Chapter 1014: I'll Help You This Time
"Rest assured," Li Daoxuan interrupted him. "I'll handle the Mongol problem."
Wang Ji exclaimed, "Ah? Young hero, you can solve this too?"
Li Daoxuan let out a knowing chuckle. "Haven't you noticed that the Mongols haven't raided our borders for a long time?"
Wang Ji blinked. "Oh?"
Li Daoxuan explained, "The Mongols are currently moving east; they've gone to plunder the Khorchin tribe. Before long, they'll begin raiding the Later Jin... In any case, they won't be coming for us anymore. If they truly dare to raid us again, I'll deal with them myself. You can safely let your cattle and sheep graze on the plains."
Wang Ji bowed deeply. "If that's truly the case, then my jurisdiction will know peace. Many thanks, young hero."
He had many questions: Who was this young hero? How could he repel rebels? What power did he possess to control the Mongols?
But he knew the man wouldn't answer these questions.
Asking would be pointless. He decided to ponder them later—
Zhao Bazong and his contingent, three thousand starving border soldiers, were encamped five li outside the city. Every day, they dispatched scouts to keep a distant watch on Yinchuan Prefecture, awaiting the arrival of the "transport convoy" the strange young hero had promised.
For soldiers from seven border forts to abandon their posts and cause trouble in Yinchuan was, in fact, incredibly perilous.
Not far north of their garrison was the territory of the famous Ordos Tribe.
The border soldiers didn't know the Ordos Tribe had already been subdued by Li Daoxuan, so they were on tenterhooks, constantly worrying about their defensive zone... terrified that the Ordos Tribe would discover their forts unmanned and sweep in to burn, kill, and plunder.
Fortunately, the Ordos Tribe was inexplicably well-behaved, making no move to take advantage of the situation. Two days passed peacefully.
Two days later, as evening fell...
Zhao Bazong sat on a small hill, gazing towards Yinchuan Prefecture in the distance to the south, a frown etched on his face. "Two days have almost passed, and the supplies that monster promised us still haven't arrived."
A general approached him. "Surely we haven't been tricked, have we?"
"Damn it!" A scout galloped back, shouting breathlessly, "General, bad news! Military Preparation Vice-Commissioner Ding Qirui's reinforcements have arrived and are heading straight for us!"
"What?!" Everyone was greatly startled.
"This is bad. We truly fell for a delaying tactic."
"That demon tricked us!"
Zhao Bazong gritted his teeth and bellowed, "Brothers, grab your weapons! Prepare for a fight to the death!"—
At this moment, Li Daoxuan was co-sensing through the embroidery on the caravan leader's chest.
It was evening; the sun was setting.
Yinchuan City was still not in sight...
Li Daoxuan asked, "How much longer until we reach Yinchuan?"
The caravan leader asked the local guide and reported, "We'll arrive in just over an hour. As long as we make it before the third watch, it still counts as today, and we won't have broken our promise."
Li Daoxuan nodded. "Good, speed up. Even if arriving before the third watch counts, I fear those border soldiers won't be able to hold out."
The caravan leader replied, "At once!"
After this, he immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Heavenly Lord commands us to increase our speed! Brothers, spare no man or horse! Run the last stretch! It's alright to be tired; arriving early will put the border soldiers' minds at ease!"
Everyone responded in unison, "We humbly obey the Heavenly Lord's decree!"
The entire caravan began to accelerate...
Li Daoxuan performed a swift tangent maneuver, instantly shifting his co-sensing to the mass-produced Heavenly Lord avatar in Yinchuan City.
The moment he returned, he felt the atmosphere around him was off.
A sense of oppression and grim anticipation hung heavy over the city.
From his inn, he couldn't hear the usual bustle and sounds of daily life from the common folk outside.
He quickly pushed open the window and looked out, seeing a large Ming army force moving through the city... just as he had on his arrival, they had entered through the South Gate and were now heading towards the North Gate.
A large banner emblazoned with the character "Ding" flew among the troops.
Clearly, this was Military Preparation Vice-Commissioner Ding Qirui's army.
Li Daoxuan inwardly cursed, "This isn't good. The imperial reinforcements arrived unexpectedly fast."
He quickly left the inn and ran swiftly towards the North City Gate via another street.
The North City Gate was already under strict martial law...
As soon as Li Daoxuan arrived, he heard angry roars from outside the city: "Liars! You're all liars!"
He climbed onto the city wall and saw three thousand rebel soldiers already assembled outside.
Zhao Bazong stood at the forefront, roaring at the city wall, "I refuse to yield! Not only did you withhold our wages, but you also sent a liar to deceive us, promising our back pay would arrive in two days! Instead, your reinforcements showed up first!"
"Such a shameless delaying tactic!"
Witnessing this, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but feel a little deflated.
Why did the government reinforcements have to arrive at this exact, inconvenient moment?
The caravan was only half an hour away!
Li Daoxuan shook his head, then leaped down from the city wall with a powerful bound.
With a resounding "thump," he landed firmly, his feet carving a large crater in the ground. He pulled them out and strode towards Zhao Bazong.
Zhao Bazong was furious. "You're trying that trick again? This time, nothing you say will convince us!"
Six men behind him simultaneously drew their swords, and hundreds of personal guards beside them likewise unsheathed their blades, poised to confront Li Daoxuan.
While Li Daoxuan was indeed formidable and terrifying, they had now cast aside all thoughts of life and death. What was the worst that could happen? A fight, a death. Starving to death or dying in battle—was there truly any difference?
Li Daoxuan raised both hands, signaling he wished no conflict, and strode towards them. "Hold on, I'm not here for pointless talk this time. I've come to stand with you."
The border soldiers exchanged bewildered glances.
Li Daoxuan stopped about an arrow's shot away, not advancing further, lest he provoke them into truly attacking him.
He turned, his back to the border soldiers, facing Yinchuan Prefecture. "I'll stand right here and help you resist Ding Qirui."
The border soldiers gasped, utterly stunned!
On the battlements of Yinchuan Prefecture, the large "Ding" banner was quickly unfurled.
Then the city gate opened, and Ding Qirui led out a force of several thousand men. Still a good distance away, Ding Qirui bellowed, "Rebels, seeing this official, what are you waiting for if not to surrender?"
Zhao Bazong was about to retort when he saw Li Daoxuan raise his left hand, pointing it towards Ding Qirui's army. The palm of that hand was already removed, replaced by a dark, cannon-like muzzle.
With his right hand, Li Daoxuan produced a tinder-lighter and ignited something on his left arm...
A hiss sounded!
A fuse began to burn.
A shock ran through Zhao Bazong's heart. "He's going to fire his cannon!"
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