Chapter 146: Evasion

Gu Han ordered his men to record the identities of the war dead.

He plans to wait until he returns to Mu Shan Cheng, then hand out the compensation money to the families of these Soldier Unit members.

Although most of them died in battle due to Liang Fang's and Pei Guang's poor command.

But the reason this band of bandits attacked the camp was

still because the Blood Red Pavilion took on the task of assassinating him.

After the identity of the person behind the Blood Mad General is uncovered,

Gu Han will naturally use that person and the Blood Mad's life to honor these fallen soldiers.

And that doubled compensation is the only thing Gu Han can do for them.

The next day.

The surviving ninety‑seven continued on the road toward Zhong Cheng.

Fortunately, since that night's bandit raid,

the party has not encountered any other danger.

Two days later, they finally arrived at Zhong Cheng.

The Mu Shan Cheng side had already sent a carrier pigeon with a message.

After Gu Han and his companions were screened, they finally entered Zhong Cheng.

"The inspection at this City Gate is really strict; we've already proven our identities, yet they still scrutinize us so thoroughly."

"Did you not see the other entrants? They were almost stripped of a layer of skin just to get in!"

Amid the complaints, Gu Han and his group finally saw the sights inside Zhong Cheng.

Tall houses and rows of shops lined up densely.

The city's architecture is far taller and livelier than the border‑style Mu Shan Cheng.

And compared with Mu Shan Cheng's grim atmosphere,

the pedestrians on the streets exude a relaxed demeanor.

This demeanor is something the people of Mu Shan Cheng never display.

Yet the aura these pedestrians emit is not much stronger than that of Mu Shan Cheng.

This may be because Mu Shan Cheng lies on the frontier, where its citizens must be self‑defensive.

Gu Han and his party had no intention of sightseeing and headed straight for the City Lord's residence.

This militarily‑styled contingent attracted the attention of many townsfolk.

Although bandits have been rampant around Zhong Cheng lately,

the city itself lacks many permanent troops.

The townsfolk rarely see a force like Mu Shan Cheng's.

"Although their momentum isn't strong, they do look impeccably disciplined."

"Did the City Lord summon these people to help suppress the bandits?"

"With so many bandits around Zhong Cheng, this few manpower can't be enough, right?"

Hearing the townsfolk's doubts, someone in the ranks suddenly had reddened eyes.

He rushed forward, his eyes blood‑shot as he stared at the speaker,

"I tell you, we will definitely exterminate these bandits!"

The Captain of Hundred beside him hurriedly pulled him back and repeatedly apologized to the passerby.

After the passerby left with an unfriendly expression, the Captain of Hundred finally looked at the squad leader with blood‑shot eyes,

"Brothers died at the hands of those bandits; you're not the only one angry."

"But our purpose is to protect the townsfolk; why are you taking your anger out on them?"

The squad leader seemed to realize his misconduct and apologized to the Captain of Hundred for his lapse and for bringing disgrace to the Military Camp.

Along the way, the soldiers' morale was very low.

The townsfolk only gathered out of curiosity for the spectacle.

They soon dispersed.

City Lord's residence.

After the report was filed, Gu Han, Liang Fang, and Pei Guang, as Bijang, were quickly ushered inside.

"I have the honor of meeting the City Lord."

Gu Han and his party saw someone seated upright in the City Lord's residence and immediately clasped their fists in greeting.

"My father has already gone to suppress the bandits; you generals need not be overly formal."

The seemingly rather young man had been handling documents.

Hearing Gu Han's party, he quickly smiled, rose, and came down to welcome them.

"You must be General Gu Han, General Gu, right?"

The man warmly shook Gu Han's hand and asked with a smile.

The manner was as if he were meeting an old friend after many years.

Yet a cold glint flashed in his eyes, bearing a hint of something different.

Gu Han looked at the man, presumably the young City Lord, in astonishment.

The man's expression was gentle, with no airs.

He was far kinder than the second‑generation he had imagined.

"I am Gu Han, pleased to meet the young City Lord."

In a great city like Zhong Cheng, the City Lord usually holds a noble title.

Although the Young City Lord did not inherit the title, his status is still far higher than theirs, these Bijang.

General Gu Han, you need not stand on ceremony.

The Young City Lord, Jiang Litian, helped Gu Han up, laughing heartily.

Indeed, a hero emerges from youth; General Gu's fame has long been like thunder in my ears, even here in Zhong Cheng.

Young City Lord, you overpraise me.

Gu Han naturally would not naively think his fame had grown so great that even Jiang Litian would respect him.

Liang Fang and Pei Guang followed behind Gu Han, and at this point they hardly felt any jealousy.

In the previous bandit night raid, the strength and judgment Gu Han displayed.

Would far surpass either of them.

When the gap is small, they might still feel jealous.

But if the gap is too great, only admiration remains, with no jealousy at all.

After Gu Han and Jiang Litian exchanged a few pleasantries, they got straight to the point,

Young City Lord, I don't know where the grain supplies allocated by the Imperial Court are now.

The soldiers of Mu Shan Cheng have long been eagerly awaiting.

Please, General Gu, do not be anxious.

Jiang Litian gestured for a servant girl to pour Gu Han a cup of tea, then said lightly,

My father is currently leading troops to Heifeng Zhai to suppress the bandits, and Zhong Cheng cannot spare any manpower to assist General Gu in transporting the grain supplies.

I don't know how many men General Gu has brought on this trip.

About a hundred men.

Gu Han answered without the slightest hesitation.

Upon hearing Gu Han's answer, Jiang Litian furrowed his brow,

With just this many hands, I'm afraid it won't be enough.

Besides Heifeng Zhai, there are other bandits near Zhong Cheng; if the grain supplies General Gu is escorting were robbed, neither I nor General Gu would be able to explain ourselves.

Gu Han narrowed his eyes and said lightly,

What does the Young City Lord mean?

Please, General Gu, rest a few days in Zhong Cheng; once my father returns from suppressing the bandits, he will naturally dispatch troops to assist you in escorting the grain supplies.

As soon as those words were spoken, Gu Han immediately sensed something amiss.

The reason they came to Zhong Cheng was precisely because Zhong Cheng could not spare any manpower.

But now that they have arrived, they are responsible for transporting the grain supplies.

As a result, Jiang Litian still said they could not spare manpower and would not let them take the grain supplies.

Isn't this just playing with people?

Even so, the City Lord has already led troops to besiege Heifeng Zhai.

They placed the grain supplies in storage rings to take them away.

Unless there is a Heifeng Zhai insider among the city's high-ranking officials.

Otherwise, how could other bandits possibly discover it?

After all, this concerns the many soldiers of Mu Shan Cheng awaiting resources, and Gu Han's attitude inevitably turned cold.

Young City Lord, you might as well speak plainly; there's no need to beat around the bush in front of me.

Faced with Gu Han's frankness, Jiang Litian still wore a gentle smile,

I'm not afraid of General Gu's ridicule; although I am the Young City Lord, the grain supplies are too important.

My father is not here, so I cannot make decisions on my own.

Gu Han's eyes turned slightly cold; were Jiang Litian's words treating them as fools?

The grain supplies are allocated by the Imperial Court; Zhong Cheng is merely a transit station.

It is only natural for Mu Shan Cheng to come and take away the grain supplies.

Even if Jiang Litian were not the Young City Lord, even if he were merely a quartermaster,

As long as the identities of Gu Han and his companions are verified, he can decide and hand over the grain supplies to Gu Han!

Jiang Litian's actions amount to an outright refusal to hand over the grain supplies!

Young City Lord, you might as well speak plainly: what must we do to be able to take the grain supplies away?