The next moment, the people behind Mu Zian immediately drew their weapons from their waists and charged towards the city gate with great momentum.
Seeing something was wrong from the city wall, Cui Hao immediately shouted.
"Oh no! It's government troops! Close the gate! Close the gate now!"
Upon hearing this, the bandits inside the gate panicked immediately, and a dozen or so guards rushed forward to try and close the gate.
However, at that very moment, a shooting star streaked across the sky.
Mu Zian threw his halberd, which drew a graceful arc in the air before striking a bandit squarely in the chest, pinning him to the spot.
Those around who were easily frightened collapsed to the ground in that instant of stunned silence.
Mu Zian had already arrived at the city gate, and the next moment he pressed his hands on the two city gates, which were three or four meters high.
Then, with a sudden burst of strength in his arms, he managed to stop the city gate from closing abruptly.
Inside the doorway, a dozen or so bandits tried their best to close the door, but no matter how hard they tried, the door wouldn't budge.
Mu Zian let out a loud roar.
"Open it for me!"
He took a sudden step forward with both feet, unleashing all his strength.
With a creak, the heavy city gate was pushed open by Mu Zian all by himself.
At this moment, Cui Hao, who was on the city wall, was terrified! Was this even human?
As soon as the gate opened, the crowd following Mu Zian rushed into the doorway.
They drew their long swords and what followed was a massacre.
Jia Xu seized the opportunity and immediately led the remaining cavalry into Ping'an County.
Strictly speaking, Cui Hao's gang was not even as good as Luo Daniu's band of thugs.
The area was cleared out in half an hour.
Cui Hao, who was originally like a local tyrant in the city, was also captured and bound hand and foot.
At this moment, Mu Zi'an had changed back into his own clothes, and in the setting sun, he looked like a god.
Countless people from Anping County gathered around, their eyes blazing with fury, wishing they could devour Cui Hao alive.
Upon seeing this, Cui Hao immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.
"I...I've been framed! Please spare my life, I'm willing to go through fire and water for you!"
"I know of a bandit stronghold around Anping County. I can lead the way, sir!"
"I also know where the county magistrate hid all the money he had saved up over the years, and I'm offering it all to you!"
"I know a few bandit leaders in the area. I can act as your inside man and lure them all over here."
"Please spare my life!"
Mu Zian sat in the chair, the dim surroundings obscuring his expression.
Jia Xu, standing to the side, was silently observing what Mu Zi'an would do.
After a moment, Mu Zian slowly rose and gazed into the distance. The horizon was like a red-hot iron, and the air seemed to be filled with an inescapable smell of blood. Mu Zian spoke calmly.
“Behead him and display his head on the city gate to appease public anger.”
Upon hearing this, all the people present were extremely excited; some angrily denounced it, some cried, and some wailed.
In chaotic times, human life is as cheap as that of a stray dog.
With a single stroke, Cui Hao's head, along with Luo Daniu's head, was hung on the city gate.
Fresh blood dripped onto the ground, forming a pool of blood.
After a long and arduous journey and a bloody battle, Mu Zian was exhausted.
Fortunately, Jia Xu calmed the people's hearts, punished the wicked, and arranged defenses, bringing Anping County under clear control in just a few hours.
Meanwhile, in Luzhou Prefecture, a thin man sat calmly in a chair, with dozens of old bandits hanging upside down from the rafters in front of him.
"That's 20,000 people! Even 20,000 pigs couldn't be slaughtered in one night! Luo Daniu is a piece of trash! The worst of the worst!"
The people hanging from the roof beams were the bandits who had escaped from Mu Zi'an's clutches.
The gaunt man covered his forehead, feeling the veins bulging.
How many of you are left?
"Reporting to the commander, there are still several hundred brothers left."
"Haha! Twenty thousand people went out, and only a few hundred came back? How come none of you died out there?"
Upon hearing this, the men who were hanging felt a chill run down their spines.
"General... it's not that we're incompetent, it's just that the soldiers coming from the other side are too fierce. Our leader couldn't even last a single round against them."
The gaunt man's face turned cold upon hearing this.
"Since Luo Daniu is dead, you should all go and join him!"
With a wave of his hand, the gaunt man dragged these people away.
The next moment, several screams came from outside the door.
Just then, a somewhat broken Mandarin voice came from the shadows.
"The imperial court has sent more people. Can you hold them off this time? You Han people are far too weak. Twenty thousand of you are no match for three thousand. Do you need me to send some warriors from your tribe to help you?"
The gaunt man sneered upon hearing this.
"This is none of your business, I'll handle it myself. Just remember, we're just business partners, each getting what we need, so don't overstep your bounds."
"Hehehe."
A cold laugh came from the shadows.
When the news of Luo Daniu's 20,000 bandits being wiped out came, Lu Yunxue could hardly believe her ears.
"Mu Zi'an led three thousand cavalry to kill twenty thousand rebels? And he also killed Luo Daniu?"
The guards and scouts nodded.
"According to the information from the few informants we captured, this is indeed the case. It is said that Mu Zian charged into the enemy ranks alone on horseback, like a god descending to earth, leaving corpses strewn everywhere he went."
The expressions on the guards' faces were also quite complex.
Lu Yunxue's face instantly turned pale and weak.
After all, their side had just been wiped out not long ago.
They arrived with great arrogance and looked down on everyone, but before they even reached the heart of Luzhou, they were all wiped out.
Lu Yunxue dared not imagine what she would face if she returned to the capital.
More importantly, Pei Jianzhi, the commander-in-chief, was captured by these bandits.
It's beyond shameful; it's utterly disgraceful.
At this moment, the image of Mu Zian, described by his personal guards as godlike, stands in stark contrast to Pei Jianzhi, who is being dragged away like a dog.
For a moment, Lu Yunxue felt somewhat flustered.
Is the happiness I'm pursuing really wrong?
"No! Impossible! This time it was just that Pei Lang was careless!"
Lu Yunxue immediately rejected this idea.
"Where is Mu Zi'an and his men now?"
"I heard it's in Anping County."
"Anping County? Why would you go there?"
Although Lu Yunxue was somewhat puzzled, her few dozen people were currently huddled in the mountains, severely lacking food and supplies. If things continued like this, they would have no choice but to starve to death.
The best solution right now is to reunite with Mu Zi'an!
Upon realizing this, Lu Yunxue did not hesitate at all and immediately gave the order.
"Take some dry rations and come with me to Anping County."
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