This Yi Province forced his entire family to commit suicide by poison, and he himself had also taken poison long ago. Now, he finally succumbed to the poison and died!
Lin Qian sighed and withdrew his hand from Liang An's.
"That corrupt official..."
Liang An cursed, sheathed his knife, and his face turned ashen.
Zhigang looked at Lu Hongjian's corpse, put his hands together, and recited a Buddhist chant.
Inside the main hall, the Mount Liang members all looked rather grim.
They swept away all resistance forces within Yi Prefecture City with unstoppable force!
They entered the governor's mansion like conquerors, but ultimately failed to subdue the powerless civil official before them.
"Give this governor and his family a proper burial."
Lin Qian turned and gave the instructions.
Liang An was somewhat annoyed upon hearing this, but he didn't say anything and turned to walk out of the hall.
Ciwen remained silent throughout. He glanced at Lin Qian, seemed lost in thought, and then walked out of the hall.
A moment later, the three Mount Liang leaders and Ciwen gathered together, and the four of them discussed their next move.
"Ciwen, are you saying that the local militia from Bo County has arrived, captured two of your estates, and is now blocking the foot of Mist Hidden Mountain with their men?"
Liang An looked surprised.
Ciwen nodded. "Indeed, the enemy's militia is quite strong, and our temple's monks are no match for them. We can only rely on you Mount Liang heroes."
A murderous glint appeared in Zhigang's eyes. "Since they dare to come, they're not leaving. Once the main force arrives, I'll personally lead a group to meet this person!"
Liang An frowned and said, "Yi Prefecture City is the most important. We've already taken the city, so there's no need to create any more trouble. When the Grand Commander arrives with his army, the local Bo County Militia are nothing but chickens and dogs; we can wipe them all out! I don't think we need to rush."
"Amitabha."
Ciwen spoke up, "What Hall Master Liang said makes sense, but my temple still has thousands of disciples under the blades of these bandits. How can we not rescue them? I have already handed over Yi Prefecture City to them. Can't that earn me the help of the heroes of Mount Liang?"
Zhigang slammed his hand on the wooden table and said decisively, "Senior brother is right. With six thousand men and a host of experts, are we really afraid of a mere two thousand militiamen?"
Just as Lin Qian was about to speak, a voice suddenly came from outside:
"Master Liang, Zhigang, Instructor Lin, we have urgent intelligence!"
Someone brought back news of the six thousand men...
? 138 Another Traits appears: Battle of Generals
Under the cover of night, a fiery dragon appeared on the official road outside the Yi Prefecture City.
Wu Shuangren has returned with a group of militiamen and more than two thousand Rong Province Militia!
The commotion had already alerted the people inside the city. Liang An, Zhigang, and Lin Qian were the first to climb the north city wall, looking at the fiery dragon on the distant official road.
"Weren't there only a few hundred people? How come there are so many?"
"It must be that the local militia in Rong Province have also defected to the Wu family!"
"..."
The expressions on their faces were not good.
The reason why the three leaders of Mount Liang left with their men ahead of time was that taking Yi Prefecture City was the most important thing. Only by bringing their elite troops into the city together could they ensure control of the city.
Moreover, the remaining six thousand men were less than a day's journey from the capital, and the three did not believe that anything unexpected would happen.
Unexpectedly, an accident actually occurred!
Five or six hundred men ambushed more than six thousand (the messenger who returned to report was unwilling to underestimate the number of Wu Shuangren and his men), and they actually won?
Previously, Ciwen had always said that the militia in Bo County was very strong, but Lin Qian and the others didn't really believe it.
It's just a local militia training camp; how strong can it be?
They swept through almost all the local militias in Rong Province and never encountered anyone who could fight them.
"It seems we really misunderstood Ciwen before."
Liang An looked at the distant procession and said coldly.
A few hundred men defeated an enemy ten times their size, and even if half of them were Rong Province Militia with little will to fight, this achievement is still quite remarkable!
Lin Qian also spoke up, "Looking across Mount Liang, I'm afraid only Commander Song's elite Heavenly Righteousness Hall troops have this kind of fighting power. How did a local militia train to achieve this?"
Liang An shook his head. "I don't believe his entire regiment is incredibly strong. This time, it must have been the elite of the entire regiment who made the move."
Lin Qian sighed, "Even with only five or six hundred elite troops, we dare not leave the city now."
Zhigang snorted coldly and remained silent.
A moment later, Wu Shuangren led his team to set up camp about 600 zhang away from the city and began to cook.
About half an hour later, a fire dragon also lit up on the official road to the south.
However, Guo Jiwang and Chen Tie, having received the news, arrived with more than two thousand militiamen who had remained behind!
There was also a long line of monks with their hands tied behind their backs being escorted in the procession.
Soon, Guo Jiwang met Wu Shuangren.
He looked Wu Shuangren up and down and saw that although his armor was covered in blood and was damaged, he was standing straight and looked to be in good spirits. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Are you injured?
"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
How did you win?
Wu Shuangren then gave a brief account of the ambush that took place that day.
After listening, Guo Jiwang picked up the wine flask he carried with him, took a big gulp, and laughed at Wu Shuangren, "Let's drink a big cup!"
Wu Shuangren smiled and asked, "It seems you've brought everyone with you, sir. What are the arrangements for Mist Hidden Mountain?"
Guo Jiwang: "We left a large team at the foot of the mountain; the rest we brought."
"A battalion?"
Wu Shuangren frowned. "Can we hold out?"
Although mountain paths are easy to defend but difficult to attack, there is still a difference between going uphill and going downhill. It would be very difficult to block thousands of people on the mountain with only a hundred people.
"Yes, I've already made arrangements. As soon as anyone on the mountain dares to come down, we'll set the mountain on fire."
Guo Jiwang said it casually.
Wu Shuangren's brow twitched, and after thinking for a moment, he nodded. "Where are Fan Yu and his personal guards?"
Guo Jiwang remained expressionless. "They're all dead, killed by bandits."
Wu Shuangren was taken aback.
Guo Jiwang briefly explained what he had asked Chen Tie to do.
After listening, Wu Shuangren remained silent for a moment.
He left in a hurry this morning and didn't think much about it. Now, if he thought about it carefully, he would understand how dangerous it would be to leave Fan Yu behind.
Therefore, he did not blame Guo Jiwang initiative.
If Fan Yu were still alive, regardless of whether he won or lost this battle, it would be a sword hanging over his head!
When he initially decided to take the "worst option," the risks involved went far beyond simply ambushing the enemy.
Killing Fan Yu and his personal guards was a risk that had to be taken!
"Thank you so much, sir, for removing this trouble for me."
Wu Shuangren solemnly bowed to Guo Jiwang.
The other party didn't have to get involved in this matter at all, but they took the initiative to solve this problem for me.
Guo Jiwang waved his hand. "Tell me what to do next."
Wu Shuangren nodded. "Does the gentleman have a plan?"
"Given the current situation, the enemy will inevitably choose to defend the city to the death. As long as the Mount Liang army arrives, they will win. We only have a little over five thousand men at our disposal, and we lack siege equipment. We cannot take the city; we can only try to get the people inside to come out on their own."
Guo Jiwang at Wu Shuangren, "You told me before that you could win in a one-on-one fight against any master from Mount Liang?"
Wu Shuangren nodded firmly. "Sir, you need not doubt this matter. I am absolutely certain!"
Guo Jiwang picked up the wine pot again, took a sip of wine, and laughed, "Then I do have a plan."
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the battle formation had already been set up outside the north gate.
Wu Shuangren's militia were arranged in more than twenty square formations, their spears like a forest, gleaming coldly!
More than two thousand members of the Rong Province Militia were arranged on both flanks, and their ranks looked chaotic, far less orderly than those of the Bo County Militia.
These Rong Province Militia had certainly broadened their horizons. As fellow militiamen, they were like scattered soldiers, while the others were a regular army!
Finally, Wu Shuangren couldn't stand it anymore and sent people to help these Rong Province Militia organize themselves. Although they couldn't be as neat as his own side, at least they were able to form a general formation.
Finally, more than 5,000 people lined up in a long square formation, a dense, dark mass.
It's said that the number of people exceeded ten thousand, seemingly endless. More than five thousand people lined up in a square formation, holding weapons, looked quite spectacular and extremely imposing!
Soon, the sound of gongs rang out from the city wall, and squads of soldiers and warrior monks surged onto the wall, all looking somewhat tense.
Wu Shuangren rode alone, dressed in infantry armor and carrying a long-handled sword, toward the city gate.
There was a commotion on the city wall, but no arrows were fired. Instead, several ballistae and crossbows used for defense were aimed at Wu Shuangren.
Wu Shuangren stopped his horse a hundred paces outside the city gate.
"Ciwen!"
He channeled his Internal Skill, his voice booming like thunder, "Wu Shuangren is here! Your disciples are now beneath my blade! If you wish to save them, come out of the city and fight me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the more than 800 captured monks, with their hands tied behind their backs, were led out from the rear ranks, stepped forward a hundred paces, and knelt in a row.
Behind each of them stood a militiaman wielding a knife, the blade held against the back of their necks!
No one answered from the city wall.
A moment later, Lin Qian, Liang An, Zhigang, and Ciwen arrived after hearing the news.
Ciwen looked at the kneeling warrior monks outside the city, his expression calm, without joy or sorrow.
Instead, Zhigang, his face contorted with rage, slammed his palm heavily on the battlement, cracking a brick!
"The other party probably doesn't know that the abbot has already reached the First Rank rank. Why not take this opportunity to leave the city and kill him?"
Liang An looked at Ciwen.
If the 6,000 men of Mount Liang were still alive, he would never have considered engaging in any kind of battle-fighting game. They would have fought side-by-side, hacking each other to death – that's the true spirit of the martial world!
But since we cannot leave the city now, if we can decide the outcome by fighting each other on the battlefield and kill the enemy leader, it would be the easiest way.
Ciwen clasped his hands together and calmly said, "If it were truly a one-on-one duel, this old monk would naturally not be afraid. What I fear is that my opponent is cunning, harboring deadly moves, and breaking the rules."
It seems he is unwilling to leave the city.
A hint of disdain flashed in Lin Qian's eyes.
Wu Shuangren was outside the city, was also observing the people who appeared on the city wall. He was immediately drawn to Lin Qian.
It wasn't because Lin Qian was the most handsome, but because the other person also had Traits above their head—
[Snow Leopard]!
Two large, blood-red characters appeared above Lin Qian's head.
This is the third Traits Wu Shuangren has seen so far.
Following Xu Yu's "[Lean Tiger]" Guo Jiwang's "[Mad Osprey]", he saw a new Traits above this leader of Mount Liang.
Wu Shuangren glanced at them a few times, then looked away and shouted again, "Ciwen! Your more than eight hundred disciples of Mist Hidden Temple are kneeling before the formation. Come out and fight me. If you win, I will spare these eight hundred people. If you dare not come out, I will kill them all first, and then set Mist Hidden Mountain on fire!"
The sound echoed outside the city gate. Among the kneeling monks, some raised their heads and looked up at the city wall with expectant eyes.