Chapter 95: Whose Men?

Seeing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's murderous intent, the bandit leader kneeling on the ground felt the wine in his stomach turn to cold sweat, trickling down his forehead incessantly.

He clasped his hands together, tears streaming down his face as he begged for mercy: "My lord, my lord, spare my life! I still have an old mother at home waiting for me to return!"

The remaining hundred-plus bandits also knelt down, scrambling and competing to beg for mercy.

Some clutched their heads and wept bitterly; others cursed themselves for having no conscience; still others kowtowed to Jiang Jiang Mingyu, asking for forgiveness.

The scene was in complete chaos.

"Spare our lives, my lord! We dare not do it again!" cried a burly bandit, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"My lord, we have all laid down our weapons; you cannot kill us!" another man pledged, patting his chest.

"We are all sons of decent families; please, my lord, show mercy and let us off this time!" a youth resembling a scholar knelt and begged.

"..."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu watched coldly from the side, saying not a word.

Sons of decent families?

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered; how dare this group of murderers and arsonists claim to be sons of decent families?

"When you were burning, killing, and plundering, did you ever think of yourselves as sons of decent families?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu said in a deep voice.

"When you treated human lives like livestock, did you ever consider sparing the lives of innocent commoners?" A flash of cold light passed through his eyes.

"You wretches who have lost all conscience; if I do not flay you alive, it counts as my mercy as an official." With a wave of Jiang Jiang Mingyu's hand, more than a dozen soldiers immediately stepped forward, dragged several bandits up, and pulled them outside.

Seeing death approaching, the bandit leader kneeling at the very front suddenly shouted: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you cannot kill us!"

"The old saying goes that killing those who surrender brings bad fortune. We have laid down our weapons; we are surrendered troops. If you kill us, you will not have a good end!" He spoke extremely fast, his voice filled with despair.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered contemptuously: "As for what end I will meet, at least you will not live to see it."

"I would like to see if killing you today will cause heaven to strike me with thunder and lightning tomorrow."

Having finished speaking, he waved his hand, and several soldiers immediately dragged the bandits out.

Even as they were dragged far away, the pleas and curses of the crowd continued to reach Jiang Jiang Mingyu's ears in waves. Only after a continuous series of dull thuds, like chopping meat, did those sounds gradually cease.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu witnessed the cruel scene that had just unfolded—a flash of bloody blade light, heads separating from bodies, hot blood gushing forth like a spring, staining the pristine white snow and blooming into crimson flowers upon the snowfield.

Severed heads fell to the ground, features twisted, with terror still frozen upon their faces.

Seeing that all the bandits had been beheaded and died miserably, Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke again: "The army will rest for one night. Speed is precious in war; tomorrow, we march on Black Wind Ridge."

"Furthermore, send someone immediately to deliver these people's heads to the nearby towns."

"Let those arrogant bandits see that once I arrive, their good days are over."

Tuke Tuke Siluo and Li Goudan naturally had nothing more to say; they bowed to Jiang Jiang Mingyu and turned to make arrangements.

Meanwhile, Zhu Ge Yu, who remained, spoke with some concern: "Master, will doing this alert the bandits on Black Wind Ridge?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gestured for the other to sit: "Alerting them is precisely my intention."

"Your plan of surprise attack, though brilliant, can only be used once. Do you think that without these severed heads, they would know nothing?"

"The fact that these bandits have held this place for several years proves they are not easy opponents."

"Today's victory was due to our sudden descent like divine soldiers; they had not a shred of preparation. You proposed this plan; you understand better than I do."

"But it cannot be denied that by the time we captured this shanzhai, news of my troops moving to suppress bandits had already spread without legs."

He smiled faintly: "Given the connections between those bandits and their own spies, it is impossible they would not know."

"In that case, we might as well act freely and let the bandits at the other two locations see my strength."

"Once fear takes root in their hearts, our opportunity will arrive. Strike the mountain to shake the tiger; now you should understand, right?"

Zhu Ge Yu rubbed his dry, wrinkled palms and frowned as he asked: "But what if they flee upon hearing the news?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu flexed his arms, his muscles rippling, confidence evident between his brows: "Except for Shangmu, which was disrupted by the people of Other Xi Xia, the entire Great Feng is peaceful; where else could they flee?" As he spoke, his gaze swept across the sky.

Zhu Ge Yu pressed further: "Then is there any possibility they might collude and join forces with other bandits?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu crossed his arms, gazing into the distance, and said slowly: "That is even more impossible."

"These bandits appear as close as brothers on the surface, but in reality, they all guard against one another, fearing others will encroach upon their territory." As Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke, the afterglow of the setting sun shone upon his resolute profile.

"Moreover, with their few broken blades, even if they truly joined forces, I would not fear them in the least." Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and rolled his shoulders.

"I was just worried about having nowhere to train my subordinates; if we can annihilate them in one stroke, it would count as a great good deed benefiting the nation and the people." Jiang Jiang Mingyu said, a light flickering in his eyes.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu stood up and looked at Zhu Ge Yu: "Speaking of which, today's great victory over Mount Sanqing was due largely to your efforts; I am deeply grateful."

Zhu Ge Yu chuckled: "Then, in consideration of today's merit, please prepare more poems and such when we return to Shangmu."

"In that case, this student's journey will not have been in vain." As Zhu Ge Yu spoke jokingly, his eyebrows danced with excitement.

Seeing him once again thinking about future plans for fame and profit, Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled helplessly: "Very well, very well; you will not be left out later."

"However, I do not understand; how is it that you, a person who spends every day studying how to become famous, have also dabbled in military strategy?"

These are two fields that have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

Zhu Ge Yu slowly wiped the smile from his face, a helpless bitter smile hanging at the corners of his mouth: "It was all arranged by the family." As he said this, his eyes dimmed.

"Since childhood, I have read many books on military strategy and warfare, and I once aspired to command armies and achieve merit on the battlefield when I grew up." Zhu Ge Yu said, his gaze directed toward the distance, as if recalling the past.

"Unfortunately, my father would not allow it; he not only burned my military books but also forced me to compose poems and essays every day, hoping I would succeed in the imperial examinations." As he spoke these words, Zhu Ge Yu's hand involuntarily clenched into a fist.

"Alas, I was simply not cut from that cloth, so I had to pay others to write on my behalf to appease my father, thus earning the so-called reputation of a talented scholar." Zhu Ge Yu shook his head self-mockingly, the sunset casting mottled shadows upon his face.

"Later, when the matter came to light, my father, seeing I had neither talent nor virtue, simply let me be. I, in turn, was happy to be free."

"I know you all look down on my pretentious posturing in the Fuzuo Sect. To be honest, I look down on such a version of myself too." A deep sense of helplessness permeated Zhu Ge Yu's tone.

He smiled self-mockingly: "Perhaps the moment my military books were burned, my heart already died."

"But this state of affairs is fine too; spending my days amusing myself with poetry and wine, pretending to be a talented scholar to please others, I can just get by day by day." As Zhu Ge Yu said this, his eyes were dim and lifeless.

Looking at his face full of helplessness, Jiang Jiang Mingyu, who had been listening silently, did not know what to say.

Zhu Ge Yu sighed deeply and waved his hand vigorously: "It is all in the past; let us not speak of it."

"By the way, Master, why did Tang Cheng go to Shangmu? Do you have any guesses?" As Zhu Ge Yu spoke, a flash of sharp light passed through his eyes.

This time it was Jiang Jiang Mingyu who sighed, frowning: "Don't mention it. Today, this official racked his brains all the way, yet still doesn't know what he truly intends to do?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke while pacing back and forth.

Zhu Ge Yu glanced at the guards standing watch outside the door, his eyebrows raising slightly: "Could it be related to these new troops you just recruited?" The setting sun cast a faint red glow on his face.

The Jiang Jiang Mingyu opposite him pondered for a moment: "It is indeed possible; otherwise, he would not have lingered outside the city defense camp and been captured by Dog Egg." As Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke, his fingers lightly stroked his chin.

"But this official holds the recruitment edict from the Inspector, my lord. Even if he came for that, this official fears nothing." Jiang Jiang Mingyu's tone was certain.

"Yet what this official cannot fathom is that, as the Tang Sima of the prefecture, he should have known of this long ago. Why did he still rush to Shangmu in person?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu paced back and forth incessantly, his brows tightly furrowed.

Zhu Ge Yu sighed in agreement: "I too cannot fathom it. Everyone in the entire prefectural city knows that Shangmu is now a place of danger."

"Given his status, if he were to run into the Western Xia people, it would be a dead end." Zhu Ge Yu spoke, the afterglow of the setting sun falling upon his stern profile.

"Could it be that he truly came to Shangmu on the Inspector's, my lord's, orders to secretly inspect?" Zhu Ge Yu speculated.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head instinctively: "No. My intuition tells me there is definitely something suspicious here."

Zhu Ge Yu seemed to think of something, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "Master, now that you mention it, I seem to recall something."

"Tang Cheng has always been at odds with the Inspector. Do you think he wants to use this to bring down the Inspector, my lord?" As soon as Zhu Ge Yu finished speaking, Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head.

"Impossible. The Inspector is, after all, a disciple of Prime Minister He. How would Tang Cheng, a mere prefectural Tang Sima, dare..." Jiang Jiang Mingyu stopped halfway, suddenly shivering with a jolt.

He turned to look at Zhu Ge Yu: "Speak quickly. Who is Tang Cheng's man?"