Chapter 1541: Fierce Bandits Turned Good
Chapter 1541: Chapter 1541: Fierce Bandits Turned Good
Magistrate Jin was a little dumbfounded, and asked, shivering, "So, you’re... not killing me?"
Squad Leader Wan said, "Looks like that’s the case. Our lives are spared."
He added, "My lord, let’s hurry and follow, or Lord Ying will get mad if we’re late."
These were fierce bandits, the kind who said they’d behead Assistant Judge Lao and did it; they really couldn’t afford not to listen.
"Yes, yes, yes, hurry and follow." Magistrate Jin hastily led all the Government Officials to chase after them.
Luo Ying had already arrived at the Yang Family charcoal workshop. Seeing Lord Ghost, he frowned slightly. "You’re hurt, why aren’t you resting? I’m here, that’s enough."
Lord Ghost glanced at him, saw that he was only lightly wounded, and was relieved. "Rely on you? The dish’ll be cold by then. You took people chasing Tuogude for more than an hour."
He added, "Didn’t catch him, did you."
"You’re really good at poking my sore spots." Luo Ying was quite displeased, and said, "I’ve already sent falcons to track him. We should be able to find him."
Lord Ghost shook his head. They both knew very well: if they couldn’t kill Tuogude inside the city, then even if the falcons tracked him down, they still wouldn’t be able to kill him.
"Have you found the Master Craftsman’s descendant?" Luo Ying asked. Last night had been too chaotic; they’d been bent on killing Tuogude and hadn’t had the manpower to search for the Master Craftsman’s descendant.
Lord Ghost shook his head. "No. I’ve already sent people to search the whole city. My guess is, probably hopeless... Someone like that, Tuogude would definitely protect. He’s probably long gone from the city, and that tunnel’s already been dug through."
"Damn, that animal Rong’s luck is too good. Who knows where he found a Master Craftsman’s descendant—he really did hollow through Beicang Prefecture’s city wall." Luo Ying dismounted and said, "I’ll take people down to inspect the tunnel."
Lord Ghost nodded. "Mm, be careful. It’s very deep down there, and there’s a lot of standing water."
When Luo Ying went after Tuogude, he had already sent people down first to take a look.
Luo Ying acknowledged with a sound, then shouted toward Magistrate Jin, "Get over here, you waiting for me to invite you personally?!"
Magistrate Jin jumped. So Luo Ying wanted him to come along to see the tunnel dug by the Rong people. He hurriedly answered, "Coming!"
He then called Squad Leader Wan and two Government Officials to accompany him down into the tunnel.
Luo Ying led Pang Hai and the others, along with Magistrate Jin and the rest, down into the tunnel. They only came back more than an hour later, filthy from head to toe, their trousers soaked through by the standing water. "Not a small feat. Luckily we discovered it early—otherwise Great Chu would surely be finished."
Though Luo Ying hated Emperor Jingyuan to the bone, Great Chu had been handed down by their ancestors; it absolutely could not be lost.
After seeing the tunnel, Magistrate Jin was nearly scared stupid. He said, "Lord Ying, the matter of this tunnel must be reported to the court at once. We absolutely can’t wait. What if the Rong people didn’t only dig a tunnel under Beicang Prefecture, but under other Prefecture cities too? What are we going to do then? We should hurry and report, so the court can send people to inspect the ground beneath the walls of each Prefecture city."
Luo Ying said, "You’re not entirely clueless, but how things get done is not your place to teach me."
"This..." Magistrate Jin choked. He couldn’t afford to offend this fierce bandit leader, and could only look to Lord Ghost, pleading with his eyes.
Lord Ghost said, "This matter indeed shouldn’t be delayed, and we also shouldn’t stay in the city for long. We need to hurry back to the Northwest."
The Northwest was their turf. If they lingered too long in Beicang Prefecture, they’d only end up trapped and killed in the city by the court’s armies.
Luo Ying took this in and looked at Magistrate Jin. "Go tell Wu Po he’s not qualified to see me. Have Wu Mang come to Beicang Prefecture in person. He’s not allowed to bring troops. If he dares bring troops to surround Beicang Prefecture, I’ll dare kill Wu Po and his son!"
To the Eagle Food Gang, Wu Po and his son were just two useless wastes. Even with a great army protecting them, if he wanted them dead, he could still make it happen.
From last night till now, Magistrate Jin had come to understand this lord’s temperament—he was someone who said one thing and meant it. He dared not object and hurried off to carry out the order.
The city gates of Beicang Prefecture were all guarded by the Eagle Food Gang. The gate tower of the East City Gate was crammed with fierce bandits, each with bow drawn and arrow nocked. As long as Wu Po’s troops dared assault the city, the bandits would shoot them down.
Seeing this formation, Magistrate Jin’s legs were shaking, but he forced himself up the gate tower and shouted down, "Someone come here, this Prefect has a letter to deliver to General Wu!"
Wu Po and his son, afraid of being struck by arrows, didn’t dare approach the gate again. They were tucked away in the rear-most war cart of the army. No matter how Magistrate Jin shouted himself hoarse, they could not hear, so he could only send the letter down by basket to convey Lord Ying’s words to him.
After Magistrate Jin shouted several times, a small Section Leader finally rode up to the base of the wall.
Magistrate Jin hurriedly had Squad Leader Wan lower the letter in a basket. "Take this to General Wu, and have him follow it to the letter!"
The small Section Leader didn’t even give a response. He took the letter and left, bringing it to Wu Po.
Wu Po was afraid the Eagle Food Gang might have poisoned the letter and didn’t dare touch it at all. He had a common soldier open it, then stood a full meter away to read. He cursed, "That bandit leader Luo Ying still looks down on me. Wants to see Uncle? No way!"
The words sounded quite tough, but in the next moment he summoned a Reconnoitre Soldier and ordered, "Urgent dispatch across eight hundred li. Deliver this letter to Uncle and have the old man hurry over."
That there was a Rong-dug tunnel in Beicang Prefecture was a colossal matter. He couldn’t shoulder it; better let Uncle handle it.
"Yes!" The Reconnoitre Soldier took the order and rode off with the letter.
Wu Po’s son had already been saved by the military doctor and revived. At this moment he asked, "Father, what are we doing now? Just keep standing here? Not assault the city? We should at least stage a few feigned attacks as a show, right? Otherwise we’ll probably get impeached."
Beicang Prefecture had been seized by bandits. As the garrison army of Beicang Prefecture, if they didn’t even stage a feigned assault, they’d probably be impeached to death by the Imperial Censorate.
Wu Po was in a real bind. In theory, he did need to stage a few feigned attacks, but the Eagle Food Gang’s bandits were vicious and wouldn’t play along. If they dared feign an assault, those bandits would dare loose poison arrows.
The city was already occupied. If more of the soldiers died, the punishment they’d suffer would only be more severe.
Wu Po pondered for a long time, then said, "Luo Ying and the Eagle Food Gang bandits are holding the cityfolk hostage. For the safety of the people inside the city, this General has decided to temporarily suspend the assault."
That line was brilliant. Wu Po’s son immediately had people spread this news.
It’s not that we don’t dare fight—everything’s because we’re kindhearted and mindful of the lives of the people in the city!
...
After delivering the letter, Magistrate Jin waited a bit longer. Only when that small Section Leader came and said that Wu Po had already sent someone to deliver the letter to Wu Mang did he wipe his cold sweat and go back to report to Luo Ying.
Who knew Luo Ying would send him on another errand. "Notify the cityfolk and have them come see the tunnel. Anyone who comes to see it gets one tael of Silver from the Eagle Food Gang."
Huh?
Magistrate Jin was stunned, but quickly reacted. Luo Ying was afraid the court might refuse to acknowledge their merit later, so he wanted to summon the cityfolk to see the tunnel, to spread the story that they had discovered the Rong people digging a tunnel in the city and driven them out.
"Eh, this Prefect will go take care of it right away." Magistrate Jin didn’t dare butt heads with Luo Ying. He’d just do whatever Luo Ying said, so long as Luo Ying didn’t kill him or the cityfolk.
However, even with Magistrate Jin personally shouting at the government gate, "Anyone who goes to the Yang Family charcoal workshop to see the tunnel will receive one tael of Silver from the Eagle Food Gang!" no one was willing to go.
All because everyone thought...
"Bandits are all about robbing and looting, since when do they hand Silver out to us? Are these fierce bandits trying to go straight or something?"