Chapter 1171 Have Him Chopped Up for Me
The Chuǎng Wang had not perished in his crushing defeat at Zengjia Mountain.
His Old Eighth Squad still numbered over a hundred men.
Returning to Sichuan was out of the question; such a small force wouldn't even withstand a single jab from the pole soldiers. Venturing into Shaanxi was equally unthinkable, with Wang Er firmly established there. The Chuǎng Wang harbored no illusion of being able to contend with Wang Er's strange firearms unit.
But a small force had its advantages: a smaller target, harder to detect.
The Chuǎng Wang stealthily advanced through the mountain forests. Each sunrise, he would gaze at the sun, fix his bearings to the east, and then dash relentlessly towards it. All along the way, he avoided the mountaintop outposts of Gao Family Village, traversing mountains and valleys, pushing straight eastward.
After days of arduous travel, the Chuǎng Wang finally emerged from the Qinling Mountains and entered the Shangluo region.
Even here, he dared not act brazenly, for Shangnan County was garrisoned by Luo Xi, the Shangnan defense commander. The rebels remembered how formidable Luo Xi was, and the Chuǎng Wang now realized that Luo Xi and Wang Er must be in league, both possessing unusual musketeers. With only a little over a hundred men from his Old Eighth Squad, the Chuǎng Wang dared not provoke Luo Xi. He continued his stealthy journey, surviving on tree bark and wild roots when hungry, and mountain spring water when thirsty.
Finally, he seized an opportunity, slipping to the Danjiang Estuary, near the Han River.
By this point, the Chuǎng Wang's party was utterly exhausted and ravenous, on the verge of collapse.
Li Guo said, "Uncle, this fleet is carrying a lot of goods. Let's devise a clever plan to lure the boats to shore, then rush aboard and seize them."
The Chuǎng Wang agreed, "Good!"
The Chuǎng Wang ordered his men to hide. Only Li Guo walked to the riverbank, lay down, clutched his stomach, and wailed pathetically, "Oh, I'm so hungry... can anyone save me... help me... is there a kind soul who can save me... I'm starving to death..."
His pitiful cries drifted out to the middle of the river.
The fleet passing through the river was none other than the logistics team led by Zhuge Wang Chan, transporting dozens of boats full of supplies destined for Sichuan.
Hearing the cries, how could the Gao Family Village sailors ignore them? Someone immediately reported to Zhuge Wang Chan, "Captain, there's a young man on the riverbank, crying out miserably. He seems to be starving."
Zhuge Wang Chan walked to the ship's railing and glanced over. "He does look quite wretched. Have one boat pull ashore and give him some food. However, the other boats must not approach, and keep your muskets ready, lest we fall into a bandit's trap."
One cargo boat slowly approached the shore.
The Chuǎng Wang's party rejoiced, ready to leap out from their hiding spots and make their move...
Suddenly, the Chuǎng Wang noticed that the sailors on the approaching boat were all armed with strange, long muskets. Moreover, they were clearly in a state of alert, poised to open fire at any moment.
This was no small shock. The Chuǎng Wang quickly ordered, "Stop! Everyone, stop. Don't go out."
The men of the Old Eighth Squad froze behind trees and rocks, not daring to stir.
After the boat docked, a sailor stepped ashore with a bag of grain, handing it to Li Guo. He gently advised, "Eat sparingly. You can use this grain as travel money to find the defense commander, Luo Xi, in Shangnan County. He will arrange work for you."
Li Guo saw that the Chuǎng Wang behind him hadn't emerged, understanding that some unforeseen circumstance had temporarily halted their robbery. He feigned gratitude, accepting the grain. "Thank you, kind sir."
The logistics soldier returned to the boat, and the cargo vessel pulled away from the shore.
Only then did the logistics soldiers on the boat put away their muskets and stand down from alert.
Hidden behind the rocks, the Chuǎng Wang couldn't help but sigh softly, "This is an extraordinary army. Their discipline is strict; even for such a small matter, they were prepared. Truly, their defense is utterly impenetrable, frightfully formidable."
After the cargo boat had sailed far away, Li Guo returned to the Chuǎng Wang's side and whispered, "Uncle, no chance to strike?"
The Chuǎng Wang nodded. "All the soldiers on the boat carried strange muskets. After docking, they remained highly vigilant, looking as if they would open fire immediately if anything went awry. We have too few men; we cannot afford to provoke such an army."
Li Guo hissed, "It's them again? Who exactly are they?"
The Chuǎng Wang replied, "I don't know, and it's not something we are currently able to consider. Let's focus on how to survive next."
The men of the Old Eighth Squad couldn't help but feel dispirited.
Just then, Liu Zongmin emerged from the Old Eighth Squad and clasped his fists at the Chuǎng Wang. "Brother, as things stand, our small force is insufficient to achieve anything significant. We must find another righteous army to join."
The Chuǎng Wang asked, "Oh? Who should we seek?"
Liu Zongmin said, "The Eight Great Kings (Zhang Xianzhong) should still be in Hubei. Not long ago, I heard he was near Wuchang. Let's go find the Eight Great Kings."
The Chuǎng Wang didn't particularly care for the Eight Great Kings; he found him too bloodthirsty and difficult to get along with. But given their situation, there was no one else to turn to. "Hmm, alright."
The group waited patiently at the Danjiang Estuary until midnight. Spotting a fisherman's boat come ashore to rest, they immediately rushed forward, holding knives to the fisherman's throat, forcing him to ferry them all across the Han River.
Then, they hastened through the night, searching for the Eight Great Kings.
At this moment, the Eight Great Kings was at the height of his power.
A few months prior, the Eight Great Kings had led his army out of Qianshan, successively conquering Taihu, Qizhou (now southern Qichun), Huangzhou (now Huanggang), and other areas.
Soon after, he led his army to a major battle against the Ming forces at Fengjia Inn in Taihu.
The Hubei garrison troops were weak and easily shattered. The Eight Great Kings besieged the Ming army with tens of thousands of his rebel soldiers.
Shi Kefa, the Anlu Provincial Governor, led his army to reinforce them, but Shi Kefa was too far away. His relief forces were ambushed by a detachment sent by the Eight Great Kings midway, delaying their march.
Ultimately, Shi Kefa's rescue came too late.
The army led by the Eight Great Kings decisively defeated the Ming army at Fengjia Inn in Taihu, eliminating over six thousand Ming soldiers and beheading more than forty generals, including Pan Keda.
The Eight Great Kings' army capitalized on their victory, advancing east to seize Hezhou, Hanshan, and Liuhe. However, Shi Kefa arrived at this point and repelled them.
They then shifted their campaign to Wuchang, striking hard across Hubei, causing immense suffering for the Ming army.
When people begin a streak of continuous victories, it's easy for arrogance to set in.
The Eight Great Kings had also become arrogant!
At this time, he was drinking in his camp, poring over maps, contemplating which city would be his next target. Suddenly, a confidant rushed in from outside. "Report! Big Brother, a group of people are requesting an audience. They claim to be the Chuǎng Wang, saying they suffered a defeat in Sichuan, lost many men, and have nowhere else to go, so they've come to seek refuge with you."
Hearing this, the Eight Great Kings immediately chuckled. "Oh? The Chuǎng Wang has come to seek refuge with me? Hahahaha! So, the fellow whose wife keeps running off now has a time when he needs my help?"
At this, his expression darkened. "After he arrives here, will he be greater than me, or will I be greater than him? Will the heroes of the realm recognize him or me? Hmph! You few, take some soldiers out and chop him up for me."
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