Tian Shenglan met the Mongols head-on.
The two sides didn't draw blades. They didn't shout. Instead, they exchanged traditional steppe greetings—hands raised, a rough "hooh-uh" shouted between them—then stepped forward and embraced.
Warm. Familiar. Almost affectionate.
Tian Shenglan's men brought out the goods: one hundred shi of grain, stacked neatly.
The Mongols responded by producing handfuls of gold, silver, and jewels—darkened, smeared, unmistakably stained with blood.
Both sides were in high spirits.
Then—
The earth began to thunder.
Hooves.
From the east, Brigade General Hu Dawei of Shanxi burst forth, leading elite cavalry.
From the west, Brigade General Li Bei charged in with another force.
From the south, Zuo Liangyu, Commander of the Right Flank Camp, led his men like a drawn blade.
Three directions. Three walls of steel.
These were not ordinary soldiers. They were hardened frontier cavalry—men whose presence alone could make Mongol riders stiffen.
The Mongol trader's face twisted in rage. He ripped his saber free and roared,
"Tian Shenglan! You've betrayed us?!"
Tian Shenglan's blood ran cold.
"No! I didn't arrange this!" he shouted back frantically. "Our dealings must have been exposed! There's no choice—combine forces and fight our way out!"
The Mongols mounted instantly.
So did Tian Shenglan's men.
East, west, and south were sealed.
There was only one way left.
"North!"
"Ride north!"
Man and Mongol fled together toward the grasslands.
But the north—
The north had been waiting.
From the tall grass, Bai An burst forth, his roar tearing the air apart.
"Fire!"
Heads rose from the grass like ghosts—elite archers and crossbowmen. Bows snapped taut. Bolts screamed forward.
The leading Mongol riders went down in sprays of blood and dust. Horses shrieked and collapsed.
Still, the Mongols charged on.
They had no retreat left.
Then—
The grass parted again.
Rows of Three-Eyed Arquebuses emerged.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Gunfire cracked like thunder.
When the smoke cleared, the northern charge no longer existed.
Not a single horse escaped.
Tian Shenglan survived only because he'd been slower.
Now, surrounded by elite cavalry on all sides, reality finally crushed down on him.
Even with wings, he couldn't escape.
He yanked his reins and screamed hoarsely,
"You can't kill me! If you kill me, who will supply you? Small Jin merchants can't reach Datong—the bandits won't allow it! Only someone like me can do this! You can't kill me! You can't!"
His voice broke.
Then laughter drifted out of the grass.
Tie Niaofei stepped forward, clapping slowly.
"Tian Shenglan," he said cheerfully, "I just delivered fifty cartloads of grain to Datong Prefecture."
He emphasized every word.
"Fifty carts."
Tian Shenglan froze.
Tie Niaofei smiled thinly.
"Now, say it with me. Can we kill you—or can we not?"
Tian Shenglan's face contorted.
"You motherf— Tie Niaofei! I'll take you with me even if I die!"
He spurred his horse and charged.
Tie Niaofei didn't move.
No arrows flew. No guns fired.
Everyone simply watched.
Tian Shenglan galloped closer, saber flashing as he raised it for the final strike—
Five paces.
Six.
Tie Niaofei calmly drew a short pistol—no longer than a man's forearm, compact and refined.
"Bang."
Tian Shenglan was thrown from his saddle.
The riderless horse screamed past Tie Niaofei and vanished into the dust.
Tie Niaofei flicked his wrist, blowing the white smoke from the muzzle.
"Times have changed."
He turned to leave—
Then noticed movement.
Tian Shenglan was still alive.
Clutching his belly. Blood pouring between his fingers like a spring.
"Huh," Tie Niaofei muttered. "Not dead yet?"
He walked closer, studying the man.
Finish him now?
Or let him bleed out slowly?
At that moment, the Dao Xuan Tianzun statue against his chest spoke calmly:
"All men must die. Some simply require assistance.
Tie Niaofei—light a grenade and put it in his mouth."
Tie Niaofei did not hesitate.
Before Tian Shenglan's terrified eyes, he lit the fuse, then shoved the grenade into his mouth.
He clapped his hands together, turned, and walked away.
After a few steps, he crouched and covered his ears.
Boom.
The ground shook.
Tie Niaofei straightened, a strange smile spreading across his face.
"Brothers," he said quietly, "half our revenge is done. Kill Zhai Tang—and your blood feud will be fully avenged."
The Dao Xuan Tianzun spoke again:
"Private grudges are settled.
But a national grudge remains.
As long as Jin merchants collude with the enemy and betray the realm, this debt will never be paid."
Tie Niaofei nodded firmly.
"Right," he said.
"There's still a national grudge to settle."
—
Fifth year of Chongzhen. August.
Bandits attacked Xizhou.
Gao Yi, Commander of the Xizhou Garrison, opened the north gate and fled.
Prefect Yang Wei held the city stubbornly, wounding many bandits, but a stray arrow struck him atop the east wall. He fell—and Xizhou fell with him.
The bandits occupied the city for three days.
Then came Qingshui.
Yangcheng County.
Gaoping.
Lingchuan.
Lu'an.
Changzi.
Shanxi's situation deteriorated overnight.
"Report!"
A lone rider thundered into Hedong City, dismounting before Xing Honglang and Gao Chuwu.
Gasping, he shouted,
"The bandits have taken Shouyang, outside Taiyuan! Governor Xu Dingchen led troops to relieve it—but the bandits abandoned Shouyang, swept south, and breached Zezhou!"
Xing Honglang's heart clenched.
Shouyang lay dangerously close to Taiyuan.
Xu Dingchen was stationed inside Taiyuan—and still couldn't arrive in time.
The bandits' speed was terrifying.
In the early Chongzhen years, they harassed villages, raided small towns.
Now?
They cracked satellite cities near Taiyuan itself—and vanished before relief could arrive.
These were no longer ignorant mobs.
"Zezhou is only two hundred li from Hedong," Xing Honglang said grimly. "At their pace, that's a matter of days. Hedong is no longer safe."
The messenger nodded urgently.
"The Governor will pursue south to annihilate them. Before that, he commands you to hold Hedong at all costs—this salt-producing region must not fall."
The storm was coming.
And this time, there would be no retreat.