Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

On the night Zhang Jingwei wrote the poem, a group of people in Yaozhuang were plotting something big.

……

Yaozhuang is a village located eighteen miles outside Yunzhou City. Although it is not a wealthy village, life is still acceptable. It is directly under the jurisdiction of Yunzhou and is close to the city, so many families in the village have opened inns.

Due to the explosion some time ago, many uninvited guests arrived.

"The government's security is really tight, alternating between day and night!"

"Alas, even so, we can't let this go."

"That man gave too much."

"I heard this thing is scary and will explode if you're not careful!"

"It's just firecrackers, how big a wave can it make?"

"The defense of Yunzhou suffered a loss before, so everyone should not take it lightly."

In a small inn, several people from the martial arts world were discussing in the room.

This group of people were commissioned by the prince of Jinzhou to take back the saltpeter, and they spent a lot of money for it.

Ten thousand taels of gold, the prosperity and wealth of several generations...

Today, the gunpowder must be transported to Yunzhou City, and the number of troops escorting it is two to three times the original number, which makes these people in the martial arts world even more headache.

"If I don't take action now, I really won't have a chance."

"Just a few of us..."

"There's a small path at the entrance to Yaozhuang Village, where we can set up an ambush."

"There are at least a hundred Yunzhou soldiers and horses. How can we set up an ambush?"

Just as they were discussing loudly, a burst of sarcastic laughter came from behind them. "Hahaha, with your brains, you still want to imitate others and become a thief?"

These people turned around and saw a young man dressed as a scholar sitting at the next table, leisurely drinking tea and eating snacks.

One of the burly men stepped forward and shouted, "Isn't this inn already reserved by me? Are you fucking tired of living like that? How dare you eavesdrop on us?"

Seeing that the man was about to use violence, the scholar quickly said, "Wait, wait, I'm just a student taking an exam. In my Celestial Empire, killing a student is a serious crime."

"Never mind your grandmother's students or grandchildren, we are already doing something that will cost us our lives." As he said that, the man stepped forward and grabbed the scholar's collar, but in the blink of an eye, only two fingers were left on the man's left hand.

"Ah——!" The pig-slaughtering scream alarmed the innkeeper.

"Oh, brother, why are you so careless? You can even cut your hand while peeling a pear, and the blood is all over the place!" The scholar quickly knocked the strong man unconscious and wrapped the severed hand with a piece of cloth.

The owner just cleaned up the bloodstains with an unhappy look on his face and went back to the house to take a nap.

This group of jianghu people were frightened by this scene. The leader stepped forward, bowed, and said, "I am Li Yi of Fenshui. Judging from your lightning-fast moves just now, could you be Mr. Thousand Hands?"

"The Thousand-Handed Scholar from Jiangnan? How did he end up in Yunzhou?"

"It is said that the Thousand-Handed Scholar can kill someone in a split second..."

An anxious atmosphere instantly filled the entire inn.

"I have no ill intentions, I just want to cooperate with you."

"How do we cooperate? Please tell me clearly, sir!"

The scholar smiled slightly and put down the teacup in his hand, "I heard that you all want to rob the government's saltpeter. I have a plan that can help you succeed." Hearing this, everyone gathered around.

"When the government sends saltpeter, they'll definitely send soldiers to escort it. A head-on confrontation isn't the best strategy. We can set fire to the forest along the way, then quickly escape. When the soldiers are overwhelmed, we can seize the saltpeter." The scholar paused, then continued, "Use hot oil to start the fire and try to make it as strong as possible."

Li Yi thought for a moment and said worriedly: "Arson?! Those saltpeter are very easy to explode. If we are not careful..."

The scholar smiled and said, "If you can imagine the danger, how could those officers and soldiers not know it? I can guarantee that once the fire breaks out, the officers and soldiers of Yunzhou will scatter and flee."

"What if it really explodes?" Li Yi asked.

The scholar said, "If we run out of the forest, we will definitely not lose our lives. The explosion will only cause you to lose the bounty."

Li Yi nodded and said, "You are right, we originally had nothing."

"Fortune and honor are sought through risk, I did it!"

"I'll do it too!"

No one present objected, and after everyone had discussed it, they decided to take action the next morning.

……

The next day, Li Yi and his group had been lying in ambush for a long time in Yaozhuang Bamboo Forest. They had prepared several cans of boiling oil early on for the arson plan. This boiling oil is flammable, making it easier to start a fire.

Sure enough, after a while the transport convoy passed through the bamboo forest. The road in the bamboo forest was narrow, but it could save at least half a day to reach Yunzhou.

When Li Yi saw that the officers and soldiers had entered the encirclement, his whole body began to tremble.

"Old Wolf Yi, why are you shaking?"

The burly man who had cut off his finger reminded him.

Li Yi felt a little scared. After all, he was used to wandering around in the martial arts world. Seeing the well-trained soldiers, he had to be ashamed. "I... I see these officers and soldiers. Their eyes are firm and sharp. They must be the elite soldiers of Yunzhou!"

The strong man looked at Li Yi with a puzzled look and said, "Are you going to run away?" Hearing this, Li Yi was also stunned. He swallowed and looked around.

After a while, he finally reacted and asked hurriedly, "Where is the scholar?"

The burly man frowned, shook his head and said, "I was staring at him just now, but he suddenly disappeared."

Li Yi cursed: "Damn it, these scholars are darker than ink, retreat!"

Just as a few people turned around, a kerosene can was thrown from somewhere and intercepted the convoy.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The leading officer suddenly shouted.

Hiding in the shadows, Li Yi stared at the blazing fire, his heart filled with despair and helplessness. He wanted to burst into tears, but he dared not make too much noise. He could only bite his lip and curse in a low voice, "That bastard threw it!"

However, at this moment, a burly man walked up to Li Yi, patted his shoulder comfortingly, and said, "Brother Li! The fire has started now, and the officers and soldiers are in chaos just as the scholar predicted! Why not proceed according to the original plan!"

Li Yi gritted his teeth, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, and nodded: "This is the only way!" After that, he picked up the oil cans and threw them all into the sea of ​​fire.

As more oil cans were thrown out, the fire grew more intense, and the raging flames gradually engulfed the entire bamboo forest. The officers and soldiers panicked, covering their mouths and noses and fleeing in all directions. The scene was in chaos.

Li Yi took advantage of the chaos and escaped from the bamboo forest.

As soon as they ran out of the bamboo forest, the two fast-footed men were shot dead by the ambushes outside the forest.

An officer shouted, "Those bandits in the forest, lay down your weapons and come out to ambush! If you still resist, you will be killed without mercy."

Li Yi's first reaction was to escape. The bamboo forest behind him was on fire. He would be saved if he ran into the sea of ​​fire, but he would surely die if he attacked the officers and soldiers and was caught by the government.

As soon as he turned around, two arrows flew past his ears, making a whistling sound.

"Ugh—!"

This scream meant that the strong man next to him had been hit by an arrow, and Li Yi ran even faster at that time!

After running for a while, he was pinned to the ground by several soldiers.

"Did you set the fire?"

The man who was speaking had a dark face and his clothes were burned to tatters. He was obviously the group of officers and soldiers who had just been attacked.

Li Yi said with a pale face: "General, General, it's a misunderstanding, someone ordered me to do this!"

The officer sneered and said, "If you have anything to say, go to Yunzhou Prison and tell it! Take him away!"

Li Yi thought to himself that something was wrong, but at this point he had no choice but to let the officers and soldiers take him away.