On the other side, Song Qiming's eyes were firm. He raised his sword toward the Black Wind Stronghold and shouted, "Open the gates! Those who surrender will not be killed!"
"Open the gates! Those who surrender will not be killed!" the yamen runners and guards shouted in unison, their voices thick with murderous intent.
Inside the stronghold, a bandit gripping a long saber gritted his teeth and said to the Chief of Black Wind Stronghold, "Boss, let's fight them to the death."
"If we get caught by the yamen, we'll be beheaded anyway. If we escape, we can still make a comeback."
The Chief of Black Wind Stronghold turned his head and instructed his own younger brother, "I will hold them off here. You go immediately and move the gold, silver, and treasures from the storehouse out through the back mountain. We'll meet at the old place."
The Second Boss nodded with a resolute gaze, turned around, and led a few bandits toward the back mountain.
The massive stone doors were pushed open from the inside.
"Hurry, hurry," an urging voice sounded as a man who looked like a leader walked out from within.
Following closely behind him were eight men, each holding a small wooden chest. They hurried straight toward the small path.
In the nearby bushes, Lan Xi clenched his left fist. When the nine men walked right in front of him, he immediately lunged out.
"Do it!" The shout startled a flock of birds into the air.
The other guards ambushing in the bushes sprang up one after another.
"It's an ambush, run!" The bandits turned pale with fright and immediately turned to flee.
But Lan Xi did not give them a chance to escape. He and his guards fired their hidden sleeve arrows in unison, shooting the nine men to the ground.
Seeing the signal flare explode in the sky, Song Qiming took the lead in scaling the wall.
Just like Song Jinzhao, Song Qiming took down the bandit leader first.
"The bandit leader is dead. Lay down your weapons, and I shall spare your lives."
...
At the entrance of the prefectural office, Shi Simian stood stiffly on the steps, his astonished gaze following the chests being carried away.
At a table temporarily moved outside the storehouse, the Treasury Officer was recording all the spoils of war being put into storage.
Shi Simian walked over and asked, "Second Miss Song, hasn't the County Princess and the others returned?"
Song Shixue replied, "My older sister took people to attack the second stronghold and had me transport the goods and prisoners back first."
Curling the corners of her mouth, she added, "Please trouble yourself, my lord, to lock those bandits outside into the prison cells first. My brother said he wants to make them do hard labor to clear the wasteland."
Shi Simian's eyes widened, and it took him a long time to process this.
So they wanted to use the bandits as free labor; no wonder they wanted to capture them alive.
Walking up the steps, he suddenly turned around to look at the storehouse.
So much wealth from just one stronghold. If they wiped out all twenty-four of them, wouldn't they make an absolute fortune?
At the thought of this, the joy in Shi Simian's heart could no longer be suppressed.
He stood there watching for a long time, his mind completely filled with mountains of gold and silver.
Half an hour later, all the bandits from Tiger Head Stronghold were locked in the prison cells.
Song Shixue handed the prepared medicine to the yamen runner guarding the prison.
"Distribute this to the injured bandits and let them bandage themselves. They cannot die yet."
The yamen runner bowed and scraped, smiling as he promised, "Rest assured, Second Miss Song, this humble one will distribute the medicine right away."
They injured them and still had to treat them; couldn't they have struck a bit lighter?
Medicine costs money too. It would have been great if that money could have been saved and shared with him.
In the evening, just as Shi Simian was preparing to get off duty, a shout came from the doorway.
"Hurry out and move these things!"
The same scene played out once again.
The handcarts were piled high with chests and sacks, while nearly a hundred bandits, their hands bound and mouths gagged, squatted to the side, looking utterly exhausted.
Lan Xi jumped down from his horse, holding his sword.
"The Lord Prefect has ordered that all stolen goods be immediately registered and placed in the storehouse, and all bandits be locked in the main prison."
Shi Simian craned his neck to look behind them but did not see Song Qiming.
"The lord didn't return?"
Lan Xi shook his head. "The lord has already taken the others to the next stronghold."
Shi Simian furrowed his brows, feeling a bit worried.
"Fighting for days on end makes one extremely fatigued. The lord should have come back to rest and reorganize for a few days before setting out again."
Lan Xi replied, "Do not worry, Lord Shi. It didn't take us much effort to take down the Black Wind Stronghold."
While moving the items into the storehouse, he noticed that over a dozen camphor wood chests were already placed inside.
Lan Xi turned his head and asked the Treasury Officer, "Where did these come from?"
The Treasury Officer answered, "Second Miss Song brought people back this morning. These were all transported back from the Tiger Head Stronghold."
Lan Xi's breath hitched slightly. "When did the Second Miss leave?"
The Treasury Officer said, "She left after lunch. It's been two hours already."
"Is the Second Miss alright?"
The Treasury Officer shook his head. "The Second Miss is perfectly safe and sound. Only a few yamen runners were injured."
Lan Xi nodded slightly, breathing a sigh of relief in his heart.
Even though the County Princess was there, he still could not help but worry about Song Shixue's safety.
If Song Jinzhao hadn't ordered him to protect Song Qiming, he actually would have much preferred to travel alongside Song Shixue.
