County government office, side house,

A soldier, wearing black armor, with a solemn expression, stood with a sword in his hand.

Between one and two incense burners, wisps of green smoke and sandalwood drifted.

Xun Shaoyu's face was expressionless, his eyes were stern, and his coldness became clearer.

Between his brows, he looked at the prisoner in front of him with a cold look, and said quietly: "Is he that daring gangster?"

Zhao Wenyuan and Zhao Xunan stood aside, standing respectfully, with no trace of the aura of a military commander or a local history officer.

Xun Shaoyu's eyes flickered, and when he passed Zhao Xunan, he paused for a moment.

Regarding Zhao Xun'an, Xun Shaoyu felt that he had misjudged him.

In the past, Zhao Xunan was mediocre in his eyes and was not the choice of a capable minister and official. Moreover, under the observation of Shi Jingqi, he was not a person born with extraordinary destiny.

A deep understanding of one's destiny may be worth something in a village or a township.

For someone like Xun Shaoyu, who already took charge of a county and enjoyed his own power and wealth, it was a bit useless.

If it weren't for the fact that he is very senior and is an "old fritter", he is very familiar with some affairs of the torture chamber.

Xun Shaoyu had long ago found a reason to remove Zhao Xunan from his position as the history of the torture chamber.

But today, Zhao Xunan was able to find the hiding place of the bandits in just a few hours.

Not only did he accomplish this feat, but he also allowed Xun Shaoyu to suppress other thoughts for the time being.

After all, not just anyone can find these gangsters among the tens of thousands of people in Nuoda County in less than twelve hours.

This effort to find a needle in a haystack undoubtedly immediately gave Xun Shaoyu a completely new impression of Zhao Xunan.

As for Xun Shaoyu, he didn't mind that his subordinates would spend all day fawning over others, bullying their subordinates and flattering their superiors, and not doing their job properly.

However, this does not mean that he will tolerate his subordinates, who are all useless people who are just waiting to die and muddle along.

To deal with such a person, he would kick him away without hesitation and leave him to fend for himself.

However, for those who are useful, Xun Shaoyu's tolerance will become unprecedentedly high, and even giving and receiving is not a problem.

As long as it can be used for his own benefit, Xun Shaoyu never cares whether he is a treacherous person, a villain or a hypocrite.

"Fang Guoduan?"

Gao Tianbao was invisible and murmured.

This young man in front of me can make dignified officials and generals be so careful and respectful.

This identity and status is indeed obvious.

Seeing the young man's majestic posture, Gao Tianbao's eyes narrowed slightly.

Zhao Wenyuan pointed at Gao Tianbao and said, "It's exactly this beast!"

Gao Tianbao was wrapped around two or three iron ropes. At the other end of the iron ropes, there was a big iron ball dragging on the ground.

At first glance, this big iron ball is as big as a millstone and weighs at least two to three hundred kilograms.

Xun Shaoyu nodded slightly and said: "This dog can defeat the Xu family and kill everyone in the Xu family. It is also a capable person."

The Xu family is a large family in the county. It is quite powerful and has a lot of wealth. It is very popular in Jiangning County and has the reputation of being the richest man.

In such a family, the people who look after the house and the courtyard will definitely not be all just a bunch of people, but they must be practitioners with some real skills.

However, even so, the one hundred and seven members of the Xu family were still not immune.

This was enough for Xun Shaoyu to look at him differently.

Zhao Wenyuan hesitated for a while and said: "Sir, this dog is fierce and stubborn, so we should not underestimate it."

"When I humbly led the troops to capture this animal, I fought more than ten times and lost many of my brothers before I took this animal into custody."

This kind of person should not be taken lightly, even if he is equipped with anklets and handcuffs.

Xun Shaoyu's expression changed and he said, "What are the casualties?"

"It's tragic!"

Zhao Wenyuan's voice couldn't help but grow slightly lower: "The gangsters are fierce. If I hadn't been humble and used strong bows and crossbows without authorization, I might not be able to suppress these big bandits."

Xun Shaoyu looked solemn. Of course he knew that the bandits who dared to burn, kill and loot in Jiangning County were definitely not easy to deal with.

But being able to compete with the regular army under his command was a bit beyond his expectation.

You know, the Turer people swept across the world and had unparalleled fighting power.

As for the various rebel armies, they were able to survive the Turer people's encirclement and suppression and develop and grow step by step. They were all born out of heaps of flesh and blood.

The weaker soldiers had already been eliminated in several encirclement and suppression campaigns by the Turer people.

Xun Shaoyu is also a good soldier. Of course he understands that it is impossible for some ordinary bandits to have such fighting power.

This kind of combat power can be compared to some rural soldiers, county soldiers and the like.

He mused: "So...really fierce!"

Immediately, Xun Shaoyu looked at this burly man carefully and asked: "Where are you from, where are you from, and how can you offend me, Jiangning?"

Gao Tianbao met Xun Shaoyu's gaze and sneered: "I am from Fengtai Mountain, Gaojiazhai... I don't change my name when I work, I don't change my surname when I sit down, Gao Tianbao and Uncle Gao are the same!"

What he said was confident and confident.

He, Gaojiazhai, can be said to be the leader of the mountain people. The people in Nuoda Fengtai Mountain are all local bullies and powerful forces that sit on the ground.

If anyone from Fang Guoduan dares to touch a hair on my head today, the people from Gaojiazhai will come down from the mountain and drown this small Jiangning County with just a spit of spit.

Xun Shaoyu said quietly: "Gaojiazhai... why haven't I heard of this village? There is such a village on Fengtai Mountain?"

Zhao Wenyuan's expression calmed slightly. In terms of combat power, a group of bandits could directly face the bandits who defeated the regular army. One can imagine the great threat they pose.

On the side, Zhao Xunan's face twitched a few times, and he quickly stepped forward two or three steps and asked Gao Tianbao, "But the Gao family in Erxiong Ridge, Fengtai Mountain?"

Xun Shaoyu and Zhao Wenyuan were not natives of Danyang, so of course they didn't know Fengtai Mountain.

How could Zhao Xunan, an old Danyang native, not know the power of those mountain villagers on Fengtai Mountain?

"Hmph... Since you know the reputation of my Gao family, I won't let you go, Uncle Gao."

Gao Tianbao's strong body dragged the iron rope with an unruly expression.

Xun Shaoyu pondered for a moment and said, "Is this Gao family very troublesome?"

This sentence was asked without beginning or end. Of course Zhao Xunan understood that this was what he was asking himself.

Zhao Xunan said: "The Fengtai Mountains cross Danyang Prefecture and pass through several counties along the way. The wild people in the mountains live in groups, hunt and patrol the mountains, fight tigers and drive away wolves. Most of them are tough men."

"Mountain people live in the mountains, often numbering in the hundreds, for hundreds of years, and they gather in large numbers, forming a village of earth."

"There are many native soldiers in the village, sometimes hundreds, sometimes thousands."

Xun Shaoyu said lightly: "Gaojiazhai is one of them?"

Zhao Xunyuan: "Yes...and it is the most powerful family in the mountain."

Xun Shaoyu sighed softly: "Really?"

He unhurriedly pulled out a simple sword from the waist of a soldier beside him.

"General..."

Xun Shaoyu's next move made Zhao Xunan suddenly startled and he exclaimed.

Xun Shaoyu looked at Gao Tianbao with wide eyes, bulging eyeballs, and an expression of disbelief. With a 'pop' sound, he pulled out the blade of the sword, leaving a trail of blood.

"General..." Xun Shaoyu's sudden killing spree left Zhao Xunan almost at a loss as to the bloody scene in front of him.

Xun Shaoyu said leisurely: "Trouble?"

"He's fast, so it won't be a problem!"

…………

Fengtai Mountain, Erxiong Ridge,

Inside an ancient cave, candlelight is brightly lit.

Laoxiang, which is as thick as a child's arm, is inserted into a three-eared beast cauldron.

Around the cave, there are ancient stone statues one after another, each with teeth and claws, and a terrifying expression. Some have multiple heads, hands, arms, bodies with multiple eyes, or have a strange and mysterious look.

A black cloth flag is inserted in the hole. The flag cloth is covered with drawings like children's graffiti. On both sides of the flag handle, there are relief carvings of snakes, the snakes spit out messages, and strings of copper bells are hung.

On top of the bell, there are densely packed totems, each of which is different and unique.

An old man with white hair and beard has a thick body, exposed arms, and tangled knots. He is dressed in an old gray shirt and sits cross-legged under a black flag.

With his eyes slightly closed, he exhaled and inhaled for a long time, vaguely inside and outside the cave, echoing for eternity.

clang--

Suddenly, there was a slight vibration, and I don’t know when it sounded. The bells rang and collided, and dozens of bells shook and trembled for a while.

Looking closely, one of the bells was shaking violently, and it was also causing two strings of copper bells to tremble non-stop.
To be continued...