Chapter 207: Ye Bushou
Meanwhile, back in Gao Family Village, Zhao Sheng was deeply immersed in his "observation."
Huanglong Mountain.
Zhao Sheng's men once more hauled ten sacks of grain up the mountain slope. The people erupted in inexplicable joy. "That Master Bai from Bai Family Fortress," someone exclaimed, "he truly is a good man!"
"I used to say all rich people were bad, but it seems I was wrong."
"Now we'll even have food for tomorrow!"
The folks from Qingjian County cheered with delight.
Just as they were reveling in their joy, a hunter came sprinting back, shouting, "This is bad! Another group is coming up the west slope—it's Ye Bushou and the Seventh Squad!"
His shout startled the Qingjian County villagers.
Bu Zhan Ni's Seventh Squad Captain, Ye Bushou.
Though he was ranked with the Seventh Squad, this fellow was a truly ruthless character, even more brutal than the first six squads combined.
"That's strange," someone muttered. "Ye Bushou was clearly headed in a different direction. Why has he come up Huanglong Mountain too?"
"Isn't he just crowding us out?"
"This is terrible! Mr. Zhao isn't here. He went down the mountain with Master Bai to find a way out for us. Now that Ye Bushou is here, what do we do?"
The Qingjian County villagers fell into a panic.
After a while, they finally nominated the Village Chief of Jiejiagou to temporarily handle matters in Zhao Sheng's stead. The Village Chief was well past his youth, fifty-two this year, looking frail and wizened, with a gaunt physique.
He made his way to the edge of the west slope and saw a large banner fluttering on the mountain. The three characters 'Ye Bushou' stood out starkly on the flag. A small contingent, only fifteen hundred strong, was ascending the mountain path.
"It really is the Seventh Squad!"
"The Seventh Squad isn't large, but they have few elderly, weak, women, or children. They're stronger than our three thousand people."
The Jiejiagou Village Chief's heart was pounding with fear, but he steeled himself and stepped forward. "Seventh Leader," he began, "why have you come to Huanglong Mountain? The Great Leader clearly arranged for our Second Squad to take this route."
Ye Bushou was a lean, formidable middle-aged man. His build wasn't imposing, yet he moved with the swift, agile grace of a leopard. He wore a set of armor from the Great Ming border army, carried a bow on his back, and a saber at his waist. One glance was enough to tell he was not to be trifled with.
"Who are you, old man?" Ye Bushou demanded, a hint of displeasure in his voice. "Where's the Second Leader? Why isn't he coming out to meet me?"
The Village Chief quickly replied, "The Second Leader went down the mountain to find food."
As an elite scout of the border army, Ye Bushou could tell at a glance that there were roughly three thousand people on the mountaintop. He couldn't help but frown. "The Second Leader went down to find food, and didn't take you all with him? How does he expect to find anything?"
The Village Chief felt a little awkward. "Well..."
He certainly didn't dare say that the Second Leader had mingled with the local gentry. If that got out, heaven knew what would happen.
Ye Bushou snorted coldly. "Fine, I'll wait here for him to return."
The Village Chief's heart fluttered with unease; he just wanted to send this man away quickly. "Seventh Leader," he offered, "you can ask me anything you need. There's no need to wait for the Second Leader to return."
Ye Bushou scoffed twice. "What's there to discuss with you?"
The Village Chief was left speechless.
Ye Bushou's gaze swept over the Qingjian County villagers, and his eyes quickly lit up as he spotted the ten sacks of grain just carried up the mountain. "Oh, so your Second Squad is quite well-off, aren't you?" he remarked. "Ten sacks of grain just sitting here. Which landlord did you get this good stuff from?"
The Village Chief gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well... we... we robbed a prominent gentry member... erm... a wealthy, unrighteous man."
Ye Bushou said, "You're quite lucky, grabbing such good loot. I've raided several wealthy landowners' estates myself and barely found any grain. Ah, my brothers are starving! We're all out here rebelling together; we're comrades. Sharing a bit of your grain with us, that's perfectly acceptable, isn't it?"
Sweat beaded on the Village Chief's forehead. "This... this old man dares not make such a decision on his own... It's best to wait until the Second Leader returns... and then... we can discuss it then."
Ye Bushou was tempted to simply turn hostile and seize the grain by force, but then he had a change of heart. Better not to act rashly. The Second Leader, Zhao Sheng, was an educated man, a rare commodity in an army of illiterates, and highly valued by Bu Zhan Ni. If he were to forcibly take anything from the Second Squad, he might end up getting disciplined by Bu Zhan Ni. His own forces weren't strong enough yet; if he were to be surrounded by the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Squads, there would only be one outcome: defeat.
If it came to a dispute before the Great Leader, he would at least have a plausible explanation.
He would have to wait for Zhao Sheng to return. If Zhao Sheng refused him the grain, then he would turn hostile and act, claiming Zhao Sheng disregarded their camaraderie. Suppressing his irritation, he waved his hand. "In that case, I'll wait for the Second Leader."
He led the Seventh Squad to a nearby grove of trees and settled down.
The Village Chief's heart was in turmoil. He retreated among the Qingjian County villagers, called over a hunter, and whispered instructions: "Slip down the mountain secretly through the undergrowth, go to Bai Family Fortress to find Mr. Zhao... tell him what's happening on the mountain."
Bai Yuan, driving the carriage, returned from Gao Family Village with Zhao Sheng and his two companions.
Along the way, Bai Yuan was radiant with excitement. "Hahaha," he crowed, "controlling that colossal vehicle isn't difficult at all! You just flip a switch, and it runs along the tracks by itself. I mastered it in an instant! Hahaha, 'Charioteering' – that art, count it back in for me, count it back in!"
Zhao Sheng was equally radiant with excitement. Ever since he was forced into rebellion, he had constantly worried about his own future and the future of his three thousand villagers. Before, he saw only a dead end for himself and his people, the path ahead shrouded in mist. He had spent every day in anxious uncertainty.
But just now, he had finally stepped out of that fog!
A future had finally emerged; the mist had cleared, revealing a path to survival. As long as they boldly walked it, everyone could live.
The two joyous men returned together to Bai Family Fortress. Before they even had a chance to properly settle, a household steward rushed up to greet them, speaking urgently: "Master, something terrible has happened! Another band of bandits has arrived on Huanglong Mountain!"
Bai Yuan and Zhao Sheng were both startled by this news.
The two quickly entered the fortress and ascended to the ramparts, where Cheng Xu had been waiting for some time. As soon as he saw Bai Yuan, he reported, "Just a short while ago, a new bandit army came up the mountain and rendezvoused with Zhao Sheng's group. That new bandit army numbers around fifteen hundred, and they haven't made any rash moves since arriving."
Zhao Sheng felt a flicker of panic. "Fifteen hundred men? Could it be Ye Bushou's Seventh Squad? Only the Seventh Squad is that small in number."
"Ye Bushou?" Cheng Xu heard the moniker, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Isn't that a common moniker for scouts in the military?"
Just as he was pondering this, a hunter with a bow on his back came running toward the fortress from outside. He darted cautiously to the fortress gate, craning his neck to shout at the sentry: "I'm with Zhao Sheng! Let me in quickly! I have an urgent report for the leader!"
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