Romance of the Four Kingdoms

Chapter 62

The detachment of the black mountain bandits approach the camp stealthily being careful not to make too much noise. All were equipped with swords and axes, thirsty for blood. Leading them was the scout that was captured before. They overlook the camp the camp and see a couple of torches with their flames flickering in the darkness outside of some makeshift tents. One of them who seemed to be the leader wearing basic bandit attire though a vertical scar runs down his left cheek walk next to the scout with a suspicious look on his face as he examines the camp.

'Are you sure the camp is resting? We don't want them to be prepared you know.' His voice was hoarse and rough as he grips his large crude axe tightly. The scout simply nods. As he arrived at his band he came to the leader and gave him a note with strangely neat handwriting on a scroll. It advised that he suffered a head injury as he hit his head on some rocks which made him only speak in groans temporarily. The leader was suspicious of this by how he didn't meet his gaze. Though he just let it go and followed him.

'Right. You may as well stay here, don't know how bad your injury can get when it comes to fighting so stay here.' He ordered the scout who nods while avoiding his gaze almost ashamedly. The leader turns to his bandit vagabond unit behind him who look eager.

'Lets go, time to cut off the head of this serpent, lord Zhang Yan demands it!' They all raised their weapons silently in unison. They all march towards the camp stealthily as no one dared to even whisper during this ambush. The only sound is the groans that the scout makes as they all march. When they've created some distance, the scout hears a dark yet familiar chuckle. He looks behind to see Pang Tong emerge from the shadows chuckling away as he tips his hat upwards and walks next to the scout.

'Hehe, you played your part very well my friend. Too bad you couldn't comply willingly, I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of writing that message for you. But its fine, we all make mistakes.' He sinisterly chuckles as he glances at the scout who looks at him with colourless, blank eyes while groaning. Eventually he sits next to Pang Tong who makes himself comfortable. The bandits eventually start to trickle their way into the camp. Near the entrance and in the camp the terrain started to become jagged for the bandits. Some wondered how they can make camp atop of this terrain their backs would surely be sore at the very last from sleeping on this. As they entered the camp they see a horde of blankets and bundles of cloth with tents.

'Kill them all but be quiet about it.' He whispered. The bandits smile gleefully as they pull out their blades and axes to chop and stab them. They pierced the blankets and tents with ease, as they traverse through the camp they do so to every single tent and blanket that they can. However as they traversed the camp one of the bandits near the entrance noticed that when they pull back their blade that there is no blood. He tried to do the same thing to another one, yet nothing. His sword was clean as water. He throws the blanket out to find its stuffed with general materials to make it look like a person was beneath them.

'Wait this one's empty!' He declared to the rest of the unit, his loud voice reaching even to the front who looked behind them.

'Hey this one's empty too!' Another one yelled as he revealed his. The quiet retinue quickly turned into a rambunctious uproar not knowing what's going on. Their leader attempted to silence them to little avail.

'Silence, silence I say!' The commander shouts through all the chaos though only the front of the retinue can hear and immediately stops. The rest of the forces continue their uproar and confusion however they start to quieten down as soon as other stop. That is until snickering can be heard.

'Hey what are you laughing at you think it's a joke?' A bandit pushed another one who looked furious at this.

'Don't dare push me that wasn't me.'