Chapter 460: Here is the Labor Valley
The troops emerging from the woods were precisely the Gaojia Village Militia.
Leading them was Cheng Xu.
They had been dispatched by the Deity to rendezvous with the officials here and receive three thousand bandits.
Since they were meeting officials, naturally, none of them wore armor or carried firearms. They were all in cotton clothes with cold weapons, presenting themselves as common militia.
Seeing the officials approaching, Cheng Xu stepped out from behind the trees, intending to exchange a few words. Little did he expect that before he could utter a single word, the opposing leader roared and charged straight at him on horseback.
What the hell!
Where did this idiot come from?
Cheng Xu was exasperated with the state of the world. It felt like everywhere he went, he ran into fools. It was downright maddening.
Crazy He’s horse was swift. In the blink of an eye, he was nearly upon Cheng Xu. Cheng Xu didn’t even have time to explain he was from the militia before Crazy He’s spear thrust towards him.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Cheng Xu’s back. He whipped out his waist knife and parried upwards.
“Clang!”
The knife nearly flew from his grasp. The man was large and imposing, the momentum of his charging horse behind him. Cheng Xu couldn’t deflect this spear thrust simply with his blade. The shock sent numbing tremors up his wrist. He had no choice but to roll backwards with the momentum, tumbling several times over.
Crazy He: “Huh? There’s someone this skilled among the bandits?”
Meanwhile, Cheng Xu thought inwardly: Shit! Martial scholars are fierce! I can’t block many of his moves.
By mastering martial and literary arts, one sells their skills to the ruler’s family. Martial scholars were among the most formidable fighters in the land. This was indeed not something just anyone could withstand. Even though Cheng Xu himself possessed considerable martial skill, he was no match for Crazy He.
Crazy He, having gained the upper hand with his first thrust, shifted his spear stance and launched another attack.
But at that moment, a large axe swung in from the side. Thud! The axe haft collided with the spear shaft. In the clash of brute force, the axe clearly had the advantage. Crazy He’s long spear was violently swept aside.
He focused his gaze. The one who’d struck was a burly man, sturdy as an iron tower, tall and imposing, radiating an intimidating presence – Zheng Daniu.
Meeting the officials, Zheng Daniu wasn’t wearing armor either, though he’d secretly tucked a few grenades into his pockets. Not convenient to use those now, so he’d brought a large axe instead. The power of this single axe blow sent numbing tremors up Crazy He’s wrist as well.
He retracted his spear, wheeled his horse in a circle, reined in at a distance, then loudly demanded, “Which rebel faction is this? State your names!”
“Bandits my ass!” Zheng Daniu bellowed in fury. “I’m a law-abiding citizen!”
Crazy He: “What part of you looks like a law-abiding citizen?”
Zheng Daniu: “From head to toe.”
Crazy He: “Head to toe? All I see is stupidity.”
Everyone: “…”
“Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! Stop fighting!”
From further away in the woods, Fang Wushang arrived belatedly. He had set out from Chengcheng County town, gone first to Gaojia Village, then to Bai Family Fortress, before finally entering the mountains. Naturally, he was a bit slower than Cheng Xu’s group.
Luckily, he was impatient and ran like the wind. Though he was far away, he was only a little late. Galloping forward, he shouted, “Patrol Officer of Chengcheng, Fang Wushang! Ordered here to rendezvous with three thousand surrendering bandits! These are the militiamen from our Chengcheng County!”
Crazy He glanced at Fang Wushang. Seeing his proper uniform and armor, now this looked the part. He sneered, “You sure took your time getting here, Patrol Officer. Even let the militia arrive first.”
Most people might have swallowed this, but Fang Wushang was notoriously stubborn and utterly lacked social graces. Hearing this, he actually retorted defiantly, “General He, this is clearly your fault! Attacking without even exchanging a word! How can you blame me?”
Crazy He fumed, “In these chaotic times of rebellion, encountering an ambush in the woods? Shouldn’t I strike? Go over and kowtow first instead?”
Fang Wushang: “You could at least ask a few questions first.”
And so, arguing erupted immediately, veins bulging in their necks.
Cheng Xu and Zheng Daniu stopped being angry and instead watched with amusement as the stubborn brat confronted the high-ranking officer. Little patrol officer Fang Wushang really feared no one.
After arguing for a good while, they probably wore themselves out and finally returned to the matter at hand.
He Renlong: “I hand over these three thousand surrendering bandits to you. You figure out how to handle them. Handle them well. If they rebel again, it’ll be your responsibility. Don’t try pinning it on us Yansui troops.”
“Rest assured, they won’t rebel.” Cheng Xu chuckled. “Once they’re in our hands, you needn’t worry at all, General He.”
Curiosity stirred in He Renlong: What methods do these guys have to handle so many surrendering bandits? Might be worth taking a look.
He handed the three thousand surrendering bandits over to Fang Wushang and Cheng Xu. Instead of leaving right away, he used “escorting” as a pretext. Leading a thousand of his men, he accompanied them on the side.
Fang Wushang and Cheng Xu led them twisting and turning through the mountainous woods, left, then right, forward, then back. Finally, they arrived before a valley entrance. Guarding the entrance were two gray forts lined with numerous archers.
The soldiers pushed the three thousand surrendering bandits towards the valley: “Inside! Get inside!”
The hearts of the three thousand surrendering bandits pounded wildly with fear. Their bandit chief was dead; they were leaderless. Temporarily too afraid to resist, they had no choice but to obediently file into the valley.
Going inside, they discovered a huge settlement resembling a village, with many houses built there. Seeing newcomers arrive, thousands of people poured out from the houses, watching the new arrivals with strange expressions.
The three thousand surrendering bandits were bewildered: “What place is this?”
Crazy He was equally stunned: “Is this for real? How is there a place like this inside Huanglong Mountain? Guarded this heavily… Could they have turned the entire valley into a giant prison?”
Fang Wushang nodded: “Yes, it’s a prison! Chengcheng County’s dedicated place for detaining wrongdoers. Currently, over seven thousand are locked up here, mostly bandits. With today’s three thousand added, the number will exceed ten thousand.”
Crazy He drew a sharp breath: “Hah!? So many bandits gathered together? You’re not afraid they’ll rebel again? Ten thousand breaking out together from prison – that would be terrifying. Dispersing them would be the wiser strategy.”
Fang Wushang smiled: “Don’t worry. Once people enter here, very few still want to rebel. They’re all meekly learning how to become proper men now.”
Just as they reached that point in their conversation, one of the new surrendering bandits recognized a labor offender and exclaimed loudly, “Qi Cheng!? What are you doing here? Weren’t you following Wang Zuogua?”
“Huh? Chen Ergou!? Weren’t you following Liu Liu?” The labor offender named Qi Cheng answered with a bitter face: “Wang Zuogua got killed. I got captured. I’ve been in labor reform ever since. Since you’re here, then surely Liu Liu got killed too, huh?”