Chapter 330: This is Simply Impossible
Li Daoxuan's perspective followed Bai Yuan...
Bai Yuan was wandering through Heyang County.
The situation in Heyang County was a complete mess compared to Chengcheng County. Here, there had been no divine rain from the Heavenly Lord, no miraculous food distribution. Instead, a rebel known as Fan Shan Yue had been rampaging, pillaging, murdering, burning, and coercing the populace since the early years of the Chongzhen era, a reign of terror that had lasted for nearly two years.
In those almost two years, Heyang County had suffered near-total devastation.
Only the eastern regions, bordering the Yellow River, still showed some signs of life. The western side, closer to Chengcheng, resembled a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
The very concept of productivity was moot. Half the county lay in ruins, "nine out of ten houses empty," with skeletons littering the roadsides. Bai Yuan sighed with sorrow at every step he took.
Li Daoxuan, observing through Bai Yuan's eyes, also shared his deep sorrow.
"Now that we've established contact with the Magistrate of Heyang County, it's time to help the common folk here," Bai Yuan murmured to himself. "Liang Shixian can't openly get involved, but it's quite easy for us to work through unofficial channels."
Li Daoxuan nodded. Bai Yuan's assessment was spot-on. His willingness to consider this approach showed that his problem-solving methods were aligning with Li Daoxuan's own.
The reason was simple: the Ming court was "beyond saving." The decaying empire was riddled with incurable sores, beyond cure, let alone simple repairs.
It would be better to tear it down and start fresh.
Bai Yuan continued north along the dilapidated dirt official road, passing through Yongning Village, North Yongning Village, Yang Village... He traversed a stretch of forest, then walked along a ridge for a while. Ahead lay Xiniuzhuang.
Upon reaching the location, Li Daoxuan and Bai Yuan understood why Fan Shan Yue had chosen to encamp there.
It turned out that to the north of Xiniuzhuang stretched the continuous, majestic Huanglong Mountain range.
This was the southeastern corner of Huanglong Mountain. If there was any sign of trouble, Fan Shan Yue, encamped here, could lead his men straight into the mountains, once again becoming a free-roaming bandit.
It seemed he knew his actions were dishonest, and that the imperial court was likely to send forces to suppress him again. If Wang Cheng'en, the Shaanxi Commander-in-Chief, hadn't been recalled to defend the emperor, Fan Shan Yue would probably have already fled into Huanglong Mountain.
Bai Yuan let out a low chuckle. "On the way here, I was worried I wouldn't find a good spot to ambush him. But this fellow has set up camp right at the foot of Huanglong Mountain, ha-ha-ha, giving me an excellent point for a surprise attack! Come on, up the mountain!"
He led his retainers in a wide arc, slipping into Huanglong Mountain.
They climbed halfway up the slope, hiding among a pile of scattered rocks, from which they looked down on Xiniuzhuang below. Bai Yuan grinned, "Alright, from now on, it's a waiting game."
He opened the large wooden box strapped to his back, and with both hands, took out a long Flintlock Rifle. As he skillfully loaded the ammunition, he chuckled, "It's time to demonstrate some real marksmanship."
The two retainers sent by Magistrate Feng Jun of Heyang County to guide Bai Yuan stared at him with puzzled expressions. *That's a 'bird-gun,' isn't it?* they thought. *Although it's called a bird-gun, and people often boast that it can shoot down flying birds, anyone who knows even a little about it understands that its accuracy is dreadful.*
*Is Master Bai truly planning to assassinate Fan Shan Yue with this?*
The two retainers glanced at Xiniuzhuang far below on the hillside. *It's so far! How could anyone possibly hit a target from this distance? No, we must report this to His Lordship.*
The two retainers then cupped their fists. "Master Bai, we have guided you to the location. We shall return to report to His Lordship."
Bai Yuan waved them off. "Go, tell Magistrate Feng to await good news."
The two retainers exchanged strange looks, thinking, *Good news? That'll be the day.*
Bidding farewell to Bai Yuan, the two men quickly descended the mountain, circumvented Xiniuzhuang, and ran to a hillside on the other side. Magistrate Feng Jun, dressed in plain clothes, had already arrived on the side slope. Seeing his retainers return, Feng Jun eagerly asked, "Well? How does Master Bai intend to deal with Fan Shan Yue?"
The two retainers looked thoroughly embarrassed. "Master Bai produced a bird-gun, and it seems he intends to shoot Fan Shan Yue from Huanglong Mountain, taking him out with a single shot."
Magistrate Feng Jun's expression instantly became a picture of utter disbelief, one that clearly screamed, "This is simply impossible!"
"Your Lordship, your nose... your nosebleed..." one retainer cried out anxiously.
Feng Jun reached up to his nose, wiping it, and a streak of blood instantly painted a descending diagonal line across his face. He grew frantic:
"That kind of accuracy from a bird-gun? How could it possibly work? He'll only alert the enemy unnecessarily! What if Fan Shan Yue realizes we're trying to eliminate him? Won't he just ramp up his depredations? He might even march right into the county seat!"
The two retainers looked awkward. "Master Bai seemed quite confident, Your Lordship."
Feng Jun exclaimed, "Nonsense! It's utterly impossible. This is bad! Quickly, take me to him! I must stop his reckless actions!"
Just then...
The gates of Xiniuzhuang opened, and Fan Shan Yue, astride a tall steed, rode out with an arrogant strut. A large entourage surrounded him, flanking him on both sides, their posture equally swaggering.
Fan Shan Yue wore mountain-patterned armor, while the small group of fierce bandits around him were still dressed in a chaotic, motley fashion, with no uniformity.
They carried a large banner emblazoned with a massive character "Zheng," and in the lower right corner, a line of smaller script: "Heyang Garrison Commander."
So, this fellow's true name was Zheng Fanyue. Previously, as a roving bandit, he naturally couldn't reveal his name. But after accepting the imperial court's pacification, his name could now be openly displayed.
Before, when he plundered the common people, he was often thwarted by local militias. Now, operating under the guise of an imperial military official, even the militias dared not interfere. Local gentry and wealthy households could only meekly hand over their valuables, a situation that brought him immense pleasure.
Fan Shan Yue gloated, "My men, who shall we plunder today?"
A trusted subordinate chuckled, "Old Master Zhang from Xiazhuang. He always organized the militia to oppose us, fighting us several times before we were pacified. A truly obnoxious fellow. Let's extort a hefty sum from him today."
Fan Shan Yue roared with laughter. "Excellent indeed!"
At this point, his expression suddenly darkened. "By the way, have you gathered any information about Xing Honglang from Yongji, as I asked? I haven't forgotten the feud over my second and third brothers. Now that I have the status of an imperial official, killing a salt smuggler like her would be perfectly justifiable."
His subordinate replied, "We've found out. That Xing Honglang has been frequently active between Xi'an and Chengcheng County lately."
Fan Shan Yue scoffed, "Chengcheng? That's the one place I detest the most. One day, we'll shed these uniforms, sneak into Chengcheng, and plunder to our hearts' content..."
The words had barely left his lips.
From the distant hillside, a sudden "BANG" rang out, and a plume of white smoke curled into the air.
What a loud sound!
But only the sound was heard; no one fell.
Fan Shan Yue and his fierce bandits all turned their heads in the direction of the sound. "Hmm? That sounds like a firearm! What's happening over there?"
Comments