If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

The arrow stopped beside the stone pillar.

Xiao Qi maintained his bow-drawing posture, his gaze following the arrow shaft to the leader's right hand.

The child was blocked at the front.

With the long sword pressed against his neck, if the arrow were even an inch off target, no one knew whether the chief would press the sword down before he died.

Xu Qingshan took a step forward.

"If you want to live, we can talk."

The leader immediately shouted, "Halt!"

The blade pressed even closer.

The boy's face was deathly pale, and his shoulders were trembling uncontrollably.

Xu Qingshan stopped.

"Aman has sealed off the cracks in the rocks behind the mountain."

"The horses in the Zangma Valley have also been released."

"If you want to leave, you have to tell me how you plan to leave."

The leader sneered.

"I built this village single-handedly."

"You really think that blocking two roads will stop me from moving?"

Xu Qingshan looked at the stone house.

The thick wooden door was open.

The room was dimly lit, and only a few fallen wooden cabinets could be seen.

The chief's more than twenty confidants all retreated inside.

Several people were still holding bows and short knives.

The stone house is nestled against the mountainside.

If there really is another exit, it's most likely inside.

Xu Qingshan said, "That makes things simple."

"Let the child go, and I'll let you into the house."

"Once you find the path to survival, we'll each rely on our own abilities."

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

The leader stared at him.

"I want your men to leave the inner village."

"Make way for the grain storage area as well."

"Give me twenty more horses."

Hou San, leaning against the wooden cell, chuckled upon hearing this.

"Twenty horses?"

"Chief, you can't even find a single horse now."

"The horses have all run away."

The scar on the leader's face twitched a few times.

"Shut up!"

Hou San pointed towards the direction of Zangma Valley.

"I'm not kidding you."

"I even heard it when Ah Man was releasing the horses."

"More than sixty horses running together is much more lively than when you closed the gate."

Xu Qingshan took over the conversation.

"The horse is gone."

"The grain depot is mine."

"The people in the wooden cell have almost all been evacuated."

"You only have one child left now."

"Trading a child for twenty horses is asking too much."

The leader's eyes were cold and sinister.

"Xu Qingshan".

"Aren't you afraid I'll really kill him?"

"Afraid."

Xu Qingshan said, "That's why I'm standing here talking nonsense with you."

"At any other time, you would be lying down by now."

Hou San moved two steps to the side.

As expected, the leader's attention fell on Xu Qingshan.

Xiaoqi also quietly adjusted her position on the high slope.

The stone pillar that originally blocked the rays was now exposed with an even larger gap after the leader moved it.

Xu Qingshan continued, "How many years has Sun Kui been doing business with you?"

The leader did not answer.

"Ma Rong said that One-Eyed Wolf was in charge of receiving the goods, and Qi Biao was in charge of White Wolf collecting and selling the stolen goods."

"You are only responsible for meeting the guests from Yunzhou."

"Who is Master Chen?"

Upon hearing this name, the leader's expression clearly changed.

Xu Qingshan saw it.

"It seems Ma Rong wasn't lying."

"Sun Kui and Ma Rong were just errand runners."

"You are the one who truly connects to the Yunzhou line."

The leader's lips twitched.

"So what if you find out all this?"

"Send the account books to Yunzhou?"

"Should we sue Chen Huaishan?"

Xu Qingshan said, "It seems it really is related to Chen Huaishan."

"I didn't say it was him."

The leader sneered.

"Yunzhou is so big, there are many people with the surname Chen."

"You're just a centurion on the north wall, you don't even know if you'll live to see tomorrow, and you want to investigate further?"

He slowly retreated towards the stone house.

"The more you know, the faster you die."

Sun Kui used to think that he had someone protecting him.

Xu Qingshan said, "His grave is probably cold by now."

"Ma Rong is also in jail."

"Qi Biao..."

He glanced towards the gate of the village.

Suddenly, a shout of cursing came from afar.

Soon, a soldier from Iron Gate Fortress came running up the stone steps.

"Lord Garrison Commander!"

"Qi Biao has been captured!"

"His thigh wound reopened, and he was hit by an arrow in his right hand. Miss Xiao has tied him behind the ruined stone wall!"

The leader's eye twitched.

Hou San laughed and said, "The second-in-command is gone too."

"Your Black Wind Stronghold looks quite well-organized today."

"They lined up to go to jail one by one."

The leader suddenly turned to look at Hou San.

It was in that very moment.

The bowstring on the high slope rang.

hum!

The arrow pierced through the gap between the wooden railing and the stone pillar.

The leader reacted extremely quickly; just as he was about to pull his wrist back, the arrow had already pierced his metacarpal bone.

His entire right hand was flung backward by the arrow.

The long sword slipped from his hand.

The child stood there, stunned.

"Get down!"

Hou San rushed out from the side.

The wound on his waist reopened with the movement, and fresh blood quickly soaked through the burlap.

Ignoring the pain, he threw himself on the child, carrying the boy as they rolled toward the outside of the stone pillar.

The leader reached out with his left hand, trying to grab it.

Xu Qingshan had already rushed in front of him.

The scabbard struck his arm first.

The two crashed into the entrance of the stone house.

The leader raised his leg and kicked Xu Qingshan in the chest.

Xu Qingshan dodged to the side, the blade grazing the other man's thigh.

Blood instantly soaked through his trouser leg.

The head of the gang staggered back into the house.

"kill!"

More than twenty of his confidants rushed at him at the same time.

The Zhenbei cavalry also rushed up the stone steps.

The short crossbow fired a volley first.

Three people immediately collapsed at the entrance of the stone house.

Xu Qingshan stepped into the room, deflecting the dagger in front of him with the back of his blade, and then punched the other man in the chin with his left fist.

The bandit fell backward.

A spear thrust at from behind.

Xu Qingshan grabbed the corner of the table and flipped it forward.

The wooden table collided with the spear shaft, shattering rice bowls and wine jars all over the floor.

The cavalry from the north pressed in from both sides.

The stone house was not spacious to begin with.

More than twenty people were crammed inside, unable to even use their weapons properly.

The leader, clutching his right hand which had been struck by an arrow, retreated to the deepest part of the area.

He kicked over the wooden cabinet against the wall.

A stone slab of a different color was visible behind the cabinet.

Hou San had just handed the child over to the arriving soldier when he looked up and saw this scene.

"Centurion!"

There's something behind the wall!

The leader grabbed an iron ring from the wall.

The stone slab was moved inward.

A dark hole was revealed.

"Let's go through the tunnel!"

Several core bandits immediately blocked the back of the stone house.

The leader crawled into the cave.

The accountant followed behind, carrying a wooden box.

The remaining confidants also rushed in.

Xu Qingshan knocked down the bandit blocking his way with a single blow.

"Block the hole!"

Zhenbei Qi wanted to rush forward, but suddenly a cloud of dust fell from the stone roof.

Finally, the bandits who entered the tunnel activated the mechanism.

Two thick logs fell from above the cave entrance.

The stone slab slid back down the wooden trough, blocking the entrance with a crash.

Tie Niu arrived at the door carrying a heavy axe.

"I'll do it!"

Hou San leaned against the wall, panting.

"What grudge do you have against this door today?"

Tie Niu ignored him and was about to bring his heavy axe down on the stone slab.

Xu Qingshan reached out to stop him.

"Don't chop it yet."

"Since it's an escape tunnel, there might be a rockfall trap inside."

"Find an exit from the outside."

Aman is in Zangma Valley.

If the tunnel truly leads to the back mountain, traces will definitely be left near the exit.

The resistance inside the stone house ended quickly.

Of the core bandits who remained outside, seven died and five were wounded.

Seeing that their leader had fled through the tunnel, the others also dropped their weapons.

The outer village is faster.

The grain depot has been captured by the Zhenbei Army.

The people in the wooden cell are being evacuated.

The Zangma Valley was also sealed off.

The chieftain didn't even care about his trusted men; he ran away first.

The outer henchmen, who had been holding weapons, could no longer hold on.

A long spear was thrown into the snow.

Then came the second knife.

The third bow.

When Xu Qingshan walked out of the stone house, more than twenty people were already kneeling in the open space inside the village.

Gao Bai led the old soldiers of Duanhebao to escort more than a dozen other prisoners.

"Sir, the outer fortress has begun to surrender."

"Another group hid in the straw shed and didn't dare to come out."

Xu Qingshan said, "Repeat the message again."

"Put down your weapons and kneel on the spot."

"Those who have never killed military households, never robbed caravans, and never been involved in human trafficking will be detained and investigated first."

"Actively identifying the granary, the wooden cell, the account books, and the murderer can earn one record."

"Anyone who continues to carry a knife will be treated as a bandit."

Gao Bai accepted the order and left.

Hou San leaned against a stone pillar beside him.

The child has been taken away by the mother who found her.

The woman knelt on the ground, intending to kowtow, but was helped up by Zhenbeiqi.

Hou San glanced at his waist.

The linen has turned completely red.

"This time, Qin Yuenu should really know how to use fishing line."

Xu Qingshan glanced at him.

"You know that too?"

"The situation was unusual just now."

"You're always special."

"That means I'm unlucky."

"That means you need a stitch."

Hou San wisely shut up.

…………

When Aman arrived at the stone house, he was carrying a muddy boot.

"We've found the tunnel exit."

Xu Qingshan asked, "Where?"

"The western side of the mountain wall in Zangma Valley."

"It's blocked off from the outside with withered vines and pebbles."

"When I led my men there, there were already more than twenty footprints on the ground."

"And horseshoes."

Tie Niu frowned.

"Weren't all the horses driven away?"

"More than sixty horses have scattered in the outer valley."

Ah Man said, "After the chief's men came out of the tunnel, they intercepted about twenty horses."

"We were separated by the mountain wall, and we were a step too late to go around it."

Xu Qingshan asked, "Which way?"

"southwest."

"That side connects to the old trade route of Bailangji."

Aman paused for a moment.

"I've already sent two people to follow them."

"Just follow, don't take action."

Xiao Hongluan also rushed over from the main gate.

Two soldiers carried Qi Biao behind her.

Qi Biao's right hand was bandaged, a piece of the wooden board on his right leg had broken off, and his face was frighteningly pale.

Seeing the bandits kneeling in front of the stone house, he closed his eyes.

"Big brother ran away?"

Hou San said, "You called me 'elder brother' too early."

"When they closed the door just now, they didn't treat you like a brother."

Qi Biao did not reply.

Xu Qingshan looked at Aman.

"Keep an eye on the leader first."

Don't get too close.

Xiao Hongluan asked, "Really not going to pursue them?"

"There are still hundreds of people in the village who were just rescued."

Xu Qingshan looked towards the grain storage tunnel.

Although no open flames could be seen at the cave entrance, black smoke was still billowing out.

"The grain is still steaming."

"Let's save these two things first."

In the distance, a scout ran in from the back of the mountain.

"Lord Garrison Commander!"

"The people Sister Aman sent out discovered that the chief and his twenty-odd men did not head towards the grasslands."

"They went towards Bailangji along the old southwest trade route."

Xu Qingshan looked at Su Jinniang.

Su Jinniang's expression also changed.

"White Wolf Village has a place for selling stolen goods from Black Wind Village."

"A copy of the ledger was likely left there as well."

Xu Qingshan sheathed his sword.

"The boss is busy running for his life."

"Still thinking about cleaning up the messes for those in power."