Li Qingxian consulted with He Lei, detached a force of twenty men, ascertained the names and addresses of the witnesses from Zheng Hui, and departed under Han Anbo's leadership.
In barely two quarters of an hour, the main force arrived outside the gates of the Military and Horse Bureau.
The Military and Horse Bureau was a sixth-rank yamen with low, short walls and a dilapidated lintel. The guards at the entrance panicked the moment they saw the Night Guards approaching in a formidable procession.
The Military and Horse Bureau was similar to ordinary bailiff offices, mainly responsible for public security, catching thieves, fire prevention, dredging, and other miscellaneous chores. Most were ordinary runners, only outnumbering the Night Guards.
A guard picked up a bamboo whistle and blew it, scrambling inside the yamen to report.
Li Qingxian and He Lei were in the lead, closely followed by seventy or eighty entry-rank Brocade Night Guards with an overwhelming momentum.
Stepping through the main gate, He Lei shouted, "Follow me, I know the prison of the Military and Horse Bureau! The Night Guards are on official business, those who do not retreat are enemies."
"The Night Guards are on official business, those who do not retreat are enemies!"
Over three hundred men roared in unison, some infusing their True Essence, shaking the entire yamen of the Military and Horse Bureau with a heavy tremor.
At that moment, a middle-aged martial official wearing the white horse insignia of a subordinate tenth rank emerged from the side door with two runners.
Li Qingxian looked and saw that it was Zhong Baishan, the platoon leader of the Military and Horse Bureau who had eaten mutton soup this morning.
He Lei pointed at the side door and said, "This way."
Li Qingxian and the sea of black-clad