Chapter 342: The Ronin's Ambition

Xiao Moting narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing through them.

"It won't be so easy for the Fusang People to infiltrate the Daliang Imperial Court."

"Let them come in standing, and leave lying down!"

As soon as Bai Wei heard this, she knew Xiao Moting had developed a murderous intent, and she did not stop him.

In any case, the ore had to be reclaimed, and since these Fusang People had committed countless evils in Yannan City, they should have paid with their lives long ago.

"They have firearms too!" Qin Zhan exclaimed in shock.

Bai Wei took a look and discovered that there were indeed several Fusang People walking out with muskets on their backs.

"It is not surprising that the Fusang People have firearms; since they can even make explosives, how could they not know how to make muskets?"

"However, if they have firearms, it will be even harder for us to seize the ore."

Xiao Moting watched the video carefully, pondering as he examined it.

"It seems the Fusang People are using the cellar of the Dye House as a warehouse to store the ore. They have been obtaining ore from Yuan Canghai while secretly collecting more in the city; there is no telling how much ore is hidden in the cellar now."

"There are about two hundred Fusang People in the Dye House; it will not be easy for us to transport the ore away without making a sound."

Including himself, there were only ten men from the Beijiang Army who had come to Yannan City.

Yet there were over two hundred Fusang Ronin, and many of them carried firearms; a head-on clash would be impossible to win.

Furthermore, there was no telling how much ore was stockpiled in the Fusang People's cellar, and the ore was too heavy; ten Beijiang soldiers alone could never quietly transport it away.

"We don't have enough manpower." Bai Wei also realized the biggest problem, her brows knitting tightly. "When we came, we didn't expect that Yuan Canghai would actually allow over two hundred Fusang People into the city. Isn't he afraid of trouble?"

"Yuan Canghai is suspicious by nature; I suspect he didn't anticipate there being so many Fusang People in the Dye House either," Xiao Moting speculated. "The Fusang People don't let anyone get close easily. I think besides hiding ore, they have also been secretly smuggling people in from the outside."

"This is too dangerous," Qin Zhan cried out again. "A single Dye House hides two, maybe even three hundred Fusang People, and they have quite a few muskets. With so many people, they could completely form a Firearm Squad."

As soon as his voice fell, the expressions of the Beijiang soldiers nearby could not help but change.

Everyone simultaneously recalled the scene of encountering a group of Rakshasa Bandits at the Snow Mountain Mine.

At that time, the Rakshasa Bandits only numbered a few dozen, and they had very few firearms in their hands.

Yet, it was precisely such a small Firearm Squad that had battered the Beijiang Army so severely; if Bai Wei hadn't sent the sniper rifle, explosives, steel plates, and other weapons later, the Beijiang soldiers, who only had blades and spears, would never have been able to defeat the Rakshasa Musketeer Team.

The surrounding Beijiang soldiers also began to call out one after another.

"It's too dangerous! If the Fusang People form a Firearm Squad to attack the city, Yannan City will never be able to hold out!"

"With so many muskets, wiping out the city's garrison wouldn't be a problem at all. If things go wrong, even Yuan Canghai might die here."

"Yuan Canghai is inviting a wolf into the house."

Xiao Moting's brows were tightly knit.

"The Fusang People demanded to be stationed in Yannan City and refuse to leave... they are also stockpiling large amounts of saltpeter and secretly smuggling people into the city."

Suddenly, his gaze turned cold.

"This is bad. These Fusang People want to occupy Yannan City!"

"What?" Qin Zhan was stunned. "The Fusang People want to capture Yannan?"

"Yes," Xiao Moting said in a low voice. "From a military strategy standpoint, Yannan City is very difficult to attack from the outside, but as long as there is coordination from within, one can win without a fight! First, the Fusang People are purchasing large quantities of ore; besides wanting iron ore, it is mostly to throw dust in people's eyes and cover up their intention to use the Saltpeter Mine to produce explosives."

"Second, the nearby commoners heard the Fusang People produce Heavenly Thunder, which shows that the Fusang People are already secretly manufacturing explosives. The reason they are making explosives in the city instead of transporting them back to their country first is because they want to use the explosives to attack Yannan City."

"Third, the Fusang People are secretly smuggling people in; this is reinforcing their troops!"

"Fourth, the Fusang People demanded to live in the center of Yannan City and occupied the Dye House, not letting idlers get close, because they are afraid of people discovering their intentions."

Hearing Xiao Moting's analysis, everyone understood, and their expressions changed drastically one after another.

"Son of a bitch, they want to capture Yannan!"

Xiao Moting's expression was cold. "I fear their goal is not just Yannan. Yannan is close to Shengjing and is also a military stronghold; what the Fusang People want is the entire Daliang Kingdom!"

"That fool Yuan Canghai thinks he is using the Fusang People, but he never expected that he is the one being used by them instead."

Qin Zhan said hurriedly, "Quick, let's go tell Yuan Canghai that these Fusang People want to capture Yannan!"

"No," Xiao Moting shook his head. "Even if we go to find Yuan Canghai, I fear he won't believe us. Yuan Canghai has always been suspicious and stubborn; if we rashly go to him and tell him the Fusang People want to kill him and occupy Yannan, he will likely only think we are sowing discord and have us all killed."

Bai Wei had also calmed down and looked up at him. "Xiao Moting, when it comes to military formations, you are the best. What are your thoughts?"

Xiao Moting pondered for a moment. "The best plan for now is to proceed according to the original plan and kill these Fusang People."

"But we only have ten people, while the Fusang People have two or three hundred, and they have muskets too." Qin Zhan frowned. "Even if we are willing to risk our lives, we can't kill that many people."

As he spoke, he glanced at Xiao Lujing.

Xiao Lujing, who had shed his usual coldness, shook his head slightly.

"The enemy's numbers are too great; we cannot assassinate them, and we would only alert the enemy."

At this moment, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

Xiao Moting immediately raised a finger, making a "hush" gesture.

The Beijiang soldiers immediately held their breath, making no further sound.

Bai Wei also lightened her breathing, afraid of being heard by others.

A series of footsteps approached from afar.

Several figures arrived at the entrance of the restaurant.

These people were wearing tattered clothes with messy hair; they were a group of beggars.

"Quick, put A Niu's mother down and let her lie down."

Two beggars supported an elderly beggar woman in rags, carefully letting her lie down under the eaves at the restaurant entrance.

The old woman was delirious, moaning incessantly as she lay on the ground, her complexion gray; she looked as if she were ill.

At this moment, a middle-aged beggar holding a broken bowl ran over in a panic.

"Mother, the water is here; drink some water quickly."

He supported the old woman with one hand and held the bowl with the other, trying to feed her the water in the bowl.

But the old woman had already lost consciousness; even when water was fed to her lips, it simply trickled down the corners of her mouth.

"Mother, wake up, please drink some water," the middle-aged beggar shouted in desperation.

The old woman showed no reaction.

The two beggars standing beside him shook their heads and sighed at the sight.

"A Niu, it looks like your mother isn't going to make it. We didn't beg for any money and can't afford medicine, so we should start preparing for the funeral."

The middle-aged beggar cried out, trembling, "No, my mother will be fine."

Suddenly, one of the beggars slammed his broken bowl onto the ground and cursed loudly.

"Damn it, this world has truly changed! A bunch of Fusang People are living it up on our land, while we worked honestly our whole lives only to have our homes raided and be reduced to beggars."

"Forget it, let's just go outside the city and join the Peasant Army. They rob the rich to help the poor, they specifically oppose the Yuan Family Army, and they even dare to seize things from the Fusang People!"

"We can't survive anyway, so we might as well go join the Peasant Army and rebel against the Yuan and the Fusang."