“When I left, didn’t you say there were over four hundred men? How come there are only this many now?” Jin Feng asked.
Before he went to Double Camel Peak, Zhang Liang had reported to him that the veteran soldiers and female soldiers of the Zhenyuan Escort Bureau now totalled over one thousand five hundred.
The veteran and female soldiers staying in the village also exceeded four hundred, putting Jin Feng at ease.
“Wasn’t it a few days ago that the gentleman started selling salt? You also required the chamber of commerce to disperse to various villages and towns, and each small team needed escorts to protect them. Madam Xiaobei asked me for men, and they had to be trustworthy veterans.
I had no choice but to draw people from the village for the chamber of commerce.”
Zhang Liang explained, “The chamber of commerce is developing too quickly now, going to more and more places. Escorts were already in short supply. A few days ago, Miss Luolan sent me a letter saying she plans to develop the market around the capital and wants me to send at least five hundred men. I was planning to discuss this with the gentleman upon your return.”
“I actually forgot about that…”
Jin Feng nodded helplessly. “We’ll talk about the escorts later. Rescuing Munlan is urgent now. One hundred men is too few. Can we pull some more?”
“No,” Zhang Liang shook his head. “These one hundred plus men, unless it’s absolutely necessary, I can’t let the gentleman take them all.
There are too many places in our village that need guarding now: the various factories, warehouses, and all the large and small road junctions. All need men posted. If the gentleman takes these one hundred away, the brothers on guard duty won’t even have anyone to relieve them.”
“What should we do?”
Jin Feng paced back and forth anxiously.
At that moment, the veteran soldier who had gone to send the female soldier ran over. “Sir, Axia is awake and urgently wants to see the gentleman, but Mr Wei won’t let her come.”
“Brother Liang, let’s go see together.”
Jin Feng instructed, “Dazhuang, prepare the war horses, trebuchets, and heavy crossbows here. When I return, we’ll set off anytime.”
“Yes!” Dazhuang agreed and turned to run.
Jin Feng and Zhang Liang mounted their war horses and galloped towards the village.
The small courtyard of Xie Guang’s old residence had previously been rented to Qing Huai, then Qing Munlan lived there for a while. Now that the female soldiers had all moved to the back mountain camp, it had been converted into the Xihe Bay medical room.
Usually, Old Tan would see patients here. For bumps and bruises, Zhou Jin would also come to handle them.
When Jin Feng arrived, Axia’s wounds had already been treated by Zhou Jin. Wei Wuya had fed her some homemade pills, and she was finally no longer unconscious.
Seeing Jin Feng enter, Axia tried to prop herself up, but Jin Feng pressed her shoulders down.
“At a time like this, there’s no need to worry about empty courtesies. Whatever you have to say, say it quickly.”
“Sir, some brothers saw people from Double Camel Peak at Wulang Mountain. The young lady asked me to remind the gentleman to be careful of Feng Sheng!”
Although Axia was still weak and her voice was very soft, she could finally speak in complete sentences.
“Feng Sheng?” Jin Feng thought for a moment. “Is Feng Sheng the Mr Feng who led the men from Tiger Head Mountain and Double Camel Peak, trying to attack us from Long Snake Gully?”
“Yes, it’s him.”
Axia nodded.
“No wonder we couldn’t find those Double Camel Peak curs. So they fled to Qingshan County.”
A cold light flashed in Zhang Liang’s eyes.
In the battle at Long Snake Gully, only the Tiger Head Mountain bandits were captured. The Double Camel Peak bandits escaped with Mr Feng, then took the water route and shook off the tracking veterans.
For the past period, Zhang Liang had been sending men from Zhong Ming’s group to search for Mr Feng and the Double Camel Peak bandits’ whereabouts.
Logically, with several hundred men from Double Camel Peak, no matter where they went, they couldn’t leave no trace. But Zhong Ming’s group found no information at all. The Double Camel Peak bandits seemed to have vanished from the world.
This had puzzled Zhang Liang.
Now he understood.
After the defeat at Long Snake Gully, the Double Camel Peak bandits fled south, so Zhong Ming’s group had always searched south of Jinchuan.
But Qingshan County was northwest of Jinchuan. Zhong Ming’s group hadn’t sent anyone there at all. How could they find them?
“When the young lady led us to blockade the bandit lairs, she had someone investigate Mr Feng’s background along the way. The young lady said this man is cunning by nature and eloquent. This time, the bandits in Qingshan County were very likely instigated by him behind the scenes.”
Axia said, “The young lady asked me to tell the gentleman to definitely beware of this person.”
“This Mr Feng is indeed not simple. He’s quite a figure.”
Jin Feng nodded slightly.
At the time of blockading the bandit lairs, Jin Feng’s attention had been almost entirely on County Lieutenant Zhao and the two gentry. He had paid no attention to Mr Feng at all.
In the end, he only learned that Mr Feng had played everyone, even using County Lieutenant Zhao as a pawn.
If hunters hadn’t discovered the anomalies at Tiger Head Mountain and Double Camel Peak, Jin Feng might have fallen for it too.
He hadn’t expected that after the bandits barely escaped down the mountain, instead of fleeing for their lives, they dared to target Xihe Bay.
“Sir, you’re giving him too much credit.”
Big Liu said, “He’s just a lackey under the gentry, yet he dares to call himself mister!”
“Big Liu, the dog that bites doesn’t bark. The more such a person is, the more terrifying!”
Jin Feng said, “Back then, we thought he was a small fry and no one took him seriously. Now look, he’s caused such a huge mess.”
“Mr Feng is indeed very vicious. The young lady said that us being trapped this time is eighty per cent his scheme.”
Axia said.
“What scheme?” Jin Feng asked.
He had actually been wondering earlier how the bandits could trap Qing Munlan when she had heavy crossbows and trebuchets.
But Axia had fainted, and he hadn’t had time to ask.
“We discovered a large group of bandits. The young lady knew we couldn’t win in a direct fight, so she immediately had people find a suitable hillside to set up the heavy crossbows and trebuchets. But just as we finished setting them up, a large group of bandits suddenly charged out from the woods beside the hillside and… seized all the heavy crossbows and trebuchets…”
Saying this, Axia lowered her head, her face red.
“The bandits actually seized the trebuchets and heavy crossbows?!”
Big Liu jumped up directly.
Jin Feng and Zhang Liang exchanged a glance, seeing worry in each other’s eyes.
“We underestimated Mr Feng before. Catching him again in the future will probably be difficult.”
Jin Feng sighed.
“Sir, if the mastermind behind this is Feng Sheng, I have thought of a method that might catch him.”
Zhang Liang said.
“What method?” Jin Feng asked.
“This…” Zhang Liang glanced around. “There are maps in the camp barracks. Sir, shall we return to the barracks to discuss?”
At this time, the medical room had not only Axia and Jin Feng’s personal guards but also Mr Wei, the several elders, Old Tan, and two injured villagers. It was indeed not the place to talk.
Jin Feng nodded and looked at Axia. “Do you have anything else to say?”
