From the clothing and gear of these men, Liu Tiezhu immediately recognized them as Zhang Family troops.
He had no time to waste with them. Estimating their distance, he quickly pulled out a grenade.
These Zhang Family soldiers had no idea they were about to be bombed. They galloped their fine horses at full speed, not even stopping at the sight of dead horses by the roadside.
Their confidence came from two things: first, this was all Zhang Family territory; second, they were well-equipped and numerous.
When the dozens of men closed to within five meters of Liu Tiezhu, he decisively pulled the pin on the grenade and threw it.
*Boom...*
With a thunderous blast, the charging Zhang Family soldiers were completely stunned.
Watching the flying dirt and severed limbs ahead, everyone immediately turned their horses around without a second thought.
But the startled horses refused to obey, panicking and neighing wildly as they threw their riders off.
Liu Tiezhu didn't hesitate, pulling the pins on two more grenades and tossing them.
The two grenades landed right in the middle of the crowd.
Seeing the smoking grenades, these tough guys were utterly terrified.
*Boom!!*
Two deafening explosions rang out, and the blasted dirt swallowed them all.
For a moment, screams filled the air.
When the dust and smoke cleared, only three mangled men remained, groaning in agony.
The rest were either blown to bits or left with half a body—a gruesome scene.
Liu Tiezhu, alone with his rifle, finished off all these men.
After scavenging their belongings, he mounted his horse again and sped toward the mountains.
Four hours later, Liu Tiezhu returned to the stone cave.
Everyone cheered at the sight of him.
Huang Xiumei and Yang Yulan immediately went into the kitchen to prepare a lavish meal.
His second uncle brought out the Xinghua wine Liu Tiezhu had bought earlier.
Yaoyao hopped straight into Liu Tiezhu's arms, acting spoiled.
Liu Tiezhu pulled out a thick stack of bills and handed it to his second uncle.
"This..."
Seeing the thick wad of cash in Liu Tiezhu's hand, everyone was shocked.
It took a while for his second uncle to come to his senses and ask, "Tiezhu, did you raid some camp?"
That stack of bills was tens of thousands of yuan.
Liu Tiezhu had only been gone a few days and already made that much money—it was astonishing.
Liu Tiezhu chuckled. "Second uncle, this is just part of it."
"There's another deal coming up."
"If we pull it off, the money we get could be several times this."
The reason he rushed back wasn't just to see his family, but for something very important: the warehouse at Zhuangdong Ridge.
Once the Ming family made a move on Jiang Tianliang, the troops at Zhuangdong Ridge would definitely be redeployed.
This was a golden opportunity that couldn't be missed.
A big deal?
Everyone perked up with interest at his words.
"That's right, a big deal."
Liu Tiezhu nodded and spilled everything that had happened over the past few days.
When they heard that Jiang Tianliang had tried to kill Liu Tiezhu, everyone gritted their teeth in anger.
But when they heard how Liu Tiezhu fought back, they clapped and cheered.
Ten minutes later, when Liu Tiezhu revealed his plan to take out Jiang Tianliang's warehouse at Zhuangdong Ridge, everyone was stunned again.
"Tiezhu, there are over a hundred men on the other side, and they're well-armed."
"Can we handle it with just a few of us?" his second uncle asked.
He wasn't underestimating their abilities, but the numerical gap was impossible to bridge.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Second uncle, don't worry. Those men will definitely be redeployed."
"As long as we have enough grenades, taking that warehouse won't be a problem."
"I came back not just to tell you this, but also to have Gouzi go into town to coordinate."
"Brother Tiezhu, I've been waiting for you to say that."
Er Gouzi was thrilled, having wanted to go to town for a while.
Seeing Er Gouzi's excitement, his second uncle immediately warned him.
"Gouzi, take it easy."
"Tiezhu is sending you to town for business, not for fun."
"Don't worry, Dad. I know what to do."
Er Gouzi then turned his attention back to Liu Tiezhu.
"Brother Tiezhu, how do we get the grenades?"
Liu Tiezhu replied, "Leave the grenades to me."
"Get your gear ready. We leave in two hours."
After dinner, Liu Tiezhu played with the white-headed eagle for a bit, then went into his room.
For two hours, he wrestled with Yang Yulan several times.
Only when she was completely worn out did Liu Tiezhu stop.
Er Gouzi had prepared early, holding the well-fed horses at the cave entrance, waiting.
When Liu Tiezhu came out, they mounted their horses and galloped out of the mountains.
It took them five hours to get back to town.
Liu Tiezhu settled Er Gouzi at the Xinghua Tavern, instructing him not to go out under any circumstances.
After arranging for Er Gouzi, Liu Tiezhu rode back to the camp.
Just as he reached the camp entrance, he ran into Zhang Tielin.
"Brother Tiezhu, you're finally back."
Zhang Tielin sounded anxious, as if something had happened.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Liu Tiezhu asked.
Zhang Tielin said, "The Ming family's internal conflict has started."
"Over Jiang Tianliang's matter, the Second Master and the Third Master have completely fallen out."
"Now the entire Ming family leadership is picking sides."
Liu Tiezhu was taken aback. "What do you mean? It's gotten this big?"
"Didn't I tell you to notify Jiang He and have him send people to verify the evidence against Jiang Tianliang?"
"Did Jiang He not send anyone?"
Zhang Tielin replied, "He did, but that old fox Jiang Tianliang destroyed the evidence before they arrived and turned the tables."
"Now the Second Master thinks the Third Master is deliberately causing trouble and wants to team up with the Ming family's eldest to go after the Third Master."
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu was furious enough to curse.
How could they be so slow? Letting Jiang Tianliang slip through—the men Jiang He sent were utterly incompetent.
He couldn't care less about the Ming brothers' infighting.
What infuriated him was that Jiang He's men had botched the job, ruining his plan.
Regaining his composure, Liu Tiezhu asked, "What's the Third Master's response now?"
Zhang Tielin said, "The Third Master has taken the matter to Ming Hai."
"Since it involves the Li family, it will be thoroughly investigated."
"Jiang Tianliang won't be able to leave for a while."
"But without solid evidence, they can't nail him for good."
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu breathed a sigh of relief.
If Jiang Tianliang couldn't leave, then the men he had mobilized would likely hole up in town waiting for news.
For Liu Tiezhu, the chance to ambush Zhuangdong Ridge was still there.
After sending Zhang Tielin off, Liu Tiezhu hurried back to the barracks to find Guo Qixing.
Time was tight, so Liu Tiezhu cut to the chase and asked Guo Qixing for fifty grenades.
Given the Guo family's resources, getting fifty grenades should be easy.
Guo Qixing didn't ask what Liu Tiezhu needed them for and immediately agreed, adding that if he needed them urgently, he could take them now.
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu was overjoyed and asked Guo Qixing to lead the way.
The two reached an agreement, slipped out of the camp, and headed toward the Guo family's stronghold in the north of town.