The young man's eyes turned cold. Just as he reversed his grip on the scimitar resting against his arm and was about to exert force, he heard the sound of something piercing the wind, followed by a spray of bright red blood.
The bandit, who had been grinning with a face full of smugness from his successful sneak attack, suddenly widened his eyes. He stiffly lowered his head, looking in disbelief at the arrowhead protruding from his chest.
Not far away, after firing an arrow, Qin Shaozong expressionlessly drew his bow again. The second arrow aimed at Wang Hu, who was hiding in the tall vegetation.
Wang Hu had just shot an arrow, and a small half of his body was currently exposed. Seeing that his shot had failed, he hurriedly hid into the dense grass.
Nocking the arrow and drawing the bow in one smooth motion, the man's long, thick-knuckled fingers released the tiger-sinew string.
Another arrow flew out like a shooting star.
This arrow carried even more force than the previous one. When it first entered the grass, it swept through like a sickle, slicing off a handful of emerald leaves before fiercely plunging into it, drawing out a miserable scream.
Qin Yanzhou glanced at the stalwart man not far away. He didn't say anything and turned to help Xun He, who was fighting two enemies at once behind him.
The two bandits fell one after another.
Xun He was not unaware of the danger just now, but he truly had no way to free up his hands. After surviving the perilous situation, he broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly thanked Qin Yanzhou, "Thank you, Second Young Master, for saving my life."
Qin Yanzhou only gave a slight nod, similarly saying nothing. His black eyelashes lowered slightly as his gaze fell on his right arm.
Coming to exterminate the bandits today, everyone's attire was different from their loose everyday clothes. Including him and Qin Qinian, they all wore black armor. However, to make it easier to climb the mountain and pursue the enemy on foot, they did not wear heavy armor that covered them from head to toe.
Black armor was black iron armor. Its defense was superior to cloth and leather armor, but because it contained iron, it was much heavier than the latter two.
Like the other Northern Army soldiers, Qin Yanzhou's black armor only covered his upper body, plus a piece of fauld armor to protect his lower body. On his upper half, besides the breastplate protecting vital areas like his chest, there were only shoulder guards protecting his upper arms.
The shoulder guards barely reached the middle of his upper arms, and underneath was Qin Yanzhou's black robe. At this moment, the black robe on the side of his elbow had a tear about a finger's length long.
The dark-colored robe concealed everything, making it impossible to tell whether he was bleeding or not.
The young man dejectedly lowered his hand, and it took a long while before he lifted his sword to continue forward. A few paces away, Qin Shaozong took in his expression completely.
Attacked from both the east and west, the bandits were like driven sheep, only able to flee through the rear path. After the Northern Army initially converged, their offensive grew even fiercer.
Seeing Qin Yanzhou, Qin Qinian happily trotted over. "Second Brother, how many bandit heads did you take?"
Qin Yanzhou said he didn't remember.
"How can you not remember such an important matter?" Qin Qinian frowned. Seeing the other looking him over as if searching for something, he smiled and patted his chest. "I'm not injured. The peace amulet Mother gave me works perfectly."
Of course, another reason was that he was worried about accidentally scraping his skin this time, which would mean he'd have to bury his head in reading and writing when he got back, so he was especially careful.
"How are things on your end?" the youth asked.
Qin Yanzhou casually flicked the blood off his blade. "Not bad."
The bandit lair held not only bandits but also some women abducted from elsewhere, including young ones as well as older ones specifically responsible for cooking.
When the sounds of fighting first started, the women had heard it, but no one dared to come out. Now that the battle was basically over, people gradually began to peek out.
After seeing the ground covered in bandit corpses, some wept tears of joy, while others were numb and bewildered. It wasn't until someone unknown shouted, "It seems the government has come to exterminate the bandits," that the women erupted in excitement and swarmed outside.
Qin Shaozong called upon Wei Qing, having him lead a few soldiers to temporarily settle these women, while he led the rest to continue pursuing the remaining bandits.
The Qin brothers went along with Qin Shaozong.
They pursued for a distance when suddenly they heard shouts of killing coming from ahead.
"Oh, it looks like Uncle Feng and the others have made their move." Qin Qinian rubbed his fists and wiped his palms, then said to Qin Shaozong, "Father, let's hurry over. A pincer attack from front and back will beat them to a pulp!"
Qin Shaozong: "Qin San, you and Bai Jianping lead the men and go quickly first. Qin the Second and I will come shortly."
The few who were called out didn't understand why, but they complied anyway. A group of people rushed forward to chase the enemy. Soon, only Qin Shaozong and Qin Yanzhou were left on this small path leading to the back mountain.
After the murderous troops left, the birds that had been startled away earlier landed back on the treetops, tilting their heads to observe the remaining father and son walking side by side.
Qin Shaozong walked on the young man's right side. Lowering his head slightly, he could see the torn sleeve. "Were you injured just now? Is it serious?"
Qin Yanzhou stiffened, only shaking his head without speaking. It was as if a heavy dark cloud enveloped his head, and his mood was much lower than before.
"Qin the Second, putting the agreement aside, do you still want to go to the battlefield after this?" Qin Shaozong asked again.
"I do." Qin Yanzhou did not hesitate. He twitched the corners of his mouth, as if wanting to say something else, but in the end, he only revealed a bitter and helpless smile.
The agreement couldn't be put aside. Mother was so sharp; once he returned, she would definitely know everything. So what was the use of just wanting it?
He could no longer...
"As long as you want to, that's enough. I see you've only suffered a minor injury. Since that's the case, secretly sew up this tear in your sleeve, and then you can pretend nothing happened," Qin Shaozong laughed.
Qin Yanzhou stopped in his tracks, utterly astonished.
"Why so surprised? Is what I said not feasible? Although Madam dotes on you, you are already an adult. A grown son avoids his mother; she definitely won't order you to strip naked for her to inspect. When she asks, just insist that you weren't injured," the curve of Qin Shaozong's mouth deepened.
Qin Yanzhou's eyes widened slightly. "But..."
"I'll teach you a lesson today: the wise adapt to circumstances, the foolish stick to the rules, and those who achieve great things do not sweat the small stuff." Qin Shaozong pulled out a small pouch embroidered with flowers from who knows where.
He didn't look at the young man beside him again, his gaze falling on the pouch. "You want to establish merit and build a career. Aside from realizing your ambitions, I think Madam is also a significant reason for this. Her not wanting you to risk your life on the battlefield is purely out of a loving mother's heart, which is completely understandable. After all, something lost and found is far more precious than something that has always been by one's side. But are you really willing to live a mediocre life forever, unable to repay your mother's grace?"
Qin Yanzhou unconsciously pressed his lips tightly together.
Hearing no response, Qin Shaozong didn't rush him.
The man's long, heavily callused fingers brushed over the small flowers on the pouch. There was no peace amulet inside, but it wasn't flat and empty either; it bulged with a noticeable curve.
His fingers squeezed open the mouth of the pouch, faintly revealing a small piece of jade inside. It had a long and narrow shape, looking like a brush rest.
"I've said all I have to say. You can consider the rest yourself." Qin Shaozong suddenly tightened his large hand, firmly grasping the small pouch.
As if remembering something, he smiled and added one more sentence, "If you are willing to do as I say, find a trustworthy woman and have her quickly sew up your outer robe for you."
With that said, Qin Shaozong no longer walked leisurely and picked up his pace to catch up with the main force ahead.
Qin Yanzhou followed.
"Achoo!" Dai Li suddenly sneezed.
Nianxia said nervously, "Madam, let this servant add a layer of clothing for you. As the saying goes, bundle up in spring and stay cool in autumn; you mustn't catch a cold."
Dai Li rubbed her nose. "I don't feel cold."
But Nianxia still went back to fetch a piece of clothing.
Dai Li looked in the direction of Mount Chunmiao and murmured, "It's already the end of the Mao hour. They should be in the latter half of their operation over there. I hope everything goes smoothly."
Whether it was an illusion or not, Dai Li thought she heard the clashing of weapons. Just as she was about to listen more closely, she saw a man rushing in from outside the courtyard.
"Madam, the end of the village has been attacked by bandits. Please stay together with Lady Shi and do not wander around." The newcomer was Hu Bao.
Dai Li was greatly astonished. "Bandits attacking the end of the village? But the village end and Mount Chunmiao are in two opposite directions and aren't close to each other. How could those bandits..."
She suddenly paused, recalling the attack from half a month ago.
Since that night attack, the "bandits" had not appeared again. Now it seemed they hadn't fled, but had been hiding and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
And Qin Shaozong leading his men to wipe out the bandits was exactly that "opportunity."
After her initial shock, she quickly calmed down. "It's fine. I heard that the initial night attack involved no more than a hundred men, and over half of them were slain by your blades. If it is the same group this time, they likely have less than fifty men left. Meanwhile, we have over a hundred men, giving us the numerical advantage. However, their purpose for this attack should be the same as before. Hu Bao, the imperial court officials must be kept safe; we cannot let them be killed."
Hu Bao said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Madam. We will definitely not let those scoundrels succeed."
Dai Li smiled faintly. "Thank you for your hard work."
After Hu Bao left, Shi Rongyue and her personal maid quickly arrived at the courtyard where Dai Li was staying, gathering together.
At that time, Dai Li was speaking with the owner of the courtyard. She and Qin Shaozong were staying at the village chief's house, and the person conversing with her right now was the old village chief's daughter-in-law.
"...Yes, there is only one den of bandits nearby, and speaking of which, they only appeared the year before last. At first, there were only about a dozen of them. I heard they were fugitives from somewhere who fled to Mount Chunmiao to become outlaws. They often robbed passing merchants. Later, news spread that there were bandits here, and somehow, more and more people came here to become outlaws," the village woman said.
Dai Li looked thoughtful. "Only one den of bandits. So, it really is them."
The village woman didn't understand who "they" referred to and was extremely worried. "Noble lady, there are bandits in the east and bandits in the west. With us unable to defend both ends, could it be that..."
If they couldn't hold them off and the bandits truly entered the village, the first to bear the brunt would definitely be defenseless villagers like them.
Dai Li looked up at the sky.
The end of the Mao hour. It had barely been one shichen since the end of the Yin hour. One shichen, two hours.
For completely eradicating a bandit den, it was still too early.
Dai Li massaged the space between her eyebrows.
She had appeared very calm in front of Hu Bao just now, but only Dai Li herself knew that she was still somewhat worried.
Her previous assurance that it was "fine" was entirely based on her assumption that the enemy had only fifty men. If they had more than fifty...
Dai Li looked at the village woman and asked, "Do you have a drum here?"
*
On Mount Chunmiao.
In large-scale wars, if the defeated side surrendered in time, they most likely wouldn't lose their heads.
Prisoners of war, representing human resources, were undoubtedly valuable assets. Just like the battle in Yanzhou last year, the defeated Yanzhou army was reorganized by Qin Shaozong and entirely converted into a labor force for farming.
However, this time was an exception.
The bandits' numerous evil deeds were one reason; Qin Shaozong harboring certain ulterior motives was another. In short, he did not give the order to leave any survivors.
By the time the father and son arrived, this one-sided, crushing skirmish was almost over.
The corpses of the bandits lay scattered haphazardly. Blood flowed continuously from their severed necks or chests, gathering into small puddle-like shallow pits on the ground, only to be splashed in all directions when stepped on by latecomers.
Seeing Qin Shaozong arrive, Bai Jianping reported, "Marquis, the bandits have been entirely eradicated. The number of bandits who attempted to flee down the mountain totals fifty-two."
"Fifty-two, plus the corpses up on the mountain, this bandit den must have had over a hundred people." Qin Qinian clicked his tongue. "I didn't expect it to be such a large den."
Qin Shaozong was just about to speak when he suddenly heard the continuous beating of a drum from afar. The man's face instantly turned cold as he turned to look in the direction of the village.
Among many instruments, the penetrating power of a drum is second to none, which is why drums are often used in marches and sacrifices to transmit messages or boost morale.
The others were all stunned in disbelief.
"Was that a drum just now? Who is beating the drum?"
"Wait, that's not an ordinary drumbeat. It's a military march signal!"
"It seems to be coming from the direction of the village. How could this be? We launched a night attack on the bandit den. Logically speaking, the bandits should all be fast asleep during the Yin hour. How could they have gone down the mountain?"
Qin Shaozong ordered, "Bai Jianping and Qin San, you two lead twenty men to clear the battlefield. The rest of you, follow me back."
Being called out, Qin Qinian instinctively responded. After answering, he looked over at Qin Yanzhou.
Father hadn't called out his second brother's name, which meant his second brother would also be going back with Father to kill the enemy? If it were normally, he would have definitely fought for the chance, but today...
Cough, never mind. Better obey orders first.
Qin Qinian, whose sleeve had just been sliced open by a bandit's blade tip—though without breaking the skin—still felt a lingering fear.
*
The small mountain village.
Deng Qianfeng's eyes were bloodshot from the killing. After a fierce back-and-forth struggle with Hu Bao, he belatedly realized that his battle line hadn't advanced inward much at all.
"Thump, thump, thump—"
The sound of a drum abruptly erupted within the village.
Being a military man himself, Deng Qianfeng knew instantly upon hearing it that this was a military march signal. His expression immediately turned quite ugly. While blocking Hu Bao's attacks, he roared, "We don't have much time! Scatter and enter the village!"
A village is different from a walled city. The former is built in an accessible area with roads leading everywhere, while the latter is protected by city walls. To enter the village, besides the front and back mountain roads suitable for carriages and horses, one could also slip in through the tall grass or the woods.
Hearing the order, the others immediately scattered in all directions.
The veins on Hu Bao's forehead throbbed.
The Marquis had left a hundred men to protect the Madam. A hundred men was a third of their total force, which was already quite a lot. However, for a hundred men to protect an entire village of a thousand people while also trying their best to kill "bandits" who were slithering around everywhere like loaches, it was undeniably a strenuous task.
Especially since the troops stationed at the Madam's courtyard were fixed and absolutely could not be moved.
With the village in chaos, how could Guo Nai and Shen Tianming, who were staying in another location, not hear the commotion?
Guo Nai could not conceal his astonishment. "Didn't the Marquis of Wu'an lead his men to wipe out the bandits? How could bandits enter the village? Could it be that the remnants were forced down the mountain and stumbled into the village?"
As a military general, Shen Tianming had more experience in this area than Guo Nai. He frowned and shook his head. "It doesn't look like it to me. Mount Chunmiao is to the east, but those sounds are coming from the west. Furthermore, if the remnant bandits wanted to flee, why would they escape toward a crowded place?"
Guo Nai's expression looked grim. "Could it be that again..."
At this moment, a soldier from the Northern lands arrived outside.
The newcomer cupped his hands in greeting and got straight to the point: "General Shen, Attendant Guo, the village is under attack. The bandits are coming in fiercely, and our forces are limited. I hope you two and the other imperial soldiers will not leave the courtyard."
He was purely there to pass on a message, and having said his piece, the man promptly left.
After Guo Nai's expression shifted several times, he suddenly looked at Shen Tianming beside him. "General Shen, do you think this bandit disaster is a self-directed act?"
Shen Tianming stroked his chin. "It's hard to say."
Guo Nai gave a sinister chuckle. "General Shen, the safest place in this village right now is not where we are standing."
Hearing the hidden meaning in his words, Shen Tianming asked, "What do you mean?"
"How about we go find the Marquis's wife?" A ruthless glint flashed in Guo Nai's eyes. "If this bandit attack is just a front put up by the Marquis of Wu'an, we'll take his wife and niece as hostages. If I'm wrong, that's fine too—we can just use the guards around her to protect ourselves."
"Excellent!"
*
When Qin Shaozong hurriedly led his men back to the village, the main road was already stained with blood, and the clashing of blades echoed from afar.
The imposing man coldly raised his hand and pressed it forward. Without a word, the Northern soldiers behind him surged like tigers released from their cages, swiftly charging into the scattered skirmishes in all directions.
Qin Shaozong headed straight for the village chief's house, effortlessly dispatching any bandits who crossed his path along the way.
The closer he got, the more casualties he saw on both sides. The thick stench of blood carried by the wind made it feel as though a wet, bloody towel had been pressed over one's nose.
"My Lord!" The guards stationed outside the courtyard were thrilled to see Qin Shaozong return.
The wooden courtyard gate was mostly destroyed, leaving only half of it hanging askew and creaking slightly in the wind.
His gaze pierced through the entrance, and only when he saw the woman in the smoky-purple ruqun standing in the courtyard did the taut string in his mind finally snap loose.
Qin Shaozong let out a heavy breath.
Only then did he spare attention for the rest of the scene. Seeing Dai Li and Shi Rongrong both in the courtyard rather than inside, he asked, "Why aren't you and Rongrong inside the house?"
Seeing him return with a contingent of Northern soldiers waiting outside, Dai Li honestly felt a wave of relief. "General Shen and Attendant Guo are inside. The situation is... a bit peculiar."
Qin Shaozong frowned. "Why aren't they staying in their own quarters? Why take over ours like cuckoos in a magpie's nest?"
Dai Li explained, "Attendant Guo said he was worried I might be harmed by the bandits, so he rushed over to help. But on his way here, he was ambushed by hidden thieves and had an arm chopped off. Mr. Ding and General Shen are inside looking after him now."
Everyone was astonished.
Qin Shaozong let out an undisguised laugh of mockery. "Tsk, it seems the heavens couldn't stand how uncoordinated he was, so they sent someone to chop off his other arm to match."
Dai Li: "...Keep your voice down."
As if suddenly remembering something, Qin Shaozong turned his head to Qin Yanzhou beside him. "Qin the Second, this place is filthy. Take Shi Rongrong next door."