"Fellow villagers, we have come to thank you."
"Thank you for your meritorious service in eliminating bandits."
"Thank you for saving Miss Jun."
The man beside Miss Jun shouted loudly, and after he shouted each sentence, the soldiers behind him repeated it in unison.
The shouts resonated loudly between heaven and earth.
Even though their voices were loud, every soldier's expression was somewhat bewildered.
And General Peng, walking in the middle of the troop, had a look of bewilderment mixed with a bit of chagrin.
"Do you know how I feel right now?" he said, "I feel like a plucked chicken."
The lieutenant beside him couldn't help but snort with laughter, then quickly composed himself.
His expression wasn't much better, and compared to General Peng's embarrassment, he felt more unease.
"The lord is right, not fighting is one thing, but how can we even enter their midst," he whispered, looking around with a vigilant expression.
"Talking about mountain folks, honest people," General Peng snorted, "Which honest mountain folk would have such formidable tripwires and heavy arrows? We've come here without carrying any weapons – isn't this akin to letting ourselves be slaughtered?"
The lieutenant looked towards the girl walking at the front, noticing that her entourage had also disarmed.
"They should also persuade Miss Jun," he whispered, "Girls are easily swayed by compassion, coaxed with a few words, and then the whole world seems filled with good people."
In their eyes, these bandits must have been scared by the approaching government soldiers, hence they deceived Miss Jun into believing that the issue could be downplayed.
"Saying that they indeed were abducted by bandits, but were saved by the villagers of Zhangqing Mountain – that it was all a misunderstanding; such talk wouldn't even fool a child," the lieutenant went on quietly, then frowned, "But this brings a question; is she naive, or are the bandits foolish?"
Regardless, Miss Jun was let go, and while these words might deceive Miss Jun, they certainly couldn't fool the government soldiers. How could they be so sure the soldiers wouldn't attack them? After all, Miss Jun was already safe.
Negotiations should start with a hostage in hand. Without a hostage, who would hesitate? To hell with it, fight and talk later.
General Peng snorted.
"She's not foolish, nor are the bandits; it's we who are," he said.
That's right, it was foolish indeed.
The lieutenant listened to the continuous shouting around him, once more cautiously surveying his surroundings.
They were like a flock of sheep surrounded by wolves and tigers.
Why did they listen to this girl and actually disarm and walk into their midst?
If anything were to happen, the Yongning Army would become the laughingstock for ages.
"Can you not follow orders?" General Peng said, looking at the troop in front. Although the embroidered springblade had been removed, the imposing sight of the flying fish uniform still made one's heart flutter.
Listening and becoming docile lambs might cost them their lives; defying these people might also cost them their lives.
Compared to the Jinyiwei, he felt that perhaps the bandits seemed a bit more amiable.
In the midst of dread and anxiety, they quickly reached the front of the mountain village. Along the way, there were no ambushes, and the village itself was peaceful, with even cows leisurely grazing by the roadside, flicking their tails.
But General Peng still looked tense.
How many people are in this mountain village? And how many could be hiding on those nearby mountains?
"It's fine now," Miss Jun jumped off the horse and came over, "Lord Peng, you can relax, there's really no trouble anymore."
General Peng responded with a sound of acknowledgment. Whether there was trouble or not, everyone knew the score – but if he were to play dumb, he really didn't know what else to say.
"You may return now. This time we've caused you alarm; it is my fault for not sending out news on time, making everyone worry," Miss Jun continued, "De Sheng Chang's people will explain to the Magistrate and the villagers."
Go back?
General Peng was taken aback.
"Miss Jun, are you not returning?" he quickly asked.
Miss Jun shook her head.
"I'll stick with the original plan and not head to Zhending Prefecture for now—I'm going to look around here for a bit," she said.
This was the explanation she gave when she and General Peng's soldiers went their separate ways earlier.
But at this time, these bandits...
"No, they are just mountain people," Miss Jun said again, "Lord Peng, you really don't need to worry."
General Peng was about to say something, but Eighteenth Jin cleared his throat lightly.
"Yes," General Peng immediately said, "Since that's the case, then we will take our leave first, Miss Jun, please do not hesitate to give your orders if you need anything."
Miss Jun responded with a smile and once again bowed in thanks.
With a complex expression, General Peng led his people away, followed by De Sheng Chang's men who would, according to Miss Jun's orders, explain this matter to the locals.
..............
It was not until they had walked out of the mountain roads and reached a flat area that General Peng heaved a sigh of relief, lifting his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
It was embarrassing. Having been a soldier for so long and having faced numerous dangerous situations, he never expected to be so nervous just walking on a mountain path without an enemy in sight.
The main reason was that this whole affair was too inconceivable.
Zhangqing Mountain, the mountain people—General Peng looked back, I'll remember this.
He waved his hand, and the soldiers who had taken off their weapons put them back on and left noisily in the distance.
It was only then that Xia Yong and others secretly watching from the mountaintop also exhaled in relief.
Just like General Peng, they too suspected an ambush, that Miss Jun was deliberately being amiable to lower their guard. Once she led the government soldiers into the mountain village, and when they came out, she would capture them all at once.
But now, none of that had happened, and the substantial number of government soldiers had loudly moved on.
They truly left.
Xia Yong watched as the government soldiers gradually disappeared from his view, his brow furrowed.
What on earth is going on?
Miss Jun had clearly escaped, yet she instigated all this—what is she planning to do?
Leaving scouts on alert, Xia Yong returned to the mountain village where everyone was still in ambush positions, though their expressions were somewhat bewildered compared to before.
All eyes were on the entrance of the village, where a group of people stood.
"Hey, Village Chief Xia, Sister-in-law Xia, come out now, I've already explained everything to them," Miss Jun said, "They've left."
Besides her words that surprised them, what astonished them even more was the direction of her gaze.
"Alright, come out, stop hiding," the woman standing behind Yang Jing said, "They know we're hiding here; if they really wanted to trouble us, it would be a piece of cake."
Xia Yong and the others exchanged glances.
Indeed, judging by how easily she escaped from here, if she really wanted to deal with them, it would be all too simple.
Upon hearing several sharp bird calls, Eighteenth Jin and Lei Zhonglian saw people jumping down from all directions, even from behind the trees they were hiding.
Rather than being surprised at their hidden hideouts being exposed, they were more surprised by their appearances.
Eighteenth Jin uttered a sound of realization.
"They are indeed mountain people," he remarked, observing these people of all ages in tattered clothing.
Xia Yong stepped forward.
"Miss Jun, what do you want to do?" he asked in a grave voice.
Miss Jun also took a step forward.
"I want you to..." she said, then suddenly turned and pointed to Eighteenth Jin, "capture all these Jinyiwei."
At those words, the faces of Eighteenth Jin and the others changed dramatically, Lei Zhonglian let out a low growl, and leaped forward.
This was a sudden turn of events, and the already bewildered villagers who had just come out were even more stunned.
In the end, who is on whose side?