Chapter 109: Huanglong Mountain
Sacred Monday, Second Update
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While Bai Family Fortress bustled with activity, preparing its defenses against the approaching bandit army from Huanglong Mountain, in the depths of Huanglong Mountain, within an unnamed valley, over six thousand bandits were packed together, creating a noisy, chaotic scene.
These six thousand people were not all battle-hardened soldiers. Half of them were the elderly, women, and children, entirely lacking combat ability. Of the remaining three thousand, most were ordinary young men with low combat effectiveness, not much different from the young men of Gao Family Village.
Only the leading thousand were truly hardened, fierce outlaws.
These thousand men hailed from several notorious heroes and bandit chiefs famed in the underworld.
One of these chiefs, known as Bu Zhan Ni (a historical figure), came from Luochuan County. He commanded five hundred hardened bandits, along with a thousand able-bodied young men, and fifteen hundred elderly, women, and children.
Another, known as Zuo Guazi (a historical figure), came from Yichuan County. He also commanded five hundred hardened bandits, a thousand able-bodied young men, and fifteen hundred elderly, women, and children.
The two leaders were of equal strength, each accounting for half of the bandit army's total force.
Bu Zhan Ni tore off a piece of rabbit meat with his teeth, chewing as he mumbled, "Zuo Guazi, my Luochuan County is impassable now. The Luochuan Patrol Inspector has blocked the Huanglong Mountain pass with his troops. That man used to command border forces; he's a ruthless character. If I descend the mountain to return to Luochuan, I'd run straight into him."
Zuo Guazi, his mouth greasy from the rabbit, mumbled in response, "Hah, my Yichuan County is also impassable. Damn it all, there's a Grain Intendant in Yichuan named Hong Chengchou. He's incredibly formidable. My few thousand men couldn't even defeat a mere group of his household guards. He led his personal guards and cut us all the way into Huanglong Mountain. That fellow is still blocking the mountain pass, so I wouldn't dare go back."
Bu Zhan Ni's jaw dropped. "Even his household guards are that fierce? Just who is this Hong Chengchou?"
Zuo Guazi: "How the hell would I know?"
At this point, both men spoke almost simultaneously: "It seems we can only go to Chengcheng County."
Huanglong Mountain sits at the junction of three counties: Luochuan to the west, Yichuan to the north, and Chengcheng County to the south. Since neither Luochuan nor Yichuan was an option, Chengcheng County was naturally their only path.
Bu Zhan Ni: "I heard that Chengcheng Patrol Inspector Cheng Xu is a good-for-nothing. When Wang Er from Baishui rebelled, that fool pursued Wang Er for months but couldn't lay a finger on him."
Zuo Guazi chuckled. "I heard that too. That fellow is deathly afraid; the slightest rustle and he'll lead his troops and flee."
Bu Zhan Ni: "Hehehe, then it's settled. We'll send people to scout Chengcheng County, figure out the situation below the mountain, and then go into Chengcheng County to scavenge for some provisions."
Zuo Guazi also cackled. "Before I fled into the mountains, I heard that the newly appointed Chengcheng Magistrate, Liang Shixian, is currently distributing porridge to the people, which means he still has a lot of grain on hand. We'll storm Chengcheng County, execute that newly appointed bastard official, and seize all his grain for ourselves."
Bu Zhan Ni: "Good! Let's do it."
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The atmosphere in Chengcheng County instantly grew tense.
News of the large bandit army entrenched in Huanglong Mountain quickly reached the county town, causing a wave of panic among the residents. The last time Wang Er from Baishui caused trouble, the wealthy families in the city suffered immensely; many had their wives and daughters defiled, or met violent ends. Some who luckily escaped with their lives found their homes plundered of all valuables.
Even some of the poor lost their rickety wooden houses to fires set by the bandits, forcing them to wander the streets.
All the common folk of Chengcheng County were like birds startled by a bowstring.
The new Magistrate, Liang Shixian, naturally couldn't stand idly by, unwilling to meet the same inexplicable end as Zhang Yaocai. He immediately organized thirty-odd yamen runners, each of whom recruited three to five assistants, forming a "military" force of over a hundred men. He then encouraged farmers around the county town to take up arms, organize militias, and assist the authorities in resisting the bandits.
This sudden need to organize a large army, of course, required a great number of weapons. Liang Shixian dispatched someone to summon the old artisan master from the official workshop. "You must quickly organize all resident artisans and rotating artisans to produce various weapons at full capacity to meet the militia's needs."
The old artisan master's expression grew awkward. "Reporting to Your Excellency, the number of artisans in the official workshop is insufficient... I fear... it cannot be met..."
"What?" Liang Shixian was puzzled. "Why are the artisans insufficient?"
The old artisan master explained, "For some unknown reason, several artisans have fled recently, especially the rotating artisans. Each of them mysteriously gained the confidence to pay their artisan tax and then simply walked away, leaving the large official workshop quite deserted now, with only a few resident artisans remaining."
Liang Shixian gasped!
The old artisan master added, "Yesterday, your humble servant submitted the artisan taxes from dozens of rotating artisans to the aide. Your Excellency need only ask him."
The Shaoxing aide quickly presented a document. Liang Shixian glanced down, seeing a list of names—all rotating artisans—each having paid artisan tax for periods ranging from six to thirty years.
From this, it was clear that there was no hope of getting them back to work anytime soon.
The highly learned Liang Shixian immediately activated his deductive reasoning. The information he had just reviewed churned in his mind, various possibilities intertwining and swirling like a revolving lantern. Finally, with a "ding," all the deductions converged into one conclusion.
Someone was helping them!
Liang Shixian scoffed, "Someone needs craftsmen to work for him, and so provided a large sum of silver to help them pay their artisan tax. This person must be powerful, certainly one of the prominent families, gentry, or local magnates near Chengcheng County. It shouldn't be hard to find this person. Since these rotating artisans were willing to pay their artisan tax, it means they didn't wish to flee and become rootless refugees. There must be someone among them who disclosed their whereabouts. Investigate quickly."
The aide hurried off, returning a moment later. He whispered, "They went to Gao Family Village."
"Gao Family Village?"
Liang Shixian, of course, remembered Gao Family Village. The grain he used to distribute porridge to the people came from the Li Family of Gao Family Village. "I understand," Liang Shixian said. "So it's the Li Family. No wonder they possess such influence. The Li Family are good, benevolent people; we must treat them with respect. Aide, go personally to the Li Family and ask for their assistance in borrowing some weapons. Once the bandits are repelled, this official will return all these weapons in full, without any misappropriation."
The Shaoxing aide: "Your humble servant fears the Li Family may be unwilling..."
Liang Shixian: "Persuade them with logic and appeal to their compassion. This official acts for the people of Chengcheng, not for personal gain. The Li Family are benevolent people; they certainly have no reason not to lend a hand."
The Shaoxing aide: "Your humble servant understands. I shall go to Gao Family Village at once."
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