Chapter 80: "Censor Shen impeaches Guo Ding..."
"Imperial Censor Shen, the one who impeached Guo Dingbei for privately selling military equipment, creating empty military registers, seizing property and causing death, and allowing his slaves to injure people?" Qin Ji raised an eyebrow, looking down at the convoy being surrounded and killed by mountain bandits.
Just then, they saw the group struggling to hold off the bandits while secretly splitting into two smaller teams to try and break through the weak points of the bandits' encirclement.
"If nothing unexpected happens, the next one will be Shen Ying, who has been dismissed from his post and sent back to his hometown, and his family." Lin Ye answered while calmly extending his hand to Wei Sa: "Let me take a closer look."
Wei Sa tightened her grip on the binoculars. Looking at the person in front of her who was putting on such a serious and businesslike act, she cursed inwardly but still had no choice but to hand the binoculars to him.
The cool touch of the copper exterior on his palm made Lin Ye secretly curl the corners of his mouth, and he couldn't wait to put his eyes close to the eyepiece of the binoculars.
Even though he prided himself on his exceptional eyesight and superhuman night vision, he was still amazed by the ingenuity of the scope once his eyes were close enough to see it. The feeling of seeing something dozens of meters away suddenly so close was simply wonderful.
"The two lying on the ground are indeed Shen Ying and his head steward. They are dead." Even though it was already dark, Lin Ye still used the ultra-close-up view through the binoculars to confirm the identity of the most important deceased.
"Those guards who managed to break through were quite skilled. It seems that Imperial Censor Shen was not unaware of the dangers he faced on his journey home. Unfortunately, he underestimated the extent of the danger," Lin Ye sighed as he looked at the tragic scene below.
"The bandits here have only been around for a little over a year, and most of their men are civilians who couldn't survive after that natural disaster. They have absolutely no fighting power. It seems we've run into the Marquis of Dingbei's men tonight." Qin Ji pondered for a moment and then continued, "Or perhaps, the Shen family is just an afterthought."
"Does the Lord mean that this group originally came to ambush us? Wouldn't their actions have alerted them?" Lin Ye asked疑惑地问道.
“You’re the snake,” Wei Sa said, snatching the binoculars from Lin Ye as he spoke. “If the Second Prince wanted to ambush us, he certainly wouldn’t have set up an ambush in just one location.”
Now that we've changed our identities, and on the surface, Prince Cheng's carriage isn't taking this route. They've already prepared all their men; it just so happens that Shen Ying is unlucky enough to stumble upon us. Killing his entire family here is such a convenient thing.”
“Shen Ying’s impeachment did cause considerable trouble for Marquis Dingbei and the Second Prince. Eliminating them here at Sanniu Gorge is both a way to vent anger and to make an example of them.” Qin Ji nodded in agreement with Wei Sa’s statement.
As they were talking, the three of them saw a light flash regularly in the canyon below.
These were the men Qin Ji had previously sent down. There were two teams of twenty skilled fighters in total. This signal indicated that they had all reached the canyon below and were awaiting further instructions.
Qin Ji frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping across the area below through the binoculars like that of a hawk.
The fighting in the center of the canyon was nearing its end. One of the teams that broke out from the north and south had been intercepted by the bandits. At this moment, several guards and the young man they were protecting died on the spot.
The group heading south was about to break through the encirclement thanks to the desperate protection of their leader, but at this moment, most of the bandits were chasing after them.
Faced with the pursuit of forty or fifty thugs wielding sharp weapons, their chances of escaping without help were extremely slim.
Just then, Qin Ji took out a tinderbox and a palm-sized glass mirror from his pocket. Using the principle of mirror reflection, he reflected the light from the tinderbox several times, in varying lengths, towards the canyon below.
This means taking action.
"kill!"
After a shout of battle, twenty skilled warriors who had arrived at the canyon pounced out like twenty hungry wolves. The battle below, which was already nearing its end, was suddenly thrown into chaos by this third-party reinforcement.
......
Zhao Li had considered the dangers of this trip, but as the head of the Shen family's guards, he had been highly regarded by his master for many years.
The saying goes, "A scholar will die for one who understands him." Although he was just a warrior, he admired the character of Imperial Censor Shen. So even though he knew the journey was dangerous, he was determined to risk his life to safely escort the Shen family back to their hometown.
He had a very bad feeling when he passed through the Three Ox Gorge today, and he advised Master Shen to change his route. However, the old master of the Shen family was so angry and upset because Master Shen was dismissed from his post for impeaching the Marquis of Dingbei that a letter came from his hometown saying that he was dying.
Although Mr. Shen was worried about the dangers of the canyon, the alternative route would take at least half a month longer. His determination to rush back to see his father one last time ultimately led him to decide to take a gamble and cross the Three Ox Gorge.
Unfortunately, his luck didn't come true; they were attacked in the center of the canyon.
The moment they engaged, Zhao Li knew they were likely doomed. The disparity in strength between his side and the opposing "bandits" was utterly overwhelming; even if they hadn't chosen to enter the canyon, they probably wouldn't have escaped alive.
This group of "mountain bandits" was no rabble. They were ruthless and coordinated, and their weapons were all made of fine iron. Apart from their tattered clothes, they looked nothing like "mountain bandits."
Master Shen knew that he was doomed to die today, and his last wish was that his children could escape with their lives.
Zhao Li swung his increasingly heavy arm, looking at the bandits in front of him who he couldn't break through no matter what he did, and hearing the hurried footsteps of a large number of people approaching from behind. He was filled with despair.
He probably won't be able to fulfill the master's last wish today.
With no hope of breaking through, the four remaining Shen family guards, led by Zhao Li, could only form a small circle, protecting the Shen siblings in the center for a final, desperate resistance. They couldn't allow the siblings to die before them, even if it meant sacrificing themselves.
However, the number of "mountain bandits" was increasing, and they were all at their limit, so they were in great danger.
Just as a guard parried a longsword aimed at Young Master Shen, a spear thrust from the side. Unable to dodge in time, his shoulder blade was instantly pierced, and blood gushed out. He gritted his teeth, gripped his sword tightly, and snapped the spear shaft in half with his backhand. He rammed his body into the attacker, causing him to stumble. Zhao Li, who was beside the guard, seized the opportunity and slashed the bandit's throat with his sword.
Warm blood shot into the sky, adding another splash of crimson to the already blood-soaked canyon.
These four guards were incredibly brave and fierce. Facing an attack from nearly ten times their number of enemies, they were still able to fight back and fight back. Every time they swung their swords, they almost created a shower of blood, but they themselves were also covered in wounds and bleeding profusely.
In the center of the four-person formation, Shen Nan and his sister Shen Xiyin were terrified, their faces pale. Shen Xiyin clung tightly to her brother's hand, her nails almost digging into his flesh, her head buried completely in his chest. At that moment, she wished she were deaf and blind.
But the sounds from outside kept getting into my ears.
"Can't you even take down these four half-dead bastards? Hurry up and get rid of them, then we'll go back and have some drinks and meat."
"Alright, brothers, the boss can't wait any longer, hurry up."
"Be quick, be quick!"
"What a pity for these beautiful young ladies. If we weren't determined to kill them all, we would have taken them back with us."
"Shut up, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you want to die?"
"Kill...kill!"
These bandits, who were initially talking about how to quickly and efficiently deal with the person, actually started chatting leisurely, much like a cat playing with a mouse. But suddenly, after a sudden shout of killing, screams, the clash of weapons, and the sound of sharp blades piercing flesh filled the air.
The four guards of the Shen family, who had been desperately holding on, could hardly believe their eyes when they saw a group of people suddenly emerge from behind the bandits.
The fighting style of this newcomer was completely different from the ferocity of the "mountain bandits" and the tragic heroism of the Shen family guards. They were calm and efficient, each one like a precise killing machine. With every flash of their blades, a mountain bandit would fall. These men worked in groups of three, cooperating seamlessly and clearing out a small area almost instantly.
Although the number of bandits was almost twice that of the bandits, the bandits who were like tigers just moments before were now like lambs to the slaughter. Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining bandits tried to scatter and escape.
"Leave one alive." A cold voice echoed through the canyon.
The order to spare lives was no different from an order to kill; both were pronouncements of death. Whether the bandits resisted, fled, or begged for mercy, they were all mercilessly harvested like autumn rice.
In just over an hour, the canyon, which had been filled with the deafening shouts of battle, gradually fell silent, leaving only corpses scattered on the ground and a heavy, nauseating stench of blood.
If he still had the courage to fight to the death when facing the bandit Zhao Li just now, he was now only filled with fear. He almost thought that the order to leave no one alive also included them, but... in the end, he was spared by heaven.
The four of them, along with the young master and young lady, all survived! Then he felt everything go black and lost consciousness.
Almost simultaneously, the other three guards, who were also severely injured and exhausted, fainted one after another after realizing that they were temporarily safe.
The brother and sister in the middle, whom they were protecting, were filled with a sense of disbelief and fear upon seeing this scene. At first, they were relieved that their lives had been saved, but when they thought about how their entire family had perished here, they couldn't help but hug each other and burst into tears.
......
"Not bad." Looking at the battle below, Qin Ji nodded slightly.
"I guess I didn't embarrass myself." Lin Ye nodded, feigning modesty.
The group he brought out today consisted of people he had trained; Wei Sa's personal guards remained in the ranks to protect the princess.
The fact that the fierce battle ended so cleanly and efficiently means that these kids didn't lose face for him in front of their lord and Wei Sa.
"Lin Ye, these people behind you are also for you." Qin Ji pointed to the fifteen people behind him who were as insignificant as shadows: "According to the information we found out today, there should still be a small group of people left in the stronghold. Go and deal with them along with the rabble that were originally in the stronghold."
"Yes, my lord. What about those four guards down there?" They all seemed like promising talents, and Lin Ye was tempted to recruit them.
"Leave someone to escort the two siblings and the four guards to the inn." After saying this, Qin Ji and Wei Sa headed towards the horse-tethering area.
They had discovered something unusual about the mountain stronghold and planned to launch a surprise attack that night, but they never expected to encounter these bandits first, who then robbed and killed the Shen family.
He got away with being the one to pounce on the opportunity, but it saved him a lot of effort. It also allowed Qin Ji to return to the inn earlier.
Wei Sa had only taken one step with Qin Ji when Lin Ye stopped her again: "Binoculars."
Lin Ye once again extended his hand to Wei Sa with a righteous air.
He gestured with his fingers, opening and closing them, to signal Wei Sa to quickly put the things in his hands.
He needed to get to work, and he needed the telescope even more.
On the other side, she secretly glanced at Qin Ji, her eyes filled with a clear pleading look.
Although he didn't say it explicitly, Qin Ji could clearly read in his eyes: "My lord, I want one too, please give me one, I beg you."
Seeing Lin Ye, who usually maintained a cool demeanor, acting this way for the first time, even Qin Ji couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. However, he said, "Begging me won't help. I only got this thanks to Yan Hui. Wait until Yan Hui has a second batch before you go beg her."
Qin Ji coughed lightly, covering up the laughter that was about to escape his lips, ignoring the argument between his two subordinates: "Give it to me again quickly" and "When are you going to pay me back?"
It wasn't that he favored Wei Sa, but Yan Hui gave him two, and Wei Sa was by his side during the trial period. Wei Sa's eyes at that time were almost exactly the same as Lin Ye's pleading eyes now.
After all, he was his personal bodyguard who had been by his side for many years. It was rare for Wei Sa to show such obvious desire. As his master, he was naturally not stingy and gave the extra one to Wei Sa.
Then, he would have to face Lin Ye's gaze from time to time, which seemed to say, "I want it too, Master, you're being unfair."
At this moment, Xiao Yan Hui was unaware that Qin Ji had shifted the blame onto her. She was also looking out the window through binoculars.
"Master, it's getting late. You should get some rest. We still have a long journey ahead tomorrow."
Seeing that her master had already changed into her nightgown but was not going to sleep, instead opening the window and looking out into the dark night, the cat first draped a cloak over her and then urged her to go to sleep early.
"Cat, all the lights in the village behind are out." Looking at the pitch blackness in her field of vision, Xiao Yanhui frowned deeply.
She felt like something was off.
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