Chapter 47: The Late-arriving Reinforcements

  On the official road to Xiongzhou, a cavalry team was galloping by. The number of cavalrymen was not large, only two or three hundred people, but they were tall and majestic, quite extraordinary.

  "Hurry up! Hurry up!"

  The leader at the forefront, about thirty years old, tall and majestic, riding on a war horse, like a moving iron tower. His face was stern, with bulging muscles like iron clumps, and his eyes would occasionally flash with murderous intent.

  If a seasoned person sees it at once, they will know that this person has crawled out of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood. Otherwise, there won't be such a sharp killing aura.

  A group of cavalrymen, with sweat dripping from their foreheads, rode skillfully, carrying bows and arrows on their backs, and machetes at their waists, urging their horses forward in a desperate bid to catch up.

  "General Lin, can't you go any faster? Can't you go any faster?" Next to the general was a man in his forties or fifties, who was none other than Huangfu Song. His face was anxious, with beads of sweat on his forehead, looking exhausted and his eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't rested for ages.

  "Huangfu, sir, I understand your mood. But look, the brothers are already marching at full strength!" General Lin shook his head in frustration: "Look, which one can still go faster? If they go any faster, it's just running to break their legs and exhaust themselves to death. Even if we arrive quickly, we won't be able to defeat the Flying Wind Bandits. When using troops, being fierce is necessary, but we also need to conserve energy. Rushing forward without regard for anything, when we arrive, our men will be exhausted, our horses will be out of breath, how can we fight?"

  "General Lin, I know what you're saying makes sense, but those are the Flying Wind Bandits! "Huang Fu Su was still anxious: "Gui Xin City has fallen into the hands of the Flying Wind Bandits, our troops are gone, and they will surely plunder Gui Xin City! At this rate, by the time we arrive, Gui Xin City will probably... probably be in ruins!"

  "If it's not an emergency, General Zhou wouldn't have mobilized the cavalry!" Lin Hong patted the horse's back and galloped away, saying: "The cavalry is a treasure of the Great Song, with only a few hundred men in ten thousand troops. General Zhou has deployed half of the cavalry to rescue Guishen City, if this still can't save Guishen City, then there's no other way!"

  "Alas!" Huang Fu knew he was right, let out a weak sigh, and followed on horseback: "I hope it's not too late!"

  "Let's hope so!" General Lin reluctantly echoed.

  This General Lin, surnamed Lin, named Hong, was a valiant general under the command of Zhou Wei, the guardian general of Xiongzhou. When Huangfu Song rushed to Xiongzhou for help and saw Zhou Wei, he explained the situation, and Zhou Wei immediately mobilized his cavalry and ordered Lin Hong to go and rescue him.

  Although Zhou Wei's movements were quick, back and forth like this, they still wasted a lot of time. In the critical situation of returning to Xinfeng City, no one could say what kind of place it was when they arrived.

  However, the situation was such that there was no use in hurrying, and the two men could only suppress their anxiety and lead their troops to hasten at full speed.

  They rushed all the way, running until their horses were exhausted and their men were spent, before they finally arrived at Guiyuan City.

  "What's going on in Guishen City?" Huangfu Song gazed at Guishen City from afar, his heart racing with fear. He had come out of Guishen City and knew how perilous it was; if the bandits were to raid and plunder, the consequences would be unthinkable.

  "There's no movement at all, could it have been reduced to ashes?" Lin Hong said straightforwardly.

  "In a word, he almost scared Huang Fu from the horseback to fall to the ground: "General Lin, don't talk nonsense, absolutely don't talk nonsense!" He said so with his mouth, but in his heart, he agreed with Lin Hong's words one hundred and twenty times, just not daring to look straight."

  "Huh!" Lin Hong looked around Guixing City and let out a strange sound.

  "General Lin, what's wrong?" asked Huangfu Song.

  "Look, look! The city tower is still there, the city gate is wide open, and people are coming and going. Does it look like it's been raided by bandits?" Lin Hong's eyes widened as he looked around and analyzed the situation.

  If it had been raided by bandits, the city of Gui should have been reduced to ruins, and the city tower would not be standing. Even if the city tower was still there, the people would not be coming and going freely.

  "What's going on here? Is it possible that Liu Feng has suddenly developed a kind heart?" Huang Fu's face was filled with confusion.

  "Will Flying Wind Thief develop a kind heart? Lord Huangfu, you really are capable of thinking! Lin Hong couldn't help but laugh: "For Flying Wind Thief to have a kind heart is simply impossible. I'd rather believe the sun rises in the west than believe Flying Wind Thief has good intentions!"

  "What's going on here?" Huang Fu gazed around with a puzzled expression, sizing up the city of Guishen, and became even more bewildered.

  "You ask me, who should I ask? Just look back and you'll understand." Lin Hong urged his horse on, the warhorse neighed loudly and galloped towards Guixin City.

  Huang Fu Su hastily followed on horseback. The closer they got to the city of Guiyuan, the more violently Huang Fu's heart pounded with anxiety and worry.

  At the same time, he was more bewildered, originally it was the common people coming and going with joyful faces, occasionally whispering to each other, talking about something, and laughing loudly when they reached a happy point.

  "Could it be that they have joined the Flying Wind Bandits?" Huangfu Song knew that this idea was absurd, yet he couldn't help but think so.

  "Halt!" Lin Hong shouted at two chatting villagers, asking: "Has Guishen City been raided by bandits?"

  "Which army are you from? You're so ignorant, spouting nonsense!"

  "You don't even open your eyes and take a look, where is this? This is Guishen, Wu Daren's Guishen, what kind of place is this for a small thief like you?"

  Lin Hong asked in a straightforward manner, but unexpectedly brought upon himself a torrent of nonsensical scolding from the two men, leaving him bewildered and stunned on the spot, his mouth agape for half a day, unable to utter a word.

  "Isn't Guishen being controlled by Liang Feng's gang? Even Governor Zheng was caught." Huangfu Song asked hastily.

  "Your message is too unclear!"

  "Liufeng thief has taken control of Guishen, but we have Lord Wu!"

  "With Lord Wu present, can a small gust of wind like you stir up any waves? Don't you know the extent of Lord Wu's abilities? With just a flip of his palm, he could have annihilated the Flowing Wind Thief."

  "You all call him Lord Wu, but who is this Lord Wu? What's his surname and given name? Does he have three heads and six arms?" Lin Hong asked with some curiosity.

  "You...you..." The two commoners sized up Lin Hong, with an expression that seemed to say "You actually don't even know Lord Wu", their mouths curled in disdain.

  "Mr. Wu, whose full name is Wu Jie, was the only scholar in Wujiazhuang and a big shot in the village. He used his extraordinary skills to hunt down a giant bear and kill it. He devised an extraordinary plan to capture He Wanquan and Zeng Shaoming alive and rescue Lord Zheng. Moreover, he came up with another plan to annihilate the Flowing Wind Bandits, but only the bandit leader Zeng Danyan managed to escape!"

  "How could you not know about something so sensational? Where are you from?"

  Two common people blew conch shells loudly for Wu Ji, blowing with all their might, and it sounded very lively.

  "Wu Jie? Lord Wu?" Huang Fu's eyes rolled over, if it weren't for him, Wu Jie would have fallen into the hands of the Liufeng thief. In that situation, even if Wu Jie managed to turn things around, unless a miracle happened, he wouldn't believe it no matter what.

  If it's said that Wu Ji's abacus skills are superb, he absolutely believes it, this matter, no matter what, he doesn't believe!

  "Look at you, so bewildered. I'll let you know the severity of Mr. Wu! Two civilians began to recount their experience."

  During the narration, two common people added fuel to the fire, exaggerating Wu Jie's abilities, making him sound almost like a god. They said that Wu Jie's martial arts were extremely powerful and his Taoist magic was very deep. With just one breath, the bandit chief Zeng Daoyuan would be powerless to fight back; with just one puff of air, countless thieves would die or be injured.

  "Nonsense! Nonsense!" Huangfu Song shouted in his heart as he listened to the two commoners blowing their own horns.

  Wu Jia's small frame, others are not clear about it, is he himself unclear? If it weren't for Huang Fu saving Wu Jia, Wu Jia would have long become a prisoner of the Liufeng thieves.

  However, he also heard that Wu Jie had turned the tide and annihilated the Liu Feng thieves, and couldn't help but feel great joy.

  "Huangfu sir, with such a strange person holding down the fort in Guixing City, why must you make us run our legs off?" Lin Hong said with some resentment.

  "Good heavens! General Lin, how was I to know? Governor Wu's body is weak. When I escaped from the county yamen, I happened to bring him along, and unexpectedly brought out a strange person who saved our lives!" Huang Fu still found it hard to believe.

  "You saved Lord Wu? You're just bragging! It's more like Lord Wu saved you!" The two commoners didn't believe at all that Huangfu Song had brought out Wu Ji.

  "Go! I'll go take a look at this strange person!" Lin Hong's interest was greatly piqued, and he rode his horse into the city.