Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 53: Driving the tiger away from the mountain
Lord Zhang rushed to Phoenix Manor with twelve guards.

He even prepared some accounting documents in a serious manner and brought along a "Yang Canli" (a type of plow).

It seemed he was going to take credit for Yang Can.

But what if he told the lord that the plow should be called "Yu Family Plow"?

Whether something is good or bad, sometimes it's just a matter of who speaks it.

The distance from Feng'anzhuang to Fenghuang Mountain Villa is not too far; one can depart in the morning and arrive in the evening.

Around noon, Zhang Yunyi and his group arrived at a river valley.

The river in spring is neither rapid nor deep, but the water is quite cold.

Zhang Yunyi leaned out of the carriage, looked around, and instructed, "Let's rest by the river for a while."

The column stopped; a single arrow's flight led to the woods.

But it wasn't the height of summer yet, so there was no need to seek shelter in the woods.

Because it was only a short rest, they didn't even remove their saddles.

The guards dismounted and went to the river to fetch water for their horses.

Just then, a rapid sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out.

The powerful clans of Longshang were independent, without a state, and naturally, without an army.

But in places like this, even among ordinary people, how many don't know a little martial arts?

Not to mention those powerful clans and their private armies.

Zhang Yunyi's guards were even more well-trained than the soldiers stationed on the estate.

Upon hearing the rapid sound of hooves, and knowing that there was more than one horse, they immediately rushed from the riverbank to their warhorses.

They weren't sure if the newcomers were hostile, and the area around Phoenix Manor was relatively peaceful.

After all, causing trouble here is like rubbing salt in the wound of Yu Xinglong.

But no one would entrust their life or death to a hypothetical scenario.

"Whoosh whoosh..."

A hail of arrows rained down upon them.

Just as Li Dache grabbed the saddle with one hand, a wolf-tooth arrow shot out and pinned his hand to the saddle on the horse's back.

"Xi Yuyu~"

The warhorse neighed in pain and instinctively ran forward, while Li Dache screamed as he was dragged to the side of the horse.

A volley of arrows rained down, sending Zhang Yunyi's guards sprawling and falling, with three or four men instantly killed.

The others were also slowed down in their mounting speed.

At that moment, the knight appeared.

There were more than twenty people in total, all dressed in riding attire, with their faces covered by hemp cloths to hide the dust of the journey.

They were on horseback shooting, but they only fired one volley of arrows before the others arrived.

The bow is drawn, and the saber is unsheathed.

On Zhang Yunyi's side, the guards who had already mounted their horses charged forward, brandishing their swords and roaring wildly.

They must buy time for their people to get started.

"Kengkengkengkeng..."

The steel blades clashed, producing a series of ear-piercing sounds.

The two sides' warhorses passed each other.

The cavalry that launched the surprise attack had a speed advantage, which is precisely the condition under which cavalry can exert their greatest power.

The masked knights swept past, and Zhang Yunyi's guards, who had already mounted their horses and those who hadn't yet managed to mount, were all stabbed.

When the twenty-odd fast horses suddenly circled back and charged back, Zhang Yunyi's twelve guards were reduced to only four.

In fact, these guards were just as skilled as the masked knights.

Unfortunately, the initiative has been lost, so we can only be slaughtered at the mercy of others.

The remaining four guards no longer sought the opportunity to mount their horses.

They quickly moved to Zhang Yunyi's carriage, leaning against it with their backs, holding steel knives, and guarding themselves warily.

Who is after Zhang?

Zhang Yunyi was quite bold; he remained calm even under such circumstances.

He slowly stepped out of the car, a "Su Tie Dao" (a type of ancient Chinese sword) pressed against his arm.

These iron knives, produced in Qiankou, Xiangzhou, are the sharpest, with a hard edge and excellent toughness.

The fact that Master Zhang was able to gain the favor of the Yu family at a young age and eventually become the head of the manor shows that he had weathered many storms in the past.

However, he is no longer the fierce and invincible swordsman Xiao Zhang he once was.

The knife in his hand was no longer the chipped iron knife from back then.

He hasn't fought anyone in almost twenty years, and perhaps the only thing he hasn't let go of yet is his sheer courage.

He stared at a knight on horseback.

Compared to the other burly knights, that knight appeared much smaller in stature.

Moreover, he was the only one without a knife.

Although the knight had covered his head with burlap, the pair of eyes peeking out from the uneven eyeholes gave Zhang Yunyi a strange sense of familiarity.

"Who are you, and what grudge do you hold against me, Zhang?"

The petite knight didn't reply, but calmly raised one hand.

Zhang Yunyi's gaze fell on that hand.

Her hands were small and delicate, white as jade, and gleamed with a warm and gentle luster in the sunlight.

Her hands were slender yet full, with the rounded curves unique to young girls.

Zhang Yunyi's eyes narrowed; this person was indeed a woman.

Who is this woman who can mobilize so many people and has a grudge against me?

Before Zhang Yunyi could figure it out, that beautiful hand, which should only be used for playing the zither and picking flowers, had already gracefully chopped down.

The twenty-odd knights on horseback simultaneously sheathed their swords, drew their bows and nocked arrows, and aimed at them.

Zhang Yunyi's expression suddenly changed, but before he could utter a sound of shock and anger, those people had already made their move without hesitation.

"Whoosh whoosh..."

Because they were so close, Zhang Yunyi could even hear the sound of a bowstring being drawn.

His four guards, each with at least five bows, were aimed at him.

In an instant, they were like banana leaves battered by hail, riddled with holes.

But Zhang Yunyi, standing between them, was completely unharmed. At this moment, the petite knight raised her hand again.

Her slender fingers grasped the mask, then ripped it off, revealing a pretty face that could express both joy and anger.

Zhang Yunyi trembled in shock and exclaimed, "Miss Qingmei?"

Qingmei leaped off the horse, her toes barely touching the ground, as light as a cat.

That skill was far superior to the dismounting technique that Yang Can had shown off before.

"Qingmei, what do you mean by this?"

Zhang Yunyi was trembling all over. He had thought of many women, but he hadn't thought of Qingmei at all.

Qingmei revealed her true face to him directly. Does that mean he has no way out?

"I heard that the master was a very skilled swordsman back in the day. Shall we spar a bit?"

Qingmei raised her sword and said happily.

She was dressed in men's riding attire, completely obscuring her slender and alluring curves.

But just by raising the sword like that, one gets a feeling of lightness and agility, like a butterfly.

Before Zhang Yunyi could speak, she drifted over like a wisp of light, almost imperceptible smoke.

The sword in Qingmei's hand transformed into a snowflake in the cold night, aiming straight for Zhang Yunyi's brow.

……

Yang Can looked at the list that Li Damu had prepared according to his requirements in the study.

Just then, the door opened, and Xiao Qingmei, accompanied by a fragrant breeze, wafted in.

She stood in front of Yang Can with a smile.

Yang Can looked up: "Did you get it done?"

"It's done!" Qingmei said with a grin.

Are there any casualties?

"Three were injured, only one was seriously injured, and I have taken good care of him." Qingmei was still smiling.

"Zhang Yunyi has been captured?"

"I caught him! I did it myself. I caught him in just over twenty moves." Qingmei said with a smile.

"Where have they been placed?"

"The place that Cheng's second brother found is more than ten miles away from Feng'an Village." Qingmei stopped giggling.

"Yes, now, we have covered up the 'sky' over Feng'an Village."

"Then, we can proceed with a strategy of defeating them one by one!"

Yang Can pondered for a moment before picking up the list drafted by Li Damu.

"Let's start with the small fry, like... him, Shi Jiuyue, the head of Feng'an Village."

Qingmei pouted and said, "If you don't have anything else, I'll go out."

"Ok!"

Yang Can casually agreed and circled Shi Jiuyue's name.

Qingmei's face fell, and she turned and walked out.

Just as they were about to reach the door, Yang Can's voice suddenly came from behind.

"Zhang Yunyi was a famous swordsman in the Helan area when he was young, and his martial arts skills were quite remarkable."

You captured him alive in just over twenty moves?

Qingmei didn't turn around, but the corners of her mouth were turned up so wide that even AK couldn't suppress them.

She slowly turned around, her face calm and serene.

"Hey, it's nothing. If it weren't for capturing him alive, he wouldn't have lasted ten moves against me."

Qingmei's words certainly contained an element of boasting.

There were more than twenty burly men standing nearby, armed with bows and arrows, watching them intently!
Where did Zhang Yunyi's fighting spirit go?

However, there is no doubt that Qingmei is very skilled.

In fact, her swordsmanship was even more formidable than that of the entwined branches.

Because, although they were taught by the same master, practicing martial arts is a very hard thing.

Green plums have a strong motivation to learn martial arts, while vines do not.

Yang Can slapped his forehead, looking belatedly enlightened, and happily praised:
"I really didn't expect that such a delicate little girl like you would have such amazing martial arts skills."

Qingmei smiled broadly: "That's not entirely true. Zhang Yunyi has been living a life of luxury for over twenty years, and he has long since abandoned all his martial arts skills."

Hehe, I won't talk to you anymore, you go about your business, I'm going out now.

Little Qingmei happily left the room, and Yang Can couldn't help but smile.

Actually, as soon as Xiao Qingmei came in, he could see that the little girl had a look on her face that looked like she wanted praise.

She really is a girl who can't hide her feelings.

Yang Can shook his head and smiled, then refocused his attention on the list in his hand.

His plan against Zhang Yunyi is a typical power replacement strategy.

This is a power struggle that combines psychological warfare, organizational control, and information management.

Not long after Yang Can arrived at Feng'an Village, he realized Zhang Yunyi's strong control over the village.

Even in Yang Can's time, in a relatively isolated village, the village chief's control over the entire village could be incredibly powerful.

Moreover, this is the era, and especially a powerful landlord like Zhang Yunyi.
However, this powerful, even abnormal, controlling authority has one major flaw:

That is, it relies heavily on a "few key nodes".

If we were to rephrase this in human language that Leopard Head could understand, it would be:
Extremely dependent on one person.

The person in Feng'an Village is none other than Zhang Yunyi.

If this crucial node is replaced or destroyed, this powerful system will collapse instantly.

Timur the Great died of illness on his eastern expedition, and his powerful empire collapsed instantly.

Because his system is one that relies entirely on a "few key nodes".

Yang Can's first step was to lure the tiger away from the mountain and then control it.

Now, he's going to begin implementing the second step of his plan.

Break each!

In this step of his plan, he will make full use of psychology to remove the foundations under Zhang Yunyi's throne piece by piece.

Then, it will no longer be able to bear its weight, and then it will collapse!

(End of this chapter)