Chapter 473: We're Helping the Common People
As the common people of Hejin County were being relocated...
Wang Jiayin's vast bandit army moved through Taiyuan Prefecture, Fenzhou (modern Fenyang City, Shanxi), Lu'an Prefecture (modern Changzhi City, Shanxi), and Zezhou (modern Jincheng City, Shanxi), entering the Qin River basin.
Days later, over ten thousand of Wang Jiayin's troops detached from the main force, marching west, directly threatening Pinelyang Prefecture (Linfen).
The straight-line distance between Pinelyang Prefecture and Hejin County was just over a hundred *li*.
Amidst the rhythmic thud of hooves, a swift horse galloped furiously.
The rider was an official military messenger! He had come to report military intelligence, but when he reached Hejin County, he found it completely deserted.
Truly, not a soul remained! It was like a ghost town.
Though the messenger already knew that Hejin County's magistrate, assistant magistrate, and yamen runners had all been slaughtered by Bu Zhan Ni, and that Hejin County had effectively slipped from government control, he hadn't expected it to be utterly empty, not even a single common person left.
Startled, the messenger was bewildered but decided not to dwell on it. He spurred his horse onward, continuing his mission, and after another stretch of hard riding, he arrived at the Dragon Gate Ferry.
Thousands upon thousands of people were busy felling trees, hauling stones, and constructing an enormous waterside fortress. A large banner fluttered atop the stockade, bearing a single character: "Shi."
At first glance, the messenger thought it was Shi Yaoyu, a bandit chief under Wang Jiayin, who had occupied the place. But on closer inspection, he realized these were government troops. The archers standing on the watchtowers were clearly dressed as authentic garrison soldiers.
Then it clicked: bandits only destroy, they don't build. How could they construct such a formidable fortress? This had to be a government stronghold, without a doubt.
The messenger hurried to the front of the fortress and shouted, "Which general is garrisoned here?"
A sentry replied, "Under Wang Cheng'en, the Grand General of Shaanxi: Centurion Shi Jian."
Upon hearing this, the messenger's eyes nearly popped out. "What? A centurion?"
He had a crude expletive on the tip of his tongue, unsure whether to utter it. Such a massive fortress, with thousands gathered, managed by a mere centurion? And what kind of centurion dares to fly his own banner?
Was there some mistake?
The messenger pressed, "Where is Centurion Shi? Please ask him to come out."
Shi Jian quickly emerged to greet him.
The moment he saw him, the messenger eagerly asked, "How many troops do you have?"
Shi Jian replied, "I'm a centurion. How many troops do you think I'd have?"
The messenger was speechless.
Well, that was awkward!
The messenger hadn't intended to ask such a foolish question, but seeing such a large fortress and so many common people, it seemed quite formidable. He'd imagined it was an important stronghold, only to find the centurion still feigning incompetence.
The messenger urgently stated, "I am an envoy for Commander Li Huai. Over ten thousand of Wang Jiayin's forces are preparing to attack Pinelyang Prefecture. General Li has been ordered to defend Pinelyang, but he only has eight hundred soldiers. He fears he cannot hold back the bandits. I urge all generals in the surrounding areas with troops to quickly proceed to Pinelyang Prefecture for reinforcement!"
Eight hundred soldiers? Li Daoxuan, secretly listening, mused, "The government troops are quite formidable; eight hundred against ten thousand of Wang Jiayin's men. The advantage is clearly with the government troops."
But then, he immediately reconsidered. "No, that's wrong. If I think the advantage is with the government troops, then they are certainly doomed to lose."
That's what I call the "Advantage in Me" Law!
Shi Jian told the messenger, "My apologies, but I am merely an insignificant centurion. I have only fifty-something soldiers under my command, *cough*... you understand... I also have to protect all these common people here. I can't go to General Li; I can only ask him to pray for his own good fortune."
The messenger sighed, not pressing the issue. He knew that requesting reinforcements was never easy, and it was hardly surprising that a paltry centurion at this desolate Dragon Gate Ferry couldn't offer much in terms of combat strength.
Before leaving, he could only deliver one parting shot: "Pinelyang Prefecture is only a hundred *li* from here. If General Li is defeated, the bandits will surely come to Dragon Gate Ferry, and then all of you will face certain death."
With that, he turned his horse and galloped away without looking back, off to seek other reinforcements.
Only after the messenger had vanished did Shi Jian lean in towards Li Daoxuan and whisper, "Heavenly Lord, what should we do? Should we go reinforce them?"
Li Daoxuan's silicone eyes rotated once, and he seriously considered it for 0.01 seconds. "Help them!"
Shi Jian was surprised. "Huh? We're actually going to help the government?"
"We are not helping the government; we are helping the common people," Li Daoxuan stated gravely. "Pinelyang Prefecture is a prefectural city, not a county seat. Its population is several times larger than that of a county, potentially reaching a hundred thousand souls. If it falls to the bandit army, rivers of blood will surely flow."
Shi Jian was suddenly struck by this. "Ah, that's true."
Li Daoxuan's consciousness shifted slightly, and he instantly knew the deployment of his own transport units. He murmured, "Don't worry, reinforcements from the Gao Family Village Militia will arrive shortly. With these reinforcements, we should be able to help the common people of Pinelyang Prefecture."
Shi Jian wondered, "The militia is coming?"
Li Daoxuan confirmed, "Two hundred will come."
Shi Jian was curious why exactly two hundred men were being deployed, but it wasn't long before he understood.
A large cannon-equipped vessel arrived, carrying two hundred members of the Gao Family Village Militia. Surprisingly, one hundred of them were veteran villagers from Wangjia Village, led by Wang Er himself.
Wang Er's re-emergence this time, of course, was to act as "private soldiers" for Bai Mao.
From now on, that "government" unit, ostensibly commanded by Bai Mao, would in reality be led by Wang Er, the most notorious rebel in the land. This, it is called, infiltrating the enemy's ranks!
Naturally, if Wang Er continued to wear a mask, he would stand out too much. So he had removed his face covering and deliberately styled his hair in a rather unconventional way, like Iori Yagami's haircut, with bangs obscuring half his face. He also grew a large beard that connected with his bangs, making him look like a wild man.
With this appearance, no one would recognize him as Wang Er.
Only then did Shi Jian realize that Bai Mao had distinguished himself on the front lines and been promoted to *bazong*, now capable of commanding four hundred combat soldiers. He chuckled. "Then I'll take Bai Mao's troops to rescue Li Huai and earn a great merit myself. Who knows, I might even get promoted to *bazong*."
"Go, then!"
Li Daoxuan also wished for his influence to be more interwoven within the government forces, seeing it as entirely beneficial. "However, you must be careful. The weapons you carry are the smoothbore arquebuses that Gao Family Village has begun phasing out. They are not powerful, so you must use them cautiously and ensure your safety."
Shi Jian responded, "Understood!"
Wang Er added, "Rest assured, Heavenly Lord."
Shi Jian left his fifty-something garrison soldiers at the Gudu Ferry, instructing them to protect the refugees from Hejin County. He, along with Wang Er, then prepared to set out with the two hundred militia members.
Before departing, Shi Jian couldn't resist asking Wang Er, "Brother Wang, did you bring an image of the Heavenly Lord before you set off? Ever since I gave my figurine to Bai Mao, I've felt empty inside. Without the Heavenly Lord's blessing, even food doesn't taste good."
Wang Er pointed to his chest. "Look, it's right here."
It turned out he had an embroidered image of the Heavenly Lord on his chest, and its eyes actually moved and sparkled.
Shi Jian was overjoyed. "From now on, I'll have a sacred image of the Heavenly Lord embroidered on my clothes too, to protect me."
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