Magistrate Liu held his breath and waited anxiously, his heart pounding with tension.
Having served as an official for over twenty years, he never felt nervous when he first took office as county magistrate.
I tend to sweat when I'm nervous.
Magistrate Liu was dressed in plain clothes, which were already soaked with sweat.
As dawn broke, everyone had stayed up all night, but no one dared to relax.
The men led by Zhang the clerk finally returned, and Magistrate Liu hurriedly asked, "How did it go?"
Master Zhang was overjoyed, and the junior yamen runners behind him were also very happy.
"Your Excellency, this thing is really useful! It's... amazing!" It took Zhang, the clerk, a long time to come up with a word to describe it.
The yamen runners were very fond of the electric batons, which were much more effective than the broadswords they carried.
If the blow lands accurately, the person will immediately fall to the ground. Most importantly, the person will not die, but will be knocked unconscious.
Magistrate Liu rubbed his hands excitedly. "Good, good, let's go in with the men." He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and went out first.
The bandits' stronghold was quite large, with more than twenty houses of various sizes.
The bandits stationed outside had all been tied up by the yamen runners. Master Zhang pointed to a house that looked better.
"Sir, Boss Song and the others are in that room."
A dozen or so constables, armed with electric batons, quietly surrounded the house, forming a circle around it.
Inside the house, the three bandit leaders were drunk on a bed.
In his sleep, Song Lao Er curled up, held it in for a moment, and then let out two smelly farts right in front of Song Lao San.
The third brother was so bothered by the smell that he almost threw up.
Song Laosan was woken up by the stench. He glared at his second brother resentfully, sniffing, and said, "Second brother, did you eat shit? Your farts stink so much!"
Song Lao Er impatiently turned over and went back to sleep.
Looking out the window, the sky outside was already beginning to lighten.
Having drunk too much last night, Song Laosan had been holding it in for a while, so he got up and went out to urinate.
He staggered to the door and unlatched it. The moment he stepped out, Song Laosan felt a chill on his stomach.
He stared blankly at his stomach, where a stick was pressed against it. When he looked up again, he saw a yamen runner dressed in government attire.
Old Song screamed in terror, "Big brother, second brother, something's happened!"
The constables quickly turned on the stun gun, and Song Laosan convulsed for a moment before collapsing straight down.
More constables with electric batons surrounded the entrance and blocked it.
The eldest and second eldest Song brothers were fully awake. They jumped out of bed and grabbed the long knife hanging on the wall.
"How dare you! You dare cause trouble on my turf!"
Magistrate Liu walked from the back to the front, his face grim, and said, "Brother Song, release my son, or I'll raze your entire village to the ground!"
Boss Song would not compromise just because of such a small threat.
He's not easily intimidated; he's seen it all.
"Money for the person. If you don't see three thousand taels today, Magistrate, you can expect to collect your son's corpse!" Old Song grinned wickedly.
There were only about a hundred bandits outside, and they had already been brought under control by the government troops.
If Magistrate Liu hadn't been concerned about his son's life, he would have ordered his men to force their way in long ago.
"Where is Chu Yu! I need to see her first!"
Song Lao Er snorted coldly, "Get all your men out of here, or I'll kill your son!"
Magistrate Liu's heart skipped a beat, and his face turned pale.
He waved his hand, and the constables retreated outside one by one.
The eldest and second eldest Song brothers, each carrying a long knife, cautiously walked outside step by step.
When they got outside, they discovered that their brothers from the mountains had already been captured. They were all lying on the open ground in front of the door, bound hand and foot.
Among them were Zhang San and Li Si, who guarded the cage. When Song Laoda saw the two of them there, he was startled.
The fact that these two men have been brought here bound means they've already found the magistrate's son's hiding place.
Why did the magistrate ask him for hostages just now?
After thinking for a moment, Song the Elder decided to play along and said, "Release my brothers and bring the money, and I will release the hostages."
Given the current situation, it seems that Boss Song and his group are at a disadvantage.
Magistrate Liu scoffed coldly, "Brother Song, I advise you to hand over my son right now. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Boss Song didn't take such threats seriously at all.
"Stop talking nonsense. If you don't do as I say, you'll never see your son again in your life!"
As dawn broke, the morning fog in the mountains was thick, and the air was filled with a damp smell.
Master Zhang looked around and saw that apart from these few houses, the rest of the area was covered with bushes.
Where could Boss Song hide someone? They certainly don't know this mountain as well as these bandits. If he hides someone well, they won't be able to find him for a while.
I wonder if the young master will be able to hold out until they find him.
Thinking of this, Zhang, the clerk, stepped forward and whispered in the magistrate's ear, "Sir, let's agree to Boss Song's conditions first. The most urgent thing is to find the young master as soon as possible!"
Magistrate Liu was seething with anger. He had finally managed to infiltrate Boss Song's lair, but he still couldn't wipe them all out in one fell swoop.
How could he feel at ease with this?
Seeing that Magistrate Liu's belly was bulging with anger, Zhang, the clerk, quickly comforted him, "Sir, the young master's safety is the most important thing."
Magistrate Liu finally regained his senses. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Let them go!"
The constables stepped forward and untied Song Laosan and the group of bandits lying on the ground. Some of them had just been shocked with electric batons, and their bodies felt numb and weak, making them unable to exert any strength.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
