Chapter 094

Chapter 094

Xiao Ye, Sun Dian, and the others had been cooped up at Imprisoned Dragon Ridge for nearly five months, their energy pent up and waiting to be unleashed. Tonight, they finally had the chance to let loose, riding their mules and wielding large knives, chasing and killing as they went, pursuing the rebel forces for two or three miles.

Unfortunately, the rebel army was too large, and under the cover of night, they scattered in all directions. If only they had stayed together, it would have been even more satisfying to kill them.

Zhang Wengong looked behind him and shouted to the two who were still eager to continue the chase: "It's too far, Brother Dian, Brother Si, stop chasing!"

Xiao Ye reined in his horse, while Sun Dian cut down two more before turning back.

The one hundred eighty-two cavalrymen who had descended the mountain quickly regrouped.

Xiao Ye asked, "Any injuries?"

"A scratch on my calf, nothing serious."

"My arm got nicked by someone's knife, but it's fine."

"Knife or scythe? Those with proper weapons are definitely the rebel king's trusted soldiers. Following Second Master's advice, I specifically targeted those with real weapons."

"Me too..."

Xiao Ye listened to their discussions for a while, then glanced at the surrendered soldiers still kneeling on the ground. He instructed the cavalrymen to disperse in groups of three, both to prevent any escape attempts and to oversee the surrendered soldiers moving the scattered weapons and corpses into piles at regular intervals. The corpses would be burned after being counted and identified, while the weapons would be transported back along the mountain path.

Although the number of surrendered soldiers far exceeded that of the cavalry from Wei County, they had surrendered out of fear of the cavalry's swift horses and sharp knives. They couldn't fight, and if they ran, they would surely be caught. Since they had already surrendered, and the rebel king had long since fled, they might as well obey orders and do whatever was asked of them.

Xiao Ye held a torch, and when the first pile of corpses appeared, he called over the dozen or so surrendered soldiers: "Identify them. See if the rebel king or any of his commanders are among them."

In the dark of night, even if they wanted to kill Li Gang and his brothers directly, it would be difficult to find the targets, especially since they didn't recognize the people from Huai County.

"Don't know them."

"This one looks familiar. He was quite arrogant, must be someone important."

"I know him. He's General Wang's cousin. He has no skills of his own but relies on General Wang's support to show off."

Xiao Ye: "..."

He set fire to the corpses, picked up some weapons, and drove the surrendered soldiers forward.

Moving the corpses, collecting weapons, identifying bodies, and burning them took several miles. By the time the cavalrymen and the surrendered soldiers finally met up with Xiao Zhen and the others at the mountain pass, it was almost dawn.

It was still dark, but every few hundred meters within the two or three miles, there were fires burning the dead.

Xiao Ye and Xiao Zhen compared numbers and found that tonight, their two groups had killed five thousand and twelve enemies and captured two thousand three hundred and twenty-six wounded and surrendered soldiers. They also seized four wagons of supplies and three hundred and forty-three mules from the mountain pass.

The cavalry from Imprisoned Dragon Ridge accounted for the majority of the kills, with over three thousand.

Zhang Wengong said, "Earlier, Thousand Commander Xiao said that a good cavalryman is worth twenty infantrymen. Tonight, I believe it."

Sun Dian added, "If we hadn't stopped chasing, we could have killed more."

Xiao Zhen replied, "Cavalry is powerful, but we shouldn't underestimate our enemies. Half of the rebel king's two thousand troops were recruited just twenty days ago, and the other ten thousand from Cheng County only three days ago. They were untrained, which is why they scattered easily. Against a proper army, if they formed formations promptly, our two hundred cavalrymen wouldn't stand a chance."

The two thousand surrendered soldiers, squatting nearby, exchanged glances, disbelief in their eyes. Wei County had caused such a commotion with only a thousand eight hundred infantrymen and two hundred cavalrymen, yet they had defeated the rebel king's two thousand troops?

Xiao Ye looked at the three hundred plus mules led by his men, his eyes shining. "Second Brother, we have over two hundred mules here. Tonight, we gained another three hundred. How many are there in the county? Can we gather a thousand?"

Xiao Zhen smiled.

Xiao Ye excitedly exclaimed, "Can we form a thousand-strong cavalry unit?"

Xiao Yan said, "Don't get too excited. Even if we have cavalry, it won't be you leading them."

Sun Dian chimed in, "If not Fourth Brother, then give it to me. We've trained in the mountains for five months, practicing riding and archery. We've gained experience."

Xiao Yan, who didn't even agree with Xiao Ye, certainly wouldn't agree with Sun Dian. The three started arguing.

Zhang Wengong looked helplessly at Xiao Zhen.

Xiao Zhen calmly said, "Stop arguing. The cavalry will be mine. Your roles will be decided by Grandfather."

Sun Dian, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Ye: "..."

Xiao Zhen continued, "Form ranks, return to the city."

The hillside was still twenty miles from Wei County. It would take them two and a half hours to reach the city, escorting the surrendered soldiers and pulling the four wagons of supplies.

In Wei County, Xiao Mu had taken the five thousand new recruits out early in the morning for a run around the city. After breakfast, they lined up outside the city gates for drills, still using wooden sticks instead of actual weapons due to the shortage of arms.

Villagers watched from the roadside, basking in the warm sun of early winter.

Some were amazed by the sight of five thousand people drilling simultaneously, while others expressed doubt: "Without any weapons, can they really defeat the rebel king?"

"What do you know? This is just training. When it comes to fighting, they'll have weapons. Haven't you seen how the blacksmiths in the city are now employed by the Xiao family?"

"There isn't much iron in the blacksmith shops. Oh, if only we could trade with Ding County. They have copper and iron mines, perfect for our use."

"Look over there, what's happening?"

"It's the rebel king's troops! Run into the city, hurry!"

The villagers rushed towards the city gates, alarming the new recruits who were drilling. They turned around and saw a group of troops approaching from the southwest, with hundreds of cavalry at the front and rear, and a mass of infantry in between!

The new recruits panicked, and some instinctively tried to flee into the city.

Xiao Mu, standing on the city wall, laughed and shouted, "What are you panicking about? They're our own men!"

Our own men?

The new recruits stopped in their tracks, and the crowd at the city gate also turned around in surprise.

When the sun was high and bright, several large banners suddenly rose from the ranks of the approaching troops. As the horses galloped, the wind unfurled the banners, revealing a red background with blue edges and a prominent character "Wei" (Guard) in the center.

It was "Wei," not the rebel king's "Xing" (Rise)!

The people's panic turned to excitement as the troops drew closer. Someone recognized them: "It's the Xiao family's Second Master and Third Master!"

"Why do they all look like wilted eggplants?"

"Oh, there are heads!"

Soon, Xiao Yan and Xiao Ye rode ahead to the city wall and simultaneously threw the captives tied to their horses onto the ground.

Xiao Yan spoke first: "Grandfather, just as you predicted, the rebel king led an army of twenty thousand from Ding County last night, intending to attack our Wei County. We successfully ambied them, killing over eighteen hundred and capturing three hundred, along with seizing more than three hundred horses and four carts of supplies!"

Xiao Ye knelt on the ground, bowed three times to the old man, and then said through tears, "Grandfather, I'm Lao Si (Fourth). I and the brothers from Lingshui Village are alive!"

"The bandits used a sedative in the trap. We were unconscious or injured, and they locked us up and forced us to surrender. We endured for over a month before we found a chance to counterattack. Afraid that County Magistrate Liu would misunderstand and think we were colluding with the bandits, we didn't dare come down the mountain. Instead, we stayed there and trained hard, preparing to be useful if another gang attacked."

"Yesterday morning, when we heard about the rebel king's uprising, we knew that Wei County needed to recruit soldiers for self-defense. We immediately came down the mountain. On our way west, we encountered Second Brother and Third Brother's ambush and joined them, catching the rebel king off guard!"

Xiao Mu, leaning on the city wall, his eyes red, exclaimed, "Good, you're alive! That's what matters!"

Xiao Ye wiped his eyes and proudly added, "Grandfather, Third Brother only mentioned how many they killed, but we killed even more... Not only that, we also captured the rebel king's brother Li Zhen and their military advisor Mr. Fan, who are these two on the ground!"

The crowd of civilians and new recruits fell silent.

Li Zhen and Mr. Fan, bound and nearly dead from being thrown to the ground, remained speechless.

From atop the city wall, Xiao Mu laughed heartily, "Good, with just one thousand two hundred men, we killed five thousand of the rebel king's troops and captured two thousand. This is a great victory for Wei County. Each of you has done well. Let's return to the city to rest. At noon, we'll have a feast to celebrate your success! Now, let's continue training. Once you master the spear techniques, you'll have your chance to shine!"

The new recruits, seeing the rebel king's brother and advisor on the ground and the two thousand prisoners, felt all their worries and unease transform into a surge of heroic spirit!

Look, with just a few ambush troops, the old man defeated twenty thousand rebels. Numbers don't matter; it's the skill of a true general like him that counts!

Xiao Yan handled the prisoners, while Xiao Ye, after finding out where the family now lived, mounted his horse and hurried home.

Sun Dian saw this and followed closely behind on his horse.

Xiao Ye asked, "I'm going home. What are you doing here?"

Sun Dian replied, "I'm thirsty. Can't I even get a drink of water at your place?"

Xiao Ye, in a good mood, didn't argue.

At the Xiao residence, Lady He and Aunt Xiao, among other female relatives, only knew that Xiao Zhen and Xiao Yan had been on duty outside last night, unaware of their actual mission.

Tong Sui and Lin Ningfang were the only ones who knew the truth. Lin Ningfang was busy teaching the children and couldn't be distracted, so Tong Sui went to the front parlor to keep Aunt Xiao company.

Aunt Xiao, holding her needlework, teased her niece-in-law, "Look at you, so restless. Worried about Lao Er (Second Son) not coming back last night?"

Tong Sui couldn't deny it.

Aunt Xiao reassured her calmly, "Don't worry. Grandfather values Lao Er and Lao San (Third Son) the most. He wouldn't send them on dangerous missions."

Tong Sui countered, "Didn't Grandfather send Shun Cousin to deliver documents to the rebel king? Wasn't that dangerous?"

Aunt Xiao responded, "Danger depends on who's doing it. Changshun and his brothers returned safely after their adventures in the south. If they failed meeting the rebel king, they'd be too useless."

Tong Sui was speechless.

Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves echoed from the street outside.

Tong Sui's heart raced. Could it be someone from home? Could it be news from Xiao Zhen?

Just as she thought this, a familiar voice called out, "Mianmian, Fourth Uncle is back. Open the door for me!"

Tong Sui smiled.

Aunt Xiao's hand trembled as she looked at Tong Sui in disbelief. "Who? Lao Si (Fourth)?"

Tong Sui took the needlework away to prevent any injury and smiled, "Yes, Fourth Master is back!"

Aunt Xiao, ignoring her confusion, jumped up, put on her shoes backward, and rushed to the front door, quickly unlatching it.

The door opened to reveal a blood-soaked Xiao Ye.

Before Aunt Xiao could see clearly, Xiao Ye suddenly picked her up and spun her around a few times.

Aunt Xiao, seeing her nephew's handsome face and bright eyes, cried, laughed, and scolded, "Stinky Lao Si, put me down!"

Tong Sui, who had approached, paused upon seeing Xiao Ye's behavior.

Xiao Ye, putting his aunt down, laughed, "Don't worry, Second Sister-in-Law. Even if I had a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare spin you. Second Brother would skin me alive."

Implying that Xiao Zhen was also fine.

At that moment, Lady He, Xiao Yuchan, and Liu Chu arrived with the children, while Lin Ningfang followed leisurely behind.

"Fourth Brother!"

Xiao Yuchan ran into Xiao Ye's arms.

Xiao Ye spun her around once, then squatted down to hug his niece and nephew.

Sun Dian stood dumbfounded at the door, his eyes fixed on Liu Chu. He wished he could do what Xiao Ye did; if no one else were around, he would have done it too. But now, he didn't dare and couldn't.

Liu Chu cried for a while in front of Xiao Ye before suddenly realizing there was someone standing at the door.

She looked over and recognized Sun Dian, feeling stunned.

Sun Dian smiled awkwardly: "I, I'm not dead either. I just fought all night outside and got hungry, so I came here with Fourth Younger Brother to grab a meal."

Liu Chu stammered: "Okay, you're... alive, that's good. Wait a moment; I'll go to the kitchen and prepare some food for you. Fourth Younger Brother, is it just the two of you? Are Second Master and Third Master coming back to eat?"

Xiao Ye: "Second Brother will be busy for a while. I'm not sure about Third Brother. Sister-in-Law, please make a bit more food. If there's any left, we can have it for lunch."

Liu Chu understood and tried to ignore the intense gaze, quickly stepping through the arched gate into the courtyard.

She had never thought of leaving the Xiao family, but facing Sun Dian's unwavering affection over the years, she couldn't remain completely unmoved.

So, being alive is good, returning is good.