Chapter 783: Deliberating the Direction

"Wuwuwu, I'm so scared..."

The dry ground was covered with kneeling people from the Little Yuan Camp. In the battle at Kang River, Yuan Shizhong's "hundred-thousand-strong" army had been shattered in a single charge. Women, children, the old and weak had fled everywhere, and when the Chuang army shouted "Those who surrender will not be killed," outside Suizhou city, the surrendering people knelt down in swaths.

Old Hu was among the kneeling crowd, and Kong San, Batiao, and the other men from Daan Stronghold were also prostrated behind and around him. Fortunately, Kong San's usual training of the Mountain Patrol Army had been strict, so during the great rout not long before, most of them still knew to flee together.

Old Hu, being a man of loyalty, had even brought Batiao back to rendezvous with Kong San and the others. Thus, of their total force of two thousand, they still had fifteen hundred around them. The missing five hundred were mostly infantry, plus some cavalry; in the chaos, no one knew where they had fled, and it would likely be hard to find them again in the days to come.

Watching the Chuang soldiers around them, still galloping their horses with surging killing intent, their hooves clattering on the ground, and faint screams drifting over — clearly, those unwilling to surrender were being hunted down and killed one by one — not only was Old Hu terrified, but many of the Mountain Patrol Army men beside him also wore dazed expressions, and some had even broken down in tears.

The Chuang bandits were too terrifying, their firearms were too terrifying. Compared to them, their own bird gun unit was truly like heaven and earth. Who knew where the Chuang bandits got so many crack bird gun soldiers, and those bird guns of theirs...

Behind him, several young men from the bird gun unit were weeping, heartbroken over the deaths and injuries of their comrades. The scene just now had been a nightmare for them: a row of guns fired from the opposite side, and the men beside them had toppled one after another. One young lad in particular was crying so hard that tears and snot streamed down his face.

Old Hu felt terrible inside too. He had thought that joining the Little Yuan Camp would earn him a position of importance. Who could have known that the Little Yuan Camp, which he had seen as a colossal entity, would be destroyed in the blink of an eye? In this chaotic world, there truly was no guarantee at all; no one could say for sure they would survive.

It was laughable that he had once dreamed of lording it over Daan Stronghold. And it was fortunate that this time the Chuang army had attacked the Little Yuan Camp. Had they attacked the Mountain Patrol Army, he feared not even his ashes would be left.

Hearing the young lad behind him crying his heart out, he cursed angrily, turned around, and smacked him hard on the head: "What the hell are you crying for... you're annoying me to death... Don't worry, with this Stronghold Master here, I'll definitely keep all the brothers safe..."

The young lad said between sobs: "Big Stronghold Master, I don't want to die... Just a few days ago, the stronghold masters found me a wife. That day I... I shared the bridal chamber with her. She must be with child... If I'm gone, what will happen to her and the child?"

Old Hu cursed: "With child my ass. You think you're some crack shot, one shot and you hit the mark? Cry again, and I'll hack you to pieces..."

Kong San also said in a low, harsh voice: "All of you shut your mouths... Our troops are still largely intact. Barring accidents, the Chuang camp will certainly offer amnesty and recruitment. Nothing will happen..."

As he spoke, Kong San glanced thoughtfully at the group of Chuang soldiers standing guard with their guns at the ready.

At that moment, several Chuang riders suddenly galloped over, each shouting loudly: "By order of the Rear Battalion General of the Changyi Prefecture, all surrendered troops are to proceed to the South Pass!"

The dense mass of people moved toward the South Pass, surrounded on all sides by galloping Chuang riders and gun soldiers escorting them with firearms in hand. Their gazes were stern; at the slightest sign of trouble, they would likely open fire to suppress it immediately.

When they reached the front of the South Pass, the surrendered troops here formed a vast sea of people, densely packed — who knew how many tens of thousands had gathered. Of course, these so-called surrendered troops had no combat capability whatsoever. Most were either famine refugees or women and children. Even those who looked like cavalry or infantry stood obediently.

The Chuang army had not yet confiscated their horses and weapons. In the operations of the various roving bandit camps, they generally only dealt with the leaders of each faction and would not touch the rank and file, much less break up their formations.

Not to mention clan prestige and the origins of local accents from various regions — where would they even find so many qualified low-level officers and an effective grassroots organization? The original large and small leaders who had surrendered would continue to command their troops. This was also why Old Hu, Kong San, and the others still had some confidence in their hearts.

When they arrived at this spot, they saw squad after squad of fierce Chuang soldiers standing solemnly, some with hands on their sabers, others holding guns. There were also two large banners bearing the characters "Li" and "Yang." Beneath the banners, no one knew from where, two large tiger-skin chairs had been brought, and two young officers sat in them.

One was more composed, his gaze cold and piercing as he looked at the crowd. The other was slouching carelessly, one leg crossed over the other, idly swinging the horsewhip in his hand. Behind the two generals stood many ferocious-looking commanders.

Kong San kept his head lowered, but from the corner of his eyes, he paid close attention to the more composed Chuang general and those gun-wielding Chuang soldiers. Old Hu, meanwhile, stole glances at the carefree Chuang general, thinking: "Could this man be Li Guo, Li Chuang's nephew? And who is the other one?"

Seeing that everyone seemed to have arrived, Li Guo said lazily: "I hear the Little Yuan Camp currently has fifteen Household Heads? All of you, step forward on your own. If I have to drag you out, then things will get serious."

The surrendered men looked at each other, especially those of leader rank. Old Hu glanced at Kong San. Kong San nodded slightly. Old Hu gritted his teeth and stepped forward, with Kong San behind him. Batiao also clenched his fists and followed closely behind the two.

Old Hu glanced at Batiao and thought: "A true brother indeed — sharing fortune and sharing hardship alike."

Most of the Little Yuan Camp's Household Heads were here; it seemed only a few had fled. Perhaps they didn't think much of it — at worst, they'd just switch masters. If they didn't follow Yuan Shizhong, they could surrender to the Chuang camp and live the same way, preserving their wealth and status.

Of course, with their hearts full of anxiety, no one spoke. Old Hu had originally wanted to flatter Li Guo with a few words, but a wave of fear surged up in his heart, and he couldn't say anything at all.

Li Guo swept a seemingly disdainful glance over Old Hu and the other big underlings, then waved a hand: "Bring them up."

Immediately, sounds of struggling and cursing came over, and then Yuan Shizhong, covered in blood and filth, along with the Third Household Head, the Fifth Household Head, the Seventh Household Head, and others, were dragged up struggling. It seemed none of these core members of the Little Yuan Camp, Yuan Shizhong's trusted confidants, had escaped.

This also showed the ferocity of these Chuang riders. These several major Household Heads had gathered most of the Little Yuan Camp's cavalry, yet even the various high and low ranking core leaders had all been captured.

They were brought up bound tightly with ropes. Yuan Shizhong, in particular, was forced to kneel in utter humiliation at Li Guo's feet.

Li Guo laughed heartily. Wearing his riding boot, he planted his right foot straight onto the right side of Yuan Shizhong's face, grinding his head ruthlessly into the dirt. Yuan Shizhong struggled, making muffled sounds, the veins on his face bulging, his eyes wide with fury, yet he could not escape the humiliation of being trampled.

Li Guo's right foot pressed down harder and harder. Yuan Shizhong's eyes bulged; blood kept gushing from his mouth and nose, mixing with the mud on his face, making him look utterly terrifying.

Li Guo trampled him with a savage grin, his boot slowly twisting. Yuan Shizhong's struggles grew more violent. It seemed that even from here, Old Hu could hear the sound of his facial bones cracking.

Watching this scene, whether Old Hu, the various Household Heads, or the common underlings below, everyone's heart trembled with fear. The crowd further thought: "Will the Old Household Head just be trampled to death like this?"

Fortunately, Li Guo eventually lifted his foot. He spat contemptuously on Yuan Shizhong and said: "You filthy wretch. You dared to oppose the Chuang King? Don't worry, I won't kill you now. I'm going to take you back to Xiangyang and have you sliced to death by a thousand cuts!"

He burst into loud laughter. The Chuang army commanders behind him also laughed uproariously, leaving only Yuan Shizhong's muffled, indistinct curses on the ground.

Li Guo leaned back comfortably into his large chair again and said with a beaming smile: "Yuan Shizhong opposed the Chuang King and has now been destroyed by my Changyi Prefecture. But the Chuang King is benevolent and righteous; he pursues only the chief culprit and does not blame the rest. All who are willing to surrender can be incorporated into our Chuang camp. Who among you is willing to surrender?"

The crowd looked at each other. Although everyone wanted to surrender — as long as they could live, they were willing to do anything — betraying their master under the public gaze was not something that would earn a good reputation. They looked at one another, just wanting someone to take the lead.

Kong San secretly nudged Old Hu. Old Hu gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and said with a bowing and scraping manner: "This humble one has long heard of the Chuang King's name. This humble one is willing to lead his subordinate troops, abandon darkness for light, and follow the General into battle!"

Several gazes fell on Old Hu's face, making it burn with shame. To be honest, Yuan Shizhong had not wronged him; on the contrary, he had valued him greatly. Speaking these words made Old Hu's conscience slightly uneasy.

Li Guo, however, was very pleased and said loudly: "Good. A man who recognizes the times is a hero. What is your name?"

Old Hu bowed and scraped: "This humble one's surname is Hu. I was formerly the Fifteenth Household Head under the traitor Yuan. Oh, I just defected to him two days ago... In the jianghu, they also gave me a bandit nickname, 'Earth-Trampling Dragon.' Heh heh, it's laughable and not worth mentioning..."

Li Guo roared with laughter: "Earth-Trampling Dragon?"

The commanders beside him also broke into laughter. Even Yang Shaofan, who had been sitting quietly the whole time, cast a faint glance at Old Hu.

Yuan Shizhong strained with all his might to look toward Old Hu, his eyes filled with bitter hatred. This vile man — he had treated him so well, and yet he...

Beside him, a rough and stout man bound tightly in ropes — it was the Seventh Household Head — his face ashen, shouted curses: "You shameless Hu! The Old Household Head treated you generously. When you first defected here, he... ah..."

But Li Guo waved his hand, and several personal guards drew their waist sabers and hacked down at the Seventh Household Head's head and face. The Seventh Household Head was immediately chopped to the ground. Under the rain of blades, blood gushed from him like a fountain. Even as he screamed in agony, he continued to curse furiously.

More Chuang soldiers drew their blades and joined the chaotic hacking. Finally, the Seventh Household Head went still. He lay in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open, his face still bearing an expression of rage.

As if with a thunderous crash, the various Household Heads of the Little Yuan Camp and the mass of surrendered troops below all began clamoring: "This humble one is willing to surrender, this humble one is willing to surrender..."

"We have long heard of the righteous army's name. It was all the villain Yuan Shizhong who obstructed us..."

"Master Hu understands the greater good. We are willing to follow his example."

Li Guo sneered contemptuously. He waved his hand again, and before the eyes of the surrendered troops, the Third Household Head, the Fifth Household Head, and the others were all beheaded. Even though they cried and begged to surrender, they were beheaded all the same. Watching this, the men below turned even paler, their legs trembling.

As for Yuan Shizhong, under the combined assault of anger, hatred, and terror, he had already fainted dead away.

Having done all this, Li Guo acted as if nothing had happened. He seemed quite interested in Old Hu and patted him on the shoulder: "Earth-Trampling Dragon? Haha, very interesting..."

Old Hu was taller and sturdier than him. Seeing the pat on his shoulder, he quickly stooped down to make it easier for him to pat. Li Guo smiled approvingly: "Not bad, you have a future."

He looked at the men of the Mountain Patrol Army, a flash of surprise in his eyes: "Wouldn't have guessed it, Earth-Trampling Dragon. You look every bit the bandit, yet you've trained a fine body of troops..."

Old Hu was just nodding and bowing with a smile. Hearing this, he froze, his expression awkward with a hint of irritation — calling him a bandit again... Yang Shaofan, now following behind Li Guo, looked at the bird gun soldiers among the Mountain Patrol Army crowd, and at their bird guns, his gaze flickering.

Several days later, the Little Yuan Camp was fully absorbed by Li Guo. Because several core household heads had died, their troops were now led by the remaining household heads, and quite a few were assigned under Old Hu’s command. He now had a thousand cavalry, three thousand infantry, and ten thousand starving refugees — his military strength had suddenly ballooned.

Because of Suizhou’s importance, Li Guo appointed one of the original Little Yuan Camp leaders to hold the city, giving him the military rank of Commandant. The former Little Yuan Camp vanished like smoke. Da’an Stronghold was absorbed into the Chuang Camp’s sphere of influence; Huang Weijie, left to hold it, was given the military rank of Mobile Corps Commander. Above the stronghold, the great banner with the character “Chuang” now fluttered.

Two more days later, Li Guo and Yang Shaofan escorted Yuan Shizhong back to headquarters in triumph. Old Hu and Kong San, leading their newly acquired forces, also followed them to Huguang. From that moment on, the fates of Old Hu, Kong San, and Huang Weijie diverged. The world shifts and changes, and they were no longer masters of their own destinies.

……

Mid-third month, Xiangyang, the Changyi residence.

After Li Zicheng occupied Xiangyang, he renamed Xiangyang to Xiangjing, renamed Chengtian Prefecture to Yangwu Department, and began extensive renovations on the Prince of Xiang’s palace. However, every palace hall he built collapsed.

At the beginning of the third month, Li Zicheng shifted his camp to Dengzhou and sent more troops to attack Yunyang, but was defeated by government forces. He then retreated back to Xiangyang and discussed with the gathered bandit leaders where to go next. (To be continued…)

〖∷Fast Updates∷∷Plain Text∷〗