Starting from 1618 of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 120 Encountering an Ambush

Qingzhou Prefecture, within the territory of Yidu County.

A mountain road winds its way through the mountains, with steep cliffs on both sides and only a narrow path in the middle, just wide enough for two horse-drawn carriages to pass side by side.

This place is called "Eagle Beak Cliff," and it is the only way from Qingzhou Prefecture to Dengzhou.

It is also a favorite ambush location for bandits.

It was three quarters past Chen Shi (7:45 AM).

Lu Yan's convoy slowly entered the mountain road.

Zhao Changying rode at the front, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes scanning the cliffs on both sides warily.

Behind him were twenty guards, arranged in two rows, protecting the carriage in the middle.

Everyone was fully armed, with a knife at their waist and a long, narrow cloth bag on their back—that was a flintlock pistol.

Lu Yan sat in the carriage, observing the terrain outside through the gap in the curtain.

The cliffs on both sides of the mountain road are covered with strange rocks and shrubs, making it a good place for Tibetans.

"Master."

Shen Qing's voice came from outside the car window.

"They are about thirty men, about three hundred paces ahead, divided into two groups, lying in ambush on both sides of the mountain path."

"Where are the weapons?"

"Knives, guns, and bows and arrows. No firearms."

Lu Yan nodded.

"Proceed according to plan."

"yes."

Shen Qing disappeared from the group.

The convoy continued on its way.

One hundred steps.

Fifty steps.

Thirty steps.

"stop!"

A loud shout came from the cliff.

Immediately afterwards, dozens of figures jumped out from the bushes on both sides, blocking the way.

These men all had fierce faces, carried knives and guns, and wore clothes of various colors; they were clearly bandits.

The leader was a burly man with a thick beard, holding a broadsword, his face full of scars, looking fierce and menacing.

"This mountain is mine, these trees are mine! If you want to pass, leave your toll!"

The bearded man shouted loudly, his voice echoing through the valley.

Zhao Changying reined in his horse and looked at him coldly.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the big boss of Eagle's Beak Cliff, known as 'Iron-Backed Bear'!" the bearded man said smugly. "If you know what's good for you, leave your silver and I'll let you pass. If you don't..."

He brandished the broadsword in his hand.

"Don't blame me for my indiscriminate blade!"

Zhao Changying gave a cold laugh.

Do you know who we are?

"I don't care who you are!" the bearded man said disdainfully. "When you're on my turf, you have to follow my rules!"

"Yeah?"

Zhao Changying slowly drew the long sword from his waist.

"Then let me tell you, we are the caravan of Prefect Lu of Dengzhou. If you know what's good for you, get out of here now, and I can pretend I didn't see anything. If you don't know what's good for you..."

His gaze was like a knife.

"Don't blame me for my ruthless attack."

The bearded man paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"A sub-prefect? ​​Hahaha! I've been robbing people for so many years, what kind of official haven't I seen? County magistrates, prefects, even imperial censors, I've robbed them all! A mere sub-prefect dares to put on airs in front of me?"

He waved.

"Brothers, charge! Take all their silver!"

"kill!"

More than thirty bandits shouted in unison, brandishing their knives and spears, and charged towards the convoy.

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Zhao Changying's eyes.

"Guards, form ranks!"

Twenty guards quickly dismounted, lined up in two rows, and took out cloth bags from their backs, revealing flintlock muskets inside.

"First row, aim!"

Ten flintlock muskets were raised in unison, aimed at the charging bandits.

The man with the bushy beard's expression changed slightly upon seeing this.

Musket?

These people actually have firearms?

But it was too late for him to stop.

"put!"

Zhao Changying gave the order.

"Bang bang bang bang bang-"

Ten gunshots rang out almost simultaneously, filling the air with smoke.

The bandits at the front fell to the ground with a series of screams.

"Second row, move forward!"

"First rank, back up and reload!"

Zhao Changying's order was concise and powerful.

The guards worked in perfect coordination; the first rank retreated to load their weapons, while the second rank stepped forward to aim.

"put!"

Another salvo.

Several more bandits fell.

All of this happened too fast.

From the moment the bandits launched their charge to the end of the two volleys, only a dozen or so breaths had passed.

Of the more than thirty bandits, more than a dozen have already fallen.

The remaining people were terrified and stopped in their tracks, no longer daring to rush forward.

"Damn it! They have muskets!"

"Run! Run!"

"Don't run! Charge!" the bearded man shouted. "They outnumber us, if we charge in, we'll win!"

But nobody listened to him.

The bandits scattered and fled, some running up the mountain, some running down the mountain, creating chaos.

"Chase!"

At Zhao Changying's command, he led his guards and charged forward.

There was no time to reload the flintlock muskets, so the guards drew their sabers and engaged the bandits in close combat.

These guards were all elites carefully selected and rigorously trained by Lu Yan, and each of them was highly skilled in martial arts.

The bandits were a motley crew, and once they were hit by the muskets, they were terrified and had no fighting ability left.

The battle was over in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Of the more than thirty bandits, more than a dozen died, more than a dozen were wounded, and the rest were all captured.

The bearded man was also slashed down by Zhao Changying and tied up like a rice dumpling.

"Master."

Zhao Changying walked to the carriage, cupped his hands in greeting, and said...

"The bandits have all been captured. Please give your instructions, sir."

Lu Yan lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down.

He looked around at the corpses and prisoners scattered on the ground, his face expressionless.

"What are the casualties?"

"We suffered no casualties," Zhao Changying said. "The bandits were thirteen dead, eleven wounded, and nine captured."

"good."

Lu Yan nodded and walked up to the man with the thick beard.

The bearded man lay on the ground, a knife wound on his shoulder, blood streaming down his face, his complexion deathly pale.

"You're 'Ironback Bear'?"

"Please...please spare my life, sir..." the bearded man stammered. "I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. I've offended you, sir. Please spare my life..."

"Spare my life?" Lu Yan sneered. "You robbed a high-ranking official of the imperial court; according to the law, you should be executed. Why should I spare you?"

"I...I was ordered to do this!" the bearded man hurriedly said. "I wouldn't have dared to rob an official, but someone gave me money to come and 'teach' you a lesson!"

"who?"

"I don't know..."

"have no idea?"

Lu Yan turned to look at Shen Qing.

Shen Qing understood, stepped forward, and squatted down in front of the bearded man.

A small knife had appeared in his hand without his noticing, and the tip of the knife dangled in front of the bearded man's eyes.

"I'll ask you a question, and you'll answer. If you answer correctly, I'll spare your life. If you answer incorrectly..."

He lightly sliced ​​the man's cheek with the tip of his knife, leaving a bloody mark.

"I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead."

The bearded man trembled with fear.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! It's someone from the Li family of Dengzhou!"

"The Li family?" Shen Qing pressed, "Which Li family?"

"The largest Li family in Dengzhou! The Li family of Master Li Shouzhen!"

How did they find you?

"It was...it was a steward from the Li family, named Li Fu, who found me. He gave me fifty taels of silver as a deposit and told me to 'teach' the newly arrived prefect a lesson on the way."

"A lesson? How should I teach him a lesson?"

"It's just... just to beat him up, steal some things, and teach him a lesson..." the bearded man cried, "I really didn't mean to kill him! I just wanted to scare him..."

Shen Qing stood up and walked to Lu Yan's side.

"Master, we've investigated thoroughly. They were sent by the Li family of Dengzhou, intending to give you a hard time."

Lu Yan nodded, a cold smile appearing on his face.

"The Li family..."

He muttered to himself.

"You've already pulled this stunt before we even reach Dengzhou. Very well done."

He turned around and looked at the captured bandits.

"Tie all these people up and take them to Dengzhou."

"Master, these people..." Zhao Changying hesitated, "It will be very troublesome to travel with them."

"No trouble at all," Lu Yan said. "These people were hired by the Li family to rob government officials. I'll take them to Dengzhou and hand them over to the prefect."

A cold smile appeared on his lips.

"The Li family is trying to intimidate me. I'd like to see who's really trying to intimidate whom."

Upon hearing this, a look of understanding flashed in Zhao Changying's eyes.

"Understood."

……

Half an hour later.

The convoy resumed its journey.

The nine prisoners were tied together with ropes and followed behind the caravan.

The bearded man walked at the front, his shoulder wound already simply bandaged, but he was still wincing in pain.

Lu Yan sat in the carriage, closing his eyes to rest.

Shen Qing rode his horse alongside the carriage.

"Master."

"Um?"

"There is something I don't understand."

"explain."

"Why did the master bring these prisoners to Dengzhou?" Shen Qing asked. "Wouldn't it be cleaner to just kill them?"

Lu Yan opened his eyes and looked at Shen Qing.

"Shen Qing, why do you think the Li family would send people to rob me?"

Shen Qing thought for a moment and said:

"The Li family wanted to give their employer a warning, to let them know that Dengzhou was their territory."

"That's right," Lu Yan said, "but that's only the surface reason. The deeper reason is that the Li family wants to test me."

"A test?"

"They're testing my strength, testing my attitude," Lu Yan said. "If I'm intimidated, take a detour, or swallow my anger, the Li family will think I'm weak and easily bullied, and they'll become even more aggressive in the future."

"If I kill these bandits, it will be the end of it. Although the Li family will be wary of me, they will also think I'm just a brute who only knows how to use brute force and is not worth fearing."

"But if I take these prisoners to Dengzhou and hand them over to the prefect..."

A cold smile appeared on his lips.

"The Li family will then know that I not only have the strength, but also know how to use the power of the government to deal with them. That's true deterrence."

Upon hearing this, a hint of admiration flashed in Shen Qing's eyes.

"The master is brilliant."

"What's so impressive about that?" Lu Yan waved his hand. "This is just an appetizer. The real show is yet to come."

He leaned back into the carriage and closed his eyes.

"If the Li family wants to fight me, then let them fight. I want to see just how capable this local tyrant, who has dominated Dengzhou for a century, really is."

The carriage bumped along the mountain road, slowly making its way towards Dengzhou.

The wheels crunched over the gravel on the ground, making a "crunching" sound.

A faint smile played on Lu Yan's lips.

Dengzhou.

he came.