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Chapter 738: Such a Farce

Wangjia Fork.

A modest fortress, hardly imposing, stood amidst a stretch of mountainous terrain.

It was a small fortress built during the Hongwu era, erected by the ambitious Zhu Yuanzhang to defend against invading Mongol tribes.

Now, however, it was occupied by a band of rebels.

The bandit chief's name was Wang Chenggong, and in the early years of Chongzhen's reign, he had joined the peasant uprisings amidst the fires of rebellion.

Years ago, when the rebels marched en masse into Shanxi, those remaining in Shaanxi found themselves isolated and outnumbered, and Wang Chenggong had surrendered to the authorities. But this year, a faction of the Shanxi rebels had crossed the Yellow River from northwestern Shanxi, returning to Shaanxi territory.

What's more, after months without rain, a drought was looming once again.

Wang Chenggong felt that the timing, location, and popular support were all in place, and that fortune favored him. If not now, when would be the time to rebel? So, he once again raised the banner of rebellion.

He quickly gathered two thousand of his old followers, and occupied the ancient fortress of Wangjia Fork.

A subordinate sidled up to Wang Chenggong, and murmured, "Boss, we've gathered, but who knows when the government troops will arrive?"

Wang Chenggong scoffed, "The government troops won't come! Recently, Mongol tribes have been raiding the passes, and Wang Cheng'en, the Regional Commander of Yansui, had his main army transferred to resist them. Once he's gone, Governor Chen Qiyu will be left with nothing but a motley crew."

Speak of the devil!

A scout ran in breathlessly, "Report! The motley crew has arrived."

Wang Chenggong raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who is it?"

The scout chuckled. "It's Luo Xi, the Assistant General."

Wang Chenggong grinned upon hearing the name. "Let him come."

He didn't take Luo Xi seriously at all. Soon, a tattered banner bearing the character "Luo" fluttered erratically into the open ground south of the fortress. Assistant General Luo Xi, with over a thousand soldiers, had arrived to suppress the bandits.

Wang Chenggong's gaze swept over them, and he immediately recognized that most of Luo Xi's troops were garrison soldiers, their morale low, poorly clothed and fed, utterly lacking in combat effectiveness.

He watched the ragtag soldiers outside the city with the air of someone watching a monkey show.

With a command from Luo Xi, the government troops half-heartedly charged towards the ancient fortress.

Wang Chenggong chuckled. "Loose arrows!"

From the battlements, the bandit soldiers unleashed a volley of arrows. With a disorderly roar, Luo Xi's garrison soldiers scattered completely, leaving only his hundred or so personal guards protecting him, looking utterly bewildered and utterly discomfited.

Wang Chenggong burst into laughter. "Useless garrison soldiers!"

Luo Xi bellowed, "You just wait! I, Luo Xi, will be back!"

Wang Chenggong paid no mind to his words, cheerfully continuing to organize his old followers, pondering what such a large force would eat next, and how they would conquer the realm.

Not long after, the scout returned. "Boss, the motley crew is back."

Wang Chenggong frowned. "Huh? Is this Luo Xi fellow not afraid of death?"

"This time, it's someone named Shi," the scout replied. "He seems more formidable than Luo Xi."

Wang Chenggong walked to the battlements of the ancient fortress, and gazed southwards.

On the southern plain, an army had appeared. Their uniforms and armor were immaculate; all the soldiers wore identical armor, and their bearing was excellent, giving an impression of invincibility.

With just one glance, Wang Chenggong sensed that this opponent was not to be trifled with.

"Order everyone in the fortress to prepare for battle!"

Wang Chenggong bellowed, "They're a tough nut to crack! A tough nut!"

The two thousand rebels inside the ancient fortress immediately sprang into action: some grabbed bows, others hauled rolling logs and boulders, some heated water, and still others prepared "golden juice"...

These rebels rarely defended cities themselves; most of the time, they were the attackers, having been pelted with such things by defenders for years. Now that it was their turn to greet the government troops with these same devices, they couldn't be more thrilled.

Someone laughed while moving a stone, "Before, the government troops threw rocks at us. Now it's our turn to throw them at the government troops! Hahahaha!"

"Boss says these government troops are a tough nut to crack."

"Tough my ass! We have a city to defend. No matter how tough they are, they'll have to climb the walls. One rock from me, plus a bucket of boiling water, and I guarantee they'll be screaming."

"And my spear, coated in golden juice! Hahahaha!"

The bandit soldiers were smug, feeling utterly unburdened.

Because the government troops they'd encountered lately had been completely feeble, like toys they could easily manipulate.

The more consecutive victories they achieved, the higher their morale soared, and the less they feared battle.

Meanwhile...

Luo Xi faced Shi Jian, blubbering, "Commander Shi, it's not that I didn't want to fight properly, but those garrison soldiers simply wouldn't obey orders! The bandit army had only loosed one volley of arrows, and every single one of them fled."

Shi Jian couldn't be bothered with him. With a wave of his hand, the musketeers halted, remaining far from the city walls. At this distance, let alone arrows, even muskets couldn't reach the enemy.

Shi Jian took out a telescope, and scanned the ancient fortress of Wangjia Fork left and right. Unfortunately, he could only see the battlements, not what was inside.

Luo Xi said, "I've been inside this fortress. It has many narrow, winding passages; it's extremely complex. Attacking it is quite difficult. Commander Shi's musketeers might..."

Shi Jian nodded. "Hmm, then bringing artillery was the right decision."

Luo Xi exclaimed, "You have cannons?"

Shi Jian replied, "Yes! It's just that the artillerymen march slower, so we'll have to wait for them."

Luo Xi gasped.

He excitedly ran to the rear, found a higher vantage point, and peered out. Only then did he discover an artillery unit slowly approaching in a ravine behind Shi Jian's forces.

Several horses were dragging a large cannon carriage, rumbling slowly and with great difficulty.

Luo Xi was utterly confused. Did this Commander Shi know anything about military strategy? What kind of tactic had musketeers rushing ahead, leaving the artillery far behind? Weren't they afraid of the artillery being separated too much from the main force, making them vulnerable to enemy ambush?

Just then, he spotted Zheng Gouzi, who was flying a sky lantern on a long thread. He couldn't help but shake his head again. This unit was an absolute farce! Not only were the main force and artillery separated, but someone was flying a sky lantern on the battlefield!

A farce! Utterly childish!

Yet, these ridiculous fellows were incredibly strong. How could this be?

Everyone waited for quite a while, until the artillery from the rear finally caught up.

The artillery battalion commander's face was alight with excitement. "Here we are, here we are! We're finally here! Hahahaha! Is that what we're supposed to blast right in front?"

Shi Jian pointed a finger at the small ancient fortress. "Right there."

The artillery battalion commander immediately rejoiced. "Brothers, the target's in visual range! Set up the cannons, quickly, set them up!"

The artillerymen were also overjoyed. "Finally, real combat!"

"I've always wanted to blast something!"

"This real target is so much more satisfying than those fake ones we use in training."

"Wahahaha! Wangjia Fork, your artillery grandpas are here! Tremble before us!"

Each artilleryman had a menacing, almost deranged look, as if they were lunatics just released after ten thousand years of imprisonment.