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Chapter 995: Zuo Liangyu's Forces Attack!

After ensuring the refugees had eaten their fill, Bai Yuan provided them with dry rations for their journey and directed them towards Luoyang, where factories dedicated to aiding displaced people awaited.

The refugees, expressing their heartfelt gratitude, took their provisions and set off for Luoyang.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuan and his company continued their advance toward Luzhou.

Once they left the Heavenly Lord's domain, encounters with refugees became frequent. Sometimes, it was just one or two individuals scattered along the roadside, begging for alms. Other times, entire villages had nothing to eat, their people desperately digging for tree bark and roots in the surrounding fields.

Whenever the militia encountered refugees, they invariably offered a helping hand, providing food, guiding them along the road to Luoyang, and even instructing them on how to secure aid upon their arrival.

Witnessing their actions throughout the journey, Gao Jie was profoundly moved.

Indeed, people are not born evil!

It's simply the environment they grow up in; if everyone around them acts with malice, then that person will be tainted by evil as well. But if those around them are benevolent, they will naturally be influenced and tread a path of goodness.

This is the very essence of how "regional cultures" are forged.

Day after day, as Gao Jie accompanied the Gao Family Village militia, he found himself, without realizing it, beginning to reflect on his past conduct.

However, after only a few days of these benevolent acts, Gao Jie began to sense a problem.

"Master Bai, aren't our military rations being consumed too quickly?" Gao Jie sought out Bai Yuan, going straight to the point. "At this rate, your militia will run out of provisions before even reaching Luzhou. What's more, with your lavish military rations, the prefectures and counties along our route simply can't provide for you."

When the Ming army marched, local officials along the route typically supplied their provisions, but those provisions were never of high quality. There was no comparison to the lavish meals the Gao Family Village militia enjoyed; local coffers simply couldn't afford to supply such a standard, not in the slightest.

Gao Jie couldn't help but wonder: What would they do once their military rations were depleted and there was nothing left to eat? Could they still help the common people as they did now? At that point, merely refraining from plundering the villagers would be a blessing.

Bai Yuan smiled. "General Gao, we've long prepared for this. Just wait and see."

The following day at noon, as the militia rested and cooked in an abandoned village, the distinctive hoot of a steam engine echoed from the road behind them.

Gao Jie dashed out of his tent, spotting a strange convoy of large iron vehicles, each fitted with cargo beds, approaching from behind.

The cargo beds of these massive iron vehicles were all filled with military provisions. Each vehicle transported several tons, and the entire convoy, as it rolled in, delivered tens of tons of grain.

A man dressed in a militia uniform leaped down from the lead truck and announced loudly, "Zhuge Wangchan of the logistics team reporting! Instructor Bai, please verify the supplies and sign!"

Bai Yuan accepted the supplies. Zhuge Wangchan then saluted, climbed back onto the large iron vehicle, and led his transport team back toward Luoyang.

Gao Jie watched the scene, his mouth agape. "Huh? You actually resupply yourselves like this?"

Bai Yuan laughed. "Didn't you notice? Our engineering corps has been clearing the official roads as we advanced, ensuring our vehicles could follow from behind and deliver supplies."

Gao Jie finally understood. All along the way, the engineering corps had been cutting through mountains and building bridges over rivers as they marched—it was all to ensure the smooth flow of logistics.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder you dare to treat the common people so kindly! You possess truly reliable logistics..."

Bai Yuan's spirits lifted. "Precisely! The Heavenly Lord himself said: To be a good person, merely having a kind heart isn't enough; you must also possess strength. Without that strength, you cannot help others, and your so-called goodness becomes nothing but empty words."

Gao Jie silently etched these words into his memory.

Anqing Prefecture...

Shi Kefa was currently facing a formidable enemy.

Chuǎng Wang and the Dashing General's armies were besieging Luzhou. The direct distance between Luzhou and Anqing Prefecture was merely two hundred *li*—a journey of only a few days for fast-moving bandits.

Because the main rebel army's organizational structure was loose, when Chuǎng Wang and the Dashing General were at Luzhou, other rebel leaders, commanding smaller detachments, would spread out across a hundred-*li* radius. The rebel vanguard, therefore, was certainly only about a hundred *li* from Anqing.

Shi Kefa had limited forces at his disposal: only five hundred of the Gao Family Village Militia, three thousand local, subpar garrison soldiers, and another three thousand Anqing militia members recruited only after his arrival.

Of these, the most capable fighters were, of course, the five hundred Gao Family Village Militia, but their numbers were far too few.

As for the three thousand garrison soldiers, everyone knew the score: nominally three thousand, it was hard to say if there were even fifteen hundred, and the laxity of the Jiangnan garrisons was legendary. In a real fight, they were already worse than the ragtag troops led by minor bandit chiefs; if they encountered the Dashing General's "Old Eighth Squad," they would face certain death.

And the three thousand new militia members were currently undergoing ideological and political education. Until their minds were properly reformed, they could only be allowed to use cold weapons; they could not be entrusted with the Gao Family Village's formidable firearms. To do so would only risk breeding a vicious dragon.

With such forces, Shi Kefa could not possibly march to Luzhou to challenge the main rebel army.

Shi Kefa asked his attendant, "Where is Governor-General Lu now?"

The attendant replied, "Lu Xiangheng is leading the forces of various circuits, including General Zu Kuan and Colonel Luo Dai, in relief efforts; they are en route and should be arriving soon. Additionally, reinforcements have been dispatched from Luoyang, led by Cao Wenzhao and Gao Jie, and are rushing to our aid."

"Troops are coming from Luoyang too?" Shi Kefa was overjoyed. "Are any of our own people among them?"

The attendant replied, "Luoyang is too far; our messages haven't reached them yet."

No sooner had he spoken than the Heavenly Lord's voice resonated from the emblem on Shi Kefa's chest: "Bai Yuan is leading five thousand men and coming with Gao Jie."

Shi Kefa was ecstatic. "Bai Yuan is here! Excellent!"

Now he felt confident. He loudly commanded, "Issue the order! We set out immediately, heading north, to rendezvous with the various relief armies and together confront the main rebel force!"

Meanwhile, in Yanling County, Henan Province.

Lao Huihui was leading his elite border cavalry through Yanling County.

Lately, Lao Huihui's situation had become a little awkward.

Chuǎng Wang and the Dashing General had led the main rebel army to Luzhou, ordering all seventy-two rebel factions to converge there for the siege.

Due to the severe drought in Henan, the rebel army's food supply was also tight. They had to capture a large city to seize enough provisions. Thus, other rebel factions immediately responded to Chuǎng Wang's call, all heading to plunder Luzhou.

But Lao Huihui didn't lack provisions!

Bai Yuan had been secretly supplying Lao Huihui with food, helping him overcome his difficulties.

And Lao Huihui, for his part, strictly kept his promise, ordering his subordinates not to harm a single hair of the common people.

Both sides maintained a very delicate, cooperative relationship.

Lao Huihui didn't want to leave Henan. If he left, Bai Yuan would no longer supply him with food, and his subordinates would be forced to attack imperial cities again—something he wished to avoid.

As he pondered his next move, a border scout galloped up, breathless. "Report! Chief, Zuo Liangyu's forces are charging at us!"