CHAPTER 239: CHAPTER 238: WHAT IS THIS THING!

Just a bunch of local riffraff like him.

A hundred men from the Imperial Forest Army would be enough to deal with him!

Ningguan City lay northwest of the Capital City. Situated on the plains, it was considered a strategic fortress. Merchants traveling north and south passed through it incessantly.

Before entering the city, Xia Tingfeng had all the horses and carriages dismissed. He found a place outside the city to keep them, assigning some men to watch over them. He himself, leading about a hundred men, had them all disguise themselves as ordinary citizens.

"Guard Xia, what about our weapons?" one soldier asked. They were heading into a fight; how could they go without weapons?

Xia Tingfeng responded directly, "Each man gets a short dagger. Leave the rest!"

"What?! That doesn’t seem right..." Murmurs of surprise went through the ranks.

With over a hundred men, not all of whom were necessarily skilled with daggers, could they truly win with just those?

Xia Tingfeng nodded. "Long swords would be useless. Short daggers will suffice!" With that, he said no more.

The men exchanged uncertain glances. Even those in the Imperial Forest Army who had witnessed his true skills began to question this whole endeavor. Soldiers heading into battle without their primary weapons?

Guard Xia is a martial arts master, but he has never led troops. Can he really pull this off? they wondered.

However, Xia Tingfeng wasn’t worried. He confidently divided the hundred or so men into small squads.

"A hundred men together make too large a target. We’ll split up!" he declared. "You, and you, take these twenty men and enter through the south gate. You two squads, enter from the north gate!"

Xia Tingfeng issued his commands skillfully. The hundred men were quickly assigned their positions, the layout logical and perfectly coordinated.

His confident demeanor inspired an unconscious desire in everyone to follow his orders.

"Strange, isn’t it?"

"Who said he’s never led troops? He’s quite skilled at this!"

"Indeed!"

As they were muttering, Xia Tingfeng barked, "Move out!"

"Yes, sir!" The Imperial Forest Army responded in unison, promptly obeying.

「By the time the Imperial Forest Army reached Ningguan City and prepared to search for their quarry, General Chen’s men had also found a lead.」

"Reporting to the General! Our investigation reveals that after Fan Changsheng was abducted, his captors fled with him towards Ningguan City!"

"Ningguan City?" General Chen’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets with anger. That young whelp was actually right! "Move out! We march to Ningguan!"

Even though we’re a step behind, I can’t lose face. We still have to go! he thought.

「Meanwhile, inside Ningguan City.」

The streets were bustling with people; vendors hawking snacks and vegetables were everywhere. Superficially, nothing seemed amiss. It certainly didn’t resemble the rumored descriptions of a city suffering under the tyranny of some ’devil incarnate’, plunged into dire straits.

「Three Shi Chen later.」

The Imperial Forest Army squads had completed a cursory search and regrouped near the city center.

"Nothing in the east!"

"West side is all clear!"

"South is normal too!"

"Same for the north!"

Xia Tingfeng nodded. No major incidents. It seems that fellow hasn’t caused any trouble yet. Most likely... He mentally reviewed several possibilities.

He glanced around, then casually pulled a passerby aside. "Friend, could you tell me where the gambling dens and taverns are in Ningguan City?"

The man gave him a complicated look before pointing south. "The whole street south of the city. You’ll find everything there. Go on."

Xia Tingfeng put on a roguish grin. "Thanks!"

The man walked away, muttering to himself, "Such a respectable-looking young man. Why would he go to a place like that?"

Xia Tingfeng rejoined his men. "South of the city. Watch for my signals. We’ll split up and surround them. Don’t let them escape!"

Everyone nodded. One of them asked, "Guard Xia, how many do you think there are?"

Xia Tingfeng considered the number of men General Chen had with him, then replied, "Not too many, but not too few either. Probably twenty to thirty."

General Chen is a battlefield commander, unfamiliar with the methods of local thugs, Xia Tingfeng mused. Twenty or thirty men using a simple trick could easily snatch someone. More would risk exposure; fewer wouldn’t be enough to succeed. That number sounds about right.

"Move out in groups!" Xia Tingfeng ordered. He then led his men south, their movements appearing random but actually highly coordinated.

「And at that very moment.」

General Chen arrived with his hundred cavalrymen, a grand and imposing procession. Without any subtlety, they charged straight into the city. The city gate guards tried to stop them, but General Chen simply flashed his token from the Three Great Camps of the Capital City. "There’s a fugitive in Ningguan City! I am under orders to apprehend him immediately!"

The guard glanced at the troop of cavalry behind General Chen and hesitantly waved them through. The city guards weren’t the issue. It was the common folk who were terrified.

Wherever the cavalry passed, panic erupted. This was typical of commoners everywhere; upon seeing soldiers, their first instinct was to flee, regardless of the reason, their legs carrying them as fast as possible. Those in front ran, and those behind followed. If you asked why, they wouldn’t know. All they knew was that running was the right thing to do.

Just as Xia Tingfeng and his men reached the southern part of the city, they saw a major street ahead. Crowds of commoners were fleeing frantically in the opposite direction, the throng growing larger and their pace more desperate by the second.

A flicker of excitement sparked within Xia Tingfeng. Has that fellow finally shown himself? He quickly signaled to his Imperial Forest Army men. "Quickly, let’s go!"

However, just as the Imperial Forest Army was preparing to encircle the area from four directions, General Chen appeared at the far end of the street, mounted on his tall horse, leading his cavalry at a full gallop.

Riding a horse at full speed on a crowded street?! Xia Tingfeng seethed internally. This street is full of civilians! Isn’t he afraid of injuring someone? What in the blazes is this?! I never bullied commoners, even when I was just a local ruffian! And you, a general, riding your horse through the main street like this! That absolute bastard! If I could, I’d charge over there, kick that fellow off his horse, and crack open his skull to see if it’s full of dog crap!

Xia Tingfeng glanced back at his men. Every soldier in his Imperial Forest Army detachment wore an expression of utter despair.

With a contemptuous look at General Chen, who had already galloped past, Xia Tingfeng ordered, "Brothers, we’re pulling out for now!"

With that, he led his men away, moving in the opposite direction to General Chen. The small squad quickly vanished into the surging crowd. So, you want to search with such fanfare? Go right ahead. I’m not playing this game anymore!

「Like most towns, Ningguan City had its share of places that served as havens for the local gentry, wealthy troublemakers, and spoiled scions.」

They were much like modern red-light districts, with gambling dens, taverns, brothels, and markets for birds and dogs. Birds of a feather flocked together, so these establishments were usually concentrated in one area. In Ningguan City, this was Southern Street.

Xia Tingfeng led his men, covertly searching along Southern Street.

"Guard Xia, we’ve checked all the taverns. Nothing!"

"Guard Xia, the brothels are clear too!"

"Guard Xia, nothing at the bird and dog markets either!"

Xia Tingfeng’s eyes narrowed. "In that case, they must be in a gambling den!"

「Half a Shi Chen later.」

Xia Tingfeng and his men arrived at the entrance of the largest gambling den in Ningguan City: Changsheng Gambling House.

"Too many people inside," Xia Tingfeng said. "I’ll take ten men in with me!"