Chapter Fourteen

  Back at the stronghold, the people of Flying Eagle Stronghold finally realized they were still bandits after all. However, since the reputation of Flying Tiger Stronghold was well-known outside, these people felt somewhat comforted. In order to appease them, Xiao Ming discussed with Wang Jinlong and let them go to the back mountain, where they would continue to live together.

  Ji Hongru's purchased items arrived one after another, and the mountain stronghold began to build a bright fort and a dark fort, defensive works. Xiao Ming became busy, and the training of the Flying Tiger Team was handed over to Da Long.

  Sun Ergou has been in an exceptionally good mood these past few days, humming a little tune, and deliberately showing off in front of Xiao Ming. Some people even bet that he would be unlucky, but unexpectedly, Sun Ergou got promoted!

  That day, Da Long came to find Xiao Ming: "Those people who just went up the mountain are really not disciplined and seriously affected the training of the Flying Tiger Team. Please think of a solution, Officer." Xiao Ming's eyes rolled around and said, "Call Sun Er Gou over."

  Sun Erdou hastily ran into the hall, where Wang Jindong and Xiao Ming were drinking tea and chatting. He hurriedly asked: "Master, instructor, what can I do for you?"

  "Ah, Er Gou is here, sit down quickly," Xiao Ming stood up and warmly put his hands on his shoulders, pressing him onto the stool. "Come, come, have some tea." As he spoke, he poured a cup of tea and handed it to him. Sun Er Gou was delighted and repeatedly said "no need, teacher".

  Xiao Ming's face was full of smiles: "Er Gou, how have you been lately? Is training hard?"

  Sun Ergou's heart was racing and he hastily said "Not hard work, not hard work".

  Xiao Ming turned to Wang Jinlong: "The master, Er Gou has been doing well recently, wise and brave, living up to his name, and has made many achievements. I think, haha!"

  "Hey, boss, instructor, just say what's on your mind, don't tease me."

  Xiao Ming's face sank, and he said sternly: "Sun Er Gou, what kind of people have you brought back? Can you guarantee that they are of one mind with the mountain stronghold?"

  Sun Ergou was startled and jumped up, stuttering: "Th-th-this, I guarantee!"

  "What guarantee can you give me?" Xiao Ming stared at him.

  "My brain, my head!" Sun Erdog was sweating profusely.

  Xiao Ming's face relaxed a bit, and he said, "Alright, I'll give you a task. I don't know if you can complete it!"

  "Reporting for duty, sir! I guarantee completion!"

  "Go and get them organized, you're in charge of training them personally," Xiao Ming stared at Sun Er Gou, "If anything goes wrong, I'll twist your dog head off, got it?"

  "I understand!" Sun Erdou didn't dare breathe heavily.

  Xiao Ming looked at Wang Jinlong, and Wang Jinlong said: "It's all right, you can go now." Sun Er Gou was overjoyed and ran out like flying, panting heavily, only to find that his back was already soaked through.

  In the hall, Wang Jinlong finally couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Coach, who are you kidding, you're killing me!"

  Xiao Ming smiled and said: "This Sun Erdou, these days his tail is about to reach the sky, if we don't scare him a bit, he will really forget what his own surname is!"

  It's called a repair project, but it's actually a combat bunker. In the right place, add a lid and leave two shooting holes, which can block bullets and shrapnel. If a shell falls on your head, then you'll be at peace. The project was completed quickly, and Xiao Ming strengthened his attack and defense exercises, especially using the houses in the back mountain for alleyway combat training.

  It's harvest season, and this year the weather has been favorable, with a good yield. The over 200 acres of land in the back mountain have yielded more than 50,000 to 60,000 kilograms of wheat. Night Cat reports that three days later, Liu's mansion will send a batch of grain to Shanyang. Wang Jinlong and Xiao Ming feel that an opportunity has arrived, and after discussing it, they formulated a battle plan, deciding to thoroughly destroy Liu's mansion.

  The Liu Family Compound, covering over 100 mu of land, is surrounded by high walls with watchtowers at each corner. The master of the compound, Liu Jingqi, is about fifty years old and has three sons and two daughters. His eldest son attended a military academy and joined the National Army, rising to the rank of deputy regimental commander. His second son was studying in Beiping but disappeared after the incident. Both his daughters are married to prominent local families. The youngest son is only ten years old and still in school.

  Liu Jingzhai was born cunning and greedy, rampaging through the countryside, a master of plucking feathers from passing geese. He knew his family's wealth and power made him a target for various forces, so he bought the position of town head and established a self-defense squad in the name of the town government, recruiting over 100 strongmen and hiring Zhu Yihu, a former army platoon leader, as the squad leader to protect his household.

  After seeing off the grain convoy, Liu Jingzhen sat in the main hall drinking tea and listening to the steward's report on the accounts. However, he couldn't shake off a feeling of unease: 200,000 kilograms of grain was no small amount, and although he had dispatched forty farmhands to escort it, he still felt it wasn't safe. Suddenly, a servant rushed in frantically, looking disheveled, and shouted as soon as he entered the door: "Master, something's gone wrong! The grain has been robbed!"

  Liu Jingzhen was startled, the teacup in his hand fell to the ground, and he suddenly stood up and asked: "Tell me slowly, what's going on?" The servant stuttered and told him what had happened.

  The convoy had just turned onto the main road when a loud gunshot was heard, and someone on the hillside shouted "Flying Tiger Fort is handling this, surrender your guns and we won't kill you." The chauffeurs were frightened and hid under the cars, while the guards were startled and raised their guns to shoot. Just then, another gunshot rang out, and one of the guards fell to the ground, waving a rifle. The voice continued to shout: "Put down your guns, and we'll spare your lives." One of the guards fired a shot at the hillside and shouted: "Come out if you dare, I'm not afraid of you!" Another gunshot rang out, and that guard was instantly killed. Seeing things were going badly, the other guards threw down their guns and shouted: "Don't shoot, we surrender!" as they came out. Meanwhile, one of the guards took advantage of the chaos to mount a horse and make a run for it.

  Liu Jingzhen slammed his hand on the table and roared: "Damn it, this Flying Tiger Fort is a bunch of poor devils who have turned against heaven! Where's Captain Zhu? Get him to bring his men and hurry up to get the grain back for me!"

  At this time, Zhu Yihu heard the urgent news and rushed over. Seeing Liu Jingzhuo furious, he hastily said: "Don't worry, master, I'll take men to chase them down right away and take care of Fei Hu stronghold at the same time, let them know who Ma Wangye is." After finishing speaking, he turned around and left, gathering fifty people, bringing two machine guns, and rushing towards Fei Hu stronghold on horseback.

  Xiao Ming watched as Zhuang Ding escaped, a smile spreading across his face. He turned to Xin Chengshan beside him and said: "Brother Xin, send someone to deliver the grain up the mountain, then head back to the Liu family's large courtyard. From now on, it's all up to you. Tell Xie Sibao not to hold back, first take down the leader, hurry up and end the battle quickly so we can still make it to the grand feast. I'm going to find the master of the house." After finishing speaking, he mounted his horse with Guo Deshan and rushed towards the Liu family's large courtyard.

  Arriving near the Liu family's large courtyard, he met Wang Jinlong and coincidentally bumped into Zhu Yitao leading his men out of the gate. After waiting for Zhu Yitao to walk far away, Wang Jinlong ordered his men to surround the Liu family's large courtyard from a distance.

  Soon, someone came to report: The battle on the side of Xin Chengshan was going very smoothly. Xie Sibao killed Zhu Yitao and two machine gunners with three shots, and the rest had already surrendered their guns. Xin Chengshan is now dealing with the aftermath and will be over soon.

  Xiao Ming burst out laughing: "It's showtime now, let's get started. Give the signal to the brothers, surround Liu's mansion and set up the cannons." The people around him quickly removed their disguises and swarmed towards Liu's mansion. Xiao Ming personally operated the cannon, firing three shots in a row. The watchtower at the southwest corner of Liu's mansion collapsed with a loud crash. Immediately after, the sound of cannons echoed from other directions, and explosions shook the ground as several large holes were blasted into the walls of Liu's mansion, throwing everything into chaos.

  Liu Jingzhu was stunned by the sudden sound of gunfire, and his subordinates ran over to report: "Master, the Liu family's large courtyard has been surrounded, the other side has cannons and machine guns, our brothers can't hold on, please master make a quick decision."

  Liu Jingzhen gritted his teeth and said: "Tell the brothers to hold on for me, as long as we keep the big yard, each person will be rewarded with 50, no, 100 big silver coins." The messenger nodded and left.

  The housekeeper wiped the sweat and said to Liu Jingzhuo: "Master, we've been outsmarted. This is their 'Tiger Leaving the Mountain' strategy. Now Zhu Yitao's situation is precarious, and with only a few dozen guns, we can't hold on. Let's leave quickly!" Liu Jingzhuo thought the same way and hastily rushed to the backyard.

  The cannon fire stopped. Wang Jinlong drew his gun and fired three shots into the air, shouting: "Brothers, charge into Liu's mansion and capture Liu Jingchu alive!"

  A shrill whistle pierced the air, accompanied by shouts of killing, as the Flying Tiger Fort gang rushed towards the Liu family's mansion. The guards inside the mansion were not many, and the loud cannon fire had already made them flee in terror, with no will to fight. As the shouting grew louder and closer, the guards lost heart and abandoned their resistance, throwing down their guns and fleeing in disarray. The Flying Tiger Fort gang almost effortlessly stormed into the mansion.

  Wang Jindong and Xiao Ming arrived soon after, Wang Jindong led his men to the backyard to look for Liu Jingchu, while Xiao Ming ordered a cleanup of the battlefield and a count of casualties.

  Wang Jinlong searched for half a day but couldn't find Liu Jingzhu. He asked many people, and they all said that after the cannon fired, he vanished without a trace. With no other choice, Wang had to return and find Xiao Ming to think of another plan.

  Dalong and Xinchengshan came to report: The two teams had only a few people injured, mostly minor injuries, but Sun Erdou was the most seriously injured. He was running in the front during the charge, when someone's gun misfired and he got shot in the buttocks. Someone has been sent to escort him back to the mountain stronghold. Xiao Ming shook his head with a bitter smile: This unlucky Sun Erdou!

  Just as Wang Jinlong was about to jump high, Ye Maozi led a group of people to bring Liu Jingzhi over. Ye Maozi had a smile on his face and shouted from afar: "Master, the real master has arrived, Instructor guessed it right, there is indeed a hidden passage here, this old man hasn't escaped yet."

  Xiao Ming and Wang Jinlong investigated the Liu family's compound, finding it to be a dead end. As long as they surrounded it on all sides, there would be no way to escape. They were certain that there must be another route out of the village. Xiao Ming ordered Night Cat to scout out the surroundings, suspecting that the Liu family ancestral hall at the back of the compound was the most suspicious location. He instructed Night Cat to lay an ambush there with his men and capture Liu Jingzhi alive. If he appeared anywhere else, they were to kill him without hesitation.

  Wang Jinlong took a big step forward and grabbed Liu Jingzhen, asking loudly: "Are you Liu Jingzhen?"

  Liu Jingzhuo's body was like a sieve, trembling with fear as he replied: "Yes, yes, it is indeed I, a lowly person. Please spare my life, noble hero."

  "Spare your life? I'm here to take your life today! Have you heard of the Flying Tiger Fort? Today, I, Wang Jinlong, am here to avenge my old master!"

  Liu Jingzhen's body went limp as he knew it was pointless to reason with the bandits. Wang Jindong looked at him with disdain and said viciously, "You reap what you sow, now hand over the money and I'll spare the others' lives. If not, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

  Liu Jingzhuo knew he couldn't escape death, but still talked tough: "Wang Jindong, my son is a National Army regiment commander. If you dare to touch me today, my son won't let you off. Now release me and I won't hold it against you, otherwise..."

  Before he could finish speaking, Ma Liu rushed up and slapped him twice: "You're going to die soon but still dare to be defiant. Do you believe I'll skin your son alive right in front of you?" As he spoke, he drew out a dagger and walked towards Liu Jingzhuo's youngest son.

  "Stop!" A middle-aged woman stepped forward, blocking the child's path. She was Liu Jingzhuo's first wife. Mrs. Liu was the mother of Liu Jingzhuo's two eldest sons and was a kind and virtuous person. Her two sons had a strong sense of justice under her upbringing and had left home one after another because they were ashamed of their father's actions. Seeing that she could not persuade her husband, Mrs. Liu spent her days fasting and praying to the Buddha to atone for his sins.

  "Spare the child, he has nothing to do with it." Madam Liu said coldly, turning her face to Liu Jingzhuo and saying: "When things come to a head, what's the use of wanting money? Think about the child instead."

  Liu Jingzhou's face was ashen, cold sweat streaming down: "I'm afraid we've had it, they won't let you off either."

  Madam Liu smiled coldly and said, "Do you think everyone is like you? I've long heard that the Flying Tiger Fort is a righteous outlaw, never killing innocent people. Is this really so?"

  Wang Jinlong nodded and said: "The Flying Tiger Fort has a reputation for keeping its word, if you hand him over, I absolutely won't implicate others!"

  Xiao Ming saw the situation, gave Ma Liu a signal with his eyes, and the two of them took the steward to one side, found a room, and pushed him in. Xiao Ming was very direct: "Where is Liu Jingfu's stuff? Don't say you don't know. Ma Liu, I'll count to three, then take action, one..."

  Before he could finish counting, the steward fell to his knees with a thud and confessed everything.