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墨書 Inktalez
The echoes of the flintlock cannon still buzzed in Lin Dahe's ears as he wiped the blood from his face. Through the rain curtain, he saw the figure of the Mad Old Woman disappearing from the burning barn roof. Scarface lay face down in the mud, his throat pierced by an arrow, and the remaining bandits were clearly thrown into disarray.
"Pull!"
With the roar of the One-Armed Veteran, a trap hidden at the edge of a pit was triggered. Taut ropes suddenly sprang up from the muddy water, and sharpened bamboo stakes rose from the pit's bottom like the fangs of a giant beast. The five bandits charging at the front had no time to dodge and were impaled through their feet by the bamboo spikes, screaming as they tumbled into the pit.
"Fire!"
Lin Dahe pulled the trigger of his crossbow, and three dart-tipped bamboo arrows shot through the air, coated with a tranquilizer. These specially crafted arrows made from aged bamboo bent slightly in the rain, making their flight path difficult to predict. A bandit about to strike a villager suddenly froze, looking down at the arrow embedded in his shoulder—moments later, he swayed drunkenly before collapsing.
A strange sound suddenly echoed from the west side of the battlefield. Cui Xiaoman burst out of the granary with a dozen women, each holding a red-hot iron pot. They banged on the pot bottoms with spatulas, creating a piercing metallic clamor that was particularly eerie in the rainy night.
"Heavenly Thunder! Heavenly Thunder is coming!" Cui Xiaoman screamed in a deliberately altered voice.
The confused bandits were indeed thrown into chaos. Some dropped their weapons and ran back: "Demonic sorcery! They can summon thunder!"
Taking advantage of this moment, Lin Dahe ignited a smoke bomb made from nitre. This homemade explosive contained nitre, sulfur, and chili powder packed into ceramic jars; when it exploded, it produced thick smoke that could bring tears to anyone's eyes. Three smoke bombs detonated simultaneously within enemy ranks, enveloping half the battlefield in yellow clouds.
"To the grinding stone position! Quickly!" The One-Armed Veteran commanded as he hopped on one leg with his steel knife. The remaining villagers quickly retreated to gather around the stone mill in the threshing area. Old Soldier kicked over a sack, spilling golden beans everywhere.
The charging bandits suffered greatly as they stepped onto the grinding area. Their booted feet slipped on the round beans, causing them to fall in all directions. The young men hiding behind the mill took this opportunity to strike back, using hooks to sever tendons and pitchforks to stab at soft ribs.
Amidst the chaos, Lin Dahe caught sight of a sneaky figure slipping along the wall towards the village exit—it was Zhou Liangzhang! This old fox had somehow infiltrated the battlefield and was hiding something bulky under his arm.
"Stop him!" Lin Dahe shouted just as the Mad Old Woman emerged like a ghost from the shadows. The spindle in her hand traced an arc and expertly ensnared Zhou Liangzhang's ankle.
With a thud, Zhou Liangzhang fell face-first into the mud, scattering ledgers and letters all around him. The top letter's wax seal dissolved in the mud, revealing an official dragon emblem used by the Ministry of Revenue.
"A trap set by Jinyiwei!" A bandit suddenly pointed at the official seal on the ledger and screamed, "It's a scheme by the court!"
This cry became the last straw for the remaining bandits. The few left fled madly into the woods, even abandoning their flintlock cannon behind. One panicked fellow stepped on iron caltrops laid by his own men and howled in agony while clutching his foot.
As dawn broke and rain began to lessen, Lin Dahe leaned on a broken spear to survey the battlefield; every part of him throbbed with pain. Villagers helped each other treat their wounded while Doctor Li and several women used steamed cloth strips to bandage injuries.
"Seven dead," reported One-Armed Veteran as he leaned against the millstone gasping for breath; blood seeped again from his severed arm. "More than twenty injured... counting Li Zhuang..."
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