PFC Chapter 77 Ambush
Chapter 77 Ambush
A small sedan chair, its interior swaying gently, moved through the mountains, surrounded by yamen runners dressed in black.
People would occasionally glance enviously at the sedan chair, then lower their heads again to continue their journey after catching their breath.
Four or five days have passed since the main force entered the mountains. From being full of ambition at the beginning to being full of complaints now, everyone's morale has been low.
If they hadn't known the magistrate was still in his sedan chair, some people would have already gotten impatient and wanted to run away.
Even so, many people complained privately that it was unacceptable for someone to be out suppressing bandits and still spend all day in a sedan chair.
Before entering the mountains, riding in a horse-drawn carriage was a sign of the master's dignity, but once inside the mountains, people were assigned to carry his sedan chair. How could this be considered a proper bandit suppression operation?
Little did they know that the person inside the sedan chair was even more panicked than they were.
"That damned Li!" Cui Shi swayed a few times. "If I had known, I shouldn't have agreed to him! Why did I panic and let him intimidate me?"
After pretending to be an official for so many days, Cui Shi realized that being an official wasn't so easy.
Because he dared not show his face directly, Choi Si could only stay in the confined space of his carriage and sedan chair all day long, which was so stifling that he was about to die.
While others were panting heavily from climbing the mountain, he wanted to come down and walk around for a bit.
Remembering Li Chong's instructions, he dared not move and could only continue sitting in the sedan chair, though he was truly feeling unwell.
"I wonder how his raid on the bandits' rear is going? I hope he doesn't die at their hands. If he does, he might just go back to the government office, grab some money, and run away."
"But what about my mother?"
These days, Cui Shi had nothing else to do but sit in the sedan chair and daydream to pass the time.
Just as he was lost in thought, a question came from outside the sedan chair.
"Your Excellency, the brothers are exhausted. Shouldn't we stop and rest for a while?"
Judging from the noise, the person seemed to be a little out of breath as well.
Choi Si gently lifted a corner of the sedan curtain and looked outside. Everyone was indeed exhausted. Many people had already sat down and started fanning themselves by swaying the hem of their clothes.
Cui Shi did not react at all, because he did not understand military strategy.
Remembering that Li Chong had told him to slow down and buy as much time as possible, Cui Shi relented.
He said in a high-pitched voice, "Alright, let's rest here for a while, eat some dry rations, and then continue our journey."
"Yes, ma'am."
Then a voice called out, "Brothers, the magistrate said we should stop and rest for a while!"
This shout completely dispelled everyone's spirits, and the crowd dispersed, finding two or three places to sit in the shade of a tree.
Did they reach their physical limits? Obviously not.
The journey that Li Chong and his men could have completed in three days took them four or five days and they still hadn't finished, clearly because they hadn't put in the effort to travel.
With only a few taels of silver a month, who would bother to show off if the county magistrate didn't urge them? That would just be asking for trouble.
So, during their rest, many people chatted and laughed, and it was more like they were on a picnic than on a bandit-suppression mission.
Choi Si-sil, of course, didn't care about any of this.
"Your Excellency, this is freshly delivered dried meat and some water." Someone offered the food and water solicitously.
Cui Shi reached out from the sedan chair, took the food, and began to eat it heartily.
"If there's any other benefit, it's just this food," Cui Shi thought to himself.
While others were still eating dry rations, he was able to eat meat, and he truly experienced the benefits of privilege.
Among the resting yamen runners, some were also talking about him.
"Hey, second brother, did you see that? The master is eating meat again."
A middle-aged constable nudged his companion with his elbow and gestured with his head in the direction of the sedan chair.
His companion glanced up, then continued munching on his dry rations: "So what? He's a master, he deserves to eat meat. You expect him to eat dry rations with us?"
The man swallowed hard. "I'm just craving meat. Do you think we can have a few meals of meat after we wipe out the bandits?"
"Who knows?"
The crowd began to discuss amongst themselves, and the mountain forest suddenly became quite lively.
However, in the shadows, someone was watching them all along.
"Second-in-command, shall we make a move?"
On a hillside not far away, several people, unconcerned about the dirt, lay prone on the ground, keeping a close eye on Cui Shi's group.
Du Heng hesitated for a moment, then turned around and asked, "Has the chief not sent a letter yet?"
"No, the people we sent back haven't returned either. We don't know what happened."
Of course, the men he sent back couldn't return; they had already been subdued by Li Chong and his men.
As for those who escaped during the chaos in the village, they've already escaped, why would they go and walk right into a trap?
It's obvious that the government's suppression of bandits has already led to Deng Meng's downfall; who would believe that Du Heng can remain unscathed?
This is a den of thieves, not an army. Anyone who manages to escape with their life will only think of running away. Who would have the sense to send a message to Du Heng?
Moreover, Du Heng was running very fast and had already encountered Cui Shi's group. Even if someone came to report the news, it would probably be too late for him to escape Li Chong and the others' pursuers.
Du Heng looked at the scattered group not far away, and then thought of Deng Meng who was pressing down on him, and felt a fierce determination in his heart.
"Damn it! After this job, I'll be a big shot in the underworld. That Deng guy should give me some leeway! Why does he always get the lion's share?"
Feeling confident of victory, Du Heng decisively ordered, "No more waiting! Charge with me! If we can scatter the government troops, we can plunder everything in Yanggu County!"
Those who followed him down the mountain were all seasoned thieves. Seeing the soldiers' unguarded appearance, their morale soared, and they all agreed.
So, under the cover of the woods, the thieves stealthily approached Cui Shi and his group, who were completely unaware of what was happening.
"Second brother, I'm going to pee."
After exchanging greetings, the man stood up from the group of constables and swayed as he walked away.
He turned past a big tree, pulled down his pants, and started urinating while humming a little tune.
"I wonder how much reward they'll give in the end, whether it'll be enough to spend a night in Xichun Tower. It's a job that puts your head on the line, the master probably won't do that..."
Before I could figure out how to squander my wealth after returning to Yanggu, I heard an angry curse.
"You son of a bitch, don't you even know where you are!"
"Um?"
Before the constable could see what was happening, a beam of white light struck down from above.
After a scream, the corpse fell to the ground.
Du Heng's face was full of fierce features; he truly lived up to his name.
He casually wiped the liquid from his head, then brandished his long sword: "Brothers, follow me! If we win, we'll be rich!"
Having said that, Du Heng charged out first.
"Mother! The bandits are here!"
"Quickly, prepare to fight! Prepare to fight!"
"Protect the county magistrate first! Protect the county magistrate!"
"Run!"
The officers and soldiers were in complete chaos. Some rose up in resistance, some were flustered and didn't know what to do, and some simply turned around and fled for their lives. They had no clear idea of what to do.
Under such circumstances, Du Heng led his men like tigers descending a mountain, as if they were in an empty field.