The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 211 The Mountains and Rivers Remain
The sound of an arrow breaking through the air came to his ears. Yang Tong leaned to the side and was unable to dodge, and his left arm was hit by a heavy arrow.

The heavy arrow struck the iron-armed hand on his left, making an unsettling friction sound. Yang Tong felt his left arm go numb, and the flintlock rifle slipped out of his hand. He stumbled and fell into the trench behind him.

The Shandong archer behind him roared, drew his bow and was about to avenge Brother Yang, but another heavy arrow shot out from the breastwork, piercing the night sky like black lightning and piercing his throat.

Fifty steps away, Bu Yangtai, who was hit by the lead bullet, staggered and struggled for a few times. His eyes went dark and his body, as strong as an ox, crashed into the breastwork.

~~~~~·
Shen Lian put down his short crossbow, stepped on the injured Southern Pacification Division guard on the ground, and said to the fallen Jinyiwei around him:
"Go back and tell Xu Xianchun that if you want to kill me, come here in person! Get lost!"

The injured soldiers helped each other to get up, not daring to look at Shen Lian, and fled in panic.

The stone steps in front of the guild hall were dyed red with blood. Two centurions were lying on the steps, having been dead for a long time.

Both of them were Xu Xianchun's confidants, and were ordered to come and kill the Kaiyuan spies.

They selected dozens of good fighters from the Pacification Office. After arriving at the Shandong Guild Hall, they blocked the front and back doors, preparing to break in and capture Pei Dahu and others alive.

Unexpectedly, the Kaiyuan spies were well prepared. They buried mines at the door and threw out a kind of explosive fire bomb. The foreign soldiers who rushed in suffered heavy casualties, and more than a dozen good fighters were killed on the spot.

Then, the other party rushed out of the guild hall, holding muskets and shooting in all directions. It was a kind of firearm they had never seen before, similar to a three-barreled gun, but with a faster loading speed and greater power.

The Jinyiwei arrived in a hurry and had no time to bring firearms or even wear armor.

What was originally thought to be a simple group fight has now turned into a one-sided massacre.

After the attack was thwarted, the guards dared not move forward. The two centurions were about to go for reinforcements when Shen Lian arrived.

Shen Lian was very popular in the Pacification Office, and the foreign soldiers also knew that he was very skilled, so they stopped fighting and secretly let him go, and soon dispersed.

Shen Lian met Pei Dahu and others. Of the dozen people Pei Dahu brought from Dengzhou, only seven were left alive.

"Brother Pei, hurry out of the city! Tao Ting has prepared carriages, horses, and weapons. Let's fight our way back to Liaodong."

Shen Lian wiped the blood off his face, asked Zhao Yifang to replace weapons for Pei Dahu and the others, and gave them some meat to eat.

Pei Dahu looked Shen Lian up and down. After not seeing him for two years, Shen Lian had become even more burly, and his every move was filled with murderous intent. The thirteen brothers following him were all brave men, and Pei Dahu could not help but marvel at them.

"Good! Shen Lian, you did a great job in the capital!"

Pei Dahu introduced Captain Shen to Wu Xiao and Lin Yu. Lin Yu didn't react much and just nodded slightly.

When Wu Xiao heard that this man was the best expert in the East Factory, the young man's rebellious look immediately subsided and he bowed and said:
"Brother Shen, I've long heard of your great name. When I was in Kaiyuan, I heard people say that you were an amazing martial artist. Seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary."

Seeing Wu Xiao's sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and his heroic aura, Shen Lian also bowed and said:
"The factory owner was killed by the scoundrel Xu Xianchun. The East Factory is leaderless. This is a perfect opportunity to escape. Don't hesitate, leave quickly! After sending you away, I will come back and kill Xu Xianchun with my own hands."

Shen Lian stopped talking nonsense and turned to leave the guild hall. His brothers had already prepared the carriage and were waiting at the door.

Lu Jianxing came closer and whispered:
"Brother Shen, I went to East City to pick up your mother and that crazy girl, and asked them to leave the city first."

Shen Lian patted Lu Jianxing's shoulder and said gratefully:
"Brothers!"

Everyone got on the carriages. The five carriages were packed full, just enough to hold twenty people.

Cai Lian was fully armored and sat in the corner next to Shen Lian. The carriage was bumping along the bluestone pavement of Chaotianmen Street.

The Annan woman looked at her lover with a smile. Shen Lian was bold by nature, and regardless of the presence of others, he reached out and touched the woman's dimples.

Pei Dahu, who was sitting next to him, smiled politely. Wu Xiao couldn't help but say:

"Captain Shen, how many capable warriors are there in the capital?"

Shen Lian retracted his fingers and counted on his thumb. "The Southern and Northern Divisions combined probably have two to three thousand men, and there are also quite a few of their hidden spies along the way."

"so much?!"

Wu Xiao and Pei Dahu screamed at the same time, and Wu Xiao shook his head and said:
"Don't blame me, Captain Shen. I'm a knight-errant from Shaanxi. I've been wandering the martial arts world for several years, and I've never seen anyone risk their life with a woman. Captain Shen brought two women with him? I'm afraid that's inappropriate."

Shen Lian didn't care at all. He turned around, pinched Cailian's cheek, and laughed loudly:

"You're wrong. Including my mother, there are three women! This one is my wife, and the other one is Zuo Guangdou's daughter. She was scared crazy when I raided their house, so I have to take good care of that woman."

Wu Xiao was dumbfounded:

"So, you're going to fight your way back with your wives?"

Shen Lian nodded and smiled:

"Correct!"

"Who says you can't take your wife with you? Women can go to the battlefield. Jin Yuji followed General Liu from Kaiyuan to Shenyang and made great contributions in the bloody battle of Hunhe. Brother Wu, don't underestimate women. Cai Lian is a better archer than me! When we return to Liaodong, let her tell us about the situation in Annan. Doesn't General Liu want to expand his territory..."

Pei Dahu felt quite unhappy when he heard Shen Lian calling General An Yuan by his name and speaking in a very abrupt manner.

The capital is a big melting pot. Shen Lian has been there for two years and has undergone countless changes.

Thinking that this person had just risked his life to save everyone's lives, and was eager to return to serve Ping Liaohou, and that the road ahead was dangerous, he needed this skilled man, although Pei Dahu was unhappy, he pretended not to hear what he had just said, and smiled at Shen Lian:
"Okay, it seems Captain Shen has gathered a lot of intelligence in the capital. Let's go back and report to Marquis Ping Liao. By the way, let's not go back to Liaodong, but to Shandong. General Liu is still in Wendeng."

Pei Dahu was trapped in the capital for two months and had no news. Naturally, he did not know that Liu Zhaosun and his men were fighting a bloody battle with the Jiannu in Hetuala at this time.

Pei Dahu suddenly stopped talking here, looked up at Shen Lian, and said in a low voice:
"To be honest, Marquis Ping Liao has decided to rebuild the Intelligence Bureau and change the name. Brother Shen has been in the Jinyiwei for two years and is better at intelligence than any of us. General Liu wants to wait for you to return and let you take full charge..."

Wu Xiao opened his mouth and was speechless. Before this, he had never heard Pei Dahu talk about this matter. He couldn't believe that Lord Liu valued Shen Lian so much and handed over such an important organization as the Intelligence Bureau to the man in front of him.

It should be noted that the Intelligence Bureau is the right-hand man of Ping Liaohou. The person in charge of this area will have a position in the Kaiyuan system in the future that is no less important than that of veterans such as Kang Yingqian and Yuan Chonghuan.

The more Wu Xiao thought about it, the more unwilling he felt, and he felt unwilling for Pei Dahu.

In terms of seniority, Pei Dahu has the most seniority, and in terms of popularity, Old Pei is also the most popular choice.

Everyone thought that this position should be reserved for Pei Dahu.

The two men turned their gaze to Shen Lian, waiting for Captain Shen's reply.

Shen Lian was silent for a long time, then looked back at his woman and said seriously:
"I'm grateful for Marquis Ping Liao's appreciation, but I'm tired of this kind of intrigue and fighting. I don't want to plunder families or exterminate families anymore, nor do I want to watch children die in front of me anymore. I'm exhausted."

Pei Dahu and Wu Xiao looked at each other, then looked at Shen Lian with an incredible expression.

"This time I'm going to see General Liu for the last time. After I settle my mother down, I'll take the two women and wander around the world."

The carriage suddenly became silent, and the assembly drums of the Five Cities Army were sounded outside. It seemed that the East Factory had ordered the city gates to be blocked.

Pei Dahu sighed:
"Brother Shen, think carefully. The Kaiyuan Army will enter the pass next year. Sooner or later, the world will belong to Ping Liaohou. To be honest, you and I are both old men who came from Sarhu. We have followed Lord Liu until now. The glory and wealth of several lifetimes are right in front of us..."

Wu Xiao was in a trance, recalling his experience as a knight-errant in Shaanxi. Glancing at Shen Lian's high-spirited face, he fell into deep thought.

"In the past two years, I've imprisoned many people, and many have died because of me. I can't save others, nor can I save myself. You know, Shen lost his biological father at a young age. Since I came to the East Factory, Wei Zhongxian has treated me very well. We had a father-son relationship, but in the end, I had to watch him being killed by Xu Xianchun... I'm tired, exhausted. After I kill my enemy, I'll be a child of the rivers and lakes. I'll leave the glory and wealth of Ping Liaohou to you."

Outside the carriage, Shen Lian's younger brother Zhao Yifang was walking in front wearing a Feiyu suit. He whipped his horse and led the convoy towards the heavily guarded Zuo'an Gate.

(End of this chapter)