The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 017 Arrest

"Second brother! Open the door! It's me!"

Zhang Xiuguo?

Zhou Lun never expected that just as they finished tidying up, County Magistrate Zhang Xiuguo would arrive.

Zhang Xiuguo knocked on the door from the outside. After knocking twice and seeing no one answer, he shouted twice more.

"It's Zhang Xiuguo! What do we do?" Li Wanqing asked in a low voice, his brows furrowed. Zhou Lun was also stunned.

This step wasn't originally planned. The plan was to first take over Zhang's grain shop as a base, settle down there, then lure Zhang Xiuguo here in Zhang Xiuren's name, take control of him as soon as he arrived, and then find a way to rescue him.

But before the follow-up plans could even begin, Zhang Xiuguo came knocking on their door, completely disrupting everything.

"Don't panic!" Zhou Lun thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "Brother, we were originally going to target Zhang Xiuguo. Since he came uninvited, it's not a bad thing. Here's what we'll do: you and Shoutian lead the men to lie in ambush inside the house, and Xiao Zhong and I will take Zhang Xiuren over there, lure him in, and then we'll make our move."

"Okay! Let's do it this way!" Li Wanqing nodded and quickly told people to go into the house separately, close the door, hold their breath and hide inside, waiting for Zhang Xiuguo to enter the courtyard before making any further plans.

"Be honest! Do you know what to say?" Zhou Lun turned his head to look at Zhang Xiuren, his gaze like a knife.

"I know, I know, don't worry, I know what to do." Zhang Xiuren nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, not daring to resist in the slightest.

Zhou Lun stood beside him, a sharp dagger concealed in his sleeve, its tip pressed against Zhang Xiuren's waist. With a mere thrust forward, Zhang Xiuren would be crippled, if not killed.

"Second brother! Second brother!"

At this moment, Zhang Xiuguo's voice came again, and Zhou Lun gave Zhang Xiuren a wink. Zhang Xiuren immediately understood, cleared his throat, and responded loudly.

"Coming, coming! Wait a minute, big brother! We'll open the door for you right away!"

As they spoke, Zhang Xiuren and Zhou Lun walked forward side by side. The quick-witted Li Zhong jogged over and deftly pulled off the door latch.

As soon as the door opened, Zhang Xiuguo, who had been waiting outside, was already getting impatient. He stepped inside, followed by two constables, and the three of them filed in.

"Why is the door closed in broad daylight? I've been calling you for ages before you finally opened it," Zhang Xiuguo said as he walked in, his gaze casually sweeping across the yard.

"Brother, why are you here at this hour?" Zhang Xiuren explained with a smile, "I just got back. I was busy in the back and didn't hear anything from the front."

"I heard you were back on the street, so I thought I'd stop by and see you," Zhang Xiuguo said casually. He then asked, "Why are you back so quickly? I thought you wouldn't be back for another two days, so why are you here today?"

"Things went smoothly, and I came back as soon as they were done," Zhang Xiuren replied with a smile.

"Is everything done? Did it go smoothly?"

"Successfully! Successfully!" Zhang Xiuren nodded repeatedly. "The things have all been delivered, and the letter you sent to the prefect has also been given. Steward Wang from the prefect's household said that this matter cannot be rushed, and that you should wait patiently. After this tax matter is settled, the prefectural government will make its own arrangements..."

"Oh, well done!" Zhang Xiuguo nodded with a smile, looking very satisfied.

As he was speaking, he suddenly stopped, as if he had remembered something. Slapping his forehead, Zhang Xiuguo exclaimed in self-reproach, "Oh dear, how could I forget this? Second brother, I have an urgent matter at the yamen that I forgot to take care of. You go ahead and do your work, I'll go back to the yamen and finish what I have to do before coming back. Thanks for the trip, tonight we'll get some good wine and food, and have a good drink together..."

As he spoke, Zhang Xiuguo turned and left, his steps somewhat hurried, as if he really had something urgent to do.

Zhang Xiuguo's sudden action startled Zhou Lun slightly. The group had already entered the courtyard and were just a few steps from the house in front. If Zhang Xiuguo stepped inside, Li Wanqing and his men, lying in ambush, could easily capture him. But now Zhang Xiuguo was leaving. Although his words sounded normal, and Zhou Lun couldn't immediately see anything wrong, he somehow felt something was amiss with Zhang Xiuguo's behavior.

In an instant, Zhou Lun's mind raced. Seeing that Zhang Xiuguo had already turned and taken two steps, he dared not hesitate any longer and made a decision immediately.

"Big brother! Do it!" Zhou Lun shouted, pulling out the dagger hidden in his sleeve and rushing towards Zhang Xiuguo.

Regardless of Zhang Xiuguo's intentions, since the man has already arrived, he cannot be let go easily; he must be kept here.

"Stop him!"

Hearing the commotion, Zhang Xiuguo turned around and saw Zhou Lun rushing towards him with a dagger in his hand. Without hesitation, he turned and ran, shouting as he ran.

The two constables who came with Zhang Xiuguo were stunned at first, but then quickly reacted. Seeing Zhou Lun draw his weapon and rush towards Zhang Xiuguo, they reacted instinctively even though they didn't know what was going on.

The two hurriedly drew their iron rulers and pounced on Zhou Lun from the left and right.

Zhou Lun had almost caught up with Zhang Xiuguo, just a few steps away, when he was blocked by two constables.

The current situation is unusual; Zhou Lun only has a dagger and no other weapon. Facing two constables wielding iron rulers, although he is more agile and skillful, he is at a disadvantage in terms of weaponry. However, with some effort, he can still defeat them.

The problem is time; time waits for no one. It will be impossible for Zhou Lun to subdue these two constables without considerable effort. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiuguo has already run to the courtyard gate. In just a few breaths, once he reaches the gate, opens it, and slips out, everything will be over.

In his desperation, Zhou Lun disregarded everything else, wielding his dagger with ferocious speed and power, each move a desperate display of strength. Seeing his ferocity, the two constables became somewhat intimidated. Zhou Lun's attacks were swift and relentless; despite being two against one, he forced the two constables to retreat step by step. Even so, Zhou Lun was still unable to break free and pursue Zhang Xiuguo.

Seeing that Zhang Xiuguo had reached the door, he reached out his hand towards it. All he had to do was remove the latch and push it open.

Outside the gate was the street. Once on the street, Zhang Xiuguo simply took off running, shouting for help at the top of his lungs. The other yamen runners and government officials in the county town would react instantly. At that time, Zhang Xiuguo would not only escape alive, but also turn around and surround the area, making Zhou Lun and the others trapped like turtles in a jar.

Zhang Xiuguo probably thought the same thing, and at this moment, a look of joy appeared on his face, and his outstretched hand even touched the door latch.

But just then, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out.

Before Zhang Xiuguo could react, he felt a gust of wind brush past his ear. Then, with a "thud," an arrow struck him squarely beside his raised hand, just inches from his fingertips, its fletching still trembling slightly as it firmly embedded itself in the bolt.

Zhang Xiuguo was startled for a moment, his hand frozen in mid-air.

Before he could even react, another arrow pierced the air with a "thud," embedding itself in the door frame on the other side of him. The two arrows, one after the other, flew past his head almost grazing. Zhang Xiuguo's hair stood on end, and he whirled around to look.

"Your Excellency, where do you think this third arrow will be shot?"

Li Wanqing stood on the steps, a bow in his hand, the bowstring taut, an arrow nocked, the arrowhead steadily aimed at Zhang Xiuguo. His gaze was as cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month, his voice not loud, but every word clear.

Zhang Xiuguo's face turned deathly pale, his Adam's apple bobbed, and a bitter smile slowly appeared on his face.

He wasn't stupid. He understood, of course, that those two arrows were a warning; the arrows grazing his head weren't misses at all, but rather deliberate.

Anyone who could shoot two arrows like that was definitely a master archer. Zhang Xiuguo dared not gamble with his life. He knew perfectly well what the other party's intentions were.

"Hero... I am convinced."

Zhang Xiuguo sighed deeply, his raised hands slowly falling to his sides, his shoulders slumping. He completely abandoned the idea of ​​escaping, turned around, and walked back into the courtyard step by step.

With Zhang Xiuguo's surrender, the two yamen runners immediately lost their nerve.

They were no match for Zhou Lun to begin with, and now that Zhang Xiuguo hadn't escaped, a whole bunch of men rushed out of the house in front, each carrying a weapon and surrounding them.

These two constables were, to put it bluntly, ordinary people, just trying to make a living. If they were dealing with ordinary citizens, they could flaunt their official positions and act arrogantly. But Li Wanqing and his gang were clearly a group of thugs, looking fierce and menacing! Under these circumstances, how could they possibly have the will to resist?

The two men threw the iron ruler on the ground, covered their heads, and knelt down, begging for their lives.