Chapter 116: Mad Demon

"Although it is not rare to eat people, he is the only one who takes pride in it and is smug about it. Half of the infamy borne by the rebel army is the evil he has committed." Zhao Qinghe continued from where He Yue left off: "After Hong Xiangqian was defeated and killed, Lu Yao gathered the remnants and fled south. They came to County Magistrate Village not because they were just passing through as they claimed, but to rendezvous with two other rebel generals by the side of County Magistrate Lake."

"These two are the Right Flank General Wu Shaoyi and the Hunshui General Pei Xinyong."

He Yue exclaimed in shock: "When is the rendezvous, and how many people are there in total?"

"Around tomorrow afternoon, at Shuangyue Bay. Combined, the three armies will have at least four or five thousand men."

He Lingchuan felt that he and his father were truly unlucky; they had clearly checked the almanac before setting out!

Was that almanac fake? Which black-hearted workshop produced it? Whether they were government troops or rebel parties, routed armies often had weapons but no discipline, burning, killing, and looting along the way; they were even more terrifying than bandits.

Within the next few days, County Magistrate Village would be packed with rebel troops.

Having originally heard that the villagers here were mountain bandits in disguise, the He father and son had held them in contempt. After all, since ancient times, thieves did not fight against officials, not to mention that their own side was numerous and powerful, with elite soldiers and fierce generals.

He Lingchuan had been even more full of ambition due to his previous life-and-death adventures, thinking that he had survived great storms and waves, so what was this little trouble? But now he knew that the other party was a high-ranking rebel officer, the notorious man-eating general! The opponent had 1,400 subordinates, and three times that number of rebel troops would arrive tomorrow.

This was like a fisherman wanting to catch an eel in a river, jumping into the water himself to thrash and pull, even stabbing it a few times with a fish spear, only to realize that the thing wasn't an eel at all, but the tip of a giant boa constrictor's tail!

Was it still too late to shrink back now?

He Lingchuan also saw the expression of the advisor beside his father; it was truly bloodless.

If they fled overnight, what would be the success rate?

He Lingchuan believed that his father's fighting spirit had also been extinguished, and now was the time to start thinking of a way to escape.

The advisor immediately said: "If we go down the mountain now, we might be able to arrive before the rebel reinforcements from Desheng Town reach us."

Zhao Qinghe shook his head: "That fatty confessed that the rebels from Desheng Town have already arrived, about seven hundred of them, and they are currently resting at Shaozi Rock, no more than five miles from here!"

Everyone was shocked and turned pale.

Two hundred rebels plus seven hundred reinforcements meant their numbers were already twice that of the government troops.

The personal guard regiment had over four hundred people, but only a little over three hundred were actual fighting soldiers; the rest were women, children, and logistics personnel, with basically no combat capability. If they really fought the rebels, the government troops would still have to be distracted by protecting them, so it could be said they were at a complete disadvantage.

Lady Ying and Zhu Xiuer also knew things were bad; their faces were as white as paper.

If the government troops were defeated, the fate of women like them... it would be better to just slit their own throats.

Hearing these numbers, He Chunhua instead calmed down: "If Lu Yao has the absolute advantage, why hasn't he started the war yet? He wasn't angry when he encountered Deputy General Zeng's sneak attack by the lake, but instead asked me for peace."

With this hint, He Yue immediately said: "He also wants to preserve his strength!"

"Since they are to rendezvous tomorrow, even if these leaders of the routed army wanted to sit down and drink tea and discuss the Dao in harmony, they would likely still have to determine their standing based on strength. In this situation, Lu Yao would inevitably suffer losses if he engaged our army, which might affect tomorrow's plan, so he has no choice but to swallow his pride."

In other words, the mindsets of He Chunhua's government troops and Lu Yao's rebel army were both very subtle right now.

Both sides wanted to avoid losses.

He Lingchuan glanced at his younger brother. This second son still had a very clever mind.

"Then there is still room to maneuver; it is not a dead end," said the advisor Mo Zhejingxuan, "but Lu Yao's so-called peaceful coexistence will likely only last a few more hours."

"Negotiating peace with him is no different than asking a tiger for its skin," He Chunhua mused. "He doesn't want to make a move tonight because he doesn't want his own strength to be damaged; but when the three armies gather tomorrow, I fear he will unite them to hunt us down!"

What could be more morale-boosting for the rebels than wiping out a unit of government troops?

These routed troops might even believe that they needed a great victory to lay a foundation so that the rendezvous could proceed successfully.

He Lingchuan felt a heavy weight in his heart, feeling as if he had returned to the battlefield in his dream. Was that despair of being surrounded by enemies with no bright future about to be reenacted in reality?

In this small, isolated mountain gully, to win against four or five thousand people with three hundred warriors—even novels wouldn't dare to write that.

When that time truly came, He Chunhua and these three hundred men would be the sacrifices for the rebels to offer to the heavens.

Lady Ying couldn't help but interject: "We can't leave now, and we can't leave tomorrow either, so what should we do?" Were they just to sit and wait for death? The dining hall fell into silence for a moment.

Not leaving meant death, and leaving also meant death; these three or four hundred people had unknowingly fallen into a desperate situation.

If it were said that heaven never closes all doors, where was that glimmer of hope? He Lingchuan remembered the battlefield in his dream; when the final line of defense formed by the carriages was about to be broken, what he felt was not total despair, but rather glory even in death!

They held on until the end and finally waited for that heart-stirring horn.

It was the same now; it was too early to admit defeat, as there were still a few hours until dawn.

Time was money, and they still had a chance to turn the tables.

Seeing everyone sitting blankly in the hall, He Lingchuan coughed lightly and said to He Chunhua: "The disparity in strength is vast; I'm afraid we can't do anything by relying on ourselves. Father, have you considered borrowing outside help?"

"The nearest place, Desheng Town, has already been controlled by the rebels. If we want to borrow troops, we have to go further out to Qianteng Town. I remember there is a Garrison Office of Hebei there, but after the great battle at Woling Pass, I don't know how many garrison soldiers are left inside." He Chunhua took a deep breath. "I will write a letter for help and send someone down the mountain. If we can hold out until tomorrow afternoon, perhaps... there is still hope."

"No... Father, what I mean is, the rebel army isn't a monolith either. Are those two generals surnamed Wu and Pei really that submissive to Lu Yao? Instead of counting on unreliable garrison soldiers down the mountain, why don't we try to use one force to fight the other?" Seeing everyone staring at him expectantly, He Lingchuan gave a dry laugh. "That's all I've thought of for now, pending additions."

"Chuan'er, what you said..." A flash of inspiration struck He Chunhua's heart, and as he thought about it carefully, his eyes grew brighter and brighter. "It makes sense! Yes, it makes a lot of sense!"

He had been confused for a moment, intimidated by the sheer number of rebels, forgetting that two-thirds of them were not Lu Yao's subordinates! Although they were all rebels, there was a huge difference.

He Lingchuan pointing out this logic was like poking a hole in a window paper; it wasn't worth much once said, but it was very useful. Mo Zhejingxuan followed this line of thought and also realized the key: "The army Lu Yao gathered has 1,400 men, yet he only brought two hundred to County Magistrate Village, leaving the rest in the town. Why? Because this village cannot afford to support so many people!"

(End of chapter)