I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 87: Killing Shi Bao in the First Battle Against Bandits
A few days later, on the shore of Taihu Lake between Wucheng County, Huzhou and Wujiang County, Suzhou.

An armed force of Manichaeans, numbering about 10,000 to 20,000 people, marched lightly towards Wujiang County.

The troops' marching method is both by land and water.

The land route goes straight towards Wujiang along the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, and the water route goes along the Jiangnan Canal, from Qiantang to Wucheng County in Huzhou, into Taihu Lake, and then east along the southern bank of Taihu Lake to Wujiang.

The troops carried no heavy armor, only light weapons and a few days' worth of rations. The remaining tents, baggage, and even more food were shipped to Wujiang by boat.

This Fang La bandit army also knew that the civilian boats they had seized on the canal were very small and not professional warships, making it difficult to fight on Taihu Lake. Therefore, their route was very close to the lakeshore to avoid a large-scale naval battle with the government army in the deep waters of Taihu Lake.

The commander of this bandit army was named Shi Bao, who was also a general under Fang La.

This Shi Bao was also from Suzhou, and was related to Shi Sheng, the leader of the "Suzhou Haisha Gang" who was killed by Zhao Zicheng when he robbed the Hua Shi Gang last year.

Shi Bao left his hometown of Suzhou at an early age and joined the Manichaeism earlier than Shi Sheng. Later, he gained the trust of Fang La and once when he returned to Suzhou, he introduced his cousin Shi Sheng to join the Manichaeism as well.

Unexpectedly, his cousin died at the hands of Zhao Zicheng, and most of the Manichaeism traitors in Suzhou were also killed by Zhao Zicheng.

This time Fang La finally got in touch with the remaining Christians in Suzhou, Huzhou and other places who were willing to assist him, and decided to send people to steal the city. Shi Bao volunteered to lead the troops to Suzhou, saying that he wanted to avenge his cousin.

Fang La also took into consideration that Shi Bao was familiar with the local situation and if there were any surviving Christian traitors in the area, they could be easily instigated by him, so he readily agreed.

In the end, Fang La divided a total of 30,000 troops into two routes.

Led by Shi Bao, they would first cooperate with the internal forces to take Wujiang County in Suzhou as a bridgehead. As long as Wujiang was captured and there was food, they could use it as a springboard to advance into the rest of Suzhou and Xiuxian counties.

In addition, he sent a general named Deng Yuanjue with half of the remaining troops to attack Huzhou Wuxing, Wucheng and other places.

……

The situation of Shi Bao and Deng Yuanjue's divided troops advancing was soon discovered by the scouts sent by Zhao Zicheng, who reported it quickly.

After Zhao Zicheng understood the situation, he immediately went to the tent to discuss matters. He summoned six generals, Yang Zhi, Lin Chong, Lu Da, Li Jun, Lu Fang, and Guo Sheng, to discuss strategies to repel the enemy.

As for the prefect Zhao Lin and the militia commander Dong Chao, they had been excluded from the circle of discussing tactical issues by Zhao Zicheng. Those people knew nothing.

Inviting them to attend the meeting when the strategic layout was being made was already a courtesy, so as to prevent Zhao Zicheng from being branded as an "abuser of power". Now that the stage of real fighting has come, we will not let them hold us back.

At the meeting, Zhao Zicheng told the generals straight to the point:
"Fang La finally took the bait and divided his forces to attack Huzhou and Suzhou. The total force is about tens of thousands. Each group may have 10,000 or 20,000, or 20,000 or 30,000 people. The exact number has not yet been ascertained.

The commander-in-chief on the way to Huzhou is Deng Yuanjue. We don't need to worry about that for now; the newly appointed Wei Xian, the prefect, will hold the city. Wei Xian has a good reputation and is well-liked by the people. We've also reminded him to be wary of spies and helped him investigate internal collusion, so he can definitely hold the cities for a while.

What we need to consider now is how to quickly eliminate Shi Bao, who is advancing alone, and show the momentum of the government army! I heard that Shi Bao is a relative of Shi Sheng from the Haisha Gang who died in our hands last year, and he is quite brave.

He must be coming here out of anger, seeking revenge and defeat for both public and private reasons. Do you have any good ideas for repelling him? Feel free to share your thoughts."

Among the generals present, Yang Zhi, the commander, held the highest rank and his attitude was generally more cautious, so he suggested:

"It would be better to defend Wujiang first, and then find some other way to show weakness and lure Shi Bao into taking the risk of attacking the city. Bandits have always been bad at attacking strongholds. If we can frustrate Shi Bao for a few days, and wait for his morale to drop, our army can then launch a counterattack. Even though the enemy is numerous, we won't be a threat."

If we engage in open battle without waiting for the enemy to attack the city, I fear our forces will be too few and too risky. Our army in Suzhou actually has only 2,700 combat troops. Gusu County has left two battalions to cooperate with local militia and laborers to defend the city, and Kunshan County and Changshu County have each left a battalion of regular troops.

"There are only five battalions that can be gathered in Wujiang. Including the corvée laborers who were trained last winter, there are only 1,800 people in total, while the enemy may have 10,000 or 20,000."

Zhao Zicheng turned to Lin Chong and Lu Da and asked, "What do you think?"

Everyone felt that there was no need to take unnecessary risks, and it was better to hold on for now. However, they should be careful with their timing. After all, when they seduced Shi Baolai, they deliberately leaked false information to make him think that there might be an insider on Wu Jiang's side.

Once Shi Bao is frustrated and wants an insider to help open the door, the situation must be closed as soon as possible. If it is delayed any longer, Shi Bao will react.

Zhao Zicheng also felt that this was the safest way, as it took both sides into consideration, so he agreed to follow the plan.

……

The next morning, Shi Bao finally led his army to the outskirts of Wujiang County, exhausted.

The rebel army of more than 10,000 people was so powerful that it frightened the defenders, who only had 1,800 combat soldiers and several thousand local militiamen, so much so that they dared not leave the city.

Shi Bao was originally worried that although he would not be intercepted by the government troops on the land, he would most likely be intercepted on the water - although the government troops were not numerous, they had Taihu warships. In comparison, the rebels did not have large ships.

Therefore, when Shi Bao saw his grain ships and supply ships arrive at Wujiang Wharf safely, he felt quite relaxed and proud.

He couldn't help showing off to his generals: "The government army is cowardly. They have tall warships but they dare not fight. They allow our army to transport food, fodder and camps outside the city through the waterway of Taihu Lake. Their troops inside the city must be insufficient.

A few days ago, I heard that Zhao Zicheng exceeded his authority and killed Zhu Jie to win over the hearts of the people in Suzhou. I was worried that he would be decisive and ruthless, but I didn't expect him to be so indecisive after all!

Several unknown generals around him, Zhao Yi, Wu Zhi, and Zhang Tao, all agreed, and discussed and flattered each other: "The general is indeed very clear-headed. It must be that Zhao Zicheng is a coward. We must gather a large number of troops to defend Gusu County to the death.

Who could have expected the general to be so adaptable and attack Wujiang County halfway through the march? So Wujiang County must be short of troops, judging by the few flags on the city walls.

After hearing his subordinates' reminder, Shi Bao observed carefully and counted slowly. He found that there were indeed very few flags on the city wall of Wujiang County.

He then felt much more at ease. He ordered his men to set up camp quickly and prepare for the siege, while he also sent out scouts to the nearby county to gather information.

A day later, the camp was hastily built. Not wanting to worry about an enemy counterattack, the rebels only wanted to build the camp as quickly as possible. They didn't even repair the wooden fences, just to ensure that 10,000 to 20,000 people had a place to sleep at night.

After hastily setting up camp, Shi Bao quickly sent the army's main laborers to cut bamboo and wood, and to make improvised ladders and battering rams. He then relied on these simplest siege weapons to storm the city. As for continuing to strengthen the camp, he completely forgot about it.

At the same time, the scouts sent out by Shi Bao returned with a report after a day of scouting, saying that they had indeed seen many flags of the government army in Gusu County, including the flags of Zhao Zicheng, as well as the flags of the militia commander Dong and the commander Yang.

Shi Bao didn't think much about it. These signs further led him to conclude that the government troops were withdrawing their forces to defend the provincial capital of Gusu, so there were so few troops in Wujiang, which was only a few dozen miles away.

"The government army may only have one or two battalions of soldiers guarding the city, and the rest are civilians! If we don't attack the city while it's at its peak, when will we attack? The entire army will launch a powerful attack today! Let's raise our voices! Only then will those former members of the Haisha Gang in the city have the courage to respond to us!
Once we've conquered Wujiang County, follow me to Gusu County and kill Zhao Zicheng to avenge my cousin!"

Following Shi Bao's order, nearly 10,000 rebels formed a battle array around several city gates of Wujiang County.

The rebels had almost no powerful crossbows and could only fight with bows and arrows, swords, spears, and ladders. The elite soldiers who climbed the mountain first were at least equipped with wooden shields and rattan shields for protection, but they had almost no armor.

As drums and horns sounded, rows of rebel soldiers rushed up carrying ladders.

Wujiang County is a small county with no dedicated moat. Only the south and north sides of the city have natural rivers flowing into Taihu Lake, while the west side of the city is Taihu Lake.

Therefore, the east side of the city could be directly attacked by land, and the main attack direction of the stone treasures was also piled up in the east of the city. The defenders' bows and crossbows were also mainly concentrated in the east of the city, and many civilians were temporarily conscripted to throw rolling logs and stones from the top of the city.

"The Holy Lord is blessed by the wise king! We will win! We will win!" The rebels shouted slogans and fearlessly fastened ladders to the top of the wall.

The defending officers also worked hard to boost morale, directing the resistance: "Shoot! Shoot! Don't be afraid, everyone stand up and throw logs and rocks, aim carefully! The enemy has no powerful crossbows!"

"Even if not for others, at least think about the elders and fellow villagers! Think about how Zhao Tongpan pleaded for the people! Zhu Jie has been killed by Zhao Tongpan! Good days are coming for the elders of Suzhou! If we let Fang the thief succeed now, Suzhou will be finished!"

A hail of arrows poured down, quickly mowing down countless unarmored rebels. The elite rebels, bearing large shields, forced their way closer, began climbing ladders, only to be met with rolling logs and rocks from the city's defenders, who leaned out and aimed their weapons at them. They were crushed and bleeding, their heads bruised and bloodied. Even with their large shields, they could not withstand the pounding of rocks from the city walls.

The rebels' hunting bows and arrows rained down sparsely on the city walls, attempting to suppress the civilians hurling logs and rocks. The rebels' bows and arrows were not of high quality, but they had the advantage of sheer numbers. Their strength was at least five times that of the defenders, and their sheer sheer numbers created a formidable firepower density.

The stone-throwing militiamen on the city wall were constantly hit by arrows and injured, but they remained united, fighting one after another and throwing stones crazily.

Even the wealthy families and gentry in Wujiang County sent their sons to fight on the walls, bringing their own servants to defend the city. When their comrades were killed or wounded, they all tried their best to help. For a time, there was no distinction between high and low on the city walls, as everyone was united in defending the city.

"Hold on! We must hold on! Old Dog Zhu is dead, and good times are coming soon! We can't let the thieves break into the city!"

This shows how much Zhao Zicheng's beheading of Zhu Jie had an inspiring effect on the people in Suzhou counties and even nearby prefectures.

Shi Bao led his troops to attack fiercely for a long time. The bandits, who lacked heavy armor, suffered heavy casualties from the barrage of arrows and stones.

If these soldiers were not captured temporarily and their lives were not worth much, I am afraid that this battle alone would have injured him seriously.

Finally, a small number of bandits seemed to have a chance to rush to the top of the wall, but they were quickly blocked and attacked by Lu Da with a reserve force.

Lu Da swung his Zen staff like a gust of wind, killing those who were hit and injuring those who were touched. Those bandits and generals who were not yet stable were hit head-on by him, and almost no one could withstand him.

Shi Bao wanted to give up several times, but he saw that there were not many flags on the city wall, and there seemed to be not many regular army soldiers. Most of them were militiamen throwing logs and stones. So he was hoping for a lucky break and repeatedly urged a strong attack.

The final bloody battle lasted from noon to noon. Shi Bao's army had suffered more than a thousand casualties, and the offensive finally collapsed.

As Shi Bao's army temporarily retreated, the government troops used relatively cheap feather arrows to shoot at the seriously injured soldiers left on the battlefield who were beyond treatment, in order to end their suffering as soon as possible.

……

"I didn't expect that even though Wujiang County didn't have many soldiers, their morale was so high! They were able to fight to the death just by mobilizing the local militia!"

After retreating back to the camp in defeat, Shi Bao was so depressed that he slammed his fist on the table, and then took a ceramic bowl and gulped down a lot of water.

Several of his generals beside him also spoke in unison: "Yes, General, those civilians dared to stick their heads out and take aim before throwing stones! We have attacked so many counties before, and we have never seen anything like this!

"Those civilians who were forced to climb the walls by the corrupt officials before, all hid behind the parapet and threw things around! This time, we really can't blame the brothers for not fighting hard!" Shi Bao wiped his mouth and said, "Now it seems that it's hard to say anything else, but this Zhao Zicheng's appeal to the people is still very strong. We can't rely on the ordinary people of Suzhou. As soon as possible, find a way to contact the imprisoned Haisha Gang members and other believers in the city, and ask them to try to get close to the city gates and provide internal support. After the city is captured, those civilians who surrendered to Zhao will not be spared! Kill them all! Make sure they follow the corrupt officials!"

After Shi Bao gave the order, the bandit army rested for another night and strengthened their scouting and infiltration efforts.

With the cooperation of Zhao Zicheng on the opposite side, Shi Bao's efforts really paid off. He quickly contacted the remaining gang members under Shi Sheng of the former Haisha Gang in the city.

A few days ago, Zhao Zicheng specially transferred those old thieves of Shi Sheng's former subordinates to Wujiang County to take custody. Except for a small number of them who escaped, the rest are still alive. Zhao Zicheng did not really kill all those people before the war.

However, to avoid arousing the enemy's suspicion, Zhao Zicheng would never use these old thieves to defend the city. He would simply disarm them and assign them to less important positions, where they would continue to do hard labor and auxiliary work. For example, after a major battle, they would carry heavy consumables such as rolling logs and stones to the top of the city walls to build up reserves for subsequent battles.

After some communication, Shi Bao finally learned that some of Shi Sheng's former subordinates were stationed near the South Gate - that place was close to a river that flowed into Taihu Lake, which was equivalent to a natural moat. The attackers would find it difficult to advance without a moat bridge, so it was much more difficult to attack than the open area in the east of the city.

The defenders were short of manpower, so it was reasonable to place relatively unreliable soldiers on a secondary battlefield like the south side.

After Shi Bao contacted them, he was overjoyed. After some planning, they agreed to have the insider open the South Gate at 3:00 AM the next morning. Shi Bao's troops would also use this preparation time to quickly build several trench bridge vehicles to cross the river south of the city.

Shi Bao did not dare to choose the direct attack method of filling the river. Firstly, filling the river would be a more labor-intensive project and it would take a long time to cut off the river. Secondly, filling the river would alert the defenders, making them realize in advance that the south of the city would become the main attack direction of the enemy army, causing the defenders to strengthen their defenses.

Therefore, the best way is to build a few simple, foldable trench bridge vehicles. When the time comes, take advantage of the dark night when no one is aware of it, take a few elite troops across the river first, and cooperate with the inner support in the city to seize the gate.

……

Time quickly came to the late night two days later, at 4:03 in the morning.

Shi Bao, who thought he had a good plan, urged two of his generals to lead the relatively elite soldiers in the army to attack in the dark. Shi Bao himself also led several thousand main forces to follow behind to support the battle.

Although Shi Bao dared to gamble, he also maintained his rationality. In the Pinghua operas he had seen, there were many examples of siege generals personally leading the charge into the city, only to be caught in the trap and shot to death by the defenders after they lowered the sluice gates.

Isn't this how Zhou Yu, the Duke of Zhou, was shot and seriously injured by Cao Ren in the opera? Shi Bao had heard of opera after all, so he wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.

Shi Bao's generals Zhao Yi and Wu Zhi each led two thousand men and ambushed on the left and right sides outside the south gate of Wujiang County. They each prepared two newly built folding trench bridge vehicles and quietly moved nearby.

The agreed time had arrived, and a fire broke out inside the south gate of Wujiang River. Then there was shouting and screaming on the city wall, as if the city was in civil strife. The city gate was slowly opened, and even the drawbridge was lowered.

Shi Bao was overjoyed at this and quickly urged Zhao Yi and Wu Zhi to attack with all their might. Although the internal support had already lowered the drawbridge, the attacking bandits were still worried. Since they already had their own folding bridge vehicles, they still divided their troops to rush in across the drawbridge while others pushed the bridge vehicles to the riverside to set up.

The entire battlefield was in chaos, with the enemy troops splitting into several groups, each fighting on their own. Shi Bao watched from behind for a long time, feeling extremely uneasy, before finally calming down a little.

"Wujiang County doesn't have a garrison! Hundreds of people...hundreds of people have already rushed in! The city is doomed! Even if the defenders lower the gates or break the drawbridge, it's useless! All hands on deck!"

Shi Bao saw with his own eyes that a large number of people rushed in along the suspension bridge. He knew very well that with the weak strength of the government regular army, if so few people rushed in, the situation would be irreversible and their side would definitely win!

……

At the same time, inside the south gate of Wujiang County, Zhao Yi took the lead and rushed into the gate with hundreds of elite soldiers under Shi Bao. When they were about to seize the gate tower, they suddenly found that something was wrong with the scene in front of them.

Wujiang County did not have a barbican, and the city wall was very straight. However, at this moment, an inverted U-shaped rammed earth wall was built inside the city gate, blocking the way for soldiers entering the south gate.

This temporary rammed earth wall was not very high, only about one person high, but it was enough to block the attackers for a while.

Zhao Yi was caught in a dilemma, not knowing whether to advance or retreat. The defenders had not lowered the gates, so the attacking troops behind him continued to pour in. If Zhao Yi turned around and fled immediately, he would inevitably be blocked at the city gate and trampled upon by the enemy.

He gritted his teeth and, seeing that the earth wall was not very high, he led his brothers in a desperate charge.

"Don't be afraid! It's just a rammed earth wall. Once we climb over it, we'll break into the city! Kill!"

Zhao Yi took the lead and rushed forward waving a broadsword, facing the defenders' crossed bows and crossbows. After suffering many casualties, the two armies finally engaged in battle.

But the bandits soon discovered that the government troops in front of them were very elite and extremely determined to fight. With the help of long spears, swords and shields, rows of bandits who rushed forward were hacked and stabbed to death one after another, and the blood soon covered the gentle slope of the earth wall.

"The traitorous general deserves death!" In the melee, a government soldier's spear shot out like a dragon, agile and sharp. Seeing that Zhao Yi seemed to be the general of this army, he rushed towards him head-on and stabbed to death seven or eight of his personal soldiers.

Zhao Yi was facing a formidable enemy, and he quickly drew up his broadsword, concentrating on the battle. However, he was no match for the attacker. Within just three shots, his weapon was knocked away, and then he was stabbed in the throat.

Seeing this, the bandits around Zhao Yi quickly lost their morale and fled.

At the rear of the enemy army, another 2,000 men led by Wu Zhi had just finished building a trench bridge and were charging into the city one after another, trying to keep up with Zhao Yi. Suddenly, Zhao Yi's troops, who wanted to escape the city, and Wu Zhi's troops, who wanted to rush in, trampled each other at the city gate. The death toll rose rapidly, and the corpses almost blocked the city gate.

After Lin Chong killed Zhao Yi, he originally planned to sound the fire signal and ask Yang Zhi on the wall to lower the sluice gate as planned. But now it seems that there is no need to even lower the sluice gate.

Opening the gate again will only affect Lin Chong and Yang Zhi's counterattack and pursuit.

Yang Zhi, who was standing on the top of the city wall, also had a good knowledge of military tactics and knew how to adapt to changing circumstances. After seeing this situation, he couldn't help but ask Zhao Zi, who was also watching the battle, for instructions:
"Young Marquis, do you still want to open the gate?"

Zhao Zicheng gently waved his folding fan, observed carefully, and snapped it shut. "No need for that! Let's just let our men escape from the city walls on both wings and outflank and harass the enemy's rear! Launch an immediate counterattack! It doesn't matter if the city gates are blocked by corpses! Our pursuers won't go through the gates!"

Shi Bao, who was outside the city, saw the deafening shouts and cries of killing inside the city, which lasted for so long that he did not understand the situation for a while. But seeing that the government troops were unable to close the city gates or release the sluice gates, he always felt that Zhao Yi and Wu Zhi should have succeeded, but the government troops were still fighting a desperate battle and were unable to clean up the mess.

Shi Bao couldn't help but push the rear troops he led forward, trying to crush the government troops in one fell swoop.

But at this moment, Yang Zhi on the left and Lu Da on the right lowered ropes from the top of the city wall, and some elite soldiers were lowered down from the city wall one after another. There were about two or three hundred people on each side.

After landing, the government troops reorganized themselves briefly and launched a counterattack towards Shi Bao's position along the trench bridge built by Wu Zhi.

Wu Zhi had not yet entered the city and was guarding the bridgehead of Hao Bridge. He ordered his men to charge first, but they ran into Lu Da head-on.

Lu Da swung his staff and fought with him, his moves were wild and his weapons whistled in the wind.

Wu Zhi was caught in a dilemma and fought hard to resist five or six moves. In the seventh move, he clearly managed to block Lu Da's Zen stick, but he was out of strength and was defeated by Lu Da's simple force. He was hit on the forehead with the Zen stick and died on the spot.

"The rebel generals have all been put to death! Those who surrender will not be killed! Fang La is defeated!"

"The thief Fang is defeated! The thief Fang is defeated!"

In the chaos, Yang Zhi and Lu Da, riding on the momentum of their victory, counterattacked with only 600 men, attacking Shi Bao, who still commanded nearly 10,000 men. Of course, Shi Bao didn't have all of those 10,000 men with him. Some remained in the camp as reserves tonight, and others were tied down in other parts of the battlefield. Shi Bao currently had no more than 2,000 or 3,000 men with him.

Even if 600 men were to charge 3,000, the enemy army still had a numerical advantage of nearly five to one. It was just that at dawn, visibility was poor and the battlefield was chaotic, so no matter how many men Shi Bao had, he would have difficulty maneuvering them.

Yang Zhi and Lu Da's troops were elite troops that Zhao Zicheng had meticulously trained for over a year. They were already skilled in martial arts, and now they were subject to strict military discipline. They were also extremely loyal, respectful, and grateful to Zhao Zicheng. When they united as one, their combat power far surpassed that of Shi Bao's troops.

Six hundred men rushed into Shi Bao's army like mad tigers, not caring about the Mandarin Duck Formation or the Three Talents Formation, and relied on the most traditional melee method of a decisive battle on the plains, each fighting and killing indiscriminately.

For a moment, the battlefield was full of flying limbs and blood. Shi Bao also waved his sword vigorously, shouted for a fierce fight, and killed several enemy soldiers in a row, trying to stabilize the situation.

After a while, Lu Da and Yang Zhi arrived in front of Shi Bao one after another.

Lu Da was the first to wield his staff, his powerful moves swift and decisive, like a madman, attacking without defending. Shi Bao, aware that as a general, he valued his life, and faced with Lu Da's frenzied attack, he had no choice but to prioritize defensive defense, and was naturally suppressed.

Lu Da fought with him with every move, and Shi Bao fought hard for twenty moves, but his strength was almost exhausted.

He finally managed to delay until Lu Da's moves became disorganized, hoping to seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, but Yang Zhi had also arrived at the battlefield and attacked with an extremely tricky Yang family spear.

Shi Bao wanted to fight the two men separately, and danger suddenly arose.

He still had one prominent general, Zhang Tao, by his side. Seeing his commander being besieged, he was furious and rushed forward to help: "Stop your arrogance, you bastard! You're no hero if you bully the minority with your numbers!"

As he roared, he waved the spear in his hand, and was about to strike Yang Zhi suddenly to share the pressure of the commander.

Unexpectedly, Yang Zhi seemed to have eyes on his back. Before Zhang Tao's gun could stab him, Yang Zhi turned over and stabbed Zhang Tao in the back without even looking.

Then Yang Zhi drew his gun cleanly and neatly, turned around and fought Shi Bao again.

Shi Bao felt a little relieved when he heard his subordinate Zhang Tao's shout. He thought that with Zhang Tao's help, he could at least hold off the spear-wielding general for a few dozen moves, and he could quickly find a way to defeat the madman wielding the Zen staff.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Tao didn't even block a single move and was instantly killed by a sudden counter-attack as soon as he entered the court. Shi Bao was not mentally prepared and became even more flustered, disrupting his defensive rhythm.

Yang Zhi's return shot directly hit Shi Bao's ribs, causing him to bleed profusely and his fighting power was instantly reduced by several percent.

Shi Bao howled miserably. He knew at this moment that there was no chance of his survival. His ferocity was aroused and he stopped defending himself, and started to fight against Lu Da fiercely.

Yang Zhi and Lu Da attacked fiercely, slicing Shi Bao into several pieces within ten moves. However, Shi Bao, in his last desperate attack, managed to strike Lu Da with his sword. Fortunately, Lu Da avoided the vital part and was well-armored, so the blade only penetrated an inch or two, avoiding any internal damage.

But the huge force of the big knife was enough to cause internal injuries. After being hit by this knife, Lu Da would have to recuperate for at least several months or even half a year.

"Shi Bao is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed! The bandits will be defeated!"

Yang Zhi quickly chopped off Shi Bao's head, and Lu Da also reluctantly commanded his soldiers to shout along.

As the government troops announced the news of Shi Bao's death, the remaining bandits finally collapsed completely and fled in all directions.

(End of this chapter)