The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 664 The Boat of Friendship Capsized

As the sun set and night fell, the battle outside Mianchi Post Station had ended. The dry, cold air was still filled with a strong smell of blood. Bloodied corpses were everywhere, and gold, silver, and valuables were scattered all over the ground. Exquisite silk fabrics were soaked in blood, making for a particularly shocking sight.

At this moment, Man Gui was filled with murderous intent, covered in blood as if he had been soaking in blood plasma, and a section of what looked like intestines was dangling from his shoulder. He walked with a swaying gait, which was quite frightening. All the guards showed awe when they saw him.

This kid went berserk tonight. Wielding his waist knife, he charged left and right like a whirlwind, as if entering an empty field. As many as twenty or thirty mine thieves died or were wounded by his blade. In the end, the mine thieves fled in panic, and Man Gui even led his guards to chase them for several miles. If Jia Huan hadn't seen that it was getting dark and was worried about something happening, he would have sent someone to call him back. This kid might have chased them until dawn.

At this moment, torches were burning brightly outside the post station, and the guards were cleaning up the battlefield, picking up the scattered valuables. If they encountered any miners who were still alive, they would finish them off with a blow and then carry the bodies away.

Coincidentally, after a count, the mine thieves left behind a total of 108 corpses, which was just enough to make up the 108 heroes of Liangshan. However, the Princess's Palace Guards also suffered heavy losses, mainly due to the losses caused by Duan Yong's initial reckless attack. A total of 98 people were killed, wounded, or missing, accounting for almost 20% of the 500 guards. Even the guards' leader, Han Xin, was killed in battle.

In addition, much of the dowry carried by the marriage procession was lost or destroyed. Therefore, although the attacking mining bandits were defeated in this battle, Duan Yong was not happy. His already dark face turned even darker, showing that he was in a very bad mood.

The evening breeze carried the chill of early spring. Jia Huan stood in the shadows, out of the firelight, his young, upright figure flickering in the dim light. It wasn't that Jia Huan was feigning profundity; rather, he didn't want to expose himself to the firelight. Although the mine bandits had been driven back, there was no guarantee that some wouldn't slip through the net and hide in the shadows. These bandits were armed with muskets and mines; if one of them were to suddenly attack him, wouldn't he die an unjust death?
As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall, and caution is the best policy. Jia Huan is not like Duan Yong, a novice who stands wherever the light is brightest!

At this moment, Man Gui walked up to Jia Huan and said, "Reporting to Third Master, I have checked the bodies and found that Zhang Cunmeng, who is not mud-stained, is not among them. I guess he escaped."

Jia Huan nodded and said, "Understood. Have the brothers take turns resting and on guard. Don't let your guard down. Also, send some men to fetch water and cook."

As the saying goes, food is essential for life. If you miss a meal, you'll get hungry. Everyone was already tired and thirsty after traveling all day and then going through a fierce battle. They were exhausted. If another wave of mining bandits came, things would be bad. So they had to hurry up and recover their strength.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Man Gui snapped to attention and saluted. The guy was full of energy, as if he had been injected with chicken blood and was tireless.

"Wait!" Jia Huan called out to Man Gui, who was about to turn and leave, pointing to the disgusting piece of intestine on his shoulder, "That's enough!"

Man Gui chuckled and flicked the intestines off his shoulder. This kid was rough on the surface, but he was actually quite clever, which was similar to Tie Hu. The reason he kept a piece of intestine hanging on his shoulder was just to establish his authority and enhance his prestige among the guards. Others could not see it, but Jia Huan saw through the kid's little trick at a glance.

Of course, this is a good thing for Jia Huan. Now that Han Xin, the leader of the Imperial Guard, is dead, he can take the opportunity to seize military power. As long as Man Gui can subdue the Imperial Guard, Duan Yong will be powerless to stop him even if he is unhappy.

At this moment, whether he was still in shock or heartbroken over the loss of the dowry, Eunuch Duan allowed Jia Huan to command the guards without interfering. Only after everything was in order did he walk up to Jia Huan and say with a complicated expression, "This time, we are all thanks to Third Master Huan for his skillful handling of the situation. Otherwise, we would all be doomed."

Jia Huan said calmly, "Duan Zhongshi is exaggerating. This is the result of everyone working together and fighting bravely to kill the enemy. Jia Huan just did what he was supposed to do."

Duan Yong hesitated, feeling both ashamed and admiring. No wonder people say that a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. This kid Jia Huan was able to dominate Liaodong, even defeating someone like Nurhaci. He truly had extraordinary abilities, commanding with composure and resourcefulness.

Just then, Wan An, supported by two guards, walked over and said gratefully, "I am extremely grateful to Old Duan and Master Huan for saving me this time. If you ever need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. No matter if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, I will do it without batting an eye."

It truly proves the saying, "Good people don't live long, but evil people live for a thousand years." Wan An, that eunuch, had his arm chopped off with a pickaxe and lost so much blood, yet he didn't die. Now that his wound is bandaged, he can even walk, though he looks pale and a bit weak!

Duan Yong said, "Old Wan, you're really lucky to have survived. You should be burning incense for good luck."

Wan An's eyes flashed with malice as he snarled, "We've never suffered such a loss before. You can run away, but you can't hide. That mine bandit leader, Zhang Cunmeng, is from Luochuan, Shaanxi. Once we return to Luoyang and bring back troops, we'll wipe out his entire clan to quell our hatred!"

Duan Yong sneered, "Old Wan, I advise you to take it easy. If you hadn't caused such a ruckus in Luoyang, would you be in this mess today? Be careful that things don't escalate, or the Emperor will blame you, and you'll be in deep trouble."

Wan An's expression changed slightly as he asked, "Old Duan, what do you mean?"

Having suffered this undeserved calamity, Duan Yongzheng was furious and retorted, "Why did those miners suddenly rebel? You know perfectly well why, why ask me what I mean? Bah!"

Wan An roared, "What does the miners' rebellion have to do with us? You, surnamed Duan, you'd better explain yourself, or I'll make you pay!" "Bullshit, who are you to call me father?" Duan Yong retorted angrily, "The miners' rebellion has nothing to do with you, but what does it have to do with me, Duan Yong? There are still some miners who were captured alive. Why don't you confront them face to face and ask them why they rebelled? I've had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to run into this mess and almost lost my life."

Wan An's expression changed drastically, and he said guiltily, "Those mine thieves made baseless accusations to escape punishment, how could they be true? Hehe, I understand now, you're jealous of my promotion and want to harm me, Duan Yong, you old bastard, you're too ruthless!"

"Bullshit! I'm too lazy to waste my breath arguing with you!" Duan Yongyi angrily turned and walked away.

Wan An was filled with both hatred and fear. He jumped up and down, cursing the street: "Didn't I just say that? You surnamed Duan, you're just jealous of our big house in Luoyang and the lucrative job we got as the mine supervisor. If you're so capable, go ahead and sue us. If you can sue us, then you're really something. Bah! I'm ashamed to be from the same hometown as someone like you!"

Duan Yong flew into a rage, rolled up his sleeves, turned around and walked back, punching Wan An right in the face, instantly making the latter see stars and bleed from his nose.

"You surnamed Duan, we'll fight you to the death!" After being taken aback, Wan An tried to retaliate, but his body was weak from the injury, and he almost fell flat on his face. Fortunately, two guards next to him caught him in time.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Duan Yong slapped Wan An again before leisurely leaving. Wan An, enraged, screamed, jumped up and down, and cursed, "Duan Yong, you son of a bitch! You just wait, I'll kill you sooner or later!"

This time, Duan Yong left without looking back. Wan An was so angry that he vomited blood. He shouted at the two guards, "You dog slaves, are you dead? Go! Beat that bastard to death!"

The two guards looked at each other, not daring to make a move.
Jia Huan had been observing coldly, and seeing the friendship between the two eunuchs capsize so easily, he couldn't help but find it both funny and sad. He bowed slightly and said, "Eunuch Wan, take good care of your injuries." After saying that, he left on his own.

Wan An's expression changed, and he gritted his teeth. However, he was still a little uneasy. Although he had Shi Dayong protecting him, he was afraid that if Duan Yong complained to the emperor, he would be in trouble. This was because Duan Yong was different from other local officials. He was an eunuch and a man of Chen Ju, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who could reach the emperor directly.

Wan An thought it over and over and decided that it was still necessary to prevent trouble from the outset. The most urgent task was to immediately mobilize troops to eliminate all the remaining mine bandits, especially their leader Zhang Cunmeng, to prevent the situation from escalating further. Only in this way could a major incident be reduced to a minor one, and a minor one be completely ignored. Even if Duan Yong complained to the emperor, it could be covered up.

It must be said that although this eunuch Wan was not particularly strong, he was quite capable of enduring hardship. Despite his injuries, he forced himself onto a horse and, with a few guards, rode towards Luoyang overnight, presumably intending to mobilize troops to search for the escaped mining thieves.

Meanwhile, inside the inn, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, and the other women were restless, their hearts pounding with fear and worry as they listened to the sounds of fighting and explosions outside.

In fact, both Baochai and Daiyu knew Jia Huan's abilities. He was a veteran of countless battles and feared nothing more than fighting. However, swords are ultimately indiscriminate, so the two women couldn't help but worry.

After an unknown amount of time, the fighting and shouting outside the inn gradually subsided, but Tie Niu still led fifty men to guard the outside, standing like an iron tower, never leaving its side.

Seeing this, Lin Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief and put her hands together, saying, "Amitabha, the thieves must have been defeated!"

Xiangling asked curiously, "How do you know?"

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "If the thieves had won, Tie Niu would have already led his men out to help. He wouldn't still be standing here."

Ying'er laughed and said, "That's not necessarily true. This big fool is so stubborn. Before, when you asked him to go out and help Third Master and not to stay here, he just stood there without moving."

Xue Baochai quickly scolded, "Ying'er, don't be rude. Brother Tie Niu is protecting our safety."

Lin Daiyu nodded and said, "Tie Niu is honest and kind. Huan Di asked him to protect us. Without Huan Di's orders, he naturally wouldn't leave on his own. How can we make fun of such a loyal and righteous person?"

Ying'er stuck out her tongue and quickly lowered her head to admit her mistake.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, familiar footsteps came from outside. Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai exclaimed almost in unison, "Brother Huan is here!"

(End of this chapter)