Over the next three days, Liu Tiezhu and Yang Hua left home early each morning and didn't return until dark. Their stakeout over these three days failed to catch Zhang Zhicheng. Whether the bastard had sensed something or had other matters, he hadn't shown his face at all.
On the fourth day, Chen Hailiang brought good news. Zhang Mingtao and his brother were planning a trip and would pick thirty men from the Zhang family army for the outing, leaving only fifteen on guard duty at the camp. This was undoubtedly a golden opportunity. As long as they could pin down Zhang Zhicheng, the Zhang family's grain and banknotes would be as good as theirs.
After the three of them finished discussing, Chen Hailiang left, while Liu Tiezhu and Yang Hua headed to the small woods for their stakeout. In the afternoon, as they finished eating grilled meat, they saw a large group of people emerge from the camp. At the front were Zhang Mingtao and his brother, riding brown steeds. Flanking the brothers were thirty burly men. They wore matching uniforms, each carrying a rifle on their backs. At first glance, they looked like some sort of regular army.
"A bunch of motherfucking bastards." Yang Hua spat on the ground, cursing loudly with displeasure. Liu Tiezhu just smiled, not bothering to respond to Yang Hua's outburst.
Shortly after Zhang Mingtao and his brother left, a few more horses slowly trotted out of the camp. Seeing this, Yang Hua perked up instantly. "Brother Tiezhu, it's that bastard Zhang Zhicheng—he's finally out." Liu Tiezhu perked up too, gesturing for Yang Hua to follow.
Zhang Zhicheng brought three men with him, all carrying rifles. After leaving the camp, the four immediately turned and headed toward the town. About forty minutes later, Zhang Zhicheng and his men entered the town. Liu Tiezhu, following behind, wasn't in a hurry. Only after Zhang Zhicheng and his crew had gone inside did he lead Yang Hua out.
The north gate into town was still guarded by militiamen. When they saw it was Liu Tiezhu, the two guards let him through without hesitation. Liu Tiezhu knew how to handle people; he pulled out a few bills from his pocket and handed them over. "Sorry, brothers. I came in a rush and didn't bring much." "Brother Liu, you're too kind." The two militiamen took the money and promptly offered Liu Tiezhu and Yang Hua cigarettes. This left Yang Hua stunned behind him. He hadn't expected Liu Tiezhu to be on such good terms with these militiamen.
Once inside the town, the two headed straight for Tiange Tavern. This was the tavern Zhang Zhicheng frequented. According to Chen Hailiang's intel, Zhang Zhicheng always packed up a batch of apricot blossom wine here after drinking.
Entering the tavern, Liu Tiezhu carefully surveyed the surroundings. The place wasn't big, about a hundred square meters. In the main hall, aside from a large counter, there were eight small square tables and a wooden staircase leading to the second floor. At two tables on the left, several big men were already passed out drunk. At a table on the right sat the three men who had come with Zhang Zhicheng, but Zhang Zhicheng himself wasn't there.
After a quick scan, Liu Tiezhu led Yang Hua to a table in the far right corner and sat down. They ordered a pound of beef, a plate of peanuts, two portions of pig head meat, a dish of cold cucumber salad, and three pounds of apricot blossom wine. The tavern had the food and drink ready-made, and everything was served within minutes.
Yang Hua took a swig of the apricot blossom wine and lowered his voice. "That bastard Zhang Zhicheng seems to have gone into hiding. What do we do now?" "Don't rush. The Zhang family army is here, so he must be upstairs." "Drink less. We've got work to do later." Liu Tiezhu warned.
Their quiet murmuring didn't catch the attention of the three men on the other side. Those three were heavy drinkers; as soon as they sat down, they ordered six pounds of apricot blossom wine, five pounds of beef, and three pounds of pig head meat. With Zhang Mingtao and his brother at the camp these past few days, Zhang Zhicheng hadn't dared to come out, and it had been driving them crazy. Now that the brothers were leaving for a few days, they could drink freely with Zhang Zhicheng.
About forty minutes later, the three had finished all the apricot blossom wine, their faces red as monkey butts. Suddenly, the lead big man flipped the table without warning, throwing a drunken tantrum. The other two weren't much better, stumbling as they walked and cursing the tavern owner.
Liu Tiezhu knew the opportunity had come. He lowered his voice. "Let's help them out, then find a secluded spot to take them down." Yang Hua nodded and gave a thumbs-up.
Liu Tiezhu walked over to the owner and pulled out some money. "Sorry, boss, my buddy's drunk." "How much for the broken stuff and the drinks? I'll pay." Seeing someone willing to cover the damages, the owner had no objections and pulled out a ledger to settle the bill with Liu Tiezhu.
Meanwhile, Yang Hua helped the three men stagger out of the tavern. They were so drunk they were out of it; when someone came to assist, they didn't sense any danger and even handed their guns over to Yang Hua.
After paying, Liu Tiezhu quickly caught up and helped guide the three men into an alley. "Brothers, thanks a lot." "When I get back, I'll definitely tell my big brother to recruit you into the Zhang family army. You'll eat and drink well with us." The lead big man slurred, speaking in fits and starts.
"I'll take you up on that." Liu Tiezhu replied, pulling the three along as they continued walking.
Fifteen minutes later, the five of them reached a narrow alley behind the tavern. "Where are we going?" The lead big man looked at Liu Tiezhu, still unaware that death was looming over them.
"I'm sending you down to reunite with your great-grandfather." As he spoke, Liu Tiezhu aimed his compound crossbow at the big man's neck and pulled the trigger. The other two men sobered up considerably.
"You—" Before the man on the left could finish his sentence, Yang Hua slit his throat with a short knife. The remaining man panicked and turned to run. But with his drunken state making walking difficult, he had no chance of escape. Liu Tiezhu fired his compound crossbow, hitting him in the back of the head.
With the three men dealt with, Liu Tiezhu and Yang Hua worked together to drag them deeper into the dark alley, then turned back to the tavern.
At that moment, a drunken Zhang Zhicheng was coming down from the second floor. Liu Tiezhu immediately stepped forward. Zhang Zhicheng froze, about to lose his temper, but when he saw the weapon in Liu Tiezhu's hand, he shut his mouth.
Liu Tiezhu patted Zhang Zhicheng on the shoulder and lowered his voice. "If you don't want to die, come with me quietly. Otherwise, I'll blow your brains out." "Brother, let's talk this out. Whatever you want, I can give it to you." Zhang Zhicheng's legs trembled as he followed Liu Tiezhu out of the tavern.
Once outside, the three headed south along the town's main street. By now, it was dark, the shops were closed, and the streets were empty of pedestrians. Zhang Zhicheng was terrified, his voice shaking. "Two big brothers, I've got over two hundred bucks on me." "Take it all, please spare me." "Two hundred bucks for your life—isn't that a bit cheap?" Liu Tiezhu said.
Zhang Zhicheng's face paled, and he stammered, "Big brother, how much do you want? I'll give you everything I can." "I want the grain and banknotes from Zhang Mingtao's camp, and I need your help." Liu Tiezhu didn't hide his true intentions.
Zhang Zhicheng immediately waved his hands. "No can do, big brother. If those things go missing, Zhang Mingtao will kill me." Liu Tiezhu cocked his pistol and pressed it against Zhang Zhicheng's forehead. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"