Upon hearing Liu Tiezhu's words, Chen Hailiang fell silent. Just by providing some information without lifting a finger, he could split the spoils equally. This deal wasn't a loss for him. The camp had plenty of grain and ration tickets stored up. If Liu Tiezhu could quietly make off with those goods, and he got a share from it, his days ahead would be quite comfortable. After a few minutes of consideration, Chen Hailiang nodded: "I'm in, but let me lay down the rules first." "I'll only get you intel, nothing else." "Also, you'll need to give me some time and funds." "To dig up this info, I'll have to spend money to build connections." "How much money?" Yang Hua asked. "A hundred bucks." A hundred bucks? Hearing that number, Yang Hua's eyes widened immediately. Chen Hailiang explained: "Brother Hua, I'm not just making up a price." "If you want to get the info fast, you've got to be willing to spend." "Those bastards in the camp all have big appetites." "Without at least three or five bucks, they won't even open their mouths." Yang Hua knew this was true, but he had no money in his pocket. "Here's a hundred and twenty, take it." Liu Tiezhu pulled out two fifty-yuan bills and some scattered fives and twos from his pocket, stuffing them into Chen Hailiang's hand. "Get the info within a few days as fast as you can; any longer and things might go wrong." Chen Hailiang nodded: "Don't worry, with this money, I'll have that info in no time." After they finished talking, Chen Hailiang didn't dare linger and left the cornfield first. Back at Liu Tiezhu's place, Yang Hua immediately called everyone together for a meeting. Since Liu Tiezhu had put up both money and firearms and ammunition, when they eventually got the grain and tickets, he deserved a bigger share—this had to be made clear to everyone. The other five, after hearing Yang Hua's explanation, all said they had no problem with it. That afternoon, Zhang Hailong, who was keeping watch at the village entrance, rushed back in a hurry. "Brother Tiezhu, Brother Hua, there's someone outside the village." "This guy's on a horse, just circling around in the fields about twenty meters out, not coming into the village." "Bandits?" Liu Tiezhu and Yang Hua exchanged a glance, saying it in unison. But thinking it over, that didn't fit—if it were bandits, there wouldn't be just one. Yang Hua thought for a moment and asked: "Brother Tiezhu, what do you think?" "Let's head to the village entrance and take a look first." At Liu Tiezhu's words, everyone grabbed their guns and quietly made their way toward the village entrance. A few minutes later, the seven of them reached the hidden lookout spot at the entrance. Zhang Hailong pointed at a ridge not far off: "He's over there—is he waiting for someone?" Following Zhang Hailong's finger, they saw a man in his early thirties on a horse, looking around. "Could he be the contact between the bandits and Liu Gang and his father?" Yang Hua said. Liu Tiezhu thought it over and nodded: "That's possible." "I reckon today was supposed to be Liu Gang's meeting with him, but since he didn't report in, the guy came down." Yang Hua cursed: "That bastard's too cautious, not even daring to enter the village?" "Don't underestimate these bandits; they're not idiots." "If Liu Gang didn't show up to meet him, it means something's happened." "Rushing into the village at a time like this would definitely be dangerous." "If we can figure that out, how could these bandits not?" Liu Tiezhu said. Zhang Hailong asked: "So what do we do, go take him out?" Liu Tiezhu waved his hand: "No rush, let's keep an eye on him first and see what he's up to." "Since he's bold enough to hang around the entrance, he must want to come in." "I figure he's either waiting for nightfall or for his buddies." "Either way, it's more to our advantage than disadvantage." "Then let's go with Brother Tiezhu's plan. Everyone stay hidden and don't let that guy spot us," Yang Hua reminded. The seven of them lay low in the lookout, silently watching the man outside the village. They kept at it for over two hours. By then, the sky was gradually darkening, and from a distance, they saw a dozen or so beams of light approaching. Following the lights came the neighing of horses. Yang Hua said: "Damn, the bandits really were waiting for backup, and there's quite a few of them." "Brother Tiezhu, what now?" At that, everyone's eyes fixed on Liu Tiezhu. Judging by the lights, there were no fewer than ten bandits this time. They only had seven people on their side, and though they were in hiding, they didn't have the advantage. "Take them on," Liu Tiezhu said without hesitation. "It's not every day we get a bunch of fat sheep like this—how could we miss out?" "Brother Tiezhu, they've got numbers on us; fighting them won't give us the edge," Zhang Hailong said. "Guys, if war were decided by numbers, World War II wouldn't have been so brutal." "If we can't even handle this small group of bandits, then forget about going after Zhang Mingtao's camp supplies. Let's just split the meat and go home," Liu Tiezhu said. He didn't want to lead a bunch of people who only wanted easy gains and were too timid to act. They'd not only hold him back but also mess things up. These dozen or so bandits were a perfect test of these guys' combat ability. If they couldn't even deal with these bandits, he'd have to ask Yang Hua to find new people. Hearing Liu Tiezhu's words, the others flushed red, and no one dared to speak up. "Being in the dark is our biggest advantage." "Pair up into two-man teams and set up ambushes in the alleys near Liu Gang's house." "Barring any surprises, we can take them down in two rounds. Now it's just a question of whether you've got the guts," Liu Tiezhu added. Yang Hua chimed in: "Brother Tiezhu's right. If we can't handle these dozen bandits, then forget about hitting Zhang Mingtao's camp supplies." "One word: are we doing this or not?" "If you don't have the nerve, I, Yang Hua, won't force you. Hand over your gun and go home to your kids." "We're in. It's just a dozen bandits," the others behind them nodded in agreement. The seven split into four groups: Liu Tiezhu alone, and the other six in three pairs. After splitting up, they pulled back and took up positions near Liu Gang's house, hiding in suitable ambush spots. Liu Tiezhu hid on the wall of Liu Gang's courtyard, the pitch-black night perfectly concealing his figure. "Everyone, keep your cool. Don't fire until the bandits are in the kill zone." "They're on horseback, and their rifles are usually slung over their shoulders." "It takes time to unsling and load a rifle." "We've got to use that window to launch a second wave and take them all out." Just as Liu Tiezhu finished his instructions, the sound of hooves reached them. The bandits didn't charge straight in on horseback; instead, they advanced slowly with flashlights. The five in front even dismounted, raising their rifles as they walked, scanning their surroundings. A few minutes later, the fifteen bandits entered the ambush zone. The hidden group tensed up, all waiting for Liu Tiezhu's signal. Whoosh... A sharp sound cut through the air as a bamboo arrow pierced the neck of the bandit at the front.