While Zhang Ming’s cutthroats were calmly sailing toward the fishing village, morning broke over Baohe, and the robberies were inevitably discovered. The city guard was thrown into alarm. In a single night, unknown assailants had broken into the homes of several respected officials and noble families, seized the wealth they had “earned through honest toil,” and vanished without a trace.

  One of the victims was the local judge. The audacious criminals had not only slaughtered his guards but even dared to scrawl across his wall in black ink: “Lustful bribe-taker.”

  For more than a day, the events of that night were concealed to protect the reputations of the noble families. But you cannot hide water in a sieve, rumors spread through the city all the same. A true storm erupted. Officials and aristocratic households of Baohe buzzed in outrage like a disturbed beehive. The city head raged, and armed men ran through the streets like hunting hounds, searching every alley and courtyard.

  Only by noon on the third day did the guard finally trace a lead to the Mad Saber gang. Yet in their lair they found nothing but Bigmouth Wang’s corpse lying on the floor of the main hall, his throat slit.

  “Bastards! Who dared?!” the captain of the guard roared, kicking the body. “Find every one of these rats, every gang. Drag them to me dead or alive! So this is how they repaid my generosity! I closed my eyes for so long! Accepted their gifts out of kindness!”

  “Witnesses say the attackers weren’t locals, but the servants are frightened and remember little…”

  “Make them remember. Torture them if you must. Who the hell did this?!”

  On the fourth day, the prefect personally arrived in Baohe and convened all the city’s high officials. In the grand hall of the main administration building, they listened to the guard’s reports with grim faces. The slap delivered by unknown robbers was an insult to each of them. If the culprits were allowed to slip away, none would sleep in peace.

  The judge, red as a boiled crab, sprayed spittle as he furiously demanded the city garrison slaughter every bandit in the region. He shouted himself hoarse.

  “My lord!” A military officer burst into the chamber. “There is news!”

  “Have you found them?” the prefect asked.

  “No, but rumors in the port claim that a band of mountain brigands, the Earth Dragons, has infiltrated Baohe. Interrogated servants from one estate overheard the bandits speaking and recognized the name…”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “What the devil?!” the prefect’s representative shouted. “How did they enter the city? Where is the head of the guard? What were you watching?”

  “Who are these Earth Dragons?” one adviser asked. “How did they dare?”

  “We will soon find out.”

  “What fools. They exposed themselves.”

  “At least we have something,” the city head muttered.

  “My lord, what do you intend to do?” The elder of one of the afflicted families stepped forward. “I demand punishment for these scoundrels or we shall raise troops ourselves.”

  “I support this. It cannot be left as it is!” echoed another family’s representative.

  “Send troops to suppress this rebellion!” the judge cried louder than all.

  “We must crush this festering sore. Enough tolerating bandits in our lands. It is time to eradicate them all!” the officials clamored.

  “I hereby order!” The prefect rose from his elevated seat. “The Baohe garrison will assemble a punitive army and destroy the Earth Dragon Fortress. Not a single parasite is to escape. When you are done, deal with the remaining bandits in the region as well. We have endured them long enough. No more!”

  The head of the Hengyang Clan listened with a dark expression, his fists clenched so tightly they turned white. A well-tuned system had collapsed in a single instant. Had it been one or two families involved, he might have smoothed it over, but even he lacked the courage to expose his ties to the bandits before the prefect. At the mere thought of losing enormous profits, the veins in his neck bulged like fat worms.

  The officials and powerful families of Baohe were enraged in earnest. Within days, the authorities gathered an army of five thousand, which marched east toward the Earth Dragon Fortress. When the cavalry rode out of Baohe’s gates, the earth trembled beneath pounding hooves. Behind them marched orderly ranks of infantry. The spearheads glittered beneath the sun, and fearsome standards snapped above their heads.

  Merchants of provisions, fodder, even carts received a flood of orders. Weavers, blacksmiths, and other townsfolk rejoiced at the sudden work. Silver poured from the coffers of the wealthy like a tidal wave, settling in the pockets of commoners; thin streams trickled even to the poor. Once the campaign ended, trade and the flow of goods were expected to rise sharply. With bandits destroyed, the roads would be safer, and the province would flourish.

  During the army’s preparations, carrier pigeons flew from the Hengyang Clan estate toward the Earth Dragon Fortress. Tiny containers with letters were tied to their legs. They hurried to deliver the latest news to the chieftain and his advisers. Something troublesome had occurred, something that disrupted all their plans. The clan head paced in fury within his residence.

  “They were framed! Clear as day,” he muttered, striding from corner to corner. “But who dared? Another gang?”

  “We do not yet know. We are searching every corner,” a warrior reported.

  “Hmph. We will have to begin anew…”

  At that same time, a small detachment of roughly twenty bandits reached the Earth Dragon Fortress. It took them only four days, they traveled swiftly along the main road without hiding, as if the devil himself were chasing them.

  At sunset, Zhang Ming’s squad passed through the gates with a cart piled high with assorted goods. The cargo was covered in coarse gray burlap, concealing its true worth. Bored residents of the fortress gathered along the road, making sharp remarks; some tried to peek beneath the covering.

  “Back off,” Zhang Ming barked, striking the boldest of them across the head with his scabbard.

  “Hey!” the man protested, raising his hands to shield himself, but he stepped aside.