Chapter Thirty-Five: Caught a Big Fish

  "These bandits are too bold, actually daring to camp here, do they really think we don't dare to attack?" Wang Yuez and Wang Wei, the two of them, were lying in a place less than 500 meters away from the Liqing Horse Army and the bandit's campsite, secretly observing with binoculars. Having only chased for such a short distance, they had already caught up with them, which shocked the pursuing Sichuan army.

  However, the Kansai army would not let them go. Behind Wang Wenzhe, the third company and reinforcements from the regiment had slowly unfolded. After forming a circle of encirclement, they would launch an attack and take down these bandits in one fell swoop.

  "Either their leader's brain was kicked by a horse, or they didn't think we'd dare to counterattack. This time, let them know the ferocity of our Sichuan army!" Wang Yuezhe exclaimed excitedly. Afterwards, Wang Yuezhe and Wang Wei retreated back, remounted their horses, drew out their long sabers, and prepared for a final charge. Wang Wei was even more tense. Of course, he wasn't afraid of battle; rather, in the upcoming fight, he had to protect Wang Yuezhe's safety with all his might.

  "Bang!" A crisp gunshot, extremely loud in the cold night. This was the signal for the Sichuan troops to launch their attack. The 600 Sichuan soldiers drew out their gleaming sabers, which shone brightly even in the dark of night, as if a large expanse of white snow was dancing.

  "Charge!" Wang Yuze shouted loudly, and the third company of over a hundred men who had come to pursue immediately rushed out. At the same time, loud shouts of charge also rang out from almost all directions around the encirclement.

  The Qing Ma army and the bandits, who had fallen into a deep sleep, were also awakened at this moment. Instantly, they realized that disaster was imminent. In a panic, they got up and rushed to their war horses, attempting to flee in all directions. However, they found that they were surrounded by enemies on all sides.

  In the tent, Ma Kei slept more soundly. However, as soon as a gunshot rang out, he immediately jumped up from the thick sheepskin mattress and rushed two steps out of the tent to see the panicked Qing soldiers and horse bandits. Outside, the Xichuan army's soldiers had already arrived, their long cavalry swords waving in their hands. Wherever they passed, no one was left alive.

  "Kill!" Wang Yuze shouted, his knife slashing towards the neck of a panicked bandit. Instantly, the bandit's head flew into the air. Fresh red blood splattered onto the snowy ground, making it look particularly eye-catching. It was Wang Yuze's first time killing someone, and he felt a bit tense. But at this moment, there was no room for him to think too much. The high-speed charging warhorse made him have to quickly swing his horse knife in order to keep up. Under the momentum of the warhorse, he often didn't need to use much strength to cut the enemy in half.

  Under the impact of the Sichuan Army, the Qing Ma Jun and Ma Fei quickly collapsed. When they found that they were surrounded by the Sichuan Army on all sides and had no way to escape, they immediately became desperate. Whether it was the Qing Ma Jun or the Ma Fei, they all knelt down to beg for mercy. And at this time, the Sichuan Army stopped killing.

  One by one, the torches were lit, and the defeated Green Army and bandits were rounded up. After confiscating their weapons, they were also bound hand and foot, leaving them with no power to fight back. Of course, during this process, some people tried to resist, but they were killed on the spot. After two people were killed in a row, the rest became obedient. After all, no one wanted to die, even if it meant living for just a little while longer.

  "Commander, they've all been caught!" Just then, Zhang Shusen finally arrived. Seeing the more than 100 prisoners with their hands tied up, Zhang Shusen's face was also filled with smiles. Although he had only come to the grassroots unit to carry out his task, if he could gain merit from this, that would be even better. It would be extremely helpful for his future promotion. More importantly, it was an opportunity to get closer to Wang Yuezhe. After all, Wang Yuezhe was a young marshal, and in the future, he would become a great marshal. As long as he could gain Wang Yuezhe's favor, his rapid rise to prominence was within sight!

  "Great! Wang Long Lian Chang, this time you three companies have achieved great merit! You and Deputy Commander Wang Wei can be converted to regular status now, no need to act as agents anymore!" Zhang Shu Sen exclaimed.

  "Yes!" Wang Yuez and Wang Wei were both overjoyed, and they gave Zhang Shusen a military salute. After all, it had only been a month since they arrived, and they had so easily removed the word "acting" from their titles, becoming the official company commander and deputy company commander of the third company, which was no small progress.

  The soldiers of the Chuanxi Army escorted the captives back to the barracks, adopting a man-to-man surveillance approach to prevent any escape. Under the escort of the Chuanxi Army, they did not return to the barracks until midnight. Among them, Ma Qi was also unable to escape and mingled with the captives. However, he was wearing ordinary bandit clothes, so his identity had not been exposed yet.

  The third battalion's barracks, the remaining three platoon leader Shi De-you had ordered the cooking squad to prepare enough hot food and soup to ward off the cold for the soldiers. All the soldiers returning to the barracks could enjoy a sumptuous meal. The hot food and soup, once eaten, warmed their bellies, and it seemed as if the chill on their bodies was completely driven away at that moment.

  "Camp commander, you go rest first! We'll take care of these captives and interrogate them again tomorrow!" Wang Yuez said to Zhang Shusen.

  "Alright!" Zhang Shusen nodded and entered the dormitory specially prepared for him. As for others, they could only squeeze in. The third battalion's barracks could accommodate at most three hundred people, but suddenly more than five hundred people rushed in, making it extremely crowded. However, resting in the barracks was better than being outside in the snowy wilderness.

  As for the captives, they did not receive such good treatment. Not only was there nothing to eat, but they were also locked directly into horse stables. The Sichuan-Xikang army simply did not regard them as human beings.

  "Great Master, what shall we do? The surrounding areas are heavily guarded by the Western Sichuan Army, we can't escape!" a Qing army officer whispered.

  "Don't act rashly for now. As long as I don't reveal my identity, they won't do anything to me. We'll find an opportunity to escape later!" Ma Qi thought for a moment and said. This was also the only way out, after being captured, he knew that things were bad. The Qingma Army and Chuanxi Army had been at odds for many years, this was the first time they had captured so many Qingma Army prisoners. It was a complete victory, if they found out his identity, it would be even more disastrous."

  The next day, the herdsmen and their cattle left the barracks early in the morning. After all, now that the bandits had been eliminated, they would no longer be in danger. Staying in the barracks for a long time had a great impact on the daily management of the Sichuan-Xikang Army. Of course, when the herdsmen left, they thanked the Sichuan-Xikang Army a thousand times. If it weren't for the Sichuan-Xikang Army, facing so many ferocious bandits, their fate would be imaginable.

  The work of identifying the captives also began early in the morning. Wang Yuezhe was certain that among these bandits, there must be people from the Qing Ma Army, so he went to the scene in person.

  The bandits who were locked in the stable, one by one, were brought out and asked their names, places of origin, and which factions they belonged to. After answering, they could get a steamed bun. For these bandits who had been hungry for a day, cold and hungry, this was simply the most delicious thing!

  These bandits were all rough men, a single steamed bun was not enough to fill the gaps between their teeth, let alone fill their stomachs. Some timid bandits could only pretend to be strong, while others had other ideas in mind.

  "Officer, can't you give us some more? One steamed bun is not enough to eat!" a dark and thin bandit said pitifully.

  "Of course, if you cooperate, we'll take care of your meals. Moreover, you can also get a barbecue and a bottle of wine!" Wang Yuze said immediately.

  At once, Ma Fei swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

  "Officer, ask me whatever you want to know and I'll tell you everything!" The bandit replied immediately.

  "Are there any of you bandits from the Green Horse Army? Who is your leader?" Wang Yuze asked.

  Ma Fei hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist the temptation of wine and meat, and suddenly said: "Boss, this time we attacked the military station, it was actually led by the Green Horse Army. The leader is the young master Ma Qi of the Green Horse Army!"

  "What? Ma Qi?" Wang Yuze was both surprised and delighted.

  PS: The first update is here, please collect!