Chapter 702: Let Others Write It
Little Houjia Village had never seen such a commotion in its entire existence.
The women and children of the village were still hiding in the stone houses, utterly terrified to come out.
In that short span, their emotions had been on a rollercoaster ride.
When Li Daoxuan rescued them, they breathed a sigh of relief.
But as Li Daoxuan desperately held the door against over a hundred bandits assaulting them from outside, they trembled with fear once more.
Then, the White Pole Soldiers emerged, driving away 'Flying Across the Ravine,' and they relaxed again.
Yet, immediately, they were surrounded by even more bandit forces, and again, they shivered in terror.
When reinforcements arrived, another wave of relief washed over them.
Such constant scares and surprises would break anyone.
He continuously presented his back to the women inside, a silhouette that somehow brought immense reassurance.
“Don't be afraid, the battle is over,” Li Daoxuan said gently. “It's all passed now; everything will be fine.”
The women: “Huh?”
They didn't cheer, but instead cautiously approached Li Daoxuan from behind, peeking over his shoulders to glimpse outside. Only then did they see that the fighting had indeed ended, with numerous government soldiers gathered just beyond the village perimeter.
A group of their commanders, accompanied by only a few men, began walking towards the village.
The women began to fear again. “Government soldiers are often bad people too,” they murmured.
Li Daoxuan smiled. “Don't be scared; these are good soldiers.”
The women countered, “Are there any good soldiers?”
Li Daoxuan replied, “Don't condemn an entire group with one brushstroke. While many soldiers may be corrupt, even in the mud, white lotuses can bloom. Forces like the Qi Family Army and the White Pole Soldiers, for instance, are exceptionally honorable.”
The women didn't fully grasp his words, but for some inexplicable reason, they felt that everything he said was trustworthy.
To further reassure them, Li Daoxuan remained still at the doorway. He watched as Cheng Xu, Xing Honglang, Gao Chuwu, Shi Jian, Bai Mao, Wang Er, and others successively approached him, cupping their fists in salute. “Reporting to the Heavenly Lord,” they declared, “Your subordinates have completed the strategic mission.”
Only Lao Nanfeng wore a look of chagrin. “Heavenly Lord, your subordinate has failed in his heavy trust; I was unable to capture the bandit chief Zijing Liang.”
Li Daoxuan chuckled. “It's all right; you did your best, and you performed admirably. Later, I'll get you two new concert videos to watch, with dozens of fresh songs.”
Lao Nanfeng was overjoyed.
Now *that* was a grand reward!
He'd copy the celestial maidens' songs and dances, hire singers to perform concerts, and the ticket sales, the tips—*tsk, tsk*...
Zhang Fengyi made her way in from the outer perimeter, cupping her fists to Li Daoxuan. “Mr. Xiao, ahem!” She glanced around, saw no outsiders, and realizing there was no need to conceal Li Daoxuan's identity, quickly corrected herself. “Mr. Li, it turns out you had already arranged for a large number of your subordinates to come to our rescue. It's fortunate you were here; otherwise, I was ninety percent certain I would have died.”
Li Daoxuan said with a smile, “It was a trifle; not worth mentioning.”
“A life-saving grace is hardly a trifle,” Zhang Fengyi countered. “I, Zhang Fengyi, owe you a great debt, and the Sichuan White Pole Soldiers owe you an even greater one. This kindness will surely be repaid in the future.”
Li Daoxuan didn't dwell on the issue, simply glancing towards the northeast with a thoughtful expression. “These roving bandits are truly troublesome. Even with such a vast net spread, he still managed to escape.”
Upon hearing this, the generals all thought: *Roving bandits truly are a nuisance! No wonder the imperial court has never been able to completely eliminate them. Defeating them is easy; annihilating them is the real challenge.*
Zhang Fengyi furrowed her brow. “For the past year, I've been pondering this very question. We constantly defeat these roving bandits, yet we can never truly eradicate them. Is it possible these bandits can never be completely wiped out?”
Li Daoxuan asserted, “Roving bandits are not merely a military problem; they are a societal one.”
Zhang Fengyi looked bewildered. “???”
Li Daoxuan explained, “To truly eliminate them, one must address and cleanse the very soil from which such roving bandits emerge. It's like weeding: merely cutting off the visible parts isn't enough; you must remove the roots from the earth.”
“Ah? Your meaning is...” Zhang Fengyi began, a flicker of understanding in her eyes.
Li Daoxuan concluded, “Only by ensuring the common people are well-fed, warmly clothed, and entirely free of any thoughts of rebellion or unrest can these roving bandits truly be pacified.”
Zhang Fengyi finally understood, and a silence fell over her.
Being well-fed and warmly clothed sounded so simple, yet achieving it was incredibly difficult.
Li Daoxuan beckoned to Cheng Xu. “Instructor He, could you please draft a few memorials to the imperial court, praising Xing Honglang, Lao Nanfeng, Shi Jian, and Wang Xiaohua? See if we can get their official ranks elevated.”
Then, he turned back to Zhang Fengyi. “General Zhang, please take the trouble to write your own memorial. Our Instructor He's prose, I'm sure, wouldn't quite meet your standards.”
Zhang Fengyi shook her head, laughing. “How could it not meet my standards? I'm a crude, unrefined soldier myself, utterly incapable of writing anything proper. Instructor He's work is surely superior to mine.”
She regretted those words less than an hour later.
After reading Cheng Xu's memorial, Zhang Fengyi realized just how naive she had been.
“Your humble servant, Lao Nanfeng, led one thousand troops out of Puzhou, moving northeast. Southwest of Qinzhou, we encountered the bandit forces of Zijing Liang. The bandits numbered two hundred thousand strong, yet this servant felt not a trace of fear. Reflecting on the boundless imperial grace, how could I, a humble minister, not strive to alleviate His Majesty's burdens and still face Heaven and Earth? I personally led one thousand soldiers to directly strike Zijing Liang's bandit army. The two hundred thousand bandits split into four divisions, each fifty thousand strong, attacking this servant from all four directions. Yet, I remained unfazed, planted my long spear into the ground, drew my bow, nocked an arrow, and fired in every direction.”
By this point, Zhang Fengyi was half-numb with disbelief.
“Your humble servant fired over fifty arrows in succession, each finding its mark upon an enemy chieftain. One arrow slew 'Flying Across the Ravine,' another struck down 'Blue-backed Wolf,' yet another killed 'Diamond Drill,' and another still, 'Cloud Hand'...”
Zhang Fengyi exclaimed, “Hold on, what in heaven's name is this nonsense?”
“After personally slaying over fifty chieftains, the bandit forces collapsed! Your humble servant leaped onto his horse, spear at the ready, and charged towards Zijing Liang's command banner. Zijing Liang himself, wielding a massive hammer, engaged me in combat. I fought him in a bloody duel for over two hundred rounds, sustaining three grievous wounds. Yet, the more I fought, the more my spirit surged, and summoning divine might, I plunged my spear into Zijing Liang's shoulder. Zijing Liang toppled from his horse, only to be rescued by his remaining confederates. Due to my severe injuries, I was unable to pursue and decapitate him, a matter of profound regret.”
Zhang Fengyi shrieked, “Aaaaaargh! Give me a pen! I'll write my own memorial!”
Li Daoxuan watched, thoroughly amused. *Ah, Zhang Fengyi! You're still too green. You haven't encountered enough brazen individuals yet; you'll get used to it with more experience.*
Zhang Fengyi picked up the pen, intending to meticulously recount the battle. However, after much thought, she stopped. *No! If I write too truthfully, wouldn't I be exposing Instructor He's memorial as fabricated? What if I inadvertently cause them harm?*
Sigh!
Zhang Fengyi reluctantly penned: “The battle was chaotic, and your humble servant was trapped in a heavy encirclement. Fortunately, I was rescued by Xing Honglang, Lao Nanfeng, Shi Jian, and Wang Xiaohua, thus preserving my life. I was unable to clearly discern what transpired on the battlefield. I respectfully request His Majesty consult the reports written by others.”
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