Long San had been having Qin Kun monitored closely for a considerable amount of time and was well-aware of his every move. Even though he knew that Qin Kun’s men were causing chaos, he did not act immediately to protect his own brother.
When he sent the butler Ling Yan to save the scholars, he guessed that Qin Kun would not let the matter slide. Sooner or later, Qin Kun would suspect him and thus, Long San was always vigilant.
When Zhou Rui didn’t return as planned, Long San inferred that he must have been captured by Qin Kun’s men. At that point, Long San initiated his move and quickly ordered his brothers in the provincial city to retreat to Ping County.
The butler Ling Yan was worried about Nan Feng and insisted on staying near him to safeguard him under the radar. Only then was Long San able to retreat to Ping County with some peace of mind.
Thus, when Zhou Honghai sent his men to Long San’s house, they found the place deserted.
Zhou Honghai traced them to the dock, only to learn that Long San’s ship had just left.
Zhou Honghai dared not rashly pursue them into Ping County and immediately reported back to Qin Kun. Qin Kun agreed to send troops immediately, using the name of suppressing rebels to capture Long San.
The governor instantly dispatched five thousand soldiers towards Ping County.
But since they were fully prepared, the members of Long Ya gang started fighting the soldiers on the river. As the gang was always active near the river, they claimed an easy victory, sinking two ships and killing hundreds of soldiers.
On the dock, Long San watched the vast array of soldiers on the river from the ship, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.
While Long Ya gang might have seized the initiative for now, they definitely couldn’t win a war of attrition.
After all, these were the emperor’s forces.
Elsewhere, when Qin Kun saw that the city could not be conquered, he ordered the new county magistrate in Ping County to immediately suppress Long Ya gang.
The county didn’t have many troops to deploy, but Long San had already expected this move from Qin Kun. So, he had the county magistrate controlled from the beginning.
Just as the two armies were at a deadlock, the governor reported that the elite soldiers dispatched by the emperor, totaling five thousand men, had arrived.
Qin Kun suddenly burst into laughter. “’The emperor does understand, after all. When I march on the capital one day, I will spare his life,” he said.
After laughing, Qin Kun manded the governor, “Tell the five thousand elite soldiers not to report here first, but to eradicate the Long Ya gang immediately!”
…
Qin Kun leisurely enjoyed his tea at home, pondering: what could the Long Ya gang possibly amount to when facing the encirclement of five thousand elite soldiers?
After finishing his tea, he strolled in the garden. Then a servant came to report, “My lord, according to Zhou Rui’s description, the painter has finished portraits of the key figures of Long Family gang. Do you wish to scrutinize them first, or should we send them to General Zhou Honghai directly?”
“Give them to me first!” Qin Kun said, beginning to flip through the stack of portraits. “I want to see for myself whether this Long San really has three heads and six arms!”
The first portrait is of Butler Yan, who is in his forties with bushy brows and piercing eyes. His rough, rugged look matched the impression Qin Kun had. The second is another butler who is thinner, younger, and with evident martial artist characteristics, also aligning with Qin Kun’s assumptions… Then he came to a portrait of Long San.
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