Chapter 58 Internal Strife

Chen Xunping wore a sneer at the corner of his mouth and said, "I thought these people were capable of something. Turns out, they are just a mob."

Yang Yuan, standing nearby, laughed and said, "This is for the best. We've taken Tiger Head Fortress without suffering a single casualty."

"Well said. Tonight, we will spend the night right here in the stronghold." Chen Xunping raised his hand with a wave and ordered, "Musketeers, fire in sequence. Spearmen, get ready. Once the musketeers finish a round, the spearmen will form up, enter the stronghold, and clear out the bandits."

Bang, bang...

The musketeers aimed and fired at the bandits within the stronghold. By the time the third rank of musketeers fired, it was already difficult to hit the fleeing bandits.

After all three ranks of musketeers finished firing, Chen Xunping ordered, "Spearmen, form up and enter the stronghold. Musketeers, protect the flanks and fire at will."

The musketeers stepped aside one by one from directly in front of the stronghold gate. The spearmen, arranged in rows of six, formed squad battle formations and marched forward in step.

By this time, no resisting bandits could be seen inside the stronghold. Those who could run had already fled to the other side.

When the last squad of spearmen entered the stronghold, Yang Yuan said to Chen Daqing beside him, "Take the intelligence squad and enter the stronghold, moving together with the spearmen squads. Remember to shout 'Drop your weapons and surrender, and your lives will be spared' at regular intervals, so that any bandits willing to surrender can cast aside their weapons and kneel on the ground."

Chen Daqing nodded. With a wave of his hand, he led a dozen intelligence squad members into the stronghold, following closely behind the spearmen.

Not long after the intelligence squad entered, the refrain of surrender-and-be-spared echoed through the stronghold.

Neither Yang Yuan nor Chen Xunping went inside. Only the platoon led by Jia Liu entered to mop up the remaining bandits.

Behind the two men stood another platoon of spearmen, while the sounds of battle echoed from within the stronghold.

………………

"Eldest Brother, let's flee quickly! As long as the green mountains remain, there's no need to worry about firewood!" The second-in-command grabbed the "Short-legged Tiger," who was trying to head toward the Mountain God Temple.

With bloodshot eyes, the Short-legged Tiger said, "The silver! The silver our brothers have accumulated over the years is all in the temple."

"There's no time! If we don't run now, forget about the silver—we won't even save our own lives." The second-in-command forcefully dragged the Short-legged Tiger toward the stronghold's horse stables.

The Short-legged Tiger hesitated. Seeing that the rebel forces had already begun pouring into the stronghold, he had no choice but to abandon the idea of visiting the Mountain God Temple and let himself be pulled along.

A few other bandits walked with them, and their small band of fewer than ten people was inconspicuous amid the chaos.

The stronghold's horse stables were located in an unnoticeable corner to the southwest—a remote spot slightly farther from the Mountain God Temple, where the glow of the fires could not reach. The closer they got to the stables, the darker it became.

Once the stronghold fell into chaos, the bandits all fled toward the other path leading down the mountain, leaving the stables entirely deserted.

Arriving at the edge of the stables, the second-in-command impatiently began untying the reins.

Seeing this, the Short-legged Tiger, snapping back to his senses, cursed in a low voice, "It's pitch black! Riding a horse down the mountain is courting death. Do you want to be a living target, making sure you attract the rebels' attention?"

The second-in-command stopped with the reins half-untied, suddenly remembering that it was night. Riding down the mountain not only meant traveling slowly, but it also made them prime targets for pursuit by the rebels.

Realizing his mistake, the second-in-command dropped the half-untied reins.

The Short-legged Tiger said, "There is a small path leading down the mountain behind the horse stables. Not many people know about it. We can climb over the stables and take the small path down."

"Let's go, listen to the Eldest Brother. We'll climb over the stables," the second-in-command said, grabbing the eaves of the stable roof with both hands and turning back to the others. "What are you idiots staring at? Give me a boost."

Lifting and pulling one another, they climbed up onto the roof of the stables one by one.

Once everyone was down from the other side of the stables, the Short-legged Tiger, who was leading the way, suddenly squatted down and signaled for silence.

Parting the grass and leaves blocking his view, he saw a troop of soldiers blocking the other descent route out of the stronghold from the opposite side.

At that moment, he didn't even need to guess to know that this troop was also part of the rebel forces, having ascended the mountain from the other side to seal off the escape route.

"Eldest Brother, let's go. If we're any later, we won't be able to leave at all," the second-in-command urged, tugging at the Short-legged Tiger.

Regaining his composure, the Short-legged Tiger muttered, "Move. Stay close to me."

With that, he hunched over, pressing his body close to the perimeter of the stronghold as he jogged.

After about a hundred paces, the Short-legged Tiger stopped, pushed aside the wild grass blocking his path, and turned back to the others. "Stay close behind me. This path can only fit one person at a time, so be careful."

The ground was overgrown with weeds, and as they walked, they had to hack them away with blades.

The second-in-command and the other bandits followed closely behind the Short-legged Tiger, inching forward. After a short distance, the path finally widened, and they entered a patch of woods.

Entering the forest, the Short-legged Tiger let out a breath and said, "We're safe for the moment. Those rebels won't find this place anytime soon."

With that, he dropped heavily to the ground, stripping off his heavy iron armor and leaving only his cotton-padded armor.

"Eldest Brother, where do we go next?" the second-in-command asked, removing his iron helmet and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"To the county town, to find the Xu family. At the worst, we can become household servants for them. We've earned no small amount of silver for the Xu family over the years; they can't just abandon us," the Short-legged Tiger wheezed. For the first time, he felt that fleeing for his life was more exhausting than fighting for it.

The second-in-command wore a hesitant expression and asked, "Eldest Brother, will the Xu family really take care of us?"

The Short-legged Tiger replied, "Rest assured, the Xu family took plenty of silver from our hands over the years. They won't just ignore us."

Still worried, the second-in-command said, "Precisely because the Xu family took our silver, I'm even more worried."

"What do you mean?"

The second-in-command explained, "Think about it, Eldest Brother. In the past, we were bandits who ruled the mountains. We gave the Xu family silver, and in return, they tipped us off and forged weapons and armor for us. But the situation is different now. We've lost Tiger Head Fortress and become homeless dogs. The Xu family, however, are gentry, and members of their clan serve as officials in Taiyuan. How could they ever tolerate scum like us?"

Hearing this, the Short-legged Tiger furrowed his brows deeply. After a long pause, he muttered, "No, they won't. When the Xu family accepted the silver back then, they promised to keep us safe."

A bitter smile crossed the second-in-command's face. "Very well. We'll do as the Eldest Brother arranges."

"Don't worry. Everyone strip off your armor. As soon as dawn breaks, we'll enter the county town," the Short-legged Tiger said. "Just hold on a little longer. Once we reach the Xu family, we'll be safe. In the future, there might still be a chance to return to Tiger Head Fortress."

The bandits removed their armor—some iron, some padded cotton—and tossed it aside. Their undergarments were already soaked with sweat, sticking damply to their skins.

"Second Brother, why aren't you taking yours off? Aren't you roasting in that iron armor?" the Short-legged Tiger asked. "Don't worry, this forest is remote; the rebels won't find it anytime soon."

"I'll listen to the Eldest Brother." The second-in-command dropped the iron helmet in his hand, reached for his saber, and the moment his fingers grasped the hilt, he drew it swiftly and slashed at the Short-legged Tiger.

The blade flashed as it descended.

The Short-legged Tiger never expected the second-in-command to turn on him so abruptly. By the time he realized it, he scrambled to dodge aside, but it was a step too late. His left wrist and hand were severed in a single stroke.

"Hiss..."

The Short-legged Tiger gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath of cold air. Enduring the agony, he glared at the second-in-command with bloodshot eyes and demanded, "Second Brother, what is the meaning of this?"