Chapter 252 I Am a Hero Destined to Save the World
Cheng Xu gathered his troops, retreating directly beneath the low-lying cloud.
The militia also withdrew, and everyone tallied their spoils of war. "Well, look at that," someone remarked, "quite a haul!"
The government soldiers had run the entire way, shedding their burdens as they went, leaving their helmets and armor scattered in their frantic retreat. They had truly embodied utter rout.
Li Ying's complete set of mountain-pattern armor was now entirely in the militia's hands. Several men had each gathered a piece, then pieced it back together into a whole suit, and presented it to Cheng Xu. "Ghost Commander," one said, "we captured the enemy general's armor. It's yours."
Cheng Xu chuckled. "What the hell would I use it for? The set I'm wearing isn't any worse crafted than his. Take it back and store it. When we get a second general, we'll give it to him."
Padi Tu popped his head out from nearby. "That'll definitely be me! General Rabbit Lord, at your service. Why not just give it to me now?"
"Wham!"
Cheng Xu knocked Padi Tu to the ground with a punch.
Everyone tallied the spoils, collected them all together, packed them into large bundles, and carried them away.
Instead, everything was handed over for unified distribution.
This prevented any individual from recklessly charging or fleeing for personal gain during battle.
Li Daoxuan, observing their actions from the sky, couldn't help but nod to himself. *Good,* he thought, *the results of their ideological education are slowly beginning to show.*
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly noticed a lone horseman at the edge of his vision. The rider was fully armored and carried a long spear.
It was Chengcheng County Military Inspector Fang Wushang!
It turned out that news of the Guyuan rebels' arrival had long been secretly reported to the county town by the gentry of Fengyuan Town.
Liang Shixian and Fang Wushang immediately set out for reinforcements.
The militia led by the magistrate moved slowly, falling far behind.
But Fang Wushang had a horse, and his temper was impatient. He couldn't wait for the foot soldiers to catch up, so he rode out alone, a lone spear against the world.
But he was still a step too late; Li Ying's forces had long since vanished, and the militia led by Cheng Xu had already begun to turn back.
Any other military inspector with more sense—like Cheng Xu—would definitely have held back now. But Fang Wushang was stubbornly single-minded. The moment he spotted what he believed to be "Guyuan rebels," he roared, "How dare these traitors invade my Chengcheng!"
With that, he slapped his horse's flank and charged forward.
That charge left Li Daoxuan dumbfounded. "Huh? You'd dare charge like that?" he muttered.
"You're just a minor ninth-rank military inspector," he thought. "How many taels of silver do you even earn? Is it worth risking your life like this?"
Cheng Xu was equally stunned. "This inspector is truly reckless, isn't he?" he murmured.
"He... Ghost Commander, he's charging us!"
"What do we do?"
someone asked.
Cheng Xu snorted. "What do we do? Pick up your spears, huddle together, point your spear tips at him. That's what we do."
The militia had indeed been well-trained. As soon as they received the order, they immediately huddled inward, instantly forming a tight formation. Hundreds of spears were raised simultaneously, their tips like a bristling forest, resembling a giant hedgehog.
However, this was their first time facing cavalry, and seeing the warhorse charge, they were genuinely a little scared. Dozens of spears were visibly trembling, betraying unsteady hands.
But this was enough!
Halfway through his charge, Fang Wushang suddenly saw the enemy's formation shift. He couldn't help but be startled, and dared not charge directly, as he had when he stormed the Heyang bandits. Instead, he reined in his warhorse and began circling the militia's formation.
Cheng Xu shouted loudly, "Raise crossbows!"
The militia all raised their hand crossbows.
Fang Wushang's heart lurched. He didn't even dare to continue circling, reining his horse back and galloping away.
Cheng Xu didn't order them to fire arrows. He just shouted at Fang Wushang's retreating back, "Hey, brother! We're just soldiers trying to earn a living; don't fight so hard!
Go back and hide well! We Guyuan border troops are only here to demand our pay from the imperial court. We won't rob the common people."
Fang Wushang stiffened slightly on his horse, turning his head back in disbelief to glance at Cheng Xu. Then he slapped his horse's flank, accelerating his departure, thinking to himself: *The border army truly is formidable. I can't break this formation alone, and even with my hundred men, there's no chance. I only hope these rebels keep their word and don't harm my Chengcheng people.*
Seeing him gone, Cheng Xu finally let out a "heh" of laughter. "Why would we rob common folk? Which of Chengcheng County's common people is richer than those in our village? Robbing them is less profitable than robbing Padi Tu."
The people nearby all laughed. "Exactly! Let's go rob Padi Tu instead."
Padi Tu cried, "Hey, hey, hey! What terrifying topic are you discussing? This Rabbit Lord isn't rich at all, okay? My home is just four bare walls; you'll get nothing but empty hands if you rob me!"
Zheng Gouzi asked curiously, "The militia's pay is really high, though. How can you not be rich? Even I, a newcomer, have saved quite a bit of money."
Padi Tu burst into laughter. "What the hell do you know? This Rabbit Lord, I'm *righteous with vegetables*! My pay all went to the poor people of Bai Family Fortress. Hahaha, money is like dirt to me! This Rabbit Lord is destined to save the world and cleanse the universe. How could I ever covet such paltry wealth?"
Everyone listened, a collective gasp of astonishment escaping them.
Only Cheng Xu cursed. "It's 'generous with wealth for a just cause', not 'righteous with vegetables'! Damn it, how dare an idiot like you go around spouting such nonsense?"
Gao Chuwu muttered, "When you first came to the village, you were jumping around for just a little extra pay."
Padi Tu cried, "Aah, aah, aah! Those are past events this Rabbit Lord doesn't want to mention! Anyone who brings it up again will be silenced by my Heaven Rabbit Rending Overlord Sword!"
Everyone fell silent.
Li Daoxuan couldn't help but smile. *That Padi Tu,* he thought, *always manages to surprise people in the strangest ways.*
*Perhaps this is the greatest joy of nurturing these little people.*
*Always finding moments of surprise from them.*
The militia continued their return journey, and soon, they passed through Fengyuan Town.
Liang Shixian, Fang Wushang, the gentry, and the local militia were all on the town walls, watching this "Guyuan rebel army" warily, fearing they might suddenly attack Fengyuan Town.
But their worries were unfounded!
Cheng Xu and his group skirted the edge of the town, continuing north. Soon, they plunged into the Huanglong Mountains. After confirming that Fengyuan Town's scouts hadn't followed them, everyone immediately tore off their face coverings, burned the "Ghost" banner and the "Return Our Blood and Sweat Pay" banner. They circled through a valley in the mountains, making a half-turn, then descended from the northern slope of Bai Family Fortress.
Bai Yuan had been waiting here for a long time. He clasped his fists in greeting to everyone. "How did it go?" he asked.
Cheng Xu pointed to the low-lying cloud in the sky, a smile on his face. "With the Heavenly Lord watching over us, how could we not succeed swiftly? Guerrilla General Li Ying has already been driven out of Chengcheng County by us."
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