Ning Zheng felt that this was a minor misjudgment.
What annoyed him most was dealing with the younger ones first, only to have the older ones come later.
This is the most frustrating trope in novels.
But novels often reflect reality; he clearly stumbled upon a nest of rats.
"According to this trope, you hit the outlaws, then come the city families; if you defeat the city families, you attract even bigger patrons."
"It is indeed a bit annoying."
Ning Zheng pondered whether to retreat.
After all, he hadn't intended to compete for anything. The meager resources of this small place weren't worth the fight; his main goal was to conceal his true identity.
But after thinking it through, he deemed it unnecessary.
Having already provoked them, he might as well take on the supporting army as well!
After the battle, he would interrogate them harshly to find out the caliber of their backing.
If there wasn't a significant patron, he'd even seize the local city for himself!
