Chapter 39: Ruthless Bandits

“This… is an iron-bow?!”

As the leading thug among the conscripts, Wu Tiehu didn’t hesitate to don one of the only two iron-studded leather armors available and slung a well-forged steel saber at his waist. The other armor naturally belonged to Zhao Song.

As the leaders, the two of them selected several men skilled with bows, who took up the strong horn bows and slung quivers on their backs. When they saw the weapon in Feng Han’s hands—an exquisite military iron-bow—their expressions changed again.

At this time, a bow capable of shooting two hundred paces was already considered excellent. However, the iron-bow had a range of three hundred paces and was regarded as a deadly weapon.

Seeing Wu Ming’s expression, they felt a chill in their hearts, knowing something significant was about to happen.

“Come here!”

With a wave of his hand, Wu Ming summoned two household servants who carried wooden trays. They pulled off the red silk coverings, revealing heaps of shining silver ingots, each weighing five taels.

“I won’t waste words… This time, whoever follows me out to capture bandits, I will decide who to kill. The dead and the wounded will be fully compensated, and their families will be taken care of. Each of you will receive ten taels upfront!”

Wu Ming waved his hand grandly and personally distributed the silver to each man.

The heavy silver ingots immediately made the village braves and conscripts’ eyes turn red as they shouted, “We are willing to die for the young master!”

“Excellent! Now let’s move out!”

With Feng Han and others, Wu Ming immediately set off. Looking at the countryside scenery, he suddenly smiled, “This patrol station’s authority seems pretty useful, right? We are acting as officials to deal with bandits. What do we have to fear?”

“You’re absolutely right, young master!”

Wu Tiehu sneered and tightened his leather armor.

At this chaotic time, keeping weapons in the fortified manor was understandable, but openly carrying them—wasn’t that tantamount to rebellion?

Even when household servants went to collect taxes, they only used staves, out of certain considerations.

But under the name of the patrol station, everything became legitimate.

“The place we are going to is Spoon Mountain. You all know it, right?”

Since they had already set out, Wu Ming didn’t hide it anymore. With a slight wave of his hand, Feng Han explained the situation.

“Of course we know. Spoon Mountain controls the mountain pass to the west of Yunping County. There is a gang of fierce bandits there, led by Jietianfeng!”

Wu Tiehu sneered, “It’s said that Jietianfeng has some skills. Rumor has it that he once was imprisoned. I, Tiger Wu, would like to test him!”

“Cough… cough…”

Wu Ming coughed, and the entire group immediately fell silent. These people were originally his tenant farmers and village braves, well-fed with silver. In recent days, he had established authority. As long as it wasn’t openly against the government or rebellion, they could be used.

“To be honest, my family has a feud with the Zhous. This time, one of their merchant caravans happens to pass by Spoon Mountain… Hehe…”

“It’s normal to have accidental casualties during a bandit suppression.”

Wu Tiehu was taken aback but quickly shouted, “Who knows, maybe before we even get there, the Zhou caravan will already be robbed by Jietianfeng!”

“Exactly!”

Unexpectedly, this man was so considerate, making even the act of killing innocents and claiming credit sound so righteous. Truly a talent.

Wu Ming said, “This battle is for capturing bandits and protecting the people. Not only will you all share the spoils, but I will also report to the county magistrate to request commendations for you!”

At this decision, everyone cheered.

Wu Ming and Feng Han exchanged a subtle glance and smiled slightly.

This time, Wu Ming indeed had murderous intent. If Jietianfeng moved, they would wipe them out together. If not, they would directly ambush the Zhou caravan and then proceed to eliminate Jietianfeng’s hideout.

Once the witnesses were silenced, no one could testify. Then, they could claim the Zhou caravan had already been destroyed by Jietianfeng, and the rest of the goods naturally became spoils of war! Even better, they could earn credit for bandit suppression!

As for the goods from the caravan? They were all spoils seized from the bandits! How could one simply hand them over without evidence?

Besides, it was perfectly normal for things to get lost during the chaos of battle.

In short, this time, they were going to strike the Zhou family hard and shift all the blame onto the bandits, leaving the authorities with no grounds for action—enough to make the Zhou family furious!

With the plan decided, Wu Ming waved his hand, and the group dispersed, patrolling the villages as usual.

When night fell, they used the darkness as cover. A group appeared to return, but Wu Ming led his elite forces toward Spoon Mountain.

Spoon Mountain was located west of Yunping County. Its peaks stretched like a long handle, with the main peak indented, containing a crater lake. Its shape resembled a ladle, hence its name.

On this mountain resided the fierce bandit gang led by Jietianfeng.

There might be many incorrect names, but never a wrongly given nickname. Jietianfeng lived up to his name, with two prominent ears. He was drinking bowl after bowl of wine, facing a long table laden with dried meat, steamed buns, pheasants, hares, and entire jars of aged wine. The aroma was intoxicating.

Don’t be fooled by the bandits’ apparent ease; their lives were actually harsh. This feast was practically ten days’ worth of provisions.

“Brother, do we have business coming in?”

The underlings were devouring the food, while the second-in-command, a one-eyed man, stared intently at Jietianfeng.

“Hehe… Correct. One of our foot soldiers brought a merchant caravan’s route map. It happens to pass right through our territory. The goods are enough for all the brothers to have a prosperous New Year!”

Jietianfeng’s eyes flashed coldly as he spoke.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s do it!” The third-in-command, a dark-hearted brute, immediately shouted, “With so many brothers, what do we have to fear?”

“This time, the target is a bit tricky. It’s goods from the Zhou family in the county, guarded by Song Jingang!”

Jietianfeng said.

“The Zhou family? Song Jingang?” The second-in-command sucked in his breath, “This could be really problematic. It’s like provoking heaven…”

He deeply understood the influence of such powerful families. Even several bandit groups had intricate connections with them. If they acted, they might truly have nowhere left to hide.

“So what if we lose our heads? It’s just a big scar the size of a bowl!” The third-in-command, already tipsy, thumped his chest, full of bravado, “As long as the big brother gives the order, I’ll do it immediately. At worst, we hide deep in the mountains. Even if the army comes to suppress us, we won’t be afraid!”

“Both my second and third brothers have good points, but one thing was missed—who provided this information?”

Jietianfeng smiled slightly, “Since I established this stronghold, I have never interacted with powerful families, precisely to avoid being used as a tool. The scheme of using a knife to kill someone else is too obvious. I won’t fall for it…”

“I’ll tell you the truth. I have already made thorough plans. I know this is a conflict among county elites. We will closely monitor the situation, hide behind, and let these two families fight first. Then, whether we benefit as the fisherman or support one side to gain favor, we will have the advantage. Even if things go wrong, we can still withdraw in time!”

“What wisdom from the big brother!”

The second-in-command was deeply impressed, convinced that someone else was born to be the leader while he could only be a deputy. It was indeed justified.

“Truly a master at waiting calmly for the fish to bite!”

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the entrance hall.

Jietianfeng looked up and saw a young man in leather armor standing at the door with a sneer. A group of armored soldiers rushed in, and his drunkenness was half gone, “Who are you?”

“I am indeed the snipe and clam you mentioned, but you don’t realize that this time, I only need your heads!”

Wu Ming didn’t bother with more words and waved his hand, “Kill them all!”

Shwshwsh!

At his command, Zhao Song immediately drew his bow and released arrows like rain. After two volleys, Wu Tiehu roared and led the others in charging. Blood splattered everywhere.

“Indeed, they are not even worth the effort!”

Seeing this, Wu Ming shook his head.

This time, he had the element of surprise, surrounding the mountain. What defense could a small bandit hideout possibly have? He and Feng Han, both experts, moved stealthily, quickly eliminating the outer sentries.

A group surged in. At this moment, the bandits were still feasting and drinking, how could they be opponents?

On one side were well-trained, well-equipped village braves and patrolmen. On the other were a ragtag group, most without weapons or armor, caught off guard. The outcome was obvious.

Half an hour later, Zhao Song, his armor stained with blood, returned to report, “Young master, fifty-three bandits, none escaped! We’ve cleared the entire stronghold, finding eight dan of coarse grain, 237 taels of silver, countless miscellaneous items, and some rusty weapons that can be melted down and reforged…”

“Haha, young master, I’ve already killed Jietianfeng and brought his dog’s head!”

Feng Han, confident in his skills as an expert, had stayed back after breaching the stronghold’s defenses, letting the village braves take over.

Wu Tiehu, exhilarated and slightly wounded, brought over a head that seemed to die with eyes wide open. The two prominent ears were particularly noticeable—it was indeed Jietianfeng.

“This owl has been captured. You receive the first credit!”

Wu Ming nodded, though he knew in his heart that both Zhao Song and Wu Tiehu had the potential of junior officers. However, Zhao Song leaned more toward command, while Wu Tiehu was purely a fierce and brave general.

“What about the casualties?”

At this question, Wu Tiehu was speechless. Zhao Song bowed slightly and said, “Fortunately, protected by armor, we only had one severely wounded and six lightly injured!”

“Excellent!”

The presence or absence of armor made a huge difference in battle. This time, Wu Ming had emptied his stores, arming his subordinates to the teeth, with very good results.

“With this head, many things can be explained clearly…”

Wu Ming scanned the surroundings, planning to intercept the merchant caravan afterward. First, he would present this head, making his men spill blood and offer their loyalty oaths, leaving no loopholes. The Zhou family would have to swallow this bitter injustice without recourse through official channels!

“This stronghold, after some renovation, could become a good base!”

Wu Ming looked at the terrain, especially the endless deep mountains behind the stronghold, and was quite satisfied.

His ambitions were only now beginning to reveal themselves!

Intercepting a merchant caravan was nothing. Even if he could do it flawlessly, leaving the Zhou family unable to find any fault through official channels and forcing them to swallow their anger, it would only be a temporary setback. As long as their farmland remained, their foundation would be intact.

But what Wu Ming wanted was absolutely not so simple.

Cutting off the caravan and depriving the Zhou family of their supply channel was just the first step!

What’s more, could the Zhou family really just accept this without retaliation, even if no official faults could be found? That was impossible!

The Wu family was merely a newly risen power. A slight move, wiping out a bandit stronghold, while the established Zhou family, what kind of power did they truly possess?