Al Biao wiped the cold sweat off his face and lowered his head as he returned to the stronghold.
“What about the others? Where’s the loot?” the two lookout bandits asked Al Biao with astonished expressions.
Al Biao spoke urgently, “I went to help Ah Wang and the others, and just then I saw Ah Qiang and his group dividing the spoils! Ah Wang and the rest got furious right away, and a fight broke out between the brothers over the share! When I saw my own brothers fighting over this, I rushed back to tell the boss! This matter must be dealt with personally by the boss to keep them in line!”
“Those bastards, Ah Qiang! How dare they pocket the loot! When they come back, we must teach them a lesson!” The two lookouts felt angry upon hearing this and urged Al Biao to hurry back and inform the boss.
When Leader Chen in the stronghold learned that his men had started fighting among themselves over the spoils, he slapped his thigh in anger and marched out with his large sword, accompanied by fifteen brothers.
As they reached a stream, Al Biao broke into a cold sweat, causing Leader Chen to suspect him. “You’re not plotting against your brothers, are you?”
This question terrified Al Biao, and his legs went weak. Ignoring the stones on the ground, he knelt down and vowed, “If I, Al Biao, dare to plot against my brothers, let me die a miserable death!”
Leader Chen remained suspicious but continued forward.
As soon as they entered the woods, the group fell into a pit.
“Al Biao! You traitorous bastard! I’m going to kill you!” Leader Chen’s furious roar echoed from inside the pit.
Al Biao had already run and hidden beside Zhang Fang, realizing he could only rely on Zhang Fang now!
Zhang Fang asked, “There are nineteen more people in the stronghold, right?”
Al Biao swallowed hard, nodding with a pale face. His back was drenched in cold sweat, his clothes completely soaked.
“Go quickly. You’re a great contributor to the bandit suppression, and you’ll be rewarded handsomely!” Zhang Fang smiled at Al Biao.
Al Biao felt like Zhang Fang was the King of Hell, sending him, a ghost, to collect souls. But now he had no choice but to follow through!
The two lookouts became suspicious when they saw Al Biao return alone. “Why are you the only one back? Where are the others?”
Al Biao hurriedly replied, “Don’t ask! Gather all the brothers and come with me to rescue the boss! Ah Qiang and Ah Wang have turned against him! They’re fighting the boss and don’t want to share the spoils with the others!”
With their own interests at stake, the two lookouts became anxious, cursed a few times, and rushed back to the stronghold to gather the other brothers.
By the time the last batch of bandits fell into the trap, Zhang Fang nodded in satisfaction. Al Biao, however, was sitting on the ground, utterly weak and trembling all over.
After capturing all the bandits, Zhang Fang led his men into the stronghold for a search and discovered many abducted women.
“Young Master Zhang, these bandits should be handed over to the government in Jiangzhou,” Hao Zhuang said, thinking this suppression was quite successful. If they reported it to the court, Zhang Fang might gain merit and be released.
Zhang Fang didn’t respond, his gaze casually scanning the surroundings. This stronghold was well-made! It was just like a paradise. If it weren’t for a guide, outsiders would have difficulty finding this place.
As expected from someone who had been in power, Lin Zheng interrogated the bandits thoroughly and uncovered their connections to local officials. He reported back to Zhang Fang, “Young Master Zhang, that bandit leader named Chen is related by marriage to a concubine of the governor of Jiangzhou, Xu Chang. He has been sharing the spoils with Xu Chang for a long time, and Xu Chang has instructed these bandits to carry out some dirty work. Over the years, several county magistrates have died in Mei County, all at the hands of these bandits. I suspect Mei County must have issues!”
Shi Houde truly wanted to kick Lin Zheng. Why interrogate so thoroughly? Did he want Zhang Fang to continue digging deeper?
Hao Zhuang stared at Lin Zheng unhappily, cleared his throat, and said to Zhang Fang, “Young Master Zhang, we have already delayed quite a while on the road. We must leave as soon as possible. If we can’t deliver you to the border on time, all of us will be punished.”
Zhang Fang understood what Hao Zhuang and Shi Houde meant. He knew that he currently didn’t have the ability to investigate the matters of Mei County. He had already decided to report this to the Prime Minister. The subsequent tasks would be left to the Prime Minister to handle, and he could remain at ease as a criminal.
“I’ll write a letter and trouble Brother Shi to run an errand, asking someone to deliver the letter back to the capital. As for these bandits, I’ll take them on the road. Once we leave Jiangzhou, someone will come to take these bandits away.” Since he knew the officials in Jiangzhou were corrupt, Zhang Fang certainly wouldn’t hand these bandits over to the local government. It was better to face some trouble than to let these bandits off the hook!
Although Hao Zhuang and Shi Houde had things to say, they suddenly found themselves unable to speak as they watched Zhang Fang’s serious expression. They understood very well why Zhang Fang was doing this.
If they could indeed eliminate this group of bandits, it would restore a brief peace in Jiangzhou, at least allowing the people to breathe easy. Those traveling across the mountains wouldn’t have to live in fear of encountering bandits who would rob and capture them.
In the end, Hao Zhuang and the others discussed with the other officials and agreed to take the bandits on the road.
Since there were too many bandits, they could only remove the handcuffs from Lin’s family members, Mu Qing, and Zhang Fang. For the bandit leader, Chen, they even put leg shackles on him.
After the handcuffs were removed, the Lin family felt as if they had regained their freedom, and their movements became much easier.
Lin Zheng felt he had truly latched onto a powerful patron! He was happily thinking that once this matter was reported to the court, they would all be able to earn their freedom by making meritorious accomplishments. After shedding the identity of a criminal, he would definitely shamelessly follow Zhang Fang back to the capital for better opportunities! At that time, the Lin family would surely shine again!
However, a heavy rain extinguished Lin Zheng’s sweet dreams.
The heavy rain blocked their progress. The downpour was so fierce, with lightning flashing, thunder booming, and wild winds howling. They watched helplessly as the water on the road quickly rose from their ankles to their knees!
Everyone felt a sense of unease. They hoped this downpour would end soon and not continue any longer.