Chapter 249: You Are Guyuan Rebels
Cheng Xu completed the mobilization, ensuring all militia soldiers performed a final check of their equipment and rations.
He then called Gao Yiye over, and they climbed a hill until they reached a secluded, open area. Only then did he look up at the sky and say, “Heavenly Lord, this humble one has a question.”
Li Daoxuan had already guessed he had something to ask when he saw him pull Gao Yiye away from the others. “Go on, ask.”
Cheng Xu respectfully stated, “Gao Family Village currently has only a little over four thousand people. Even with the several hundred from Bai Family Fortress, the total barely reaches five thousand. Is it premature to turn against the imperial court with such strength? Even with the Heavenly Lord's aid from the sky, we might win one battle, or a hundred, achieving invincibility, but we lack enough capable individuals to govern the realm. Conquering this land would be easy for the Heavenly Lord, but managing it effectively with just our five thousand people is far from enough.”
Li Daoxuan chuckled. “Do you really think I intend for Gao Family Village to rebel right now?”
Cheng Xu replied, “Huh? Isn’t that the case? A Guerrilla General is no small official. Once he is dealt with, Gao Family Village will inevitably come under the imperial court's scrutiny. Hiding away like a secluded paradise will no longer be possible.”
Li Daoxuan said, “Who says Gao Family Village did it? You are clearly Guyuan rebels.”
Cheng Xu froze, stunned by these words.
After a few seconds, he suddenly slapped his forehead in realization. “Of course! I’m wearing mountain-pattern armor, and my five hundred militia are all clad in armor, armed with hand crossbows, long spears with iron tips, and waist sabers. Each one of us looks more like an imperial soldier than a villager. Why must I insist we are from Gao Family Village? When we attack Li Ying, we just need to claim we are Guyuan rebels!”
Cheng Xu burst out laughing. “Hahaha, Heavenly Lord, Heavenly Lord, you truly enjoy....”
He swallowed the latter half of his sentence: *...teasing mortals.* Saying it aloud would have been disrespectful; he kept it to himself.
Li Daoxuan, discerning his unspoken thought from his tone, couldn't help but smile slightly. *Yes, I want to be mischievous, not a stiff, dull, pretentious deity.*
“Everyone, prepare a face covering and conceal your faces. Remember, I am no longer Instructor He. You are to address me as ‘Old Ghost Head of Guyuan,’ or ‘Ghost Thousand-Household Commander’ is also acceptable, hehehe...”
With all his concerns dispelled, Cheng Xu quickly ran back to the militia. “Everyone, listen up!” Speaking of which, he felt a surge of pride. In the past, he was merely a ninth-rank military inspector, commanding only about a hundred men, with no hope of promotion. He thought his life would simply continue that way.
But after joining Gao Family Village, his responsibilities grew. Now, with five hundred men under his command, he could even call himself a Thousand-Household Commander. The thought of it filled him with a strange satisfaction.
A loss might turn out to be a gain.
Life sometimes presented such unexpected twists!
He pointed at Gao Chuwu. “You are now named ‘Big Simpleton.’”
Then he pointed at Zheng Daniu. “You are ‘Reckless Ox.’”
He then gestured towards Padi Tu. “You... never mind... move on, next!”
Padi Tu cried out, “Hey? Hey, hey! Why do I get ‘never mind’?”
All five hundred men shot him a sidelong glance.
Cheng Xu pulled out a self-made map, studying it intently. After a moment's thought, he declared, “If we attack Li Ying directly from Gao Family Village, our tracks will be easily discovered afterwards. So, we'll first make our way to Huanglong Mountain, then emerge from there to deal with Li Ying. Let’s go... to the train station...”
The five hundred soldiers arrived at the train station, waiting for a train traveling from Bai Family Fortress to Gao Family Village.
Currently, several trains ran daily between Bai Family Fortress and Gao Family Village, primarily to facilitate residents of Bai Family Fortress in purchasing supplies from the “Gao Family commercial district.”
Although Bai Family Fortress now had water, and the Horseshoe Lake had revived, their resources were still not as abundant as Gao Family Village, particularly manufactured goods like kitchen knives, farming tools, wooden basins, bamboo baskets, pottery jars, and cotton cloth—all of which Bai Family Fortress lacked in large quantities.
Several artisans from Bai Family Fortress had even "found work" in Gao Family Village, commuting by shuttle train in the morning and returning in the evening.
Cheng Xu and his militia waited quietly.
“Whoo! Chug-chug!”
A train pulled into the station. The villagers from Bai Family Fortress disembarked, only to be startled by the hundreds of armored militia on the platform. “Whoa, what are you doing? You scared us half to death!”
Cheng Xu, his face stern, announced, “The militia, by order of the Heavenly Lord, are carrying out secret military duties. You must immediately forget that you saw us here. If you reveal the militia’s whereabouts, the Heavenly Lord will punish you.”
These words sent shivers down the spines of the Bai Family Fortress villagers, who quickly clapped hands over their mouths and smoothly disappeared.
Cheng Xu and his group boarded the train and soon arrived at Bai Family Fortress.
Bai Yuan, surprised by the militia's arrival, had a brief conversation with Cheng Xu. Once he understood the situation, he lowered his voice and said, “Wang Zuogua’s forces from Yichuan are still active in Huanglong Mountain. Instructor He, do not go too deep into the mountains. Once inside, immediately turn southwest and exit the mountain, and you will reach the official road to Fengyuan Town.”
Li Daoxuan watched from the sky as Cheng Xu’s group entered Huanglong Mountain.
His field of view had only recently expanded to the southern slope of Huanglong Mountain, so as Cheng Xu’s group vanished into the mountains, they slipped out of Li Daoxuan’s sight. He felt a slight worry, truly fearing they might encounter Wang Zuogua within the mountain.
Fortunately, Cheng Xu did not venture deep. As soon as they entered, he immediately had everyone cover their faces and smear mud and ash on their armor, making themselves look travel-stained, as if they had journeyed a long distance. Then, they emerged from a small valley to the southwest, reappearing within Li Daoxuan's view.
This time, when they reappeared, they were no longer simply militia.
Cheng Xu hoisted a hastily made, tattered banner bearing a giant character for “Ghost.” Padi Tu also propped up a large banner proclaiming, “Give Us Back Our Hard-Earned Military Pay!” The group brazenly marched towards Fengyuan Town.
Shi Jian, the militia’s most skilled scout, led a few followers, moving two li ahead of the main force to reconnoiter.
Meanwhile, General Li Ying, who had been robbing common folk along the way before arriving in Fengyuan Town, sat comfortably in the wealthiest gentry's home, eating roasted chicken and leisurely crossing his legs.
The gentry stood by, a forced smile on his face, secretly cursing Li Ying’s ancestors.
He had lost a considerable amount of family wealth to Li Ying and it pained him greatly.
A scout rushed in from outside, exclaiming in alarm, “Report, General! Bad news! Guyuan rebels are attacking Fengyuan Town!”
Li Ying’s chicken leg dropped to the ground. “What the hell? What did you say?!”
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