Zhang Chengzhu frowned, "What's going on? Why is it so noisy outside?"
"We'll know when we go out and see."
After An Xian finished speaking, he was the first to lift the curtain of the carriage and leave.
Soon, the two emerged from the carriage. The deputy commander of the Imperial Guard beside them hurried forward to explain, "My lords, it seems a group of over a hundred people is approaching from ahead. Judging by their footsteps and expressions, they are not villagers from the surrounding area."
"Not villagers? Then who are they? What do they want?"
Zhang Chengzhu's brow furrowed even tighter. If they were yamen runners or soldiers from the county office, they would be wearing uniforms, and the Imperial Guard wouldn't fail to recognize them.
If not them, then who could it be?
"Lord Zhang, I have a bad premonition. I fear these people mean us no good."
An Xian said in a deep voice, his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, ready to fight at any moment.
"Could it be that the local gentry and powerful families haven't exchanged much land with the Royal Chamber of Commerce to set up factories? And therefore, they've sent people to intercept us?"
Zhang Chengzhu guessed.
"It's possible. In any case, it seems we'll have to fight."
An Xian's gaze was sharp as he looked ahead.
Ahead, the group of over a hundred people were dressed haphazardly, with swords at their waists. Although they weren't armored, their footsteps were strong and orderly, and their physiques were tall and robust. It was clear at a glance that they were not ordinary folk.
The deputy commander of the Imperial Guard shouted three times, but the approaching group not only didn't stop but quickened their pace, even charging forward at a trot.
At this point, there was no doubt that these people meant trouble.
"Everyone prepare to fight! Protect the two lords!"
The deputy commander's heart tightened, and he shouted.
Of the hundred-plus Imperial Guards, thirty were assigned to surround Zhang Chengzhu and An Xian, while the remaining seventy stood in front, forming formations of five.
The remaining three hundred soldiers fumbled to raise their long spears, forming a spear formation beside the Imperial Guards in front.
These soldiers were conscripted county troops from the surrounding prefectures of Shuangyue Prefecture. Every official responsible for a farmstead was equipped with at least a small banner, meaning ten Imperial Guards, and at least a hundred ordinary prefecture soldiers, as their armed force.
Having dealt with the entire Shuangyue Prefecture, Zhang Chengzhu and An Xian had never encountered such a situation. Little did they know they would be ambushed today.
"Lackeys of the court! Go to hell! Brothers! Kill!"
The leader, with a gray scarf on his head and a ring-hilted saber in his hand, charged forward at the forefront.
The deputy commander of the Imperial Guard showed no fear, wielding his saber to block the opponent's attack, and then counterattacked with all his might.
Upon engaging, the deputy commander realized these people were likely not ordinary bandits. What ordinary bandits would have a Body Refining realm cultivation with only a hundred men?
"You are not ordinary bandits, you are from a sect?"
The deputy commander shouted while fighting, as a reminder to his allies.
The other Imperial Guards, already on high alert, became even more vigilant upon hearing this.
Facing the opponent's onslaught, the Imperial Guards did not panic. In their five-man formations, everyone had a saber, and two of them were equipped with hand shields made of fine iron on their wrists.
With the cooperation of these small formations, although their strength was slightly inferior, they did not fall into a disadvantage and fought back and forth.
"Damn it! The intelligence was wrong! These people are not ordinary soldiers! They are at least at the mid-stage of the Martial Apprentice realm!"
The deputy bandit leader realized something was wrong as soon as they clashed, and shouted with a pale face.
"What are you afraid of! Just kill them!"
The bandit leader, who was fighting the deputy commander, replied. In that moment of distraction, he was almost cut down, startling him into silence. He focused on dealing with the deputy commander's attack.
Both were at the Body Refining realm, but the deputy commander had four teammates! Although they were only at the mid-stage of the Martial Apprentice realm, their cooperation with the deputy commander put him at a disadvantage.
Over a hundred martial artists and Imperial Guards clashed, and for a time, it was a stalemate. However, the three hundred ordinary soldiers didn't know what to do.
They were truly ordinary soldiers, with only mid to late-stage Body Tempering realm cultivation, and couldn't possibly intervene in their fight.
As they felt awkward, An Xian spoke, "Deputy commander, take your brothers and go support them."
"No, my duty is to protect the safety of the two lords."
The deputy commander refused with a shake of his head.
"Don't worry, when you leave, Lord Zhang and I will go to the formation of three hundred soldiers. With so many people protecting us, we should be safe."
An Xian was not nervous at all, calmly analyzing, "Look at the situation. The Imperial Guards are struggling to fight over a hundred people with seventy. If you add your thirty men, they will gain the upper hand in an instant. As the saying goes, the best protection is to directly annihilate these bandits."
"This, yes, your subordinate obeys!"
The deputy commander was persuaded, but he still left five men to escort the two lords into the ordinary soldiers' spear formation, while he led the remaining men to the front to support.
The deputy bandit leader, feigning a rough demeanor, shouted, "Damn it, these guys are tough! What should we do?"
"Let's retreat first!" The bandit leader said this while already out of the deputy commander's attack range, having apparently prepared for escape.
"Brothers! Retreat!"
The deputy bandit leader shouted, his feet moving like the wind, and slipped away before the deputy commander arrived.
However, it was hard luck for the other bandits, who couldn't escape so easily.
Finally, after a chaotic quarter of an hour, the bandits suffered more than half their casualties, and the sudden, inexplicable battle ended.
"My lords, shall we pursue?"
The deputy commander wiped the blood from his face and approached Zhang Chengzhu.
Zhang Chengzhu did not answer, but instead asked, "Did you remember the appearance of the leaders?"
"I have remembered them all," the deputy commander replied respectfully.
"That's good. There's no need to pursue. Let's be cautious." Zhang Chengzhu refused the request to pursue and ordered, "Also, set up a simple camp nearby."
"Yes!"
Watching the Imperial Guards and others busy themselves, An Xian squinted at the corpses of the bandits on the ground. "Lord Zhang, you say these people didn't even wear masks. Such boldness in openly intercepting imperial officials and obstructing official passage, could it be the work of mountain sects?"
"Most likely," Zhang Chengzhu replied with a grim expression.
"If that's the case, although the enemy underestimated us and failed due to insufficient intelligence this time, there will surely be follow-ups!"
An Xian's expression was also grim. "When the bandits come again, it might not be just this many people."
"Indeed! We must also make preparations and arrange for someone to notify the Prime Minister and request reinforcements."
Zhang Chengzhu nodded in agreement, then summoned thirty ordinary soldiers and ten Imperial Guards, ordering them to ride back to the capital separately to seek reinforcements.
Of course, it was unlikely that the news would be received in the capital within a few days, so they would also notify the county magistrates and prefectural governors along the way, requesting county and prefecture troops to mobilize.
As for Lian Shan County, neither of them trusted the local magistrate anymore.