Accidentally dressed as an empress

Chapter 184: Destroy the Enemy

Zhang Xiaomiao stayed with the homeless refugees, looking for food on the outskirts of Yunyin City, and survived until now, when winter is about to come.

If it gets cold and starts snowing, those who don't starve to death will freeze to death.

The system played back Zhang Xiaomiao's experience to Yunxiu. Yunxiu's eyes flickered. "I understand, system."

[But now, let's deal with those bandits who stole our food.]

After the bandits had robbed the food, they looked proud and arrogant, carrying bulging sacks, and swarmed towards a dilapidated temple from all directions like a tide.

The bandits began to divide up the food in the ruined temple. They all had greedy eyes, pushed each other, and shouted curses one after another.

Several bandit leaders sat on a high place, munching on the plundered dry food while watching the movements below to prevent anyone from hiding it.

Some bandits took out their wine skins and guzzled it, the liquor running down their chins and mixing with the dust on their faces. In a corner, a wounded bandit groaned in pain, his companions casually throwing him a rag and leaving him to die.

"Boss, we've got quite a harvest this time!" A bandit with pockmarks on his face grinned, revealing a mouthful of black and yellow teeth, and shouted excitedly.

"Hmph, those refugees were sensible and didn't put up much resistance. But there were still a few who didn't care about their own lives, so I killed them with just one sword." A one-eyed bandit responded triumphantly, waving the bloody long sword in his hand, with a cruel light flashing in the one eye on his face.

"Brother, we have robbed so much food this time, we have to have fun." A skinny bandit rubbed his hands, staring at the pile of food.

"Happy? You only know how to be happy! You have to eat this food sparingly. The officers and soldiers have been checking closely lately. Don't let them catch you all before you finish eating it." The bandit leader sat on a high place, scanning the crowd with sinister eyes. His voice was low and hoarse, with unquestionable majesty.

After hearing this, everyone suddenly became much quieter, with only a few dissatisfied grumbles occasionally.

"Brother, we can't stay hungry forever." The skinny bandit muttered softly, still looking at the food with reluctance.

"You know shit!" The bandit leader stood up suddenly, kicking up a cloud of dust with his worn boots. "If we're caught by the soldiers, we'll all be dead. What good will all the food do then?"

At this time, a bandit with a long scar on his face stood up and said, "Brother, how about we send a few brothers out to get some information about the soldiers? That way we can prepare early."

The bandit leader touched the messy beard on his chin and nodded slightly, "Scarface, you have a good idea. Ermazi, Gousheng, you two take a few brothers to check out the surrounding area, and come back immediately to report if there is any movement. If you dare to play around and make mistakes, don't blame me for being rude!" Although Ermazi and Gousheng were reluctant when they were named, they did not dare to disobey. They could only respond and left the ruined temple with a few minions.

The atmosphere in the temple was still tense. Some of the bandits were wiping their weapons, while others were leaning against the wall with their eyes closed, but their eyes would drift towards the pile of food from time to time.

Suddenly, a shrill bird cry was heard outside. The originally quiet bandits instantly became nervous again. They clenched their weapons and stared at the temple gate vigilantly.

The bandits held their breath, not daring to breathe, their eyes fixed on the temple gate, as if the enemy would break in at any second. After a long while, nothing unusual happened, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn it, you scared me, it turned out to be a bird." A bandit cursed and sat back on the ground.

"Don't let your guard down. Things are not peaceful around here right now." The bandit leader growled, his eyes still showing vigilance.

After a while, Ermazi and Gousheng, who had gone out to investigate, came back.

Er Mazi panted and said, "Brother, we found traces of a large group of soldiers on the official road in the east. It seems that they are coming towards us, but they are still quite far away."

The bandit leader frowned, "What's the situation to the west and south?" Gou Sheng quickly replied, "There's not much going on in the west. There are a few small villages to the south, but no soldiers or soldiers have been seen."

"Hmph, it looks like the soldiers are coming for us." The bandit leader paced back and forth, thinking about his strategy. "We can't just sit here in this dilapidated temple and wait for death. Let's pack up and go around from the north and find a place to hide first."

After hearing this, the bandits quickly took action, repacked the food and prepared to evacuate.

Some bandits were still complaining: "When will this day end? We are chased by soldiers all day long." The bandit next to him replied impatiently: "If you don't want to die, shut up and leave quickly."

Just as they were about to leave, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from outside the temple, approaching from afar, and it sounded like there were quite a few of them. The bandits' faces changed drastically, realizing that they might have been surrounded.

The bandits' faces changed drastically, and panicked glances met each other. For a moment, the dilapidated temple was filled with an extremely tense atmosphere, as if the air had solidified.

"Brother, what should we do? We are surrounded!" A young bandit's voice trembled, and he could hardly hold the knife in his hand.

The bandit leader gritted his teeth and growled, "What are you panicking about? Grab your weapons and fight them!"

As he spoke, he was the first to pick up his long sword, with a glint of determination in his eyes. Although he knew in his heart that this time he was in great danger, his many years of banditry made him unwilling to surrender.

The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, shaking the ground slightly, as if it was the drumbeat of death.

The bandits all held their weapons tightly, some hid behind pillars, and some lay by the windows, nervously waiting for the arrival of the officers and soldiers.

With a neigh of a horse, officers and soldiers appeared around the ruined temple like a tide.

They were dressed in neatly-made armor that gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and the spears and shields in their hands formed a majestic line of defense.

"Listen, bandits inside, you are surrounded. Put down your weapons and surrender!" Su Qing's voice was as loud as a bell, echoing over the ruined temple.

"How did the officers and soldiers find this place?" The bandit leader looked at his men, "You guys, didn't you notice that our tails were not clean?"

Several of his men were cowering in silence, and the bandit leader was about to go out and negotiate with the officers and soldiers.

"Fuck you! No way you want us to surrender!" Someone among the bandits shouted, and then an arrow shot out from the ruined temple, and the conflict broke out instantly.

The bandits shot arrows and threw stones at the officers and soldiers indiscriminately, while the officers and soldiers advanced in an orderly manner, using shields to block the attacks and starting to fight back.

For a moment, shouts and screams were intertwined, and blood spread on the land of the ruined temple.

Although the bandits were ferocious, their numbers and equipment were far inferior to those of the officers and soldiers.

Soon, bandits fell under the spears of the officers and soldiers, and their blood splattered on the grain bags, staining the already dirty sacks even redder. Some bandits began to retreat, looking for opportunities to break out, but they were forced back again and again by the officers and soldiers.

The bandit leader saw that the situation was not good and shouted, "Charge eastward and fight your way out!"

The remaining bandits seemed to have grabbed their last straw and rushed towards the officers and soldiers in the east like crazy.

Su Qing quickly realized that there were refugees living in the woods to the east of the ruined temple, and this group of people wanted to confuse the view again.

The bandits rushed towards the eastern line of defense of the officers and soldiers like trapped beasts, waving their weapons and their eyes full of madness.

However, the officers and soldiers were well-trained and remained calm in the face of the bandits' attack. The soldiers in the front row used their solid shields to form an iron wall, while the archers in the back row found the right moment and shot arrows at the bandits like raindrops.

Bandits were shot by arrows and fell one after another. The bandit leader held a long knife and slashed left and right, trying to fight his way out, but there were too many officers and soldiers, and he was soon surrounded.

Although the bandit leader was extremely ferocious, he gradually lost his strength after a long fight.

The officers and soldiers seized the opportunity, rushed forward and subdued him to the ground.

As the bandit leader was captured, the remaining bandits also lost their fighting spirit. Some were beheaded on the spot, and some were captured alive.

The battlefield gradually became quiet, blood gathered into streams on the ground, and corpses lay in all directions.

Su Qing dismounted and looked at the scene before him, frowning slightly. He ordered, "Treat the wounded, tie up the prisoners securely, and check the bandits' supplies."

"These bandits are truly heinous." A soldier said with a frown, his eyes full of resentment towards the bandits.

"Yes, they have made the people suffer terribly. This time they must be severely punished." Su Qing's face was solemn. "First, carry the injured soldiers to the shade over there and take good care of them."

"Yes!" The soldiers responded in unison and began to move.

"Check if there are any bandits pretending to be dead. Don't miss any of them." Su Qing shouted, scanning the battlefield vigilantly.