Chapter 306: Chapter 296: Conflict_3
One of the cavalrymen said, "Miss, he went east."
Fengyu had many people by her side, and Su Mengwei had been following her closely. One of the cavalrymen at the back caught sight of Su Mengwei’s figure. Fengyu’s expression turned cold. It was not uncommon for a gold vein to be discovered within an iron mine, yet the West State Salt and Iron Department chose to keep it secret.
No wonder they paid no attention to the iron mine. No wonder this mountain had twenty thousand troops stationed here, far exceeding the number of workers necessary for mining. They were guarding a mountain of gold, fearing the news would leak. They also needed to supply weapons and armor required by the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, so they dared not alert them. Thus, they mined iron on the surface while secretly extracting gold underneath, hiding it without reporting. No wonder the West State Salt and Iron Department was swimming in wealth, able to buy endless supplies of grain from Jinzhou even as their own fields lay barren.
Because they owned a mountain of gold!
Before entering the mountain, Fengyu had deliberately brought Zhang Hu and Zhang Meng along because she harbored suspicions. She had briefly investigated the operations of mining and smelting but couldn’t understand why all the personnel from the Salt and Iron Department were gathered on the mountain. At first, she assumed it was to intensify iron mining, but the manpower and the iron output simply didn’t match.
Zhu Shengkai’s violent temper was puzzling too—he could even suppress the hatred for avenging his brother. Their repeated attempts to stop her from inspecting the mine only deepened her suspicions that they were hiding some unseen secret within the mountain.
She initially suspected it was mining accidents. The West State Salt and Iron Department had never once reported any accidents, which was highly unusual. Zhang Hu and Zhang Meng had worked at the mine before, so she sent the Zhang Brothers to break away from the main group and scout the area to uncover what secrets the mine was hiding. Unexpectedly, they discovered a hidden gold mine—a possibility that even Fengyu hadn’t anticipated.
Zhu Shengkai and Su Mengwei’s attention had been focused entirely on Fengyu’s inspection. They led her around the mining pits, thinking they had her distracted. Who could have predicted that she would feint one way while striking in another? Seemingly on an inspection, she had secretly sent the Zhang Brothers deep into the heart of the mountain, where they uncovered the hidden gold mine.
"Signal for reinforcements!" Fengyu made a decisive command. Only two thousand cavalrymen had come with her, but she had already instructed Chen Jiangdong to dispatch reinforcements if they saw the signal.
The gold mine had been concealed without reporting, and now they wanted to kill Zhang Hu and Zhang Meng to silence them.
Today’s conflict was inevitable.
"Yes!" Nuanyang sent the reinforcement signal to the cavalry stationed in the city.
Deep in the gold mine, Zhu Shengkai also saw a firework explode into the sky. He knew that their painstakingly hidden gold mine had been exposed. Furious and desperate, he had originally planned to lure Fengyu into the tunnels and collapse them, making it look like a mining accident. But complications arose unexpectedly when she sent people into the heart of the mountain.
"You little brat, feinting one way and striking another—so deceitful and cunning," Zhu Shengkai muttered angrily as he stood atop a mining tunnel. Below him were nearly ten thousand Salt and Iron Department soldiers, who had once been ruthless bandits. Zhu Shengkai shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brothers! We’ve been in the West Continent for four years now. We’ve eaten well, drunk heartily, ridden the fiercest horses, and held the most beautiful women. We’ve enjoyed life to the fullest, and now Fengyu has come to seize what is ours and shatter our peace. She wants to steal our gold mine! The world is in chaos, with warlords rising everywhere. Why should Xie Xun crown himself king and send his cavalry to trample over us in the West Continent, destroying our lives? We must resist these invaders and protect our wealth! Brothers, today it’s either her dying on this mountain or it’s our end. Four years ago, we had nothing, but we charged into the West Continent, risking life and death to make our stand. Today, we’ll fight another desperate battle, carve a blood-soaked path, kill Fengyu, and protect this mine!"
"Kill Fengyu, protect the mine!"
"Kill Fengyu, protect the mine!"
...
The bandits roared with fervor, their killing intent soaring into the heavens. A bolt of lightning pierced the thick clouds as thunder rumbled. The hot, frenzied wind swept over the mine, kicking up a haze of gray dust. The sky and the mountain blended into one.
Tied to a tall post, Zhang Hu swayed in the wild wind, almost losing consciousness. "Zhang Hu, your only fault was following the wrong person—a greenhorn girl! Today, I’ll kill you as a sacrifice to my banner!"
"If you fail to kill me, you’re nothing but a coward!" Zhang Hu, undaunted by death, retorted with the fierce spirit of a seasoned bandit.
Zhu Shengkai hurled his longsword at the bound Zhang Hu.
Suddenly, an arrow flew through the tumult, piercing the air and knocking Zhu Shengkai’s sword off course.
Zhang Hu turned his head toward the edge of the mining pit, where a tide of cavalry emerged—a dark mass rolling forward like storm clouds on the horizon.
Fengyu stood on the mining tunnel, holding a bow and arrow.
Her fiery red attire and snow-white veil hat made her the lone, strikingly vivid figure in this monochrome world. She notched another arrow and aimed at Zhu Shengkai. "Lord Zhu, the living or the dead—choose your path!"