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Chapter 625: There's a Monster Here

Ten thousand commoners spread out like a vast net!

Someone shouted, "Look, there are footprints here!"

"Ah, yes, a path has been trodden here."

"Oh? I found a mushroom, looks edible."

"Be serious! We're here to take down bandits and reclaim our belongings. Why are you picking mushrooms?"

"But the mushroom is edible!"

"Let's get back to the main point. This path shows signs of many people passing."

"Only bandits would use a path like this on the mountain; ordinary people wouldn't travel here."

The large crowd of commoners grew excited.

At the same time, all the various paths leading up the mountain, trodden by the river bandits, were seized by the combined forces of the militia and the commoners.

Every road leads to Rome, and every path up this mountain led directly to the Yellow Turban Fortress.

From the mountainside, Capsized Dragon looked down, and his entire body froze.

"Not a single escape route!"

"They're leaving us no way out?"

"Damn it all!"

A fierce resolve surged through Capsized Dragon. He grabbed his blade and roared, "Brothers, charge with me! We'll cut through these curs and carve a path down the mountain!"

Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, and cornered river bandits were far more ferocious.

A large horde of river bandits, following Capsized Dragon, charged furiously down from the mountaintop.

They had the advantage of high ground and fought with ferocity, but...

The Gao Family Village Militia on land were even more terrifying than they were on water.

Hand grenades were much more effective here; even a crooked throw could kill, unlike in water where they'd sink and misfire.

Militia soldiers swung their arms, hurling fuse-lit hand grenades up the slope. A chaotic series of explosions tore through the bandits, inflicting heavy casualties. The survivors charging through the smoke of the blasts were met by volleys of flintlock rifle fire.

Even if the river bandits had a numerical advantage, they would face only death, let alone now when they didn't even have that.

Seeing the main bandit force crushed, with only a few cowardly, trembling fools still clutching their blades, the commoners plucked up their courage. With a unified roar, they surged forward.

The spectacle of ten thousand people beating down the bandits began...

Under such an assault, no one could survive.

Capsized Dragon, still holding his waist-saber, attempted to resist, but a dozen clubs struck him simultaneously. His blade had no chance to counter before he was knocked to the ground, and then a rain of blows descended, shattering every bone in his body within moments.

Li Daoxuan had no intention of taking these scoundrels back for labor reform. The moment they profited from the flood and looted isolated disaster victims, Li Daoxuan had already sentenced them to death; there would be no possibility of labor reform for them.

The commotion on Eagle Beak Mountain lasted for a long time.

Other river bandits, hiding in distant river forts and bandit villages, were utterly terrified and dared not get involved in such a grand spectacle.

It wasn't until more than an hour later that Eagle Beak Mountain gradually quieted down.

The commoners flooded into the Yellow Turban Fortress.

As expected, the fortress held a considerable amount of gold, silver, and valuables that the bandits had plundered. However, it wasn't much; the commoners were already poor, and a single family might only have had a few taels of silver or a few hundred copper coins stolen. Piled up in the bandit fort's warehouse, these meager findings looked pitiful, certainly not enough to sustain over ten thousand people.

Thus, the large crowd of commoners once again looked expectantly, and rather pitifully, at Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan smiled, raising his tin megaphone once more. "Fellow villagers, there's no need to worry. The silver in this fortress is indeed a bit scarce, not enough for everyone to share fairly. So... I will distribute silver among you."

Everyone exclaimed, "Oh?"

Bai Yuan continued, "First, each person will receive three taels of silver as a resettlement allowance."

At these words, everyone erupted in wild joy.

But Bai Yuan quickly shifted his tone: "However, with us huddled in this remote corner of Eagle Beak Mountain, far from any towns, what good is silver in hand? Grain would be far more useful."

Everyone murmured, "Uh..."

Bai Yuan announced, "Therefore, I'll exchange it for an equivalent amount of rice and flour to distribute among you all."

The crowd cheered, "Wonderful!"

Bai Yuan continued, "Next, we will begin building our new home. We must transform this bandit fort into a place suitable for our lives—it needs to be strong, warm, and secure, so that no river bandits, mountain bandits, government soldiers, or wandering rebels can ever bully us again..."

After his opening remarks, Bai Yuan began the standard routine of Gao Family Village.

He announced the various jobs requiring workers and the different wage rates for each. This approach, in an era plagued by natural disasters like the late Ming, was an absolute masterstroke wherever it was applied; no commoner would ever refuse it.

As soon as it was announced, ten thousand people erupted in cheers.

Bai Yuan stepped down from the "podium," moved to one side, and whispered to the small avatar of the Heavenly Lord on his chest, "Heavenly Lord, this place is temporarily settled."

The Heavenly Lord sighed softly, "It's still too early! As I mentioned yesterday, the Yellow River has lost its defined course and can roll across the Henan plains at any moment. The flood-affected areas won't be limited to just this small region; more areas will suffer, and more disaster victims will find their lives unsustainable."

Bai Yuan nodded. "Understood. We need to rescue as many disaster victims as possible and bring them here... But this Eagle Beak Mountain..."

"Indeed, this single mountain won't be enough," the Heavenly Lord said. "There are many other mountains near Xiaolangdi: Grindstone Mountain, Winnowing Basket Hollow, Ancestor Mountain... We will systematically eliminate all the river bandits in this entire area, seize all their river forts and mountain strongholds for our use, settle the populace, and build docks."

Bai Yuan replied, "As you command!"

——

Meanwhile...

In northern Shanxi, outside Daizhou city, within a forest.

Tie Niaofei, Zao Ying, and Zheng Daniu were hidden in a dense thicket, observing Daizhou city from afar.

Tie Niaofei murmured, "I asked my fellow salt smugglers to investigate, and Tian Shenglan is currently inside Daizhou city."

Zao Ying nodded. "What about Zhai Tang?"

Tie Niaofei shook his head. "We haven't found Zhai Tang yet. That fellow is quite cunning."

Zheng Daniu chuckled. "Since we know Tian Shenglan is here, why not just go in and kill him? We're already disguised as wandering rebels, so we can just storm the city, chop him up, grab his wealth, and leave. No one would suspect us, right?"

"Hold on! We can't just storm in," Zao Ying interjected.

Zao Ying whispered, "You clearly haven't seen the imperial reports. There's a monster in Daizhou city, incredibly fierce in battle. The Chuǎng Wang and the Chuang Jiang, leading a combined army, were actually repelled by his personal guard. We only have a few hundred cavalrymen, no reinforcements; we can't chew through a hard bone like that."

Zheng Daniu blinked, stunned by these words. "Huh? Who's that powerful?"

Zao Ying replied, "They say his name is Sun Chuanting. He's a civil official who was just idling at home."

Zheng Daniu pondered, "Why are civil officials always so formidable in battle for the court?"

Zao Ying and Tie Niaofei shrugged simultaneously. "Who the hell knows?"

Just as they finished speaking, the small avatar of the Heavenly Lord on Tie Niaofei's chest suddenly stirred, and the Heavenly Lord's voice spoke: "Oh, it's been a while since I've checked in with you all. Tie Niaofei, how are things? How's the pursuit of the Jin merchants going?"