Shao Bowen spoke while pointing towards a dark opening less than twenty paces away from them.
"You mean they'll emerge from this sewer?"
Hearing Shao Bowen's words, Liu Zhili seemed to understand something.
"A promising student!"
Shao Bowen smiled and casually said.
"These people spent a lot of money, thinking they were doing this secretly by replicating a blueprint of Mingzhou City. But they didn't realize that while they were copying, they carelessly left a drop of ink at the seam of two pieces of paper!"
Since it was still early, Shao Bowen also began to narrate the story with a smile.
"Based on this single drop of ink, you can conclude that they will definitely emerge from here?"
Liu Zhili's eyes widened. What a joke.
This was a bit too far-fetched.
He had initially asked Shao Bowen for advice with a bit of flattery, but he didn't expect Shao Bowen to say something like this in the end.
"Do you think the construction of Mingzhou City back then was as simple as casually drawing the location of a sewer? The entire area around the official granary only has six entrances and exits. However, the other five entrances are now sealed, and at least ten thousand shi of grain are piled on top. Even if they worked themselves to death, they couldn't possibly come out silently from there!"
"So this is their only exit?"
Liu Zhili's eyes widened.
"That's right, this is their only exit. And don't you think everything around here is helping them?"
Shao Bowen spoke while leisurely taking out a bag of beef jerky from his sleeve, chewing on it and speaking indistinctly.
"Sir, I have one last question. Since we discovered the people collecting incendiary materials during the day, why didn't you let us arrest them directly?"
After a moment of hesitation, Liu Zhili asked again.
"Isn't arresting people easy? But the problem is, these people are all desperate. How can we have so much time to waste here with them? If you arrested them, the remaining people would truly become rats in the sewer. Instead of wasting time with them, it's better to wait for them to show themselves and then catch them all at once?"
"Sir is brilliant!"
Hearing Shao Bowen's words, Liu Zhili realized how naive he was in comparison.
"Alright, that's enough said. It's almost the third watch. If I'm not mistaken, they should be coming soon. You should lead your brothers to ambush them. But be quiet, and whatever you do, don't scare them away!"
After stretching leisurely and yawning, Shao Bowen said.
"Understood."
Liu Zhili quietly responded, then waved his hand, leading his soldiers to disappear into the nearby shadows.
The drum for the third watch had just sounded. After the patrol soldiers passed, a muddy hand suddenly emerged from the dark opening.
"They're here!"
Seeing the hand appear for a moment, Liu Zhili was so excited he almost cried out.
Not only him, but the soldiers around him were also excited.
Initially, they had some complaints about being transferred here, as others were fighting on the city walls while they had been squatting here for almost an entire day.
This was a great opportunity to achieve fame!
But upon seeing this hand, they were all truly excited.
As long as they could capture these people, the merit would be comparable to slaying a general and capturing a flag!
Although this was the exit of a sewer, to prevent anyone from entering or exiting, all the sewer outlets were sealed with iron bars.
Despite years of wind and sun, these iron bars had long since corroded, but it wasn't easy to break them silently with human strength.
However, these things were not difficult for Pu Kaishan.
In just a moment, the muddy hand found the location of the mechanism.
He carefully inserted a specially made key, turned it with force, and with a *click*, the sealed cover of the opening was finally opened.
"What are they waiting for? Why aren't they coming out yet?"
"Be patient, they are waiting for the patrol soldiers to pass again!"
Indeed, not long after Shao Bowen finished speaking, as soon as the patrol soldiers had passed, the dark opening was silently opened again.
Following that, a group of people in black clothes furtively emerged from the tunnel in a single file.
"Split up, tonight we either succeed or die!"
Although it wasn't the first time, after finally emerging from the sewer, Pu Kaishan couldn't help but take a few deep breaths.
After a brief rest, he immediately began to assign the tasks for the night.
"I don't think that's necessary. Since you've all arrived, don't think of leaving!"
As soon as Pu Kaishan finished speaking, soldiers rushed out from the shadows in all directions, all holding bows and crossbows, their eyes fixed on them.
"You... you..."
The moment these people appeared, Pu Kaishan's eyes widened.
"Shopkeeper Pu, why are you so surprised?"
Under the protection of the soldiers, Shao Bowen slowly walked out.
"How did you know I would come tonight?"
Looking at Shao Bowen, who appeared before him, Pu Kaishan asked through gritted teeth.
"Is that hard to guess? You went to so much trouble to escape from prison, why didn't you hurry out of the city? Coming here in the middle of the night, you really have quite the leisure time!"
After glancing at him with disdain, Shao Bowen lost interest in speaking.
"Less nonsense, survival of the fittest. Brothers, attack!"
At this point, Pu Kaishan understood that he had completely lost tonight. Even if they surrendered now, there would be no survival tonight.
"Leave a few alive. Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"
Seeing those people charge forward with swords and sabers, Liu Zhili sneered and waved his hand.
*Swish—*
At his command, dozens of powerful crossbows let out a humming sound of death...