Chapter 48

Xiaoshanhu had over a thousand men under his command, with more than five hundred of the best fighters following him to He Wan Village. The remaining two hundred were stationed in the bandit strongholds within a twenty-mile radius. Only about three hundred bandits were left in Heishankou, and most of them were elderly, women, and children, including some family members.

Faced with the sudden attack, these people screamed wildly, fleeing for their lives. Some were injured, burned, and lay on the ground moaning in pain.

The new recruits were also taken aback. Ma Biao, holding his sword, came face to face with a grandfather and his grandson. The grandfather's leg was broken, and a sturdy little boy, trembling with fear, clung to his grandfather, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

Ma Biao, seeing the crying child, felt a lump in his throat. Five years ago, the Tartars had dragged his father away right in front of him, and he had never seen him again!

"Quick, go!"

The grandfather, full of gratitude, struggled to get up from the ground, trying to escape. Ma Biao stepped aside to let them pass. Just as their shoulders brushed, the grandfather clenched his teeth, pulled out a dagger from his chest, and stabbed fiercely at Ma Biao's back!

"Ahh!"

A scream of pain, Ma Biao turned around quickly to see a wooden spear piercing through the old man's chest. Blood gushed out, the old man's mouth opened and closed a few times, and his body fell limp to the ground, the dagger dropping from his hand.

Zhang Ke rushed over in a few steps and cut off the old man's head.

"Ma Biao, take care of that little brat!"

Ma Biao, having narrowly escaped death, never expected the old man to repay kindness with treachery. A fierce anger burned within him. He raised his sword and approached the little boy. The boy, perhaps overwhelmed by grief, showed no fear, staring at Ma Biao with fierce eyes, his young face contorted with madness!

Ma Biao's hands trembled with exposed veins. He couldn't bring himself to strike. The child seemed like his own shadow!

"Sir! Let the little boy go!"

"Ma Biao, think about what would happen if Xiaoshanhu attacked He Wan Village?"

The light question hit Ma Biao like a thunderbolt, leaving him dazed. Yes, he pitied others, but who pitied him? Blame the world for this!

Ma Biao, tears in his eyes, raised his sword and the little boy, filled with hatred, fell in a pool of blood...

The sky was bright, and the battle at Heishankou was finally over. About sixty to seventy bandits were killed, with more than ten of them killed by Zhang Ke alone. Qiao Gui and Qiao Fu each killed five or six. Over a hundred people died in the fire, and about eighty women were captured. Less than fifty managed to escape.

On the new recruits' side, three were killed, and over a dozen were injured, relatively minor casualties.

Zhang Ke, covered in blood, his muscles as weak as noodles, was at his physical limit, but he was exceptionally excited, trembling with excitement!

Heishankou, Xiaoshanhu's stronghold for over a decade, had accumulated wealth beyond imagination!

Zhang Ke, leaning on his samurai sword, led the charge to the weapons cave, which they desperately needed.

"Tell me, how many weapons are there?"

"Reporting to Sir, we have inventoried 350 sabers, 30 swords, 500 spears, 83 sets of armor, and 120 bows! There are also countless arrows, saddles, daggers, and clothes!"

"Good, very good!"

Zhang Ke, excited, slapped his thigh. The new recruits had been lacking weapons, using wooden spears as substitutes. These weapons were enough to equip three to four hundred men, a significant upgrade!

"By the way, how many firearms are there?"

"There are 140 matchlocks, 8 tiger-squat cannons, 1000 pounds of gunpowder, and 400 pounds of cannonballs."

Zhang Ke hurried inside, picked up a matchlock, and found it heavy and well-made, though a bit rusty, as the bandits didn't seem to like these weapons. But Zhang Ke knew that firearms were the future, and with these matchlocks, he could train his own musketeers!

"Qiao Fu, tell the men to carry two matchlocks each, no matter what, and bring them back to the village!"

Qiao Fu chuckled, "Ke, you're confused. We've captured quite a few pack horses and wagons."

"Even better, have the men load them, and let's go check it out!"

Exiting the cave, Zhang Ke carefully inspected the loot, becoming increasingly pleased.

Heishankou had 550 stones of grain, and countless pots, pans, and other household items. They found the deepest part of the valley, and Qiao Fu pointed in surprise, "Look, there's another small cave inside."

Zhang Ke looked and saw a narrow cave between two large rocks. He bent down and walked about five or six steps to a metal door, drew his short sword, and hacked at it fiercely. Sparks flew, and his wrist ached, but he finally broke the lock.

"Bring a torch over!"

Qiao Fu hurriedly complied, and Zhang Ke took the torch and entered.

"Ah!"

Inside the small cave, there were boxes of all sizes, and piles of fine furs and silk.

Zhang Ke eagerly opened a small box, and a blinding yellow light revealed a box full of gold! He opened a few more, and they were filled with silver ingots, neatly arranged.

A rough estimate showed at least 500 taels of gold and 20,000 taels of silver!

How much was this? A top-quality warhorse in the market cost only 12 taels of silver, so this money could buy about 2,000 warhorses. If converted to grain, it would be enough for the entire He Wan Village for a year!

"Move everything out, and tell the men, anyone who tries to keep the silver will have their hands cut off!"

Zhang Ke, his eyes red with excitement, knew this order was timely. The soldiers moved the gold and silver out, and also 500 fine furs onto the wagons.

When everything was almost moved, Zhang Ke noticed a Guan Yu statue holding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade and stroking his beard.

"Ha ha ha, Xiaoshanhu, what a funny bandit, daring to worship Guan Yu, isn't he afraid Guan Yu will strike him down first?"

Zhang Ke, seeing two small wooden boxes on the altar, picked them up and opened them. His eyes widened in shock, even more than when he saw the gold.

Inside the boxes lay two ginseng roots, complete with limbs, even eyebrows, noses, and eyes, about the size of carrots. In this era, ginseng was not cultivated, so these were definitely wild ginseng, and the two roots were incredibly valuable!

Zhang Ke couldn't estimate the price, but he knew they were priceless treasures. Even if he didn't use them, they would be highly valued as gifts.

Zhang Ke, not trusting anyone else, carried the boxes out himself. By then, the men had already loaded everything.

Xiaoshanhu's wealth was substantial, with over a hundred wagons and 200 pack horses captured. The only downside was that the warhorses were taken by Xiaoshanhu, leaving the remaining horses for pulling wagons. Despite this, Zhang Ke was very satisfied, as he was now a poor man, and everything was valuable.

"Sir, we have loaded the gold, silver, weapons, and grain. What are your orders?"

Zhang Ke nodded in satisfaction, "Good, let's go quickly."

The soldiers, driving the wagons, were about to leave. Qiao Gui led ten men with torches, ready to burn the remaining buildings and destroy the bandit stronghold.

Suddenly, a chorus of cries came from the captured women.

"Please, kind sir, spare us! We are from good families, but were kidnapped by Xiaoshanhu. Please show mercy and let us go!"

"Please, please!"

Dozens of women knelt and wept, crying bitterly.

"Ke, what should we do?"

Zhang Ke frowned, knowing they had suffered being kidnapped by bandits.

"Are there any empty wagons?"

"About twenty."

"Let them ride, and take them back to the village. We'll send them home once things settle down."

The women, hearing this, quickly knelt and cried, "Your kindness is boundless, we will work as oxen and horses to repay you."

The women, crying, climbed onto the wagons, and Zhang Ke, leading the victorious troops, quickly left Heishankou, heading for He Wan Village.

After a great victory and capturing so much loot, everyone was elated, forgetting their fatigue. The wagons made the journey much faster.

"Ke, look at that!"

Zhang Ke, planning the next steps, heard Qiao Fu's shout and looked in the direction he pointed. Two columns of smoke rose straight into the sky, clearly visible in the clear sky.

"It's smoke signals!" Qiao Gui exclaimed, "Don't tell me the court mistook us for Tartars and sent the smoke signals! This is bad!"

During the night attack, they had traveled light and were not easily discovered, but now with wagons and so much loot, if they encountered the Ming army, it would be trouble!

Zhang Ke frowned, "Qiao Fu, didn't you say the watchtowers couldn't see us?"

Qiao Fu was puzzled, "That's right. There were originally two watchtowers here, but the Tartars killed the guards. They tried to send reinforcements, but no one was willing to risk their lives. The nearest watchtower is six to seven miles away, and we traveled through forests and valleys. Unless they have千里眼 (千里眼 means '千里 eye,' which is a metaphor for someone with extremely good eyesight, often used in a supernatural context), they couldn't possibly see us!"

They couldn't possibly see them, but they did!

Zhang Ke, frowning, jumped off his horse and ran to the hilltop, followed by Qiao Fu and Qiao Gui. From the hill, they could see a black wave of Tartars rushing towards the Great Wall. Smoke signals were being relayed from one watchtower to another, a scene straight out of ancient books.

Two columns of smoke, two cannon shots, signaling an invasion of about 500 Tartars!

"Quick, let's go!"

Zhang Ke wasted no time. If they encountered the Tartars in the open, they would lose not only the loot but their lives as well.

Back at the wagons, Qiao Fu led the way, Qiao Gui brought up the rear, and Zhang Ke commanded the center. Over a hundred wagons quickly entered the gap in the Great Wall and fled.

While fleeing, Ma Biao, standing on a wagon, suddenly shouted.

"Sir, it's bad, two Tartar scouts are coming this way!"

...

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year, may the nailing household flourish, and may the votes be many! Many! Many!

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