Chapter 917: My Brother's Lost It
Lao Huihui was bewildered. "Hardly any disaster? Just days ago, I personally saw a massive swarm of locusts heading towards Luoyang. I was quite worried about you all."
Jiang Cheng let out a booming laugh. "That locust swarm? Its main forces were taken up to the heavens."
Lao Huihui's face was a mosaic of question marks, utterly baffled.
But Jiang Cheng offered no further explanation. Those who hadn't witnessed it themselves would find it impossible to believe the divine power the Heavenly Lord used to sweep away the locusts. That power was simply terrifying. Jiang Cheng didn't believe a few words would convince Lao Huihui, so it was better left unsaid.
Jiang Cheng continued, "After the main locust swarm was dealt with, we brought in many chickens and ducks from the Hedong Circuit's farms in Shanxi. We used them to tackle the smaller swarms, and the results were outstanding."
Once again, Lao Huihui was utterly perplexed. *In this severe drought, people are still raising chickens and ducks? And not just a few, but a whole farm? Enough to dispatch against locust swarms?*
Jiang Cheng reached into his pocket, pulled out a large duck egg, and placed it in Lao Huihui's hand. "Here, brother, a little extra snack, just for you."
Lao Huihui was speechless.
The hand holding the duck egg trembled slightly.
He didn't know what to say.
Just then, a swift horse galloped into view from the distance. The rider dismounted swiftly before Lao Huihui. "Report! The Rebel King has arrived!"
Lao Huihui blinked. "Eh? What's he doing here?"
The scout replied, "It seems he's just passing through with his army. He doesn't appear to be coming for us; there's no sign of hostile intent."
Lao Huihui breathed a sigh of relief. "Just stumbled upon us? That's good! Quick, hide the provisions."
His subordinates sprang into action, concealing the grain Jiang Cheng had just delivered behind rocks, shielding it with their horses and men.
Jiang Cheng also hurried back to his boat, intending to steer it away from Gubai Ferry's shore, lest the Rebel King's men spot it. A vessel of this size couldn't be hidden.
He ran a few steps, then suddenly remembered something. Turning his head, he saw that the courtesan hadn't moved.
Jiang Cheng called out, "Hey, Miss Zhou, get on the boat!"
The courtesan shook her head, leaning close to Jiang Cheng's ear. "No, I can't leave. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I might be able to film the Rebel King with my camera. The people of Gao Family Village would surely be fascinated to see what he looks like. News needs interesting material; who wants to keep watching the same old things?"
Jiang Cheng exclaimed, "Hey! That's too dangerous!"
The courtesan turned to Lao Huihui. "General, dear brother, I'm a bit seasick and don't wish to return to the boat. I'd prefer to hide with your army for a while. Once the Rebel King departs, Instructor Jiang can come retrieve me. Would that be acceptable?"
Lao Huihui declared, "Of course! If I can't even protect a young lady, I might as well jump into the Yellow River and be done with it."
The courtesan playfully made a face at Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng could only surrender. He quickly returned to the boat and steered it towards Gubai Ferry on the opposite bank.
The courtesan, along with her special operations team, hid inside a derelict house in Gubai Ferry, aiming the camera lens out through a window.
From the south, shouts of men and neighing of horses echoed, and a large banner emblazoned with the character "Chuǎng" advanced towards Gubai Ferry.
Leading them was a man on a white horse, dressed in a white robe and wearing a white hat. This must be the Rebel King. The courtesan quickly aimed her camera at him.
For some reason, his face seemed familiar, as if she'd seen it somewhere before. A strange sense of déjà vu, even though this was clearly her first time seeing the Rebel King. It felt very odd.
The Rebel King, still on horseback, ambled over to Lao Huihui and clasped his fists in greeting. "Brother Lao Huihui, I just fought a battle with He Renlong and Gao Jie. I was passing through here on my way back. What are you up to at Gubai Ferry?"
Lao Huihui replied, "Nothing much. Just resting the troops."
The Rebel King pointed his horsewhip towards the north bank of the Yellow River. "Could it be that you're still thinking of returning north?"
During the Xingyang conference, Lao Huihui had proposed returning north, and Zhang Xianzhong had made a few snide remarks about it then. The Rebel King still remembered that.
He had just passed through with his army and, hearing that Lao Huihui was camped by the river, he was genuinely concerned that Lao Huihui might abandon his comrades and flee. That's why he specifically came to inquire.
Lao Huihui shook his head. "Yes, I'm still thinking about it. But rest assured, while I think it, I haven't acted on it. Look at the river; I don't even have a single boat. How could I go back?"
The Rebel King nodded. He indeed hadn't seen any boats, so his mind was eased. He continued, "Brother Lao Huihui, it's not that I, your elder brother, don't wish to return home. It's just that Shanxi is currently governed by Wu Shen, and you know how wealthy that fellow Wu Shen is. Back then, he arrived in Shaanxi with a hundred thousand taels of silver and managed to buy off many of our brothers in an instant. Now, he's stationed in Shanxi, undertaking massive construction projects, and he's amassed a large army along the Yellow River. It would be very difficult for us to cross. If you were to return to Shanxi, you would likely be in mortal danger."
Lao Huihui simply said, "I know."
The Rebel King nodded. "Alright then, since you put it that way, Brother Lao Huihui, I'm relieved. I'll take my leave now... You shouldn't linger here either. He Renlong and Gao Jie's troops will be arriving soon."
No sooner had he finished speaking than two swift horses galloped from the distance. The first rider was Lao Huihui's scout. The second was a middle-aged man, not particularly handsome, but with a composed demeanor and an air of ruthlessness.
The scout shouted loudly, "Report! The Dashing General has arrived!"
The man behind him boomed, "Report what? I'm already here, right behind you! No need for an announcement!"
As he spoke, the Dashing General's horse charged up to the Rebel King. Still on horseback, he clasped his fists and urgently asked, "Brother Rebel King, I heard you just clashed with He Renlong and Gao Jie?"
The Rebel King confirmed, "Yes, their armies are just to the west of here."
The Dashing General roared, "Thank you, elder brother! I'm off!"
With that, he spurred his horse and galloped towards the west.
The Rebel King cried out in alarm, "Hey, Brother Dashing General! Why are you riding towards the enemy?"
The Dashing General bellowed, "That scoundrel Gao Jie is Fan Shan Yao! I have a score to settle with him for seducing my wife!"
The Rebel King was stunned!
Lao Huihui was also stunned!
In an instant, the Dashing General had ridden far ahead. Then, his Old Eighth Squad burst out from the east, charging west in pursuit, shouting as they went, "Brother Dashing General, wait for us! Don't run so fast on your own!"
The Dashing General roared, "Brothers, catch up quickly! Whoever captures Gao Jie alive, I'll reward them with a hundred catties of gold! Fifty catties if he's dead!"
Hearing this bounty, the men of the Old Eighth Squad were overjoyed. They howled with excitement and charged west.
The Rebel King sighed. "Alas, my brother's lost it."
He turned to Lao Huihui. "Brother Lao Huihui, I must go help the Dashing General. Will you join me?"
Lao Huihui declined, "I won't be joining you. We just fought a battle with government soldiers yesterday; my men need rest."
The Rebel King nodded. "Very well! Then I'm off."
He reined his horse around and also headed west, with a large contingent of his army following close behind...
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