Empire

On the wall of the Erlongshan bandit camp, a red flag with the words"Acting on Heaven's Will" fluttered in the wind. Bandits holding blades patrolled back and forth, on high alert.

On an open space inside the camp wall, more than 200 strong men were training with swords and shields, shouting incessantly.

Some women in coarse cloth were carrying buckets to water the vegetable fields in the camp, and children were chasing and playing. The whole Erlongshan camp seemed to have a peaceful atmosphere.

"Ding ding ding......"

But suddenly, a piercing bell sounded over the Erlong Village, and everyone's face changed.

"The enemy is coming!"

""The enemy is coming!"

A leader-like man on the village wall shouted loudly, breaking the peaceful atmosphere in the village.

The bewildered children were hurriedly carried back to their houses by their parents, and the strong men holding sharp blades rushed to the village wall.

"What's going on?!"

A bald man, surrounded by more than a dozen leaders, quickly ran up to the village wall and asked loudly

""Boss, it seems to be the Qinghe Army, with 1,000 people!"

A leader pointed at the Qinghe Army with flags flying in the distance, his face was particularly solemn.

Seeing the dark mass of Qinghe Army in the distance, the bald man's face suddenly darkened.

"Why haven't our scouts sent back any news?"The bald man couldn't help but blame

"I'm afraid the Qinghe Army came prepared, and our scouts may have been killed."

A young man in a gray robe standing next to the bald man stared at the Qinghe Army in the distance, also with a worried look on his face.

"We in Erlongshan and Qinghe Army have never interfered with each other, so why did they suddenly come here?" The bald man was puzzled. The young man in gray robe thought for a while and said,"How can I allow others to sleep beside my bed? Now most of the areas in Qinghe Province have fallen into the hands of Qinghe Army. Although we are hidden here, we cannot avoid being discovered. We are in trouble now."

""The Qinghe Army has several thousand soldiers, and we have less than two hundred soldiers capable of fighting. What should we do now?" The bald man asked the young man in gray robe.

The young man in gray robe thought for a while and said,"Boss, you go and hold them back first. I will lead people to evacuate from the back mountain. We can't stay here anymore.""

"The Qinghe Army may not have any ill intentions, so why don't we go and test their attitude first?"A leader said

"You are all aware of the Qinghe Army's style of doing things. Either you join them and become one of their own, or you become their enemy."

"They definitely can't defeat us, but if they join them, they will attract the wind and face the continuous encirclement and suppression of the dynasty army, and I'm afraid they will die faster."The young man in the gray robe explained.

"Then I will go and tie them up, and you lead the people to go through the back mountain."

The bald man also knew the severity of the situation, and without hesitation, he immediately assigned tasks, and the entire Erlong Mountain Village was mobilized.

Chen Ziang and his men lined up in front of the Erlong Mountain Village, and he frowned when he saw that the village built on the mountain was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

"Sir, there must be a master in Erlong Mountain to guide us."

Seeing the sturdy and dangerous Erlong Mountain Village hidden in the mountains and forests, Zhang Bao couldn't help but sigh.

"If our army attacks with all our might, I'm afraid many of our brothers will be killed or injured."

Chen Ziang and his men did not bring any siege ladders, and it was difficult to climb the towering walls with bare hands. Lin Yu also felt that this battle would be difficult to fight.

"The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plan, and the worst is to attack the city. We have no grudges against Erlongshan, so there is no need to fight right away. We should be polite first and then use force." Chen Ziang said with a smile

"If they can join our Qinghe Army obediently and stop causing trouble, I will naturally not kill them. If they are stubborn and do not understand, then you can't blame me, Chen Ziang, for being ruthless."

"leopard!"

"The end is here!"

"Go, shout, tell them to lay down their weapons and surrender"

""Yes!"

Zhang Bao responded, and then he stepped out of the crowd, and stopped only when he was an arrow's distance away from the mountain stronghold.

"Listen up, people in the village. We are the 9th Battalion of the Qinghe Army. If you know what's good for you, come out and surrender. Otherwise, we will destroy your village and leave no one alive!"

Zhang Bao roared at the top of his lungs. His voice echoed in the valley, making the bandits in the village look terrified.

Before Zhang Bao could shout for the second time, the heavy gate of the bandit village slammed open with a harsh creaking sound. A burly bald man led more than a hundred ferocious bandits out. They were murderous and powerful.

Seeing the bandits pouring out of the village, Chen Ziang's pupils shrank slightly. These bandits were big and strong, with bulging muscles under their bronze skin. They looked quite tough.

"Who is the leader?"

Chen Ziang turned around and asked the two bandits they had captured. After all, knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle.

"That's our boss, Zhou Ba." A bandit who was tied up replied.

Chen Ziang nodded. He thought Zhou Ba looked like a brave general, but he didn't expect him to become a bandit. What a pity.

"We in Erlongshan Stronghold and your Qinghe Army have always kept to ourselves. We have never provoked you. Why do you want to make trouble for Erlongshan?"

The bald man led the bandits to stop more than a hundred steps away from Zhang Bao and said angrily.

Zhang Bao showed a cold smile:"You have occupied the stronghold and caused trouble to the local area. Now the whole province is the territory of my Qinghe Army. How can I let you continue to do evil?!"

"This is simply nonsense. We in Erlongshan only attack government soldiers and never harass local civilians!"Bald Zhou Ba retorted loudly.

"I wonder why you are talking so much nonsense? I just want to ask you one question, do you want to surrender or not?"Zhang Bao was also impatient and didn't want to continue to haggle.

Bald Zhou Ba raised the sword in his hand and snorted coldly:"You can ask Erlongshan to surrender, but unless you can defeat me, forget it!"

"keep your word?"

"A gentleman's word is as good as a whip!"

Chen Ziang only wanted the food in the Erlongshan stronghold, and did not want to fight.

Since the other party proposed this way of fighting, Chen Ziang naturally agreed. After all, it was a good thing to avoid a fight at a small price.

"Leopard, let him see how powerful our Qinghe Army is."Chen Ziang ordered

""Yes!"

Zhang Bao also drew out his sword from his waist, made a few sword flowers, and prepared to fight with Zhou Ba from Erlongshan Village.

Zhou Ba was also confident in his own strength, and he also stood out from the crowd with his sword.

Zhang Bao is now the deputy commander of the 9th Battalion. He often leads the charge and his combat power should not be underestimated.

Although Zhou Ba from Erlongshan looks burly and strong, Zhang Bao does not take him seriously.

"Kill!"

Zhang Bao glanced at Zhou Ba coldly, and decided to strike first. With a sword in his hand, he rushed forward like a wild bull.

"You're looking for death!"

Zhou Ba also snorted coldly, his whole body filled with murderous intent, and he fought with a knife!