Chapter 213: The Ambush

“This is not the time to worry about face,” Uncle He said, seeing his dejected expression, and comforted him. “The most important thing is to get out of this troubled place quickly.”

Min Zhanlian nodded. Their situation was very bad now. On one hand, they were being pursued and intercepted by the Nanwuliang sect. On the other hand, that Daoist priest might be seeking revenge. Even if the Daoist priest did nothing, the Zhuang family was a local gentry, and they probably wouldn’t let it go so easily.

No matter which side found them, it would not be good. Min Zhanlian no longer wanted to be involved in the entanglement between this Daoist priest and the sect. It was not worth it to bring endless trouble upon himself for a few hundred taels of silver.

As long as they reached Linqing and boarded a south-bound grain transport ship, the grain transport ships were, first, official ships, and second, most of the soldiers on the grain transport ships believed in the Luo sect. No matter how capable the Nanwuliang sect was, they would not dare to easily provoke these two major forces.

But now they had no horses. On the muddy road and under the scorching sun, they couldn’t even cover seven or eight li in a shichen. At this rate, even if there were no blockades along the way, they would be exhausted by the time they reached Linqing. It would be easy for anyone to deal with them.

“We need to find a way to get horses,” Min Zhanlian said. “Without horses, we’ll hire sedan chairs at the next town. We’ll change our disguises and travel.”

At the next town, they found something even better. The “eyes and ears” discovered twelve horses and four mules in the town.

The horses and mules were resting outside a tea shed. The “eyes and ears” made a round and quickly gathered information.

The horses and mules belonged to a group of unknown origin, heading to Yizhou. They were all men, mostly under twenty, all strong and agile, clearly skilled martial artists. The leader was a sturdy man of about thirty, who also looked like an expert. They were obviously not ordinary merchants or travelers. They also carried swords and sabers in their luggage.

“Which group are they?” Min Zhanlian asked. To travel so conspicuously on the road, they were either government officials or people of the jianghu. Moreover, southern Shandong was now a disaster area. Unless there was an urgent matter, ordinary people would not travel lightly. He had to weigh the pros and cons before making a move. If he provoked someone he shouldn’t, it would be self-destruction.

Although the heroes of the jianghu prided themselves on their chivalry, talking about “settling scores with pleasure” and “helping the weak and righteous,” most people in the jianghu followed the principle of “not fighting against the powerful.” The government was the greatest “power,” and provoking them would lead to endless trouble.

“I can’t tell their origin,” the “eyes and ears” said clearly. “They don’t have the air of officials, so they shouldn’t be from the factories or the yamen’s constables.”

“People from an escort agency?”

“They don’t look like it either. The escort agency doesn’t have an escort flag. If it’s a secret escort, it’s too conspicuous,” the “eyes and ears” whispered. “This group is very strange. Except for the one who handles negotiations, the others don’t say a word. Whether standing or sitting, they have a very disciplined posture, which is very official-like.”

“Do they have martial arts?”

“It seems they’ve practiced some boxing and kicking, but they are definitely not professional martial artists,” the “eyes and ears” said with great certainty.

The woman among the “eyes and ears” suddenly came over and added, “This group is from the south! I heard one of them speak just now. It seemed to be an accent from the Liangguang region.”

Min Zhanlian did not hesitate. “Take them down.”

Although the other party’s origin was unknown, they were in urgent need of horses to travel. On a normal day, he would never make a rash move before clarifying the other party’s identity, but now he was anxious, and the fact that the other party was from Liangguang reduced his apprehension.

“We’ll set up an ambush on the small hill outside the town and take them down as soon as they pass.”

“There are nine of us, and twelve of them…” Uncle He was always cautious.

Min Zhanlian said, “It’s fine. We’ll set up an ambush and catch them off guard. Then we’ll rush out and attack. We have at least an eighty percent chance of success.”

Every one of his men had the skill to throw darts. If they threw their darts together within thirty paces, they could take down at least half of them. Min Zhanlian was no saint. The darts were poisoned, and as long as they broke the skin, the poison would be fatal. Then, when they clashed with weapons, he believed that his men’s martial arts were also superior to theirs.

“Everyone, be quick and decisive. Leave no one alive. Strip the bodies and throw them into the woods,” he instructed his men.

This was a disaster area, and there were dead bodies everywhere along the road and in the fields. These people were travelers from outside, and the government would certainly not care if they died.

A detachment of the Special Reconnaissance Team led by Ye Mengyan was rushing to Yizhou after disembarking at Linqing.

The trip to Yizhou was a sudden, temporary mission. Although two-thirds of the Special Reconnaissance Team’s combat detachments had been moved to Hong Kong to await orders before the start of Operation Engine, Ye Mengyan’s detachment had been deployed to Hangzhou in advance, ready to deal with any emergencies.

Unexpectedly, nothing happened in Hangzhou, but trouble arose with Daoist Priest Zhang in Yizhou.

After receiving Zhang Yingchen’s telegram, there were multiple telegraph exchanges between the forward command post of Operation Engine in Hong Kong and the Hangzhou station. The final decision was to immediately dispatch a special operations team to Yizhou to support Zhang Yingchen. The first priority was to ensure his personal safety. Second, if the situation was favorable to Zhang Yingchen’s missionary work, they would use a short, sharp, and intense method to solve the problem of the secret societies in Yizhou and absorb their forces.

After receiving the telegram from Bei Wei and the forward command, Ye Mengyan immediately set out from Hangzhou. The Qiwei Escort Agency arranged for a special boat to take them to Shandong.

The reason for choosing Ye Mengyan’s detachment was that it was the most senior detachment in the entire Special Reconnaissance Team. The members were from the first batch of the first class, had the longest training time, the best combat skills, and were extremely reliable. They had participated in the “dock clearing” operations in Guangzhou and the surrounding areas, using violence to maintain the business activities of the Guangzhou station and the Qiwei Escort Agency in the Pearl River Delta and eliminating “dangerous” competitors. Therefore, they also had relatively rich experience in operating in enemy-occupied territory.

Newly formed detachments were generally only kept on Hainan Island for training and combat. Only the most reliable detachments would be sent to “enemy-occupied territory” to carry out combat missions.

Because the situation in Yizhou seemed urgent, Ye Mengyan personally led the advance detachment, traveling day and night as the first group to arrive.

The horses and mules were prepared by the Qiwei Escort Agency’s branch in Linqing. Weapons, ammunition, food… everything they needed was loaded onto the mules, so they could travel more than eighty li a day.

Ye Mengyan rode his horse—he was used to riding now, although he had paid a painful price to learn. As a middle school student who was only 17 on D-Day, his face showed an arrogant expression worthy of a protagonist in an online novel. Of course, he was entitled to such an expression. This former middle school student, who couldn’t lift a 100-jin bag of rice back then and had never fought anyone outside of online games and fantasies, had carried a large schoolbag full of rulers, textbooks, and compasses on D-Day. He had nightmares for a week after shooting his first native with a rifle.

Now he was a true “butcher with hands stained with blood,” accustomed to using pistols, rifles, daggers, and occasionally grenades to eliminate all those who were “harmful to the great cause” or “dealt with in the name of the Senate”—even if they were women, the elderly, or children.

Unlike other Elders, who more or less had doubts about their “political status” and sometimes couldn’t help but privately discuss the system and worry about the country, the Elders, and the nation, Ye Mengyan was infinitely loyal to the existing system, infinitely loyal to the Executive Committee, and especially filled with a heartfelt love for Chairman Wen, Supervisor Ma, and Director Wu. For him, these three people were the embodiment of the Senate and the embodiment of his ideals.

Now he was galloping on this main road, braving the scorching sun and heat to “realize the will of the Senate,” without the slightest hesitation. “You all must die!” This was the motto on the crest of the first detachment directly under the command of the Special Reconnaissance Team led by Ye Mengyan.

He noticed that the terrain was becoming rugged—the road was narrow, with rolling hills on both sides. Suddenly, he raised one hand and reined in his horse. The escort from Qiwei who was acting as a guide immediately rode over.

“What’s the place ahead?”

“This place is called Er’renpo (Two Men Slope),” the guide said. Although he could speak Shandong dialect, he was a native of Nan-zhili. He used to be an escort for “secret escorts” to various places in Shandong and had just been absorbed into Qiwei last year.

“Er’renpo?” Ye Mengyan carefully examined the terrain. The official road had a large, uphill turn here, with low earthen hills on both sides, covered with woods. It was a good place for an ambush.

Although he didn’t know who would ambush him, it was always better to be careful when operating in enemy-occupied territory. He waved his hand. “Zhao Kai, go and check it out!”

Zhao Kai was also an escort from Qiwei. His martial arts were mediocre, and he had never had a good position, just making a living by being a guard and an assistant. Fortunately, Qiwei was open to everyone. As long as one was willing to work and reliable, they were accepted. He had just gotten this golden rice bowl from Qiwei and was full of energy.

Zhao Kai responded with a “yes” and immediately rode forward. After going up the slope, he did not go directly along the road but rode into the woods.

Min Zhanlian saw that the other party was not falling for the trap. This small grove was not large and could not hide people. As soon as the other party entered the woods, they would immediately notice something was wrong. Once a conflict broke out and the other party immediately fled on horseback, he would not be able to get the horses.

Without thinking further, he immediately nodded to Uncle He and threw the three darts in his hand at Zhao Kai.

The distance between the two sides was only four or five zhang. Zhao Kai screamed, was hit by the darts, and fell from his horse.

“Hold the horses!” Min Zhanlian roared and was the first to rush out. The situation was now unfavorable for them. They had lost the initiative. They had to knock down all their opponents at the first moment and at the same time prevent the horses from being startled and fleeing. They had to be quick and decisive.

Min Zhanlian appeared from the woods. With a flick of his wrist, a long sword came out of its scabbard. In an instant, man and sword became one, and he went straight for Ye Mengyan—this young man was the leader.