Chapter 505: Benevolence and Power
That enormous palm, descending from the heavens, didn't just stun the rebels; it startled many of the Gao Family Village Militia soldiers as well. They thought to themselves: "We've only ever read about this palm strike in *The Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan's Epic of Demon Slaying*, but today we've seen it with our own eyes!"
The residents at the Gudu Ferry were equally startled by the sight.
Many quietly muttered to themselves: "I must never do anything bad from now on. If I do, the Heavenly Lord will bring down divine punishment. Who could possibly withstand such a blow?"
The five thousand rebels, who had been so boisterous just moments before, had now fallen completely silent.
Into the profound quiet, Xing Honglang's voice rang out once more: "Ah, I quite liked seeing you all so defiant just a moment ago."
The five thousand rebels trembled. Defiance? What defiance? Anyone still acting defiant in this situation would just be a fool who didn't know their place.
Xing Honglang ordered: "Throw all your weapons onto the hillside over there."
Who would dare disobey? What good was keeping their weapons now? What weapon could possibly fight that golden giant hand? Everyone scrambled to action, quickly tossing their weapons to the side of the hill.
Amusingly enough, while everyone else was discarding their arms, a few men remained seated on the ground, not participating. When Xing Honglang's gaze settled on them, they burst into tears, quickly trying to explain: "Boss Xing, we're not disobeying you! It's just that our legs are weak from terror and we can't stand up. Please give us a little more time; once our legs aren't so wobbly, we'll go throw them away... Waaah! My legs... why won't they obey me?"
"We'll obey your every command!"
Xing Honglang watched the men with a cold expression, neither indicating she would kill them nor that she would let them go. This terrified the few rebels even more, tears and snot streaming down their faces. The more terrified they became, the weaker their legs grew, and the weaker their legs grew, the less they could stand.
After a good while, Xing Honglang decided she had had her fun and finally shifted her gaze away. The men breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly finding their legs could move. They quickly ran to the small hillside, tossing aside all of their bows, arrows, swords, and spears. They didn't dare keep anything hard on their bodies, fearing it would be mistaken for a weapon.
Lao Nanfeng said to Gao Chuwu: "See how she's terrified these scoundrels, your wife! Ha ha ha, indeed, a salt smuggler who's lived on the fringes of society. She knows far better than you how to handle these wretched bandits."
Gao Chuwu replied: "Wow, my wife is really impressive."
Lao Nanfeng hooked an arm around his shoulders: "How did a fellow like you manage to snag such an incredible wife? If you'll pardon my bluntness, you're miles beneath her. It's not a good match."
Gao Chuwu blinked: "Huh? Didn't I just have to beat her in a fight to marry her?"
Lao Nanfeng was speechless.
By this time, the five thousand rebels had all been disarmed and stripped of their armor, leaving them only in coarse linen clothes, their hands empty. They weren't allowed into the stronghold. Instead, they were made to sit and wait by a stretch of the Yellow River outside the fort.
This group knew what kind of orders awaited them, but whatever it was, it was better than being crushed to death by that golden giant hand. They could only wait obediently.
Before long, three enormous gunboats sailed upriver. Each ship mounted twelve gleaming silver cannons, a sight that filled the rebels' hearts with terror: "Just who *was* this Xing Honglang? How could she possibly command three gunboats?"
The gunboats' cannons pointed directly at the rebels. Then, numerous cargo ships arrived—flat-bottomed cargo vessels that sailed to the shore and moored securely. Xing Honglang's expression hardened. "Get on board!" she barked.
The crowd meekly boarded the ships and sat down on the flat-bottomed cargo vessels.
Packed tightly, each ship could hold hundreds of people. Over a dozen cargo ships were filled to capacity with the five thousand rebels. The three gunboats escorted them, and the fleet began sailing upstream, heading toward the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
After an indeterminate amount of time, a dock appeared ahead.
One rebel suddenly cried out: "Ah? Qichuan Ferry? Over a year ago, Leader Bai Yuzhu led us to attack this very dock! We were repelled by a volley of flintlock rifles and strange bombs!"
At his shout, many other rebels joined in, shouting: "I was in that battle too!"
"Me too!"
"So, these ships are from Qichuan Ferry."
"How is Boss Xing connected to this place?"
As they chattered amongst themselves, Bai Yuan, clad in white, appeared on Qichuan Fortress on the shore. His demeanor was simply too striking. The moment he stepped out, many rebels recognized him. "Ah," they exclaimed, "that's the militia instructor who defeated us at Qichuan Ferry back then! I'd never mistake that white attire."
Bai Yuan took a tin megaphone from a nearby subordinate and loudly addressed the fleet on the river: "Gentlemen, welcome to your new lives as labor reform prisoners! I am Bai Yuan, currently the Master of Bai Family Fortress, General Instructor of the Chengcheng County Militia, and concurrently the Admiral of the Gao Family Village Navy..."
He finished reciting his long list of titles, a move calculated to impress. Then, with his free hand, he produced a fan, flicking it open with a flourish, revealing the characters for "gentleman" inscribed upon it. Only then did he continue: "You will disembark here, and then walk dozens of li to Huanglong Mountain Prison. I advise you not to make any rash moves. The Heavenly Lord is watching you from above."
The rebels didn't understand "Heavenly Lord," but hearing "from above," they couldn't help but look up at the sky. What they saw startled them: the clouds had parted, and that golden giant hand hovered just beneath the clouds. It didn't seem to be descending now, but...
Following the white-clad man's words, they immediately understood: the slightest rash movement from them, and that hand would undoubtedly strike.
Naturally, everyone instantly became extremely docile and obedient.
But Bai Yuan was different from Xing Honglang. He wasn't merely someone who knew how to intimidate; he also understood how to pacify. Combining benevolence with power—that was the true method of a superior leader. He had honed this skill while governing Bai Family Fortress. It was unlike Xing Honglang's more unconventional approach.
A gentle smile appeared on Bai Yuan's face. "When you broke through the encirclement in Hequ County, most of you abandoned your families, didn't you? Do you miss your parents? Your wives and children?"
At that question, many faces showed expressions of sadness.
They were human, not trees or stones; how could they be devoid of emotion?
Even the most brutal rebels had their soft spots. When they had abandoned their loved ones and fled, they were betting the imperial court wouldn't dare to slaughter tens of thousands of old, weak, women, and children all at once. It wasn't that they were truly heartless or devoid of all righteousness.
Bai Yuan continued: "Your wives and children have long since been brought here by us. They are now settled in a valley within Huanglong Mountain. If you are obedient, you will be reunited with your families. But if you contemplate any unlawful acts, then...heh..."
He deliberately left his sentence unfinished, allowing the rebels to imagine the consequences themselves.
How could those rebels *not* misunderstand? The moment those words reached their ears, they immediately thought: "If we don't obey them, they'll slaughter our wives and children! Ah!"
Gao Family Village would never do such a thing; the Heavenly Lord does not permit the slaughter of the old, the weak, women, or children. But the rebels didn't know that. They believed Bai Yuan was capable of it. This truly terrified them and made them even more unwilling to cause trouble.
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