Chapter 718: Steel Flood, Fist Suppressing the Garrison Army

“Damn it, how could it be… the Garrison Army?!”

The Cyan Ram Black-clothed Man stepped out of the desolate temple in three strides, exclaiming in despair as he spoke.

“The Garrison Army?”

Su Mu glanced at the Cyan Ram Black-clothed Man, quietly retreated several steps, hiding in the darkness, and looked outwards. He saw cavalry clad in black armor, riding tall horses, charging madly from afar.

These cavalry were obviously well-trained. The horses under their mounts were notably larger than ordinary horses and exuded an aura belonging to Demon Beasts. These were no ordinary horses.

They were selectively bred and tamed by the military by crossing stallions with demon beasts, each worth a fortune, capable of a thousand-mile raid.

At this moment, the cavalry of several hundred charged forward, organized into groups of ten, their battle formation of a hundred showing no disorder, yet the charge of hundreds exuded the momentum of over a thousand!

“Is this the Garrison Army of Sanshan County?”

Inwardly, Su Mu marveled. In a feudal society, the more mountainous the area, the more martial the people. Though the Sanshan County Garrison Army didn’t rival the Linfeng Iron Cavalry stationed at Yuguo Pass, it was still one of the elite Qingzhou troops that participated in various battles in Qingzhou in the past.

The Sanshan County Garrison Army thus was one of the five elite armies of Great Yan. What kind of bearing must the Linfeng Iron Cavalry at Yuguo Pass possess?

Now, these several hundred cavalry clearly charged towards them. Su Mu initially suspected it was a trap set by the Cyan Ram Black-clothed Man to catch them like turtles in a jar.

Upon observing the man’s reaction, it seemed otherwise. Even though the man was disguised with a mask, his panic and despair couldn’t be concealed.

“Damn it, which link went wrong? I did this secretly, it shouldn’t have been exposed!”

The Cyan Ram Black-clothed Man stood frozen at the temple gate, at a loss as to what to do.

Behind the temple was a sheer cliff, with no retreat possible. The ground trembled under the horses’ hooves as the cavalry, raising clouds of dust, surrounded them from afar.

Once the battle formation encircled the desolate temple into an iron wall, not even a fly would escape.

In the midst of the charging cavalry, there were four riders moving neither fast nor slow. Among the four, one carried several small flags and at this time wielded a command flag, which he unfurled, unfurling and waving it grandly.

Soon, the iron wall fully formed, and the Thousand Man Commander commanding the cavalry quietly fell behind by a horse’s length. Among the three riders, one middle-aged man, not wearing armor but dressed in luxurious silk, infused his Qi Blood in front of the cavalry.

“Lin Qi! As a Thousand Man Commander of the Garrison Army, Lord Governor has treated you generously, promoting you to oversee the crucial military arsenal. Yet now you betray Lord Governor’s high expectations, daring to abuse your position to pilfer, stealing thousands of pounds of Sparrow Blood Iron and other rare materials. Surrender immediately!”

“Confess at once, and leniency may be shown, otherwise not only you but your comrades and family will also be implicated!”

The man’s low voice, filled with disappointment and anger, echoed above the desolate temple.

But upon seeing the leader of the night, the Cyan Ram Black-clothed Man’s pupils contracted sharply, standing dumbstruck for a few seconds before regaining composure. When he finally came to his senses, he was livid with rage, his fingers thrust together pointing directly at the leading man.

“Damn it, Yang Yunwen, you won’t die a good death! I, Lin Qi, was following your orders tonight… I see, you are about to step down soon,…”

“Impudent scoundrel, on the verge of death, you dare throw false accusations at Lord Yang. I will report this to Lord Governor, to see your punishment increased!”

Before Lin Qi could finish speaking, the leading man’s two accompanying black and white-clad martial robed men interrupted him, the black-clad man shouted angrily to cut him off.

“Injustice, I, Lin Qi, am being wronged. I must see Lord Governor, I must see Lord Governor!”

The man, dressed in luxurious clothes, being guarded by the black and white men on either side, pulled the reins in hand, glanced mockingly at Yang Yunwen, and then instructed the Thousand Man Commander beside him.

“Tonight, we catch the traitor Lin Qi red-handed. He resists and tries to falsely accuse me, going so far as to crazily threaten to assassinate Lord Governor. No need to leave him alive, execute him on the spot.”

Upon hearing these words, the dark-skinned Thousand Man Commander Zhao Tao by Yang Yunwen’s side discerned the anomaly. It was already uncommon for Yang Yunwen to audaciously mobilize troops out of the city tonight in the capacity of a Captain.

Moreover, Zhao Tao and Lin Qi were both Thousand Man Commanders of the Garrison Army, having had a good relationship in daily life. He well knew Lin Qi was cautious and timid; without someone supporting him from behind, how could he dare commit such a grave crime?

Zhao Tao might believe Lin Qi had the guts to pilfer three to five catties to earn some extra money, a common practice silently acknowledged among everyone.

But to steal thousands of pounds of rare materials from the arsenal, including Sparrow Blood Iron? He wouldn’t dare even if given ten times the courage!

“Captain, this matter is suspicious, perhaps we should detain Lin Qi…”

“Military orders are as immutable as the mountain. Zhao Tao, could it be that you are an accomplice of Lin Qi, speaking in his defense despite the evidence?”

Yang Yunwen glanced at Zhao Tao, coldly uttering one sentence.

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Tao’s forehead broke into a cold sweat, shivering throughout his body. He had a family to support; this sentence, although a piece of Yang Yunwen’s partial words, could truly be carried out with Yang Yunwen’s methods and the Yang Family’s influence within the county.

At that moment, Zhao Tao hesitated no longer, gritted his teeth, and lowered his head, no longer looking at Lin Qi, muttering to himself, don’t blame me, blame only your bad luck.

“Captain, how could I be an accomplice to the traitor Lin Qi.” Zhao Tao verbally denied immediately, pulling out a red flag and swinging it, shouting in anger.

“Kill, join me in executing traitor Lin Qi!”

“Yang scoundrel, you won’t die a good death. All these crimes are on you… if you dare implicate my wife and children, I, Lin Qi, won’t forgive you even as a ghost!”