39. Vicious Bandits

"Is that...an Iron-Core Bow?!"

As the ringleader among the laborers, Wu Tiehu unceremoniously claimed one of the only two iron-studded leather armors for himself, then buckled a Hundred Refinements Steel Saber to his waist. The other set, naturally, went to Zhao Song.

As their leaders, the two picked out a few men who knew how to use bows and arrows. They took up horn bows and slung quivers over their shoulders. Then they saw the bow in Feng Han's hands—a fine military-grade Iron-Core Bow—and their expressions changed again.

At the time, any bow that could shoot two hundred paces was considered good. But an Iron-Core Bow had a range of three hundred paces, making it a true killing weapon.

Seeing Wu Ming's expression, they felt a sudden chill in their hearts. They knew something big was about to happen.

"Men!"

Wu Ming waved, and two servants came forward carrying wooden trays. They lifted the red silk covering them, revealing gleaming silver ingots, each worth five taels. The silver light flashed so brightly it dazzled the eyes.

"I won't say much else... Come with me this time to hunt down bandits. I say who dies, and that's who dies! If you're killed or wounded, I'll compensate you in full and look after your families. For now, everyone gets ten taels of silver!"

With a broad sweep of his hand, Wu Ming personally distributed the silver to each man.

The two heavy ingots in each man's hands made the Village Militia and laborers' eyes turn red. They cried, "We're willing to die for you, Young Master!"

"Good. We're moving out!"

Wu Ming set off at once with Feng Han and the others. As they looked out at the fields, he suddenly smiled. "Isn't being a patrol inspector pretty useful? We're out here preparing to deal with bandits, so we're the authorities! What do we have to fear?"

"Young Master is right!"

Wu Tiehu gave a ferocious grin and tightened the leather armor on his body.

In these turbulent times, it was understandable to keep weapons inside a fortified manor. But to carry them out in broad daylight—was that asking for rebellion?

Even the servants only used wooden staves when they went to collect taxes. They had to be wary of appearances.

But under the name of the patrol office, they had every right.

"The place we're heading to is Spoon Mountain. You all know it, right?"

Now that they were out, Wu Ming made no attempt to hide their destination. He gestured, and Feng Han explained the situation.

"Of course. Spoon Mountain commands the mountain road west of Yunping County, and a band of vicious outlaws has taken up residence there. Their leader is Jie Tianfeng!"

Wu Tiehu sneered. "They say Jie Tianfeng has a couple of tricks up his sleeve. I heard he's done time in prison, too. Your old pal Tiger would like to trade a few blows with him!"

"Ahem..."

Wu Ming cleared his throat, and the whole group fell silent. These men had all been his family's tenant farmers and village militia. Silver had fattened their purses, and over the past few days, he had established his authority. So long as he didn't openly speak of defying the government or rebelling, they were useful enough. "To be honest, our family has a grudge against the Zhou family. A caravan of theirs happens to be passing below Spoon Mountain this time... Heh..."

"It's perfectly normal to accidentally injure someone while hunting bandits..."

Wu Tiehu paused, then immediately raised his voice. "For all we know... Jie Tianfeng may have robbed that caravan before we even get there!"

"Exactly!"

Wu Ming hadn't expected him to be so quick on the uptake. He could dress up killing innocents for credit with such a straight face—he really was a talent.

Wu Ming said, "This campaign is to capture bandits and protect the people. You'll all get a share of the spoils, and I'll also petition the county magistrate to reward you for your service!"

At that, everyone erupted in cheers.

Wu Ming and Feng Han exchanged an inconspicuous glance and smiled.

Wu Ming truly intended to kill this time. If Jie Tianfeng made a move, they would wipe them all out. If he didn't, they would simply ambush the Zhou family's caravan, then take the opportunity to raze Jie Tianfeng's stronghold.

As long as they killed everyone who could identify them, there would be no witnesses. They could claim that Jie Tianfeng had destroyed the Zhou family's caravan, and the rest of the goods would naturally be spoils of war! They would even earn credit for suppressing bandits!

As for the caravan's goods? They were bandit plunder! How could anyone just make an empty claim and expect them to hand it over?

Besides, it was perfectly normal for some things to go missing in the confusion of battle.

In short, this time they would give the Zhou family a thorough drubbing, then pin all the blame on the bandits. The authorities would have nothing to use against them, and the Zhou family would be left choking on their loss!

Once they had settled on the plan, Wu Ming waved his hand, and the group scattered to patrol the villages as usual.

After nightfall, they used the cover of darkness to make it look as if they were returning home. Wu Ming, however, led his elite men toward Spoon Mountain.

Spoon Mountain lay west of Yunping County. Its range stretched out like a long handle, while the main peak sank into a hollow basin containing a lake. It looked like a ladle, hence the name.

The vicious bandit Jie Tianfeng and his gang had made their home there.

People might get the wrong name, but they never got the wrong nickname. Jie Tianfeng lived up to his: his two prominent ears drew the eye. Now he was drinking bowl after bowl of wine. A long table stood before him, piled with chunks of dried meat, steamed buns, pheasants, and wild rabbits, along with jars of aged wine. The aroma filled the room.

Bandits might seem carefree, but their lives were actually hard. This one feast was almost as much as they'd normally consume in ten days.

"Boss, does that mean we've got a job?"

The men below wolfed down their food. The second-in-command, a one-eyed man, kept staring at Jie Tianfeng with his single eye.

"Heh... That's right. One of the underlings brought me a map showing a caravan's route. It's passing straight through our turf, and what it's carrying is enough to let all the brothers enjoy a prosperous New Year!"

A cold glint flashed in Jie Tianfeng's eyes as he spoke.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's take them!" The Third Boss was a dark-faced, hard-hearted simpleton. He shouted at once, "We've got so many brothers. What's there to fear?"

"This target is a little tricky. It's cargo belonging to the Zhou family in the county, and Song Jingang is leading the caravan."

Jie Tianfeng explained.

"The Zhou family? Song Jingang?" The second-in-command drew a sharp breath. "That really is a tough one to deal with. It'll be like tearing a hole in the sky..."

He understood all too well the influence of a great family like that. They were tied to several bands of outlaws by countless hidden connections. If they robbed the caravan, there would truly be nowhere left for them to hide.

"If our heads fall, we'll just have a bowl-sized scar. What's there to fear?"

The Third Boss had already had enough wine to go to his head. He thumped his chest, brimming with swagger. "Just give the word, Boss, and I'll take care of it right away. At worst, we'll hide in the mountains. We wouldn't fear even a whole army coming to hunt us down!"

"You're both right, brothers. But you've missed one thing: where did this news come from?"

Jie Tianfeng smiled faintly. "Ever since I established this stronghold, I've kept clear of the great families. I didn't want to be anyone's blade. It's obvious someone's trying to borrow a blade to kill, and they can forget it..."

"To tell you the truth, I've already planned everything out. I know this is all a struggle between powerful families in the county. We'll watch closely and stay out of sight, letting those two fight first. Then we can either profit as the fisherman, or casually support one side and curry favor with them. Either way, we'll have room to maneuver! Even if things go wrong, we can still withdraw!"

"Boss, you're a genius!"

The second-in-command admired him completely. He had always thought there was a good reason why someone else became the boss and he could only be second-in-command.

"Truly, you've got yourself seated firmly on the fishing platform!"

At that moment, a voice suddenly came from the entrance to the hall.

Jie Tianfeng looked over and saw a young man in leather armor standing in the doorway, sneering. A troop of armored men surged inside. The wine in his system sobered him up halfway. "Who are you?"

"I'm the snipe and clam you were talking about. You just don't know that all I need from you this time is your heads!"

Wu Ming couldn't be bothered to waste words. He waved. "Kill them all!"

Whoosh, whoosh!

At the command, Zhao Song immediately nocked arrows and drew his bow. The arrows fell like rain. After two volleys, Wu Tiehu let out a roar and charged in with the others. Blood splattered everywhere.

"They really are no match!"

Wu Ming shook his head at the sight.

He had taken them by surprise and surrounded the mountain. What defenses could a tiny bandit den possibly have? He and Feng Han, both experts, had slipped in and out like ghosts, taking out the few guards on the outskirts in an instant.

A wave of men surged inside. The bandits had been drinking and making merry—how could they possibly stand against them?

On one side were well-trained village militia serving as patrol guards, armed with excellent equipment. On the other were a rabble, most without weapons, let alone leather armor to protect them. They had also been ambushed. The outcome went without saying.

Half an hour later, Zhao Song returned with blood on his leather armor and reported, "Young Master, there were fifty-three bandits. Not one escaped! We searched the entire stronghold and found eight dan of coarse grain, two hundred and thirty-seven taels of silver, and countless odds and ends. There were also some battered iron weapons that can be melted down and reforged..."

"Haha, Young Master, I've killed Jie Tianfeng and brought you his head!"

Feng Han considered himself an expert, so after breaking through the stronghold's defenses, he stood aside and let the Village Militia do the work.

Wu Tiehu, however, had fought to his heart's content. Wounded, he came over carrying a head whose eyes still stared lifelessly. Its two prominent ears stood out in particular. It was Jie Tianfeng.

"With this tyrant slain, you've earned first credit!"

Wu Ming nodded, though he knew that Zhao Song and Wu Tiehu both had the makings of a Captain. Zhao Song leaned toward command, while Wu Tiehu was simply a fierce, courageous general.

"What were our casualties?"

At the question, Wu Tiehu stared blankly. Zhao Song bowed and replied, "Fortunately, our armor protected us. We have only one man seriously wounded and six lightly wounded!"

"Excellent!"

Fighting with armor and without it were two completely different things. This time Wu Ming had emptied his storehouse to arm his men to the teeth, and the results had been excellent.

"With this head, many things will be easy to explain..."

Wu Ming surveyed the area. After ambushing the caravan, they would first display this head, then make sure all his men shed blood and swore their loyalty. That would leave no loose ends, and the Zhou family would have no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.

"If we fix this stronghold up, it'll make an excellent base!"

Wu Ming studied the terrain, especially the deep mountains stretching beyond the stronghold, and felt quite pleased.

Only now was part of his ambition becoming clear!

What was one caravan ambush? Even if they could make it flawless, leave the Zhou family with not a shred of evidence to bring before the authorities, and force them to swallow the loss, at worst it would only make things a little harder for them. As long as they still had their farmland, their foundation would remain intact!

But Wu Ming wanted far more than that.

Cutting off the caravan and severing the Zhou family's source of income was only the first step!

And next, would the Zhou family really just let it go because the authorities couldn't find evidence? How could that be possible?

The Wu family was merely a newly risen power. They had barely lifted a finger, and an entire stronghold had already been wiped out. What kind of power did the old-established Zhou family possess?