Chapter 503: Xing Honglang of Yongji is Here!
Down at the foot of the mountain, the group chatted casually, their mood light. Yet, above them, the mountain was engulfed in a blaze, screams piercing the night.
It turned out that on the evening of June 2nd, Zhang Shi, with her usual soft words and sweet demeanor, plied Wang Jiayin until he was utterly drunk. Then, Zhang Liwei, his tent commander, entered. Using his rank, he dismissed the other guards, then drew his blade and effortlessly cut off Wang Jiayin's head.
He had long before secured the loyalty of several confidantes to join his rebellion. The moment Wang Jiayin's head was secured, Zhang Liwei immediately ordered his troops to set fires.
The main encampment on the mountaintop instantly erupted in towering flames, plunging into utter chaos.
Zhang Liwei, with his personal guard, darted through the inferno. Whenever a loyalist to Wang Jiayin appeared, he would first feign solidarity and approach, then abruptly strike with his blade.
Naturally, Wang Jiayin's main camp was thrown into utter disarray by this betrayal.
Zhang Liwei then rallied several hundred soldiers, who shouted in unison, "Wang Jiayin has been decapitated!"
The deafening shouts reverberated across the entire Xicheng Mountain.
From the mountaintop to the foot, all 160,000 rebels heard it loud and clear.
This was a classic pincer movement, a "coordinated attack from within and without." In the darkness, forces from the mountaintop and the foot simultaneously converged on the mountainside. The various rebel units stationed there were utterly disoriented, unable to discern friend from foe, and their morale crumbled completely before a single battle had even begun.
Bu Zhan Ni had long harbored discontent towards Wang Jiayin. At this critical juncture, he was certainly not about to make any foolish moves like "rescuing the commander's camp." He made a decisive decision and immediately fled. After all, Cao Wenzhao commanded only three thousand men; it was impossible for him to encircle Xicheng Mountain. Bu Zhan Ni simply found a mountain path and effortlessly led his followers down to escape.
Following this, the various rebel factions scattered, each seeking their own salvation. Right Prime Minister Bai Yuzhu decisively surrendered to Cao Wenzhao's forces. Left Prime Minister Zijing Liang, however, desperately rallied his subordinates, forming a cohesive unit, and managed to break through the encirclement.
Chuang Wang, the Southern Camp Eight Great Kings, the Western Camp Eight Great Kings, Cao Cao (Luo Rucai), Lao Huihui (Ma Shouying), and others, each found their own direction to break through. Many rebels, lost in the chaotic darkness, couldn't find their leaders and could only scramble blindly, fleeing in any random direction down the mountain.
At the southern foot of Xicheng Mountain, Lao Nanfeng squinted slightly. "They're here!" he announced. "Time to recruit some able-bodied men!"
Zao Ying chuckled. "Not by force," she corrected, "we'll use trickery."
Xing Honglang nodded. "Bring out our banner."
Whoosh!
A large banner, emblazoned with the character "Xing," was raised high in the gloom. Numerous torches were deliberately lit beside it, making the flag stand out glaringly in the darkness.
Three hundred cavalry and three hundred infantry shouted in unison, "Xing Honglang of Yongji is here! Brothers with nowhere left to turn, come quickly!"
Gao Chuwu, in his earnest way, asked, "Won't shouting like that attract the government troops?"
"No, they won't," Lao Nanfeng chuckled. "Cao Wenzhao's only goal right now is to reach the mountaintop as quickly as possible and personally verify Wang Jiayin's head. He won't spare a thought for the fate of other bandit chiefs. He doesn't even have time to bother with major leaders like Zijing Liang or Chuang Wang, so why would he concern himself with our small salt smuggler's faction?"
Gao Chuwu murmured, "Oh, I see!"
Just as Lao Nanfeng predicted, their six hundred voices shouting in unison here were indeed loud. Even with the fierce fighting raging on the mountain, Cao Wenzhao heard them clearly. He turned his head and glanced down at the foot of the mountain, then immediately dismissed it from his mind. He had no time to deal with a minor figure like Xing Honglang of Yongji.
This salt smuggler was not considered a major threat by the imperial court. She hadn't committed any egregious acts and was viewed as a potential candidate for pacification and amnesty, meaning there was no need for a forceful suppression.
The three thousand Guanning Iron Cavalry continued their relentless charge up the mountain, cutting down countless rebels along the way. The terrified rebels dared not resist on the mountain path; instead, they plunged into the surrounding forest or tumbled frantically down the slopes.
In a state of utter disarray and amidst the pervasive chaos, countless rebels found themselves separated from their leaders.
The world was vast and uncertain; how were they to survive without their leaders?
It was in this moment of utter confusion that they heard the call of "Xing Honglang of Yongji." *Hey,* they thought, *that's also a branch of our uprising. I'll go join Boss Xing; she's sure to take me in for a while.*
The scattered rebels all streamed toward Xing Honglang's faction.
In just half a night, Xing Honglang gathered five thousand routed soldiers.
Among these routed soldiers, there was even a minor rebel chief named Cui Shan Hu, who incredibly still had a hundred subordinates with him. After fleeing to Xing Honglang's side and calming himself, this fellow immediately adopted the posture of "I'm a boss too," the self-awareness of a leader naturally surfacing with men at his command.
Cui Shan Hu swaggered over to Xing Honglang. "Boss Xing," he declared, "we now have five thousand men again. Returning to the mountain to rescue Boss Wang is clearly out of the question. So tell me, what's our next move? I, your brother Cui Shan Hu, will certainly give you my full support."
Xing Honglang gave a short laugh. "We're going," she said. "First, back to Yongji."
Cui Shan Hu looked surprised. "Back to Yongji?" he questioned. "Aren't we going to find Zijing Liang, Chuang Wang, the Southern Camp Eight Great Kings, the Western Camp Eight Great Kings, Cao Cao, or Lao Huihui first?"
Xing Honglang replied, "In the darkness, they scattered in all directions. How can we possibly know where they went in such a short time? We'll go back to Yongji first. Once we're settled, then we can search for them."
Cui Shan Hu thought to himself, *That's true! Let's take it one step at a time.*
He offered no further suggestions and followed Xing Honglang's faction as they "fled" toward Yongji. The five thousand routed rebels, all able-bodied young men, moved with Xing Honglang, but the entire contingent was a chaotic mess, utterly devoid of discipline.
The Puppet Heavenly Lord sat on Gao Chuwu's shoulder, observing the tricked rebels with an unfriendly expression.
Gao Chuwu lowered his voice. "Heavenly Lord," he whispered, "these people have no discipline whatsoever. Look, that group over there is actually drinking while marching, walking and drinking at the same time. I really want to go over there and punch them!"
The Puppet Heavenly Lord hummed in agreement.
Gao Chuwu continued, "That group over there is also outrageous. Just now, I saw them slip into a civilian house as they passed and come out holding a broken oil lamp. Luckily, the entire village was deserted, otherwise, they definitely would have looted its possessions."
The Puppet Heavenly Lord instructed, "Remember all these faces. Once they're thrown into the labor reform camp, hand them over to Lao Nanfeng's old subordinates to be thoroughly disciplined."
Gao Chuwu exclaimed, "Oh? So that's how it works! Heh, I get it. These guys will build roads — all of them will build roads! Make them do the heaviest work!"
"Exactly, the heaviest work!" Xing Honglang chimed in.
Lao Nanfeng whispered from the side, "The number of these guys is simply too large. We only have six hundred people; can we really keep them in line? How can we safely disarm them and make them peacefully surrender for labor reform? If this isn't handled well, we might end up ruining our own territory."
The Puppet Heavenly Lord chuckled knowingly. "Once we return to Gudu Ferry in Yongji, then we'll disarm them."
Comments