After Li Yanfeng and Zhang Yu finished discussing, they issued an order to the whole mansion that no one was allowed to leave without permission.
When Xia Feng heard this order, he subconsciously felt something was wrong.
As he was about to leave the courtyard, the gatekeeper said, "The young master has ordered that the Third Prince is wanted in the mansion. Until tomorrow, all entry and exit must obtain his approval."
This move was also Zhang Yu's idea. If Xia Feng's identity was not a problem, there would be a fig leaf covering it up. After a false alarm, the relationship between master and servant would not be affected.
If you detain someone without solid evidence, it will inevitably lead to resentment in the future.
Xia Feng was about to say something when the soldier at the gate politely said, "Mr. Xia, please rest today. If you have anything to say, we can talk tomorrow. This is what the young master has instructed."
Xia Feng had no choice but to return to the courtyard as usual.
The servant poured him a cup of tea. Xia Feng took a sip and asked, "Did anyone notice you went out last night?"
The servant shook his head confidently. "Qiutong from Aunt Bai's courtyard sent a message saying that the Second Young Master had gone to see Li Yanfeng. When I went to get the tea earlier, I ran into a servant from Zhang Yu's courtyard. He said the Second Young Master had summoned Zhang Yu to his study."
There was also competition among the staff. In the past, when Li Bozhen was in charge, Zhang Yu, as Li Bozhen's first staff, lived in the guest house and was also respected by everyone in the mansion.
After Li Bozhen's death, Xia Feng's fame surpassed Zhang Yu's. The servants in this mansion flattered the powerful and bullied the weak, and only cared about whoever was prosperous and who was served well. It was comparable to the intrigues in the palace.
The servant who served Zhang Yu spoke in a boastful tone today.
Xia Feng felt even more uneasy. He thought he was quite smart, but Zhang Yu was no ordinary person either. It was very likely that he could analyze something from the clues.
When Wan Jinlan delivered the letter yesterday, Xia Feng didn't take it seriously. It was only after the incident today that he felt something was wrong.
He was not worried about his own situation, but he was afraid that Zhang Yu would be smart enough to guess the truth and lead troops to encircle and suppress the stronghold.
Now that the letter cannot be delivered, Xia Feng can only hope that Wan Jinlan will be alert and prepare in advance.
Li Yanfeng dispatched 5,000 soldiers to Qingyuan County. A county had no more than 500 to 600 soldiers, so dispatching 5,000 soldiers showed his great respect for Wan Jinlan.
There are ten scouts within five miles around the mountain stronghold. Gu'a Town is also right next to the mountain stronghold base camp. There are also scouts radiating out from Gu'a Town as the center to investigate the situation every day.
The movement of five thousand soldiers was no small matter. Wan Jinlan soon received information that Li Yanfeng was leading his troops towards Gu'a Town.
She had been feeling uneasy yesterday, and after receiving the letter, she felt like the dust had settled.
"Brother, please bring Li Yue and his mother here."
If nothing unexpected happens, Gu'a Town will definitely be turned upside down. If Li Yue and his mother fall into Li Yanfeng's hands, they will not escape death.
Wan Zhijing immediately took people there.
Immediately afterwards, Wan Jinlan asked everyone in the village to take shelter in the back mountains.
Xia Feng's mother, Song, and Wang Shu hurried to make arrangements.
Seeing that some women were still trying to take their belongings with them, Wan Jinlan said to Song: "Let them put down everything and go to the back mountain quickly if they want to survive."
Two hours later, Li Yanfeng and his army arrived outside the mountain stronghold.
What Wan Jinlan left to Li Yanfeng was, of course, not just an empty shell, but also a lot of mechanisms.
Five thousand soldiers directly surrounded the mountain stronghold, lying on the back mountain and looking down. The heads of five thousand armored soldiers looked shocking.
These mechanisms killed many of Li Yanfeng's men in a short period of time.
Li Yanfeng's face was dark. If there was no ghost, he would have been prepared long ago. Why did the ground collapse directly after the rocks rolled down from above? Why were there sharp iron spikes in the pit? Before reaching the halfway point of the mountain, nearly a hundred people had already filled it.
When he came, he was still thinking that maybe he was worrying too much, but now everything he saw confirmed Zhang Yu's words.
"Charge! Whoever successfully captures Princess Qi will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins!"
Wan Jinlan, who was lying on top watching the situation, snorted inwardly when he heard this. Is she worth a thousand gold?
Wan Jinlan held the fire caltrop in his hand and looked at Wan Zhijing, "Brother, let's compete to see who can throw farther."
Wan Zhijing wanted his sister to retreat to the rear, but he couldn't beat her and she wouldn't listen, so he had to watch her standing among a group of horse bandits and acting like the boss. With a wave of her hand, the fire caltrops flew towards the bottom of the stronghold.
Wan Zhijing waved his hand and said, "Shoot!"
Countless rockets flew towards the bottom of the village, followed by fire caltrops that exploded with great destructive power.
The fire caltrops modified by Lu Yuan were extremely lethal. Li Yanfeng watched helplessly as the soldiers who were unable to dodge had their chests blown to pieces with flesh and blood flying everywhere, and even their shields were blown through.
The piece of meat sprayed on his face, making him think that he was the one who exploded. For a moment, he couldn't feel his own heartbeat.
In an instant, people and horses fell to the ground and screams were heard. Li Yanfeng did not shout to retreat, but the soldiers retreated beyond the safe range out of fear.
Li Yanfeng was also afraid. This kind of fire caltrop was completely different from the fire caltrop he knew.
He has five thousand men and horses. Is it possible that he can't capture a mere mountain stronghold?
Li Yanfeng's expression was uncertain.
A general said, "Sir, why don't you change the direction of attack? This is a group of low mountains. If you change the direction, you will always find a breakthrough."
As the general was speaking, a loud voice reached everyone's ears.
"Come here, you cowardly little bastards! Our fire caltrops are waiting to treat you. With a bang, blood and flesh flew everywhere. Come quickly, let us treat you well."
It was Wan Jinlan who asked the bandit to shout such despicable words.
In fact, there is not so much fire caltrops. All the stocks were sent to Xiao Feng before. Recently, because of the shortage of saltpeter, they have been used to make "ammunition" for muskets by Old Man Lu.
The bandit's voice was full of energy and carried a strong bandit aura. He spoke with great confidence. Li Yanfeng's men became restless again when they heard it.
The generals were also worried. No matter where they attacked from, they would face attacks from the caltrops. They had suffered heavy casualties in just one encounter. The soldiers were all scared. Who would dare to rush forward and die?
Li Yanfeng would never allow failure today. If he didn't take a hostage and bring Song Yi back, Liangzhou might change its owner!
But right now, the morale is low and there is fear in everyone's eyes. How can he catch Wan Jinlan?
For a moment, Li Yanfeng was helpless.
On the back mountain, seeing that Li Yanfeng's men had stopped moving, Wan Zhijing said, "When he comes to his senses, he'll realize we might not have enough fire caltrops. Otherwise, why don't we charge out?"
Wan Jinlan said, "How about we chase them and throw fire caltrops at them? Scare them all away!"
Wan Zhijing shook his head. "What will we do when the fire caltrops are all gone?"
Wang Shu said decisively, "Let Zhang Baoquan take action and shoot the Second Young Master Li. Then they will lose their composure."
The idea is good, but how can we accurately find Li Yanfeng's head among the huge crowd of heads?
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