Chapter 137 Black Prison Mountain

The next morning.

Outside the north gate of Daming Prefecture.

After the 1,500 soldiers had assembled and formed a simple queue, the dispatcher, County Magistrate Zhu, led people to distribute military equipment. There were more than a dozen necessary weapons, including rattan shields, spears, swords, bows and arrows, chariots, etc. However, the soldiers' usual task was to maintain public order, and the inventory of the North City Military Prefecture had long been outdated.

Jiang He rode past the formation on horseback, and most of his main battle spears were broken. Once the soldiers came into close combat with the enemy, the uncertainty of the weapons would be enough to bring death.

Zhu Jun Shou also rode closer on horseback and said, "My Lord, the soldiers in the prefecture are completely raised by their stepmother. In the past few years, the damaged weapons under the command of the generals of the Anbei Army have basically been exchanged with the inventory of military supplies of the four military prefectures. Now, you have to rely on luck to find a few good ones."

Jiang He nodded. This was related to the military regulations of the Anbei Military Governor's Office. In order to prevent the outflow and resale of military equipment, the royal palace linked the military equipment situation with the year-end evaluation of the generals under it. This somewhat implied that the generals should use their own skills to strengthen the reserves, but it would be hard on the second and third-line troops who already had poor combat effectiveness.

Zhu was silent for a moment, then said, "My Lord, the Sword Contest will be held in a few days. More and more people from the martial arts world will gather in the city, and we can't mobilize all of them. Fifty is the limit. Any more is equivalent to giving up public order. You and I will both be held accountable."

"Anything else?" Jiang He asked with his head tilted, it would be better to tell it all.

Zhu Jun Shou clasped his fists and said helplessly, "Three days ago, Deputy General Cao Jin invited fifteen centurions to a banquet at Chu Yao Tower. It is said that each person received two thousand taels of silver. Cao Jin could not afford such a huge sum of money, so it could only be the Yan family who ordered it. Moreover, since the palace soldiers do not have to go to the front line, most of them are descendants of branches of aristocratic families."

In terms of financial resources, the Yan family is second to none in Yizhou. Not only have they annexed land on a large scale, they also control the lucrative water transport system. They bribed middle-level officers with gold and silver. It was a simple but effective method. The family had many branches and many children, and they accounted for a considerable proportion of the government soldiers.

Before County Magistrate Zhu put down his hand, a middle-aged man came to the city gate surrounded by a crowd of people, holding a string of decorative Buddhist beads in his hand.

"This time, I will follow your orders, my Lord. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west."

Cao Jin laughed heartily and said, "But please be considerate of the soldiers and don't give embarrassing orders casually. Otherwise, if there is trouble, it will be difficult for you in the end."

Cao Jin's words were soft but firm. He had already received orders from the eldest son. This time it was Ping Luan Bo who took the initiative to start the fight. The other party was young and didn't know that human power would eventually be exhausted.

Zhu Junshou whispered: "My Lord, the weapons."

Jiang He acted as if he didn't hear it and ordered, "Let's set off."

Cao Jin turned his head and gave him a look, and then all the hundred households clasped their fists and bowed.

"Take orders."

……

It only takes half a day's march from Daming Prefecture to the main peak of Jianchi Mountains in the northwest, but it takes more than half a day to get to Dangguan City in the mountain valley. The Heilao Mountain of Heishanhu, a big bandit in Yizhou, is located at the mouth of the valley. They often rob passing smuggling caravans.

A day later, the troops arrived at the mouth of the canyon.

Strictly speaking, Heilao Mountain does not belong to the Jianchi Mountain Range. Shen Lingtian's invisible pressure is almost non-existent here. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, the whole mountain is densely forested, and the forest is filled with flowing white mist. Looking closely, they are countless mosquitoes and flies as thin as cow hair.

The troops set up camp.

Over the past decade or so, Daming Prefecture has organized more than one campaign to suppress bandits, but all have ended in failure. The number of Black Mountain bandits exceeds a thousand, mixed with a large number of criminals and gangsters. The county and prefecture troops are no match for them at all. Whenever the Anbei Army dispatches regular troops, this group of bandits always manages to disperse into the woods one step ahead.

In the barracks of the government soldiers, Jiang He stood on the wooden wall and looked at Dangguan City more than ten miles away.

This majestic city occupies the entire canyon corridor. The city is high and the moat is deep, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. On the left is the main peak of Jianchi Mountain, which is deep in the clouds. The cliffs are thousands of feet high and very steep. According to legend, the Taoist Hun passed away on the main peak. Before his death, he left a blood pool. As long as you walk over and jump into the pool, people and weapons will gain great benefits. Therefore, it is also called the Walking Pool. Regarding this rumor, people in the world unanimously believe that the pool water contains the essence of the blood dragon that caused chaos back then.

At some point, Magistrate Zhu approached the wooden wall with a stern look on his face.

"Master, there's something wrong with these palace soldiers and centurions."

When County Magistrate Zhu turned around, a captain who was secretly watching immediately withdrew his gaze and continued to beat and scold the palace soldier who was dawdling in his work.

Jiang He was surprised and said, "They all want to kill me, of course it's wrong, didn't you know in advance that the Yan family bribed them?"

Zhu was stunned for two seconds and said, "Isn't it to suppress the bandits?"

Jiang He rubbed his forehead. "It's nominally to suppress bandits, but it's just an excuse. It's essentially a street fight. The Yan family wants to kill me in one fell swoop, and I'm too lazy to pull out the undercovers one by one. Although we are hostile, we hit it off. After all, violence is a means to achieve the goal."

Jiang He said seriously: "Since you haven't been bribed, run away while the other party's attention is on me."

The expression on County Magistrate Zhu's face was particularly interesting, from confusion to shock, then to bewilderment and fear, and finally to anxiety.

"Uncle, is it too late to run now?!"

Jiang He nodded. "I'll decide when to fight. I'll give you half an hour."

Magistrate Zhu bowed and said goodbye. The water was too deep this time and he dared not wade into it.

Half an hour later, County Magistrate Zhu rode out of the canyon at full speed with a dozen embroidered-robed envoys he had recruited previously.

At the same time, the government troops received an order from Ping Luan Bo and immediately advanced to Heilao Mountain.

……

It was dark.

The troops entered the Heilao Mountain forest and advanced among the trees as thick as millstones. The centurions clenched their swords in their hands and stared at the figure walking in front.

"My Lord, do you know the last Xuanwu Marquis who was strong enough to resist a tripod?" Cao Jin said, holding a piece of wormwood in his mouth. "He is a relative of the royal family and was born with supernatural powers. If it weren't for the young Lord of the East Sea who dominated the world at that time, he would probably be the best in the world."

"In the battle when the capital fell in the previous dynasty, the last Xuanwu Marquis defended the city gate alone for a whole day, killing 1,400 soldiers and dozens of martial arts masters, shocking the world."

"Looking at the present, I'm afraid that only the Northern Barbarian Dragon City can say that they will definitely win against the Xuanwu Marquis. For others such as the Third Spear King and the Lord of the Misty Rain Tower, it would be a pleasant surprise if they could remain undefeated."

A dense crowd of figures appeared in front of the forest. The leader was strong and muscular, with two fangs sticking out of his mouth, almost reaching his jaw. His eyes were cold and it was the Black Mountain Tiger.

Cao Jin spread his hands and said, "My Lord, there are 2,500 people here. Do you think you are stronger than the Xuanwu Marquis? The head of the family has told me that as long as you are willing to bow your head, there is still a legitimate daughter in the Yan family waiting to be married. Otherwise, the Tianzi No. 1 priest is also vacant and waiting for you."

"I want the Yan family to die." Jiang He said.

Cao Jin grinned: "Then fight!"

(End of this chapter)

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