Chapter 279

Chapter 279

While the Ling Emperor was placating the Wei Kingdom's envoy by saying he needed time to carefully consider the offer, he simultaneously dispatched his own Minister of Revenue, Lord Ji, on a fast horse to race day and night to Fu Province to persuade the bandit leader, Wu Rong.

Although it was a thousand miles between Qiantang and Fu Province, the terrain became increasingly mountainous the further west they traveled. Had Lord Ji not brought five hundred cavalry for protection, they might have been killed by bandits along the way.

After much traveling, they finally arrived at the territory occupied by Wu Rong and his bandits. Dressed in his official robes, Lord Ji approached the archers guarding the mountain path’s entrance and explained his mission. He was allowed to enter with ten cavalrymen, who were essentially there to transport five boxes of gold and silver jewelry.

The eleven of them climbed up and down the mountain paths, occasionally needing to take boats, and after passing through five bandit-guarded fortresses, they finally arrived at a valley filled with fields. Since it was only the first month of the lunar year, the fields were lush with green rapeseed and various common vegetables of the Jiangnan region. Cattle, sheep, and mules grazed on the hillsides, and children in simple clothes ran around, while from a distant house, the clear voices of older children studying could be heard.

To the eye, it appeared as a peaceful paradise.

The people on the streets looked panicked upon seeing Lord Ji and his ten cavalrymen. Some hid inside their homes, while others, relying on the strength of the mountain people, merely eyed them warily.

After walking for another half-hour along the dirt road, Lord Ji arrived at a three-courtyard house built on high ground.

He was led to a reception room, which was quite spacious. The wooden tables and chairs, though somewhat old, were kept spotlessly clean. Sunlight poured in through the open windows, adding to the sense of comfort and peace.

As Lord Ji was observing, he suddenly heard footsteps outside. Turning around, he saw six sturdy men. The leader, over eight feet tall, had a stern face tanned to the color of old copper. A plain black headband wrapped around his forehead was so wide that it almost covered the area below his hairline.

The young bandit guiding them said, "This is our mountain lord."

Lord Ji politely bowed and said, "I am Ji Songyan, honored to serve as the Minister of Revenue under the emperor's appointment..."

The mountain lord, seated in the chair, suddenly looked over and asked, "Which emperor?"

Lord Ji: "...Naturally, the emperor of our great Ling Kingdom."

The mountain lord nodded and gestured for him to continue.

Lord Ji, realizing this man was not one for empty formalities, paused and then spoke frankly, "The mountain lord is a hero, dominating this area. I will be direct. I believe the mountain lord knows that the Wei Emperor has sent 300,000 troops to attack our great Ling Kingdom..."

Mountain Lord: "When did this happen? Have they already started fighting?"

One of the bandits standing nearby said, "We live deep in the mountains. As you can see, unless the imperial court comes to attack us, we rarely see outsiders throughout the year. How would we know what's happening outside?"

Lord Ji, embarrassed, said, "I misspoke."

He then explained the situation in the world to them and continued, addressing the mountain lord, "The imperial court is in urgent need of manpower. The emperor has promised that if the mountain lord agrees to lead 40,000 troops to support the Jiaozhou army, the emperor will immediately grant you the title of King of Jiaozhou. From then on, the troops in Jiaozhou will be under your command, and military officers will be appointed by you. Additionally, the emperor will reward you with a royal palace, 10,000 taels of gold, and thousands of acres of fertile land."

He clapped his hands, and the ten cavalrymen immediately opened the boxes they had carried over, revealing them to be full of gold and silver jewelry.

Lord Ji: "This is just a small token of goodwill. Once the mountain lord accepts the emperor's appointment, the emperor will allocate more fertile land in Jiaozhou to you, and the other rewards will be delivered directly to your royal palace."

The mountain lord glanced at it indifferently, but the five men behind him showed excitement and joy, clearly pleased with the imperial court's offer.

Mountain Lord: "Is the Ling Emperor losing to the Wei Emperor?"

Lord Ji: "...No, our Ling Kingdom has abundant supplies and the advantage of terrain. The 240,000 troops in Jingnan, Luzhou, and Yangzhou have at least a 60% chance of victory against the Wei army. The only weak point is the Jiaozhou army, which is in a remote area and has not fought for a long time. The 40,000 naval forces transferred from Minzhou will lose 30% of their effectiveness on land. The only solution now is for your 40,000 elite troops to relieve the threat to the Jiaozhou army."

Lord Ji: "Consider this, Mountain Lord. If our great Ling Kingdom falls, do you think the ambitious Wei Emperor would tolerate your rule over these mountains? When that time comes, hundreds of thousands of troops will surround this mountain, and you will have no way to escape. On the other hand, if the mountain lord accepts the emperor's appointment as King of Jiaozhou, the Ling Kingdom will be preserved, and you will securely hold Jiaozhou. The 100,000-plus mountain people under your protection will also live peacefully in Jiaozhou. Why not take this opportunity?"

Mountain Lord: "How many troops does the Qianzhou army have?"

Lord Ji, with a pleased expression, said, "Six thousand, only six thousand. We already have 70,000 troops. If you lead your 40,000 elite soldiers, we will have 110,000 troops in total, more than enough to easily defeat the 60,000 Qianzhou troops."

"Do you have a map?"

Minister Ji had to arrange how these 40,000 bandits would march, so he brought a map. He unfolded it and laid it flat on two tables pushed together.

Minister Ji pointed to the southwestern corner of the map and said, "Our forces are deployed in Guizhou and Yongzhou. The Qianzhou army will likely attack these two areas first."

The Mountain Lord asked, "How far is it from Fuzhou to Guizhou?"

Minister Ji replied, "It's about 1,700 li. If we march 70 li a day, it will take us 25 days to get there. However, you could send your troops to Chenzhou first, which is only 1,200 li away and can be reached in 17 days. Once you arrive at Chenzhou, you can adapt your strategy based on the battle situations in Guizhou and Yongzhou. The key is to intercept the Qianzhou army within Jiaozhou and prevent them from advancing north to Jingzhou or east to Luzhou and Minzhou."

The Mountain Lord said, "Let's go to Chenzhou first. What about weapons, horses, and food supplies?"

Minister Ji said, "You don't need to worry about that. The government along your route will provide food supplies. By the time we reach Chenzhou, supplies, weapons, and horses from Hengyang and Ganzhou will be waiting for us. There will be 40,000 sets of armor, spears, and swords, along with enough food supplies for three months. Nothing will be missing."

The Ling Kingdom controlled the prosperous lands south of the Yangtze River. Although their soldiers' combat effectiveness was not as strong as those from the northern regions, they always had ample money and food supplies.

The Mountain Lord looked back at the five men behind him.

He had 40,000 troops under his command, 10,000 of which were his own soldiers, and the other 30,000 were from five other mountain strongholds. The five men were deputy leaders he had appointed after consolidating all the troops, each from a different stronghold. Currently, they were loyal to him, but if their interests diverged, these five might betray him. Ultimately, they still carried the bandit mentality.

The five men said, "Big brother, agree to it! We are all willing to follow you!"

After all, taking control of Jiaozhou is way better than hiding out in these mountains. If they could walk outside proudly, wearing gold and eating well, who would want to stay in these deep mountains and forests?

The Mountain Lord nodded at Minister Ji.

Minister Ji happily asked, "When will you send your troops?"

The Mountain Lord replied, "I will send my troops when the officials outside have prepared the necessary food supplies along the way."

Minister Ji said, "That's simple. You can depart in three days."

The Mountain Lord warned, "If we run out of food, I will first loot the government supplies before retreating."

After Minister Ji left, the Mountain Lord discussed the journey with the five deputy leaders. After they left, he went to the second courtyard.

The Mountain Lord's wife was sitting by the window in the side room, quietly sewing a child's garment. Upon seeing her husband, she smiled and asked, "Who came?"

The Mountain Lord sat beside her and explained what was happening outside the mountains.

In fact, every once in a while, people from the mountains would go to nearby towns to purchase daily necessities and deliberately inquire about major events outside. The people in the mountains already knew that the northern regions had a new emperor who had destroyed the Liang Kingdom, but that was about all they knew. For safety reasons, the people sent out did not venture too far.

However, with the Liang Kingdom destroyed, it was no surprise that the Wei Kingdom continued to send troops to attack the Ling Kingdom.

The Mountain Lord's wife stopped sewing and looked at her husband. "Are you really going to get involved in this mess?"

The Mountain Lord replied, "There's no avoiding it. Either we leave the mountains now, or we wait to be forced out by the Wei emperor's troops after the Ling Kingdom falls."

The Mountain Lord's wife asked, "So, you are going to be the King of Jiaozhou to serve the Wei emperor for rewards, or is it because after the world is unified, you can finally return home?"

She knew her husband was a soldier from the northern regions, captured by the Ling army when Imperial Uncle Dou was in power and forced into labor in the Ling Kingdom.

After enduring many hardships, her husband escaped but couldn't return to the northern regions because of the prisoner brand on his forehead. He had no choice but to flee into these mountains and become a bandit.

When they first met, he had told her all of this but hadn't revealed which part of his homeland he was from.

She understood her husband’s caution; the mountains were not safe. Every ambitious bandit had their eyes on the mountain leader’s position. Occasionally, some bandits would betray their comrades to the authorities for wealth and glory. Therefore, if her husband revealed his background, their enemies could use this to threaten him, forcing him to obey; otherwise, they would tell the officials about his secret, who would then capture him and force him to surrender.

Of course, a husband and wife can trust each other, but why bring it up?

Even if she knew, the relatives from her husband's family might never meet in this lifetime. As her husband said, perhaps they had a bitter fate and had already died during those years of war and banditry. With no news, it was instead possible to believe they were still alive.

"Am I going with Tong Shan too?"

"Yes, it's safest to stay together."

"Then I'll go pack our things now."

The mountain leader's wife went to the west room.

The mountain leader walked to his wife's dressing table, which was actually just an old wooden table with a relatively clear copper mirror on it.

These conditions were considered luxurious in the mountains, a wealth he inherited after becoming the new mountain leader.

Tong Rong looked at the mirror, which reflected a face that even he found unfamiliar.

At eighteen, he was conscripted by the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty. His twelve-year-old sister had been out hunting in the mountains and only realized he had been conscripted upon her return. She ran more than ten li to chase after him, throwing herself into his arms and crying until she was soaked with tears.

From twenty-two to twenty-five, he toiled as a laborer for almost four years, mindlessly mining and hauling stones until he found an opportunity to escape.

At twenty-six, he entered these mountains and, due to his skills, became the old mountain leader’s trusted confidant. At thirty, when the old mountain leader fell ill and feared his incompetent son could not control Tong Rong, he attempted to take Tong Rong’s life. But Tong Rong still wanted to see his wife and children and return home, so he killed over twenty of his former comrades, seizing power by presenting the severed heads of the old mountain leader and his son.

Now thirty-five, he could finally command the forty thousand bandits under him and set foot on the road back to his homeland.

Home...

Tong Rong touched the black headband that covered the "prisoner" brand.

He didn’t know if his uncle, aunt, younger brother, and sister were still alive, but in their hearts, he was likely presumed dead, right?

When he was captured by the Ling army, Tong Rong had renamed himself "Wu Rong" to avoid someday doing something that would implicate his family.

Wu Rong, no glory.

He would rather his family thought he was dead than for them to know he was doing labor and being a bandit here, weeping and worrying about him.

Unless, he could laugh and share these years of experiences as stories in front of them.