The sudden news threw the entire guardhouse into total chaos. Men scrambled to open the armory and grab their weapons, while others rushed into formation.
Shocked beyond belief, his brother-in-law, Zhou Pu, leaned close to Zheng Jun and lowered his voice. "Junzi, why is this happening so suddenly? Is the Qingshui Gang out of their minds? How could they possibly commit treason?"
"The Fast Shift and the Military Department have already moved out," Zheng Jun replied. "Brother-in-law, if a fight breaks out later and things go south, run away immediately. Don't worry about me."
Taking a deep breath, Zheng Jun finished his hushed instructions to Zhou Pu before stepping up to face the rest of the men. He raised his voice and declared, "The County Captain has issued an order! Everyone who marches out will be rewarded with two taels of silver! Killing or capturing a rebel earns a reward of five maces of silver. Killing or capturing an Incense Master earns five taels. And killing or capturing Zhang Qingyu, Mu Feng, or Ke Zhijian earns a hundred taels of silver and a major merit!"
Money talked. In life-and-death situations like this, wealth was naturally the best way to inspire men. Besides, they wouldn't actually end up spending much of this silver anyway. After all, with an Outer Gang Martial Artist like Cai Xun personally taking action, victory was practically guaranteed.
Soon, the twenty or so men of the Strong Shift had fully assembled, each armed with a Ceremonial Saber. Zheng Jun also donned a set of Leather Armor. As a Squad Leader and a Blood Refining Martial Artist, he naturally had to stand out from the ordinary Black Officials. However, despite wearing the Leather Armor, Zheng Jun couldn't shake the feeling that it was as flimsy as paper.
Pushing these strange thoughts aside, Zheng Jun drew his Ceremonial Saber and shouted without hesitation, "Move out!"
At his command, the twenty-plus Black Officials of the Strong Shift marched out. Although the Strong Shift could theoretically mobilize hundreds of Civilian Soldiers, most of them were scattered across various towns and villages. It was far too late to gather them now.
After setting out, the Strong Shift quickly rendezvoused with the constables of the Fast Shift. The atmosphere was oppressive, and no one spoke. The two Squad Leaders, Zheng Jun and Sun Wang, walked at the very front. The County Soldiers of the Military Department had also been mobilized. Every single one of them wore armor and carried a spear, their strides steady and uniform. They looked far more elite than the Black Officials and constables of the Strong and Fast Shifts.
"I didn't expect a fight to break out this soon," Sun Wang sighed, though he sounded somewhat delighted. "They deserve it! Those dogs from the Qingshui Gang usually rely on their power and look down on us. Today, with the Military Department's forces mobilized, they're in for a world of pain!"
Zheng Jun silently regulated his breathing, not taking the bait. He was preoccupied with another thought. He wondered where the Qingshui Gang got the nerve to rebel. Even if they colluded with the bandits on Black Mountain, it would be utterly futile. Even if they somehow managed to occupy the Black Mountain County seat by a stroke of luck, how could they possibly deal with the thousands of Commandery Soldiers in Pingzhang Commandery?
Even if the Court didn't pay attention to such petty squabbles, the commandery would definitely take it seriously. Unless... the Qingshui Gang wasn't the mastermind, but merely an accomplice. The real traitor was someone else!
At this realization, a sudden sense of crisis surged in Zheng Jun's heart. He needed to hurry up and get stronger.
Meanwhile, three hundred County Soldiers massed together, accompanied by over a dozen cavalrymen whose horses' hooves CLOPPED heavily against the street to bolster their imposing presence.
Inside the Lin Workshop, the main gates of the Qingshui Gang's branch hall were shut tight, and a tense atmosphere permeated the air. Leading the Strong Shift right behind the County Soldiers, Zheng Jun calmly watched the gates.
The Vice Gang Leader, Mu Feng, stood in front of the gates dressed in a cyan shirt. He was accompanied by two visibly nervous and fidgety gang members. Looking at the Infantry Captain before him, Mu Feng immediately cupped his hands in greeting. "Captain Wang, I offer my respects. May I ask what warrants such a massive mobilization today? Have we of the Qingshui Gang been poor hosts recently? If it's a matter of silver, there's no need to resort to arms. I will personally take charge and add another thirty percent to this month's usual cut..."
Hearing Mu Feng's words, Captain Wang jumped in fright. The very next moment, he flew into a violent rage and cursed, "Bullshit! Mu, when have I ever taken silver from your Qingshui Gang?! We've never even met! Never!"
Seeing Captain Wang so agitated, Mu Feng immediately realized that the situation was far more serious than he had thought. Still, he pressed on, "Captain Wang, the saber you're currently using is a tribute from our gang."
Captain Wang's face instantly turned pale. He threw the saber aside and stammered, "Who... who did this? Who put this saber in my hand?!" He then spun around and cried out, "County Captain, sir, you must see the truth! This bastard is talking nonsense! I have absolutely no ties to the Qingshui Gang!"
Upon hearing the title "County Captain," Mu Feng froze. A moment later, a heroic, helmeted general slowly rode out from behind the County Soldiers. It was none other than County Captain Cai Xun.
Seeing him, Mu Feng hastily bowed in greeting. "County Captain Cai, I offer my respects. May I ask what our Qingshui Gang..."
But before he could finish his sentence, Cai Xun opened his mouth and spat out a burst of Gang Qi. The Gang Qi transformed into a physical arrow that instantly pierced straight through Mu Feng's chest.
Blood splattered in all directions. In the blink of an eye, Mu Feng collapsed into a pool of his own blood.
Cai Xun didn't even bother to spare him a second glance. Instead, he drew his longsword, pointed it at the Qingshui Gang's branch hall, and amplified his voice with True Qi. "The Qingshui Gang has committed treason. The evidence is irrefutable. Kill them all."
His voice boomed like a beating drum and roared like a clap of thunder. Bolstered by the True Qi of an Outer Gang Martial Artist, the command echoed throughout the entire street.
Witnessing this, Zheng Jun remained completely unruffled. He thought about how Mr. Mu had always tried to make peace, failing to realize that some things simply couldn't be resolved with words alone.
Hearing the order, Captain Wang frantically scrambled to pick up the Steel Saber he had just thrown away. With a flushed face, he roared, "Kill!"
Accompanied by battle cries, the County Soldiers swarmed forward like ants to launch their assault. With a total of over three hundred men, laying siege to a city would have been impossible, but breaching a mere courtyard wall was quite simple.
Seeing the County Soldiers in motion, Zheng Jun was just about to lead his unit forward when Cai Liu suddenly sprinted over, moving as fast as the wind. In the blink of an eye, Cai Liu arrived before him and relayed an order, "Zheng San, Squad Leader Sun! The County Captain has ordered the two of you to lead the constables of the Strong Shift and the Fast Shift to the alleys on both sides! Some of these rebels might try to escape by scaling the walls. Block them in!"
"Understood."
Accepting their orders, Zheng Jun and Sun Wang immediately split their forces, one heading left and the other right. Zheng Jun led his men to the alley, running smack into several Qingshui Gang members who had just vaulted over the wall.
Upon seeing Zheng Jun, the gang members turned deathly pale. They instantly dropped to their knees and begged for mercy, "Spare us, masters, spare us! We had no idea that bastard Zhang Qingyu was planning a rebellion! We have nothing to do with it!"
"Seize them!" Zheng Jun barked, remaining utterly impartial.
The men surrendered without a fight, not daring to offer even the slightest resistance. Just like that, Zheng Jun stood in the alley, catching the small fry that managed to slip through the net.
From inside the Qingshui Gang compound, the endless clash of weapons and agonizing screams rang out without pause. From time to time, defiant shouts could be heard. Some yelled, "In eighteen years, I'll be a hero again!" while others roared, "You mongrel dogs! The Qingshui Gang will fight you to the bitter end!"
This left Zheng Jun with a strange expression and complicated feelings.
On one hand, he was glad they didn't have to engage in a frontal assault. Weapons had no eyes, after all. Who knew what kind of chaos would erupt in a full-blown clash? He himself would be fine, but as the Squad Leader of the Strong Shift, he had to consider the safety of the Black Officials under his command.
On the other hand, he lamented the exact same thing: they weren't engaging in a frontal assault. By merely catching stragglers, not only would his merits be meager, but he also wouldn't have the chance to engage in life-and-death combat. Without tempering his Martial Arts in real battle, he couldn't rapidly advance his mastery of the Great Tao Martial Book.
It was a frustrating yet relieving dilemma.
Zheng Jun sighed. But right at that moment, an explosive roar erupted near the wall.
"Get the hell out of my way! I don't want to rebel, I just joined the Qingshui Gang to make a living! Go catch Zhang Qingyu! Why are you coming after me?! Zhang Qingyu is at his mistress's house! This has nothing to do with me!"
The roar boomed out, loud enough to practically shatter eardrums. Zheng Jun was unaffected, but the Black Officials beside him felt their ears ring and their vision darken.
Zheng Jun tightened his grip on his hilt, and his Ceremonial Saber shot out of its scabbard. The next moment, Zheng Jun saw a burly man vault over the courtyard wall. The man had a ferocious, hideous face and two fresh knife scars on his body. Wielding a Xuanhua Great Axe, he landed directly in the middle of the Strong Shift's ranks.
As soon as he touched the ground, he swung his axe backhand, viciously chopping at several surrounding Black Officials!
"Ahhhh!"
Blood sprayed in an instant, and severed limbs went flying. The Strong Shift immediately descended into chaos. Within seconds, a flurry of sabers and clubs were hacking and smashing toward the burly man.
Seeing this, Zhou Pu's face turned deathly pale.
Zheng Jun, however, didn't hesitate in the slightest. He stepped forward right away, no longer bothering to conceal his Wave-Treading Saber. He executed the Broken Wave Form and unleashed a Chop at the burly man!
He recognized this enemy. It was the same Blood Refining Martial Artist who had tossed a coin pouch at him earlier with a face full of disdain. From the looks of his aura, the man had seemingly undergone Blood Refining six or seven times!