activa-t Chapter 68 Infiltration
Chapter 68 Infiltration
What's going on in the village right now?
Letting Zhongmei nestle in his arms, Li Chong looked at Sun Er in front of him and asked in a deep voice.
Sun Er looked in the direction of the sound, his eyes filled with confusion. Who was this person?
Jia Zhuo quickly stepped forward: "This is the newly appointed magistrate of Yanggu County. He has come here to quell the two traitors, Du and Deng. Please tell me the whole story, and your punishment may be reduced."
"The county magistrate?" Upon hearing Li Chong's identity, Sun Er looked as if he had seen a ghost. "Shouldn't you have just entered the mountains? How did you get here?"
Upon hearing this man's words, Li Chong nodded secretly. Sure enough, these bandits knew his whereabouts perfectly.
He smiled slightly: "If I didn't let you know my whereabouts, how could I possibly send troops to my aid?"
With a stern expression, Li Chong said in a sharp voice, "You traitors are completely unprepared now. Quickly tell us the truth about the stronghold, or you may be spared!"
Sun Er shuddered in fright.
The thought that Li Chong, who should have been outside the mountains, had suddenly appeared before him while the people in the village were completely unaware, sent chills down his spine.
Now that things have come to this point, he naturally has nothing to hide and will tell you everything he knows.
Even the most foolish person could see that the news of someone just entering the mountains was false, and the person in front of them was the real magistrate.
"Yes, yes."
Sun Er stammered, "We're going down the mountain tomorrow to ambush the government troops. Boss Deng said... no, I mean, that guy surnamed Deng said we should have some fun tonight, but we'll have a real fight tomorrow after we get down the mountain."
"I see," Li Chong nodded slightly, feeling much relieved.
The reason it's so lively tonight is because the bandits are going down the mountain tomorrow, and they want to boost morale before they leave.
However, Li Chong still noticed something was wrong.
"The one surnamed Deng? I remember there was a leader named Du Heng in your village, wasn't there? Where did he go?"
Sun Er quickly replied, "Du Heng has already led a group of brothers down the mountain to lay an ambush; they're not in the stronghold now."
"Really?" Li Chong exclaimed with delight. "If you dared to lie to this county magistrate, I could have your head severed right now!"
In response to Li Chong's threat, everyone behind him turned to look and drew their weapons.
Sun Er was trembling so badly that he would have collapsed to the ground if Zhang Tianfu hadn't been holding him up.
He said, tears streaming down his face, "I wouldn't dare lie to you, sir! What I said is all true, it's the truth!"
Li Chong and the others threatened him again, then surrounded him and questioned him, finally confirming that Sun Er was telling the truth and that the bandits in the stronghold were not all present.
"This is a golden opportunity!" Li Chong said to the crowd with barely concealed excitement. "Du Heng has left with his men, and Deng Meng is drinking and celebrating with them. It's like heaven is on our side. I have a bold idea that might allow us to defeat them in one fell swoop!"
Nestled in Li Chong's arms, Zhong Mei said in a muffled voice, "Forget about what you think, I'm going to kill Deng Meng with my own hands!"
After crying for a while, Zhongmei caught her breath.
However, after regaining her senses, she realized that she had fallen into Li Chong's arms, and she immediately felt a little embarrassed.
For a moment, she felt too embarrassed to get up and could only continue to grieve.
Upon hearing that Li Chong was about to make arrangements, Zhong Mei couldn't hold back any longer and stated her demands.
"Have you cried enough? If you're going to kill someone, you can't do it while you're in my arms, can you?" Li Chong looked down and said, "It's not right for Sister Mei, a dignified woman in the underworld, to be crying like a cat."
"Pooh!"
Zhong Mei quickly stood up, her face flushed, and spat, "Who's calling me 'Cat Girl'? 'Sister Mei,' what a lousy nickname!"
Li Chong shook his head and chuckled: "You've finally gotten up. If you hadn't gotten up, I would have carried you to the battlefield later."
A good-natured chuckle escaped from the crowd, making Zhong Mei unable to lift his head.
After the atmosphere eased a bit, Zhong Mei said seriously, "Let me do it myself. I want to avenge my father."
Jia Zhuo nudged her: "Xiao Mei'er, now is not the time to be willful. Listen to the magistrate's orders."
Zhong Mei stubbornly remained silent, staring at Li Chong.
Li Chong did not refuse: "I can agree to that, but I need to add one more layer of insurance."
As he spoke, Li Chong looked at Wu Song standing to the side.
"Erlang, come here."
After gathering everyone together and giving them instructions in a low voice for a moment, Li Chong clapped his hands: "Everyone, we've traveled through the mountains for so many days, and the time has finally come to make our move. When the fighting begins, do not show any mercy. When we return victorious, the county magistrate will reward you for your service!"
Everyone nodded solemnly, their morale high.
Knowing that their opponents were completely unprepared, these carefully selected men naturally had no fear and were eager to kill the enemy and make a name for themselves.
Seeing that the army's morale was high, Li Chong waved his hand: "Let's move out!"
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While Li Chong was deploying his troops on the hillside, the villagers were still indulging in a life of debauchery.
Hundreds of bandits sang and danced around the campfire, behaving recklessly. Among them were many women who were subjected to all sorts of humiliation.
Every scream would elicit a burst of laughter from the bandits.
However, among the bandits, there were still a few who gathered together to drink in silence, their eyes blurred with drunkenness and their spirits low.
Amidst the commotion, Sun Er, with his stiff body, slowly walked from the periphery of the crowd toward the Hall of Righteous Gathering.
If anyone could see his face at this moment, they would immediately notice that Sun Er was almost in tears.
He moved stiffly toward the Hall of Gathering Righteousness.
"Second brother! Where have you been? Why aren't you drinking?"
A familiar face suddenly appeared in front of Sun Er, swaying as he blocked his way.
Sun Er gritted his teeth and instantly felt a sharp pain in his waist.
He immediately waved his hand, forcing a normal tone, and said, "Go away! I don't have time to talk to you. I have business to discuss with the boss. Don't delay me!"
Although he spoke in a normal tone, Sun Er's accent was somewhat distorted due to fear.
Fortunately, the person opposite was already drunk and didn't notice anything amiss.
"What business could you possibly have?" the newcomer asked with a grin. "Hey? Who are those two brothers behind you? They look unfamiliar."
Sun Er's heart tightened, and he quickly raised his hand to push the man aside: "There are hundreds of people in our village, do you think you know them all? Get lost, don't block my way."
The man was drunk and unsteady on his feet. Sun Er gave him a hard push, and he fell to the ground.
Sun Er seemed to have returned to normal at this moment. His stiff steps were no longer stiff, and he quickly walked past the person on the ground toward the Hall of Righteousness.
Wu Song and Zhong Mei followed closely behind him.
After the man got up from the ground, Sun Er was already gone. He could only curse a few times and then went back into the crowd to drink.
When Sun Er led the two men to the Hall of Righteousness, many figures could be seen looming in the shadows of the campfire outside, slowly surrounding the decadent bandits.
Meanwhile, those people were still drinking, playing drinking games, gambling, and womanizing, completely unaware of anything amiss.
Li Chong has been preparing for so long, and the results will soon be revealed.