Chapter 781: Lucky Star

Kong San said, "It is time to go join Little Yuan's camp."

Old Hu's hand, dancing his horsewhip, stopped. After a long while, he said, "Why go join Little Yuan's camp? Aren't things fine right now? Our stronghold originally had over three thousand people, and now we have even more men and horses. We could easily do great things on our own right here at Da'an Stronghold. Why go live under someone else's nose?"

Kong San shot him a glance, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes. "Fortress Master Hu, have you really grown addicted to being a bandit? Don't forget what our mission is! Without the Intelligence Division's support, could Da'an Stronghold have reached its current state?"

Huang Weijie also shook his head. "The stronghold may seem to be on a good trend right now, but it's actually just an illusion — one could even say dangers lurk on every side. 'Arrow' Potian is only a minor player. Never mind all of Henan — even just within Kaifeng Prefecture, how many bandit chiefs like 'Arrow' Potian are there? Can we fight them all?"

He said, "Today's commotion will surely spread in all directions, drawing even more attention. For one, Little Yuan's camp over in Suizhou will definitely take notice of us. What will they think — 'How can one allow another to sleep soundly beside one's own couch,' or will they try to recruit us? These are all things we must consider."

He said, "Not to mention if Little Yuan's camp attacks — even if we run into a slightly larger band of roving bandits, our stronghold will face total destruction, beaten back to its original form in an instant. It's time to find a backer. According to the plan, Little Yuan's camp is the first choice."

Kong San said, "And there's no time to lose. We already have intelligence that not long ago the Chuang bandits set up a commandant in Fugou County, which means the Chuang bandits' influence has already extended into Kaifeng Prefecture. Our forces aren't yet enough for the Chuang bandits to take seriously. We must infiltrate Little Yuan's camp and find an opportunity to pull some troops over to our side."

He said calmly, "In this land of Henan, there is no longer any paradise. Everything at our Da'an Stronghold is also an illusion. Only by exterminating all the roving bandits will the world finally see peace!"

A fanatical look flashed through his eyes. "This realm is already sick beyond cure. Only the Grand General can save it. But for now, our Protectorate lacks the strength. We must quietly await the moment, wait for the day the Grand General finally launches his campaign."

Huang Weijie nodded forcefully, his expression full of yearning. Old Hu raised both hands and said in rapid succession, "Alright, alright, you two sirs — I'll call you my fathers, okay? No more grand principles with me. The moment you start, old Hu here gets a headache. Whatever you say, I'll do. Happy now?"

Kong San punched him. "You rascal, always the slick tongue!"

Huang Weijie also smiled. Old Hu let out a simple, silly laugh. Truth be told, aside from their lecturing, the two treated him quite well in every other respect — they even let him, Hu Tiande, be the Grand Fortress Master. They truly kept faith.

He made up his mind: no matter what status he held in the future, no matter how well he fared in Little Yuan's camp or among the Chuang army, those two would forever be his Second Fortress Master and Third Fortress Master, handling his troop training and logistics, while he freed his hands to lead the brothers in glorious battle.

Watching the three fortress masters fooling around up ahead, the mountain patrol troops behind them exchanged smiles. Among the three fortress masters, most actually liked the Grand Fortress Master best. But the Second Fortress Master and Third Fortress Master were also indispensable. The Second Fortress Master trained fine soldiers — that was why the brothers could win battles so often.

The Third Fortress Master had far-reaching connections and handled the stronghold's supplies — that was why the brothers never lacked clothing or food and could go to war without worries behind them.

They bustled back to their stronghold. Da'an Stronghold bordered the Guo River closely on its western side, with a pontoon bridge spanning the river. In an emergency, this pontoon bridge could be withdrawn, ensuring safety on the western side. What needed attention were the other sides.

But even this was only a defense against small bands of bandits. If tens of thousands or over a hundred thousand starving refugees came swarming in to attack, no stronghold could possibly hold.

As soon as the troops reached the riverbank, the sentries spotted them at once. Brass gongs clanged loudly, and then men and women, young and old, poured out of the stronghold to welcome them, a chorus of joyful voices rising...

Three days later, the three men stood atop the stronghold wall at the western gate. Though the stronghold was large, its outward appearance was actually quite dilapidated. The southeast and northeast corners both had collapsed sections, blocked up with tree trunks fashioned into chevaux-de-frise, abatis, and the like. East of the stronghold stood an ancient temple, now reduced to nothing but crumbling walls.

Apart from the one gate opened on the western side, all other gates and walls were likewise blocked up — a measure taken for security and defense. As for the open ground around the stronghold, except for the side facing the river to the west, it was likewise dug full of pits and hollows all around. The number of large and small pits was such that unless a bandit force of over ten thousand attacked the stronghold, just filling in these pits would exhaust them to death.

The wild grass on the flat ground around the stronghold had also been completely burned away. If any bandits crept close, or any large group passed by, the lookouts on the stronghold wall could see them clearly and sound the alarm at once.

Henan had already boiled over into utter chaos. Frequent natural and man-made disasters, war after war, had created countless bands of starving refugees and displaced people. They trudged everywhere, leaving corpses along the roads as they went, their hunger-reddened eyes wide open as they scavenged and searched for anything that could be eaten or drunk.

In chaotic times, the most terrifying thing was still people — especially people with hunger-reddened eyes. A relatively stable stronghold like this had always been a target that starving refugees clamored to attack. Given Da'an Stronghold's military strength, if more than five thousand refugees passed nearby, they dared not let down their guard carelessly.

If over ten thousand refugees passed and their leader opened his mouth to "borrow grain," it was better to give them a little grain to send them on their way — just send them off. Otherwise, if a dark mass of refugees surrounded the stronghold, never mind whether they could attack and take it — the people inside the stronghold wouldn't be able to carry out any activities at all, and everything outside the stronghold would be destroyed by them.

From the founding of Da'an Stronghold to the present, large-scale sieges by starving refugees had happened more than once or twice. Some of the collapsed sections of the stronghold wall were their doing. Near the ancient temple east of the stronghold, there was also a large stretch of unmarked graves. Every night, will-o'-the-wisps flickered and drifted there, eerie and terrifying.

Yet what made the three men proud was that in this stretch of Tongxu, Da'an Stronghold could be considered a land of paradise.

Though the people in the stronghold wore tattered, ragged clothes, at least no one had starved to death. Inside the stronghold, the clanging of iron forging rang out everywhere, full of vitality. Along the river on the western side, they had planted quite a bit of wheat, as well as beans and some vegetables.

The current situation at Da'an Stronghold was this: the able-bodied men went out to fight and plunder, while the women and the old and weak farmed the land, forged weapons, and so on.

Yet apart from weapon forging, the stronghold's main income actually still came from the mountain patrol troops going out to battle. Although there was an abundance of farmland around Da'an Stronghold, did they dare plant it?

Looking out, the surrounding land was all vast plains — no shortage of fertile fields. But setting aside the county seat twenty li to the west, within several dozen li to the east, south, and north, were there any villages still alive? And how many large and small villages had originally filled this area? Lands where the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs could be heard from one to the next — all had become ruins.

Wave after wave of refugees drifted everywhere. Every month, Da'an Stronghold's line of sight could spot several waves. Those who dared stop to farm the land, without a high-walled fortress to rely on — there was only a dead end for them.

So even with Da'an Stronghold's military strength, they only dared plant a little grain near the stronghold. Any farther, no matter how fine the fields, they had to be abandoned.

Gazing at the desolate land and listening to the laughter and bustle inside the stronghold, mixed with the sounds of children at play — even carefree Old Hu felt a heavy sense of precariousness, afraid that one day the stronghold would be overrun and all his life's work would be lost.

"Doesn't it feel like Henan nowadays rather resembles the end of the Han dynasty? The big fish eat the little fish. Every side attacks and fights it out — until the final victor emerges, and only then will this land truly see peace?"

Huang Weijie suddenly murmured.

Old Hu grew interested. "You mean the great heroes Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Quan?"

Kong San gave a cold laugh. "Heroes? Perhaps. But they fought and fought, and in the end, they fought until not one in ten of the realm's population survived. The Han people's vitality was gravely wounded, and in the end, the Five Barbarians profited. A single general's glory is built on ten thousand bleached bones. The general may bask in glory, but who knows what thoughts the bleached bones on the graveyard might have."

Old Hu grunted. "Seems like having too many capable people under heaven isn't necessarily a good thing. If there had only been one Cao Cao, or just Liu Bei or Sun Quan, maybe it wouldn't have been so tragic... Of course, for the storytellers of later ages, that's a good thing. The more people die and the more tragic it is, the more tea-drinkers they attract, and the more tips they get. Haha..."

They descended from the stronghold wall and walked on, all the way out the stronghold gate, with Batiao and the other personal guards following at a distance. Old Hu's disgruntled voice rang out again. "...I'm telling you, what's wrong with this old master taking a fortress-wife? Even the lowliest soldiers in the mountain patrol troops have a woman to warm their beds. We, as the Grand Fortress Masters, have to take care of ourselves — does that make any sense?"

A few days earlier, after returning to the stronghold, they had distributed rewards based on merit. The captured women had been divided up among the various parties, and quite a few remained — all put to use as "business" resources. By now, basically every common soldier had a wife, and only the three fortress masters were still bachelors.

The subordinates were moved, thinking how rare it was to find fortress masters who thought so much of their brothers, always giving the brothers first pick of the good food, good drink, and good fun. Old Hu, however, was dissatisfied. As the Grand Fortress Master, he didn't even have a single fortress-wife — it was truly a loss of face.

Kong San looked at him sideways. "What, forgotten the younger siblings back home? Want to put down roots and sprout in Henan? We really shouldn't have let you come to Henan in the first place. Looks like you're having so much fun you've forgotten home."

"Grand Fortress Master, Second Fortress Master, Third Fortress Master..."

A group of women, their clothes as tattered as hemp sacks, came laughing and chattering from the direction of the river, with some children hopping and playing around them. As they passed by Old Hu and the others, they all greeted them respectfully. The Grand Fortress Master and the others were truly good men. That they could survive and live in Da'an Stronghold was their own good fortune.

Old Hu puffed out his chest and stuck out his belly. He clasped his hands behind his back and responded to the women's greetings with dignified authority. "Mm."

He straightened his face and, under the women's curious gazes, barked at Kong San, "The Xiongnu are not yet vanquished — why speak of home? Master Kong, you urge me to take wives and concubines — this is truly improper... Though there are quite a few women left in the stronghold, they are goods for trade. How could this fortress master break the rules? Do not bring this matter up again!"

With a flick of his sleeve and an angry snort, he strode off.

Kong San and Huang Weijie looked at each other, and both shook their heads in unison.

Another three days later, it was already the third month. The several hundred remaining captive women and children had also been "sold," exchanged for a batch of iron tools, gunpowder, and a portion of grain. Kong San again raised the matter of joining Little Yuan's camp, believing the time had come.

The three sat in discussion. Now their Da'an Stronghold had nearly five hundred horse troops and fifteen hundred infantry. Such a massive force — when they went to join Little Yuan's camp, they would surely be highly valued, just the right opportunity to develop within that camp.

Old Hu frowned. "What about the stronghold? If we take all the troops, what happens to the people left behind?"

He could not forget his glory days at Da'an Stronghold, nor all the painstaking effort he had poured into it. To give it up was unbearable.

Kong San said, "Of course we keep the stronghold! Our plan is to leave a hundred cavalry in the stronghold, plus five hundred infantry. For purely defending the stronghold, that's enough."

He said, "The hundred cavalry under 'Arrow' Potian who recently surrendered, and the five hundred captured men — we take all of them with us. These people are unstable elements and cannot be left inside Da'an Stronghold. But taking them along to join Little Yuan's camp will boost our momentum and presence."

Old Hu mused, "So that means we'll be taking nearly four hundred horse troops and fifteen hundred infantry. Mm, not bad."

He said, "But the stronghold still needs someone to stay and guard it, right?"

Huang Weijie said, "I will stay in the stronghold, forge weapons for you, gather supplies — serve as your family home. I'll also give the wives and children of the mountain patrol troops a place of refuge. You will serve as the stronghold's external support. If anything happens, you can also pull troops from Little Yuan's camp to come reinforce us."

Kong San said, "One squad of the bird-gun team will stay behind for now. I plan to train two more bird-gun squads from the remaining personnel. Then the bird-gun squad you take with you can be mounted on horses."

And so it was decided. The three fortress masters began pondering how to make contact with Little Yuan's camp.

That Yuan Shizhong was originally from Hua County. In the thirteenth year of Chongzhen he gathered a crowd in Kaizhou and started a "rebellion." In the fourteenth year he crossed the Yellow River and shifted his operations to Henan, South Zhili, and other places. His mobility was extremely high, and his troop numbers fluctuated wildly — sometimes tens of thousands, sometimes a hundred thousand, sometimes two hundred thousand.

At present he was basically hovering around Guide Prefecture and Haozhou in South Zhili, and especially now he was using Suizhou as his main camp.

This Yuan Shizhong could be considered a legendary figure among the roving bandits. His discipline was quite good. He did not kill indiscriminately. A contemporary record states: "The Kaizhou bandit Yuan Shizhong crossed the river south from Kaocheng and came and went between Liang and Song, killing no one. He did not plunder women, a rarity among the bandit gangs."

It was said that Yuan Shizhong, inspired by the Xian Camp, was currently interested in accepting amnesty and was already making eyes at the Prefect of Guide Prefecture.

Kong San and the others had already obtained intelligence that Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo of the Xian Camp had already surrendered to the Fengyang Viceroy Ma Shiying. The imperial court was overjoyed and appointed Sun Kewang as Regional Commander of Shouzhou and Li Dingguo as Vice Regional Commander. Liu Liangzuo, originally stationed in Shouzhou, was transferred to Xuzhou as Regional Commander. Yuan Shizhong could not help but be tempted.

Moreover, they heard that Yuan Shizhong was a forthright man with a generous and tolerant character. Joining the Little Yuan Camp seemed at present to be a good move.

The three were just pondering how to defect when they suddenly heard a personal guard outside the hall report that a group of people wearing half-blue, half-red felt hats had come to the stockade. They asked the leader and found he was a messenger from the Little Yuan Camp.

The three looked at each other and rejoiced — truly, a pillow had arrived just as they felt drowsy.

It turned out that after the Mountain Patrol Army defeated "Arrow Pierces the Sky," their fame spread far and wide, and even Yuan Shizhong in Suizhou had heard of their reputation and felt the urge to recruit them.

One was a willing gentleman, the other a willing lady; the two sides naturally and smoothly hooked up...

Suizhou was a famous city west of Guide Prefecture. In the early Ming it belonged to Kaifeng Prefecture; in the twenty-fourth year of Jiajing, in the sixth month, it was assigned to Guide Prefecture. To the south were the You Temple Pagoda and the Shengshou Temple Pagoda, to the west the Worthy Shrine, and to the southeast Yuan Family Mountain — villas, ponds and woods, hillside pavilions winding for over ten li, with famous flowers and beautiful rocks, the ultimate splendor of the age, said to have been built by Yuan Keli, Minister of War.

Although this city was important, because roving bandits and rebel civilians had swept back and forth through it, it had long since been emptied. When the Little Yuan Camp occupied Suizhou, it was an empty city with no one to defend it, its walls collapsed everywhere — taking it could be described as effortless.

Yuan Shizhong's troops claimed a hundred thousand. The various roving bandits lived among the streets and alleys, and for a time the city appeared quite bustling; those who did not know better would think this city was flourishing. In fact, because there were too many famine-stricken dependents to live inside the city, the You Temple, the Worthy Shrine, Yuan Family Mountain, and other places outside the city were all packed with people from the Little Yuan Camp.

Their insignia was that all males wore half-blue, half-red hats.

On the fifth day of the third month, when Old Hu and Kong San arrived before Suizhou City with their two thousand horse and foot soldiers, they saw people everywhere in chaos — some shouting and yelling, some cursing and grumbling. Apart from the uniform hats, their equipment and clothing were all a motley mess, and many were even brandishing dung forks, iron rakes, and the like.

Looking at his own subordinates, each man at least had a long spear. Thinking of this, a sense of superiority welled up spontaneously in Old Hu's heart.

And according to the intelligence Kong San had passed to him, although the Little Yuan Camp's troops were numerous, its core was no more than four thousand cavalry, plus perhaps ten thousand men who could be called infantry. The rest were the old, the weak, women, and children — unfit for battle.

Therefore, Yuan Shizhong attached great importance to their defecting force, which had a full four hundred cavalry. Sure enough, he personally led his major and minor chieftains out of the city to welcome them.

That Yuan Shizhong had a head of disheveled hair, a darkly tanned face, and clothes in complete disarray. With his coarse hands and large feet, he looked just like an ordinary old farmer.

He came up laughing heartily to greet them, speaking in a thick local Hua County dialect, extremely enthusiastic: "Just yesterday we smashed Liu Chao, and today Brother Hu comes to join us — truly a lucky star. Brother Hu, rest assured, as long as I have a bite to eat, the Mountain Patrol Army will not lack for food or clothing..."

The earth trembled. Just at that moment, within Fugou territory heading straight toward Suizhou, fierce cavalry surged across the plain like a violent storm. The riders mounted on those horses all wore uniform felt hats and uniform cotton armor, every one of them fierce in bearing and skilled in horsemanship. The great banners bearing the character "Chuang" streamed in a vast expanse.

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