xymnovel Chapter 190 Ambush
Chapter 190 Ambush
Chapter 190 Ambush
Before stepping into the courtyard, Wang Zongsan couldn't help but glance at the surrounding environment.
Liu Gui's house appeared to be a detached house, about fifty steps away from the nearest neighbor.
There is an old locust tree at the entrance. Its trunk requires two people to hug it. Its canopy stretches wildly in the night sky. Moonlight leaks through the clouds, thin like watered-down rice porridge, making the ground look gray and hazy.
Liu Gui's family had three dilapidated thatched huts: a main room, a kitchen, and a shed for storing firewood. The yard was surrounded by a bamboo fence, and the vines on the fence had withered and hung dryly on it, rustling in the wind like willow branches stuck on a grave.
Wang Zongsan subconsciously slowed his pace and gestured to one of his men to go forward and push open the door.
The gate was a fence gate, which could be opened with a push.
His subordinate took a few steps forward, arrived in front of the main house, and turned to look at Wang Zongsan.
Wang Zongsan left one person outside to keep watch, and then led the other four into the courtyard.
"Knock on the door," Wang Zongsan instructed softly.
The door opened by itself as soon as he finished speaking.
While everyone was still somewhat bewildered, two scarlet flames suddenly appeared in the pitch-black main room.
Wang Zongsan suddenly opened his eyes wide, then instinctively lay down on his side.
"Bang! Bang!" Orange flames lit up from inside the house, followed by three screams, two from outside and one from inside.
The two men standing behind Wang Zongsan collapsed to the ground in agony. One of them quickly fell silent, while the other clutched his shoulder and screamed in agony.
Two other people stood on either side of the main entrance, showing some awareness of the danger. They lay down on the ground with Wang Zongsan and rolled several times to get away from the door that was spraying gunpowder and bullets.
Inside the shed where firewood was piled, several dark figures stood up.
One of them had already drawn his bow. The arrow was nocked, the bow arm bent into an arc, the string stretched to its limit, emitting an almost inaudible buzzing sound.
The arrow was aimed at a thug who had just gotten up from the ground.
"Whoosh!" An arrow flew out from the firewood shed and pierced directly into the thug's vest.
The man let out a muffled groan, followed by the sound of his body falling to the ground—a heavy, muffled thud, like a piece of wood hitting the ground.
Gao Daqiang, Wu Shangyuan, and Jiang Sanbao rushed out of the firewood shed, their faces covered with black cloths, holding sharp blades, and their eyes full of ferocity.
The archer continued to nock an arrow, without even aiming, just relying on instinct to fire.
This time, there was no sound of an arrow piercing flesh; the arrow disappeared into the night sky with a whistling sound.
Three more people rushed out of the main house. Bian Yuanheng was holding a ring-handled knife, while the Zhao brothers, Zhao Xiaoer and Zhao Xiaosan, were holding long spears. They followed closely behind and charged straight at Wang Zongsan and a thug who were retreating in the courtyard.
"Squeak!" The kitchen door was also opened.
As soon as Wang Zongsan looked over, he saw two arrows flying towards him.
A bullet grazed his scalp and flew out of the courtyard.
One of them was deflected by his men in the blink of an eye.
Without hesitation, the two archers in the kitchen abandoned their bows and, together with another man, drew their swords and charged forward. They were none other than Li Fu, Wei Erdi, and Guo Xian.
In addition, two more people sprang out from the farmland outside the courtyard, one wielding a spear and the other carrying a knife and shield, and pounced on the thug who was keeping watch outside, intending to wipe out all of Wang's followers who had come today.
In the critical moment, Wang Zongsan reacted faster than anyone expected.
Under the hazy moonlight, he quickly turned around, his iron mace held horizontally in front of him. His short, stocky body resembled an enraged wild boar, his eyes wide open in the moonlight.
"Who?" he roared, his voice tinged with surprise.
No one answered.
Wu Shangyuan rushed in front of him, his ring-shaped blade sweeping upwards, the blade arcing as it aimed straight for Wang Zongsan's abdomen.
Wang Zongsan dodged to the side, and the iron mace slammed down from above, making a whooshing sound as it struck.
Wu Shangyuan raised his rattan shield and went to meet him.
"Bang!" The iron mace struck the rattan shield. The rattan, soaked in tung oil, was very tough and was not pierced, but Wu Shangyuan's left arm was numb from the impact, and his entire shoulder slumped down. A deep dent was left on the rattan shield, and some fragments flew out.
Wang Zongsan was stronger than he had imagined.
Gao Daqiang also rushed over.
The last of Wang Zongsan's henchmen who was still standing instinctively slashed out with his sword, the blade flashing coldly in the moonlight.
Gao Daqiang dodged the knife by sidestepping, and swept the wooden stake in his hand across, smashing it into the man's ribs with lightning speed. The iron nails tore through the clothes and flesh, creating a horrific wound.
The man screamed in pain, bent over, and dropped his ring-shaped knife to the ground.
Gao Daqiang followed up with another shot, hitting the enemy on the back of the head. The man collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Beside them, Wu Shangyuan and Wang Zongsan had already exchanged three or four blows.
Each strike of Wang Zongsan's iron mace carried the weight of his entire body, and when it struck, it was like a small mountain pressing down from the sky.
Wu Shangyuan blocked several blows with his rattan shield, but his left arm was almost impossible to lift.
So he changed his strategy, no longer taking the blows head-on, but instead dodging and weaving, using his ring-bladed sword to stab Wang Zongsan's lower body.
Wang Zongsan grew increasingly furious, and his attacks became more and more intense.
Just then, Jiang Sanbao strode forward and thrust his spear straight at him.
Wang Zongsan had to devote some of his attention to dealing with him, but even so, he was still able to handle two opponents with ease.
The iron mace struck down again with lightning speed. The rattan shield finally gave way and split open in the middle. The rattan, soaked in tung oil, scattered and splintered, the fragments hitting Wu Shangyuan's face and stinging. But he did not retreat. He swiftly thrust out the ring knife in his right hand, desperately trying to buy an opportunity for his teammates.
Jiang Sanbao's heart trembled slightly at the sight, but he still gritted his teeth and stabbed at Wang Zongsan's chest.
Fortunately, Gao Daqiang had already dealt with the enemy in front of him, and the wooden club, carrying a strong wind, smashed down on Wang Zongsan from behind.
Wang Zongsan dodged to the side, only to run into Bian Yuanheng, Zhao Xiaoer, and Zhao Xiaosan. Before he could regain his footing, two long spears came thrusting at him.
After barely managing to swing his mace to deflect one shot, he then made a desperate maneuver to avoid the second one.
"Wang Zongsan!" Li Fu, Wei Erdi, and Guo Xian arrived one after another, roaring as if trying to distract Wang Zongsan and create an opportunity for Gao Daqiang, Wu Shangyuan, and others who were fighting with him.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Zongsan suddenly realized that he was now one against nine, with no chance of winning, and the thought of retreating began to take root in his mind.
And it was in that moment of hesitation that Bian Yuanheng's ring-shaped dagger pierced Wang Zongsan's right shoulder.
The knife tip pierced through the shoulder socket, passing through the muscle and bone, and emerged from behind.
Wang Zongsan let out a low growl, not a scream of pain, but the sound of a severely wounded beast—more anger than suffering.
He loosened his grip on his right hand, and the iron mace slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, landing at Bian Yuanheng's feet and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Whoosh!" The wooden club of the tall spear fell from the sky and struck Wang Zongsan's intact left shoulder heavily.
"Crack!" The sound of bones breaking echoed in everyone's hearts.
Wang Zongsan screamed in pain, unable to maintain his balance, and collapsed to his knees.
He wanted to say something, but his opponents didn't give him the chance. The Zhao brothers, Jiang Sanbao, Wei Erdi, and Guo Xian almost simultaneously thrust their spears straight at him.
The sharp spear tip easily pierced Wang Zongsan's chest and abdomen.
The five men worked together and almost lifted Wang Zongsan off the ground.
Fresh blood dripped down, forming a stream at Wang Zongsan's feet.
The battle outside the courtyard gate has also ended.
The unorthodox swordsman Zeng Yi and a seafarer attacked simultaneously, with the latter being injured in the process, but Zeng Yi captured the enemy who was acting as a lookout.
The injured man, named Gu Wulang, was crippled and limped. He harbored some resentment towards Zeng Yi, seemingly hating him for only caring about his own charge and neglecting to cooperate with his teammates, which led to his injury.
Zeng Yi seemed oblivious, skillfully binding the prisoner with hemp rope, then stepping on his back with an arrogant expression.
Shao Shuyi came out of the firewood shed, still holding a bow in his hand.
He rushed into the main room and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Yu Yuan bandaging his companion's wounds.
"What happened just now?" Shao Shuyi asked.
"The musket exploded," Yu Yuan said in a low voice. "Fortunately, there was an iron band, so only a few fragments flew out, injuring Shui Sheng's brow bone and shoulder. Fortunately, it's not serious."
Shao Shuyi grunted in agreement and then ran outside.
The battle is over.
Wang Zongsan lay on the ground, his eyes wide with dissatisfaction.
The four men he brought into the courtyard were also killed on the spot: one was shot to death by Shao Shuyi's arrow, one was killed by Gao Daqiang, and the other two fell under the muskets. One of them was still wailing at first, but now he was silent.
Outside the courtyard, Zeng Yi and Gu Wulang worked together to capture a man alive, tied him up tightly, and awaited further orders.
"Put them in the car and take them away," Shao Shuyi ordered.
"Yes, sir!" the crowd replied in unison.
After thinking for a moment, Shao Shuyi went back inside and lit an oil lamp.
Two people were curled up on the bed in the main room: Liu Gui and Zhou Shi.
Zhou was wrapped in a tattered quilt, with only her face showing. Her face was as white as paper, and her eyes were red and swollen, like two rotten peaches.
Shao Shuyi took out two ingots of paper money from his bundle and placed them on the edge of the bed, saying, "You've been frightened. But you can't leave now. After dawn, you need to find some relatives and neighbors to escort the thieves to the prefectural government. If you want revenge, this is the only way. Don't worry, I'll give you a ride later; you'll be fine on the way."
A muffled sob came from the bed; it was Zhou Shi. She bit the corner of the blanket, curled up in a ball, and stared blankly outside.
Liu Gui remained expressionless; even the two ingots of paper money did not change his expression in the slightest.
Shao Shuyi nodded to them, then turned and walked out of the main room.
In the courtyard, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds again, shining brightly on the ground.
The group rested in the courtyard for a long time, and even went outside to dig a few shallow pits to hastily bury the bodies.
At the end of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the people who were dozing off got up one after another, ate some dry food, and prepared to set off.
Shao Shuyi then came to the dirt road outside the courtyard. In the hazy mist, the old locust tree looked like an old man with a hunched back, standing there, bowing to the group of heroes.
Shao Shuyi took a few steps closer and gently patted the rough tree trunk.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" The rooster raised its head and began to crow.
A ray of dawn rose in the eastern sky.
Its daybreak.
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