"Lao Ma? Aren't you patrolling the edge of the square? This is our patrol range, why are you wandering around?" The man heard Lao Ma's voice. People like Lao Ma are actually quite well-known, because he is
The target of ridicule and satire for all religious bandits is naturally familiar to everyone.
"This..." Lao Ma didn't know how to answer.
Ma Bin shouted: "We were sent by the Holy Father to inspect the various city gates. This old horse is just leading the way. Where can we go? We are about to go to the city tower to have a look. What? You want to stop us?"
Lao Ma hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, they are sent by the superiors to inspect the city gate. Jiaopu Zhang asked me to lead them to Jiaopu Zhou."
"Inspecting the city gate? How come I don't know? Why didn't anyone notify us? It's strange. The officers and soldiers are attacking the city. When the Holy Duke has time, he will send someone to inspect the city gate?" That week's servant asked doubtfully.
"Idiot, it is precisely because the officers and soldiers are attacking the city that the Holy Duke attaches great importance to the security of the city gates. The brothers on the west side are impregnable, and the other city gates are carefully crafted. Isn't it a failure? What? You want me to give you more?
Do you want to explain? Do you want the Holy Duke to ask for your opinion first? That’s ridiculous." Ma Bin shouted coldly.
Although Zhou Jiaofu was confused, he did not dare to ask any more questions. Now the orders in the entire Skitarii Army are inconsistent and very confusing. Many things cannot be communicated smoothly, and it is not necessarily impossible for people to suddenly appear to inspect the city gate. The other party
What he said makes sense. Since he is inspecting the city gate, let him do the inspection and there is no need to worry about it so much.
"In that case, you can check it out." Zhou Jiao's servant said.
Ma Bin snorted and was about to lead people up the stone steps to the city tower. Sun Dayong suddenly pulled him and whispered a few words in his ear. Ma Bin was stunned and nodded slightly. Suddenly he turned around and was about to shrink back.
Zhou Jiaofu and others at the city gate said: "We will check on the city later, and we will check on you first. The Holy Duke has received news that there are officers and soldiers entering the city carefully, and we are going to check the situation at the city gate."
Zhou Jiaopu frowned and said, "What's there to investigate? I've been staying here for several days and nights, and I haven't left."
"Now that I want you to speak up, it's up to you to decide whether I should investigate or not? It's a joke. Brothers, let's go and have a look." Ma Bin waved his hand and led the people towards the city gate.
When the people on the top of the city heard the commotion, someone looked down and shouted, "What happened? The protector asked you what's causing the fuss below."
Zhou Jiao's servant raised his head and shouted: "Reporting to the Protector, someone came to check the situation at the city gate, saying that the Holy Duke asked them to check. What should I do?"
Chengtou retracted his head and then stretched it out a moment later: "The protector said, just ask them to investigate."
Zhou’s servant shouted: “As you command!”
Ma Bin listened to the answer at the city gate, and a stone fell in his heart. Sun Dayong said that the method of checking the city gate using the name of the leader of the cult really worked. Using the tiger skin as a banner really scared these people. Until now.
, the other party actually didn’t have the slightest suspicion.
"Tell your guardians to wait on the tower. We will go up to the city to investigate later. All the brothers on the tower are gathered in the tower and waiting." Ma Bin simply raised his head and shouted towards the tower.
Everyone was sweating. Master Ma was so bold. He had turned his back on guests and actually started giving orders to the people on the tower. Not to mention, Ma Bin was used to being an official after all, and there was a sense of majesty in his tone.
The bandits were really frightened.
Everyone walked towards the city gate opening, and the bandits lit torches. Ma Bin led more than ten soldiers in front, and Sun Dayong led others behind. Everyone walked straight in. The city wall was several feet wide, and the city gate opening could be
There was room for hundreds of people, including forty or fifty religious bandits and more than thirty people from the Forbidden Army. It did not seem crowded inside. Ma Bin walked straight in, until he reached the tightly closed city gate, which was densely supported by dozens of logs.
After that, he stretched his head and looked around for a long time by the torch, and nodded seriously.
"Very good, very good. Very solid. But there are some flaws. Where's Teacher Zhou? Come here and let me tell you about the areas that need improvement."
Zhou Jiaopu had been walking in the crowd with a frown on his face. Hearing this, he had to stand up. Ma Bin pointed and said: "No, here... we should pile up sandbags to block it. Pile it to the top, so that the city gate will be compromised."
Once the city gate is opened, the officers and soldiers cannot come in. There are also some giant resisting horses here, which can block the opponent's charge. The officers and soldiers have cavalry. Once the city gate is opened, they rush in at once. And there... it should be
…”
Zhou Jiaopu frowned and looked at Ma Bin's constant gesticulation, and suddenly asked: "Brother, why do I look at you so strangely? I seem to have never seen you before. May I ask if you are under the seat of the protector?
By the way, I have never seen any of you here. Your robes are all stained with blood. What's going on? Old Ma, why don't you dare to look at me? Why are you lowering your head?"
The servant of the week had always been suspicious. In the crowd just now, he had been observing the group of people who claimed to be ordered by the Holy Duke to inspect the city gate. Although they all wore uniform Qingjiao robes, their auras
It is obviously different. There have never been these tall, tall, straight-waisted and powerful skitarii in the Qingjiao. Even the surrendered officers and soldiers of Yingtian Mansion do not have the momentum of this group of people. They carry crossbows and bows on their backs and wear them on their waists.
The long knives are not owned by ordinary believers. Very few of these things are owned by the Skitarii, and most of them are captured. The standard scimitar provided by the Liao people is commonly used by the Skitarii.
They are very different in shape and length.
Therefore, after close observation, Zhou Jiaopu's doubts became a lot more serious. But he obviously did not think deeply, and he was not aware of other aspects at all. Perhaps the old horse in the crowd confused his judgment and made him confused.
He did not think deeply about other aspects. Moreover, Zhou Jiaopu was a bit more upright. If he had any questions in his mind, he should observe them secretly and not speak them out easily. Perhaps out of the confidence that his subordinates had the upper hand, he actually asked in person.
come out.
Ma Bin burst out laughing after hearing this. The closed space in the city gate made the laughter seem extremely harsh.
"Jiaopu Zhou, what do you mean by this? Are you doubting our identity?" Ma Bin said with a smile.
"I don't dare, I just think it's a little weird. You'd better show me the Holy Duke's token so that you can clear up my confusion." Zhou Jiaofu frowned.
Ma Bin smiled again and said: "It's easy to say, it's my fault. I forgot to show you the Shenggong token. No, the sign is here, you can see it clearly."
With a sound from Canglang, Ma Bin drew out his long knife at an extremely fast speed. With a flash of cold light, the servant Zhou only felt pain in his shoulder and neck. The next moment, his head flew out diagonally, spurting blood and hitting the city gate.
He landed on the stone wall, but his eyes were still open. He wanted to see clearly before he died.
At the same time as Ma Bin took action, Sun Dayong and others from behind also took action immediately. The light of swords flashed, the crossbows buzzed, and a massacre broke out in the city gate. Before the bandits could react, more than a dozen of them were knocked down.
The more than 40 people below wanted to run but found that they couldn't escape at all. Behind them, Sun Dayong led a dozen forbidden troops to block the way to the city gate, pointing their crossbows at everyone. In the front, Ma Bin stood with a sword and smiled, standing beside him.
A dozen people with bows and arrows were glaring at everyone.
"Everyone squat down with their heads in their hands, put down their weapons and surrender, otherwise, we will kill without mercy." Ma Bin shouted coldly.
The two cult bandits were ready to make a move, but puff puff, several crossbow arrows shot through their bodies, and two more corpses were found on the ground.
"Listen to me. If you don't surrender within three breaths, we will all be killed. We are officers and soldiers of the imperial court, and Yingtian Mansion is already in danger. If we surrender now, we will avoid the death penalty." Ma Bin shouted.
It's not that Ma Bin insists on forcing them to surrender. Ma Bin doesn't want the fight to make too much noise and alert the enemies on the tower. The chaos just now may have alerted the people on the tower, so he needs to control it.
situation.
Some people slowly put down their weapons, raised their hands and crouched down with their heads in their hands. The bandits were usually vicious towards the people, but at critical moments they were all cowards. These bandits were recruited from ordinary members of the church.
Yes, they are not even skitarii. All the elite trainers have been dragged into the bloody battle in the West City. They can only look at the city gate here. So they all chose after seeing the dead bodies on the ground and someone taking the lead in surrendering.
Surrender. Although their number is more than a dozen more than the other party, their spirit is just that of a mob.
"Tie them all up and gagged them," Ma Bin ordered.
The crowd tied the hands and feet of the squatting bandits with their clothes and blocked their mouths. They threw them into a pile behind the city gate. After finishing this, Ma Bin looked back at Lao Ma who was standing there blankly and found that Lao Ma was standing there blankly.
There was another puddle of water on the ground between the horse's feet.
"You trash thing, I'm scared to death again." Ma Bin cursed.
"Lord Ma, stay here while my brother leads people up to deal with the enemies in the tower." Sun Dayong said solemnly.
Ma Bin waved his hand and said with a smile: "You said the opposite, you should stay here. I will give you ten brothers to guard the city gate. There is also a patrol team under the city, maybe they will arrive soon. Then you will not
Easy. As for the eighty religious bandits at the top of the city, it's naturally up to me to deal with them."
Sun Dayong wanted to argue, but he immediately shut up and nodded: "Okay, in that case, I will listen to your arrangements. Master Ma must be careful, success or failure depends on this one move."
Ma Bin nodded slightly. Sun Dayong was a man of action. He was decisive and never sloppy in his actions. He would not waste time arguing with himself over who should go to the tower.
"Liu Dake, please stay below with your men and follow Brother Sun's orders. The rest of the brothers will follow me." Ma Bin quickly distributed his men, and then quickly walked out of the city gate with twenty brothers.
The noise from the city gate really alarmed the religious bandits at the top of the city. Someone looked down and asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong? Servant Zhou, what's going on? It's so noisy."
"It's okay, it's okay. I just had a few arguments about how to block the city gate tightly." Ma Bin walked towards the stone steps and raised his head.
The soldier at the top of the city yelled and retracted his head, presumably to report. Without stopping, Ma Bin led twenty Forbidden Army soldiers to rush up to the wall on the west side of the city tower. The tall and wide wall was washed away by the night wind.
It was cool and pleasant, and the hot sweat all over his body was blown away. Ma Bin looked towards the tower and saw only the silhouettes of people. There were dozens of people standing at the entrance of the corridor of the tower watching the approach of himself and others. One person
The tall Qingjiao protector was standing in front of people with his arms akimbo, looking towards Ma Bin.
"Are you sent by the Holy Father to check the status of the city gate guards?" the protector asked loudly.
Ma Bin smiled and said: "Exactly."
"Why didn't I know this happened? Where is the token ordered by the Holy Duke? Bring it to me." The expression on the man's dark face was unclear, and he extended his hand towards Ma Bin and others who were walking quickly.
a hand.
Ma Bin was about to speak when suddenly a sharp and piercing bamboo whistle sounded from the square below. Then, a horrifying cry came from the darkness on the northeast side of the square: "There are enemies! There are enemies. Be careful both above and below the city."
, Zhang Jiaopu and the others are all dead. There are enemies!"
In the quiet night, the shouts and shouts were particularly harsh and frightening. Ma Bin's heart tightened, knowing that the matter had been exposed. The corpses in the alley were discovered by another group of patrolling bandits. All of this
It came too quickly, and it was too unfortunate. At this moment, the enemy in the city tower was still twenty steps away. I came here early in the morning to have a cup of tea. I am afraid that I have already fought against them. But now there is a commotion below, and these guys on the city are afraid
