“The physician said that he prescribed Wu Er’niu some potent medicine, that Wu Er’niu would be able to walk the day after tomorrow.”
In the morning, when Ling Zhang was still in the guards’ yard, Xia Feng went to the yard and told him that a physician had treated the wounds of Wu Er’niu.
“I see. Bid the physician not to disclose the injury of Wu Er’niu to anybody.”
“Rest assured, young master. I’ve already told him this. Physician Lin has always been on good terms with us. On top of that, he is a man of discretion.”
Knowing that the physician who had treated Wu Er’niu was Physician Lin, Ling Zhang said no more, since Physician Lin had always been in cooperation with Ling family and Ling Zhang trusted him.
It was the third day after the guards of Ling family started training the Trap-and-Kill Formation of Twelve. They were getting more and more proficient in it. Back on the first day of the training, the guards’ yard was designated a restricted zone that nobody was allowed to enter without permission. At this time, guards formed up into the first array of the Trap-and-Kill Formation of Twelve. The atmosphere in the drill field instantly became tense. Even a leaf carried by a wind, once it entered this array, wouldn’t be able to get out of it.
Xia Feng standing beside Ling Zhang felt exceptionally nervous after merely watching the array for a few moments. These guards had really changed drastically and were not who they used to be. Though he was merely standing in front of the formation, he still felt great pressure. He believed that if he was trapped in the formation, there was a very high chance that he wouldn’t be able to get out of it.
“Train for another day, brothers. Tomorrow I’ll find someone to test out your formation. I hope you won’t let me down.”
“We won’t!”
They had practiced for quite some time. The teamwork among them had reached such a whole new level that they actually made their responses in unison.
After all these days’ training, every one of them noticed the changes that had been brought to them. Apart from better teamwork, everybody discovered that their bodily movement techniques had improved significantly. Sometimes, when they were sparring in pairs, they would, in an almost subconscious manner, perform the footwork that they had memorized to sidestep the blow of the opponent. Among the twelve guards, Wang Dashan and Liu Yi had the best kung fu skills. In order to confirm their discovery, the other ten guards took turns to spar with Wang Dashan and Liu Yi at dusk every day during the past few days, and never once had they been disappointed.
This kind of discovery was a pleasant surprise for them who were kung fu practitioners.
As a result, when Ling Zhang said that he would find them a training partner, the enthusiasm of all guards ran high.
“Young Master, is it the bodyguard of our distinguished guest?” Wang Dashan asked in haste.
“Yes.” Ling Zhang was not surprised that Wang Dashan guessed right.
Wang Dashan and other guards were overjoyed at this answer. They exchanged glances and said, “Rest assured, Young Master. We won’t fail you!”
Ling Zhang made no response. ‘It’s a good thing that they have confidence in themselves, but… I hope they’ll be able to recover from the setback that they’re going to suffer tomorrow.”
At the time when Ling Zhang was training his guards, a large-scale murder hunt had just come to an end outside Tanyang. Soldiers of the Prefecture Guards were the main force, but they still failed to find any clues to the criminal who had murdered Lu Kui. As if the murderer had vanished into thin air, they didn’t find a single trace of him or her whatsoever.
“Commander, we’ve been searching for three full days. Today is the fourth day already, but there’s no trace of the guy who killed Lu Kui. Some citizens are complaining about our repeated large-scale search.”
Zhang Chong darkened his face. “What did those bastards say?”
“They said that the murderer was not one of them, that they didn’t send anyone to kill Lu Kui.”
“Humph! As far as I can tell, they just don’t have the balls to admit what they’ve done!” Zhang Chong thundered. “Surely they won’t tell me the murderer is an outside burglar!”
“Please calm your anger, Commander. I’ve sent some men to conduct a covert investigation into this. If it was really some local gang that was behind the murder, there are definitely traces to be found.”
“Yet how long do you think it’ll take you to find the truth? That old bastard Tao Feng still refuses to let go of the position of the Right Tongzhi no matter how hard I try to make him to. If it weren’t for that his mentor is one of the most influential figures in the Imperial Court, I would have cut off his head long ago!”
His subordinate lapsed into a frightened silence before Zhang Chong’s fury.
“Send word to those bastards. None of them is to leave their mountain strongholds for the duration of the murder hunt. Anyone who dares to go downhill shall be killed on sight! In addition to this, since those cowards refuse to admit and are covering for each other, each gang is to make a compensatory payment of 10,000 taels of silver to the Prefecture Guards to cover the expense of this murder hunt! If they refuse to pay compensation, I’ll flatten their strongholds in five days!”
“Uh… Commander, are you not worried that this might arouse their grudges?”
“Grudges? As far as I can tell, they just have been slacking for too long, and they could use a reminder of who’s the boss. If any of them should hold grudges against me because of this, tell them to come and talk to me. Those who still resist shall be put to my saber! The emperor has just turned me down. Another opportunity to make a request is the very thing I’m seeking.” Zhang Chong’s voice was cold and harsh like the sound of a saber scratching someone’s bones, which scared his subordinates to such an extent that none of them dared to dissuade him again.
Soon, Zhang Chong’s order spread through all mountain strongholds of bandits near Tanyang.
“Chief, why is Zhang Chong doing this? We’ve already told him we’re not the ones responsible for the murder. Why is he being so pushy?”
“Tell me about it! Forbidding us from leaving the mountain is synonymous with forbidding us from robbing people. And he also wants us to pay 10,000 taels of silver in compensation. Isn’t he trying to starve us to death? Zhang Chong is even greedier than we are!”
“Screw it! Zhang Chong scares many, but not me. I’ll grab my saber and go down there to fight him right now!”
“Quiet! Don’t be so impulsive!” the gang-leader thundered, a sullen look on his face.
“Zhang Chong is doing this to send a message to the one who’s responsible for the murder of Lu Kui. He wants to force the murder to stand into the light,” explained the gang-leader.
“But we have nothing to do with this whatsoever. Why do we have to pay him 10,000 taels?”
“That’s true!”
The gang-leader was also full of righteous indignation, but he was manifestly more rational than his subordinates. “I’ll go and consult with other gangs tonight. We’ll figure this out after I come back. Don’t take any rash action for the duration. Otherwise there will be consequences.”
“Well, then. Don’t keep us waiting for too long, chief.”
This kind of agitation arose in every bandit gang. Zhang Chong’s order was undoubtedly as unacceptable as asking them to cut meat from their own bodies, and none of them was willing to obey. Violent and fierce by nature, all bandits were indignant and on the verge of staging an uprising.
“Tsk. Surprisingly, it really doesn’t concern Zhang Chong that those bandits might riot,” said a man who was staking out the Prefecture Encampment.
“He’s a wildly arrogant man,” another man said.
Soon, news spread to Tanyang.
“Zhang Chong got anxious,” Ling Zhang concluded after hearing the report.
Yuwen Tong’s reaction to this message was bland. “He’s always been holding those bandits in contempt, but now some of them dared to inflict humiliation on him. How could he not be anxious?”
“Then what’s your opinion? Will these bandits really stay on the mountains as they’re ordered to and pay Zhang Chong 10,000 taels of silver?”
“10,000 is no small number. Relatively bigger gangs might afford it, but for those smaller ones, a compensatory payment of 10,000 taels will bankrupt them. They might have to choose otherwise.”
“Are you saying that they’ll… they’ll riot?”
“If we fuel their anger.”
‘Fuel their anger? Is Yuwen Tong saying that he wants those bandits to riot?’ Ling Zhang wondered.
“For one thing, there will be less robberies around Tanyang. For another, it’ll make it more convenient for us to look for the place where their armaments are stored.”
Ling Zhang understood. Yuwen Tong intended to distract Zhang Chong by forcing him to deal with those bandits.
In the Prefecture Encampment.
“Commander, except for the Red Maple Fastness and a couple of gangs near it, no gangs agreed.”
Zhang Chong’s face went dark with rage, which made the scar on it seem frighteningly hideous. “It seems that I’ve been too nice to them, which is why they forgot who’s the one they owe their allegiance to in Tanyang.”
“Then what do we do, Commander?”
“Go and give the order to fall in. Make it loud so that those bandits can hear. For those who still refuse to obey, I’ll lead the army myself and stamp their strongholds into oblivion tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Bandit gangs nearby, naturally, had been paying close attention to the movement of troops in Prefecture Encampment, and the news of Zhang Chong mustering an army soon came to their knowledge.
“Son of a bitch! Zhang Chong is really going to launch an attack on us!”
“He doesn’t scare me. Let him try. I’ll fight to the last breath. Under no circumstances will I let him get a single coin!”
“Chief, something is not right. Didn’t you say that Zhang Chong merely wanted to force the one who killed Lu Kui into showing himself? Why is he mustering his troops to attack us?” Someone with a sharp mind sensed that something was wrong.
“He’s seeking to make an example of us. The hunt for the one responsible for Lu Kui’s death is taking too long, so he begins to question our loyalty to him.”
“Then what should we do? Surely, we won’t just stand by and let Zhang Chong kill our brothers just to send a message to others, will we?”
Though the leader of a bandit gang, he was still a bandit whose wits were merely average. Eventually, he decided to compromise. “We pay the 10,000 taels of silver. Take all our silver ingots out of the cellar.”
“Chief, we’ve been working hard for years to save that money. You’re going to give it to Zhang Chong just like this?!”
“I can’t watch my brothers die. We can always make more money, but we only live once.”
“Chief, I do not agree. I’d rather die fighting Zhang Chong!”
“He’s right, Chief. I’d rather die fighting Zhang Chong as well!”
“What about other people? Have you asked our brothers if they share your opinion? Some of their wives and children are here. You’d watch them be slaughtered as well?”
Instantly, the whole gang fell silent.
“The deadline for response is tomorrow morning, Chief. There’s still some time for us to think. Maybe there’s another way.”
“Shit! This is fucking unbelievable! I’ve been a robber in my whole life, but now I’m the one who’s going to be robbed!”
“Tell me about it. How am I supposed to swallow this?”
…
On that night, a lot of leaders of bandit gangs secretly gathered together to consult with each other on how to deal with Zhang Chong’s demand.
“If I give him 10,000 taels of silver, my brothers won’t even have enough money for food. Who will follow my orders if I can’t even fill their bellies?”
“Exactly who’s so fucking brainless as to kill that Lu Kui guy? He’s got us into such deep trouble!”
“We either find the murderer or pay the money. I don’t see that there’s another choice!”
“Actually, there is.”
“What do you mean?”
“We kill Zhang Chong. And then nobody will ask us for money ever again.”
“I agree. We chose to cooperate with Zhang Chong to make money. Now Zhang Chong seeks to starve us. He’s the one who failed to keep his end of the bargain. Why are we still following his orders? We’re bandits, not the Prefecture Guards!”
“But how can we kill him? The Prefecture Encampment is heavily guarded.”
“Wait. You’re really thinking of killing him? Zhang Chong is the commander of the Prefecture Guards. If he dies, the Imperial Court definitely won’t let us get away with it.”
“Then we flee. We kill Zhang Chong, take his money and flee.”
“Sounds like a plan. Zhang Chong has us cornered leaving us no choice anyway. We might as well go for broke!”
