The Great Ming in the Box

Chapter 417: Dare to Report Your Name?

Xing Honglang also rode forward with the cavalry unit, but she quickly discovered that during this kind of mounted combat, she seemed useless.

She only knew how to ride a horse; she didn’t “know how to fight on horseback.”

Ahead, Zao Ying knocked over a fierce bandit with a single spear thrust, but Xing Honglang drew her waist knife and found she didn’t really understand how to slash people while galloping fast on the horse; she simply couldn’t use any force.

Indeed, every trade had its experts!

Damn it, she might as well get off the horse.

Xing Honglang pushed off with her hands on the horse’s back, leaping up into the air.

Jumping down from a galloping horse was dangerous, but she didn’t fear it at all. She landed with a dull thud, rolled several times to dissipate the impact, and then sprang to her feet.

As soon as she got up, she noticed the bandit chief had been rolling too; he stood up at the same time, so they came face to face.

That was how Xiao Zhang Bao and Xing Honglang confronted each other!

“Goddamn it, a woman,” Xiao Zhang Bao roared, thrusting his spear straight at Xing Honglang’s forehead.Xing Honglang avoided it by sidestepping past the spear point, darting forward to close in. At that close distance, the spear became ineffective, so Xiao Zhang Bao discarded it decisively and drew his waist knife.

They clashed knives against knives, clang clang clang, and in an instant, three to five moves had passed.

But in those few moves, Xiao Zhang Bao’s subordinates had bad luck. Zao Ying and her mounted bandit subordinates swept through Xiao Zhang Bao’s main formation like a gale, unleashing a barrage of hand crossbows, spears, and sabers. In a flash, there were hardly any men left standing in Xiao Zhang Bao’s main formation.

Someone roared furiously, “Those in the front, come back quick… ah…”

A long spear pierced out from his chest.

When the bandits in the front saw that the rear formation was being ambushed by cavalry, chaos broke out instantly. A large group scrambled backward, while the hardcore fierce bandits at the very front, who had charged up to the monastery’s red wall, remained focused on attacking. On the front line battling the villagers’ bamboo spears and farm tools, they had no time to turn and see what was happening behind them; they were still devoted solely to the assault.

The bandit army abruptly split into two sections.

Half moving forward, half retreating backward.

It was only when the forward-moving half heard the collective shouts of those retreating in the back that they finally realized what had happened. Turning around to look, they saw Xing Honglang’s waist knife slash across Xiao Zhang Bao’s neck; blood sprayed out half a zhang far…

“Roar!”

After one loud shout, the bandits descended into pandemonium, and everyone began running backward messily.

Zao Ying urged, “Honglang, get on the horse! Those men are coming back, and you’re vulnerable on foot.”

After Xing Honglang had jumped off earlier, her war horse instinctively circled around and trotted back close to her. She scrambled onto its back and, alongside Zao Ying, galloped off into the distance.

A large mob of bandits rushed back clamoring noisily together. Someone crouched beside Xiao Zhang Bao’s corpse and yelled, “Bad news! The young boss was killed!”

“Hurry, go inform the Boss!”

“Goddamn it, where did this cavalry come from?”

“Chase after them! Avenge the young boss!”

They shouted fiercely, but trying to chase war horses on two legs was pure wishful thinking. Zao Ying and Xing Honglang shot dozens of zhang away in an instant, out of bow or arrow range, not to mention on foot.

The cavalry unit rode several dozen zhang away and halted, no longer fleeing, and watched the bandits from afar.

The bandits could only bellow at the cavalry unit, “Where are you bastards from? Dare to report your names?”

Xing Honglang shouted loudly, “I never hide my name! I am Yongji Xing Honglang. Remember my name!”

“Yongji Xing Honglang?”

“I have heard of this name; they are the salt lord around here.”

“Damn it, why is the salt lord attacking us? We are all against the court; we should rebel together and fight the court.”

Xing Honglang said: “This is my territory; whoever burns and kills and robs here, I will kill him and his entire family.”

A fierce bandit was holding Xiao Zhang Bao’s corpse and roared back: “You damn woman, don’t be so arrogant here—just a mere salt lord, who dares to swagger because you have dozens of horses? If you have the guts, don’t rely on your fast horses to escape; I’ll cut you to pieces, you little salt lord.”

That guy had just finished roaring this, when he noticed a large group of cavalry had arrived from the west; it was the main force of the cavalry camp led by Zao Ying. They couldn’t find where Pujiao Temple was, so they had asked Iron Bird Flies to be their guide.

Iron Bird Flies wore merchant clothes, riding his horse at the front, with two hundred and fifty cavalry soldiers following behind; it was a grand spectacle, making Iron Bird Flies at the forefront feel incredibly imposing, his demeanor extremely arrogant.

Arriving at the place, he ran up to Xing Honglang and laughed loudly: “Bringing so many cavalry was really imposing. Ah, I also want to get a cavalry unit. Where on earth did you get so many horses? Can you sell me some? Give me a quote.”

Nobody paid attention to him!

As soon as those cavalry arrived, they ran behind Zao Ying and stopped boosting Iron Bird Flies’ imposing aura.

The fierce bandit who had just said he would cut Xing Honglang to pieces now saw several hundred more cavalry here; his face darkened, he could no longer utter the arrogant words, and he quickly led the other bandit troops to withdraw northward.

Zao Ying sneered: “Act tough and then run? It’s not that easy. Boss Xing, you go to Pujiao Temple and chat with your old villagers; I’ll go play with these stupid bandits.”

Xing Honglang cupped her hands: “Good!”

Zao Ying urged her horse forward with a kick and chased toward the direction the bandits retreated: “Cavalry camp, follow! Let’s have a good time playing with these fleeing bandits.”

Behind her, three hundred cavalry troops responded with a rumble and chased after together.

Xing Honglang then waved to Iron Bird Flies: “Come, let’s go to Pujiao Temple.”

Iron Bird Flies shrugged his shoulders: “I guided the cavalry and got no benefit at all; Boss Xing, at least give me a quote for the guiding job.”

Xing Honglang said: “Why have the words ‘Hedong’ in your name ‘Iron Bird Flies of Hedong’ if not for use? Helping the villagers of Hedong shouldn’t require payment.”

Iron Bird Flies muttered: “You’ve at least got to give me one copper coin.”

Xing Honglang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; she took out one copper coin and flicked it, the coin spinning and flipping in midair. Iron Bird Flies caught it in his hand and laughed loudly: “Good! The payment has indeed been received. Let’s go, Pujiao Temple.”

The two slowly reached the front of Pujiao Temple.

The people inside Pujiao Temple, from their high vantage point, had seen the whole scene and knew these two were their own people; they had opened the temple gate early.

A group from Sun Family Village rushed out of the gate: “It’s Xing Honglang! It’s Xing Honglang from our Sun Family Village!”

“Honglang, we haven’t seen you for years.”

“Where have you been all these years?”

“You came back at just the right time; without you, we would all have been finished.”

Apart from the people from Sun Family Village, there were many from other villages inside the temple, standing a bit farther back and whispering: “Who is that woman? The people from Sun Family Village seem very familiar with her.”

“She’s the salt lord—haven’t you heard? People who hang around here all know her.”

“I don’t hang around outside; I only know farming.”