The small slip of paper had been sent from Twin Camel Peak by carrier pigeon.
After Xiaoyu finished reading it, Guan Xiaorou asked anxiously: What does the letter say? Is Twin Camel Peak all right?
Twin Camel Peak is fine for now. The escort squad stationed there has the advantage of the terrain, plus heavy crossbows and catapults. They have held all the mountain passes.
Xiaoyu said: But there are too many enemies. Twin Camel Peak has already been surrounded. Quite a few merchants and trading company workers who went to transport salt have been killed by the bandits.
Twin Camel Peak’s terrain is easy to defend but hard to attack, yet it is also easy to blockade.
There are only a few paths down the mountain. Once the enemy blocks them, the people on the mountain cannot get out.
If there were a large number of escort guards stationed there, they might be able to fight their way out.
But when Jin Feng went to West Sichuan, he took many escort guards with him. Tang Xiaobei has been continuously setting up trading company branches and escort agency stations in Jiangnan, and those stations also need escort guards to hold them.
Although Zheng Fang has been recruiting new soldiers nonstop and sending reinforcements everywhere, the able-bodied young men around Jinchuan who meet the requirements for escort guards have mostly already been recruited. New recruitment is not going smoothly.
Moreover, even when new soldiers are recruited, they need time to train.
This has left the defensive strength at each of Jin Feng’s factories rather weak at present.
When Jin Feng was still here, Twin Camel Peak had two full companies stationed. Now only three platoons remain. More than half the manpower has been drawn away.
Three platoons relying on terrain and fortifications for defence is still manageable, but breaking out would be extremely dangerous.
Most importantly, if they break out, the enemy could then attack again, leaving no one to defend.
If the bandits break through to the mountain top, it would be disastrous.
So many bandits? Tang Dongdong asked: How many?
The letter says at least five or six hundred. It is not yet certain whether more are hiding in the shadows!
Xiaoyu replied.
At least five or six hundred?! Tang Dongdong gasped: Where did they come from?
Brother Liang wiped out all the bandits around Guangyuan. She had thought even a hundred or so attacking Twin Camel Peak would already be shocking. Who could have imagined so many would appear at once?
The Jialing River flows up to Guanzhong and down to the East Sea. No one knows where they came from.
Didn’t the watchposts notice anything? Tang Dongdong asked with a frown.
Twin Camel Peak is close to the Jialing River, and water transport is extremely convenient.
It was precisely because of this that Jin Feng chose to build the salt factory at Twin Camel Peak.
It is convenient for us, but also convenient for the enemy.
From the very beginning when the factory was built, Jin Feng had considered the possibility of a surprise attack by boat. He therefore set up several observation posts upstream and downstream to monitor the river traffic.
If any suspicious boats were spotted, they would report to Twin Camel Peak as quickly as possible.
The bandits must have used disguises. The watchposts did not notice anything.
Xiaoyu said: There is also the possibility that the watchpost personnel were attacked by the bandits. In short, Twin Camel Peak received no advance warning.
The Zhen Yuan Escort Agency is not an official organisation after all. Jin Feng can send people to watch the river, but he has no authority to stop and search other people’s boats.
As long as the bandits hide inside the cabins, they can evade the watchposts’ surveillance.
Jin Feng had no solution for this. He could only do his best to train the watchpost escort guards to sharpen their observation skills.
Investigate! Tang Dongdong said: Xiaoyu, I do not care what method you use. You must find out where they came from!
I will arrange people to investigate immediately. We should have news soon!
Xiaoyu stood up at once: We may not immediately discover their exact origin, but at least we can determine which direction they came from.
Yes! Tang Dongdong nodded: Also, call Brother Zheng over.
All right! Xiaoyu left the courtyard and was about to send someone to fetch Zheng Fang when Zheng Fang himself came running over.
Iron Hammer and Iron Ox were following behind him.
With Jin Feng, Zhang Liang, and Qing Mulan all away from the village, Zheng Fang was now in charge of the village’s defence, with Iron Ox and Iron Hammer assisting him.
Iron Hammer had once served as Jin Feng’s personal guard captain. After he was injured at Weizhou City, Big Liu took over as captain.
Once healed, he had gone with Luo Lan and Han Feng to the capital to open up markets.
When Jin Feng left West Sichuan, he specially recalled Iron Hammer and Han Feng from the capital.
Han Feng took people to join Jin Feng in West Sichuan to handle intelligence work, while Iron Hammer stayed behind to assist Zheng Fang and hold down the main base.
Iron Ox was Zhang Liang’s tall dark-skinned comrade-in-arms. He was now the number two escort master of the Zhen Yuan Escort Agency and the commander of the Second Escort Battalion. Jin Feng trusted him greatly.
For people who have endured hardship, good days are especially precious. That is why Iron Ox works with such diligence. He often personally leads escort guards to wipe out any bandits who dare to attack the Zhen Yuan Escort Agency.
The fearsome reputation of the Zhen Yuan Escort Agency in the martial world was almost entirely built by Iron Ox and his men.
Perhaps because he has killed too many people, Iron Ox has become even more silent than before, and his presence has grown even more imposing.
For the safety of the village, Zhang Liang had obtained several dogs that patrol at night together with the patrol teams.
Those dogs are usually quite fierce, but the moment they see Iron Ox, they all tuck their tails between their legs, shrink their necks, and dare not make a sound.
Iron Ox spends most of his time out on operations. This time he had also been specially recalled by Jin Feng.
Xiaoyu, where are you going? Zheng Fang stopped Xiaoyu and asked.
To know yourself and know the enemy is to win every battle. Having heard about Twin Camel Peak, Zheng Fang had immediately gone looking for Xiaoyu to get the full details.
When he could not find her, he came here.
Brother Zheng, sister-in-law asked me to handle something. You all go in first. I will finish my task and come right back.
Xiaoyu said quickly: Factory Head Tang was just about to send me to find you.
All right! Zheng Fang nodded, then led Iron Ox and Iron Hammer into the courtyard.
A short while later, Xiaoyu returned.
When she arrived, she happened to hear Iron Hammer speaking: Iron Ox, can you use your brain when you talk? This is clearly someone taking advantage of the master’s absence and our weak defences in West River Bay to rob us while we are down. If you take several hundred men to Twin Camel Peak, the village will be empty. What if someone attacks the village then?
Precisely because they want to rob us while we are down, we must strike hard and make them afraid to come again.
Iron Ox said: If we do as you say and only take a hundred or so men to Twin Camel Peak, join forces with the brothers there to drive them off, then the moment we leave, they come back again. What then?
Then leave a hundred or so to garrison Twin Camel Peak.
Iron Hammer said: The salt factory at Twin Camel Peak is far too important. There cannot be the slightest mistake. Otherwise the entire Guangyuan region will have problems getting salt. We must leave more manpower, not only to ensure normal production but also to guarantee the salt can be delivered out.
The salt factory is important? Is Iron Jar Mountain not important? Is Black Water Gully not important? Is Cat Cat Mountain not important?
Iron Ox said with murderous aura: We do not have enough manpower right now. The only way is to strike hard, kill every one who comes. That is how we make the bandits understand that causing trouble in Jinchuan means death. Only then will they be afraid!
Your father really named you well. You are just an iron ox. All you know is kill, kill, kill. You do not understand the need to use your brain at all!
If you are so good at using your brain, then tell me what we should do now.
I… Iron Hammer was left speechless.
If he had a solution, he would have said it earlier.
You do not even know what to do, so why are you nagging? A grown man turning into a whiny woman. Did you spend too much time in the brothels of the capital and wash away all the blood and guts of the Zhen Yuan Escort Agency?
Iron Ox sneered.
I do not want to talk to a stubborn ox. Sister-in-law, you decide!
Iron Hammer stopped paying attention to Iron Ox and turned to look at Guan Xiaorou.
