Magistrate Zhou, on the other hand, felt that the Axe Gang wanted to cooperate with Zhu Yunwen, and therefore would no longer cooperate with Magistrate Zhou.
Both sides began to doubt each other, and even became more certain of each other's suspicions.
In this move, Zhu Yunwen almost succeeded in sowing discord and even lured out all the bandits.
Enraged, Magistrate Zhou followed Zhu Yunwen and led his soldiers out of the city, heading north to prepare for the suppression of bandits.
The ten Imperial Guards also impersonated among the three hundred soldiers.
They will play a significant role this time as well.
When they arrived at the villages to the north, the bandits were riding horses, carrying knives, and running rampant around the villages.
The villagers were terrified and trembled with fear.
When the government troops arrived, none of the bandits ran away, so the two sides began to stand facing each other, about ten feet apart.
On the Axe Gang's side, the gang leader, riding on horseback, first glanced at County Magistrate Zhou on the side of the government soldiers.
County Magistrate Zhou also had a serious expression. He glanced at the Axe Gang leader. Both sides suspected each other and refused to cooperate, so there was a strange anger in their eyes when they met.
Zhu Yunwen naturally noticed this as well, so he rolled his eyes and began to sow discord again, saying:
"The Axe Gang lives up to its reputation; they really have quite a presence. It seems I'll have to apply for more money from above to completely wipe out these bandits."
To others, his words seemed insignificant, but to the Axe Gang leader and Magistrate Zhou, two men who suspected each other, they heard his most sensitive words.
What Magistrate Zhou heard was Zhu Yunwen's words, which mainly praised the Axe Gang's prowess. He used these polite words to pave the way for him to ask his superiors and the imperial court for more money to deal with the bandits.
Therefore, Magistrate Zhou got the feeling that Zhu Yunwen had really cooperated with the Tiger Head Gang.
When Zhu Yunwen spoke to the Axe Gang, the key words were that they wanted to wipe out the Axe Gang.
The Axe Gang felt a chill run down their spines. Sure enough, the county government had partnered with the new bandits and was preparing to deal with their old partners. This was a real cleanup.
Thus, Zhu Yunwen's simple provocative remark immediately aroused the anger of County Magistrate Zhou and the Axe Gang leader to the greatest extent.
So the Axe Gang leader said:
"If you want to destroy my Axe Gang, I'll make those corrupt officials in your county government pay the price."
However, in the eyes of Magistrate Zhou, his words seemed, as always, like he was deliberately putting on an act.
This infuriated Magistrate Zhou. He thought to himself, "Zhu Yuntong has only been here a few days, and you're already cooperating with him so well. It's outrageous!"
Thinking of this, Magistrate Zhou considered that if he could take advantage of this opportunity, he could really kill all these ungrateful wretches.
So he took it upon himself to shout:
"Kill them! Kill all these bandits!"
His shout of "kill!" further convinced the Axe Gang leader that the county government was about to discard him after he had served his purpose.
He was furious and immediately roared:
"Men, kill all these corrupt officials in the county government, especially that damned Zhou."
These words made Magistrate Zhou furious.
The misunderstanding between the two sides deepened, with each feeling that the other wanted to kick them out of the game.
The Axe Gang leader thought that Magistrate Zhou wanted to kill him and replace him with someone else.
County Magistrate Zhou also felt that the Axe Gang leader had cooperated with Zhu Yunwen and wanted to kill him, the county magistrate.
As a result, the Axe Gang leader kept telling his subordinates to kill the official surnamed Zhou.
County Magistrate Zhou kept giving orders to his constables to kill the Axe Gang leader.
Zhu Yunwen, on the other hand, rode on horseback, watching the excitement from afar, protected by Zhao Qingzhu.
He thought to himself, "It would be best if you all died. You killed each other, and you all deserved it anyway."
Thus, a great battle immediately began. Normally, the three hundred soldiers and three hundred bandits would have fought to a standstill.
This time, however, was different. Ten Imperial Guards, disguised as government soldiers, joined the bandits and, following Zhu Yunwen's orders, went on a killing spree, carrying out a frenzied massacre.
Therefore, the battle situation changed drastically due to the secret addition of ten Imperial Guards.
Previously, the fights between the county government and the Axe Gang were like child's play, not intense at all. But this time, with both sides really getting into it, and with the addition of ten Imperial Guards, the battle was extremely fierce, even horrific.
Those ten Imperial Guards were ruthless killers; in the blink of an eye, they had killed dozens of bandits.
Upon seeing this, the Axe Gang leader was absolutely certain that the county government was indeed going to eliminate them.
So he didn't hold back, fighting as he rode his horse straight toward Magistrate Zhou.
His expression suggested he wanted to kill Magistrate Zhou for his own good, and of course, it would be even better if he could also kill Magistrate Zhu Yunwen.
After such a battle, the ten Imperial Guards killed more and more people, almost half of the bandits.
In the end, almost all the bandits from the Axe Gang were wiped out, leaving only the gang leader on horseback, still struggling to break through the soldiers' obstruction and charging towards Magistrate Zhou.
County Magistrate Zhou was quite frightened and kept asking people to protect him.
However, the leader of the Axe Gang was also quite skilled in martial arts. He leaped off his horse and over the heads of many constables. In a few rolls, he was in front of Magistrate Zhou.
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