Chapter 138
138 Fight Again
Li Yu looked at Chen Yaohui seriously. “Uncle, it’s not that I’m too worried, but those people are definitely not ordinary refugees; they are a group of bandits. Everyone, it’s best not to let your guard down. Otherwise, the consequences are not something you can bear.”
Seeing Li Yu’s serious expression, Chen Yaohui also took it seriously. “Alright, I’ll tell them know.”
When Li Yu returned home, Zhou Jia and Li Qing saw Li Yu’s solemn expression and asked worriedly, “Yu’er, what happened?”
Li Yu told Zhou Jia what she had seen at the village entrance. She frowned and looked at Zhou Jia and Li Qing. “How long has it been? They actually dared to sleep soundly on duty. They even said that Brother Zhao Cai and the others are guarding anyway.”
When Li Qing heard this, he said angrily, “Sister, you and Sir have helped them shoulder too much. They feel that it’s only right. After this matter is over, don’t interfere too much in the village!”
Zhou Jia also said slowly, “The older generation still knows the severity of the matter. The younger ones won’t know in the future. Xiaoyu, I think Ah Qing is right. We should stop interfering in the village’s matters in the future, lest they feel that it’s only right for us to help the village.”
Li Yu nodded and rubbed her brows. “I’m going to sleep for a while. Call me if anything happens.”
Brother Yang and Yang Chun returned to the forest with their bows and arrows. They selected a few people and began to teach them archery.
The group practiced in the forest for a few days. Brother Yang brought Yang Chun quietly to the foot of the mountain outside Phoenix Village. After looking around, they found that there were two more entrances to the west of the village, but those two entrances had been blocked by the villagers with earth walls. To enter the village, they could only enter from the village entrance or the two low mountain entrances.
Brother Yang said to Yang Chun, “This place is really good, but it’s not easy for us to snatch it.”
Yang Chun looked at Brother Yang and probed, “Brother Yang, why don’t we forget about it!”
Brother Yang said in a low voice, “Forget it! Our people died for nothing. Who will still follow us in the future? Go back and prepare. We have to snatch this place.”
Yang Chun could only follow Brother Yang back to the forest.
Brother Yang returned to the forest and asked someone to chop some wooden sticks and sharpen them with a machete. He chose ten men with good arm strength and said to them, “Take the wooden sticks and stab the mound at the back. You have to practice hard.
“Alright.” More than ten men went to practice stabbing the mound with wooden sticks.
After two more days of preparation, it was almost midnight. Brother Yang gathered everyone and said to the bandits who were practicing chiseling the soil, “There are two entrances to the west of that village. They are now blocked by the earth wall. When we go up and fight them, you’ll quietly go over and chisel open the earth wall at the foot of the mountain.”
A dozen roving bandits answered loudly, “We’ll remember.”
Brother Yang divided the remaining hundred or so people into two groups and said to the bandits on the left, “Remember, the people on the left, follow me to the outside of the village later. We’ll enter the village first and stall the people at the entrance. Yang Chun, take the people on the right and follow behind Big Mountain and the others. After they open the mud wall, we’ll enter the village together. We’ll attack from both sides and take revenge for our dead brothers.”
Spring Yang took the lead. “Kill them all and avenge our brothers.” The others joined in.
Brother Yang raised his hand and said, “Alright, everyone, take your things and let’s go.”
There were more than a hundred bandits carrying machetes, a few carrying bows and arrows, and more than ten carrying wooden sticks as they walked towards Phoenix Cry Village.
Ji Xiang and Zhao Cai brought a few long-term workers. Chen Yaohui brought Chen Zhong and a total of 30 or so people to guard the village entrance.
Brother Yang led his men to the entrance of the village and got someone to find a few rocks to carry. The group walked towards the entrance.
Ji Xiang was sitting in the shed behind the earthen wall, his eyes closed and his legs crossed. Suddenly, he heard faint footsteps and jumped up. “The bandits are here.”
When the footman heard this, he rang the gong and ran in the direction of the village.
Zhao Cai and Chen Yaohui also stood up and looked down from the low mountain. Zhao Cai shouted at Chen Yaohui, “Looks like Ji Xiang has already discovered the bandits.”
When the villagers heard the gong, they picked up their machetes and ran towards the village entrance.
Li Yu got up, picked up the crossbow and quiver by the bed, and ran towards the village entrance. When Li Qing saw Li Yu leave, he also followed with a machete.
When Li Yu arrived at the village entrance, she saw the bandits hugging rocks and throwing them on the ground. After the rocks rolled past, they didn’t see the trap and walked forward. As they walked, they rolled. In the end, the rocks rolled out and revealed all the traps.
When Brother Yang saw that the traps had been broken, he waved his hand happily and said with a smile, “Put up the wooden planks. Let’s rush over.”
The bandit carrying the wooden board hurriedly laid it on the trap and shouted excitedly, “Brother Yang, your idea is good.”
When Li Yu saw that the bandits had rushed through the trap, she waved her hand. “Catapults, start fighting.”
Chen Zhong let go of the rope and the stone bullets flew toward the bandits and hit a few of them. Brother Yang looked at the stone bullets and shouted, “Catapults, everyone, retreat quickly.”
The bandit, Zhang Huang, retreated. After retreating to the back, Brother Yang shouted at a few people with bows, “The few of you, spread out and shoot arrows into the door.”
When the four bandits with bows heard this, they raised their bows and shot at Li Yu and the others.
Ji Xiang waved his long saber and knocked the arrows to the ground. Brother Yang looked at the catapult behind the wooden door and thought to himself that the people living in the village should not be ordinary and it would definitely be impossible to fight them head-on. They could only wait for the mud wall to break in and catch them off guard.”
The bandit looked at Brother Yang and said worriedly, “Brother Yang, what if we can’t enter?”
Brother Yang smiled sinisterly and said, “Let them be smug for a while longer. We’ll stall them here and go in to deal with them after the earth wall is dug open.”
The dozen or so men held machetes. When the wooden sticks reached the mud wall, most of them raised their machetes and sticks and poked at the mud wall. Only one bandit used the tip of the wooden stick to dig into the mud wall. After digging in, he pried open the soil with the wooden stick, pulled out the stick, and dug in again. He kept digging hard at a spot.
Seeing that the bandits were neither advancing nor retreating, Li Yu suddenly thought of the earthen wall. She looked at Ji Xiang and asked, “Is there anyone guarding the earthen wall?”
Ji Xiang paused. “I don’t know. I’ll check.”
“Go quickly. I’ll come later.” Li Yu turned to look at Li Qing. “Ah Qing, call Ruyi over to guard here.”
“Okay.” Li Qing ran towards the low mountain where Ruyi was guarding.
Zhou Jia had already reached Ruyi with the bow on his back. He said to Ruyi, “Ruyi, I’ll guard here. Go and help Miss.”
Ruyi glanced at Zhou Jia and nodded. “Young Master, you have to be careful.” With that, he ran away.
Ruyi met Li Qing halfway and exclaimed, “Ah Qing, why are you here? Go home quickly.”
“I don’t want to. I want to stay with you guys. Brother Ruyi, Brother Ji Xiang went to the earthen wall. My sister wants you to go over and guard the door.”
“I went to the village entrance,” Ruyi said as she ran. “Didn’t anyone stay behind the earth wall?” Li Qing chased Ruyi. “I don’t think so.”
When the two of them arrived at the wooden door at the village entrance, Li Yu said to Ruyi, “Stay here and I’ll go take a look.”
“Got it. Be careful.” Ruyi waited for Li Yu to leave before taking the bow and climbing up the mud wall. He looked at the bandits in the distance and felt that something was wrong.