After watching Liu Wei's departing figure a few times on the official road, the dozen or so men left two to follow at a distance, while the others disappeared into the mountains and forests.
Then they traveled eastward for two or three miles and came to a low-lying valley.
The room was packed with people, about a hundred or so.
They wore black headscarves, tight-fitting clothes, soft armor, crossbows on their backs, and long swords with hilts at their waists.
Each of them had an arrogant and unruly look on their faces, and their eyes flashed with a fierce light; they were clearly not good people.
"The leader is back!"
When these dozen or so people appeared in the valley, they immediately caused a commotion.
The leader's ruthless gaze swept across the entire area like that of a hawk, and immediately silence fell.
"Brothers, the time has come for us, these warriors, to serve our General!"
“Our target is from Luoyang to Pingyuan, then to Anping and Hejian. We are accompanied by cavalry guards along the way, so we cannot make a move.”
"Now, he is traveling east alone for some reason."
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a chance to prove our worth. The target will be eliminated tonight!"
The leader's voice rolled over the heads of these assassins, powerful and penetrating, and everyone heard it clearly.
It's not hard to see that this leader possesses extraordinary martial arts skills.
Upon hearing their leader's words, the group of assassins' eyes lit up, their killing intent palpable.
Since they were secretly recruited as private soldiers by He Miao, the younger brother of the current general He Jin, they have been hiding in the two prefectures of Hanoi and Henan, numbering as many as a thousand.
However, He Miao, with a hundred elite soldiers, was on Zhengyangmen Street in Luoyang City, planning to launch a night attack on Liu Wei and Yan Xiaoliu, who were trying to escape from the palace.
As a result, Yan Xiaoliu was seriously injured, and He Miao was killed on the spot. The hundred assassins he brought with him abandoned more than twenty of them and scattered like birds and beasts.
The remaining assassins were taken in by He Jin outside Luoyang and participated in the battle to besiege Liu Wei at Mengjin, where they were all wiped out in the end!
Of these thousand warriors, after a hundred died, more than five hundred chose to stay and join He Jin, becoming his henchmen, while the rest scattered.
He Jin then selected 100 outstanding individuals from among these 500 people to form a pursuit team, and appointed a wandering knight named Han Long as its leader, to continue following Liu Wei and carrying out assassinations.
Han Long led these 100 men from Mengjin, following Liu Wei all the way, but could not find an opportunity to make a move.
When they arrived at Zhongshan State, they were surprised to find Liu Wei traveling alone on horseback.
They didn't know why Liu Wei would send out his guards first and then travel alone.
But he knew this was definitely an opportunity to take action against Liu Wei.
So he rushed back and gave the hundred assassins the order to kill Liu Wei at all costs!
Although these assassins did not answer, their eyes seemed to reveal the high-ranking officials and lucrative rewards in Luoyang.
Besides proving their worth to He Jin, He Jin must have offered these assassins a hefty reward.
Han Long was calculating that after killing Liu Wei, he would receive a reward of ten thousand taels of silver and a formal position in the imperial court.
Even if the 100 brothers divided the gold equally, each of them would receive at least 100 taels of gold, enough for them to live a life of leisure and luxury without having to work.
"Kill Liu Wei! Kill Liu Wei!"
One hundred people clenched their fists and let out a sinister roar.
In the valley, there's no worry about the sound carrying out.
"Chief, the target is heading towards Zhenjiazhuang, east of Wuji County, and has entered the courtyard of Zhenjiazhuang. He hasn't come out since!"
"Zhen Family Village?"
Han Long read the name aloud, then snorted coldly, "Very well, then let's set off now, lie in ambush in the woods on the hillside near Zhen Family Village, make our move tonight, and while we're at it, burn Zhen Family Village down as well."
"Chief, I heard there are five beauties in Zhen Family Village. How about we... hehehe!"
The assassins wore lewd smiles.
"Kill the target, and the property and women of Zhen Family Village are yours to take!"
Han Long isn't interested in women because he once got into a fight and accidentally injured himself, making it impossible for him to get an erection; he's probably ruined!
"Then leave behind the killers, the Black Mountain Army, haha!"
Han Long had already planned to secretly kill Liu Wei and send his head back to Luoyang to curry favor with He Jin.
The evil deed of slaughtering the Zhen family was attributed to the Black Mountain Army.
The *Biography of Huangfu Song* in the *Book of the Later Han* records: "After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, numerous groups rose up in the mountains and valleys, including Heishan, Huanglong, Baibo, Zuoxiao, Guo Daxian, Yu Digen, Qingniujiao, Zhang Baiqi, Liu Shi, Zuozizhangba, Pinghan, Daji, Sili, Yuanzai, Leigong, Fuyun, Feiyan, Baique, Yang Feng, Yudu, Wulu, Li Damu, Bairao, Suigu, Kushen, and Luoshi… Each had its own reasons."
The larger ones cost twenty to thirty thousand, while the smaller ones cost six to seven thousand.
The bandit leader, Zhang Yan, a native of Changshan, then colluded with bandits from the mountains and valleys of Zhongshan, Changshan, Zhaojun, Shangdang, and Henan, amassing a force of a million, and calling themselves the Black Mountain Bandits.
The Black Mountain Army entrenched itself in the Taihang Mountains, stretching for eight hundred li between Bingzhou and Jizhou, and frequently raided prefectures and counties.
If Han Long robbed the Zhen family and burned them down, people would only suspect the Black Mountain bandits.
"Everyone, take a short rest, eat some dry rations, and set off in batches in a little while!"
......
Meanwhile, Wuji County of Zhongshan State, located on the upper reaches of the Zishui River, is Jingxing, one of the eight passes of Taihang Mountain, which is famous throughout the world.
In the valley, countless heads thronged, seemingly numbering in the tens of thousands.
They were dressed in rags, carrying sticks, farm tools, and rudimentary weapons, and silently made their way.
They were all pale and thin, with sunken eyes and black palms, clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition.
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