Chapter 559: Don’t Eat Luncheon Meat for Dinner |
Old Nan Feng roared furiously at Ma Xianglin, but it was utterly useless.
The din on the battlefield – the crack of firearms, the war cries – was topped by the deluge of heavy rain. Amidst this tumultuous cacophony, what impact could Old Nan Feng’s feeble bellowing possibly have?
Ma Xianglin simply couldn’t hear him. He continued his solitary charge, weaving through the enemy ranks with devastating grace. His prowess truly lived up to the reputation the title “Jin” held for “Ma Chao of Xiliang”. That honorific “Jin” denoting handsome elegance wasn’t an exaggeration; it specifically referred to Ma Chao’s renowned good looks. And since Ma Xianglin was dubbed “Little Ma Chao,” his own handsomeness was undeniable. Even missing an eye couldn’t diminish his striking appearance.
“Damn your slick face into oblivion,” Old Nan Feng cursed, raising his firearm again, itching to shoot.
Cheng Xu, however, firmly gripped the barrel. “Hold your fire. It’s not bad to observe the White Standards Troops from the river in battle. Know yourself, know your enemy.”
Hearing the word “enemy,” Old Nan Feng felt a jolt. That’s right, we aren’t truly the emperor’s forces. Given the scale Gaojia Village operates on, we’ll inevitably seize control of the realm ourselves one day. The imperial court isn’t our ally. They are the enemy.
Old Nan Feng cracked a grin. “Hey, how about we take advantage of the chaos? One shot could finish off Ma Xianglin right now. That’s one less major commander for the ‘enemy.’ And amidst this melee, no one could prove it was intentional.”
Cheng Xu shook his head. “This ‘Little Ma Chao’ doesn’t have any particularly villainous deeds on his record. The Deity would never permit killing such a person.”
Old Nan Feng offered no further objection.
Zao Ying sighed deeply. “In the past, cavalry charged at the vanguard. Only here in our Gaojia Village do we use cavalry to kick drowning dogs.”
During their brief exchange, the White Standards Troops had already clashed with the bandit horde.
Ma Xianglin, astride his warhorse, charged wildly through the enemy formation, utterly disregarding his rear guard. Command of the White Standards Troops lay with an unremarkable-looking woman. She appeared somewhat coarse and sturdy, clad in battle attire.
Under her direction, the White Standards Troops fought with remarkable discipline and effectiveness.
The front ranks formed a forest of white pole guns, thrusting relentlessly at the bandits. Each strike hooked its target, dragging them down. Rear ranks thrust their long white pole guns through the gaps left between the front ranks, skewering any bandits who drew near.
The bandit army had already had its morale shattered by the earlier firearms volley and was already in disintegration. Caught by this relentless spear-hedge, they offered no meaningful resistance. Screams of agony rent the air, pitiful wails rising above the clash of steel.
Bandits trapped between the Gaojia Village Militia and the White Standards Troops panicked, fleeing frantically to either side, scattering wildly.
But scattering provided no escape. Zao Ying’s cavalry unit immediately thundered forward, chasing down the fleeing bandit troops with savage cuts. More cries rose as men scrambled desperately for their lives, shrieking for help.
After some time, the bandit forces had completely scattered.
The militia and the White Standards Troops finally converged.
Ma Xianglin rode to the forefront of the militia formation and swept his gaze over them. This time, he could see clearly: a large banner stood amongst them, bearing a single large character: “Xing”. Beside it, smaller characters read: “Puzhou Defender”.
Ma Xianglin clasped his spear respectfully. “Is this the force of Defender Xing of Puzhou?”
Xing Honglang urged her horse forward. “The very same!”
Seeing the other commander was a woman, Ma Xianglin was momentarily stunned. Huh? Does the court actually have female generals besides my mother and my wife?
Xing Honglang, misinterpreting his surprised look as recognition, snorted. “What are you staring at? That look on your face… are you looking down on a salt smuggler?”
Ma Xianglin: “Huh? You’re a salt smuggler?”
Turns out, he knew nothing of this Xing Honglang, Defender of Puzhou. She had only recently been “pacified” by Yang He. News traveled slowly back then, and government appointments were haphazardly doled out in chaotic equipment. Even local officials could lose track of personnel changes in neighboring counties, let alone generals campaigning far afield.
After Xing Honglang briefly introduced herself, Ma Xianglin finally learned that the woman before him was actually the infamous salt smuggler from Shanxi who had once joined Wang Jiayin’s forces, only very recently pledging allegiance to the court.
Thinking this over sent a chill through him. Thank goodness this woman defected to the court and is friendly force now. If she were still with the roving bandits, my forces would have been utterly annihilated in this battle.
“Defender Xing fights remarkably well,” Ma Xianglin declared, clasping his fists respectfully. “I, this general, am truly impressed.”
“You’re too courteous, too courteous,” replied Xing Honglang airily, returning the compliment. “No wonder Puxian withstood days of siege by the bandit army! The legendary White Standards Troops from the river must have been garrisoned here.”
They exchanged this mutual admiration – such was the smooth art of worldly people getting along – and then proceeded to the main business at hand.
Following Ma Xianglin’s lead, the militia entered Puxian.
Only then did everyone notice: Puxian had no city wall. Where the wall should have stood, a vast circle of piled rocks, logs, broken carts, and various refuse encircled the entire county town.
Zheng Daniu couldn’t help but blurt out in astonishment, “Huh? Why do they build the wall like this?”
Zao Ying, beside him, whispered, “Clearly, this city was sacked by roving bandits a year ago. The walls were torn down.”
Zheng Daniu finally understood. “Then the people here..”
Ma Xianglin turned back, his expression grim. “The commoners here suffered terribly. Last year itself, almost half the county’s population was forcibly conscripted by the roving bandits. The remaining half had everything they owned plundered, left utterly destitute. They struggled for a whole year to recuperate and rebuild their strength… only for the bandits to return this year. The town now…” He trailed off with a heavy sigh.
The others fell silent.
At that moment, the Puppet Deity perched atop Gao Chuwu’s shoulder stirred slightly. In a voice barely audible to Gao Chuwu, it whispered, “Share some of our army rations with the townsfolk.”
Gao Chuwu immediately responded, “I obey!”
Ma Xianglin turned back to him. “Who are you saying ‘I obey’ to?”
Gao Chuwu grinned broadly. “The heavens above.”
Ma Xianglin instantly assessed Gao Chuwu: fool. Fine, ignore him.
The group traversed the ramshackle barrier serving as a wall and entered the town. Within, they saw that of every ten houses, five stood empty – stark evidence of the half the population lost. The remaining residents looked half-starved, faces pinched and bodies gaunt.
Ma Xianglin sighed again. “We of the Shizhu Tujia tribe are not wealthy either. When we entered the capital to serve Wang, our troop rations were self-procured. We have little to spare. I couldn’t help them much either. A failure.”
His words scarcely faded when they saw Gao Chuwu squat down beside a child so emaciated he was practically skin and bones. He reached into his tunic, pulling out a small wooden box, and placed it in the child’s hands. “Here, child. This is for you.”
The child stared blankly, taking the box. He lifted the lid to reveal a strangely shaped block of meat inside – perfectly rectangular, impossible to discern from what part of a pig it came.
Gao Chuwu beamed. “This is called luncheon meat. It’s delicious! And very simple to prepare. Just heat it up.”
The child glanced up at the sky. “But… it’s evening now. We eat dinner in the evening. Should I save this luncheon meat to eat tomorrow at lunch?”
Gao Chuwu gasped in wonder. “Wow, you’re a genius! That’s exactly what I said the first time I got this meat!”
Everyone else simply buried their faces in their hands: That’s not genius, that’s just plain stupidity.