Chapter 289 A Confluence of Events at Duzhong Village
"Five hundred warhorses, that's a considerable number." Xing Honglang declared, stepping closer to Cheng Xu. "I only have thirty-eight men, so there's no way I can safely bring back so many. Instructor He Jiu, I'll need your help with this."
The moment Cheng Xu heard it was an order from the Heavenly Lord, he didn't hesitate to offer his assistance. "No problem," he declared. "I'll personally lead the militia to escort these warhorses back."
This time, Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu didn't utter any more foolish remarks about carrying the horses back. Both men raised their hands, a proud grin spreading across their faces. "We can lead horses!"
Xing Honglang immediately bristled. "You two idiots, shut up! What's there to be proud of about leading a horse? Tell me, who in this world *can't* lead a horse?"
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu exchanged speechless glances.
Cheng Xu chuckled. "If we can secure these horses, our Gao Family Village will be able to form a cavalry unit."
Xing Honglang nodded. "The Heavenly Lord must have the same intention."
Cheng Xu said, "Good. We must ensure this goes smoothly. Have you discussed the delivery location with the seller?"
Xing Honglang replied, "I'm still considering that. The delivery location can't be too close, lest it bring trouble to Gao Family Village. But it can't be too far either, otherwise, our journey back with the horses won't be safe."
Li Daoxuan also followed their gaze on the map, and immediately spotted an ideal location.
Southeast of Huanglong Mountain, Duzhong Village.
This spot was perfectly positioned at the edge of Li Daoxuan's field of view, a place he could "oversee." It was about forty li (approximately 20 kilometers) in a straight line from Gao Family Village, a small mountain village long since abandoned.
Just as he was about to print the name "Duzhong Village" and place it into the box, he saw Cheng Xu and Xing Honglang point to the same spot almost simultaneously. "Duzhong Village!"
Xing Honglang explained, "This area falls within Huanglong Mountain territory. If we trade with Wu Zhimian here, afterward, we can claim that a mountain bandit bought the horses, so they won't suspect Gao Family Village."
Cheng Xu nodded. "The surrounding terrain is complex, making it easy to secretly lead the warhorses back to Gao Family Village."
Xing Honglang affirmed, "Good. This is the spot."
Cheng Xu continued, "I'll take some men to scout the area first, map out the detailed terrain, and hide the militia nearby. You send someone to contact Wu Zhimian."
Outside his diorama box, Li Daoxuan tapped on the three characters for Duzhong Village. His field of view immediately snapped there...
This was the outermost edge of his field of view, a dilapidated mountain village. The village consisted of only a dozen or so houses, suggesting it once held only a few dozen residents. After the great drought erupted, Duzhong Village had become completely deserted.
The northern view from the village was limited, extending only about two li (one kilometer), but Li Daoxuan could see the entire southern terrain. Several mountain paths wound through gullies and around slopes, leading towards Chengcheng County and Han City.
As dusk settled, Wu Zhimian, the Regional Commander of Yansui, was already preparing for bed.
A trusted personal guard slipped in from outside, whispering, "General, we've finally found a buyer."
Wu Zhimian was overjoyed. "Five hundred top-tier warhorses, that's no small sum of silver. Did you carefully verify the buyer's capabilities?"
In good years, a warhorse would cost around twenty taels of silver. But times aren't good now; not only are bandits rampant, but the Manchu barbarians beyond the passes are constantly pressing at the gates. So, the price of warhorses has risen to between fifty and seventy taels of silver.
Five hundred warhorses would require between twenty-five thousand and thirty-five thousand taels. That's truly not a small amount. A buyer without significant backing wouldn't dare take on this transaction.
The guard whispered, "The buyer refused to reveal their true identity, but from their accent and stature, your subordinate suspects they are a salt smuggler from Shanxi."
Wu Zhimian frowned, pondering for a moment. "A salt smuggler from Shanxi? Ha! Could it be Xing Honglang from Yongji?"
"If it's truly her, she certainly has the means to handle such a large order. Alright, then, we'll give her this consignment."
The guard reported, "They said they want to take delivery at Duzhong Village on the southeast slope of Huanglong Mountain."
Wu Zhimian took out his campaign map and glanced at it. "It's not far from here, is it? Alright, send the goods to Duzhong Village."
"Then we'll need to cross Huanglong Mountain," the guard murmured. "Wang Zuogua from Yichuan is still stationed in those mountains."
Wu Zhimian burst into hearty laughter. "If I don't go looking for trouble with Wang Zuogua, he should be burning incense in gratitude! Does he dare to provoke me? I advise him to stay hidden, otherwise, I might just wipe him out while I'm at it, report it to the court for merit, and earn a good reward."
The guard laughed aloud. "Indeed, General."
Wu Zhimian ordered, "Send someone to report to Governor Zhang Mengjing. Tell him that I, your humble general, will spare no effort and serve until my dying breath. To annihilate Wang Zuogua of Yichuan, I have decided to lead from the front and penetrate deep into Huanglong Mountain. Heh heh... At the same time, issue orders to the entire army: we march tomorrow, crossing Huanglong Mountain, with Duzhong Village as our objective."
The guard exclaimed, "General, your strategic brilliance is unparalleled!"
Meanwhile, east of Huanglong Mountain, in Han City.
Over a hundred cavalrymen, dressed in ragged, disheveled attire, looking every bit like bandits, were fleeing in disarray.
Behind them, a troop of cavalry wearing personal guard uniforms was in hot pursuit.
Leading the escape was Zao Ying, the famous female horse bandit from Yichuan County.
And pursuing them was the personal guard of Shaanxi Grain Intendant Hong Chengchou.
Zao Ying was a fierce and capable female horse bandit. As for her looks... ahem... she bore a striking resemblance to Xing Honglang.
As she frantically led her subordinates in their escape, she cursed under her breath. "Damn Hong Chengchou! All I wanted was to seize the grain and fodder he was escorting, and he sent troops to chase me for dozens of li!"
She appeared and vanished like a shadow, frequently raiding government caravans. Birthday gifts for officials, imperial silver convoys—these were her primary targets.
Zao Ying always prided herself on being a righteous bandit, only robbing corrupt officials and the wealthy, never ordinary folk. She usually relied on her superb horsemanship. This time, she went after an official grain convoy, but the escorting officer turned out to be Hong Chengchou, the Shaanxi Grain Intendant.
She had truly kicked an iron plate.
Zao Ying and her subordinates were thoroughly beaten by Hong Chengchou's personal guards, routed, losing their helmets and abandoning their armor, and forced to flee in disarray. If not for their superb horsemanship and speed, they would likely all be buried by now.
After fleeing for dozens of li, they now saw the eastern slopes of Huanglong Mountain ahead.
Upon seeing Huanglong Mountain, Hong Chengchou's personal guards ceased their pursuit.
Military strategy dictates "do not pursue into a forest," and in truth, one should not pursue into mountains either.
Hong Chengchou's personal guards roared from behind, "You damn horse bandits! Today we let you go. From now on, when you see the Hong family banner, scram far away! Dare to cause trouble again, and we'll chop every single one of you into seventeen or eighteen pieces!"
Zao Ying was furious, but raging now would be "powerless fury," only inviting ridicule. Unable to express her anger, she focused on fleeing, dashing deeper into Huanglong Mountain. She didn't dare stop as soon as they entered the mountains; they had to run deeper still, otherwise, if Hong Chengchou's men pursued again, things would turn truly dire.
Zao Ying and her group ran and ran. Ahead, they spotted a desolate mountain village. She could finally stop and rest. She asked her subordinate, "Where are we now?"
A subordinate whispered, "Huanglong Mountain, Duzhong Village."
Comments