Chapter 72: The Cizhou Bandits

"General, the other side sent word that these warhorses are meant to be offered to the new court in Hedong. If we attack and seize them by force, wouldn't we be offending the imperial court?" Upon hearing the order, one of his subordinates immediately cautioned him carefully.

"Such nonsense — you actually believe it?" A trace of obvious apprehension flickered across his face, and the bandit chief retorted: "They are clearly traitors who have thrown in with the Khitan. To protect those horses, they deliberately speak deceitfully to confuse us!"

The more he spoke, the more certain Liang Hui's tone became. But clearly, he had also struggled inwardly. After all, so many warhorses were right at hand — too tempting by far. Not to swallow them down would leave his heart unsettled.

"What if they're telling the truth? Then wouldn't we be robbing the court's property?" His subordinate clearly couldn't grasp Liang Hui's state of mind and pressed on rather bluntly.

His face twitched. The bandit chief very much wanted to slap this tactless subordinate, especially looking at that "foolish" expression on his face. Drawing a deep breath and forcibly suppressing that impulse, Liang Hui said insincerely: "If that truly is the case, I will personally present them to Hedong. We righteous soldiers are merely protecting this batch of horses, lest they be deceived and let these traitors slip away..."

"Enough, say no more — pass the orders!" With that, Liang Hui could not be bothered to waste further words and forcefully ended the conversation.

Liang Hui was originally from Fuyang in Cizhou. Previously, driven by hardship, he had turned to banditry locally. When the Khitan invaded southward and the prefectures of Hebei collapsed one after another, Cizhou was no exception. After Liu Zhiyuan proclaimed himself emperor and the edict to suppress the rebels was promulgated throughout the realm, his ambitions stirred.

After biding his time for a while and secretly sounding out conditions in various places, as news kept reaching his ears of heroes raising armies, slaying the barbarian invaders, and seizing prefectures and counties, he could no longer contain himself. He gathered his followers, raised the banner, and rose in revolt.

The Cizhou bandits who came down from the mountain, for the first time, did nothing to harass or harm the people. Along the way they committed no offenses against the populace, and since they were fighting the Khitan, he managed to raise a force of over two thousand men and march straight down to Fuyang.

Though they emptied the treasuries of Fuyang and gained some spoils, it was far from sufficient. Just then they learned that to the south, in Xiangzhou, the Anyang treasury had accumulated large stores of weapons and armor, and its defenses were weak. Almost without a second thought, Liang Hui led his "righteous army" straight toward Anyang.

The result was naturally gratifying — Anyang city fell to him in a single battle. The Khitan military officers and the modest stock of weapons in the city were seized by Liang Hui, allowing him to rapidly expand his army once more.

Anyang and Linlu were not actually far apart — barely a hundred li as the crow flies. Liu Chengyou had led his army eastward without much fanfare, his attention fixed on the Khitan forces to the south. He had not paid heed to the Anyang side, and thus only received word a day late.

The intelligence apparatus of these Cizhou bandit "righteous troops" was even more backward — or rather, they had no such awareness at all. After taking Anyang, one could say they were carried away with elation, sending messengers to every county to demand submission. When they dispatched troops south to take over the wealthy Tangyin County, they also discovered traces of Luo Yangui's transport convoy.

And so things developed to the present situation. Only after coming west did they receive word that the Hedong court had sent troops eastward.

In truth, even at this moment, Liang Hui's heart still wavered. When he had risen in revolt, the Hedong tiger-skin banner was something he would have to raise as his great standard after all. But this time...

Yet that flicker of hesitation in his heart was soon snuffed out. As long as he moved quickly enough, Hedong would have nothing to say. As long as his strength was sufficient, the court would have to court his favor.

Liang Hui was a bold leader of the Zhao region. His vision might not be far-reaching, and he might be greedy and profit-seeking, but to have raised a force amid such chaos, he had his own merits. Long swords and great blades, strong soldiers and stout horses — these "hard truths" that had circulated for decades, he still understood.

Under Liang Hui's orders, the "righteous army" stirred restlessly. But by the time they had sluggishly made their preparations, before they could launch their attack, the attack plan was declared stillborn.

"General, bad news — an army has come from the west!" A scout rushed in to report.

His expression shifted slightly. Liang Hui was not entirely stupid — even with a guess forming in his mind, he could not help confirming: "What banners? How many men?"

"It should be the Hedong army — over a thousand men!"

His expression suddenly turned grave. Liang Hui fell silent.

"General, do we still press the attack?" One of his commanders asked single-mindedly.

"Idiot!" Liang Hui rebuked without mercy, then gave his orders: "Suspend the attack. Pass it down — without my command, no one is to make a move."

"Hmm..." He paused, then pointed at the subordinate who had cautioned him earlier: "You — go ask what their intentions are."

On Liu Chengyou's side, he had originally only planned to send a single battalion of soldiers to receive the convoy. But this morning, upon receiving Han Tong's second report of the unexpected situation, his interest was piqued, and he came personally with his men.

The soldiers of the First Army, fully equipped and arrayed, marched with powerful strides, maintaining a strict formation as they pressed directly toward the "righteous army's" camp. Though their numbers were not great, their disciplined bearing put tremendous pressure on the other side. Especially when Ma Quanyi waved the command flag and the entire force suddenly let out a single explosive shout — like thunder from the nine heavens, vast and fierce, echoing through the mountain forest.

Before a single blow had been exchanged, they had already achieved an overwhelming victory in momentum. Liang Hui, tucked among his righteous troops, watched the Longqi Army boldly pressing right up to their camp. Silently comparing the two sides, the result was most unfavorable — they should not be a match. This instantly extinguished any thought of armed resistance, and he prepared to resolve matters "peacefully."

Before the formation, Liu Chengyou was also surrounded by heavy defenses — he valued his life greatly. Han Tong had long since sent men to make contact, and the "righteous army" had neither the ability nor the intention to seal off the town. At this moment, he and Luo Yangui led their cavalry out of the gate, ready to coordinate with Liu Chengyou's attack.

"Go back and tell your general: I have come to deal with the Khitan. These warhorses are for my army's use. Thank him for escorting them along the way — now withdraw..." Before the formation, scanning the nervous man before him, Liu Chengyou said calmly, his placid tone carrying an air that brooked no dissent.

He gave the man no further chance to speak, ordering him escorted out.

"Your Highness, these bandits have audacity beyond measure, daring to covet our army's supplies. Why be courteous with them? Just give the word, and I dare sign a military pledge — within half an hour, I will rout them!" Ma Quanyi proposed proactively at Liu Chengyou's side.

"I naturally trust in Quanyi's valor and skill — even if they had twice the numbers, how could they be a match for you?" Liu Chengyou said evenly. "However, they are after all a 'righteous army' — brave men who answered the Son of Heaven's call, and 'allied troops' in our common struggle against the Khitan."

"At present, dealing with the Khitan is the foremost priority. With just our few men, it would be difficult to cause the Khitan too much trouble. We must unite all forces that can be united. If we lightly resort to arms over this minor clash, the heroes of the realm who look to Hedong would be deterred. We cannot lose the greater for the lesser..."

Liu Chengyou's words were exceptionally calm, mindful of the greater picture. But spoken from his lips, there was always a faint sense of discordance.