Chapter 559: Luncheon Meat Cannot Be Dinner
Lao Nanfeng roared at Ma Xianglin, but it was no use.
On the battlefield, the crackle of flintlock rifles, the shouts of battle, and the drumming of heavy rain all mingled together. Lao Nanfeng's shouts were utterly useless amidst that din.
Ma Xianglin couldn't hear him at all. He continued to cut through the enemy ranks alone, dashing back and forth with an almost arrogant grace. The "Splendid" in "Splendid Ma Chao of Xiliang" wasn't just for show; it described Ma Chao's exceptional good looks.
And since Ma Xianglin was known as "Little Ma Chao," he had to be equally handsome—even his missing eye couldn't diminish his dashing appearance.
"Damn your dashing looks!" Lao Nanfeng grumbled, raising his flintlock rifle again as if to fire.
Cheng Xu, however, pressed down on his rifle. "Hold your fire. It's a good chance to observe the Sichuan White Pole Soldiers in battle. Know yourself, know your enemy, after all."
The word "enemy" struck a chord with Lao Nanfeng. *Right*, he thought. *We're not truly government soldiers. Gao Family Village will eventually claim this land for itself. The imperial court and us, we're not on the same side. Aren't they the 'enemy,' then?*
Lao Nanfeng grinned, chuckling softly. "How about, in all this chaos, we just put a bullet in Ma Xianglin? Then our 'enemy' loses a great general, and in the thick of battle, no one could say it was intentional."
Cheng Xu shook his head. "Little Ma Chao has no history of villainy. The Heavenly Lord would not permit us to kill a man like that."
Cheng Xu shouted, "All troops, cease fire! Cavalry Battalion, prepare to kick them while they're down!"
Zao Ying shook her head with a deep sigh. "In the past, cavalry were always used as vanguards. Only in our Gao Family Village are cavalry used to kick a man while he's down."
As they spoke, the White Pole Soldiers had already engaged the rebel army.
Ma Xianglin, alone on his warhorse, darted haphazardly through the enemy lines, completely disregarding his rear. The White Pole Soldiers, meanwhile, were commanded by a plain-looking woman who seemed somewhat rugged, dressed in military attire.
Under her command, the White Pole Soldiers fought with impressive precision and skill.
The front ranks of their white poles formed a bristling forest of spears, stabbing wildly at the rebel army. When they struck, they'd hook backward, pulling the rebels off balance and to the ground. The long spears of the rear-rank White Pole Soldiers would then thrust through the gaps in the front line, jabbing at any approaching enemy.
The rebel army, their morale already shattered by the flintlock rifle fire and already in a state of disarray, had no courage left to resist once caught by this formation of white poles. They shrieked and wailed, howling like ghosts and wolves as they were repeatedly speared.
Trapped between the Gao Family Village Militia and the White Pole Soldiers, the terrified rebels scattered, fleeing to either side.
But even scattering wouldn't save them. Zao Ying's cavalry instantly galloped over, pursuing the rebel soldiers and slashing at them, sending many scurrying away with their heads in their hands, crying for their parents.
After a good while, the rebel army had completely dispersed.
The Gao Family Village Militia and the White Pole Soldiers finally linked up.
Ma Xianglin rode to the front of the militia and scanned their ranks. This time, he finally saw clearly: a large banner stood tall among the troops, bearing the prominent character "Xing," with smaller characters next to it reading "Puzhou Deputy Commander."
Ma Xianglin cupped his fist, a gesture of respect, and inquired, "Is this General Xing's contingent, the Puzhou Deputy Commander?"
Xing Honglang rode her horse forward. "That would be me, indeed."
Seeing that his interlocutor was a female general, Ma Xianglin couldn't help but be taken aback. *Huh? Does the imperial court have other female generals besides my mother and my wife?*
Noticing his strange expression, Xing Honglang assumed he knew her identity. She snorted, "What are you looking at? Does that expression mean you look down on a salt smuggler?"
Ma Xianglin blinked. "Oh? You're a salt smuggler?"
It turned out he had no idea of General Xing, the Puzhou Deputy Commander's, background. After all, Xing Honglang had only recently been "pacified" by Yang He, and news traveled slowly back then. Imperial documents were often sent out haphazardly.
Even local officials might not be clear on personnel changes in neighboring counties, let alone a general campaigning far from home.
Xing Honglang casually introduced herself, and only then did Ma Xianglin learn that the woman before him was a Shanxi salt smuggler, who had even once joined Wang Jiayin's forces before recently pledging allegiance to the imperial court.
The thought made his heart clench with a silent alarm. *Good thing this woman has pledged allegiance to the court. She's an ally now. If she were still with the rebels, my entire army would have been wiped out in this battle.*
"General Xing's strength is remarkable," Ma Xianglin said, cupping his fists again. "This general is utterly impressed."
"You're too kind, too kind," Xing Honglang casually brushed off the compliment. "No wonder Puxian could withstand days of rebel siege; it turns out the renowned Sichuan White Pole Soldiers are garrisoned here."
After this exchange of pleasantries and polite flattery—the smooth way people conduct business—they finally got down to serious matters.
The Gao Family Village Militia followed Ma Xianglin into Puxian County.
Only then did they realize that Puxian had no city walls. Where walls should have been, piles of stones, wood, broken carts, and all manner of debris were stacked in a circular embankment, encircling the entire county town.
Zheng Daniu couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Huh? Why are the city walls like this?"
Zao Ying, standing nearby, whispered, "It's obvious. This city was breached by rebels about a year ago, so the walls were dismantled."
Zheng Daniu then understood. "So the local populace here..."
Ma Xianglin turned back, his face heavy with sorrow. "The people here are truly suffering. Last year, nearly half the county's residents were coerced away by the rebels, and the remaining half were robbed clean, left with nothing but bare walls. They'd just barely managed a year of recovery and rebuilding when, unexpectedly, the rebels returned this year. The situation in the city now... sigh."
Everyone remained silent.
Just then, the Puppet Heavenly Lord, perched on Gao Chuwu's shoulder, stirred slightly. In a low voice, it whispered into Gao Chuwu's ear, "Distribute some of our army rations to the townsfolk."
"As you command," Gao Chuwu replied.
Ma Xianglin turned his head. "To whom are you saying 'As you command'?"
Gao Chuwu grinned. "To the Heavens."
Ma Xianglin immediately recognized him as a simpleton. *Never mind,* he thought, *no point engaging him.*
The group passed through the makeshift walls of rubble and entered the city. Inside, half the houses stood empty, confirming that half the population had indeed been taken away. The remaining inhabitants had gaunt, sallow faces, their bodies skeletal.
Ma Xianglin sighed, "Our Shizhu Tujia people aren't wealthy either. We had to raise our own provisions when we marched to the capital to serve the emperor. We're truly not flush with resources, so I can't offer them much help, alas."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Gao Chuwu knelt beside a child so starved their skin stretched taut over their bones. He reached into his tunic, pulled out a small wooden box, and handed it to the child. "Here, child, eat this."
The child, with a bewildered expression, took the box and lifted its lid. Inside, they found a strange, perfectly rectangular block of meat; it was impossible to tell which part of a pig it might have come from.
Gao Chuwu grinned, "This is called luncheon meat. It's really tasty, and it's simple to prepare—just heat it up a bit."
The child looked up at the sky. "But it's evening now, so we can only eat dinner. Should I save this luncheon meat for tomorrow afternoon?"
Gao Chuwu exclaimed, "Wow, you're a genius! That's exactly what I said the first time I got this meat!"
Everyone collectively covered their faces. *This is an idiot, not a genius, surely.*
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