Chapter 16

Lian Er brought out the elite of the Xiling Guard. The Manchu rulers still placed great importance on the tombs of their ancestors, and the guard troops were all descendants of the Eight Banners, carefully selected for their combat capabilities.

During the Tongzhi era, although the Manchu had lost the Opium War, they had successfully quelled the Taiping Rebellion. Coupled with the愚民政策 (foolish people policy) at the time, the ruling class maintained a strong grip on the inland areas. The morale of the Eight Banners was not as scattered as it would be later, and they were still fully committed to suppressing bandits and rebels.

Xiao Letian, a modern office worker, was utterly outmatched by these Eight Banners soldiers. He didn't even last a minute before his vision went black and he was about to faint. Just as his consciousness was fading, he seemed to hear the twang of bowstrings and the groans of enemies.

Arrows flew through the darkness, two of them perfectly aimed to pierce the biceps of the soldiers, causing pain without truly incapacitating them.

"Who! Who is attacking me..." The Eight Banners archer, about to retaliate, threw aside the unconscious Xiao Letian. Unexpectedly, three more arrows flew from the darkness, forming a perfect triangle on the ground. A hidden expert was clearly present.

"Mu Ge Ji? There are some things you shouldn't meddle in. Some money is too hot to touch; it will bring trouble. Your mother wouldn't want you to get hurt..." The strange voice in the darkness made the archer break out in a cold sweat. In the camp, everyone called him Mu Ge, but no one knew his real name.

"You... who are you..." Mu Ge Ji's voice trembled, but the only response was the twang of the bowstring again. Without hesitation, Mu Ge Ji turned and fled, abandoning the 20 taels of reward.

After Mu Ge Ji disappeared, two black figures emerged from the darkness, picked up Xiao Letian and Sima Yun, and vanished into the streets. When Lian Er's reinforcements arrived, there was not even a trace of them.

"Worthless, all of you are worthless! Four bandits and not a single one was caught? Three dead, seven injured. You are all a bunch of useless eaters..." Early in the morning, Lian Er was raging in his study.

The entire night, the small county of Yixian, with a population of only 40,000, was turned upside down by Lian Er's guards. But in the end, apart from the achievements of the constables led by Wang Hu, the Eight Banners did not even find a single corpse.

At the age of 60, Lian Er's forehead was covered in red spots from anger. If his blood pressure were measured, it would likely burst. The age spot on his temple was jumping with rage.

"The head steward, calm down. Mu Ge said last night that the bandits had foreign guns, specifically small-caliber American revolvers. In just a moment, three of our men were killed. Look at the spent cartridges and the bullets dug out of the bodies..."

The kneeling soldier held out the spent bullets. The old man, seeing the deformed, blood-stained bullets, almost fainted. "Take them away, take them away..."

Four years ago, when the Anglo-French forces attacked Beijing, Lian Er had hidden in the city for over half a month before daring to leave. The impression of the foreign guns was deeply etched in his mind, and even now, the sight of these finely crafted killing tools made him nearly wet his pants.

"Foreign guns, and those are the revolvers that only officers possess!" Lian Er muttered to himself, sitting in his armchair. "What's going on? This is getting serious. Wait... someone, bring me the Liu from Guangde!"

As Lian Er was urgently responding, the unconscious Xiao Letian gradually woke up. He shook his head and focused his eyes, only to realize he was locked in a storeroom, his hands tied behind a chair.

"Simayun... Simayun, where are you?" Xiao Letian lowered his voice and looked around, trying to find the injured guard. But before he could call out three times, a cold dagger was placed against his throat.

A low, suppressed voice came from behind. "Mr. Xiao? Or should I call you Military Advisor Xiao? You've deceived me so thoroughly..."

"Third Master Qing!" Xiao Letian tried to turn his head, but the dagger pressed harder. "Don't move, you liar. You tricked us all. Do you know how many good words I had to say to Lian Er to save you? I even blocked his door three times to request troops..."

As he spoke, Third Master Qing moved in front of Xiao Letian, the cold dagger against his face, his eyes full of red veins.

Xiao Letian smiled bitterly. "Third Master, please listen to me. I didn't lie to you. If I tell you that I was forced to be a military advisor after being kidnapped, would you believe me?"

Xiao Letian wanted to slap himself for saying such a far-fetched story. But to his surprise, Third Master Qing nodded and said with a cold laugh, "I believe you. A man who can write such astonishing works, I have to believe anything strange could happen to him..."

He then pulled out Xiao Letian's draft from his chest and slapped it on the broken table. "Mr. Xiao, you are truly talented. Not only can you train a foreign gun squad, but you are also proficient in Western studies? Don't tell me you're just writing another 'Journey to the West'..."

The temperature in the storeroom began to drop rapidly. The two men stared at each other, neither speaking. This was a battle of wills, both trying to find the right words to gain the upper hand.

How could Third Master Qing not be angry? He had begged Lian Er three times to save Xiao Letian, only to be turned down each time.

Just as he was seething, last night a major incident occurred in the city. When he climbed onto the roof with his servants to observe, he discovered that the besieged person was none other than Xiao Letian, who had once helped him.

"Mr. Xiao, the bandits called you their military advisor. This can't be a figment of my imagination. Three bandits... no, four, including the fat innkeeper, risked their lives for you. Tell me, what kind of power do you have to make them so loyal in just over 20 days? How many secrets do you have?"

Xiao Letian did not answer, just coldly staring into Third Master Qing's eyes. Generally, as long as it wasn't a physical fight, Xiao Letian was not afraid of anyone. He knew that since Third Master Qing had spoken first in their stare-down, he was already at a disadvantage.

"My good Third Master, I know what you are worried about. In your eyes, anything abnormal is suspicious. I am a foreigner who has mixed with bandits. Aren't you worried that I might do something treasonous?"

"I understand your concerns. Seeing me in such a dangerous situation, you can't just let me die. But if you save me, you fear I might be a threat... I understand, I understand. The Taiping Rebellion has just been quelled, and the Anglo-French war is still fresh in everyone's memory. My identity as a foreigner and a bandit would naturally make you suspicious..."

"But think about it. If I had evil intentions, would I have come down the mountain without a braid, with only three followers, and carrying such strange writings? My Third Master, think about it. Would a person with so many suspicious points really have evil intentions?"

Third Master Qing's eyes showed hesitation as Xiao Letian's voice grew louder.

"Why did you appear in the deep mountains? Where is your braid?"

"Damn it, haven't I already said? I grew up overseas where no one keeps a braid. And I returned with a Russian merchant caravan. Is that reason enough?"

"What about these books?"

"Can't you see? I want to write a book, a book to help our Great Qing understand the West. I want to show how the West became powerful, what their secrets are, and I want our Great Qing to stop being bullied by foreigners. Is that a crime?"

"As for the bandits on the Taihang Mountains, can't they respect my knowledge? Can't they bow to me? Can't I, a lone man returning to the Great Qing, find a few followers and subordinates?"

Third Master Qing was stunned by Xiao Letian's outburst. He didn't expect the bound man to have such confidence.

"Why did you sneak into Yixian last night? Knowing you had so many suspicious points, why did you put yourself in danger? What do you want?"

Xiao Letian smiled inwardly. This was it; Third Master Qing's momentum was completely crushed. There was no way he could recover.

"Can't I look for a wife? I and Hu Niu are in love. My wife is about to be taken away. Can't I come to take her back?"

This nearly choked Third Master Qing. How could this foreigner have such thick skin?

Just as Xiao Letian was shouting about his wife, his intended wife, Hu Niu, was also in crisis. The shameless Lian Er had come to her door, holding a letter from her uncle.

"Mr. Fan, this is your brother's letter. You can't disobey the clan leader, can you? Besides, as the head of the internal affairs, how have I wronged your daughter? And I heard that Hu Niu sneaked out of the house last night. This is not good for your family's reputation..."

Lian Er had rushed over as soon as he received the latest intelligence from Liu. After Hu Niu mysteriously disappeared last night, she reappeared this morning as if she had never climbed over the wall. It was clear that Fan Lian was covering for his daughter, and he was even pretending not to be sick, clearly determined to oppose him.

Lian Er would never forget the scene half a month ago when he encountered the Fan family's caravan. When he accidentally saw the young, beautiful face behind the black curtain of the carriage, he was completely captivated.

When he subtly revealed his intentions to the ambitious Fan Ru, Fan Ru immediately agreed to the marriage. When Lian Er received the letter from Fan Ru, he was so happy that all the spots on his face bloomed, making him look ten years younger.

But Lian Er never expected that what he thought was a sure thing would be intercepted by a young man. He had no interest in bandits, but anyone who dared to take his woman was his lifelong enemy.

"Fan Lian, you look so healthy. Your illness must be much better. Give me a definite answer today! Don't disappoint your brother's efforts..."