Linglong seemed to nestle further into my embrace, her voice dripping with sugary sweetness, "What do I care about starting a business or exploring the frontiers? I'm staying by your side no matter what. You know so much; I envy you so much."

Yun Yao gave a subtle smile, while I flushed and gently shifted to create a little space between us. Just then, Magistrate An somehow scrambled over from somewhere, urgently stating, "Nephew Zhao, this is a five-alarm fire! Do you still have the leisure to sit here chatting? The scaling ladders are being moved beneath the city walls—what are we going to do about them?"

I peered out quickly and drew back, "Don't worry, Magistrate An. Does fighting a battle stop us from talking? Let them put them up. This isn't the time for us to charge out."

Smack. A scaling ladder was set against the rampart. These ladders were mere prototypes; the very top lacked hooks to catch the wall, making them even easier to topple. I had already signaled Ah San what to do, and now I gave him the sign for action. Ah San suddenly stood up and roared, "Long-pole men! Push that thing down for me!"

Two yamen runners stepped up as long-pole operators. They seized the long poles lying on the ground, using the forked branches at the front to snag the ladder. The two put their strength into pushing forward. Five or six bandits had already climbed onto the ladder, but utilizing the principle of leverage, the sheer weight of those five or six men couldn't counteract the backward push from the pole against the city wall. The ladder was pushed further and further away, dangling higher and higher. Then, the fork on the pole quickly dropped down. The two yamen runners seized the chance and shoved two more times. Boom. The ladder flipped backward. Since it hadn't been secured very firmly, it collapsed as the men on it fell, and the whole structure broke apart.

By this time, the remaining scaling ladders had also reached the top of the wall. For two of the ladders, the long-pole men had reacted too late; the ladders were already crowded with men and were close to the battlements. Even though the long poles managed to push the ladders back, three or four bandits’ heads were already poking over the city wall.

I shot a look to Ah Si, who knew his task was at hand. He bellowed, "Rolling logs and hurling stones! Release them!"

A bandit had just managed to secure a foothold on the wall when a large stone smashed squarely into his chest. The bandit managed only a muffled sound—"Oh ma..."—before he tumbled down the scaling ladder with a gurgle-gurgle, sweeping a row of bandits behind him. Next, the huge rolling logs were thrown down recklessly. The two scaling ladders that hadn't been completely toppled were smashed apart by the logs. Large rocks rained down indiscriminately.

I called out to Ah Mao and Ah Gou, who were waiting by the cauldrons of hot oil for my command, "Pour the oil! Focus on those battering rams. Those idiots don't realize our city wall is solid rock. They’re still blindly ramming it. We’ll bomb them first, and then we’ll roast them."

Ah Mao and Ah Gou were quick. They grabbed huge ladles together and poured the scorching oil first. Even if the bandits’ swords dug into flesh without eliciting a cry of pain, this deluge of boiling oil drenched them, causing them to howl and scream in agony. In moments, the air was filled with English-style cries of 'Woe is me!'

The battering rams were cleverly constructed, featuring a roof to deflect arrows. Groups of ten would duck inside, lift a heavy wooden beam, and violently smash it against the wall. Logically, even the strongest wall should show some wear after a few dozen blows, but this wall remained unchanged, save for a few flakes of mortar falling off. The lead bandit in front suddenly spotted the reason and yelled out, "We’ve been fooled! This isn't a wall at all!"

Those behind him shouted back, "What are you screaming about? Is this wall not a wall, or is it a giant pancake?"

The bandit in front cried, "This wall is fake! This is just a massive slab of rock! We're wasting our lives smashing granite! Retreat, retreat now!"

Gurgle-gurgle. A thick liquid suddenly began dripping from the roof above. A few bandits who were hit cried out in pain, but luckily, the oil had cooled somewhat during its descent, and the wooden and vine roof had absorbed some of the heat, so it didn't immediately scald them to the flesh.

One bandit wiped his head and was alarmed. "Oil! What are they doing? These Shuāngchéng Kingdom people have gone mad! I’ve never seen them this brave."

Smack. Suddenly, a lit torch fell onto the roof of the battering ram. The oil already poured on top was flammable, and as soon as it ignited, it burst into a blazing fire that streamed downward. It took little effort for the wooden ram to catch fire. Five of the ten bandits hiding inside were burned to death. The remaining five, drenched in oil, managed to escape the ram but found themselves surrounded by a sea of fire, ultimately burning to death at the base of the wall.

The collapsed scaling ladders, battering rams, and rolling logs were all engulfed in flames. In that first wave of intense, oily bombardment, nine out of ten bandits suffered. Even if they weren't immediately scalded to death, when torches were suddenly thrown down from the city wall, the resulting fire became uncontrollable. Consequently, not a single bandit from that assault force escaped; they all ended up perfectly roasted.

Magistrate An, Ah San, Ah Si, Ah Mao, Ah Gou, Sun Dasheng, Lao Liu, and even the injured Constable Sun, who was carried up to the ramparts, all watched the raging inferno below, where the bandits struggled in the flames, and burst into hearty laughter. These men had dealt with bandits for years, and this was the first time they had seen them so humiliated. In the past, they were the ones who suffered indignities; defeating bandits was something they wouldn't even dare to dream of. But now, seeing the bandits in such a sorry state, how could they not rejoice?

The remaining hundred-plus bandits watched the towering flames and smelled the stench of scorched meat, utterly helpless. At this point, forget attacking the city—even standing nearby made their skin sizzle. Sending more crossbow bolts would have minimal effect, as the defending soldiers were safely tucked behind the battlements. If they sent fire arrows again, the city residents were prepared, so the impact wouldn't be great either. Furthermore, with only a hundred men left, launching another assault would risk losing what little strength they had left. Thus, led by a new commander, the bandits hastily retreated.

I watched the retreating bandits with a slight sense of regret. If we had cavalry now, or if a contingent had been sent ahead to set up tripwires on the official road, those hundred bandits would have left behind at least thirty or forty corpses. Still, killing nearly four hundred out of five hundred bandits was a decent result.

Seeing the bandits flee in disarray, Magistrate An burst into tears of joy on the wall, shouting, "A great victory! A great victory! My An Deshan will be forever recorded in the county gazette! Citizens, everyone! The bandits are running away! An Deshan promised to distribute rice to everyone, go get yours! Don't be shy with your magistrate today; I'm in a good mood! Let's go, everyone!"

Magistrate An led a crowd of jubilant citizens away. The yamen runners, however, remained orderly. They had received some training before taking office. Though they used to flee at the sight of bandits, the battles today had forged them into what could now be considered competent soldiers. They all held their posts, not daring to act rashly. Besides, the order I had just given was still in effect: anyone who broke formation would receive a bullet from me directly, otherwise, how could they unite to repel the enemy if the bandits returned?

Dali Wan was visibly dejected, and Linglong was also sullen. She silently shouldered her exquisite bow and arrows, standing behind me without speaking. I knew what they were thinking. Aside from Linglong secretly standing up to shoot a few arrows and getting 'scolded' by me, Dali Wan had only tossed a few stones. In this great victory, the martial skills of these two had not been utilized in the slightest!

Yun Yao was different. She understood that in a clash between armies, individual prowess did not determine victory or defeat; it depended on the commander's correct judgment and the overall quality of the troops. Individual strength was negligible in warfare.

I summoned Ah San, Ah Si, Ah Mao, and Ah Gou to give them instructions. "Four brothers, this retreat by the bandits means they will need time to regroup. For future intelligence work, I hope Brothers Mao and Gou will put in more effort; don't let them sneak in before we even know. Furthermore, Brother San and Brother Si can completely handle the city defense work. Once Constable Sun recovers, the bandits attacking Feiyu County will be even more of a fantasy. Now, I should head home and rest. We can all meet for tea when we have time."

"Lord Zhao..." The four brothers called out urgently as I really started to turn away. "Lord Zhao... We... we will find you for tea when we have time." The four couldn't think of anything else appropriate to say at the moment, so they just echoed my words, but the admiration and gratitude in their eyes were self-evident.

I smiled, waved my hand, and pulled the reluctant Linglong and Dali Wan down from the ramparts. Constable Sun was being carried in a chair and waited for me at the base of the wall. "Brother Zhao, please stay a moment."

I stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Brother Sun, the bandits shouldn't return for a few days after this retreat. I should go home now. I suggest you immediately instruct the carpenters to repair the city gate and move away all the stones and timber blocking the entrance. These ten thousand citizens are all cooped up in the city, and the fields outside are lying fallow."

Constable Sun's ruddy face was still somewhat pale, a result of excessive blood loss that morning. It was a testament to his iron constitution; others might not have been able to stand up, but he had insisted on being carried down to await news of the bandits.

"Let's not talk about farming," Constable Sun said. "Brother Zhao, you are the person I admire most in my life. As your elder brother, I have nothing more to say; we are bound by brotherhood for life. I hope you won't forget your unworthy elder brother."

I replied, "How could I, Brother Sun? To be honest, I don't know many people here, but every one of you has treated me exceptionally well. I am deeply moved. I will always remember you all, no matter where I go, even if it’s farther than the ends of the earth."

Constable Sun waved his hand happily. "That's good to hear. You should rest now; I won't detain you."

I glanced at Constable Sun's wound. "Brother Sun, I have some miraculous medicine for healing injuries. I was so flustered by the bandits this morning that I forgot everything. Let’s return to the yamen, and I’ll apply the medicine for you. I see your local wound treatments are prone to infection."

Constable Sun suddenly exclaimed, "That's right! How could I forget you're a miracle doctor? I’m getting muddled by the chaos! Let’s go. Hopefully, I’ll be fully healed by tomorrow; I feel stifled."

I turned back to Linglong. "Linglong, I'll have to trouble you."

Linglong replied, "You are my lord; there is no 'trouble.' Brother Dali Wan, stay here to protect the lord. I'll go back and get your medicine chest."