Calculations, Part Two (Thanks to Alliance Leader San Bao Ai Ba Ma)

Early the next morning.

Zhang Rongfang arrived at the yamen to assemble when he received the transfer order.

The special envoy mobilized all but First Squad from the Ministry of Justice to go to Hundred Silver Valley outside the city to search for the fugitive.

Moreover, some of the Garrison from the Thousand Households Office garrison and most of the Official Messenger and constables from the State Yamen were also mobilized.

Nearly a thousand people, in First Squad, went out through the city gates and began searching the vicinity of Hundred Silver Valley.

The spectacle was so grand that many people gathered inside and outside the city gates to watch the excitement.

Many people seeking information approached officials at various levels to inquire about the situation.

Even Zhang Rongfang was approached by Chen Hansheng and Liu Han, who came to inquire about the situation.

At this time, Hundred Silver Valley.

In a dense, straight pine forest.

First Squad people were scattered in the forest, slowly moving deeper into the valley.

These men were Entering the Ranks by skilled fighters, followed by ordinary Official Messenger and soldiers. They moved in groups of five, steadily approaching the valley.

In the lead First Squad, Ouyang Jianrong, carrying a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, moved forward cautiously.

Beside him was Qian Huanzhong, the Captain the Fifth Squad of the Ministry of Justice.

The two were naturally surrounded by many members of Fifth Squad.

Compared to ordinary Official Messenger, the elite of the Ministry of Justice naturally possessed far greater overall strength.

Therefore, after obtaining the authorization, Ouyang Jianrong immediately brought this force over.

Before long, Ouyang Jianrong stopped and looked at the Gray-clad Man that had reappeared in front of him.

"You're still here after all!"

The man sighed, saying nothing more. He simply picked up his weapon slowly.

It was a Black Iron Bow made entirely of metal!

Whoosh! A sharp, piercing sound exploded out.

The black arrow flew from the bowstring, traveled a hundred meters, and pierced the chest of a team member, causing him to fall backward before becoming embedded in a tree trunk.

"Attack! All of you!!" Ouyang Jianrong shouted sternly.

The remaining team members, caught off guard, hesitated in fear.

"Those who don't comply will have their families wiped out and their entire clan exterminated! Get them!!" Ouyang Jianrong kicked one of the people next to him hard, knocking him to the ground.

"Whoever captures Huang Yuzhen will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver! Their Merit Promotion Three Grades!!"

Ouyang Jianrong shouted loudly.

A thousand taels of silver is fine, but Merit Promotion Three Grades will make everyone around envious.

In Great Ling, a third-level merit can directly lead to an official promotion!

Although it was the lowest-ranking official position, it was still one that could be passed down to one's sons and grandsons!

That represents the foundation of Lineage for a lifetime! As long as no major mistakes are made, an official position can bring wealth and prosperity to several generations!

Under the official selection system that primarily relied on recommendation and succession, an official position could be considered the most effective key to bridging social classes.

At this moment, the remaining members of Fifth Squad rushed towards Huang Yuzhen with red eyes.

They shouldered their round shields, bent low, and charged forward, using them to shield their bodies and heads.

Some people also raised their Crossbow and tried to deflect the arrows from behind.

However, the gap in strength is too large.

While dodging, Huang Yuzhen drew three arrows and pulled back the bowstring at the same time.

Boom!!

The arrow transformed into a black streak of light, piercing through the shoulders of all three simultaneously.

Their round shields could only cover most of their bodies, but a little bit of their shoulders would still be exposed.

It was this small flaw that Huang Yuzhen seized upon, crippling the three of them in one fell swoop.

"Kill them all!!" Ouyang Jianrong's roar echoed through the forest. He stared intently at Captain Qian Huanzhong, who remained motionless to the side.

"Anyone who fails to fight will be executed!"

The Fifth Squad Captain, Qian Huanzhong, felt a chill run down his spine, but he had no choice but to follow along.

Moments later, corpses and the seriously wounded lay scattered across the forest floor.

Huang Yuzhen. Before he could catch his breath, First Squad group of people rushed up.

These were people from the Second Squad and Sixth Squad, mixed with First Squad Official Messenger who, under Ouyang's pressure, also rushed forward.

Arrows flew in and out from time to time, forcing Huang Yuzhen to hide behind tree trunks from time to time.

Even so, his occasional counterattacks, such as rapid-fire arrows and three arrows fired at once, still caused heavy casualties among the attackers.

In addition, there were simple traps he had laid in advance in the forest.

Before long, the number of attackers had dwindled by more than half. Several of the leaders were shot dead on the spot, and the remaining men dared not advance.

"Attack! Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Ouyang Jianrong, carrying a knife, led Supervisory Team to stop those who tried to escape.

He could tell that Huang Yuzhen hadn't had a proper rest in the past two days, and her previous injuries were gradually worsening.

His strength is not what it used to be.

Almost there, almost there, we're about to finish! Thud! Suddenly, a crossbow bolt grazed Huang Yuzhen's shoulder, causing her to stumble.

Blood splattered.

Huang Yuzhen turned pale and left.

But soon, he felt the wound on his shoulder begin to feel numb and itchy.

"Poisonous!?"

He quickly pulled a small bottle from his waist pouch and poured some into it.

But after several attempts, the bottle remained empty, without a single pill.

The antidote was finally used up along the way.

His eyes were dim as he swiftly traversed the forest, soon reaching the bottom of the valley, where he crawled through a small hole made of large stones.

The cave was somewhat dark, and a little girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old was sitting there.

The girl looked exhausted and was wearing a dirty, tattered set of shorts and trousers.

Judging from the materials of the clothes, they are all made of silk and velvet, with some areas covered with silver fox fur.

Such materials are simply not something ordinary families can afford.

A single silver fox pelt, if made into clothing, can sell for at least several dozen taels of silver, demonstrating its rarity.

The girl had a beautiful face and a touch of gentle charm even at a young age.

Upon seeing Huang Yuzhen enter, she quickly stood up.

"Uncle Zhen! You're injured!?" she exclaimed softly.

"It's nothing." Huang Yuzhen felt the poison in her shoulder starting to spread. "It's not safe here anymore, we must move as soon as possible!"

"Okay!" The girl nodded quickly and began packing her things.

"Where's the knife?" Huang Yuzhen asked.

"Here it is." The girl took out a long Jade Green Long Blade from the corner.

The blade was emerald green, with iridescent edges. The hilt was wrapped in the fur of an unknown animal, giving it a rugged and fuzzy appearance. A thin black tassel hung from the end.

"I'll be using the box in a little while, so be careful not to come out," Huang Yuzhen gently instructed.

"Mmm!" The girl nodded, quite forcefully.

"These are the last two boxes, but it's okay, someone will come to pick you up soon." Huang Yuzhen patted the girl's head and smiled.

"Uncle Zhen will come with me then!" the girl said earnestly.

"Yes." Huang Yuzhen nodded.

Suddenly his ears twitched slightly.

"They're here. I'll go deal with them first. You hide here and wait for me to come back before leaving."

"Um!"

***At this time, outside Hundred Silver Valley.

Zhang Rongfang led Ninth Squad, spreading out in the forest to block the route.

This Hundred Silver Valley is interconnected in all directions, connecting Qingding Mountain and Red Mountain, and also connected to the Jade Belt River.

It's simply impossible to completely surround them.

For martial arts masters, the seemingly steep slopes Woodland on both sides are actually not very challenging.

Therefore, all that could be done was to block most of the escape routes as much as possible.

In the pine forest, the damp, cold air was mixed with the faint smell of mycelium and mildew.

The distinctive Pine Oil of pine trees is slightly pungent.

"Team Zhang, Teams Fifth Squad, Second Squad, Sixth Squad have all been transferred to the front lines. There's still no news. Something feels off," Liu Han whispered, moving closer.

"No rush." Zhang Rongfang's expression was stern. His overall rank had reached the Eighth Grade, and he could hear screams coming from ahead.

It is clear that the situation is unfavorable.

In this situation, the Ninth Squad he led could stay up all night.

What surprised him even more was that so many people had been mobilized to capture just two fugitives, yet they still hadn't succeeded.

This is simply unbelievable!

Even if Special Envoy Ouyang Jianrong couldn't command High Grade Expert, with so many people piling up on him, even High Grade would have been doomed long ago.

Soon, another First Squad of people was summoned away by the Messenger Officer.

Zhang Rongfang watched the group leave, his mind raced, pondering the possibilities.

Soon, the order finally arrived.

"Eighth Squad, Ninth Squad, come with me!"

The Messenger Officer arrived quickly.

"Walk!"

Zhang Rongfang had nothing to say, and together with the Captain of the Eighth Squad, he led his men to follow.

More than 30 people sprinted and jogged all the way, and on the way they happened to encounter the wounded and the dead being carried back.

The sight of the wounded soldiers' bodies filled everyone with dread.

Soon, the Woodland came to an end, where a wide, rocky beach lay beside the Jade Belt River.

This is the Hundred Silver Valley.

The steep slopes on both sides resemble funnels. A river flows swiftly through the center.

There are river beaches on both sides of the river.

First Squad people were now surrounding a stone hut on the riverbank.

Crossbow bolts were scattered all over the ground.

The hut was covered by large rocks, each taller than a person.

At most, only a dozen or so people can rush up at a time.

No wonder Ouyang Jianrong would send First Squad at once.

As soon as Zhang Rongfang and the others arrived, they immediately saw Qiu Hantao, the Sixth Squad Captain, lying on the ground, no longer breathing.

This previously taciturn man now stared wide-eyed, his eyes wide open in death.

Half of his head was crushed by the heavy blow, and blood was gushing from his seven orifices, a truly pitiful sight.

A heavy Central Capital settled over everyone.

"Eighth Squad, move out!" Ouyang Jianrong's cold voice came from behind the Supervisory Team.

At this point, only three members of his Supervisory Team remained.

The rest of them died in the sudden counterattack.

Just now, Huang Yuzhen was pushed to the limit and suddenly threw a box out. The box exploded and shot out countless tiny Iron Caltrops.

At least ten of the men who rushed forward were killed instantly, and many more were injured.

Even the Supervisory Team that were positioned further away were injured by the highly poisonous Iron Caltrops, suffering heavy casualties.

At this moment, the Eighth Squad hesitated to advance.

Captain Fan Yu's face was grim, but the die was cast and the die had to be cast. To desert in the face of so many people watching would be to disobey military orders, and in Great Ling, that would mean having one's home ransacked.

He carefully carried the round shield, holding it in front of him, and slowly led his men closer.

Thud thud thud! In an instant, three more iron arrows shot out from behind a large rock.

The three people fell to the ground.

The figure darted about at lightning speed. The crossbow bolts couldn't catch up with it at all.

With the arrows gone, the pebbles on the ground became the biggest problem.

In the hands of High Grade Expert, a pebble can be just as powerful as an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, with a series of thuds, most of the members of Eighth Squad collapsed to the ground, utterly powerless to resist.

Blood was splattered everywhere.

It almost dyed the surrounding riverbanks red.

Thud! A muffled sound suddenly rang out.

Fan Yu, the Captain of the Eighth Squad, fell to the ground with an iron arrow lodged between his eyebrows. His body convulsed, and he soon lost his breath.

But Ouyang Jianrong didn't care; he had already heard Huang Yuzhen's heavy breathing.

These elite officers were indeed much better than ordinary Official Messenger.

If Huang Yuzhen wanted to kill them all, she would have to expend even more effort.

"Ninth Squad, charge!"

He continued looking at Ninth Squad.

Zhang Rongfang looked at a box lying on the ground.

My heart sank.

The marks around the box were extremely obvious, all made of purplish-black Iron Caltrops.

These Iron Caltrops are clearly highly poisonous.

Such terrifying hidden weapons! If the opponent still has them, going up like that without heavy armor would be tantamount to suicide!

"Sir, should we just charge in like this? Why don't we change into heavy armor and surround them?" He turned to Ouyang Jianrong and suggested.

"I told you to charge up there!" Ouyang Jianrong didn't even look at him, his eyes still fixed on the stone house.

"What if the other side still has those Black Box? Wouldn't we just be throwing our lives away if we went up there?!" Zhang Rongfang said in a deep voice.

Judging from the box's range and lethality, even if he were Ninth Grade, without any equipment to protect him, going up into it would only mean certain death.

"Military orders are absolute. I am now in charge of the Prefectural Transfer Order, and I am the commander-in-chief!"

Ouyang Jianrong immediately turned his gaze to Zhang Rongfang.

"Even if it means death, you have to fight me!"

"Hmm?? Is my lord forcing me?" Zhang Rongfang lowered his head, his anger rising, and his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

"Three breaths. Choose between charging in or confiscating your property and exterminating your entire clan," Ouyang Jianrong said coldly.

Clang.

He drew his sword and pointed it at Zhang Rongfang.