Guan Yu, in the crowd, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his Third Head arrive.
The overbearing aura he had just displayed was too intense, leaving him somewhat exhausted.
After all, no matter how formidable he was, he was still just a mortal. Facing an encirclement by over a hundred people, killing thirty was his limit. If he had dragged on for another moment, he might have died on the spot.
As Zhang Fei joined the battlefield, he immediately engaged in a fierce struggle with the mountain bandits. His spear continuously thrust forward, already having slain several people and significantly reducing Guan Yu's pressure.
Just then, Liu Jin, wielding a large saber, led the imperial soldiers behind him, charging forward in a mighty surge, his roar echoing loudly!
"Second Head, Third Head!"
"Big Head is here!"
After saying this, he rushed forward, charging towards the group of mountain bandits.
The two groups instantly clashed, weapons colliding and sparks flying.
Dealing with these mountain bandits was like slaughtering melons and chopping vegetables, leaving them with no power to resist whatsoever.
Especially Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in the crowd, surrounded by imperial soldiers, found it incredibly easy to cut down these mountain bandits.
Soon, it became a one-sided affair. These mountain bandits simply couldn't resist, screaming in terror as the charging soldiers overwhelmed them. They threw down their weapons one after another and fled into the distance.
Wang Shou and Guo Dazhuang in the crowd watched this scene, their eyes filled with fear.
They hadn't expected so many more people to charge in from behind.
The two exchanged glances, both seeing the fear in the other's eyes. Without thinking, they immediately tried to escape amidst the chaos.
After all, they were very familiar with this tactic: if they couldn't win, they'd run. As long as the green mountains remain, there's no need to worry about firewood.
When the time came, they could rally with a shout and still attract many mountain bandits from the surroundings.
With the Big Head and Third Head fleeing in disarray under the cover of night, the surrounding mountain bandits had no power to resist.
They either threw down their weapons and knelt to beg for mercy or scattered into the mountains under the cover of night.
After a short while, the sounds of fighting on the mountaintop gradually subsided.
Only numerous bodies lay scattered around, gushing blood, and some surrendered mountain bandits were directly taken into custody.
Liu Jin wiped the blood from his face, looked at the battlefield before him, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He had finally annihilated this group of mountain bandits. Although some had escaped under the cover of night, most of them had been slain.
Even if they became bandits again, without these resources and weapons, it would be difficult for them to regain their strength in a short time.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, covered in blood and holding their sharp weapons, walked over. They immediately bowed deeply and said loudly!
"Big Head!"
Seeing them in such a state, Liu Jin couldn't help but worry and quickly asked!
"Yun Chang, Yide, are either of you injured?"
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu both chuckled and shook their heads!
"Big Head, we're fine."
Hearing this, Liu Jin nodded slightly, then looked at Guan Yu, his expression serious, and said!
"Second Head, you must not be so reckless in the future. If anything were to happen to you, what would I, your Big Head, do?"
Seeing this, Guan Yu quickly knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and slightly lowered his head.
"Big Head, I only wanted to hold back these mountain bandits to prevent them from escaping once they learned the news. If the military merits weren't enough, Big Head's official position wouldn't be able to be promoted, which is why I took the risk."
Hearing this, Liu Jin's body trembled slightly, his heart filled with emotion.
Although their sworn brotherhood wasn't entirely intentional, merely relying on the bravery of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to forge a career in this chaotic world,
their interactions had shown that they truly treated him like family, closer than blood brothers.
He immediately helped Guan Yu up, his face showing a gentle expression as he said!
"Second Head, Big Head understands this matter, but I don't want you to take risks. If something were to happen, what good would a high position be?"
"I, Liu Jin, would rather give up these vain positions than be without your presence."
Guan Yu was deeply moved by these words, his eyes reddening, tears welling up. He held Liu Jin's arm with both hands and said with a trembling voice!
"Big Head!"
Zhang Fei, standing nearby, also had red eyes. He quickly rushed over and said with a trembling voice!
"Big Head!"
Liu Jin looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei before him, extending his arms to embrace them.
"Second Head, Third Head!"
The three embraced on the mountaintop, full of emotion.
A moment later, the three returned to normal.
In the distance, a glimmer of light appeared on the horizon, gradually dispelling the dark night sky.
Liu Jin immediately instructed Zhang Fei and Guan Yu to begin clearing the battlefield and consolidate anything useful.
After all, this was a gathering place for mountain bandits, so there should be a good amount of money and provisions hidden away.
As for the bodies, their heads were to be cut off and piled together. They would be sent back to the commandery city later as military merits.
The headless bodies would be buried directly in a pit.
After more than an hour of consolidation, the sky had brightened.
In the main hall, Liu Jin lay in a chair, his eyes closed, seemingly fast asleep.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei entered. Seeing their Big Head in such a state, they immediately turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, a voice came from behind!
"Yun Chang, Yide, have the matters outside been dealt with?"
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu turned their heads and saw that their Big Head had already sat up.
Guan Yu quickly said!
"Big Head, the matters have been handled. We killed over two hundred people since entering the mountain stronghold, captured over forty, and some mountain bandits escaped during the chaos. Our army suffered over ten casualties."
"As for the money and provisions we acquired, there are approximately two thousand shi of grain, over three hundred thousand coins, a quantity of weapons, and over a dozen sets of armor."
Liu Jin was not surprised by this news.
After all, it was a mountain stronghold of several hundred people; this amount of spoils was quite normal. In fact, in his heart, these spoils were a bit meager.
As for the dozen or so sets of armor, they were an unexpected bonus.
After all, such items were extremely valuable. Even among his own garrison of soldiers, only a handful of people were qualified to wear armor.
Basically, only those at the rank of decurion or higher were eligible to wear it.
Armor was very precious because its forging required a lot of time, and the success rate was very low, with most pieces being damaged.
In the Han Dynasty army, for soldiers in a commandery, if it was a prosperous area, the armor rate could reach twenty to thirty percent. If it was a poor area, it would be difficult to even reach ten percent.
For the imperial border army, it was slightly better, probably around thirty to forty percent.
Being able to wear armor could at least multiply one's combat effectiveness several times, allowing one to easily deal with several ordinary soldiers, and even save one's life, preventing being hacked to death by random blades.
Therefore, a higher armor rate signified a stronger army.
After a moment of contemplation, Liu Jin immediately said to Guan Yu!
"Yun Chang, bestow these dozen or so sets of armor upon those who fought bravely in this operation."
"As for the acquired money and provisions, have the soldiers and captives transport these items down."
"Regarding the dead and wounded soldiers, bring their bodies back for proper burial. Additionally, distribute the pension (consolation money/pension) so that the soldiers in the army do not worry; even if they die, I will personally pay out of my own pocket to settle their families."