Cheng Chu Mo hung the quiver on his saddle, drew an arrow, nocked it, and pulled the bowstring.
Just then, a bandit emerged from the house.
He raised his hand and pulled the trigger.
The bolt pierced the man’s chest, embedding itself in the wall. The man froze for a moment, then collapsed.
"Haha, Baolin, brother has one too! Don't you dare show off to me anymore!"
Cheng Chu Mo gestured with the crossbow in his hand towards Yu Chi Bao Lin.
"Then let's see who kills more!"
Yu Chi Bao Lin suggested.
"Deal!"
Fang Er watched as if it were a play.
There was no chance for him to act.
The bandit leader stared blankly at his stronghold as his men fell one after another.
He had never imagined such a thing could happen.
In the past, Goguryeo had also sent troops to suppress the bandits.
But those men usually just fired a few arrows and went through the motions.
They would accept some silver and leave.
But this time, these people were attacking with lethal intent!
"Damn it!"
Moreover, judging by their attire, they didn’t look like Goguryeo soldiers at all.
He would never have guessed that Fang Er and the Tang army had come to Goguryeo territory to hunt bandits!
In less than an hour.
The entire bandit stronghold was cleared.
The bandit leader was also shot in the head by Li Da Niu.
Zhao Hu led his men and found over a dozen captured women in the houses.
Fang Er dismounted and stood by the fire, enjoying the rare warmth.
He looked at the women and asked,
"Has any of you been to Shenyang?"
The women huddled together, looking at Fang Er fearfully, not daring to speak.
"Forget it. Let's lock them all up together and release them when we leave."
Seeing their state, Fang Er felt a pang of sympathy and instructed Zhao Hu.
Just as the women were about to be led away.
One of them spoke up.
"This general, this humble servant is Chen Xue Lian, and I am from Shenyang City."
"Oh? Then how did you end up here?"
Fang Er made a gesture to Zhao Hu.
Zhao Hu took the other women away to be settled.
Chen Xue Lian began to recount her story.
She was the daughter of a merchant in Shenyang City.
Her family had made their fortune by trading mountain products from Goguryeo to the Great Tang.
This time, she was traveling with her parents to visit relatives in Liuhe Commandery. They encountered bandits, her parents were killed, and she was captured.
Such incidents were commonplace.
Through Fang Er's questioning.
She also shared some information about Shenyang City.
As Fang Er had suspected, Shenyang City not only had many blacksmiths.
But more importantly, Shenyang City actually housed a military equipment office set up by Goguryeo!
Its location was in the northeast corner of Shenyang City.
Upon receiving this news, Fang Er was overjoyed.
The city was less than a hundred li away.
It would take half a day to reach it by fast horse.
He then arranged for his men to rest here for a day.
Although the bandits were all killed, they served their final purpose.
Zhao Hu and his men stripped the fur coats off them!
These were good for warding off the cold.
The next morning, they set off again.
Fang Er, dressed in a thick tiger skin cloak and a sable hat.
Felt much warmer than in the previous days!
By noon, they had arrived outside Shenyang City.
He arranged for Zhao Hu to lead the Fang family guards and the five hundred soldiers brought by Cheng Chu Mo to rendezvous outside the city.
Fang Er, Cheng Chu Mo, and Yu Chi Bao Lin, along with fifty Mie Lu soldiers, infiltrated Shenyang City in batches!
Chen Xue Lian accompanied them.
Her family was from Shenyang City, and having her along would make things much easier.
For instance.
She proved useful when entering the city.
Fang Er, Cheng Chu Mo, and Yu Chi Bao Lin entered the city at the same time as Chen Xue Lian.
They were stopped by the guards at the city gate.
Thanks to Chen Xue Lian's local accent, the soldiers did not suspect anything.
The other Mie Lu soldiers, however, carried loads of firewood or used other disguises for their professions.
Perhaps there were few precedents for behind-the-lines sabotage in this era.
Thus, the city guards, apart from extorting money, did not interrogate them further.
In the end, they all successfully entered the city.
Chen Xue Lian led Fang Er and the other two to the military equipment office in the northeast corner of Shenyang City.
The military equipment office was vast!
The front courtyard wall alone was one to two hundred meters long.
One could imagine how large it was inside.
After a brief glance from afar.
Fang Er asked Chen Xue Lian to lead them to the Chen family residence.
The servants of the Chen family had no idea their master had died.
They were still carrying out their daily duties.
The Chen family residence was not too large, a courtyard with three entrances.
It was similar to Fang Er's residence in Chang'an.
The fifty Mie Lu guards also successfully rendezvoused with Fang Er, guided by the markers he had left.
Upon entering her home, Chen Xue Lian's tears flowed uncontrollably.
Looking at the familiar surroundings, it was as if her parents were still by her side.
Finally, she gritted her teeth, took out the family’s silver, and dismissed all the servants.
Once the servants were gone.
Chen Xue Lian knelt before Fang Er with a thud.
"Please, sir, have mercy and take this humble servant with you. I am willing to offer all my family's property and serve as your maid!"
Fang Er was stunned.
"What the hell!
She's willing to spend money to buy a servant’s status?
I'm not that handsome, am I?"
"Miss Chen, please get up. Although your parents are gone, you don't have to follow me, do you?"
Fang Er pulled Chen Xue Lian up from the ground.
At this moment, Cheng Chu Mo nudged Fang Er's back.
He pulled him aside and whispered,
"Brother Fang, in my opinion, you should take her."
"Get lost! Take her for what? Have you forgotten what we're here for?"
Fang Er glared at him.
"Brother Fang, considering Miss Chen's situation, if we don't take her with us, and after we leave, within a month, her fate will be incredibly tragic!
Her parents' deaths will surely not be kept secret. Once the news spreads, do you think she, a weak woman, can protect this family fortune?
Moreover, she was captured by bandits. If this were to get out, she would never be able to hold her head up for the rest of her life."
After Cheng Chu Mo's explanation.
Fang Er finally understood the reason behind Chen Xue Lian's actions.
He turned back to Chen Xue Lian and said,
"Miss Chen, to be frank, this journey of mine is extremely perilous, and I could lose my life at any moment! Are you sure you want to come with us?"
"This servant only knows that Young Master Fang is a good person, and that is enough!"
Chen Xue Lian said firmly.
Fang Er had no choice but to agree.
As for the Chen family residence, it might be useful in the future, so he did not ask Chen Xue Lian to sell it.
That night.
Although it wasn't completely pitch black, there was only a faint light reflected from the snow-covered ground.
Fang Er took out a thick stack of N95 masks from his pack.
He distributed them to everyone.
Taking advantage of the cover of night, he led the Mie Lu army and Cheng Chu Mo to the military equipment office.
In front of the military equipment office.
Four Goguryeo soldiers paced back and forth, shivering from the cold.
They relied on this slight movement to ward off the chill.
Fang Er took out a Meng Han hand grenade.
He turned his back to shield the light from the flint, and lit the fuse.
He waited until the fuse burned out and white smoke emerged before throwing it towards the four men.