Chapter 342 Wang Jiayin Approaches
Bai Yuan had already finalized arrangements for the militia with Feng Jun, and Feng Jun had long agreed that Gao Family Village would fund the Heyang County militia.
Now that Master Zhang had also been convinced, the path forward seemed even simpler.
"Brother Zhang," Bai Yuan whispered, lowering his voice, "after you return, begin expanding the militia. Gao Family Village can provide all the necessary grain and weapons. First, build up your forces; then, we can conveniently join hands to deal with those large bands of roving bandits."
Master Zhang nodded vigorously. "I'll follow Brother Bai's lead. I'll get started on this immediately upon my return. I also know many militia instructors from various villages and towns in Heyang County. I'll gather them to meet Brother Bai, and from now on, we'll coordinate our actions under Brother Bai's command."
Bai Yuan chuckled inwardly, yet his expression remained impassive. He cupped his hands and said, "As long as we are united in spirit, I am confident we can block Wang Jiayin of Fugu."
Master Zhang responded, "Then we shall rely entirely on Brother Bai."
Wang Jiayin of Fugu had just suffered a terrible setback!
As a leader of the peasant uprising who hailed from the border army, Wang Jiayin's campaign started remarkably smoothly. He rallied a portion of the border troops as his core force and quickly gained the support of numerous disaster victims. His momentum was formidable, attracting two major generals: Chuǎng Wang (Gao Yingxiang) of Ansai and Zijing Liang (Wang Ziyong).
Then, Wang Er of Baishui marched north from the Yulin region and converged with Wang Jiayin.
Leading an army of fifty thousand, Wang Jiayin felt a bit too pleased with himself. He didn't even bother with an alias, using his real name, Wang Jiayin—that's how brazen he was.
He captured Fugu County in one fell swoop, opened the granaries to distribute grain, then demolished the city walls, razing Fugu County to the ground. Next, he captured Huangfuchuan Fort, flattening its walls as well, laying everything to waste.
Indeed, wherever they went, they razed everything to the ground.
Destruction was always easier than construction. Rebuilding the walls of cities he'd torn down would be an immense challenge, consuming time, effort, and countless laborers, impossible to complete for years. During that time, he could always return to plunder.
A city without defensive walls was no different from an open field.
This tactic was something he had learned from the Mongols during his time as a border soldier; it was quite effective.
This spree of destruction and chaos was exhilarating.
His continuous victories made him forget he was merely a roving bandit.
He actually mustered a proper naval force, crossing the Yellow River to attack Hequ County in Shanxi, undertaking a "cross-river siege" that even regular armies wouldn't easily attempt.
Such a reckless maneuver was, of course, bound to end in a beating!
The Shanxi Regional Commander was not one to humor him. He mounted Western cannons on the city walls, blasting Wang Jiayin's river fleet until they screamed for their lives, forcing them to retreat back to Shaanxi.
Undeterred, Wang Jiayin began heading south along the Yellow River, planning to enter Huanglong Mountain and establish it as his base, from which he could freely attack Yan'an Prefecture and several surrounding counties.
His plan was well-calculated, but to enter Huanglong Mountain, he first had to pass through Yichuan County.
Just as he swaggered with his fifty thousand troops, "passing through Yichuan County," he encountered a man: Hong Chengchou, the Shaanxi Grain Intendant.
If Wang Zuogua were here, he would have told him to flee at once upon encountering Hong Chengchou.
Unfortunately, Wang Zuogua was dead, and no one was there to tell Wang Jiayin this.
Wang Jiayin completely disregarded Hong Chengchou, who only had a few hundred household guards and over a thousand militia. He launched a sweeping, full-frontal assault, charging towards Hong Chengchou...
And then...
Wang Jiayin was now hiding in a small fishing village by the Yellow River, surrounded by a group of dust-streaked subordinates, each looking more wretched than the last.
His wife's younger brother, Zhang Liwei, his face covered in dust, took a sip of water just drawn from the Yellow River, then spat it out with a "poof," cursing, "Damn it, this is awful to drink!"
Wang Jiayin said, "Don't drink river water directly; you'll get diarrhea. Boil it first before you drink."
Zhang Liwei scoffed, "Who has the mood to boil water now? Damn that Hong Chengchou! What kind of monster is he? Fifty thousand of us charged, and he wasn't even scared? Instead, he led two thousand men and charged *us*, and damn it, he actually defeated us!"
Wang Guozhong, Wang Jiayin's kinsman, spoke up, "Big Brother, that Hong Chengchou is just a mere civil official, yet he's unreasonably fierce. I'm afraid we can't get past Yichuan County; we can't get into Huanglong Mountain at all."
Wang Jiayin nodded. He, too, couldn't quite figure it out. Fifty thousand against two thousand, and they even had border army veterans as their core—how did they lose? He simply couldn't understand it.
The less they understood, the less they dared to provoke him again.
Failure is the mother of success, but only if one learns from experience after defeat. If you don't even know *how* you lost, it means the gap between the two sides is too vast; there's no experience to be gained.
If they fought again, they would surely lose.
Just then, a fleet of boats drifted into view on the river. Most were small fishing boats, a few were medium-sized merchant ships, and on the bow of the leading merchant ship stood a sturdy man: it was the long-unseen Wang Er of Baishui.
The Wang Er of now was a completely different man from the Wang Er who first rebelled. His face bore the marks of hardship, and a stubbled beard hinted at a world-weariness. The only thing unchanged was his gaze, still resolute, still full of passion and boldness.
Wang Er leapt from the boat and ran towards Wang Jiayin. "Big Brother, why are you back?"
Wang Jiayin's face was vexed. "Couldn't get past Yichuan County; the Shaanxi Grain Intendant Hong Chengchou blocked us and sent us back."
Wang Er asked, "Oh? This Hong fellow is that formidable?"
Wang Jiayin confirmed, "Extremely formidable! I'm afraid we can't get past Yichuan County; we can't enter Huanglong Mountain."
Wang Er suggested, "Then let's not go in; we should head to Shanxi instead."
In truth, he really didn't want this lot to enter Huanglong Mountain. South of Huanglong Mountain were Baishui County and Chengcheng County. These two places held special significance for Wang Er: one was his hometown, the other where he joined relatives to start the rebellion.
He knew Wang Jiayin's men were all roving bandits. For these fellows, burning, killing, and looting were as natural as eating and drinking. Once they entered Huanglong Mountain, there was no guarantee they wouldn't wreak havoc on Baishui County and Chengcheng County.
Zhang Liwei countered, "How could going to Shanxi be so easy? The Shanxi Regional Commander even brought out Western cannons. The five garrisons' Regional Commanders in Shaanxi have all gone to the capital to defend the emperor. Shaanxi is easier to navigate. We should still find a way to enter Huanglong Mountain."
Wang Guozhong spoke up, "I have a solution!"
Wang Jiayin inquired, "Oh?"
Wang Guozhong said, "Go by water, south along the Yellow River, to the Qichuan Ferry in Heyang County. We can land there, head west from Heyang County, and pass through Chengcheng County to enter Huanglong Mountain."
Wang Er cursed inwardly, "Damn it!"
Wang Jiayin approved, "An excellent plan, let's do that."
Wang Er quickly spoke up, "We don't have enough boats for fifty thousand men to move together. Big Brother, why don't you lead the main force to encamp here for a few days, and let me lead my men to scout ahead?"
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