Chapter 89 - Zhang Chongs Pressurizing His Opponents and the Agitation of Bandits (1/2)
“The physician said that he prescribed Wu Er’niu some potent medicine, that Wu Er’niu would be able to walk the day after tomorrow.”
In the morning, when Ling Zhang was still in the guards’ yard, Xia Feng went to the yard and told him that a physician had treated the wounds of Wu Er’niu.
“I see. Bid the physician not to disclose the injury of Wu Er’niu to anybody.”
“Rest a.s.sured, young master. I’ve already told him this. Physician Lin has always been on good terms with us. On top of that, he is a man of discretion.”
Knowing that the physician who had treated Wu Er’niu was Physician Lin, Ling Zhang said no more, since Physician Lin had always been in cooperation with Ling family and Ling Zhang trusted him.
It was the third day after the guards of Ling family started training the Trap-and-Kill Formation of Twelve. They were getting more and more proficient in it. Back on the first day of the training, the guards’ yard was designated a restricted zone that n.o.body was allowed to enter without permission. At this time, guards formed up into the first array of the Trap-and-Kill Formation of Twelve. The atmosphere in the drill field instantly became tense. Even a leaf carried by a wind, once it entered this array, wouldn’t be able to get out of it.
Xia Feng standing beside Ling Zhang felt exceptionally nervous after merely watching the array for a few moments. These guards had really changed drastically and were not who they used to be. Though he was merely standing in front of the formation, he still felt great pressure. He believed that if he was trapped in the formation, there was a very high chance that he wouldn’t be able to get out of it.
“Train for another day, brothers. Tomorrow I’ll find someone to test out your formation. I hope you won’t let me down.”
“We won’t!”
They had practiced for quite some time. The teamwork among them had reached such a whole new level that they actually made their responses in unison.
After all these days’ training, every one of them noticed the changes that had been brought to them. Apart from better teamwork, everybody discovered that their bodily movement techniques had improved significantly. Sometimes, when they were sparring in pairs, they would, in an almost subconscious manner, perform the footwork that they had memorized to sidestep the blow of the opponent. Among the twelve guards, w.a.n.g Dashan and Liu Yi had the best kung fu skills. In order to confirm their discovery, the other ten guards took turns to spar with w.a.n.g Dashan and Liu Yi at dusk every day during the past few days, and never once had they been disappointed.
This kind of discovery was a pleasant surprise for them who were kung fu pract.i.tioners.
As a result, when Ling Zhang said that he would find them a training partner, the enthusiasm of all guards ran high.
“Young Master, is it the bodyguard of our distinguished guest?” w.a.n.g Dashan asked in haste.
“Yes.” Ling Zhang was not surprised that w.a.n.g Dashan guessed right.
w.a.n.g Dashan and other guards were overjoyed at this answer. They exchanged glances and said, “Rest a.s.sured, Young Master. We won’t fail you!”
Ling Zhang made no response. ‘It’s a good thing that they have confidence in themselves, but… I hope they’ll be able to recover from the setback that they’re going to suffer tomorrow.”
At the time when Ling Zhang was training his guards, a large-scale murder hunt had just come to an end outside Tanyang. Soldiers of the Prefecture Guards were the main force, but they still failed to find any clues to the criminal who had murdered Lu Kui. As if the murderer had vanished into thin air, they didn’t find a single trace of him or her whatsoever.
“Commander, we’ve been searching for three full days. Today is the fourth day already, but there’s no trace of the guy who killed Lu Kui. Some citizens are complaining about our repeated large-scale search.”
Zhang Chong darkened his face. “What did those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds say?”
“They said that the murderer was not one of them, that they didn’t send anyone to kill Lu Kui.”
“Humph! As far as I can tell, they just don’t have the b.a.l.l.s to admit what they’ve done!” Zhang Chong thundered. “Surely they won’t tell me the murderer is an outside burglar!”
“Please calm your anger, Commander. I’ve sent some men to conduct a covert investigation into this. If it was really some local gang that was behind the murder, there are definitely traces to be found.”
“Yet how long do you think it’ll take you to find the truth? That old b.a.s.t.a.r.d Tao Feng still refuses to let go of the position of the Right Tongzhi no matter how hard I try to make him to. If it weren’t for that his mentor is one of the most influential figures in the Imperial Court, I would have cut off his head long ago!”
His subordinate lapsed into a frightened silence before Zhang Chong’s fury.
“Send word to those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. None of them is to leave their mountain strongholds for the duration of the murder hunt. Anyone who dares to go downhill shall be killed on sight! In addition to this, since those cowards refuse to admit and are covering for each other, each gang is to make a compensatory payment of 10,000 taels of silver to the Prefecture Guards to cover the expense of this murder hunt! If they refuse to pay compensation, I’ll flatten their strongholds in five days!”
“Uh… Commander, are you not worried that this might arouse their grudges?”
“Grudges? As far as I can tell, they just have been slacking for too long, and they could use a reminder of who’s the boss. If any of them should hold grudges against me because of this, tell them to come and talk to me. Those who still resist shall be put to my saber! The emperor has just turned me down. Another opportunity to make a request is the very thing I’m seeking.” Zhang Chong’s voice was cold and harsh like the sound of a saber scratching someone’s bones, which scared his subordinates to such an extent that none of them dared to dissuade him again.
Soon, Zhang Chong’s order spread through all mountain strongholds of bandits near Tanyang.
“Chief, why is Zhang Chong doing this? We’ve already told him we’re not the ones responsible for the murder. Why is he being so pushy?”
“Tell me about it! Forbidding us from leaving the mountain is synonymous with forbidding us from robbing people. And he also wants us to pay 10,000 taels of silver in compensation. Isn’t he trying to starve us to death? Zhang Chong is even greedier than we are!”
“Screw it! Zhang Chong scares many, but not me. I’ll grab my saber and go down there to fight him right now!”
“Quiet! Don’t be so impulsive!” the gang-leader thundered, a sullen look on his face.
“Zhang Chong is doing this to send a message to the one who’s responsible for the murder of Lu Kui. He wants to force the murder to stand into the light,” explained the gang-leader.
“But we have nothing to do with this whatsoever. Why do we have to pay him 10,000 taels?”
“That’s true!”
The gang-leader was also full of righteous indignation, but he was manifestly more rational than his subordinates. “I’ll go and consult with other gangs tonight. We’ll figure this out after I come back. Don’t take any rash action for the duration. Otherwise there will be consequences.”
“Well, then. Don’t keep us waiting for too long, chief.”
This kind of agitation arose in every bandit gang. Zhang Chong’s order was undoubtedly as unacceptable as asking them to cut meat from their own bodies, and none of them was willing to obey. Violent and fierce by nature, all bandits were indignant and on the verge of staging an uprising.
“Tsk. Surprisingly, it really doesn’t concern Zhang Chong that those bandits might riot,” said a man who was staking out the Prefecture Encampment.
“He’s a wildly arrogant man,” another man said.
Soon, news spread to Tanyang.
“Zhang Chong got anxious,” Ling Zhang concluded after hearing the report.
Yuwen Tong’s reaction to this message was bland. “He’s always been holding those bandits in contempt, but now some of them dared to inflict humiliation on him. How could he not be anxious?”