The chieftain sighed, "I wish he were lying, but if I were the magistrate, I wouldn't want a bandit den to exist either. After all, we know too much, and only the dead keep their mouths shut. It was only a matter of time before they dealt with us."
"What do we do now?" the second-in-command asked irritably. They hadn't done anything wrong, but the world wouldn't tolerate them. When would they be able to live a peaceful, ordinary life?
"What can we do? We'll retreat through the secret tunnel to the hidden location we found before. Take enough food, gold, and jewels. No one is allowed to leave, or they'll be killed without mercy. Who knows if there's a spy among us? When we leave, we'll activate all the mechanisms." The chieftain said with some helplessness.
"Activate all the mechanisms? If we do that, our stronghold will be destroyed! Where will we establish ourselves in the future?" The second-in-command couldn't help but exclaim, then quickly covered his mouth, realizing he had spoken too loudly.
"This is a last resort. No matter what, survival is paramount. These mechanisms can hold them off for a while. Otherwise, with their superior numbers, they'll surely find us even if they dig three feet into the mountains."
The second-in-command fell silent. Although he was reluctant to leave the stronghold they had defended for decades, as his elder brother said, life was more important than anything.
That night, they slept soundly. The next morning, the chieftain personally went to the kitchen and instructed the cook to make thousands of flatbreads. The cook immediately worked overtime. Such things had happened before; whenever the chieftain was about to lead his men to attack wealthy families, they would prepare rations in advance.
Then, the chieftain found his trusted men and moved the stronghold's grain and treasures into the secret tunnel. Facing everyone's curious gazes, he unreservedly told them that the granary and treasury would be rebuilt to be strong and impenetrable, so tight that not even a fly could get in. The goods were being moved into the tunnel temporarily and would be brought out soon.
Most people didn't think much of it, as they had always obeyed the chieftain's decisions. Some showed signs of doubt but dared not ask further, as the chieftain had already spoken. What they didn't know was that the goods, as soon as they entered the secret tunnel, were secretly transferred by his trusted men.
Those who were curious, especially those who had recently joined the stronghold, secretly tried to inquire from others where the secret tunnel led. However, everyone looked bewildered and told them they didn't know and had never been inside.
Initially, those people planned to secretly test it out that night. To their surprise, the chieftain summoned everyone to the stronghold's square that afternoon. The men were to prepare for departure, and the women were to go back and pack their belongings; they would be leaving shortly.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked panicked. It was the first time they had received such an order in many years, but no one resisted. They knew that as bandits, they couldn't avoid being attacked. Since the chieftain had said so, there must have been an irresistible factor, otherwise, he wouldn't have ordered them to relocate.
Madam Liu and Madam Wu of the Li family, along with their personal maids, were also present. Having married into the stronghold, they were understandably flustered by this situation for the first time. However, they also knew that this was not the time to be sentimental and quickly returned to pack.
Soon, everyone returned with their bags and bundles. Once everyone had gathered, the chieftain personally stood at the entrance of the secret tunnel, with the second-in-command leading the way. They walked forward slowly. The secret tunnel was very long, and after an unknown duration, they saw a glimmer of light. Emerging from the tunnel, they found themselves at the bottom of a cliff. The chieftain then explicitly told them that there might be a traitor among them and that for everyone's collective safety, they should supervise each other.
Everyone responded enthusiastically. No one was careless at this moment, closely following the second-in-command's steps as they walked deeper into the mountains. The leaders walked ahead, while the chieftain and his men followed behind, covering their tracks. Fortunately, it was early spring, and there wasn't much grass on the ground, and the weather was relatively dry, making it easier to erase their traces.
As dusk approached, they finally reached their secret base. It was a large cave with an underground stream, hidden behind a large rock. It had a formidable, impregnable feel. The chieftain quickly assigned men to guard it, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving.
At first, everyone felt a sense of panic, but as time passed, they felt nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a journey, after all. Upon arrival, they were exhausted and ate a simple meal of flatbreads and drank some water before resting.
Meanwhile, the chieftain and the second-in-command climbed to the mountaintop to survey the direction of their stronghold.
Down at the foot of the mountain where the bandit den was located, it was quite lively. The magistrate had met up with his subordinates and the general he had mentioned. After some pleasantries, they quickly headed up. They soon arrived outside the stronghold and saw that the entire place was dark, with no light. For some reason, they had a bad feeling.
But since they were here, it was just a den of a few hundred bandits, wasn't it? There were also the old, the weak, women, and children inside. With the three thousand elite soldiers he had brought, was he afraid of them?
Seeing that the general didn't take them seriously and intended to force his way in, the magistrate quickly stepped forward to explain, "General, are you planning to force your way in? No, I heard that these bandits are quite skilled, and the walls are full of mechanisms, even within the stronghold."
The general couldn't help but laugh, "If you said they were using trickery, I might believe it. But mechanisms? I know a thing or two about them. I've broken through enemy mechanisms outside the pass before. That's child's play. Besides, what kind of expert could be in such a small place? More powerful than the talents the Emperor has gathered? I find that hard to believe."
The magistrate breathed a sigh of relief, feeling he had made a mountain out of a molehill. People like the general had seen all sorts of situations, and their petty tricks were just meant to scare him.
Hearing that there were mechanisms inside the walls, and that mechanisms were usually not placed near the gate, the general immediately ordered the gate to be broken down.
Despite such a commotion, there was no sound from within, and it remained dark. This made him suspect a stratagem of feigned emptiness.
He slowly rode his horse inside and walked along the path in the stronghold. The expected mechanisms did not activate, and instead, it was eerily silent.
After everyone had entered, the stronghold's gate suddenly closed on its own. The general's eyes narrowed involuntarily, and a stir went through the crowd. They felt the stronghold was somewhat sinister and even regretted entering so rashly.
In fact, the general was from a prominent family. He had volunteered to attack the bandits this time. His family thought that they were just an undisciplined, disorganized group of bandits, and there was nothing to fear. It was a credit readily obtained, so they had specifically assigned him more soldiers.
Although he had fought at the frontier, due to his high birth, he always charged in after others. When the fighting was mostly over, he would come out to claim credit. The other generals disliked him but could do nothing about it.