Command

After a while, a rough, savage voice rang out from the woods in reply: "I, Mountain-Crossing Wind, am here. Spit it out if you've got something to say."

The Buffalo Fort leader heard only his voice and saw no sign of the man. He hurriedly cupped his hands and called out, "Lord Mountain-Crossing Wind, several of our groups need to cross the mountain. We hope you can show us some mercy."

The rough voice fell silent for a moment before replying, "People may pass. Leave all your valuables behind."

The Buffalo Fort leader said pleasantly, "Lord Mountain-Crossing Wind, don't name an exorbitant price. No matter how much you ask for, what use is it if we can't produce it? How about this? We have scraped together five hundred copper coins as a meeting gift, in hopes of making a friend. What do you say?"

"Hmph, you think five hundred copper coins are enough to fob me off? Who are you looking down on?" Mountain-Crossing Wind roared.

The Buffalo Fort leader gave an awkward smile and spread his hands. "Five hundred copper coins is no small sum! These days, with natural disasters, upheaval, and war everywhere, no one is living easy."

Mountain-Crossing Wind's side went quiet for a while. Then he suddenly raised his voice. "Leave behind half the goods you're carrying, and I'll let you through at once."

Naturally, the Buffalo Fort leader refused. Gritting his teeth, he said, "The goods I'm hauling are iron ore. Can you sell them for cash after taking them? Can you eat them as food? How about this—we each take a step back. Eight hundred copper coins?"

Mountain-Crossing Wind scoffed. "Fuck, no deal for anything less than five gold beans."

Five gold beans meant five thousand copper coins!

The moment those words came out, the Buffalo Fort leader's face darkened.

The people of Buffalo Fort worked themselves to the bone mining ore. Even if they sold several cartloads of crude iron ore, they might not earn five gold beans in total.

Mountain-Crossing Wind had opened his mouth like a lion, and it would be hard to negotiate with him.

"Lord Mountain-Crossing Wind, please wait a moment and allow us to discuss it."

The three elderly elders exchanged glances, then slunk back in disgrace.

Fang Zhixing saw and heard every bit of it.

"This Mountain-Crossing Wind is insatiably greedy. He's gone too far," the Buffalo Fort leader said indignantly.

The Black Ox Village chief sighed heavily. "It seems this cannot be settled peacefully. We have no choice but to force our way through."

Seeing this, Fang Zhixing pondered briefly and suggested, "There are a great many refugees here. We can rally all of them to charge their blockade together. As long as we tear open a gap, we can force our way through."

The three elderly elders strongly agreed.

After all, there was strength in numbers.

Let alone this many people—even a herd of wild boars would give those bandits a major headache if they wanted to stop them all.

Afterward, the three elderly elders gathered the refugees and persuaded them to storm the pass together.

"If we don't force our way through, we'll all starve to death here!"

"Don't be afraid, everyone! Charge with us!"

"There is strength in numbers! With so many of us moving together, even the bandits will have to fear us!"

The refugees had long been frantic with hunger and had no other choice. Seeing someone take the lead, they were naturally willing to follow.

At this point, Fang Zhixing suggested cutting down some dry, flammable wood, lighting it into torches, and handing one to every refugee.

If the bandits charged at them, they could use the torches as weapons and throw them all together.

Everyone thought it was an excellent idea. Not only did it cost very little, but everyone could take part.

In less than half an hour, everything was ready.

By then, dusk was drawing near.

The light on Maplewood Mountain gradually dimmed, but it was soon lit up by torch after torch, like a host of stars falling from the sky and linking into a river of stars.

"Charge!"

At that cry, the three elderly elders took the lead in launching the assault.

"Charge!"

Several hundred people answered eagerly, raising their torches and shouting as they charged toward the mountaintop in a roaring rush.

Fang Zhixing also blended into the crowd, leading his donkey forward, but he deliberately hung near the rear.

The crowd reached the summit and scrambled forward, gradually stretching into a long dragon-like line.

Fang Zhixing was in the latter half of the line, his gaze sweeping back and forth.

Suddenly, he saw numerous figures emerge atop a high slope—dozens of them, all told.

These people were also raggedly dressed and disheveled, but every one of them carried some kind of weapon: wooden clubs, hunting knives, long spears, and bows and arrows, a motley assortment.

"Boss, what do we do?"

One of the bandits had never seen such a spectacle before. He panicked at once, utterly at a loss.

When they had blocked the road and robbed people before, passing refugees usually came in one wave after another. They could simply rush out to rob them, or fire cold arrows to kill them.

But so many people running together were like floodwaters bursting through a dam. The sight was truly shocking.

"What do you mean, what do we do? Are you blind?" Mountain-Crossing Wind shoved through the crowd, a broadsword slung over his shoulder.

He was a tall, powerfully built man, with an ugly scar across his face. His eyes were fierce, his features repulsive, and a chicken bone dangled from his mouth as he chewed it back and forth.

Mountain-Crossing Wind sneered. "Listen up. Whoever's carrying the most stuff, we rob them."

"Yes!"

"Boss is brilliant!"

The bandits immediately understood.

The next moment, they spotted the three elderly elders' convoy at the front of the long line.

Carts carrying cotton, carts carrying animal hides, carts carrying iron ore!

They were far too conspicuous to miss.

"Brothers, follow me!"

Mountain-Crossing Wind bellowed, raised his broadsword, and charged forward. The bandits followed close behind, yelling and clamoring.

"The bandits are coming!"

"Run!"

The refugees were terrified and fled madly for their lives.

"Faster, faster, faster!" the three elderly elders urged anxiously. The cartwheels spun without pause, rumbling and rattling.

All at once, Fang Zhixing shouted, "Don't panic! When the bandits get close, throw the torches together!"

His shout was full of force and carried clearly to everyone's ears.

The bandits heard it too. Only then did they understand why every refugee was holding a torch, and they could not help growing afraid, slowing their pace.

"Fuck! Do you want to starve, or do you want fine food, strong drink, and women to sleep with?"

Mountain-Crossing Wind was burning with rage as he shouted again and again.

His words immediately had an effect. The bandits' blood surged, and they let out strange "ho ho ho" cries like monkeys.

The distance between the two sides rapidly closed.

Thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters!

"Throw!"

Fang Zhixing roared and was the first to hurl his torch.

As the first flare of fire rose, hundreds of torches flew into the air in an instant, lighting the entire maple forest in dazzling brilliance.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The torches streaked through the air in arcs, smashing toward the bandits.

Bang!

The torch Fang Zhixing threw struck a bandit, knocking him into the air before he tumbled to the ground.

The other bandits could not help raising their heads, dodging the incoming torches. For a moment, some were struck while others managed to evade them.

But even more torches fell to the ground, blocking the bandits' path.

After this upheaval, the bandits lost all composure and fell into complete disorder.

"Fuck your mother!"

Mountain-Crossing Wind flew into a towering rage as he watched hundreds of refugees slip past right under his nose, leaving him behind.

"Bring me a bow!"

Suddenly, he held out his hand.

A bandit immediately handed him a bow and an arrow...

The Buffalo Fort leader immediately shouted, "Spread out! Split up and charge!"

Hearing this, the refugees lowered their heads and scattered wildly through the maple forest, plunging the scene into utter chaos.