The First Mix-and-Match? Volume 1: Dragon Gate Inn Volume 2: The Country of Daughters Chapter 12: Male Calamity (Part 1)

  Everyone heard me say that and comforted each other, saying: "If it weren't for Brother Long leading us, we wouldn't have been able to escape this life." "Exactly. We owe it all to Brother Long."

  My mood turned for the better, I said loudly: "Guests and hosts don't need to say anything more. Brothers with families go back home, those without families scatter in all directions. In the future, when we meet again, just remember today's encounter."

  Wu Ying and Yu Manli naturally didn't move. Yan Mou and his dozen or so companions also refused to leave. The others looked at each other in dismay, and after waiting for half a day, not one person left. Someone cautiously asked, "Dragon Brother, are you trying to drive us away?"

  "I exclaimed in surprise: 'How can you say that? We've finally managed to escape, don't you want to reunite with your family?'"

  People exclaimed: "What home do we have now?"

  Yan Xiao Dao said: "Dragon Brother, most of our brothers are pitiful people. If they had a family and a business, who would end up in this place? Anyway, I've made up my mind. Wherever you go, we'll follow. If Dragon Brother drives us away, we'll have no choice but to take the road to death."

  Others said: "Dragon brother, you can't ignore us."

  I scratched my head and said, "If you're willing to follow me, I won't object." Generally, aren't escaped prisoners all heroes? They ran out and actually wanted to follow me, which made me a bit surprised. It seems they really had nowhere else to go. I consulted with Geng Ling, "Should we still stick to the original plan?"

  Geng Ling said firmly: "No way!"

  "What's wrong?"

  Geng Ling furrowed his brow and said, "After we rebel, the Imperial Court will definitely send people to the Beijing Garrison to seek help. From here to there, it will take at most one incense stick of time, or half a watch at most. The cavalry from the Beijing Garrison will be deployed, and with so many of us, our target is too big. No matter where we run, we will be intercepted and killed.

  I nodded and said, "That's right."

  "Some people said: 'Why don't we run quickly? It's better to set off early than wait for death here.'"

  Geng Ling loudly asked: "Can you run faster than a horse?"

  The man fell silent.

  "We should have known better. We might as well tie up those prison guards and leave. Over 1,000 people were chased out by less than 100 people, running around in a fluster, with nowhere to go. How humiliating."

  I blinked and said, "It's probably not too late now."

  Wu Ying sighed: "It's too late, the person who has been in charge for so long is probably already halfway there."

  I smiled slightly and said: "Have you guys ever heard of a saying that goes 'the most dangerous place is also the safest place'?"

  Wu Ying said: "I just know that we are already in enough danger now."

  I prompted him: "Then what did you say? The cavalry of the garrison regiment least expected us to go where?"

  "How am I supposed to know?"

  Geng Ling's eyes lit up and she said: "Are you kidding me?"

  "Go back? Go where?"

  "Men's barracks!" Geng Ling shouted with a wave of his hand.

  I laughed and said: "The one who knows me is Geng Ling."

  Wu Ying was startled "After barely escaping, are you going back?"

  I said: "Of course not now, when the people of Beijing start to move, we should go back."

  Liu Si said with a hint of surprise: "You mean we just wait here for the pursuers to pass by, and then we'll counterattack?"

  I glared at Wu Yin and said: "Look, you're not even as good as a woman!

  "Men are originally inferior to women anyway."

  Geng Ling said: "This one lift seems to be the riskiest, but in fact, it also has the highest chance of success. Let's do it this way."

  I announced my idea, and everyone suddenly burst into an uproar, with seven mouths and tongues saying: "Is this okay? What if we fall into our own trap?" "Right, we risked our lives to escape, are we going to deliver ourselves to the door again?"

  "I beckoned to them and said, 'Brothers, I still say the same thing. If you want to make your own way out, I wholeheartedly welcome it, but if you follow me, this is all the ability I have. There are risks in doing so, and I also can't guarantee that we will definitely succeed. However, this is the only way out for us. Those who want to betray me, don't stop them. I just want to say one thing: whoever gets caught, please remember our brotherhood and don't betray everyone."

  Geng Ling said loudly: "I support Xiaolong's idea."

  "Is anyone thinking of leaving?"

  Everyone looks at me, I look at you. Apparently, no one dares to act alone, but it's also unwilling to take such a great risk just by speaking out. After weighing the pros and cons again and again, he finally made a statement: "Whatever you say is what it is. Even if we're caught together, it's better than being scared and worried alone."

  "Alright, since Da Yu trusts Xiao Long so much, from now on we'll follow his arrangements during our escape and do as he says. Once we reach a safe place, you can think about splitting up again if you want to, but we'll still be brothers."

  The crowd responded in unison: "Good."

  Geng Ling then asked me: "Where are we going now?" I said: "Chengdu."

  "What's going on?"

  I pointed far away at the wall of the male prison camp: "Before, we were always waiting inside the wall. Now I also feel the feeling of being outside the wall."

  Geng Ling said: "Good idea!"

  I said: "Let's lead our people to detour and pass by without being discovered by those guards. This is the most critical step."

  Geng Lingdao said: "I think it's convenient for us to take action, we still have to divide into teams. I suggest dividing into three teams according to the previous three districts. In the future, if you have anything to say, just talk to the team leader directly, and let them convey it specifically. Let them divide the small teams in the prison again."

  I nodded and smiled: "I think it's okay, our 1000 people are just right for a regimental system. The three district heads you mentioned will be called battalion commanders, each battalion commander will be in charge of three companies and nine platoons... Specifically, the former prison cells will be called classes... Each class will have a class leader."

  Geng Ling said: "This system sounds quite novel."

  I said: "From now on, you can be our team leader."

  Geng Ling hastily said: "I couldn't possibly... of course you should be the team leader."

  I'll just be a policy secretary, at most I'll also serve as an advisor. I'll help you come up with strategies.

  Geng Ling still wanted to let me, I said: "It's not time to share the fruits of victory yet. If you listen to me, just do it." I found that Geng Ling's leadership and organizational ability are very strong. Speaking again, I didn't plan to stay in this broken place for long, otherwise, if the wild road team leader gave me a group army commander, I wouldn't care...

  Geng Ling no longer declined, and with a few words, the order was passed down. Before long, each of the three districts had elected a district head... or rather, a platoon leader. Wu Yin and Yan Jiao were among them, while another district argued back and forth, finally agreeing to let Liu Si Rao temporarily take over. It can be seen that this girl is quite popular. The so-called district heads are actually the former prison bosses of the three districts. Wu Yin and Yan Quan are both "unanimously elected", Yan Jiao's full name is Xiao Yan, and it's easier to just call him Yan Jiao.

  For a time, I led my newly formed exile band in a circuitous route, expending great effort to secretly return to the outside of the men's prison camp. Silently hiding at the base of the south wall of the prison, the men all deeply felt that their path forward was uncertain, each one's spirit not lost. Not one person spoke.

  Before long, the sound of horseshoes came from the north. More than a thousand cavalrymen with torches in hand and killing intent rushed over, and their leader did not dismount, standing outside the broken western wall and shouting loudly: "Where is your commander?"

  "Get her out here to see me!"

  In an instant, someone was heard rolling and crying out: "General, save me..."

  That commander of nature is also a female general. But when she speaks, she doesn't leave any room for courtesy, bluntly saying: "How could you let the person escape?"

  Then he heard Si Ying say with a sob: That group of prisoners, instigated by a prisoner named Long Yang, collectively rioted and broke through the prison wall to escape.

  What do you guys eat for a living?

  "General, I report. Although the bandits are fighting to the death, they can't withstand the fact that there are too many of them and they're extremely vicious. Several of my subordinates have been severely injured by them..."

  "That leader shouted: 'Less nonsense, where did they run to?'"

  West...

  "Idiot!" The commander cursed again. Turning the horse's head, he shouted loudly: "All troops listen to orders, I'm chasing after the fugitive, go!" As he spoke, he led his men in a swift pursuit towards the west. From the sound of the horses' hooves, I roughly estimated that there were at least over a hundred people on their side, and they came and went swiftly. The female soldiers of the Women's Country were as fast as the wind and as solid as a mountain, and they were in no way inferior to the men.

  We huddled at the foot of the wall, and the conversations on both sides were heard clearly. If we slipped up even a little, it would be a complete disaster, and I couldn't help but feel anxious in my heart. It wasn't until the pursuers had gone far away and not even a glimmer of fire could be seen that the people around me finally let out a sigh of relief. Someone exclaimed with joy: "Fortunately, Dragon Brother is wise. We've escaped this disaster." They also realized that if we had just kept running earlier, we would have been exhausted and eventually killed by our pursuers.

  Wu Yin rubbed her numb feet and said with lingering fear: "Dragon brother, can we leave now?"

  I smiled and said: "Leaving is a must, but it can't be just like that."

  Liu Si said: "What else do you want to do?"

  "I said: 'Didn't you hear what Sir Ying said? We're a bunch of poor, evil killers. If we just leave like this, wouldn't that be unfair to her evaluation?'"

  Yu Manli said timidly: "Brother Long, there's no need to rush to take revenge and vent your anger. I think we should run away!"

  I said: "We don't have any food or money now. How far do you think we can run?"

  Geng Ling said with a smile: "That's right, we need to borrow some traveling expenses from Lord Ke Ying before we leave."

  I smiled and walked out of the wall corner with a swagger, Wu Yin and Xiao Yan followed behind me.

  In the men's camp, Siying was sitting on a pile of broken bricks, sighing. After this incident, her future prospects were not guaranteed, and even if they investigated further, Wu Xiang had basically become a myth. When she saw us appear together, she thought it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, so she rubbed her eyes before daring to believe it. She couldn't help but stand up straight and exclaim with joy: "So you've all been caught and brought back already?" Then she realized that although we had indeed returned, not a single one of us looked like we'd been caught. The only ones present in front of her were our group of people.

  Those guards were somewhat at a loss. Coming back to their senses, one by one they waved the clubs in their hands and shouted loudly: "Squat down!"

  I nodded to the side and said, "First Battalion, clear the field!" The First Battalion was Xiao Yan's. I divided the three battalions into a line according to their geographical location: Xiao Yan's First Battalion, Liu Si's Second Battalion, and Wu Yin's Third Battalion at the northernmost end.

  Out of subconscious habit, people still had some fear when they saw the guard. Several of them subconsciously took a step back, and Xiao Yan glared at them, saying: "What are you hesitating for? Didn't you hear Dragon's words... Take him down!"

  The dozen or so brothers behind him immediately rushed up together, these people were all making a living by carrying their brains in their pants pockets, and they had the most courage. In the blink of an eye, they knocked down and tied up the guards at the front. The others saw this and shouted loudly, rushing forward to tie up the remaining guards. Several hundred men took on several dozen women, and the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Although the men in Women's Country were afraid of women, the men behind me were after all the most ruthless and vicious bunch in the country. Once they made up their minds, the bloodthirstiness and ferocity of the men were fully unleashed.

  The female wardens led by He Ying were lined up in front of me, I waved my hand and said, "Second Battalion Commander, you are most familiar with this place. Take a few people to search around. Bring everything that can be eaten or used here!" Liu Siqiang responded and took some men away.

  I said again: "Third Battalion Commander, go take a look at the residence of the Chief of Staff and see if there are any good things. Bring them all back."

  Wu Yin smiled and said: "I'm most skilled at this kind of thing." He led Yu Manli and a group of people to go as well.

  Before long, Liu Si's men returned. They brought back all the rice, flour and food from the entire prison, as well as pots, pans, bowls and ladles. I was satisfied and said: "With grain in hand, we have nothing to worry about. Now we have a foundation."

  Just then, Wu Yin excitedly shouted loudly: "Dragon brother, look what I found!" Along with his voice, he and Yu Manli came to the playground with a large bundle on their backs. When they poured out the contents of the bundles, we suddenly felt dazzled by the golden light. Those bundles were actually all gold, silver, and jewels. The moment it was poured onto the ground, everyone's heart skipped a beat. The crowd gathered around, exclaiming in surprise. Someone unconsciously wanted to reach out, but Geng Ling loudly shouted: "No one is allowed to move! Put them back as they were, and we'll register them one by one when we arrive at our destination. We'll use them as our escape funds."

  The shopkeeper's face turned pale and he shouted: "That's mine!" He rushed forward, trying to use his body to protect the gold and silver. Geng Ling pushed him to the ground and said sternly: "You are greedy and always ask for bribes. You also deduct food expenses, these are our earnings! Now that we've used them up, it's only fair!"

  He collapsed to the ground and shouted frantically: "You can't do this. That's half a lifetime of savings!"

  I didn't bother with her. I asked Wu Yin: "Is there anything else?"

  The old woman opened another bundle and said: "Yes, it's all some broken trinkets."

  Those were probably the items that people had on them when they came in. I immediately saw my phone and wallet, as well as Su Jing's bracelet. I picked everything up at once, delighted to say: "These aren't trash!" I risked coming back, a big part of the reason was for that bracelet, it's an important thing that determines whether we can go back or not!

  Everything has been settled, Geng Ling asked me: "Xiao Long, what should we do with these people?

  Someone suddenly said: "Kill them all!"

  I turned back and glared at him: "Bullshit! Are you going to kill the woman too?" I said to Geng Ling. "Just leave her here, she's suffered enough."

  "Some people say: 'Then all our previous anger was for nothing?'"

  I rolled my eyes and said, "You're thinking of revenge just because a woman pinched you a few times? Are you even a man?"

  "But they are our enemies!"

  I immediately waved my hand and said sternly: "Remember, our enemy has never been women, but ourselves!"

  "What about us?" I sighed, knowing it wasn't the time to discuss such profound issues with them. I lit a cigarette and reviewed the female guards as if inspecting troops. When I saw the female prison guard who had called out the names when we were assigned to our cells, I stopped in my tracks and asked with concern: "Are you okay?" She had been knocked unconscious by Geng Lian, and there was still a mark on the back of her neck.

  The woman guard was startled and took a step back, saying: "You... what are you going to do?"

  I sprayed a mouthful of smoke on her face and smiled: "Don't worry, I don't hit women."

  "Th-th-that..." The female guard's face suddenly turned red as she stuttered: "A-are you going to r*pe me?"