After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

Oops!

Bai Li Ce has been tricked!

"Approximately how many people are there?"

"About five or six hundred people, but...it seems they have catapults to help them. However, the terrain of the Three Fortresses is complex and located at a high altitude, so it is unlikely that large siege weapons can reach it. Therefore, we are still exploring."

"..."

"Prefect, should we go and provide support?" After a long silence, Zheng Fu asked tentatively.

Lin Yuchuan looked over with a cold expression, "..."

Zheng Fu quickly lowered his head and stepped aside.

support?

Should we go and support a bunch of bandits?

Indeed, they were granted amnesty.

However, His Majesty only replied to the letter at that time, without affixing his seal or issuing a formal decree.

He understood the meaning, and Baili Ce understood it even better.

Rather than getting your hands dirty later, you might as well take this opportunity...

That group has occupied the three cities for many years, and countless merchants and ordinary people have been persecuted. The people's resentment has been long-standing and cannot be resolved simply by saying that they were forced by life's hardships.

The appearance of catapults is indeed illogical.

If you want to investigate, he can lead his men there now to suppress the unrest.

But in the eyes of the public, this would be seen as collusion between officials and criminals.

If not handled properly, it could damage His Majesty's reputation.

Most importantly, this is a stepping stone thrown out by the He family.

If he takes charge, he can indeed protect those bandits.

But they alerted the enemy, and the private army could no longer be found.

They will also miss the best opportunity to eliminate the He family...

Lin Yuchuan's gaze hardened, as if speaking to himself, yet also to Zheng Fu and the Imperial Guards, "We are paid by the emperor and serve the emperor. We can serve the country and the people, but we must never be petty villains!"

......

In the courtyard outside the Hall of Heroes, people from the village were either dead or crippled.

Even though the fifth brother was as brave as a tiger, he was still tied up after being seriously injured multiple times.

"Why are there only so few people?" After searching around, He Jinzhan was not satisfied.

The women in charge of the search didn't dare to speak.

"Heh..." The fourth brother, whose lungs and internal organs had been smashed, vomited blood and sneered.

He Jinzhan, who had no weapon in his hand, twitched his eye, clearly displeased. "What are you laughing at?"

Li Simei also smiled, "Laughing at your stupidity...you...what do you think we haven't left for?"

He Jinzhan's eyes suddenly turned sinister.

"Hahaha..." The bandits burst into laughter.

He Jinzhan grabbed the fourth brother and threw him aside, then snatched a broom from a nearby woman and furiously struck him a dozen times, "Bang bang bang..."

But even as the broom snapped with a "crack," revealing the iron filings inside the axle, the fourth brother was still laughing, "Ha...ha...stupid, stupid..."

Enraged, He Jinzhan threw down the broken broom and ordered his subordinates, "Beat them! Beat them to death!"

Under the blows, the second-in-command and the fifth brother struggled to shield their brothers...

Bai Li Ce stood on the cliff edge where the Seventh Master had been thrown off for a long time, feeling the cold wind, but he didn't see any response from the signal fireworks or anyone coming up the mountain. He knew the answer in his heart.

Thinking of the "commoners" she had dodged along the way, she shouted, "You dog emperor! I did nothing wrong!"

However, Lin Yuchuan chose to cherish her reputation, and she chose to follow her nature.

"Om-"

“You…bastard…wrong…” The incomplete echo came from the empty valley, making Baili Ce’s forehead twitch with anger.

A second signal firework was set off, and the delicate fragrance was allowed to linger in the air.

Even before she went up the mountain, the various informants in Thorn City were already keeping each other in check.

Adding to the fact that Ming Xiang and An Luo were killed on the main street of Jicheng, not a single civilian dared to utter a sound.

In just a few days, how could anyone dare to disrupt this balance and secretly go up the mountain to suppress bandits?

Lincheng is entirely under the control of the Wang family, and it will not be touched without Wang Qingyan's authorization.

Only Shucheng, jointly controlled by several powerful clans, had suffered the most from the attacks by the Three Cities Fortress and had the most reason to organize the so-called "common people" to go up the mountain to suppress the bandits.

That is to say-

In a flash of inspiration, Baili Ce suddenly understood what the He family's private army really was.

......

"Heh, laughing now, why aren't you laughing?" With one foot on Lao Wu's chest and seeing his half-dead state, He Jinzhan's mood suddenly improved.

Tears welled in the fifth brother's eyes. He turned his head toward the fourth brother, wanting to shout, but his mouth was full of blood.

The fourth brother died with a slight smile on his lips the whole time, and he remained obedient, never uttering a sound of pain from beginning to end.

He Jinzhan couldn't help but admire these bandits a little. "Did you think that sending the others down the mountain ahead of time would solve everything?"

"..." The fifth brother's expression shifted.

He Jinzhan had had enough fun. "Hand over that thing, and I'll let those people go."

"The item is with me."

Everyone followed the sound.

Upon seeing Baili Ce return, the second-in-command, who had been feigning death, suddenly began to struggle violently in her direction.

He was making mumbling noises, probably telling her to get lost.

He Jinzhan immediately removed his foot from Lao Wu's body.

"Thump!" The kick landed squarely on the second-in-command.

“Hey, hey, hey... I can walk by myself…” Two men who looked like farmers immediately supported Baili Ce.

"..." The second-in-command's babbling and shouting became even louder.

The fifth brother also let out a hoarse roar with all his might, "Run..."

Unfortunately, the person had already been brought before them.

He Jinzhan immediately grabbed Baili Ce by the collar, "Ha, you're Baili Ce?"

"Hey, brother, be gentle!" The indomitable Baili Ce immediately lost his composure.

Unexpectedly, the other party immediately offered her several large sachets.

"Swoosh!" Even faster than the big bullet, the arrow precisely grazed He Jinzhan's right hand.

"Clang clang clang..." Like arrows with eyes, He Jinzhan and his "people" could only passively parry.

Having learned from the first experience, Baili Ce is not flustered at all now!

He simply covered his head and lay face down on the ground.

But this also confirms a problem.

Wang Qingyan was indeed not the owner of the private army, and he was not an ally of the He family.

......

Before long, He Jinzhan was pinned to the dilapidated wall by several arrows.

The men he brought were far inferior to those Wang Qingyan had lent to Baili Ce.

“Miss, that’s enough,” Arrow Guard Jiu Er, who was in charge of the operation, stepped forward and respectfully reminded Bai Li Ce, who was lying on the ground.

“…” Shivering for a while, Baili Ce finally realized that someone was calling her.

So fast?

Bai Li Ce slowly released his grip on the other person's head, looked up, and saw an unfamiliar face.

This time, it wasn't Wang Qingyan who came.

Seeing her pale face, disheveled hair, scrapes on her hands and feet, and torn shoes, Jiu Er comforted her again, "Don't worry, girl, it's alright now."

"Ahem..." Bai Li Ce coughed lightly, then awkwardly got up and straightened his clothes.

Looking around, He Jinzhan and his "people" had completely lost their fighting ability.

As they spoke, the other guards had already found the poison on the "surviving civilians," stuffed their mouths, and tied them up.

Without her even giving any instructions, the fifth brother, the second brother, and seven or eight other brothers who were still breathing were quickly treated and carried or carried down the mountain.

Seriously, their efficiency is always so high.