Incite Rebellion

Seeing that no one handed over the child, the man led his men with a spear and charged straight into the village.

Chen Guan's blood surged at the sight.

He stepped into the Whirlwind Wind Steps, grabbed the leader, and flung him away.

As for the villagers lying on the ground, the elderly village chief raised his arm and shouted, "Fellow villagers, we must protect the children!"

With those words, he gripped a farming tool and charged forward alongside the crowd.

The chaotic battle erupted.

Though the villagers pressed forward fearlessly, their fighting strength could not match Fang Zhe's men.

One by one, the common folk fell to the ground!

Chen Guan's heart bled at the sight.

"Pecking Sparrow Strength!"

He hurled a stone toward Fang Zhe.

Fang Zhe hurriedly blocked with his spear!

The immense force within the stone sent him flying off his horse, spitting a mouthful of blood!

Chen Guan's strength shocked him, and he quickly ordered his men to retreat.

Faced with the threat to their lives, not a single villager backed down. Each stood tall, chests out, staring him down.

Fearing Chen Guan would strike again, Fang Zhe had his men pull back and hold a standoff with the villagers.

Chen Guan seized the moment and pulled Zhou Tai aside. "Earlier you said many soldiers in the camp share your thoughts. Is that true?"

"Naturally. Colluding with demons has long bred discontent among them, but without a leader, they dared not resist."

Zhou Tai spoke cautiously, watching Chen Guan's expression, wondering why he suddenly asked.

Chen Guan gave a faint smile. "This is our chance. To protect the village, we need to win them over!"

At these words, Zhou Tai's eyes lit up. "You speak truly, sir. But... I'm afraid you'll need to come with me. If no one gives them a promise, they might think I'm deceiving them."

This suited Chen Guan perfectly, so he agreed without a second thought.

If these men were truly as Zhou Tai said, he could train them well in the future!

When dawn broke, Zhou Tai slipped out from the village's side!

But the whole day passed.

Zhou Tai still hadn't sent back any news! This left Chen Guan deeply worried.

If Fang Zhe discovered and killed him, the loss would be too great.

When night fell and Zhou Tai still hadn't returned, Chen Guan prepared to go look for him.

He had just reached the back of the village when he saw Zhou Tai returning with several armored men.

"Sir, these are my former brothers from the camp! I told them about your matter, and they're all willing to follow you!"

Zhou Tai made the introductions.

One of the soldiers behind him spoke in a rough voice, "Damn it all, Li Tong could lay hands on such a small child! If I had the strength, I'd kill him myself!"

His words drew nods from those around him.

Chen Guan smiled calmly at them. "Gentlemen, as they say, he who does evil will meet his doom. Li Tong colludes with demons and is walking a dead-end road. Turning from evil to good is your best choice!"

Still, Chen Guan didn't fully trust them yet.

After all, this could be one of Li Tong's schemes!

But he wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

"Sir, just for how desperately you saved those children! I, Li Kun, swear to follow you! Just tell us what to do!"

The rough man spoke with hearty boldness.

Chen Guan led them to sit by the millstone behind.

"How many men do each of you command?"

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Chen Guan looked at them and asked the most crucial question.

The soldiers exchanged glances.

"I've got over thirty men under me, brothers who'd die for me!"

"About twenty will definitely follow me!"

"If I go back and rally them, I can probably call up around fifty!"

"..."

They each took turns reporting on the situation under their command.

Chen Guan made a careful calculation.

These men could currently muster around eight hundred or so. If they could launch a surprise attack, they would surely make Fang Zhe stumble and fall!

"Good. You'll head back for now, but don't let anyone in the camp catch on!"

"Gather your people in secret! When Fang Zhe makes his move, hit him when he least expects it!"

Chen Guan waved his hands as he issued the orders.

This Fang Zhe was Li Tong's lackey!

If Fang Zhe and his men could all die here, Li Tong wouldn't be able to keep jumping around either!

His words made Li Kun and the others nod quickly.

"Sir, we have no problem following you, but that means our brothers' lives and fortunes are all in your hands!"

Li Kun stood up with some hesitation.

For men like them, as long as silver was on the table, it didn't matter who they worked for.

So now they needed a promise from Chen Guan!

"Rest assured. Anyone who works with me, I will never treat poorly! Once the matter in Qingshi County is settled, your standing will rise right along with it!"

Chen Guan gave his pledge without a moment's hesitation.

As a promise from the Demon Suppressing Division, it was enough to earn their trust.

"With Lord Chen's word, I'm at ease. Rest assured, sir, this time we'll make sure Fang Zhe dies with no place to bury his bones!"

Li Kun said with a beaming smile.

Then he led his men out of the village in a hurry.

"Zhou Tai, this won't be discovered by Fang Zhe and his people, will it?"

Chen Guan's question made Zhou Tai nod quickly. "Rest assured, sir. Fang Zhe is arrogant and self-willed. He thinks his men are all too afraid of him to pull any tricks, so he won't bother keeping watch."

Chen Guan nodded, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

This Fang Zhe would soon die by that very arrogance.

Over the next few days, Fang Zhe continued to face off against the villagers with his troops.

Though Li Tong had sent men to urge him on, Fang Zhe dared not act rashly for the sake of his brothers' safety.

"General, Lord Li is getting impatient. If we don't strike soon, he'll likely have you punished!"

The deputy commander rushed into the camp to report.

Fang Zhe's brow furrowed tightly. "Does Lord Li not know the situation here?"

"How could he not? He's probably under pressure from above."

The deputy's words made Fang Zhe sigh helplessly.

Just thinking about those above him made him tremble with fear.

Though he was still afraid of Chen Guan's strength, going back empty-handed would mean certain death anyway.

Left with no choice, he stood up and said, "Then let's move. After so many days of staring each other down, their momentum has worn thin. This charge, those commoners won't be able to stop us."

He had also made up his mind.

This time, he would stay behind his men. Even if Chen Guan was strong, catching him wouldn't be so easy!

With that, he donned silver armor, took up his spear, mounted his horse, and rode out to battle.

He leveled his spear at the villagers. "Have you made up your minds? If you keep being stubborn, this general will show no mercy!"