Chapter 118: The Third Troop

This father of mine is truly unwilling to submit to mediocrity.

The Kite Kingdom is currently in a state of chaos, and in these remote areas, many minor officials have no grand ambitions at all, passing their days just waiting to die. As the saying goes, "Hide in a small tower to find unity, who cares about the spring, summer, autumn, or winter."

Once upon a time, this was his own wish too, He Lingchuan sighed to himself; why, then, did he keep drifting further and further away from it?

He Chunhua threw down his brush, and someone immediately stepped forward to take what he had just written. The next steps would have to be carried out by agile scouts.

He Chunhua could not help but pat his eldest son’s shoulder again, praising him: "Chuan'er, today it was your words that woke the dreamer. Very good, very good!"

He Lingchuan laughed along, added a few polite remarks, and said that he was satisfied to be able to help his father.

*Sigh*, wasn't it because the situation was urgent and disaster was imminent that he had no choice but to stop hiding his talents? "Look, even though the water spirit's divination indicates it, I reckon it should be happening right about now," He Chunhua added. "If we work together to get through this, everything will turn for the better, and the so-called calamitous situation you mentioned will shatter accordingly!"

He Lingchuan’s smile did not fade: "I think so too."

Is it really that simple? What about that saying, "The dove occupies the magpie's nest"—could it mean that fierce bandits have seized the mountain village and are posing as villagers? He Chunhua turned to go find his subordinates for consultation; time was precious now, and he had to race against the clock.

He Yue also walked over and said to his elder brother: "Well done."

He Lingchuan asked him: "By the way, what was that commotion by the lake earlier?"

"It was nothing," He Yue exhaled. "I triggered the chaotic battle by the lake tonight, which caused us to miss a golden opportunity, and now we have to go back and fix it."

"So it was you, kid!" He Lingchuan had been wondering; his father was always steady and would surely plan before acting, so how could he have rashly attacked Lu Yao?

"I was too impatient!" He Yue said, feeling ashamed.

"Now that’s more like a little brat." He Yue was mature for his age, and He Lingchuan always forgot that he was only fourteen.

Fourteen—it was practically a synonym for being frivolous, rash, and rebellious. That he only committed such errors occasionally already made him quite excellent.

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The west side of Mount Lingshan.

Wu Shaoyi followed behind the guide with a straight face, occasionally looking back at the long dragon of torches behind him.

Originally, they had already set up camp at the foot of the mountain, preparing to rest well and cross the mountain tomorrow. Who would have known that that fellow Lu Yao would actually send a guide to lead the way overnight, saying he wanted to invite them to a "Full Fish Feast." His exact words were: "Fresh fish must be eaten fresh; if you leave it to be fried, grilled, or stewed until tomorrow morning, it won't be fresh anymore."

The key was that the guide had practically shouted this, and the forty or fifty people in front of and behind the tents had all heard it. The remnants Wu Shaoyi had gathered numbered 1,100. The uprising had failed, and everyone was already dejected. Wu Shaoyi had been restraining them along the way from looting, and there was already dissatisfaction in the army. His subordinates had all advised General Wu to stop caring, asking what harm there was in indulging the troops once or twice. For the sake of safety, Wu Shaoyi had stubbornly refused. This time, when Lu Yao’s guide shouted the words "Full Fish Feast," the soldiers’ eyes turned green. One had to know that in the past ten days, they hadn't even been able to eat mixed rice. The leaders could still manage some hardtack to get by, but the lowest-ranking soldiers could only dig for wild herbs and gnaw on mushrooms; at least seven or eight had died from eating poisonous mushrooms by mistake.

Seeing them swallowing their saliva, Wu Shaoyi knew it was best not to say "no" this time.

And so, they headed up the mountain overnight.

Furthermore, the guide also told Wu Shaoyi that Pei Xinyong’s troops were also heading up the mountain.

Wu Shaoyi naturally could not believe it lightly, but Pei Xinyong’s army was on the other side of the mountain. He sent scouts to inquire, and the answer he received was affirmative—

Long before the Holy Master started the uprising, Wu Shaoyi and Pei Xinyong had a bond of comradeship and had even saved each other’s lives; their friendship was quite good. Since Pei Xinyong was also going up the mountain, this stable triangular structure had not been broken.

After thinking it over, Wu Shaoyi waved his hand, and they entered the village overnight!

Thinking of the good wine and fish on the mountain, the entire army’s pace quickened significantly. Wu Shaoyi’s strategist was also uneasy and asked the guide again: "Lu Yao asked us to come up the mountain overnight just to eat, with no other reason?"

The guide laughed: "Look at what you're saying. County Magistrate Village is a village the size of a fingernail, and it's deep in the mountains; what other reason could there be? Could it be that there are ruins of a cave dwelling there?"

Wu Shaoyi thought about it, and that made sense, so he said no more and focused on the journey.

In the pitch-black mountain forest, the cries of night owls and wild wolves rose and fell.

The further Wu Shaoyi walked, the more uneasy he felt. Tonight there was neither star nor moon, and one couldn't even see one's fingers in the mountain forest; they could only rely on torches for light.

A dark night with a high wind, a night for killing—isn't that exactly what this describes? If there were an ambush in such a mountain forest, it would be extremely difficult to deal with.

Just then, a group of night birds was startled into flight behind them, among them crows cawing at the top of their lungs, making one's scalp tighten.

Everyone subconsciously turned their heads, not expecting an arrow to shoot out from the dark forest ahead, pinning itself with a "thud" into a birch trunk two zhang away from Wu Shaoyi! His personal guards lunged forward, surrounding Wu Shaoyi in the middle while shouting: "Enemy attack!"

The army drew their weapons and stood in battle formation.

Wu Shaoyi, however, waved his hand and said: "Take the arrow down."

Under the illumination of the torches, he could see a strip of red silk tied to the tail of the arrow.

A message delivered by arrow.

In the middle of the night, who would be lurking in the mountain forest? Who knew that Wu Shaoyi’s army was heading up here?

For a long while, the mountain forest remained silent; no other enemies or hidden arrows flew out. Wu Shaoyi sent his men into the forest to investigate, and they soon returned empty-handed.

Wu was not surprised by this result; he only told his personal guards to spread out the red silk and use a torch to illuminate it for him to see.

He didn't know until he looked; there were only three sparse lines on the red silk, and every word made his heart jump with fear:

Lu Yao has surrendered and is leading government troops to set an ambush in County Magistrate Village; another seven hundred men are lying in wait below Shaozi Rock.

The night was deep and the dew heavy; only then did Wu Shaoyi feel that every breath he drew into his lungs was cold.

Has Lu Yao surrendered to the Imperial Court?

The strategist leaned over and also saw the three lines of small characters, shocked to the point of exchanging glances with him; both saw the astonishment in the other's eyes.

Wu Shaoyi asked him in a low voice: "Is it possible? He has a notorious reputation, and the Imperial Court army clearly hates him to the bone."

The strategist quickly calmed down, knowing that his boss needed his professional judgment at this critical moment. He thought for a moment and said cautiously: "If he turns his spear against us, the Imperial Court would also be happy to see it happen, and might even promise him official titles and wealth. You also know that Lu Yao never intended to remain a bandit; perhaps the two sides hit it off immediately."

"I have always heard that he still wanted to lead troops to rise again."

"That would also require building up strength first," the strategist analyzed. "Being a lackey for the Imperial Court is better than being a... better than being a homeless wanderer, hiding from the government."

He almost said "stray dog," but then realized that wasn't right—General Wu was currently in the same situation.

Wu Shaoyi certainly understood, and his face showed displeasure. So the strategist quickly added: "Verification is not difficult."

He pointed to the small characters on the red silk: "Send someone to Shaozi Rock first, and it can be verified."

(End of chapter)