Zhao Yun's men had scattered the group of bandits almost immediately. The men outside the canyon could not be connected head to tail, and there was no way to unite them. With their usual fierceness, they could still fight well in the beginning. However, after Zhang Feng and Zhao Yun killed a few leaders, the whole team was cleaned up crazily by Zhao Yun's troops like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. The surrenders came one after another. Zhang Feng couldn't bear it anymore. There were too many surrenders, and their men were just enough to watch over them. Therefore, they couldn't spare any extra men to help Zhang Fei. Zhang Feng looked around the canyon. After finding that it had been quiet, he let out a sigh and became reassured. Only Zhang Fei's team had not received any news.
Most of the bandits who stayed in the water stockade were old, weak, sick, or just some handymen. The main force had been drawn out by the previous general. Zhang Fei saw the movement in the stockade from not far away. He waved his hand and led Zhang Ji out of the hiding place. In order to prevent Lu Fang from escaping, Zhang Fei had Zhang Ji attack from the main entrance while he decided to take the back road. There was a half-bridge at the water gate of the water stronghold, and a few small boats were parked scattered beside it. There was no one guarding it, so it was empty.
Zhang Ji didn't stop either. He charged into the village. The door of the village was still open. Zhang Ji rushed in and shouted,"The Anping government troops are suppressing the bandits.”The people inside were stunned at first. Just as they were about to pick up their weapons and fight Zhang Ji, they saw a group of government troops surge in. He immediately lost his ferocity and threw the weapon in his hand onto the ground. He squatted on the ground and hugged his head. When Lu Fang saw the army suddenly rushing in, she cried out in her heart. She knew that she had fallen into a trap today. It was likely that her nephew would not be able to do anything good if he charged out. Her heart instantly turned cold and she prepared to run. He pulled a few lackeys and walked towards the water gate from the small path. He wanted to escape by water, but halfway through, he saw Zhang Fei already standing there waiting for him. Zhang Fei raised his spear and looked majestically at Lu Fang, who was fleeing in panic. He shouted,"Are you the King of the East, Lu Fang?”These words were very ear-piercing. When Lu Fang saw Zhang Fei, she also asked,"May I ask who the hero is?"
"Zhang Village, Zhang Fei and Zhang Yide.”Zhang Fei's expression was calm now, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Lu Fang's heart was in a panic, wondering how she had stepped on such a thorn.
"You and I have always minded our own business. Why did you harm me today?”Lu Fang had always been arrogant, but at this moment, he was also panicking. He only hoped that the heavens would bless him and let him pass this hurdle.
Zhang Fei cupped his hands and smiled." I'm now Commandant Anping. You're a thief, and I'm a soldier. Naturally, I'm here to exterminate you. If you surrender today, you'll be spared the death penalty. If you don't surrender, if you want to leave today, you'll have to ask for the Snake Spear in my hand."”
"I've often heard people say that the eldest young master of the Zhang Clan is a brave and extraordinary person, but I didn't expect him to be a resourceful person. I, Lu Fang, am not a petty person, but I'm a little unconvinced in my heart. If it wasn't for my Meng 'er being careless, how would I have fallen into your trap?”Lu Fang sighed. Zhang Fei didn't say anything, thinking that the young general was called Lu Meng.
"Looks like King Lu wants to spar with me.”Zhang Fei smiled and twisted the Snake Spear in his hand. This address made Lu Fang's face flush red, and she felt very uncomfortable.
"If this Lu is lucky enough to win by a single move, I hope Brother Zhang can let this Lu go. If you lose, you can do whatever you want!" Lu Fang was a person who liked to leave the green hills behind and was not afraid of not having enough firewood to burn, so she said this.
Zhang Fei smiled. This Lu Fang was really a Thief. Even in such a situation, she still thought that she was lucky, so he said,"I originally didn't need to pay attention to you, but I respect that you were once a man. Today, I'll let you do as you say.”Zhang Fei flung his clothes and placed his spear in front of his chest. He smiled confidently. Even so, Lu Fang still didn't dare to go forward. When Zhang Fei closed his eyes, Lu Fang picked up a large knife and charged at Zhang Fei.
"Clang!" This was originally a direct strike, but Zhang Fei did not even open his eyes and blocked it. He said,"One move!" As soon as he said that, sweat began to flow down Lu Fang's forehead. She gritted her teeth and used another horizontal sweep. However, Zhang Fei stood there without moving. He straightened his spear to the side. With another loud sound, the large saber bounced away again. It wasn't that Lu Fang's martial arts skills were not good enough. Among the leaders of the fallen grass in Anping area, Lu Fang's ability was outstanding. Moreover, he had great strength. Usually, it would take seven or eight strong men to pull a boat ashore. He only needed one person to pull the boat ashore. It was because of this unique skill that he dared to call himself the " King of the East." He was the leader of the mountain bandits and pirates. In Anping and even the entire Zhuo County, he had a very high status in the Green Forest.
It was true that Lu Fang had great strength, but he didn't know that he had met a freak like Zhang Fei. He didn't know if anyone in the world could compare to his divine power. Zhang Fei calmly smiled and said,"Two moves!" Lu Fang heard Zhang Fei's shout again. The saber in her hand didn't listen to her anymore. Her legs were trembling. She swallowed her saliva and looked at Zhang Fei, who still had his eyes closed. She didn't move at all. Zhang Fei saw that he had not moved for a long time, so he opened his eyes and asked,"Why aren't you using the last move?"
"Clang!" Lu Fang threw the saber in her hand to the ground and shouted,"I'm not fighting anymore, I'm not fighting anymore. You can deal with me however you want.”After saying that, he sat down on the ground with his head hung low. The soldiers behind Zhang Fei were amused. How did the usually mighty "King of the East" turn into a scoundrel at this moment?
"I'm a soldier, so I have nothing to say even if I kill you.”When Lu Fang heard this, she jumped up and shouted,""Are you going to go back on your word? You said you wouldn't kill me!”Zhang Fei smiled. This Lu Fang was really shameless.
"Do you want to know why I didn't kill you?”Zhang Fei sat on a railing and asked Lu Fang. Seeing Zhang Fei's strange question, Lu Fang thought for a long time but couldn't figure out the reason, so she shook her head.
"Do you know how many people in Anping and even the entire Zhuo County are like you?”Zhang Fei asked without saying anything else. Lu Fang smiled and said,"I don't dare to say anything else, but if the heroes of Zhuo County want to leave, they have to report to me first. There are no more or less than 130 villages in Zhuo County. There are 600,000 people in Zhuo County, and there are tens of thousands of people in Luocao County. For example, there are thousands of people in Jiming Mountain that you destroyed.”Lu Fang was like a family treasure as she spoke non-stop. Seeing this, Zhang Fei secretly thought that this Lu Fang had a way.
"So many!" A soldier at the back shouted when he heard that there were tens of thousands of people falling grass. When Lu Fang saw this, she snorted coldly and said,"It's all because of the Imperial Court!"
"Why are you blaming the Imperial Court again?" Zhang Fei frowned and said.
"As the saying goes, when the Yellow River turns, there will be floods and droughts. In recent years, after the flood in Hanoi, there was a drought. Not only did the crops die, but there was also a batch of locusts in Mengqiu, which made things worse. The government lied about the disaster, and the relief food allocated by the imperial court was eaten by the corrupt official. Those who had relatives in distant places would join their relatives, while those without relatives would go to the east and north of the river to do this business without capital. I was able to become the leader of Anping two years earlier with my martial arts skills. This year, I heard that the brothers on Jiming Mountain were destroyed by you. I knew that a ruthless master had come. A few days ago, I wanted to go to Jing Xiang's brothers. I didn't expect to encounter such a scene today. It's really God's will.”As she spoke, Lu Fang could not help but sigh deeply, feeling somewhat helpless and melancholic.
"Since there's a disaster, why don't we see a plague?”Zhang Fei knew that there would definitely be a great plague after the great calamity, but he had never heard of any great plague in these years, so he was very puzzled.
"Speaking of which, God has taken pity on us. There is a Taoist in Guangzong called Zhang Jiao, known as the 'Taoist of Peace'. He is a person who loves to give alms. Over the years, it was thanks to him and his disciples that we were able to avoid the plague by distributing potions everywhere.”Lu Fang smiled and said," I'm not afraid that you'll laugh at me. I really feel that the Emperor of the Imperial Court is not as good as a person in the mountains!"”
"How dare you!" Zhang Fei shouted angrily," Slandering the Imperial Court is a capital offense!”
Lu Fang saw that Zhang Fei was furious and ignored him. She sat down on the railing opposite Zhang Fei and said,"This matter of saving the people is the Imperial Court's business, but the Imperial Court doesn't care. It wasn't about that corner, but he did it. Did I scold the wrong Emperor and court officials? Humph! If that Zhang Jiao were to withdraw his flag and rebel, I would definitely follow him. I would also let the world know that the imperial court was so useless.”
Zhang Fei was stunned. He couldn't say anything for a long time. If what Lu Fang said was true, then if Zhang Jiao really rebelled, why was he the only one who had Lu Fang's thoughts? There were many powerful people in Yuzhou, Youzhou, Bingzhou, Jizhou, and Qingzhou who wanted to fight for fame. They were originally people who licked blood on the edge of a knife. If they failed, they would die. Eighteen years later, they would be good men again. What if it succeeded? Not to mention his own glory, his descendants were also extremely blessed. If there was a change of dynasty, wouldn't he be a hero who founded the country? Zhang Fei suddenly felt an unspeakable nervousness in his heart. If Zhang Jiao was really as Lu Fang said, if he had any rebellious thoughts, it would really be the greatest hidden danger of the imperial court.
Zhang Fei shook his head to get rid of those annoying thoughts. He looked at Lu Fang and said,"I won't think about the long term. As for my promise not to kill you, you naturally have to do me some good.”Lu Fang heard the hidden meaning in Zhang Fei's words, so she asked,"What kind of deal is it that you, Zhang Yide, would look up to me?”
"Humph! Some of the bandits in Anping still listen to you, the King of the East. If you are willing to help me convince a few villages to surrender, not only will you atone for your sins, but I might also recommend you to find a job in Anping. Even your nephew can join my army and be an upright official soldier. You don't have to be afraid of others saying that you are a thief.”After listening to Zhang Fei's words, Lu Fang lowered her head and pondered. After all, this was a difficult choice. In the underworld, if you tried to harm your brothers in the underworld, it would be a great injustice. If you wanted to walk in the future, I'm afraid there would be more enemies chasing after you than a strand of your hair. It was even possible that the underworld would reward your head. However, Lu Fang was a person who valued relationships. In his early years, he and his elder brother had fallen into the weeds together. They had been led from the south to the north, and they had encountered a disaster. Thus, they had joined this peaceful water village. After a few years, they could be considered to have gained some fame. Last year, Lu Fang's elder brother died, leaving behind only a nephew. Lu Fang had no son, so she treated Lu Meng as her own son. Lu Meng usually called Lu Fang uncle, and they had a deep relationship. If he could find a good way out for Lu Meng now, he wouldn't have to be like them in the future.
"Deal! I, Lu, will be an unjust person.”Lu Fang gritted her teeth and hardened her heart. Although Zhang Fei could not bear to see this, he still decided to do this for the sake of the overall situation.
After Zhang Ji had subdued the bandits, Zhang Fei and Zhang Ji led Lu Fang back to the military academy in Anping. Those dishonest bandits were all thrown into prison to await punishment. When the final count was done, Zhao Yun and Zhang Ping calculated the losses. They had lost about 300 to 400 brothers. Although the number was a little high, it was quite worth it. After subduing Lu Fang, the rest of the bandits would be much easier to deal with.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。