Chapter 500: Rounding Up Laborers
May, the fourth year of Chongzhen (1631 AD).
Yongji, Gudu Ferry.
The Puppet Heavenly Lord sat by the Yellow River, playfully kicking up splashes with a thin bamboo stick.
While his true self remained in his Shuangqing City home, he could use the "Co-sensing" ability to revel in the exhilarating sensation of playing by the river. The wind the Puppet Heavenly Lord felt, his physical body also perceived; the water the Puppet Heavenly Lord disturbed, his physical body seemed to touch as well.
What a thrill! This was undoubtedly the ultimate pastime for any reclusive gamer!
Just as he was fully immersed in this blissful state, a sentry atop the river fort's watchtower cried out, "A fast rider is coming! Eh? I recognize that man—he's an emissary from Wang Jiayin!"
The Puppet Heavenly Lord let out a soft exclamation and turned his head, seeing Xing Honglang, Gao Chuwu, Lao Nanfeng, Zao Ying, and others rushing out of their quarters and heading toward the council hall.
Clearly, they were preparing for protracted negotiations with the emissary!
With a flick of his puppet fingers, Li Daoxuan did a quick mental calculation. At the same time, he switched his attention back to his computer, typed the current date along with "Wang Jiayin" into a search engine, quickly scanned the results, then returned his focus to the Puppet Heavenly Lord. A slight smile played on his lips. "Heh, I've figured it out! So that's it!"
A short while later, inside the council hall, the leaders of the Shanxi "Expeditionary Force" faced the emissary, arrayed in a formidable posture.
The last time the emissary had visited, the Clay Sculpture Heavenly Lord had frightened him half to death, causing him to fall flat on his face before scurrying away. This time, as he entered the tent, he cautiously scanned the room. Finding no Clay Sculpture Heavenly Lord, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However...
No sooner had he let out that breath than he noticed a Puppet Heavenly Lord sitting on a nearby table, gazing at him with an eerie, enigmatic smile.
Bloody hell, that was unnerving!
The emissary wasted no more words. He clasped his fists in greeting. "Chief Xing, His Majesty has sent me to inform you of his plan: he intends to gather forces from all sides and capture Jincheng in one fell swoop. He has already amassed a grand army of 160,000. Chief Xing is also a member of our army, so please lead your troops to join His Majesty's army in assaulting the city. Once the city falls, rewards will be given according to merit, and Chief Xing will certainly not be shortchanged."
Xing Honglang's first instinct was to refuse; she had no desire to help the rebels attack a city, as its fall would only bring suffering to Jincheng's common people. However, the last time, the Heavenly Lord had explicitly agreed to join Wang Jiayin's army, making her nominally a part of the rebel forces. To refuse now would undoubtedly invite some disputes.
Just as she was hesitating, the Puppet Heavenly Lord spoke up again: "Good!"
A collective 'hmm' went through everyone's minds.
Still, while they were surprised internally, they showed no outward signs. When the Heavenly Lord spoke, everyone immediately complied. Xing Honglang clasped her fists in greeting towards the emissary. "Very well, we shall go. Please inform His Majesty that I will lead my troops to assist shortly."
The emissary was overjoyed, not having expected to convince them so easily.
Xing Honglang's "uprising force" had always operated outside Wang Jiayin's control, rarely heeding his orders; they were merely nominally a part of his faction. Before setting out, the emissary had believed it would be difficult to persuade them, so their immediate agreement was a genuine surprise.
The emissary happily took his leave.
Once he was gone, the leaders all turned to face the Puppet Heavenly Lord and bowed respectfully. "Heavenly Lord, what is your plan this time?"
The Puppet Heavenly Lord spoke, his two wooden block lips clacking together as he recited a rhythmic chant: "A quick calculation reveals: Jiayin is doomed, his subordinates will scatter, Jincheng will descend into chaos."
They exchanged glances and immediately understood.
Lao Nanfeng said, "The Heavenly Lord says Wang Jiayin is going to die; he's revealing a divine secret to us. Since that's the case, we'll pretend to help Wang Jiayin, bringing our troops to a vantage point, neither too close nor too far, to watch the drama unfold. After the government troops finish him off and his rebel subordinates scatter, we can seize the opportunity to round up a batch of them and bring them back as labor reform prisoners. This way, we can both protect the surrounding common people and provide our labor reform camps with a fresh supply of young and able-bodied workers. We'll send them back to reunite with their elderly, women, and children, hahahahaha! Their loved ones were separated in Hequ County, but now they can reunite in the labor reform camp. A family that reforms together, stays together!"
As he spoke that last line, Lao Nanfeng's wicked humor took over, and the cunning old fox laughed sinisterly.
Xing Honglang couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Lao Nanfeng, where did you pick up such cheeky phrases like 'A family that reforms together, stays together'?"
Lao Nanfeng replied, "The Heavenly Lord taught me!"
Everyone: "..."
They dared not speak their thoughts aloud, but inwardly, they all broke into a cold sweat. *What strange things was the Heavenly Lord teaching Lao Nanfeng?*
"Right, let's move out!" Xing Honglang declared. "We'll pretend to help Wang Jiayin, then just watch the show, and afterwards, round up some able-bodied men."
Gao Chuwu chimed in, "That sounds like fun."
Everyone quickly prepared their forces and set out. They left behind the "New People's Militia" they had conscripted in Shanxi to guard the fort. These new recruits were still undergoing ideological training and were equipped only with conventional melee weapons, lacking in offensive capability, but defending a large wooden stockade would be no problem. Furthermore, Zhao Sheng and Zhan Seng remained there, and if true difficulties arose, the Heavenly Lord could summon warships from Qichuan Ferry, ensuring the fort's safety.
Thus, Gao Chuwu, Xing Honglang, Zao Ying, and Lao Nanfeng—these four leading generals—set out together, commanding three hundred cavalry and three hundred infantry, all heading towards Jincheng.
As this small contingent passed through Hedong Circuit, flying a large banner emblazoned with the character "Xing," the government troops within the Hedong city saw a "bandit" force in striking, well-maintained armor. They dared not come out to engage them in battle, choosing instead to huddle together, trembling behind the city walls of Hedong Circuit.
After passing through Hedong Circuit, they deliberately chose roads on the outskirts of county towns, not disturbing the common people along the way. Before long, they arrived near Yangcheng County, under Jincheng's jurisdiction.
According to the emissary, Wang Jiayin's main army was encamped on Xicheng Mountain in Yangcheng County.
When Xing Honglang and her company reached the vicinity of Chihong Fortress, about twenty kilometers from Xicheng Mountain, Lao Nanfeng loudly called out, "We shouldn't advance any further."
Everyone was puzzled. "It's still quite a distance."
Lao Nanfeng shook his head. "It's not far now! Don't forget, the Heavenly Lord said Wang Jiayin is going to die soon. That means Wang Jiayin will quickly be overtaken by government troops. When government troops pursue rebels, they usually camp ten to fifteen kilometers away from the rebel army. If we continue to advance, we might run into the government troops ourselves. So, stopping about twenty kilometers away is the safest. If we go any further, we might find ourselves caught in the very spectacle we came to watch."
So, Xing Honglang's contingent set up camp at Chihong Fortress and sent scouts ahead to carefully investigate. They didn't know until they checked, but indeed, it was just as Lao Nanfeng had said.
Deputy General Cao Wenzhao, leading three thousand Guanning Iron Cavalry, was encamped several kilometers ahead, having already fixed his sights on Wang Jiayin's forces. However, Cao Wenzhao had too few troops at his disposal, which was why he hadn't immediately launched an attack on Xicheng Mountain.
Everyone couldn't help but sigh. "Having Lao Nanfeng in the team truly put one at ease."
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