Chapter 65

Chen Qing gazed calmly at the bandits faintly visible outside the city walls. They were not on horseback, but were rushing towards the city gate in a panic, which reminded him of the puppet Qi army he had encountered in Guanzhong, driven by greed and lust to their deaths.

More than four thousand bandits were shouting wildly, with several hundred leading the charge onto the drawbridge and into the city gate. The moment they rushed in, Chen Qing shouted, "Fire the arrows!"

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The intense sound of the signal drums echoed as the soldiers on the city walls and below simultaneously fired their arrows. Over a hundred bandits who had just rushed into the city were hit by the dense crossbow bolts, screaming as they fell one by one.

Two thousand soldiers on the city walls also fired their arrows, the arrows raining down like a storm, covering the ground and hitting the bandits below. Especially the five hundred soldiers on the front wall, armed with city defense bows, shot five hundred thick arrows into the dense crowd.

This round of arrows caught the bandits off guard, with hundreds of them falling, lying on the ground in agony. Perhaps due to the darkness, many bandits did not realize what was happening and continued to rush into the city.

At this moment, the second round of arrows was fired. If the first round was a bit chaotic, with many crossbow bolts missing their targets, the second round was much more precise.

A thousand crossbow bolts rained down on the several hundred bandits who had rushed into the city, causing them to fall in droves amidst screams and cries. At this moment, the sound of a gong signaling retreat echoed from outside.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!* The urgent gong sounds urged the bandits to retreat immediately.

Zhang Kui finally realized they had been tricked; the soldiers had set a trap.

"Retreat! Retreat!" Zhang Kui shouted.

The bandits finally reacted, hearing the gong sounds, and turned to flee in panic. The more excited they were when they came, the more disorganized they were when they retreated.

The soldiers fired a third round of arrows, which rained down like a storm, hitting the backs of a hundred or two fleeing bandits, causing them to fall.

The bandits fled in panic, and Chen Qing waved his hand, "Change your weapons, follow me!"

A thousand soldiers picked up their spears and swords and followed their commander out of the city. When Chen Qing used his Azure Dragon Halberd to stab a wounded bandit to death, the soldiers finally reacted, drawing their swords to finish off the wounded bandits.

Chen Qing's heart was as hard as iron, showing no mercy to the wounded bandits, even if they begged for mercy. He knew what these bandits were trying to do by rushing into the city; being merciful to them would be cruel to the innocent civilians.

In no time, over two hundred wounded bandits were killed, and the various spoils of war were collected. Chen Qing ordered the soldiers to return to the city, raising the drawbridge and closing the city gate. The bodies of over a thousand dead bandits would be dealt with the next day.

This battle had a significant impact on the two thousand soldiers. It was essentially their first real combat, and they achieved a glorious victory, wiping out over a thousand bandits without a single casualty on their side, which was nothing short of a miracle.

The morale of the two thousand soldiers was high, and the officers and men all petitioned to attack Zhang Kui's bandits. Even Huaiyan Tong was moved, urging Chen Qing to pursue the enemy and wipe out Zhang Kui's bandits in one fell swoop.

However, Chen Qing was unmoved. He ordered the soldiers to cut off over a thousand heads and hang them on the city walls to warn the entire Mu Prefecture that anyone who followed Zhang Kui would be executed without mercy.

The next day, the two thousand soldiers resumed their rigorous training, running in the morning to build stamina, practicing spear and archery skills in the afternoon, and training for night battles in the evening.

Every day, the soldiers underwent devilish training...

As the weather turned hot in May, Chen Qing had been in Mu Prefecture for a month. After setting the ambush and defeating the bandits' surprise attack, he did not launch any further attacks on Zhang Kui but focused on training his troops.

However, this did not mean Chen Qing was not paying attention to Zhang Kui's movements. On the contrary, he closely monitored Zhang Kui's every move through various channels, patiently waiting for the right opportunity to eliminate the bandits.

In Lin'an.

One afternoon, a guest arrived at the residence of Vice Chancellor Qin Hui. It was the martial arts student Wang Bo. Unlike other officials, Wang Bo did not need to submit a calling card or schedule a time to visit the Chancellor's residence. His aunt was Qin Hui's wife, Wang Shi, and Wang Bo's admission to the martial arts academy was due to Qin Hui's recommendation.

Wang Bo's task was also to train the garrison troops, but he had no interest in training and had not even entered the military camp. For the past month, he had been mingling with a few young officials in various pleasure quarters, living a carefree life.

However, Wang Bo was also paying attention to Chen Qing's situation in Mu Prefecture. Recently, he heard that the soldiers had killed over a thousand bandits in Mu Prefecture and used their heads to build a pyramid, causing significant controversy in the court.

Wang Bo saw an opportunity to strike while the iron was hot.

At this moment, the sound of jingling jewelry came from the inner hall, followed by footsteps. It was his aunt. Wang Bo quickly stood up.

Soon, a group of maids escorted a noblewoman out of the inner hall, filling the room with fragrance.

The noblewoman was Qin Hui's wife, Wang Shi. She was about forty years old, with high cheekbones, thin lips, and narrow eyes. She might have been considered pretty in her youth, but as she aged, her face became more severe.

Wang Bo quickly knelt and bowed, "Nephew greets Aunt!"

Wang Bo was the youngest son of Wang Shi's second brother. He had always been sweet-talking and good at pleasing people, earning Wang Shi's favor.

Wang Shi smiled, "You should be very busy in the martial arts academy. How do you have time to visit me?"

"Nephew is indeed very busy, but no matter how busy, I cannot forget Aunt. This is a box of pastries from the Ten Brocade Hall that I specially bought for Aunt. I'm sure Aunt will like the Lotus Double Delight Pastry."

Saying this, he presented a beautifully crafted brocade box to Wang Shi.

Wang Bo was very emotionally intelligent. He knew his aunt liked sweet and salty flavors and had always been fond of the pastries from the Ten Brocade Hall in Bianliang. She must have missed them during her years in the Jin territory. The Ten Brocade Hall had reopened in Lin'an half a month ago, and his aunt probably didn't know about it yet.

The gift was not expensive, but Wang Bo knew it would touch his aunt's heart.

Wang Shi took the pastry box, feeling a mix of emotions. She seemed to be transported back to her youth. After a moment, she sighed, "You are thoughtful, sit down!"

"Thank you, Aunt!"

Wang Bo sat down, and Wang Shi asked, "How are your parents?"

"Reporting to Aunt, my parents are well. My father will soon be transferred to Xuanchou to serve as the Defense Commissioner."

Wang Bo's parents were officials in other regions, and he lived with his grandfather in Lin'an, who doted on him.

Wang Shi nodded and smiled, "You have always been like this, coming to me whenever you have something. Speak up! What is it this time? Are you out of money again?"

Wang Bo glanced at the maids, and Wang Shi smiled, "They are all my confidants, speak freely!"

"It's like this, Nephew is determined to excel in the martial arts academy and become the top student. I have the ability, but I have a rival who boasts of his achievements and suppresses me.

Last month, I finally managed to secure a mission to suppress the rebellion in Mu Prefecture, but he used his connections to take it from me. I was left to train the troops. Sigh! These are minor issues, but I heard he got into trouble in Mu Prefecture, and the Censorate is investigating him. He will surely use his connections to buy his way out, which makes me very angry."

"What kind of background does he have?" Wang Shi asked coldly.

"He boasts in the martial arts academy that he is a close confidant of Zhang Jun, and all the officials there fawn over him."

"Zhang Jun?"

Wang Shi snorted, "Just a local official, not a high-ranking one!"

"The key is that Zhang Jun has connections in Lin'an!"

"What do you mean?"

"Nephew was thinking, since the Censorate is investigating, can my cousin Wang Huan be assigned to the case? At least he won't be bought off."

Wang Shi understood her nephew's intentions and nodded, "I understand. I will speak to your uncle."

...

That night, after listening to his wife's advice, Qin Hui chuckled, "Your nephew is not one to be underestimated! I suspect the rumors in the court are spread by him through various connections!"

Wang Shi was angry, "Is it bad that Bo has skills and intelligence? You recommended him to the martial arts academy to be your assistant, didn't you? Do you want him to be stupid and useless?"

"Ah! That's not what I meant. Bo's cunning and intelligence are good, but the Mu Prefecture matter is personally handled by Fan Zongyin. He should not get too involved, lest he be implicated, and I would also be implicated."

Wang Shi nodded, "I understand. I will tell Bo not to get involved."

"Also, I noticed that the Emperor seems to have an interest in this Chen Qing."

"Why?"

"Isn't it because Zhang Jun exaggerated Chen Qing's abilities, making the Emperor interested? The Emperor now values capable young generals. He promoted Yue Fei exceptionally, and I suspect he also has plans to cultivate Chen Qing."

"Will it be disadvantageous for Bo to oppose Chen Qing?" Wang Shi was a bit worried.

"Not really. Rivalries among students are common and are minor issues. It's also a form of training for Bo. Besides, the Emperor is interested in many young generals, not just Chen Qing. Previously, Zhang Jun recommended Yang Yizhong, Liu Guangshi recommended Cao De, and Han Shizhong recommended Huaiyan Tong. So Chen Qing is just one of many promising young officers, and it's not certain he will succeed. Success is rare, and most remain unknown."

"Will your husband still intervene in the Mu Prefecture matter?"

"Not really. Wang Huan is already a censor, and sending him to Mu Prefecture is a minor task. Besides, who knows about the grudge between Wang Huan and Chen Qing?"

Qin Hui looked at the ceiling, thinking about a secret letter sent to him by Wanyan Chang, which mentioned Chen Qing's name.