sjar Chapter 514
Chapter 514
Chapter 514: Sharp Tongue, Soft Heart
The Second in Command held a long knife against the Master's neck and said viciously, "Black Wind Stronghold has stood on Black Tiger Mountain for over two hundred years, through 23 successive Chiefs. Although the previous Chief didn't pass the reins to me, I've been Second in Command on Black Tiger Mountain for over a decade. I've long considered Black Wind Stronghold my own home, and I won't allow it to be destroyed by us!"
Back then, when the second in command became a bandit, the former first in command succeeded to the throne. From then on, he regarded this mountain stronghold as his place to settle down.
The master was so frightened that his legs went weak. He fell to his knees with a plop, trembling all over. "Please listen to my explanation, Second Master! This matter is really not my fault. My original plan was flawless. This... there must be something fishy going on. Someone must be secretly plotting something bad!"
At this time, the legal advisor was extremely frightened. He really couldn't understand how so many officials and bandits could fall into the hands of these ordinary villagers.
Zhou Dazhu stepped forward, stretched out his hand and grabbed the second in command, saying, "Second brother, don't be impulsive! This must be that woman's trick. These villagers are no match for us. When that woman was in the village, she opposed me at every turn and made things difficult for me."
The Third Master was so angry that his eyes were blazing with fire. He gnashed his teeth and roared, "Then kill that woman! Without her, what can these country bumpkins do?"
The lawyer trembled and said, "Masters, that woman is hiding in the village. If she doesn't come out, how can we kill her?"
Just when the gang of officials and bandits outside the village were in a desperate dilemma, an official horse galloped over from a distance. The lawyer saw that it was someone from Nanyang Prefecture.
The officer dismounted and said to the legal advisor, "Lieutenant, my wife has received a letter from the governor of Jizhou Prefecture, saying they want to surround Futian Village. The Jizhou Prefecture army is already heading this way. You just need to make sure no one inside escapes."
After hearing the news from the Nanyang Prefecture official, the advisor's heart finally settled down a little. After all, the Jizhou military was the most important force in the Great Yan State's deployment. Jizhou's army was not comparable to the ordinary "small fry" of Nanyang Prefecture.
The lawyer slowly stood up from the ground, dusted himself off with a calm demeanor, and said, "Go back and tell my wife to rest assured. Since I arrived here, I've been guarding this place so tightly that not even a fly can escape."
The officer responded, then mounted his horse and went back to report.
The legal advisor turned to the first, second, and third leaders of the Black Wind Stronghold and said, "My dear leaders, our lady's father is the prefect of Jizhou, and he is the confidant of the imperial concubine! Now, we just need to surround this village tightly and not let anyone inside escape. When our master arrives with the army, we will directly massacre the village!" After that, the legal advisor made a gesture of wiping his neck viciously.
However, the three leaders' expressions didn't ease at all. They were, after all, just bandits, their original plan being to invade the village, reap some benefits, and then quickly withdraw. They didn't want to have anything to do with the government. Now, hearing that Jizhou really intended to send troops to attack Futian Village and massacre them, they couldn't help but worry: What would they do then?
The lawyer was completely unaware of the subtle changes in the expressions of the three masters. He still looked arrogant and walked away swaying from side to side.
He ordered the officers and soldiers beside him, "Go, tell everyone to retreat and guard the village entrance. It won't be long before our reinforcements arrive, so everyone, brace yourself!"
Zhou Dazhu exchanged glances with the second and third in command, and walked towards the back tacitly. They came to a very secluded place, called two bandits to watch around, and then whispered to each other.
The Third Master said with a worried look on his face, "Big Brother, Second Brother, the Jizhou Governor is no pushover! If they really massacre the whole village, they might kill us as well to avoid future trouble."
The Second in Command couldn't help but curse, "Damn it! That bastard advisor swore at the beginning that the Nanyang Prefecture officers and soldiers would join us in charging in. All they had to do was capture that bitch Xiuying, and if we cooperated with them, we could even get the village girls and food. But now, Jizhou has sent troops, and things may not be that simple anymore."
The Third Master continued, "Big Brother, Second Brother, in my opinion, we should quickly take our brothers back to Black Tiger Mountain. Black Tiger Mountain is a strategically located mountain, easy to defend but difficult to attack. If those officials get desperate and want to capture us all in one fell swoop, I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
Zhou Dazhu slowly shook his head and said, "No, we can't leave now. My son is still in the village. Once the Jizhou soldiers arrive, he and everyone inside will be killed. You take the brothers and retreat first. If I can't come back, this stronghold will be handed over to you."
Zhou Dazhu said this as he handed the long sword, symbolizing the Black Wind Stronghold's status as the leader, to the Second Leader. The Second Leader had long coveted this sword. He glanced at it, turned his head, and said unhappily, "What are you doing? Don't forget the nickname my brothers in the stronghold gave me! It's your own child, so of course you have to save him yourself, and you have to hold this sword yourself. As for me, I'll definitely be the second-in-command for a lifetime! We'll be waiting for you, so come back soon."
With that, the Second in Command walked straight ahead without looking back. He knew that if he looked at the precious sword in Zhou Dazhu's hand any longer, he would be tempted to reach out and snatch it away. He had to restrain himself; the current situation in the stronghold did not allow him to have any selfish thoughts.
The Third Chief looked at Zhou Dazhu and advised, "Second Brother may have a sharp tongue but a soft heart, so don't take it personally. Go and save the child. Xiuying is ruthless and capable of anything." Then, the Third Chief turned around and called over two of his trusted associates, instructing them, "Da Mao, Hui Xiong, you two follow the First Chief to rescue them. You must protect the First Chief's safety. Do you understand?"
Da Mao and Hui Xiong immediately walked over quickly and answered in unison: "Yes, Third Master!"
Zhou Dazhu looked at the Third Master gratefully and said, "Thank you, Third Brother." Then he turned to Damao and Grizzly and said, "Let's get ready first. It's still light out now, and any action will be too conspicuous. Let's wait until dark."
The villagers on the village wall saw that the officials and bandits outside had retreated again, leaving some people to continue guarding while the rest withdrew. They hurried to inform Xiuying of the situation.
Aunt Li muttered with confusion, "What are these officials and bandits up to? Why did they suddenly stop fighting? Are they exhausted so quickly?"