The militia replied in unison: “At your command!”
Cheng Xu, upon hearing it wasn’t a life-or-death order, breathed a sigh of relief: Whew! Great! That ant I could retreat if in danger; I didn’t have to fight Wang Zuogua to the death, huh? The safety was much improved then…
Grandmother instantly beca ten years younger, turning into a ten-year-old little girl (loli). She wasn’t playing with ribbons anymore; instead, she landed on the ground, giggling and running wildly all around, even darting to the field edge to catch loaches.
The young Grandmother looked so adorable!
“Alright, let’s march forth,” Gao Yiye said loudly. “The Deity’s decree is finished; what I say next is from myself: May you win a swift victory.”
Cheng Xu was rushing with pride: “Move out!”
The thousand militia began to set off. First, they arrived at the railway station and boarded the train to Bai Family Fortress. Then, from Bai Family Fortress, they entered Huanglong Mountain.
Once they entered the mountains, it wasn’t a matter of coming back in just a few days.
The mountains were high, the forests dense, and the valleys crisscrossed. It was hard even to find Wang Zuogua there; subduing him was even tougher, and no one knew when they might return.
Xing Honglang stood on a remote hillside, watching the large army enter the mountains. At the head of the Grenade Troops stood that big iron-can man, precisely Gao Chuwu. She silently watched Gao Chuwu’s figure grow farther away.
Suddenly, a strong female voice rang out beside her: “Boss Xing, if you’re so worried, join them too. Mountain forest fights are your specialty, after all.”
Xing Honglang turned and saw Zao Ying. She quickly hid her little-girl expression and snorted: “What am I worried about? Nothing to worry about! I’m not concerned about anyone.”
Zao Ying laughed: “Gao Chuwu, that foolish guy, is really dumb. If he’s not looked after, I’d worry he might run off randomly.”
Xing Honglang’s expression turned briefly flustered, but she forced control again: “He’s not Ground Rabbit. Although he’s dumb, he obeys orders well; he won’t wander off.”
Zao Ying chuckled loudly: “You’re anxious, you’re anxious! Just go along with them.”
Xing Honglang shook her head: “I can’t go. For bandit suppression, having one more person doesn’t help much; losing doesn’t matter much. I’ve more important tasks. So county-town won produced a batch of embroidery. I need to transport it to Xi’an and sell it to wealthy nobles. The Deity said this was a crucial major event, tied to won’s production liberation or sothing… I don’t quite get it…”
Zao Ying: “No matter how big a deal it is, it can’t be as big as your own man, right?”
Xing Honglang rolled her eyes: “That fellow isn’t my man! Not!”
Zao Ying laughed heartily: “Fun! Teasing Boss Xing is such fun.”
Xing Honglang, unable to bear the bullying, quickly shifted topics: “Aren’t leading the cavalry camp? How do you have ti to chat awkwardly with here? Aren’t you joining this battle?”
“Of course not!” Zao Ying chuckled. “I’m cavalry; fighting in mountains isn’t my strong suit. Forget that—let’s talk about Gao Chuwu.”
Xing Honglang was overwheld and bolted.
Zao Ying chased after her: “Boss Xing, don’t run! Did Gao Chuwu make you any promise before marching out? Like he’d return after battle to marry you?”
Xing Honglang flushed crimson, frantic: “No, never! How could he ever make such a promise? People die from that! Don’t follow —I refuse to talk to you.”
Zao Ying: “Oh, chat with please…”
Xing Honglang: “No chatting, no chatting! I’m a true forest hero; I never chatter about romance.”
Zao Ying: “I’m a forest hero too, specializing in romance chatter.”
The two won looked like she-apes but spoke softly. One fled, one chased, and soon they dashed far off.
…
Huanglong Mountain, northeastern ridge.
In a hidden valley hid a bandit army totaling 12,000 troops.
Wang Zuogua of Yichuan’s force.
Though the total number was 12,000, over 6,000 were actually elderly, weak, sick, or disabled. Just over 5,000 were real fighters.
Those 6,000-plus elderly and infirm spent their days digging grass roots, stripping tree bark, picking wild fruits, catching rabbits, pangolins, mice…
But the 5,000-plus fighters often went north of Huanglong Mountain to Yichuan County to burn, kill, and loot. Like in Water Margin where Liangshan sotis hit Zhu Family, sotis Hu Family, sotis Li Family, they attacked village after village, seizing grain.
Yichuan County found this excruciating and launched several suppression campaigns. Wang Zuogua fought the officials in battles at Yaozhou City, Yizhou, Sanshui, Hancheng, and elsewhere. Each ti, they ran into Hong Chengchou, and each ti Hong crushed them brutally. But each ti, he escaped just before collapse. He kept losing but never died.
Hong Chengchou also found him a big headache.
At that mont, Wang Zuogua sat in his tent. His left arm hugged a young woman snatched from a country gentleman’s family, while his right hand gestured grandly. He chatted with Miao i, Feishan Hu, Big Honglang, and others about where to raid next.
Suddenly, a bandit troop dashed in: “Boss, Bai Family Fortress in Chengcheng County suddenly sent a thousand-man army into Huanglong Mountain. Looks likely aid at us.”
Actually, since Wang Zuogua’s failed assassination attempt on Bai Yuan, he’d watched Bai Family Fortress, seeking another shot at Bai Yuan.
So when the militia entered from Bai Family Fortress, he got word instantly.
Wang Zuogua scoffed coldly: “Seems Bai Family Fortress wants revenge for the fort-master assassination attempt? Ha! They stole our military horses; sending killers back was fair. What’s to complain about?”
The Second Leader Miao i beside him sneered coldly: “That Bai’s too arrogant, right? Huanglong Mountain is our turf; officials hesitate to enter. So militia dares bother us? Only a thousand n—we shouldn’t fear!”
Feishan Hu frowned slightly with worry: “Their firearms look powerful. Last fight for the military horses, when those strange bombs blew up, our troops fell in waves.”
Big Honglang said: “Powerful firearms like that use a lot of gunpowder. Even the imperial officials can’t mass-equip them. How could one Bai Family Fortress have many? Last ti we were just startled—this ti, why fear?”
Wang Zuogua nodded: “Right! Such deadly weapons can’t be plentiful. They probably have just a dozen firearms, a few odd bombs. Here on our land, we needn’t fear them. Pick a good spot, set up an ambush, wipe out Bai Family Fortress’s forces, then hit back and plunder everything.”
The crowd: “Good!”
Just then, a stranger’s voice sounded nearby: “Everyone… I have a word to say.”
They turned to see a newcor from Mizhi County, nicknad “Chuang Jiang.”
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