OBS Chapter 60: Officials Suppress Bandits
Chapter 60: Officials Suppress Bandits
We've always seen officials suppressing bandits, never bandits suppressing officials. If bandits were stronger than officials, then bandits would become officials, and officials would become bandits.
Even though the Dragon Tiger Cavalry and the county soldiers were caught off guard by the Qi family and the forces that parachuted in from behind, and the Tiger Cavalry suffered heavy losses, the county government still actually held the advantage.
With just a few defecting underground gangs, 014 delivered a crushing blow to the Qi family.
His strategy was to simply overwhelm them. Even if several members of the Qi family were tied together, they would have a hard time defeating the Dragon Tiger Cavalry of Gaoyang County, given the resources they could mobilize.
Although everyone else's main force consists of Blood Gate Warriors and their backbone consists of Tendon Gate Warriors, the Dragon Tiger Cavalry's training is systematic martial arts practice.
It is the experience and lessons learned by martial artists far beyond their current level through numerous human experiments; it is the armor and weaponry carefully selected by the nine clans; it is meat and medicine supplements; it is a magical artifact made with the aura of national destiny mixed in as its core.
A martial artist trained in this way is far more than just someone with paper strength.
Take Qin Lie for example. Although he was injured during the attack, he managed to hold out until reinforcements arrived despite being surrounded by two Blood Gate warriors and a group of thugs. This strength is enough to prove his capabilities.
If you use rules to restrict my people, causing discord between the Dragon Tiger Cavalry and the county soldiers, then I'll simply not touch the Dragon Tiger Cavalry.
We can overwhelm you with resources. With a generous reward, there are plenty of brave men. Besides, I have connections in government. Even if it's a trade, two for one can wipe out the Qi family!
Inside the warehouse in the south of the city, shouts of battle filled the air, and flames blazed.
The tattooed giant from the fishing gang, along with his trusted men, annihilated the patrolling Qi family team in the shortest possible time, spilling kerosene everywhere before quickly setting it ablaze.
The supplies that the Qi family had stored here were ignited at almost the same time, and the fire shot into the sky, visible from several blocks away.
Ordinary people, seeing the flames from the gas, would only think that some unlucky person had caught fire, but in Neixian County, fire patrolmen would quickly arrive with water carts to put out the fire, so no one would pay attention.
But the Qi family was instantly in an uproar. Although the warehouse did not store the most important supplies, it contained essential items such as medicines and food supplements needed by the huge merchant guild. Now that it had been burned to the ground, it would be impossible to replenish it in a short period of time.
Others might think it was a fire accident, but the Qi family would never think so. One reason is that they have strict rules, so there is a high probability that there is no reason for a fire accident. Another reason is that there are experts guarding the warehouse.
Even if there were a real fire, it would be put out quickly, and it would never be like now, with almost half the sky burning red.
When the Qi family's reinforcements rushed over with murderous intent, they were unsurprisingly stopped by another group of county soldiers. Their reason was simple: the fire was too big, and to avoid casualties, entry was prohibited.
Similarly, the Qi family members who came to help could only watch helplessly as the tattooed man and his trusted subordinates swaggered away.
It wasn't until two hours later that the Qi family's troops, who had been standing at attention, were allowed to enter the site of the warehouse, which had been burned to the ground.
"Look at the mess this has made. I always remind you to be careful with fire, and look what happens when you're not careful. Brother, quick, go check if there's anything left that can be salvaged. Maybe it'll still be useful?"
The county soldiers who followed were laughing and joking; they not only killed him, but also tried to destroy his spirit.
The leader of the Qi family ignored him. He looked at the charred corpse with a grim expression, waved to someone, and told him to go back and report the situation.
Just then, the county soldiers surrounded him, and Qi's men around him also gathered around. The two sides were in a standoff, their eyes filled with hostility.
"Is there something you need?"
He shook his head and gestured for his men to disperse. Outside the county, one could disregard the county soldiers and even take action against them, but within Gaoyang County, the county soldiers represented Da Zhao. If one attacked them, there were a thousand reasons to kill local gentry like them.
"There's been a fire. Please come back and investigate. We need to verify what's in the warehouse."
The county soldier said in a very serious tone.
The leader of the Qi family was absolutely furious; this was beyond just killing someone and destroying their spirit.
"I recall that our Qi family has never offended you. In fact, your Commandant Ji often drinks with our Second Master. Is there any need to make things so tense?"
He held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help but grit his teeth and say, "Some things aren't simply forgotten after use!"
"You still have the nerve to bring this up with me? Do you know that bastard Sun Youfu sold us all out with a stack of account books? Commander Ji is currently in jail trying to redeem himself."
Even Commander Ji is redeeming himself through meritorious service, let alone us? Now there are orders from above, if I don't deal with you all to the death, will you atone for your crimes and wait until noon to die a gluttonous death?
The county soldiers were gritting their teeth. Although he kept his voice very low, his men were too close to hear him.
However, their expressions showed no surprise; they were eerily calm.
"Damn it, the Sun family tricked you! Go find the Sun family then! They have businesses all over the county, so many clinics and pharmacies, go find them!"
"Hmph, everyone in Gaoyang County knows that you families are all in cahoots."
"..."
Inside a small room in the county government office.
Even in May, 014, pale-faced, still held a small thermos in his hands as he looked at the battle report: "Is it confirmed? After the attack, only the Qi family provided support?"
One of the constables below nodded: "Yes, sir."
"Hehe, I thought the other families would also send people to help, and I even made arrangements in advance. But now it seems that the other side did not tell all the direct descendants of Qi, Li, Sun and the other families their identities. Only the family heads and core members know."
014 looked at the battle report on the table and said with a smile:
"You're using evidence of bribery to sow suspicion between the Dragon Cavalry and the county soldiers. You're playing a clever game, but don't forget, I'm an official in name only, while you, though an official, are now just a thief in disguise."
"If I said I could atone for my crimes through meritorious service, then I can atone for my crimes through meritorious service. You think too highly of the county sergeants and the dragon cavalry if you expect them to be suspicious of each other. 'Act first, report later' isn't just four words; it's a sword of slaughter."
"My lord, there were a total of seven attack sites. Five of them received rapid reinforcements, while the other two remained silent. As planned, all operational objectives have been achieved. What should we do next? Please advise."
A three-striped dragon rider leaped into the room, bowed, and clasped his hands in greeting.
"It is impolite not to reciprocate. Just wait, if we cut off their food and money, they will cut off ours in return."
014 calmly asked, "Where is Sun Youfu?"