted at Dog Remains and others, picked up the strong crossbow that was still on the ground earlier, and ran away with the crowd.

  When the bandit troops arrived at Wangjia Village, they found only a dozen or so corpses lying on the ground. The more than 200 prisoners who had been in the square had all run away without a trace, leaving the bandits to curse and shout in anger. Finally, when those bandits went to report to their leader, Wang Dama, they discovered that he was already beheaded and lying on the ground. Realizing that their leader had been killed, the bandits fell into chaos, and no one suggested sending troops to pursue the escaped prisoners, because a more pressing issue now lay before them: how to elect a new leader.

  Thus, the troops who escaped from Wangjiatun returned to Lingshanwei very smoothly at dawn.