Chapter 2174 Stationed
When General Nie came back with the three injured bandits, the three were kneeling in front of Manbao, crying and telling him about their miserable lives in the past few days.
"...Last year we also took this official road, and there were no bandits. Who could have known that this year there would be such a vicious bandit ambushing in the mountains? Our master said, 'As long as the mountains are green, there will be no shortage of firewood.' Saving our lives is the most important thing. So if they ask for money, we give it to them. If they want to rob us of all our goods, we give it to them too..."
The three of them stopped crying at this point, and Manbao asked, "And then?"
The three wiped their tears and said, "Perhaps because they saw that our master was too cooperative, they captured us all and brought us up the mountain, hoping that we would join them in banditry."
Manbao and others: "...This is a bit too much."
"That's right. We all have families and jobs. How could we abandon them and stay here to become bandits?" The three men said, "But they were holding knives, so we didn't dare to speak harshly. So we just said we'd consider it. We also helped with chopping wood and making fire, so they wouldn't be so wary of us."
But there are still people guarding it on a daily basis and it cannot leave the fixed area.
"Their boss's birthday was celebrated last night, and everyone was having a great time. We ran out when it was just dawn while we went to get them some water and cook something for them."
They had wanted to run away last night, but when they went out, they saw that the woods were pitch black, not only could they not see their hands in front of them, but it was also freezing cold. They were very worried that there were wild beasts in the dense forest, so they waited until dawn and used the excuse of getting them some water to boil, and then quietly ran out.
Most people drank last night, and those who didn't drink stayed up very late before going to bed. Getting up early in the morning not only meant cooking, but also cleaning up the leftovers from last night. So even the people in charge of the kitchen were reluctant to get up so early, and this gave Mr. You and the others the opportunity to escape.
The three men cried and begged Zhou Man, "Master Zhou, please save our master."
Manbao asked, "How many of you ran out?"
"Including the three of us, there were fifteen of us in total. However, we alerted others not long after we escaped, so the master told us to run separately. This way, we have a better chance of escaping alive. No matter who returns alive, we must inform our families."
Manbao asked, "Do you remember which direction they ran in?"
The three guys looked at each other, scratched their heads, and thought for a while. Finally, the oldest one hesitantly pointed in two directions and said, "We've been running all day, and we don't know if they changed direction."
Of course it has changed. Not only has it changed, but it has become outrageous.
Manbao took only one look and then looked at General Nie.
Lieutenant Nie thought for a moment and said, "Let's go back first. If these bandits don't go back after dark, the horse thieves will know something is wrong. We have to find a good place to camp first."
Everyone escorted the three bandits back. When they arrived at the place, the people who had gone to ambush in another place also came back with their men, and Master You was among them.
He had already recognized Mr. Zhuang, but when he saw Zhou Man and the others, he couldn't help but shed tears again.
The injuries on the six of them were not serious, just scratches and falls. The soldiers and guards sent out were not injured either. After all, they not only ambushed but also carried bows and arrows, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out. It would be unreasonable for them to be injured in the two-on-one situation.
"Eight bandits, three dead, two seriously injured, and three slightly injured. They don't seem to be able to die. Join the army, do you want to save them?"
"Stop the bleeding, we're going to kill you later anyway, but we need to question you first."
But the bandits knew they would most likely be sentenced to death, so they kept silent.
Bai Shan looked up at the sky and said to Man Bao, "It's getting late. We have a lot of luggage. Let's dispatch a team to search and rescue people. If we can find them, we'll rescue them. If not, we'll just have to wait for reinforcements to arrive."
Manbao nodded, squatted down and cut off the arrows of the people who were shot, leaving only the arrowheads inside. "Let's find a place to camp first."
One of the yamen runners who came to lead them had already returned on horseback at full speed. A single horse was fast, but it was not known whether it would be able to return to Liangzhou after nightfall.
General Nie also felt that they should leave here and find a place to settle down.
The remaining yamen runner racked his brains and thought, "Sir, there is no place to hide nearby. If there is, it is across this mountain. There are large grasslands on the other side, and there are several natural windbreaks. We can hide and take cover."
General Nie said, "It's too far away, and there are horse thieves. How can we camp in the valley?" Before they knew it, they were surrounded.
Officer Nie thought for a moment and said, "Let's go back. There's a very wide meadow on the way we came. I saw a lot of fresh sheep dung on the meadow. Someone must be grazing there."
"Yes, the grass and water there are good. People are grazing there now, and they won't move there until June." Those who were called by Governor Duan to lead the way must be very familiar with this area.
General Nie nodded, ordered all the bandits to be tied up and thrown into the car, and then returned immediately.
Before leaving, he selected ten men from among the soldiers, including a scout, and said, "Go to those two places and rescue anyone you can. See if you can find out more about this gang of horse thieves. As soon as Governor Duan sends someone, we will wipe them out."
This meant that they would be asked to make meritorious service. All ten of them's eyes lit up and they agreed excitedly.
So everyone split up. Manbao and the others gave up the carriage to Master You and the others, while they mounted their horses and ran away. She looked back and learned the exact direction from Keke, so she said to the ten people who were about to set off, "When people are fleeing, they run wherever is convenient, so it's hard to pinpoint the direction. If you can't find them after you go over there, why don't you go in that direction? I think since they are all running this way, the thieves may be hiding in that direction."
Manbao pointed out two directions to them.
The ten men responded solemnly, and after receiving the order, they rode their horses and quietly blended into the forest.
Bai Shan and his men retreated until sunset when they finally found a suitable spot. A scout who had gone ahead came back and reported, "Sir, five miles ahead is where a tribe is stationed. I've seen it, and it's even larger than the Tutu tribe."
Lieutenant Nie nodded and said to Manbao, "Master Zhou, we will camp here. We have a wide field of vision and are far enough away from the bandits' den. Even if there is an attack at night, we will be able to detect it early. Besides, there is a herdsman tribe five miles away, so those horse thieves will be a little wary."
The herdsmen on the grassland are different from ordinary people in the Central Plains. They can serve as soldiers as long as they are on horseback, so horse thieves generally do not cause trouble for local tribes.
They are different from the bandits in the Central Plains who often come down the mountains to rob the people.
The sleeping effect of the medicine is so good that I fell asleep right after taking it in the morning. I don’t dare to take it at noon.
The next chapter will be around 6 p.m.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
