Chapter 460: Here is Prison Valley
The army that emerged from the woods was none other than the Gao Family Village Militia.
Cheng Xu was leading the troops.
They were acting on the Heavenly Lord's command, sent here to rendezvous with the government forces and receive three thousand captured rebels.
Since they were meeting government troops, everyone naturally avoided wearing armor or carrying flintlock rifles. They were all dressed in cotton clothes and armed with cold weapons, presenting themselves as a typical militia unit.
Spotting the approaching government troops, Cheng Xu stepped out from the treeline, intending to exchange a few words. To his surprise, before he could utter a single word, the opposing general let out a roar and charged forward on horseback.
What in the blazes?!
Where did this lunkhead come from?
Cheng Xu was truly exasperated with the world. He didn't know why, but everywhere he went, he seemed to encounter buffoons. It was infuriating.
He Renlong's horse was swift. In the blink of an eye, he was nearly upon Cheng Xu. Cheng Xu didn't even have time to explain that they were militia before He Renlong's long spear jabbed towards him.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Cheng Xu's brow. He swiftly drew his waist saber and parried upwards.
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"Clang!"
The saber nearly flew from his hand. The opponent was tall and powerfully built, charging with the momentum of his warhorse. This spear strike was genuinely not something Cheng Xu could deflect with his saber alone. The impact vibrated his wrist numb, forcing him to roll backward, tumbling several times with the momentum.
He Renlong exclaimed, "Oh? There's actually such a skilled fighter among these bandits?"
Cheng Xu thought to himself, *Damn it! This military scholar-official is formidable! I won't be able to block him for more than a few moves.*
As the saying goes, those who master civil and martial arts serve the imperial family. A military scholar-official was one of the most fearsome martial artists in the realm. This was truly not someone just anyone could withstand. Even Cheng Xu, a highly skilled fighter himself, was no match for He Renlong.
He Renlong, having gained the advantage, twisted his spear and lunged again.
But then, a large axe swung in from the side. With a resounding clash, the axe handle struck the spear shaft. The immense force of the collision, with the axe clearly having an advantage over the spear, sent He Renlong's long spear sweeping aside.
He focused his gaze and saw that the attacker was a towering, burly man, built like an iron tower, imposing and majestic – it was Zheng Daniu.
When meeting the government troops, Zheng Daniu hadn't worn armor either, having only secretly tucked a few hand grenades into his pockets, which he couldn't conveniently use. So, he carried a large axe, and the might of this axe strike left He Renlong's wrist aching with numbness.
He retracted his spear, wheeled his horse in a circle, and reined it in from a distance. Then he loudly demanded, "What rebel faction are you from? State your name!"
"Rebel, my foot!" Zheng Daniu roared in anger. "I'm an honest citizen!"
He Renlong scoffed, "Where in the hell do you look like an honest citizen?"
Zheng Daniu retorted, "From head to toe!"
He Renlong sneered, "From head to toe? All I see is 'fool'."
Everyone else remained silent.
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"A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Stop fighting!"
From the distant woods, Fang Wushang finally arrived. He had set out from Chengcheng County, first rushing to Gao Family Village, then to Bai Family Fortress, and only then entering the mountains, which naturally made him a little slower than Cheng Xu's group.
Fortunately, his impatient nature meant he ran incredibly fast. Despite the distance, he was only slightly late. He charged over on horseback, shouting, "Chengcheng County Patrol Inspector Fang Wushang, dispatched to receive three thousand surrendered rebels! These men are our Chengcheng County militia!"
He Renlong glanced at Fang Wushang, noting his properly worn armor, which looked much more fitting. He snorted, "You patrol inspector are awfully slow. How could you let the militia go ahead?"
Any other person might have just endured the barb, but Fang Wushang was known for being thick-headed and never one for social niceties. Hearing this, he actually retorted, "General He, it's clearly you who's being unreasonable! You attack without a word. How can you blame a subordinate officer for that?"
He Renlong snapped, "In these turbulent times of war and chaos, if I encounter an ambush in the mountains, should I not fight? Should I go over and kowtow first?"
Fang Wushang insisted, "At least ask a few questions first."
The two sides immediately began to argue, veins bulging in their necks.
Cheng Xu and Zheng Daniu, however, were no longer angry. They watched, smiling, as the thick-headed young man challenged the high-ranking official. Little Patrol Inspector Fang Wushang truly feared no one.
After arguing for a long time, presumably exhausted, they finally returned to the main topic.
He Renlong declared, "These three thousand surrendered rebels, I'm entrusting them to you. You figure out how to manage them, and manage them well. If they rebel again, that's your responsibility, don't pin it on our Yansui troops."
"Don't worry, they won't rebel," Cheng Xu chuckled. "Once they're in our hands, General He can rest assured."
He Renlong felt a flicker of curiosity: *What methods do these fellows have to manage so many surrendered rebels? Perhaps I should follow along and see.*
He handed the three thousand surrendered rebels over to Fang Wushang and Cheng Xu, not rushing to leave. Under the pretext of escorting them, he brought a thousand of his own men and followed alongside.
Fang Wushang and Cheng Xu led them through the mountain woods, turning left and right, back and forth, eventually leading them to the entrance of a valley. Two grey castles stood at the mouth of the valley, with numerous archers positioned on their battlements.
The soldiers herded the three thousand surrendered rebels into the valley: "Get in! Get in!"
The three thousand surrendered rebels were in a panic, but their bandit chief was dead, leaving them leaderless. For now, they dared not resist and meekly filed into the valley.
Once inside, they saw a massive settlement, like a village, with many houses. Seeing the newcomers, thousands of people poured out of the houses, scrutinizing the new arrivals with strange looks.
The three thousand surrendered rebels were somewhat bewildered: "What is this place?"
He Renlong was equally puzzled: "Are you serious? There's a place like this in Huanglong Mountain? With such strict defenses, could it be that the entire valley has been turned into a massive prison?"
Fang Wushang nodded. "Yes, this is a prison! It's Chengcheng County's special place for holding bad people. Currently, there are over seven thousand people inside, mostly rebels. With today's three thousand, the number will now exceed ten thousand."
He Renlong gasped in shock, "What?! So many rebels gathered together? Aren't you afraid they'll rebel again? Ten thousand people breaking out of prison together would be terrifying. They should be dispersed for management; that's the best policy."
Fang Wushang smiled. "Don't worry, very few who enter here ever want to rebel again. They're all diligently learning how to become decent people once more."
Just as they were discussing this, a newly arrived surrendered rebel recognized one of the labor reform prisoners and shouted, "Qi Cheng! What are you doing here? Weren't you with Wang Zuogua?"
"Oh? Chen Ergou! Weren't you with Liu Liu?" the labor reform prisoner named Qi Cheng replied, his face bitter. "Wang Zuogua was killed, and I was captured. I've been undergoing labor reform here ever since. Since you're here too, Liu Liu must have been killed as well."
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