At this point, the imperial troops in all of Hebei had long since rotted away. With just that new, young county magistrate, did he really dare to bring his men to raid their camp?
It was the fourth watch, the time of day when people were most drowsy.
The few hidden sentries were also sleeping soundly, their heads covered.
They were completely unaware that death was slowly closing in on them.
"Tell your men to get within thirty paces before lighting the fires. As you light them, shout that the Zhong family army is here! Once the manor is ablaze, shout again that Li Mao'er is dead and those who surrender will be spared!"
"Ah?"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Cui Wenhao was completely stunned. The Zhong family army?
Where was the Zhong family army?
"Stop with the 'ah,' just do as you're told. Why so much nonsense?"
Han Mo glared at him impatiently. This kid was good at everything else, but when it came to important matters, he was always a beat slow.
"Yes!"
Under Han Mo's glare, Cui Wenhao immediately shrank his neck and agreed.
A quarter of an hour later, estimating that Lü Ying and Wu Lin should have arrived, Han Mo waved his hand and slowly led his soldiers towards Li Family Manor.
Although these soldiers could ride horses, being able to ride and fighting on horseback were two different things. To prevent those fellows from causing any unnecessary trouble, Han Mo specifically left all the horses three li away.
Moreover, he had specifically selected over a dozen quick-witted soldiers to stay there, just in case.
In the darkness, they were like ghosts in the night, silently creeping into Li Family Manor.
Seeing that the time was almost right, Han Mo waved his hand again.
The Imperial Camp soldiers beside Cui Wenhao immediately lit torches and threw them towards the surrounding houses.
Since the beginning of May, not a drop of rain had fallen in Neihuang County.
What's more, most of the houses in the manor were built of earth and wood, with thatched roofs.
In such weather, it wasn't just fire that could spread; a single spark could cause a catastrophic disaster.
In just a few breaths, the fire had begun to spread.
"The Zhong family army is all here, kill!"
Seeing the fires ignite around them, Cui Wenhao immediately shouted as Han Mo had instructed.
The Imperial Camp soldiers following him also shouted in unison. With three people shouting, it was like a tiger, and in just a short while, the groggy bandits were in a frenzy.
Seeing the fires break out in the east, Jiang Yan and the others, who had already infiltrated the manor, also began to set fires everywhere.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Family Manor was ablaze everywhere, and the fires were spreading. The bandits who had hurriedly gotten up were completely dumbfounded.
"Li Mao'er is dead, those who surrender will be spared!"
Li Mao'er, still groggy from sleep, hadn't even realized what was happening when he heard people shouting everywhere in the manor that Li Mao'er was dead.
This made Li Mao'er fume with rage. He was clearly alive and well, so why was he being declared dead?
"Great King, it's bad! The Zhong family army has arrived! The brothers can't hold them back, we should run!"
Just as he was preparing to rally his troops, several soldiers rushed in from outside the door.
"What did you say? The Zhong family army?"
Upon hearing the name "Zhong family army," even Li Mao'er's legs started to tremble.
What a joke! If the Zhong family army was attacking, what was there for them to fight with?
However, he quickly realized that the Zhong family army should be in the northwest, wrestling with the Western Xia people at this time.
Were his own useless forces so important that the Zhong family army needed to be mobilized to attack them?
"The Zhong family army is all here. Those who surrender will be spared. Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"
"The Zhong family army is all here. Those who surrender will be spared. Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"
...
Unfortunately, it was useless for him to understand. The soldiers under his command at this moment did not have such keen judgment.
These men were already a mob, and on top of that, they were groggy from sleep. Suddenly ambushed, with shouts of killing coming from all directions, they had no courage to distinguish truth from falsehood.
Hearing the shouts of killing from all directions, seeing fires blazing everywhere, these bandits were basically left with only one option: to flee.
If they could fight, they would fight; if they couldn't, they would run. This was the bandits' specialty, and at this moment, they naturally chose to flee.
No matter how unwilling Li Mao'er and his men were, the collapse of their army was now an unstoppable force.
"Great King! The imperial troops have broken in, we should retreat quickly!"
While Li Mao'er was busy packing his gold and silver, over a dozen tall, burly men burst through the door.
Their sudden actions startled everyone around Li Mao'er.
"Who do you serve? You remember to protect me at this time, come, reward each of you with fifty taels of gold!"
Just by looking at their robust physiques, Li Mao'er was overjoyed. In the midst of chaos, escaping safely was not an easy task.
At this moment, having such a group of people to help him greatly increased his chances of survival.
"Reporting to Great King, we are under General Zhe!"
Hearing Li Mao'er's words, those men were overjoyed and immediately walked towards Li Mao'er.
However, as Li Mao'er listened, he suddenly felt something was not quite right. Did he have anyone under him named Zhe?
How could he not remember?
"Zhe? What's your name?"
Li Mao'er looked at them suspiciously, his right hand already on the hilt of his saber.
"Great King, don't you remember? It's him!"
The leader spoke, pointing towards the northwest.
"What 'him'?"
Li Mao'er, who had been ready to make a move, but seeing the man's unguarded expression, began to doubt himself again. Had he misremembered?
"The Fourth General of Hedong, Zhe Kechun, who has guarded the land of Lin and Feng for generations!"
Jiang Yan chuckled strangely and then kicked Li Mao'er's wrist with a sudden flying kick.
This sudden turn of events immediately made the men around Li Mao'er break out in a cold sweat.
Just as they were about to draw their weapons to protect him, a few of Jiang Yan's elite guards raised their hands, and several powerful crossbow bolts flew out, pinning them to the ground.
"You are the Zhe family army!"
Li Mao'er's voice suddenly became sharp, and he was like a startled small beast.
"Heh heh heh, just a small brat who dared to plot against my son-in-law, truly tired of living!"
Jiang Yan didn't bother to answer his question. After kicking away his weapon, he slapped Li Mao'er with the back of his hand, making his eyes see stars.
The remaining elite guards also began to act. With their level of skill, dealing with these bandits was naturally like slicing vegetables!
In less than a quarter of an hour, all the bandits in the courtyard had been subdued.
And Jiang Yan looked contentedly at Li Mao'er, who was lying on the ground, tied up with ropes.
Three thousand guan, how many women could that buy?