Chapter 1034: An Encounter in the Mountains
The moment the Tongguan commander saw Sun Chuanting, a broad smile lit up his face. "Principal Sun, your presence truly honors our humble Tongguan."
Sun Chuanting shook his head. "I'm no great figure; there's no need for such formality."
The commander chuckled. "Such modesty, Principal. You lead the Yellow Pole Military Academy! Every student you train will be an officer, a general, in the militia. If you gave the word, countless men would follow you into battle."
Sun Chuanting retorted, "They're not *my* soldiers; they're the Heavenly Lord's soldiers. Only the Heavenly Lord can command them. Don't make me sound like some warlord. All I wish is for the students I train to win more victories when they face the Manchus."
The commander could only manage a dry, awkward laugh in response.
Sun Chuanting continued, "I need to use the mountainous forest area south of Tongguan Pass for a live-fire exercise. Should there be any loud commotions or battle cries, please ensure the Tongguan garrison and any passing merchants are well-informed so they aren't startled."
The commander saluted. "Consider it done."
Sun Chuanting nodded, then led his students and the militia's raw recruits deep into the mountain forests.
Next came the grouping. Padi Tu, leading a hundred new students and a thousand militia recruits, was assigned to the Red Army.
Both armies entered the mountain forest. Their objective was to "eliminate the opposing force" and seize their designated "dog head" markers.
The victors would earn an extra meal, while the losers would face fifty laps around the parade ground.
Sun Chuanting ascended the highest peak, surveying the entire exercise.
Chuang Wang had made his way through the narrow mountain paths of the Lushi region, pushing steadily northwest.
Years ago, when the imperial court had trapped them in Yunyang, completely encircled, it was guides sent by the Jin merchants who had shown them these very paths through the Lushi mountains, allowing them to escape the government's clutches.
Revisiting these familiar lands now, he was filled with a poignant sense of reflection.
A subordinate reported, "Brother Chuang Wang, we've crossed Laojun Mountain. We are currently in Miaogou, Temple Ravine. North is Tongguan Pass, west is Mount Hua... once we traverse this ravine, we will enter the Guanzhong Plains."
Chuang Wang nodded. "Excellent. We're finally returning to Shaanxi territory. After so many years away, I truly long to see my homeland again..."
Just as he uttered those words, a few hundred meters ahead, from a small patch of mountain forest, Padi Tu raised his binoculars and was peering directly in their direction.
"Holy hell, what am I seeing?" Padi Tu nearly jumped out of his skin. "A 'Chuang'—a military banner with the character 'Chuang' emblazoned on it... Damn, is that Chuang Wang himself?"
The new students around him stiffened in alarm. As Yellow Pole Military Academy cadets, they were all trained to officer standards and each carried binoculars. All hundred quickly raised their instruments, peering into the ravine below.
They looked, and their blood ran cold.
The cadets' faces instantly went white. "It really is the Chuang Army!"
"Seriously, who can even relate? I came out here for a military exercise, and now I've stumbled upon the biggest bandit chief in the entire realm? Who else has this happen to them?"
Each new student was more frantic than the last. After all, they were just raw recruits, not hardened veterans.
Their panic instantly rippled through the thousand raw recruits behind them. These were fresh enlistees who had eagerly joined up after being inspired by patriotic films; some hadn't even learned to fold their blankets properly yet.
This was their very first field exercise, and they'd run straight into the world's most infamous bandit chief. The entire formation was in utter disarray.
Padi Tu rolled his eyes. "Damn! I planned to ambush Gouzi here, but I ended up ambushing Chuang Wang instead! Ha! Isn't this far more thrilling than a mere exercise? Brothers, prepare for battle!"
A new student stepped forward. "Lord Rabbit, we can't just engage them on our own, can we? We should notify the Principal as quickly as possible, and get the Tongguan garrison over here, too!"
Padi Tu nodded. "Of course, we'll notify them. But we can't just send a message and do nothing. If we don't stop them now, they'll sweep through Miaogou and reach the foot of Mount Hua. There are many villages there, and the common folk will be utterly ravaged."
At his words, the expressions on the cadets' and recruits' faces shifted.
He was right!
Although the ravine before them was desolate and uninhabited, a short march west would take them to the foot of Mount Hua. And at the foot of Mount Hua lay numerous villages. If the Chuang Army burst in, there was no telling how terribly the common folk would suffer.
Padi Tu explained, "The bandit army has always used its speed to outmaneuver government forces. If we don't intercept them head-on, it will become a pursuit from behind, and we'll never catch them. They'll continue to devastate villages ahead, and we'll be left trailing, only to find slaughtered civilians and scorched homes."
Reaching this point, he declared with absolute conviction, "Gentlemen, I know you are all new recruits, and none of you have seen battle. But even without experience, you are soldiers who have enlisted. You have a solemn duty to stand before the common people. Otherwise, how can you ever rightfully accept your military pay?"
Their spirits instantly rallied. "Yes, sir!"
Padi Tu pointed. "You, you, and you—the three fastest runners among you—go at once to notify the Principal, Zheng Gouzi, and the Tongguan garrison. Tell them to come immediately as reinforcements."
Then, turning to the rest, he commanded, "You will all stand with me and resist the Chuang Army. We cannot let them advance any further. We must hold them back, even if it means our lives."
The cadets and recruits roared, "Understood!"
Just as he finished, a new student suddenly stammered, "Lord Rabbit, our flintlock rifles are all just props! They have no bullets, only paper cartridges loaded with gunpowder for sound effects; there are no actual projectiles."
Padi Tu blinked. "Uh!"
Another new student added, "Our hand grenades only make a bang, too."
It turned out that the hand grenades they carried were all training versions—devoid of shrapnel, with minimal explosive power, barely more than firecrackers, only producing a puff of white smoke.
It was just an exercise, after all. Who would bring live weapons and ammunition?
Padi Tu gritted his teeth. "Damn it! Seriously low on ammunition, and nothing but greenhorns. This fight of ours is truly going to be a do-or-die situation."
One of the cadets chimed in, "Lord Rabbit, I hate to nitpick, but we're not 'severely low' on ammunition. We have *no* ammunition whatsoever."
Padi Tu stared. "..."
An eerie silence stretched for several seconds. Then, with a dramatic flourish, Padi Tu drew his ancestral treasured sword. "Alright," he declared, "it's time to witness the true 'My Heaven Rabbit Rending Overlord Sword!'"
Padi Tu's face was beaming with pride. "With a single strike, this Lord Rabbit's blade chills forty prefectures; when my sword-qi bursts forth, all of China quakes! So, I, this Lord Rabbit, shall go alone into the ravine and hold them back."
Everyone gaped. "Huh?"
Padi Tu waved his hand dismissively. "In a moment, when this Lord Rabbit strikes a handsome pose in the middle of the ravine, you'll wave flags and cheer from the mountain, and casually fire a few blank rounds, understood?"
With that, Padi Tu slid down the slope, disappearing with a swift rush.
After a moment of stunned silence, everyone suddenly realized: *Huh?* So Lord Rabbit wasn't entirely foolish; he could employ tactics too!
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