"Since it is a serious harm, it should be encircled, suppressed and annihilated." Tang Yin said in a deep voice.
"Yes, it's just that now Ancheng needs no soldiers, no money, and only about twenty government officials. How can we surround and suppress such a large number of bandits!"
Cao Zhang smiled bitterly and said: "Now, as long as the bandits don't come to harass Ancheng, I will be grateful to God. How can I dare to hope to encircle and suppress the bandits?"
Tang Yin asked: "Since there are no soldiers in the city, why not go to the county for rescue and ask the county army to destroy the bandits."
"The county army is also busy now. They are busy wiping out Li Zhipeng and his group of rebels. A few days ago, the county chief sent me a letter asking me if there were any troops available in Ancheng. I think the county army is currently stretched thin.
!" Cao Zhang shook his head and said.
"So that's it." Tang Yin murmured.
The two of them were talking when suddenly, there was a rush of footsteps outside, and then a guard ran in in a panic, his face pale, and he said in a trembling voice: "Sir... Sir, it's not serious.
alright……"
"What happened to make you so panicked? Don't you know I'm seeing guests?" Cao Zhang first scolded the guard, and then looked at Tang Yin apologetically.
"Yes... it's the bandits from Shuangtou Mountain who are here. They are outside the door now!" The guard swallowed his saliva and finally finished the sentence in one breath.
Hearing this, Cao Zhang's face suddenly changed. He was really afraid that the bandits from Shuangtou Mountain would come to his door! He stood up and asked urgently: "How many bandits are here?"
As he spoke, he drew the sword from his ribs, and then he did not forget to remind Tang Yin: "Brother Xian, hurry up and take your wife through the back door. The bandit is so brutal that he can do anything!"
If this woman named Rou'er falls into the hands of bandits, she will be humiliated by many people with her peerless beauty!
Tang Yin didn't pay attention to the mere bandits at all. Even if he came to get 11,000 yuan, it would only be to feed him. However, he deliberately tested Cao Zhang, pretending to look panicked, and pulled Cao Zhang back.
He held up his hand and said: "Brother Cao, since the bandit dared to come in broad daylight, he must have made full preparations. If you stay, you may lose your life, so you should come with me quickly!"
Cao Zhang shook his head and said categorically: "As a city lord, it is my duty, how can I escape in the face of battle? I think of me as a hero, only heroes who sacrifice themselves to achieve benevolence, how can there be cowards who are greedy for life and afraid of death? Even if I die, I will die in Ancheng.
It must not be the punishment of the county chief!"
Well! Tang Yin nodded his head, this was the Feng Kingdom official he was familiar with, a strong-willed Feng Kingdom man who would rather be broken into pieces than be ruined.
The guard who reported the message stayed for a while, then slowly stretched out a finger and said: "Sir, bandit... Only one bandit came, saying he came to deliver a letter to you!"
"Ah? There's only one person?" Cao Zhang was stunned, and immediately put the drawn sword back into the scabbard, rolled his eyes, and shouted in a cold voice: "Bring the thief in to see me!"
"Yes! Sir!" the guard stepped in and responded, then turned around and ran out quickly.
After the guards left, Cao Zhang took a long breath and said with an apologetic smile to Tang Yin: "Brother, it seems that the bandit is just a messenger. You and your wife don't have to leave in a hurry."
Yin Rou, who was sitting next to her, almost laughed out loud. She quickly lowered her head and raised her sleeves to cover her lips.
Cao Zhang was also embarrassed by his fuss and stood there at a loss.
Tang Yin smiled considerately and said sternly: "Although Brother Cao is a scholar, he has the spirit of my wind. If all officials in Feng District can be like Brother Cao, how strong will my wind be!"
"Brother Xian is too praising Brother Fool!" Cao Zhang's face turned even redder.
At this time, the guard ushered in a man from outside. The man looked to be in his early thirties, with a tall build and dark skin. He was wearing black trousers with rolled-up legs, and only an unbuttoned waistcoat on his upper body, revealing his high bulges.
His chest muscles and abdominal tendons were bulging, and he looked up, with a bald head, a ferocious appearance, and a diagonal scar on his face, which made him look extremely scary.
This strong man walked into the lobby arrogantly, with his chin raised high, and he looked around at everyone in the hall with a downward gaze. Judging from his posture, he did not look like a bandit, but more like a high-ranking official inspecting the residence of his subordinates.
When he saw Yin Rou, his eyes that were originally full of arrogance suddenly lit up, "Hey! What a beautiful woman!" His eyes seemed to be fixed on Yin Rou's face, and he couldn't move away for a long time.
Cao Zhang secretly gritted his teeth, coughed heavily, and shouted: "You are such a bold thief, why don't you salute me when you see me?"
Amidst his shouts, the strong man finally came to his senses, reluctantly moved his eyes away from Yin Rou's face, and then looked at Cao Zhang with a fierce light in his eyes.
His nose tightened, he snorted coldly, and asked: "Are you the newly appointed Lord of Ancheng, Cao Zhang?"
"It's me!" Cao Zhang met the strong man's eyes without any fear.
"I thought Cao Zhang was such a smart guy, but it turns out he's just a weak scholar!" The strong man sneered, and then, with his chest straightened out, he loudly said, "I'm here to give you an order on behalf of my general, Cao Zhang.
Listen to me, my general ordered you to prepare one hundred thousand taels of silver and one hundred thousand shi of grain within three days, and send them to Shuangtou Mountain without any mistakes. If the payment is overdue, hehe, by then
My Shuangtou Mountain army will attack your Ancheng, and no chickens or dogs will be left behind!"
After he finished speaking, Cao Zhang was so angry that he was trembling. A mere bandit dared to call himself a general and ordered him to hand over one hundred thousand taels of silver and one hundred thousand stones of grain. Not to mention that Ancheng didn't have so much money and grain.
, even if there was, he would rather die than give it to the bandits.
Before he could speak, the strong man continued: "But now I want to add one more." As he spoke, he raised his hand, pointed at Yin Rou, and said: "She also wants to be included.
Send it to Shuangtou Mountain!"
"Bold! Presumptuous!" Cao Zhang couldn't help it any longer, he shouted loudly and said angrily: "What a bold and shameless thief! He wants money, but he doesn't have it. He wants food, and he doesn't have it. He wants people, and he won't have any.
Go back and tell your bandit leader that you will never get a penny or a grain of food from our An city!"
"Hey! Cao Zhang, you are quite courageous!" The strong man was not angry at all. Instead, he raised his thumb and praised: "Good! You are doing well! Since you said so, let's wait and see.
Well, when it comes time to skin you and dig out your heart, don’t beg for mercy! By the way, don’t even think about running away, my brothers from Shuangtoushan have blocked all the exits from Ancheng.”
As he spoke, he looked at Yin Rou specifically. The more he looked at her, the more excited he became and the more intolerable he became. He smiled and said, "Especially you, little lady, just wait in the city!"
Seeing that he kept moving closer to her while speaking, Yin Rou instinctively tightened her grip on Tang Yin beside her. The latter was completely unmoved, sitting there with his eyes lowered and no expression on his face. It looked like
I was frightened by the bandits.
The strong man didn't even look at Tang Yin from beginning to end. He kept leaning close to Yin Rou, raised his nose and took a deep breath, smelling the refreshing musky scent on her body, and couldn't help but reach out his hand and touch her.
Soft cheeks.
At this time, Cao Zhang strode forward, opened the strong man's hairy hands, his eyes spitting fire, and asked angrily: "What are you going to do?"
A fierce light flashed in the eyes of the strong man, but he soon returned to normal. He laughed and took two steps back, cupped his hands and said, "Except for this little lady, just wash your necks and wait, haha——"
As he spoke, he swayed and walked out, but his arrogant and proud laughter still came from outside the lobby from time to time.
"How unreasonable! How unreasonable!" Cao Zhang was so angry that his face turned green. He took a few deep breaths and then calmed down a little. Then he held his hands to Tang Yin and said, "My dear brother, Ancheng has become a place of right and wrong. You must not do it."
If you stay any longer, you have to leave quickly, I will send someone to take you and your wife to the county seat!"
Tang Yin, who had been keeping calm, waved his hand slightly and said calmly: "The bandit just said that the bandits have blocked all the exits in An City. It doesn't seem like they are trying to scare people. If you leave the city now, you will undoubtedly fall into a trap.
.”
"That's true, what should I do?" Cao Zhang was scratching his head and pacing back and forth in the lobby. If an uninformed person had seen it, he would have thought that Yin Rou was his wife!
"How can we not be in a hurry! The bandits act erratically and may arrive immediately. By then..." As he spoke, he looked at Yin Rou and could not continue what he said.
Tang Yin said: "The bandits can't come to Ancheng."
Cao Zhang made a confused sound and looked at Tang Yin in disbelief.
Tang Yin smiled and said: "I have learned mystical magic since I was a child. Just now, I made a careful calculation. The bandits in Shuangtou Mountain will be in great trouble tonight. Ten of them will die. It is difficult for them to cause trouble in Ancheng.
"
"Ah?" Cao Zhang opened his mouth wide, as if listening to heavenly scriptures, and looked at Tang Yin without blinking. Yin Rou on the side was suppressing a smile, and her face turned red.
After a long while, he said: "Dear brother, now is not the time to joke..."
"What I said is true!" Tang Yin stopped his smile and said seriously: "Brother Cao, just keep your heart in your stomach. Tonight, the bandits will die and Ancheng will be safe!"
"This... how is this possible!" Cao Zhang scratched his hair and said, "It's so good, what kind of disaster can happen to Shuangtou Mountain?"
"Even if it is a natural disaster, it is also a disaster. The secret cannot be leaked. I can only say this much." Tang Yin pulled Yin Rou up and said, "Brother Cao, just wait for the good news. Rou'er and I will take our leave first."
"Where are you going, good brother?" Seeing that he was leaving, Cao Zhang was very reluctant to leave.
"I can't leave the city for the time being, so I have to find an inn to stay in the city first," Tang Yin said.
"If my dear brother doesn't dislike it, he can live with his wife in the city lord's mansion..."
"Then why do you have the nerve to bother Brother Cao? Besides, it will be inconvenient, even if Rou'er and I are staying in the inn." Tang Yin rejected Cao Zhang's kindness with a smile, then bowed his hand to him and walked out of the city lord's mansion with Yin Rou.