Chapter 147

Don't be stupid! The city gate is already shut—we can't get back in! Xiexiezi roared, hands braced on his knees, gasping for breath.

He also didn't know why it had turned out this way; before entering the city they had clearly agreed, and he had explained everything plainly, yet the result was unexpected.

Xiexiezi racked his brains in vain—normally the brothers obeyed his every word—so why had things become like this today?

At this moment the city was also in chaos, the guards searching house by house to ensure no bandit escaped.

Outside the tavern, the guards rushed in and saw several men assaulting a woman—a scene they had already witnessed several times just moments before.

Three corpses lay on the ground, obviously a family.

The squad leader and the County Magistrate both issued orders: anyone who harmed a civilian's life was to be killed on the spot.

Even without that order, the soldiers had no intention of letting this band of bandits go; their deeds aroused the wrath of men and gods alike.

"Brothers, kill them!"

Several bandits hadn't even realized what was happening when the soldiers lunged forward; their broadswords had already been thrown to the ground, and there was no time to pick them up, so they hurriedly begged for mercy.

"Sir, spare my life!"

"Go to hell, beast!"

The bandits' pleas for mercy didn't make the soldiers stop; instead they swung their weapons with even greater force.

After successfully slaying several of them, one soldier hurriedly spoke to comfort the defiled girl.

"Miss, don't be afraid—we..."

But he trailed off mid-sentence, unable to speak another word; the woman on the table stared with bloodshot eyes, tear tracks dried at the corners, utterly still—clearly she had already lost all signs of life.

The soldiers watched the scene in silence, then turned silently and quickened their pace to sweep elsewhere.

Of the bandits left in the city, originally over two hundred, only a few dozen remained fleeing; the rest had been cut down on the spot.

These few dozen quickly gathered together, made a wide circuit, and felt their way toward the city gate.

"Damn it, the chief and the vice-chief used to call us brothers, but now they've sold us out!" one bandit complained in the crowd.

"What are you saying? The chief wouldn't be that kind of person!"

Another bandit immediately retorted, he had been with Bai'e Hu from Lianhuan Shan all the way here for a long time, naturally trusting Bai'e Hu's character.

The bandit who had just spoken flushed and shouted, "I saw it with my own eyes—they pushed the grain carts away and left, never intending to care whether we lived or died."

At that moment the leader said, "What time is it to be arguing? Can't we wait until we're out of the city to talk?"

This man was usually a minor leader, but with no suitable commander at hand, he had no choice but to step forward.

Both knew this wasn't the time to quarrel; the priority was to get out alive, so they fell silent.

When the group finally felt their way to the vicinity of the city gate, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

"This is our only chance—once it's light we won't be able to get away!" the minor leader gripped his broadsword, eyes blazing as he stared at the alley corner; from there you could see the city gate.

Some bandits held knives, others had empty hands; none wanted to be last, and they shoved forward desperately.

"Charge!"

As the word was shouted, the minor leader had already surged ahead, avoiding a scramble with the others in the alley.

In just a few breaths, the minor leader sprinted to the corner; according to his plan, he only needed to dash at top speed to the city gate.

Then, while he opened the gate, the bandits behind him would be cut down by the soldiers, but he himself would surely escape unharmed.

The next instant the minor leader burst from the alley, but his steps slowed sharply until he stopped.

In the minor leader's despairing gaze, a troop of soldiers holding torches stood guard at the city gate, ready and waiting.

The squad leader at the front said, "I knew you rats would come back—die!"

One after another, the bandits behind surged out; seeing this, they wanted to run back, but discovered the bandits inside were desperately charging outward, leaving them no way to return, and besides, pursuers were at their heels.

A group stared at this in despair, at a loss, while some even dropped to their knees to surrender.

"I surrender—I didn't do anything, don't kill me!"

"Me too! I'm innocent!"

Upon hearing this, the squad leader bellowed in a low voice, "Surrender and you won't be killed!"

At those words, many bandits dropped to their knees and surrendered; they had no weapons left—if they didn't surrender, would they really just wait to die?

Seeing most brothers had surrendered, the rest had nothing to hesitate over and all at once threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The squad leader, fearing a trick, waited until his men were all present before stepping forward and saying, "Tie them all up!"

As for the squad leader's promise that surrender would not be killed, it was merely to reduce casualties on his side.

These bandits must die, but they must be kept for trial in the magistrate's hall so the harmed civilians can see them and vent their anger; otherwise the populace would surely hold a grudge against him and the County Magistrate.

Moreover, this must be reported to the prefect; having slain over a hundred bandits and captured several dozen alive counts as merit.

Once all the bandits were bound, the squad leader finally breathed a sigh of relief, then stepped forward and kicked them hard twice, saying.

"You pack of beasts—just wait to die!"

"Huh? You said surrender wouldn't be killed?" a bandit couldn't help but ask.

"I also said I'm your dad—come on, shout it and let me hear!"

"You have no faith!"

"You're a bandit yourself—what faith am I supposed to keep with you? Are you stupid or am I?"

At that moment the bandits finally regretted it, but it was too late; they could only silently pray that their chief and vice-chief would come to rescue them.

The soldiers deliberately marched the bandits around the city; many civilians rushed forward to beat them in venting their rage, and those whose daughters had been defiled snatched up knives, wishing to hack the bandits to pieces.

In the end, the entire city crowded outside the magistrate's hall, hearing the County Magistrate announce that the bandits would be interrogated and executed at noon the day after; only then did the disturbance temporarily subside.

The County Magistrate chose the day after for a reason: he needed to report the affair in Ziyun City to the prefect of Shuo Fang, which required a round trip of two days.

If the prefect takes an interest, he could come in person to preside over the interrogation and execution, thereby winning over popular sentiment.

Of course, the County Magistrate of Ziyun City wrote the letter rather vaguely, not stating it outright, but one trusts the prefect will grasp his meaning.

The news of the noon interrogation and execution the day after also reached Menghuzhai; Bai'e Hu rose to his feet, indignant, and declared, "You all stop blocking me—this time I will definitely go rescue my brothers."

Xiexiezi didn't even lift his head: "This is clearly a trap; going there would be a death sentence, we'd better hurry and pack up, we can't stay here any longer!"