20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 795 Running Away from Home, Turmoil in the Southern City

"Clack clack..."

The horse's hooves splashed up patches of snow and mud.

In the south of Fengtian City, Zhao Guoyan rode swiftly, rushing to the outer residence of the Jiang family.

At this time of year, things were not peaceful in the southern part of the city. Although it was not as chaotic as Xiaoxiguan, every household along the way kept their doors tightly shut.

Refugees and thieves could be seen everywhere on the streets.

Taking advantage of the chaos in the city, these people gathered in groups of three or five and loitered around people's doorsteps, sometimes peeking through windows, sometimes knocking on doors, their behavior quite suspicious.

However, the government was paralyzed, and no one was investigating or caring about them, let alone managing them.

The sounds of smashing and breaking could be heard from time to time, though not very intense, but they never stopped.

On the way, we happened to pass by a house. I don't know if the house was robbed or for some other reason, but it suddenly caught fire. The local water management bureau didn't send anyone to help. It was only thanks to the help of the neighbors that they carried basins of snow and threw them into the fire that the fire was brought under control.

Even so, there were still no military or police personnel maintaining order at the scene.

Zhao Guoyan saw all of this and dared not delay. He immediately spurred his horse and sped off towards the Jiang family's outer residence.

The wind whistled in my ears, and before long, we passed through several more streets and alleys.

As they approached the outer residence, they suddenly heard a series of sporadic gunshots echoing through the air...

Zhao Guoyan was startled. He listened carefully and realized that the frequency of the gunshots did not indicate that the battle was in full swing, but rather that it was nearing its end.

So he quickly pulled on the reins and, with utmost caution, slowly approached the Jiang family's outer residence.

Zhao Guoyan came from the north, so he couldn't see the situation in front of the house clearly. He simply went to the back wall of the house first, listened for a moment, then dismounted, took two or three steps back, pushed off the ground, grabbed the top of the wall with both hands, and glanced into the house.

It would have been better if I hadn't looked at it; once I did, anger immediately surged within me.

It turned out that at this moment, many brothers had already fallen in the courtyard, leaving only a few skilled fighters who were still struggling to hold on.

Of course, the enemy gang also suffered some losses, but unfortunately they couldn't withstand the overwhelming numbers and arrogance of the newcomers, who had already breached the gates of the mansion.

Both sides were running out of ammunition, perhaps with only a few rounds left, but in order to save their own lives, neither side was willing to fire easily.

Zhao Guoyan wanted to find out who was in charge of the other party, but the courtyard wall was high and the eaves blocked his view, so he had no choice but to give up and hastily climb down from the top of the wall.

Just then, a scream suddenly came from inside the courtyard.

Judging from the voice, it's a woman!

Zhao Guoyan frowned, hurriedly pulled out his sidearm, released the safety, and grabbed the spare magazine. He quickly circled the courtyard wall, preparing to attack from the front gate to support his brothers.

At this point, the Jiang family's outer residence had been in turmoil for more than half an hour.

Where did the chaos begin?
Following Jiang Lianheng's instructions, Yang Lazi led his men to the southern part of the city to ensure the safety of the third and fourth concubines, waiting for the Jiang family to send a car to pick them up.

After the brothers arrived at the outer residence, they immediately took precautions, but at first they did not find anything unusual.

Yang Lazi and the others were unaware of the Jiang family's caravan's various experiences, let alone that the mansion in the north of the city had already been ravaged by bloodshed. They simply waited patiently for news from their master.

However, after waiting and waiting, no reinforcements arrived, but instead, the enemy came knocking.

Seeing a group of robbers charging towards them from the southeast, with at least several dozen men, they had a clear objective. Before they even got close, they had already declared that they would massacre the Jiang family's outer residence.

At this point, although Yang Lazi and the others felt a chill, they did not appear too panicked.

The brothers were well-equipped, and although they were outnumbered, they were confident that they could defend the Jiang family's outer residence thanks to the advantageous terrain of the high walls and large courtyard.

After all, the Jiang family was able to run rampant in Fengtian because of two things: their extensive personal connections and their powerful firepower.

The thugs in the city are not like the bandits in the mountains.

An average old man might have a few shotguns, not counting homemade pistols, and maybe a dozen or twenty good, officially produced guns at most.

What kind of equipment does the Jiang family have called "Xiangzi"?
Even if we don't say everyone has a large-lens pistol, they still have guns, rifles, and other high-end models, all genuine and legitimate. Homemade pistols simply can't compare.

The brothers were naturally not intimidated or afraid. Seeing the enemy approaching, they immediately opened fire to force them back.

To everyone's surprise, once the two sides started fighting, Yang Lazi was dumbfounded—the enemy's firepower was in no way inferior to that of the Jiang family!
Although not all of these robbers were armed, the dozen or so men in the front row were all carrying guns, and they held their own in street fighting.

Yang Lazi was shocked and even mistook the other party for a bandit from some mountain stronghold.

But as the other party gradually drew closer, some of the brothers finally recognized who it was.

"Old Yang, it seems like he's one of Huo Laogui's men!"

"Who?"

Yang Lazi did not fail to hear clearly; rather, he found it hard to believe.

The brother next to him peeked out again amidst the chaos, and when he pulled back in, his tone was more determined as he said, "Old Yang, I'm not mistaken, it's Huo Laogui from Shijianfang. I know the guy around the corner, we even had drinks together a couple of days ago!"

"Fuck you, look at the bastards you usually associate with!"

Yang Lazi couldn't help but curse under his breath.

But then again, Huo Laogui was just a local thug running a brothel with ten rooms; where did he get all those guns and ammunition?

If they were homemade pistols, that would be one thing, but just by looking at the rate of fire of the bullets, it's easy to deduce that those guns must be standard-issue weapons.

The Jiang family is the largest arms smuggler in Fengtian. How could they not notice that so many genuine goods have entered the market and been delivered to Hezi online?
Could it be that the Jiang family's warehouse was stolen?
Yang Lazi couldn't figure it out, and there was no time for him to investigate further. He could only act according to the situation, do his best to guard the outer residence, and wait for the Jiang family's reinforcements to arrive.

Little did he know that when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; the Jiang family no longer had many so-called reinforcements.

However, Yang Lazi had been in the business for many years and, as a "henchman" of the Jiang family, he was bound to have blood on his hands. Now, to ask him to give up resistance, switch sides, and seek another way out, even he himself did not believe that he would have a good end.

Therefore, even as Huo Laogui and his men closed in step by step, and his brothers fell one after another, he had no intention of surrendering. Instead, he fought even more fiercely.

Unfortunately, when fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their support; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless.

Under the fierce attack of Huo Laogui and others, the Jiang brothers finally began to show signs of weakness.

The battle was extremely fierce, much like the Jiang family massacre, so there's no need to elaborate further.

In short, after exchanging fire for more than ten minutes, the ammunition gradually ran out, and Huo Laogui and his men finally reached the gate of the mansion.

Seeing that the gate was about to fall, Yang Lazi immediately ordered his men to prepare close-quarters combat, then turned around and strode into the main house of the courtyard.

At this moment, Zhuang Shuning and Dongniya were already in a panic inside the house.

Zhuang Shuning was pale, tears streaming down her face, and her whole body was trembling violently. It seemed that she might scare herself to death at any moment before Huo Laogui even came in.

Donya's situation was also not optimistic. At this moment, she was kneeling on the ground, her hands tightly gripping the silver cross she wore on her chest, desperately praying to God.

Jiang Chengzhi was only five or six years old. Although he couldn't understand the situation, he could clearly sense the approaching danger. He quietly nestled beside his mother, tears streaming down his face, but he didn't cry out. In his hand, he tightly gripped a wooden short sword. It was a toy that Jiang Lianheng had given him.

His father once told him that if anyone hits you, you should hit them back with this sword!

This was, of course, just a joke to appease a child.

However, Jiang Chengzhi remembered it, and at this moment he gripped the wooden short sword tightly, refusing to let go no matter what was said.

Yang Lazi rushed into the room, calling out urgently, "Madam—"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhuang Shuning looked up and hurriedly asked, "How is it? Has the master arrived?"

Yang Lazi shook his head, but said, "Madam, don't stay in the room. If all else fails, take the young master and climb over the back wall to escape!"

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Zhuang Shuning immediately felt weak and collapsed to the ground, crying out in anguish, "What? Master is abandoning us, mother and son? Even if he doesn't come to save me, he should at least come to save his son!"

Seeing this, Yang Lazi quickly comforted her, "Madam, don't think such things. The master will definitely send someone over—"

No sooner had he finished speaking than gunshots rang out from outside the courtyard gate.

The shot was fired at close range, piercing right through the courtyard gate. Just then, the brothers outside the window shouted urgently, "Old Yang, hurry up! They're about to break in!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Shuning could no longer stand up and could only desperately wail, "It's over, it's over, it's too late!"

Yang Lazi had no time to try to persuade her anymore. He simply squatted down, grabbed Zhuang Shuning's arm, and shouted sternly, "Madam, please forgive me, come with me quickly!"

Seeing this, Jiang Chengzhi rushed over and started tearing at the things, shouting loudly, "Let go of my mother! Let go of my mother!"

"Oh my goodness, young master, please stop making things worse!"

Yang Lazi shoved Jiang Chengzhi aside, then picked up the young master, hoisted him onto his shoulder with one arm, and dragged him out of the house.

At this moment, however, Donya could only be ranked last.

That's just how reality is.

A mother's status rises with her son's!

Yang Lazi knew perfectly well that the most important thing about guarding the Jiang family's outer residence was to ensure the personal safety of Zhuang Shuning and her son.

As for Donya, she's secondary; we can just take care of her as well.

That being said, saving Zhuang Shuning will not be easy.

She wasn't originally from the online world. Although she was in the Jiang family and knew about Jiang Lianheng's actions, she had never experienced them firsthand. Now, facing the bloodshed before her, she was terrified, especially after witnessing the corpses in the front yard. Her legs felt weak and powerless.

Moreover, Zhuang Shuning had a heavy smoking habit in his younger years, and his body was not very strong to begin with. After being dragged by Yang Lazi for a few steps, he collapsed to the ground. Judging from his condition, he couldn't even stand up, let alone escape over the backyard wall. How could he possibly escape death?

Seeing this, Yang Lazi had no choice but to compromise and suggested on the spot, "Madam, why don't you go hide in the cellar first?"

Zhuang Shuning hurriedly nodded, letting Yang Lazi lead him to the entrance of the cellar on the east side of the courtyard.

The cellar of the Jiang family's outer residence wasn't very large; it only contained a few sauerkraut jars. The mother and son huddled together, and once inside, the space felt quite cramped.

Zhuang Shuning naturally didn't mind and was about to close the wooden board when Yang Lazi stopped him.

"what happened?"

"Madam, here, take this gun!"

Yang Lazi handed the Third Madam a Ma brand pistol through the entrance.

Zhuang Shuning took it, and held it in her hand. It felt heavy, as if she had gained more confidence. But the next sentence made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

Yang Lazi said, "Madam, there's only one bullet left in this gun. If they break in later... don't forget about the Jiang family's reputation."

Zhuang Shuning stared in disbelief, then suddenly felt a pang of sadness and tears welled up in her eyes. She asked blankly, "Was this also the master's order?"

"Ah?" Yang Lazi hurriedly explained, "No, no, Madam, please don't misunderstand. The master specifically instructed me to bring men to protect you. However, plans can change quickly. If it were another family coming to smash the kiln, that would be one thing, but Huo Laogui is a terrible idea. If you fall into their hands, it would be better to die quickly!"

"It really wasn't the master's order?"

With tears welling up in her eyes, Zhuang Shuning couldn't help but continue to press for answers.

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Yang Lazi immediately slapped himself across the face and said, "It's really not true. If I'm lying here, I'm the bastard child that Huo Laogui fathered!"

Zhuang Shuning nodded, seemingly finally believing Yang Lazi's words and gradually putting his mind at ease.

Just then, a loud bang came from the front yard.

"Old Yang—"

Without saying another word, Yang Lazi shoved Zhuang Shuning and Jiang Chengzhi into the cellar, covered them with wooden planks, kicked the snow in the yard to cover them up, and then ran towards the front yard.

At this moment, Huo Laogui and his men had already broken through the courtyard gate.

With few Jiang brothers remaining, they had no choice but to retreat to the vicinity of the second gate, intending to reload and fight back, but it was too late.

Huo Laogui and his men immediately filed in, fired two shots to scatter the Jiang family guards, and then sent out several skilled men with broadswords to pursue them.

The two sides exchanged fire for a while longer, until they ran out of bullets. Only Old Huo, holding a Mauser pistol, swung his arm and staggered in from outside the second gate.

Yang Lazi and the others hurriedly scattered, already exhausted from running away from their enemies, so they had no time to look after each other or take care of the main house.
Seeing this, Huo Laogui was filled with smug satisfaction and immediately ordered his men, "Go, find Jiang Lianheng's youngest son!"

Everyone responded immediately and rushed towards the main house of the mansion.

Upon seeing this, the Jiang brothers rushed to stop them, but before they could even reach the door, they were shot by Huo Laogui. Yang Lazi and the others had no choice but to look for cover.

Huo Laogui, however, remained calm and unhurried, laughing wildly as he watched his men chase after the Jiang family members.

Before long, all the Jiang family servants hiding in the side room were killed. Only the women were spared, including Zhuang Shuning's personal maid, Xiao Hui'er.

Yang Lazi and his men were powerless to help, and after a short while, they were all subdued by the enemy.

Huo Laogui intentionally left a few survivors so that he could investigate the Jiang family's background later.

Immediately afterwards, a commotion was also heard from the main house of the mansion.

Looking up, they saw three or five robbers dragging Donya out of the house, laughing and joking with glee, "Big brother, we didn't find the Jiang family's son, but we found a foreign girl!"

Donya struggled fiercely, but to no avail.

Huo Laogui was notorious for his bad ideas. Upon seeing a foreign woman, he found her novel and immediately burst into laughter, saying, "Brothers, we can't miss this opportunity to win glory for our country!"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Unexpectedly, gunshots rang out from behind at that moment...

(End of this chapter)