Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 2 Bloodbath Against the Beggars' Clan

On the third day, perhaps tired of playing, Bai Shandian asked the general's mansion for a carriage. The three of them got in and leisurely cruised around the city. Even a cruise should be to a scenic spot, but he ordered the driver to take the carriage to the slums. In an instant, sallow, emaciated faces, tattered clothes, dilapidated houses, and filthy streets came into view. The carriage moved slowly, a chilling autumn wind blew, scattering leaves everywhere, and a pungent stench filled the air, making one want to vomit. The two constables quickly drew the curtains on the carriage windows.

Suddenly, a cracking sound came from under the wheel, followed by a scream of pain. The driver was terrified; his professional instincts kicked in, and his first thought was: someone's been run over! He slammed on the brakes. Everyone jumped out and saw a beggar-like man lying in a pool of blood under the left wheel, the tire crushed in his abdomen! Blood was streaming from his seven orifices, and his face was ashen! The driver stood there stunned for a moment, then suddenly shouted angrily, "Impossible! There was clearly no one in front of the cart, how could he...?" The two constables were also dumbfounded, frozen in place, at a loss for what to do.

"This is a classic case of staged accident!" Bai Shandian sneered, suddenly kicking the "corpse" on the ground! Just before contact, the "corpse" came to life, its belly suddenly bulging and convex, forcefully lifting the heavy carriage more than two feet off the ground, startling the horse into a loud neighing. It immediately rolled eighteen times on the spot, rolling several meters away, before scrambling to its feet! It whistled, and instantly, countless ragged beggars sprang from the shadows of the street! Each one wielded a weapon—spears, machetes, axes—gritting their teeth, their faces filled with murderous intent, they surrounded the "corpse" step by step, forming an impenetrable circle!

Upon seeing this, the coachman, Bu Tong, was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly. While kowtowing, he pulled out his purse, trembling all over, and said, "Good sir, spare my life! This is all the silver I have... take it all! Is that... alright?" The "corpse" burst into wild laughter, touched his face, and immediately peeled off a mask, revealing a burly man with a red face and a thick beard. The blood on his face was gone. He stared intently at Bai Shandian: "Imperial Envoy, as long as you come with us, I will release all three of them. We won't make things difficult for you at all!"

"Are you the Beggars' Sect from the Central Plains?" White Lightning asked, his face ashen.

The burly man with the bushy beard laughed, "That's right. But your statement is flawed. Strictly speaking, it should be said—all beggars under heaven are disciples of our Beggars' Sect! Look around, how many of them are from the Central Plains?" Indeed, among the beggars standing around, there were many strangely dressed people from the Gaoshan tribe, some tall and burly men from Northeast China, but most were native Hangzhou residents. It seemed the burly man was right; the Beggars' Sect's influence was no longer limited to the Central Plains, but extended throughout the world!

"I have no connection with the Beggars' Sect. What do you want with me?" White Lightning's eyes were blazing with fury, though it was hard for an outsider to notice! Yes, the real culprit who killed his wife, children, and elderly parents was right in front of him. How could he possibly remain calm?

The burly man with the bushy beard was a highly skilled martial artist, and Bai Shandian's slightest changes were naturally noticed. He immediately explained, "Lord Bai, please don't misunderstand. Our leader merely invites you for a meeting; he has important matters to discuss." Bai Shandian quickly replied, "Is it about the case of the massacre of my Bai family?" The burly man answered tactfully, "You will naturally find out when the time comes!"

Bai Shandian sneered, suddenly pulling a long, gold-plated pipe from his waist. With his other hand, he took out a packet of tobacco, gently filled the pipe with it, lit it, took a leisurely puff, and asked in a deep voice, "I'm in a bad mood today. What if I don't go?"

Seeing that he wouldn't even offer him a cigarette and was only concerned with enjoying it himself, the bearded man became somewhat annoyed and said with a change in expression, "You have to go whether you like it or not!" Bai Shandian laughed wildly and suddenly threw out a cigarette from the pipe in his hand! With leaves fluttering in the air, the cigarette butt, sparking, pierced through five leaves, streaking across the sky like a shooting star, heading straight for the bearded man's face!

"Impressive skills!" The burly man with the bushy beard flipped in mid-air and dodged away. As he landed lightly, he coldly retorted, "I've heard from my friends in the martial arts world that the Imperial Palace's top expert, White Lightning, is known as 'Three Speeds that Shake the Imperial Palace.' So, one speed is this dazzling cigarette butt, Thunderbolt?! What are the other two?" White Lightning was secretly shocked: This beggar is no ordinary person. Just now, I had secretly channeled eighty percent of my internal energy into the cigarette butt, but unexpectedly, he easily broke through the fierce energy and dodged away without getting burned on the face!

"Your gang leader underestimates me, White Lightning. What kind of logic is it to hold a guest hostage?" White Lightning's tone softened considerably.

The burly man with a bushy beard clasped his hands in a respectful bow, his expression solemn. "Chief, I, Huoshaoyun, am merely acting under orders. As for the reasons behind this, only you and my chief can discuss them in person." Just as Bai Shandian was about to reply, the sound of galloping hooves and a clamor of voices arose from the dark mass of people outside the crowd. Suddenly, many Manchu bannermen on tall horses galloped in from various street corners. Upon meeting, they immediately formed ranks, arrayed in an orderly line, their spears and swords flashing, surrounding the crowd at the center!

Under a bright yellow banner, Hongchen, clad in golden armor, personally led the charge, shouting at the top of his lungs, "You filthy beggars, don't touch a thing! Otherwise, swords and spears have no eyes, and you'll be killed without mercy! Release Bai Shandian and the others obediently, and surrender!" Huoshaoyun, enraged, suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Bai Shandian's wrist and trying to subdue him, hoping to use this to threaten the officials into making way! But the other was incredibly nimble; the moment his hand touched Bai Shandian's skin, it slipped away like an eel… In a moment of stunned silence, Bai Shandian's hand was already gripping his throat!

At this moment, chaos erupted within the beggar group. As if a command had been given, they brandished their weapons and charged forward, hacking and slashing, desperately trying to break through! The Eight Banner soldiers were not afraid of these desperate men. With a wave of Hongchen's hand, they were all invigorated, jerking their horses' reins, brandishing their spears, and leaping onto their steeds to fight the beggars!

The Eight Banners Army was one of the most powerful imperial troops in Qing Dynasty history. They were responsible for expanding the territory and charging into battle. It can be said that the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Huang Taiji, was able to unify the country and obtain the throne, which was inseparable from the Eight Banners Army that made great contributions! Close combat and penetrating deep into enemy lines were the strengths of the Eight Banners Army.

The Beggars' Sect disciples were quickly impaled by spears and trampled by horses, suffering heavy casualties. The Eight Banners soldiers, mostly Manchus, were seasoned warriors who spent years fighting on horseback across the deserts and grasslands, developing a swift and decisive fighting style. Judging by their numbers, they were confident they could wipe out the entire Beggars' Sect in less than the time it takes to eat a meal, leaving no one alive!

Unexpectedly, the Beggars' Sect disciples were not to be outdone. One by one, they pulled out short, thin steel pipes from their robes, aimed them at the galloping enemy, and pressed a switch, instantly spewing out a cloud of black smoke! A miracle occurred: the Eight Banner soldiers immediately became dizzy and their vision went black, suddenly falling from their horses to the ground, unconscious! The horses also reacted, foaming at the mouth, letting out a wild neigh, and collapsing dead! In a short time, the Eight Banner soldiers had suffered heavy losses, and the Beggars' Sect disciples, engrossed in their battle, shouted and gradually charged towards Hongchen and his group!

Bai Shandian, seeing this, panicked, released the chokehold, grabbed Huo Shaoyun's wrist with his other hand, and locked his right shoulder blade with his left, shouting, "Tell your men to stop and surrender! Or I'll kill you!" Huo Shaoyun chuckled coldly, a cruel glint in his eyes, and said, "Dead would be cleaner! Hmph, if they want our Beggars' Clan brothers to submit, they'd be better off dead!"

Suddenly, Bai Shandian grabbed him, leaped into the air, and with a series of somersaults, landed in front of Hongchen. He handed Huoshaoyun to two constables to be taken away, and said to Hongchen, "Lord Hong, there's no time to lose! You must quickly send someone to find the Governor-General of Zhejiang for help and request his Green Standard Army to come over! Any later and it will be too late!"

Hongchen was in a difficult position. He sighed and said, "To be honest, Your Excellency, I have a long-standing feud with Governor-General Zhang Kuang. As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share the same mountain. Since I live in Hangzhou with the Governor-General of Zhejiang, it's inevitable that we'll have some unpleasant conflicts. His name is Zhang Kuang, and he is indeed very arrogant. He thinks that our Eight Banners troops are not as numerous as his Green Standard Army, and he often looks down on me! Even if I send someone today, I estimate that Zhang Kuang will definitely refuse to come to my aid! I'll have to trouble Your Excellency to make the trip yourself. Thank you!"

Bai Shandian, enraged, shouted, "You are all officials of the court, yet instead of supporting each other and repaying the Emperor's grace, you scheme against each other and exclude one another! It's infuriating! Sigh, I won't say any more to you. I'll go myself! Speed ​​is of the essence in war, but unfortunately, my Ferghana horse isn't with me!" Hongchen quickly jumped off his horse and laughed, "My Black Cloud Chasing Snow, though not as good as your steed, is still incredibly swift. Just ride it!" Bai Shandian didn't reply, leaped onto his horse, and galloped away!