Chapter 663: The Dashing General's Choice
Mengjin County Town.
The county magistrate, local gentry, and common folk all gathered on Mengjin County Town's walls, their gazes fixed north.
In their hearts, there was nothing but profound dread.
Although Li Daoxuan had pledged to help them fend off the rebels, the bandit forces were immense. Even Vice General Qin Renhong's regular army had been annihilated. How could the townsfolk blindly trust that Li Daoxuan could succeed?
Yet, they had no other recourse; all they could do was wait, and wait.
After an indeterminate wait, a yamen runner on a swift horse galloped back from the north. His hooves struck the eerie, mud-crusted earth of the Yellow River flood plain, churning up plumes of yellow dust.
The runner's face was alight with pure ecstasy—unadulterated joy!
Before he even reached the city gates, he tore his throat raw, bellowing, "Benevolent Master Bai won! Benevolent Master Bai won!"
At his roar, everyone in Mengjin County froze for a moment, then erupted in a thunderous, surging cheer. "They won?"
"Unbelievable!"
"Benevolent Master Bai is mighty!"
The runner burst into the county town, shouting, "Benevolent Master Bai has so many firearms..."
Before he could finish, Magistrate's Aide Liu Bawan rushed forward, clapping a hand over the runner's mouth. "If you can't speak properly, then keep quiet! If the imperial court blames Benevolent Master Bai for forging firearms privately and punishes him, who will ever help us again?"
The runner instantly grasped the implication, quickly revising his statement: "Benevolent Master Bai deployed thousands of archers by the river, their arrows like a swarm of locusts, preventing the rebels from landing."
Liu Bawan nodded. "That's more like it."
In those days, news traveled like this: however the first person reported it, that's how everyone else heard it. After all, there were no crowds of onlookers filming videos, no "here's the truth" exposé with a link for all to see.
As long as this messenger runner said Benevolent Master Bai's men fired arrows, then arrows it was. Firearms? What are those? We wouldn't know!
The people of Mengjin County waited eagerly, and before long, the knightly couple, "Xiao Qiushui" and "Tang Fang," arrived with their hundred guards.
The county magistrate hurried forward. "Great Knight Xiao," he asked, "did we truly hold them back?"
Yesterday, he had been a "Young Knight"; today, he was upgraded to "Great Knight."
Li Daoxuan mused to himself, *Win one more battle, and you'll probably be calling me 'Grand Knight,' won't you?*
"Rest assured, dear townsfolk, the rebels have been repelled," Gao Yiye declared. She had grown remarkably adept at addressing large crowds, the skill now second nature. Facing all the people of Mengjin County, she showed no hint of nervousness. Indeed, the grander the occasion, the more dignified and imposing she appeared, lending immense power to her words.
"Not only did we block the rebels, but we also seized all their boats, making it impossible for them to cross the river anytime soon," Gao Yiye explained confidently. "And Shanxi Governor Xu Dingchen is currently leading a large army, sweeping down from the north to encircle them. As long as the rebels cannot cross the river, they will be trapped on its banks."
While the county residents might not have grasped the nuances of military strategy, this particular situation was instantly clear.
Wasn't this exactly what they called "being cornered"?
The Mengjin County Magistrate sighed. "I truly hope the imperial court can, this time, strike while the iron is hot and completely quell this rebel uprising."
Li Daoxuan, too, harbored private thoughts. *I hope so, but... something feels wrong? In that last battle, Zhang Xianzhong managed to escape with a small number of boats—a lingering threat.*
*And most importantly, the Dashing General, Li Zicheng, was nowhere to be seen.*
*Where did he go?*
The Mengjin County Magistrate clapped his hands. "Ah, Great Knight Xiao, Lady Knight Tang, you've truly toiled! Come, come, let's quickly get something to eat and rest. This official must properly feast you all."
Gao Yiye's eyes lit up. "What delicious treats do you have?"
The Mengjin County Magistrate chuckled. "Our Mengjin's culinary specialty, Yellow River carp, is definitely on the menu."
Li Daoxuan's mouth watered profusely. No, wait, the silicone puppet didn't have a mouth that could water. How was he sensing drool? Ah, it must be co-sensing! His real self, outside the box, was drooling. *Damn it!*
That evening, the magistrate hosted a dinner, and a massive platter of Yellow River carp graced the table.
The Puppet Heavenly Lord, ever the gourmand, picked up a fish. He brought it to his mouth, and *crunch, crunch*, the metallic framework of his jaw pulverized the fish into splinters before he *poofed* it into a nearby trash bin.
Though the fish meat never reached his stomach, his taste buds had thoroughly savored the flavor.
Such bliss!—
Jiyuan County.
The rebels, however, felt anything but blissful.
All the boats they had plundered had been snatched away again, leaving them unable to cross the Yellow River. Governor Xu Dingchen's grand army could descend upon them at any moment. They truly felt utterly helpless, with nowhere left to turn.
Zijing Liang spoke up. "Gentlemen, what are our options now?"
Chuǎng Wang grimly assessed their situation. "To the south lies the Yellow River, impassable. To the north, Xu Dingchen. To the west, Hedong Xing Honglang, another formidable opponent. To the east is Xiuwu County, heavily fortified by Henan Governor Fan Shangzheng with his main provincial army. At this point, I'm at a loss."
A heavy pall fell over their faces...
Just then, a rebel messenger burst in from outside, shouting, "Report! The Dashing General has circumvented Henan Governor Fan Shangzheng's main army, stormed Xiuwu County, killed Magistrate Liu Fengxiang, and opened a passage into Henan!"
At his words, everyone gasped in collective surprise!
Only then did they recall that when they were preparing for their river crossing, they had left the Dashing General near Zezhou to cover the main force's retreat.
To their astonishment, the Dashing General had completely gone off-script! Instead of covering their rear, he had marched directly overland into Henan Province and even captured Xiuwu County.
Even Chuǎng Wang was somewhat bewildered. "How did he manage that?"
The messenger explained, "While you, my lords, were attempting to cross the Yellow River, Henan Governor Fan Shangzheng received word and was terrified. He immediately marched his army, stationed in Xiuwu County, towards the Yellow River, intending to cross and circle around to Mengjin County to intercept you. Our Dashing General seized this very moment—as Fan Shangzheng's troops were crossing the river to relieve Mengjin—to make a rapid advance and capture Xiuwu County in one swift stroke!"
Everyone present was dumbfounded.
The messenger continued, "Henan Governor Fan Shangzheng probably hasn't received the news yet; he's likely still rushing towards Mengjin County. My lords, we must act swiftly! We need to push through Xiuwu County before Fan Shangzheng realizes what's happened and escape the imperial court's encirclement!"
The rebels erupted in joyful shouts. Zijing Liang commanded, "Quickly, quickly, inform everyone! We move out at once!"
The rebels immediately sprang into action, rushing towards Xiuwu County with all possible speed.
Meanwhile, the West Camp Eight Great Kings drifted downstream along the Yellow River, landing in Sima Yi's hometown, Wenshui County. They first plundered Sima Yi's ancestral home dry, then joined forces with the Dashing General to burn and pillage Wushe and Huixian counties, subsequently laying siege to Huaiqing Prefecture...
If Sima Yi ever learned of this, who knew if he'd claw his way out of his grave to pummel Zhang Xianzhong?
Though Li Daoxuan had successfully blocked the rebels from crossing the river, thereby protecting the people south of the Yellow River from their ravages, the vast expanse of Henan north of the river ultimately could not escape the rebels' brutal onslaught.
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