These people, from the day they officially began their training, had been waiting for their inevitable death.
Over the years, he had long grown accustomed to a life of danger, living on the edge.
Their orders had always been to achieve their objectives at any cost.
This was the first time anyone had told them to prioritize their own survival.
"Don't worry, sir. They're just a bunch of small fry; we don't need to risk our lives for them!"
Having received his assurance, Han Mo nodded with satisfaction.
"Alright, Commander Wu, select twenty elite soldiers to accompany us for protection. The rest will follow the orders of Assistant Commander Wu."
Strictly speaking, Han Mo, as a county magistrate, did not have the direct authority to mobilize these garrison troops.
However, along the way, the soldiers had already realized that Han Mo was the one making all the decisions within their party.
"Yes, sir!"
Seeing that Han Mo had finished giving his orders, Wu Jie nodded and directly commanded Cui Wenhao to lead twenty soldiers to escort them.
"County Lieutenant Lü, take care. If any bandits invade, prioritize your own safety. Do not engage them directly. We will rush to your aid as soon as we have assembled our garrison troops!"
"Thank you, sir. Your subordinate will surely not fail in this mission!"
After speaking, Lü Ying clasped his fists and bowed to Han Mo once more.
Without further ado, Han Mo took a horse from a nearby attendant and, accompanied by the twenty soldiers and the two guides, headed towards a small path.
"Take them down!"
After traveling a little over two li, Han Mo let out a cold laugh and waved his hand.
Although Cui Wenhao and his men didn't know what had happened, they had been thoroughly worn down by Wu Jie during their journey. Without a second thought, they stepped forward and pinned the two guides to the ground.
"Sir, sir, what are you doing?"
The two guides were completely dumbfounded. As they struggled desperately, they shouted loudly.
"Stuff their mouths!"
Seeing how clumsy the soldiers were, Wu Jie frowned and said impatiently.
"Yes, sir!"
Cui Wenhao's face flushed with embarrassment. They had stayed in Bianliang City for too long, to the point where they lacked such basic common sense.
Upon hearing Wu Jie's command, he didn't hesitate. He grabbed a few broken stones from the ground, mixed them with dirt, and stuffed them into the guides' mouths.
Watching his rough actions, even Han Mo couldn't help but twitch his lips.
If you're going to gag someone, at least use a piece of cloth.
Even a foot-binding cloth would have been better.
This guy just stuffed dirt and stones in their mouths. If he had been any rougher, those two probably wouldn't have needed questioning; they would have choked to death just eating stones.
"Take them over there, and keep a close watch on the surroundings!"
After surveying the area, Han Mo pointed to a dilapidated temple nearby.
"Yes, sir!"
Under the shove of some soldiers, the two yamen runners were pushed into the dilapidated temple and then tied securely to a pillar.
"Sir, we are wronged, we are wronged!"
The two guides, having finally managed to spit out the dirt and gravel from their mouths onto the ground, immediately began to cry out their innocence.
"It's come to this, and you still dare to cry injustice? Do you really take me for a three-year-old child?"
Han Mo said dismissively.
"Sir, we are wronged, we are wronged! We honestly don't know what you are talking about..."
After exchanging a glance, the two continued to protest their innocence.
"Someone, drag them out and behead them!"
Han Mo said with a cold snort, without a second thought.
"Sir, this has nothing to do with us! We two were merely ordered to lead the way. We beg you to see clearly!"
To their surprise, Han Mo ordered them to be taken away for execution without even asking a single question.
"Drag them away!"
Wu Jie smiled and made a gesture to Cui Wenhao.
Cui Wenhao immediately understood. He stepped forward himself, grabbed one of the yamen runners by the collar, and drew his knife, placing it at his neck.
"I'll talk, I'll talk!"
Faced with the immediate threat of death, the man had never encountered such a situation.
With a knife at his throat, how could they dare to bluster?
"I ask you, where were you two planning to take me?"
Han Mo asked with a cold smile.
"Reporting to you, sir, we were merely following orders and dared not disobey!"
As they spoke, the two knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing.
"Answer whatever I ask, and if you dare to spout nonsense again, I'll have you dragged out and beheaded! When I was killing those Western Xia barbarians in the northwest, you were still wearing split-crotch pants!"
Wu Jie said, chopping his saber into the nearby pillar as he spoke.
"Separate these two. If either of them says anything false, I'll have both of them executed!"
Seeing the hesitation on their faces, Han Mo said again, casually.
"They told us to take you to Daliuzhuang, where Liu Zhankui, a general under Li Mao'er, is waiting!"
Indeed, as soon as Han Mo finished speaking, the two spoke in unison.
"Damn dogs! Drag them out and whip them fifty times each!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Jie's anger flared.
From the moment he first saw Lü Ying, he hadn't believed a single word he said.
However, he hadn't expected him to be so brazen.
Han Mo was a county magistrate appointed by the emperor. To think that these people dared to plot against Han Mo himself—their audacity was truly boundless!
"Yes, sir!"
Without needing Wu Jie to speak, Cui Wenhao and the others were already filled with righteous anger.
They were here to personally protect Han Mo. If Han Mo were to be captured before he even took office...
Not only would they themselves face severe consequences, but their families might not be spared either.
"What do we do now?"
Wu Jie asked with a frown, listening to the screams coming from outside the door.
"What else can we do? Since they've made their move, we can only adapt. If I'm not mistaken, they'll be making a bigger move soon!"
Han Mo said with a disdainful smile.
"Could it be that they actually dare to send troops to ambush us?"
Wu Jie asked quickly upon hearing Han Mo's words.
"I only fear they won't!"
At this juncture, Han Mo and his men were in the open, while their enemies were in the shadows. If their enemies didn't make a move, it would be quite difficult for Han Mo to distinguish friend from foe. Now that their enemies had made their move, the subsequent matters would be much simpler!
"Shall we go back now?"
Wu Jie tentatively asked.
"Why the rush? There's still some time before nightfall. Tell the brothers to give these two scoundrels a good welcome, and then get some rest. There's likely to be a fierce battle tonight!"