OFTLHFRO C80

Chapter 80 Fight, Then Wrap Up

Hearing the successive explosions from the West Gate, the group awaiting Huo Yan’s orders grew anxious.

Before the gate captain could press him again, banging sounds came from the East Gate they were guarding.

A scout atop the wall ran over. “Captain Huo! Many men below! At least five thousand! There’s a rank of archers!”

Their formation was neat, nothing like ordinary bandits; they could well have been trained elite soldiers.

Huo Yan rose. “Let them in.”

“Yes!”

After the scout left, Huo Yan looked at the others and said calmly, “Proceed according to plan.”

Drenched in cold sweat, the men answered at once and returned to their posts.

If they really went to reinforce the West Gate, the rebels here would sweep straight in and the losses would be even greater.

Once the East Gate was breached, the leader frowned to find the streets nearly empty.

From horseback, a man behind him sneered, “Boss, looks like they really thought we’d strike the West Gate. They’ve all gone over there.”

A bunch of idiots…

“Do not take this lightly.”

The East Gate had opened too easily; the soldiers on the wall hadn’t even resisted—they’d simply abandoned the gate. There were no discarded weapons on the ground either. Rather than a panicked flight, it looked like luring the enemy into a trap.

Hidden observers whispered, puzzled, “Captain Huo, why aren’t they moving after coming in?”

Huo Yan said nothing, waiting for the leader to choose—withdraw now, or advance despite knowing there was an ambush.

Before long, they continued forward.

Huo Yan’s lips quirked. “Loose!”

“Yes!”

A volley of arrows streaked toward the invading force.

Without waiting for a counterattack, the archers withdrew and moved to another street.

At the same time, the scarecrows on the ground were hoisted up onto rooftops.

Stung by the sudden strike, the rebels blocked the arrows and, spotting silhouettes on rooftops, shot at them in turn.

After loosing for a while with no one falling, the leader sensed something wrong. “Cease!”

The archers stopped, and the “figures,” bristling with arrows, vanished in a blink.

From an upper floor, Huo Yan said, “Much obliged for the arrows.”

Then he leapt away, with an air of “catch me if you can.”

Understanding dawned; choking down his anger, the leader growled, “After him!”

Huo Yan showed no fear.

Knowing there was an ambush and entering anyway meant the leader was arrogant—so sticking to the setup and steadily goading him was the play.

Meanwhile, at the West Gate, Luo Mingchen led the soldier clutching a blade to check the rock piles for survivors.

The trembling crowd, after realizing the loudmouthed invaders were gone and their hearing had partly returned, saw a bold soul take a peek and shout in delight, “They’re all dead!”

Hearing this, hearts finally dropped back into chests, and people hugged their families, weeping with relief.

Luo Mingchen did dig out a dozen survivors. Their injuries weren’t minor, but not life-threatening; they certainly couldn’t run, which saved him the trouble of finding rope.

Using water cords, he hauled the survivors out and set them aside. Bored, he asked, “How many of you were there in total?”

Because Luo Mingchen’s ability was so unusual, they were terrified and couldn’t stop shaking.

“Tsk.”

Taking the soldier’s knife, Luo Mingchen threatened, “If you don’t talk, I’ll slice off your meat for a snack!”

They were even more frightened.

One man, face drawn, said, “Boss said there were ten thousand…”

“Wasn’t it five or six thousand?”

“There were over eight thousand to start with, and we picked up more along the way.”

Luo Mingchen frowned. “How many rebels?”

Bandits scattered easily when spooked; the real problem was the rebels—trained and not so easily dealt with.

“Over five thousand… the commander is Shan Jun.”

“Ah,” Luo Mingchen said mildly. “Don’t know him.”

The man: “…”

Whoever it was, Luo Mingchen didn’t care; he just wanted to know how the three kids at home were doing and to cuddle his fragrant, soft little girl.

As for Huo Yan’s side, Luo Mingchen knew he wouldn’t lose and wasn’t worried.

With dawn approaching, a signal flare burst in the sky.

Sitting on a big rock, Luo Mingchen squinted at the color. “Green—shift’s over.”

He stood, yawned, and stretched.

The soldier beside him, still clutching his knife, stood too, though his legs were a bit weak and numb. “What do we do with the people here?”

“Someone will come shortly.”

After a short wait, the cleanup crew arrived. They were saddened by the devastation, but shocked to see the gathered people unharmed.

It seemed those injured or dead were all bandits…

A squad leader spotted Luo Mingchen and quickly dismounted to stride over. “Captain Luo, are you alright?”

“We’re fine. Those lying there are bandits—make sure you take them back.”

“Yes!”

“Where’s Huo Yan?” Luo Mingchen asked.

“Captain Huo is in the dungeon interrogating the rebel commander.”

Nodding, Luo Mingchen requested a horse and headed to the yamen dungeon.

On the way, he saw many corpses being moved; most of Huo Yan’s traps had done their work.

Arriving there, he saw quite a number bound up and, after a glance, went straight inside to find Huo Yan.

At the doorway he heard a scream from within: “Ah—”

The sound made his scalp prickle.

He’d seen corpses and had killed people who tried to rob supplies, but he’d never witnessed someone tortured to the brink.

Peeking in, he saw Huo Yan holding several needles like ice, eyes cold as he stared at a man tied to a wooden frame. Silently, Luo Mingchen withdrew.

Seeing the poor color on the two guards’ faces at the door, Luo Mingchen sympathized. “Did he use needles last time too?”

“One set are needles inserted into the body, and there’s also poison,” one said.

“The kind that makes you itch so badly you want to tear your skin off—while your hands and feet are tied,” the other added.

“…Enough,” Luo Mingchen said, suddenly feeling itchy all over.

That was brutal…

Honestly, even though they slept together every night, Luo Mingchen had no idea where Huo Yan got all those poisons.

Holding a needle, Huo Yan asked, “The fourth prince or the fifth? Hm?”

Shan Jun’s lips trembled. Seeing Huo Yan about to drive in another needle, he blurted, “The fifth prince!”

Only then did Huo Yan stop and draw out a poisoned needle with inner force. “How did you make contact?”

Once he began talking, his will completely crumbled. Eyes full of fear, Shan Jun confessed: “We were the fifth prince’s men to begin with. He had us pose as rebels to seize wealth and recruit the bandits, then feign sending troops to suppress them while actually absorbing them. That way, we gained money and men—and the people’s support…”

“What did he want the caravan rosters for?” Huo Yan asked.

Shan Jun hadn’t expected him to know even that and froze.

But at the look in Huo Yan’s eyes, he shivered and continued, “Someone learned of the caravans that had secretly worked with the fifth prince before, so new partners had to be developed—and the relationships among the caravans had to be mapped…”

Those caravans that refused to cooperate would be wiped out.