Free Web NovelChapter 551: Chapter 551: Bandit Suppression
"Sir, up ahead is Lianyun Village."
On the rugged mountain path, Feng Hui, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, respectfully said to Zhang Yuan, "For the past few days, my men have been keeping watch. No one in the village has come out!"
Zhang Yuan nodded, his gaze fixed on the village hidden atop the mountain not far away. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
This Lianyun Village has existed for decades. Its location is excellent, perched on a very steep mountain, with only one narrow path leading up and down, and there are numerous caves and grottoes.
Truly, it is said to be impregnable, as long as someone guards the key places, even a thousand troops cannot breach it.
But this is only true for ordinary armies.
Following Zhang Yuan were three hundred fully armed elite Daoist Soldiers.
Alongside Feng Hui was Vice General Mo Wei.
With Zhang Yuan included, such a formidable combat force, if they couldn’t take down a band of mountain bandits, it would truly be a joke!
For Zhang Yuan, the only challenge was to capture this Lianyun Village with minimal casualties.
"Sir, please leave this task to me!"
While Zhang Yuan was pondering, Mo Wei couldn’t help but volunteer, "It’s just a small mountain village. Just give me a hundred Daoist Soldiers, and I assure you we can take it!"
Zhang Yuan paused for a moment and said, "I’ll give you two hundred Daoist Soldiers, but casualties must be limited to fewer than ten."
"Can you do it?"
Mo Wei hesitated for a moment, then patted his chest and said, "No problem, I dare to make a military pledge!"
Though he was a member of the Mo Family, Mo Wei was not as smart as Sun Yujiang, nor was his cultivation as advanced as the latter’s.
But he was bold and resolute, daring to charge into battle, and willing to take responsibility!
That’s why Zhang Yuan deliberately brought Mo Wei along.
Zhang Yuan’s goal was to train his troops.
And incidentally, generate revenue.
Lianyun Village is over two hundred miles from West Plain City. The bandits entrenched in this mountain village actually pose no threat to West Plain, as their typical plundering targets are outside the county.
In fact, the location of Lianyun Village is wedged between two counties. Coupled with the dense forest and steep terrain, it has never been eradicated.
But now that Zhang Yuan has set his sights on it, it’s a different matter.
Moreover, Lianyun Village is merely his first target.
As for the situation of the mountain village, Zhang Yuan assigned Feng Hui to investigate and have others monitor it.
Feng Hui was quite adept at handling such tasks.
"No need for a military pledge."
Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "Vice General Mo, now it’s your turn to shine!"
The assault on Lianyun Village began after the time it takes to burn an incense stick.
Mo Wei, though not skilled at strategizing, is not a mindlessly reckless person. He did not directly lead the Daoist Soldiers in a frontal assault on the mountain village. Instead, he first led five Tier Four experts to stealthily approach the mountain path checkpoint.
Then, they suddenly attacked, annihilating the bandits guarding the checkpoint in one fell swoop.
There were three checkpoints set up by the mountain village along the long mountain path, and within just a few moments, they were completely wiped out.
This was truly a dimensional attack!
Most importantly, the bandits in the village were caught completely off guard. Not until Mo Wei charged to the top of the mountain and swung his massive axe to split open the heavy village gate did they awaken from their stupor.
But by that time, organizing a defense was too late.
Two hundred elite Daoist Soldiers followed closely behind, pouring into the mountain village like a tidal wave, unleashing a merciless slaughter on the bandits inside.
These Daoist Soldiers were all of Tier Three Cultivation, not only equipped with superior weapons and Iron-Plated Armor but also exhibiting seamless coordination, making slaughtering the hapless bandits as easy as cutting vegetables.
The bandits of Lianyun Village were not entirely powerless after all, being able to hold out for years meant they had some strength.
But the Tier Four cultivated chief, having just charged out, was cleaved in two by Mo Wei with a single blow, terrifying the second and third in command who fled instantly in horror.
With the leadership gone, the bandits were in disarray.
Screams of agony, cries of despair, pleadings for mercy...
In just a short while, the once-renowned mountain village had turned into a purgatory of blood and fire!
When Zhang Yuan led the remaining hundred Daoist Soldiers into Lianyun Village, the once prominent mountain village had already lost all resistance, including the two fugitive chiefs who had been beheaded.
The only survivors left were over a hundred old, weak, and women, kneeling trembling on the ground.
"Sir."
A Daoist Soldier rushed over to report, "A hidden storehouse of the bandits has been discovered!"
Due to the sudden outbreak of the battle, none of the bandits in Lianyun Village managed to escape, let alone take away or destroy the wealth accumulated over the years of looting.
Mo Wei discovered a treasure cave within the mountain village.
This treasure cave was divided into two grottoes, one storing a large amount of food and daily necessities, enough to sustain over a thousand people for over a year.
The other contained various gold and silver treasures, antiques, paintings, and even a considerable amount of silk and porcelain.
"Sir, I am fortunate not to have disgraced my mission!"
Mo Wei, standing proudly at the cave entrance, saluted Zhang Yuan.
Though a formidable general, he was not entirely satisfied.
He didn’t get to kill to his heart’s content.
But he had successfully completed his mission, capturing Lianyun Village with negligible losses.
Not a single Daoist Soldier died, and only a few were injured!
"Excellent!"
Zhang Yuan generously praised, "Once we return, I will credit you with a great merit!"
He ordered the valuable items from the storehouse to be taken out and swiftly transported down the mountain in batches.
The troops and horses of the auxiliary soldiers were stationed at the base of the mountain.
As for the old, weak, and women remaining in Lianyun Village, Zhang Yuan distributed some silver taels and food to them and let them leave on their own.
This was Zhang Yuan’s ultimate mercy.
Anyone else might have eradicated them to the root or used them to claim military merits.
Zhang Yuan did not need military merits, nor did he enjoy unnecessary slaughter.
When night fell, a massive fire blazed through Lianyun Village.
The intense flames consumed the village, incinerating the bodies of bandits left within.
The bright firelight even illuminated half the sky.
When Zhang Yuan returned triumphantly to West Plain City with his troops and spoils,
the entire Dao City was in an uproar.
Not only because Zhang Yuan had annihilated a mountain bandit village and brought back a vast amount of spoils,
but also because the most shocking sight was a cart filled with severed heads.
The bandit heads had been sprinkled with lime for preservation and were placed along the roadside outside the city gates for all to see.
Stacked into a Capital View, serving as a demonstration to the world!
Ordinary citizens witnessing this scene were terrified, shaken by Zhang Yuan’s ferocity.
But the nobles in Dao City vaguely understood that this was Zhang Yuan demonstrating against Fei Hongming.
An open and unabashed demonstration!
However, they did not know at the time that this was merely the beginning, and more thrilling events were yet to come.
