Shangshui Village, various intersections.

"Quick, these robbers are trying to escape, let loose the arrows."

"Don’t let them get away, chase them."

"The General orders, do not let a single one escape."

"Brothers, follow me and kill."

From East Village to the dozen or so small roads leading to the village, all the houses were ambushed by garrison soldiers. Some were under Luo Li’s command, while others were local garrison troops. Upon receiving Ye Shikai’s military orders, they immediately rushed to Shangshui Village. Although not as well-trained and equipped as Ye Shikai’s guard, they were more than sufficient to deal with robbers and marauders. Most importantly, they had plenty of weapons, such as spears and bows. Although the village’s blacksmith shop could forge weapons, most of their stock consisted of farming tools like scythes and hoes. The Qin laws were strict; harboring weapons was a capital offense and could implicate others. Therefore, it was impossible for the blacksmith shop to mass-produce weapons.

As soon as the signal arrow was shot out, the soldiers scattered in the houses rushed out, first shooting arrows to kill, then rushing with weapons to attack. The robbers were not trained, and once the battle started, their psychological quality naturally wasn’t strong. Usually, they banded together to bully the common folk, naturally fearless, but now suddenly facing the Qin Army, scattered in numbers and caught off guard, they retreated in confusion, trying to flee from the village.

"The General orders, take advantage of these robbers being scattered to annihilate them one by one, otherwise, if they escape and regroup at the village entrance, it will be troublesome. Additionally, the General orders, whoever kills a robber will be rewarded one tael of silver and five pounds of grain. Brothers, follow me and kill."

"Quick, we must escape." In an instant, the situation between the two sides was completely reversed. The aggressive robbers immediately ran off, fleeing like desperate refugees. Except for the road where the robber leader was, almost all robbers at various intersections and streets retreated, following their original route, but the rugged paths hindered their "escape" speed. Many scattered robbers were either shot and killed or surrendered, discarding their armor and helmets.

Ye Shikai rushed onto the main road, just in time to see the robber leader, along with the Second Master. Xue San had already marked this place. Ye Shikai’s best tactic was decapitation, capturing the bandit chief, so this time was no exception. His primary goal was to kill the robber leader, rendering the remaining robbers insignificant.

"Stop!"

Ye Shikai charged on horseback, directly knocking away four or five people. With a thrust of his spear, he scattered the robbers blocking the way. His cavalry guards followed behind, slicing through the robber’s defenses like a sharp blade.

"Big brother, that’s the General of the Qin Army."

The robber leader drew his bow and shot an arrow, which flew out like a cannonball, creating a sound in the air. Ye Shikai swiftly shifted his stance, dismounting, as the arrow struck the wall behind, leaving a large hole.

Ye Shikai held a spear in one hand and a sword in the other, slashing and stabbing alongside his guard, carving a bloody path. Two hundred cavalry charged fiercely, defeating the robbers completely. Several followers supported the robber leader, trying to retreat from the back of the house.

"Everyone, follow me, don’t let him escape." Ye Shikai shouted, and the guards behind him followed, unstoppable.

"Big brother, quickly take the brothers and leave. You’ll be safe at the village entrance. I’ll hold them off." The Second Master pushed the robber leader away, turned with several followers, and charged towards Ye Shikai.

"I’ll kill you."

"Seeking death." Ye Shikai strode forward, held the sword with a reverse grip, and deflected a head-on attack, shocking the Second Master, causing his palm to go numb. Before he could react, Ye Shikai thrust his spear with his left hand, piercing through his chest.

"Get out of my way." Ye Shikai forcefully shook, throwing the person on the spear aside.

"Charge ahead, capture the robber leader alive."

"Yes."

"Yes."

.......................................

Village entrance.

"Master, look quickly, those robbers seem to be rushing towards us." Meanwhile, Hua Liandie and her guards also arrived at Shangshui Village, but as soon as they reached the village entrance, they saw a group of robbers rushing out from inside.

"Master, we are outnumbered, it’s better to hide aside first." The guard advised.

"Wait a moment, look closely. Although these robbers are rushing over here, they are scattered, and some don’t even have weapons in their hands." Hua Liandie focused her gaze and continued, "Look, they all look panicked, as if... they are defeated."

"Indeed, although these robbers are numerous, once they lose their backbone, retreating makes numbers useless. Conversely, if many flee, it becomes like a flood, impossible to stop."

Seeing this, a smile gradually appeared on Hua Liandie’s face. With Ye Shikai commanding in the village, he must have defeated these robbers.

"Unexpectedly, he is so remarkable." Hua Liandie murmured.

"Master, what should we do next?"

"Naturally, help him out, or rather enhance the victory." Hua Liandie stood up and turned to her guards, "Everyone, follow the orders; block them at the village entrance. Do not let a single robber escape."

"Yes."

"Yes."

Hua Liandie’s guards, holding crossbows, formed two lines and aimed at the escaping robbers to shoot. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Hundreds of arrows descended from the sky, shooting down a group of robbers.

"Bad timing, the entrance is blocked, we can’t run."

"We... we have numbers, fight to break out."

"Alright."

Pushed to desperation, the robbers made a final attempt, relying on their numerical advantage to break out of the village. After all, the region adopted severe punishment against these mountain king bandits and rogue uprising troops. If they surrendered, they feared they couldn’t escape the death penalty.

"Hold the formation, release the arrows." Hua Liandie’s guards weren’t simple either, being former soldiers of Chu State, her personal guards were from wealthy and noble families. With financial power, Hua Liandie equipped her guards with excellent weapons.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Three rows of guards released arrows in turns, a torrent of arrows fired, and robbers were shot before they could charge through.

"Hmph, keep releasing arrows; let’s see if they dare to approach."

"Not good, the arrow rain is too dense, we can’t break through, and the Qin Army from behind is catching up. What should we do?" A group of robbers huddled in a house, faces filled with anxiety and despair.

"Brothers, if they want to exterminate us, let’s not show mercy. Let’s set it on fire and burn everything. Even if we die, let’s take a few down with us."