bookcurios Chapter 248 Uneasiness
Chapter 248 Uneasiness
A hare suddenly jumped out from the grass, making a rustling sound and causing a commotion in an instant.
"Oh no, I've been discovered!" Hou Lin thought to himself, his face instantly filled with despair, and the blue veins on his forehead throbbed.
The bandits immediately became alert, their eyes filled with fear and vigilance. They hurriedly picked up their weapons, their bodies tense as if facing a great enemy.
The two sides faced each other like this, and the atmosphere was so tense that it seemed as if water could drip out.
Hou Lin and his companions were dressed in unkempt clothes, which were not proper attire. Seeing this, the people on the other side shouted, "Bandits are coming!"
"Fuck, who are the bandits?" Liang Changzhu was stunned for a moment, his eyes wide open, his face full of disbelief, "Do we look like bandits?" His mouth opened wide and his brows furrowed.
However, Hou Lin's group was so large that it created an invisible pressure. The people inside soon became intimidated and chose to surrender.
"Master, please don't kill us. We are desperate, so we occupied your territory to rest for a while."
One of them spoke tremblingly, his voice full of fear and pleading. His body kept shaking and he didn't dare to raise his head.
The words of the people inside almost made Liang Changzhu laugh. He put away the surprise on his face, replaced it with a fierce expression, and asked loudly: "Tell me, who are you?"
One of the braver ones came over timidly and said:
"We originally followed the great leader Tuoba Youyou to attack the Xianbei soldiers in Luancheng. Unexpectedly, we changed our leader to a leader of the Wu tribe named Shi Ge. As a result, we were defeated and we became bandits here."
As he spoke, he secretly observed the expressions of Hou Lin and others, his eyes full of anxiety.
"Become a bandit? Then where do you get food and drink from?" Hou Lin glanced at the group of people with a malicious look on his face and his eyes were as sharp as a knife.
"Uncle, we have no choice. We steal food and drink from nearby villages, and sometimes we rob passers-by."
The man answered tremblingly, his voice shaking.
When Hou Lin heard this, his eyes widened with anger, his face flushed crimson, his features distorted with anger, and he shouted loudly:
"How dare you, a bunch of scum, do such a heinous thing!"
"Master, please spare us. We know we were wrong and we won't do it again."
Everyone knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, their faces pale and their bodies shaking like sieves.
Liang Changzhu's eyes revealed a trace of thought, and he frowned slightly and said, "General Hou, in my opinion, it would be better to recruit them and strengthen our team."
Hou Lin pondered for a moment, his eyes coldly sweeping over the surrendered people. His expression was still gloomy, and he said, "Humph, it's not impossible to recruit you, but you must obey my orders and stop doing anything wrong."
Those people nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, we will definitely follow your orders."
Hou Lin then asked, "How many of you have left? What about your weapons and equipment?" His eyes were filled with scrutiny and suspicion.
The man from before quickly replied, "We still have about two hundred of us. Our weapons consist of swords and a few bows and arrows."
His voice was low and flattering.
Hou Lin frowned: "Is this all you have? Have you found out any useful information in the past few days?" His tone was full of dissatisfaction.
"Master, we heard that Shi Ge is gathering his remaining troops and preparing to regroup."
Hou Lin was startled and thought to himself: This is not good news. Then he asked, "What else?"
"Also, Luancheng seems to be heavily fortified and difficult to attack."
Hou Lin snorted coldly: "You guys want to attack Luancheng? You are overestimating your own abilities." His face was full of disdain.
At this time, one of his men approached Hou Lin, his face full of worry and his brows furrowed as he said, "General Hou, are we really going to take these people in? I don't think they're reliable."
Hou Lin looked at the surrendered men, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Keep them for now and send someone to keep an eye on them. If they show any ill intentions, they will be dealt with immediately."
Everyone responded in unison: "Yes!"
Hou Lin glanced at the group of surrendered soldiers in front of him and said sternly:
"From now on, behave yourself. If you have any second thoughts, I will not let you off easily!" His eyes were as sharp as torches, as if he could see through these people's minds.
The surrendered soldiers nodded in agreement, each one of them silent as a mouse, not daring to make a sound.
Liang Changzhu walked up to Hou Lin and said in a low voice, "General Hou, even though we've temporarily recruited them, we still have to be careful and not let them ruin our plans."
His expression was serious, his eyes etched with caution. Hou Lin nodded slightly and said, "I have an idea. You guys, search this camp thoroughly and see if there's anything useful."
Several soldiers responded with serious and earnest expressions on their faces.
At this time, a surrendered soldier said cautiously: "Sir, we have hidden some food and property in this mountain." There was a hint of flattery in his eyes.
Hou Lin's eyes lit up and he said, "Take us to get it."
Under the guidance of the surrendered soldiers, Hou Lin and others found the hidden food and property, which replenished their supplies to a certain extent.
Hou Lin looked at the harvest and his expression eased slightly. He said to the surrendered soldiers, "As long as you follow me well, you will definitely benefit from it."
The surrendered soldiers hurriedly expressed their gratitude with flattering smiles on their faces.
……
After the battle at Quantou Mountain, Qi Tai did not pursue the victory, but went directly to Lu County to defend together with Cheng Ziyun.
"Report, after investigation, those thousands of unidentified troops are marching towards the west mountain." The soldier came hurriedly to report, his face full of anxiety.
"West Mountain?" Cheng Ziyun frowned when he heard this, stood up and walked quickly to the map to check. This place was not far from Lu County.
"And then?" He stared at the map with a serious expression.
"Our people tracked them all the way to the West Mountain and found that they were heading towards the forest and did not leave the mountain." The soldier said, breathing heavily.
"Forest?" Cheng Ziyun examined the map again. There was another mountain ahead of West Mountain, with roads to the left and right. It looked like the group was heading west. He tapped his fingers lightly on the map, lost in thought.
"I speculate that this group of people are from Bingzhou, and they are most likely the Xianbei people from last time." Qi Tai stepped forward and said with a serious look on his face.
"According to the last report, this group has joined forces with the Shi Ge clan of Bingzhou."
Cheng Ziyun received an internal notice to be on high alert against Shi Ge's garrison troops, and also learned about Yuan Shan's defection.
After hearing this, Qi Tai seemed to understand the key point. The direction this group of people were heading was exactly where Shi Ge was stationed. After fighting with them today, he had to go back to guard against revenge from these people.
Cheng Ziyun frowned, his eyes filled with worry as he said, "Qi Tai, this situation is complicated, we must be cautious. Shi Ge's team is coming with great force, and the defense of Jing County and Pingshan Mining Area cannot be compromised."
Qi Tai nodded gravely, his hands clenched into fists, his expression serious and helpless:
"General Cheng, I understand. However, our forces are limited right now. If we were to take on multiple tasks simultaneously, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to do so."
Cheng Ziyun was silent for a moment, deep thoughts gathered between his brows, and finally he slowly spoke:
"In that case, you will lead a group of elite troops to Jing County first to reinforce the defense line, while I will stay in Lu County to observe the overall situation and coordinate all parties."
Upon hearing this, Qi Tai clasped his hands together and said firmly, "As you command, General Cheng! I will depart immediately and return to reunite with General Shan Ning to ensure that all arrangements are in place and no mistakes are allowed."
His eyes were full of determination. He turned around quickly and led his men towards Jing County. Amidst the flying dust, he showed his courage and determination.
Watching Qi Tai go away, Cheng Ziyun sighed softly, his eyes revealing a trace of fatigue. He gently called over his trusted guards and whispered:
"Send a team to the Prince's Mansion and give a detailed account of the situation here. Send another team to the Princess's Mansion and also deliver this information. Remember, verbal reports are sufficient; there is no need for written information."
After receiving the order, several loyal guards immediately jumped on their horses, whipped their horses, and galloped away in their respective directions.