Oh no! Bandits?
Caught off guard, Jiang Yushu, who was drinking water with her neck tilted back, was startled and choked on half of the water. She coughed violently due to suffocation, and her head and face turned red and swollen, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."
Guo Honglei was quick to act. He immediately pushed his wife, who had suddenly started coughing, into the crowd and whispered to the men, "This person is not a good person. Be careful! Don't panic or act rashly. Follow my orders."
"Stand still, don't move!" Eleven bandits, all holding long swords, their clothes stained with blood, were dressed in military uniforms. Each one was strong and sturdy. They shouted, "Stand still, don't move!"
"Whoever dares to move, don't blame me for being cruel and ruthless."
"Put down the knives! All of you, put down your knives immediately and kick them towards me."
There were twenty officers in total, and although they wore curved swords at their waists, they lacked confidence. Several of them were young men on their first assignment, and when they saw the bandits, they panicked, looked at each other, and subconsciously retreated.
"Who are you?" Zhang Feng, seeing the situation was not good, instinctively drew his sword. He was extremely vigilant, and in a voice as loud as a bell, he asked sternly, "We are escorting exiled prisoners to Xicang under the order of the court. I wonder why you are blocking our way?"
"Hmph, you are just a running dog, and you are not worthy enough to ask me questions?" The bandit leader sneered, with a scar on his left cheek and a fierce look in his eyes.
An officer demanded, "How dare you! Who are you? You are wearing military uniforms, are you soldiers? How dare you block my way and insult me in broad daylight—" Before he could finish his words, the bandit on the opposite side suddenly jumped up, and the cold light of his long sword flashed, cutting off the officer's right arm!
The broken arm and scimitar fell to the ground, and blood splattered everywhere.
"Ah!" The officer covered his wound and wailed miserably, staggering.
"Who do you think you are? A mere lackey, how dare you disrespect my elder brother?" The murderer was so aggressive that he first cut off the officer's right arm, and then slit his throat with another knife.
"Ugh—cough, cough! Cough, ho ho…" Blood splattered, and the officer covered his throat in vain. He fell to the ground with a thud and died in the blink of an eye, with his eyes open.
"Oh my God?"
"Murder, murder!" Everyone was immediately horrified, shrank in fear, screamed, and crowded around, making a lot of noise.
Seeing this, Guo Honglei took the opportunity to ask the elderly, the weak, women and children to move to the middle, and the men to stay outside.
Jiang Yushu tried her best to remain calm and whispered, "Judging from their attire, they might be deserters from Xicang."
"Nine out of ten," Guo Honglei said solemnly, "Soldiers who desert the battlefield are equivalent to fugitives. If they are caught, they will surely die. They are a group of desperate criminals."
"That's right." Jiang Yushu was terrified and looked around anxiously. "These desperadoes are so ruthless. We can't just sit there and wait for death! Quick, look for anything that can be used as a weapon."
In reality, Guo Honglei had already been searching in secret. Fortunately, there were many people at home, so he urged the servants to squat quietly and pick up stones, dead wood and other things.
"Cart!" Jiang Yushu's eyes lit up and she whispered, "There are no nails on the wooden planks on the cart. Take them all off."
Guo Honglei nodded.
ahead
The officers hurriedly checked the bodies of their companions, filled with anger and fear.
Zhang Feng was furious. He glared at them and asked, "How dare you! You, you guys are so bold! What on earth do you want to do?"
The bandit leader watched his men kill the official, unconcerned. He coldly said, "Stop talking nonsense! Put down your swords immediately and hand over all your rations and travel expenses. Anyone who dares to disobey," he said, looking down at the official who died with his eyes open, and sneered, "will end up like that man."
The robbers were arrogant and domineering. Zhang Feng's face turned pale and he said with a humiliated voice, "You want food and money? Sure! But we dare not put down our knives—"
"Do as I tell you!" the bandit leader interrupted harshly, taking a few steps closer and shouting, "Are you looking for death too? If you don't put down your knife, don't blame me for being rude."
Zhang Feng gripped the knife handle, looking extremely anxious and furious.
"This is outrageous. Brothers, send him off." The bandit leader said sinisterly and pursed his lips.
"Yes!" His men grinned grimly, raised their swords and attacked Zhang Feng, each move aimed at his vital points.
"Stop!" Zhang Feng was forced to take the attack, dodging in a panic and in danger.
"Sir!" The officers had no choice but to fight bravely, but they were no match for the battle-hardened deserter.
In an instant, people were injured one after another.
Guo Honglei acted decisively and shouted, "If the officer falls, we will be in danger! Follow me!" As he spoke, he swung the thin iron chain used to tie up the prisoners, threw it swiftly, put it around the neck of a bandit, and pulled it hard!
"Ah——" The gangster fell backward and was dragged away, cursing loudly.
After dragging the bandit closer, Guo Honglei had no choice but to step forward, frowning and kicking him in the neck.
With a "crack", the bandit's neck was broken and he collapsed and died.
Then, Guo Honglei picked up the long knife, rushed forward without hesitation, and kicked the robbers who were besieging Zhang Feng in the chest. He was agile and had superb martial arts skills.
"good!"
"Young master, be careful!" The head of the family was extremely brave and instantly aroused the fighting spirit of the others.
"Today, it's either them or us! We've come a full 2,700 miles through countless hardships. It would be a shame to die here in vain. So, we can't die!" Jiang Yushu gritted her teeth, her palms sweating. While throwing rocks, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Everyone, don't just stand there, help!"
The entire Guo family was united in their hatred of the enemy. Some threw stones at the bandits, some raised wooden boards, and some picked up thin iron chains... They all talked and moved in unison, attacking the bandits desperately.
The melee lasted only a quarter of an hour. After the bandit leader was killed, his two accomplices fled into the dense forest in fear. They were eventually caught up by the red-eyed officials and hacked to death.
"Mom, who are they?" Guo Yu had been hidden in Wang's arms with his ears covered. He was confused and struggled to look up.
Wang Qiaozhen was sweating profusely. She held her son in her arms and hid behind the cart with her mother-in-law. "Those are all evil people. Yu'er, stay here and don't move!"
Jiang Yushu was anxious and rushed forward to ask, "How are you? Are you hurt?" She paused, her eyes wide open, and blurted out, "Arm, arm, and shoulder—Doctor Fang? Doctor Fang, come quickly, he's hurt!"
"It's just a flesh wound, nothing serious." Guo Honglei still held the knife. "Fang Sheng, I can bandage it myself. You treat the seriously injured first."
"Yes!" Fang Sheng wiped the sweat off his forehead and hurriedly asked the servant to count the injured.
Guo Honglei glanced at everyone hurriedly, "How about you? Is your family okay?"
"No, don't worry, none of the women were hurt." Jiang Yushu's face turned pale. She quickly took out a handkerchief, her fingertips trembling as she pressed the knife wound on the man's arm. She called out in a trembling voice, "Cui Mei? Xiao Tao? Quick, bring me some medicine!"
Zhang Feng was sweating profusely, sat down on the ground, and panted like a cow.
Guo Honglei also sat on the ground, letting his wife bandage him. He turned around and asked, "Master Zhang, how are you injured?"
"I only suffered minor injuries." Zhang Feng stared at him for a long moment with a complex expression, then sighed sadly, "I never expected you would save me. Master Guo, you're quite skilled!"
Guo Honglei was about to respond modestly when the rumbling sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the official road heading north, shaking the road slightly. It was obvious that there were quite a few people coming, approaching quickly.
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