Chapter 16: Washing the City

The moment Zhou Shixiang said this, the room fell silent. Twenty or thirty men all turned to look at him at once, astonishment written across their faces. Boss Hu and Zhao Sihai were stunned speechless, and Song Xianggong stared at Zhou Shixiang with an even stranger expression.

"Do you mean that?"

Cheng Bangjun was overjoyed, so excited he could hardly contain himself, wishing he could nail Zhou Shixiang's words down on the spot so Hu Quan and his men couldn't go back on them. As for what relationship Zhou Shixiang had with these bandits, he didn't care!

Whether his word carried any weight, he didn't care either! All he wanted was for these bandits to agree to attack Luoding.

Beyond that, he cared about nothing and no one!

Why did the court want to co-opt these bandits? Precisely so they could make trouble for the Qing army in the rear, preventing the Qing from concentrating its forces against the Ming army in Guangdong.

So the official posts were secondary; what mattered was that these bandits were willing to risk their lives for the court. Only then would his trip to Daqiao Mountain be a complete success.

As for whether Hu Quan, with only a few dozen men, could actually take Luoding, that was none of Cheng Bangjun's concern.

With all those governors-general, governors, and grand secretaries in Guangdong, he, a mere vice director, certainly didn't need to worry about the battle reports sent to the court.

He knew perfectly well that even if every last one of these bandits died and the Qing troops in Luoding didn't lose a single hair, it wouldn't matter.

In the hands of the clerks at the Governor-General's yamen, what mattered was highlighting the loyal and valiant image of the governors and ministers, single-mindedly devoted to recovering lost territory, actively reaching out to righteous armies and volunteers, planning from the center, and vowing to fight the Qing army to the death.

The results? Utterly irrelevant.

Because no matter the outcome, the Guangdong officials' goal would already be achieved.

They only needed to prove to the court and the Emperor that they were not helpless before the Qing advance in Guangdong, but were actively responding, straining day and night to recover lost ground. That was enough.

"Not a word of it is false!"

Ignoring Boss Hu's anxious look, Zhou Shixiang affirmed it loudly. The moment he did, Boss Hu's eyes went wide with alarm, and he opened his mouth to object.

But before he could get a word out, Song Xianggong tugged at him, and the words died in his throat. The other men who had wanted to speak up saw this and could only swallow the curses rising in their bellies.

"When do we march?" Cheng Bangjun struck while the iron was hot, determined to make the matter final.

Zhou Shixiang thought for a moment, then said, "In seven days!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Cheng Bangjun said "good" three times in a row, and the more he looked at Zhou Shixiang, the more pleased he was. Filled with admiration, he looked at this Xinhui xiucai—who had slain You Yunlong with his own hands to avenge his parents, wife, and children—with entirely new eyes.

"General Hu, since your esteemed force shows such resolve, this official hereby wishes you immediate success! On the day you take Luoding, I shall personally drape the robe and cap upon you, and petition the court for honors on your behalf!"

The matter was settled. Cheng Bangjun's mind was set on hurrying off to persuade the next group, hoping to win over a few more before month's end. Unwilling to linger, he cupped his hands toward the still-dazed Boss Hu and strode out.

"Cheng..."

Boss Hu's throat was dry. He could only watch helplessly as Cheng Bangjun and his party left. Then he turned to Zhou Shixiang, full of reproach. He wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

The other men in the room were not nearly as polite to Zhou Shixiang as Boss Hu had been. The moment Cheng Bangjun was gone, they exploded.

"You, Zhou! Tell us—three days from now, what are we supposed to attack Luoding with? And how?"

"Our big brother hasn't even spoken. You're an outsider—what gives you the right to decide for us?"

"Zhou, the brothers respect you as a true man who kills Tartars, so we won't hold it against you. But we're not attacking Luoding. If you know what's good for you, get out now, before the brothers say something ugly!"

"It was all spelled out before—take the goods and do nothing. And now, not even the time it takes to let out a fart later, you're sending us to our deaths! What are you scheming?"

"Bookworms are the craftiest sort. This Zhou means to send us to our graves!"

"......."

Zhou Shixiang listened to the men's curses and abuse without defending himself, standing motionless and taking it all in.

"Xiucai, why did you agree to attack Luoding? This truly isn't something we can do. You... ah!..." Zhao Sihai still couldn't believe Zhou Shixiang had made the decision for them just like that. In his shock, all he could do was heave a long sigh.

"Brother Zhou, I know the Tartars killed your whole family and you're burning for revenge, but you can't treat our brothers' lives as worthless, can you?" Peng Dazhu admired Zhou Shixiang and respected scholars, but with his own life at stake, he couldn't help complaining too.

Ge Wu and Ge Liu had wanted to grumble as well, but seeing how harsh everyone's words had become, the two brothers held their tongues.

"Enough, all of you!"

Just as the argument was reaching a fever pitch, Song Xianggong impatiently waved his sleeve, signaling everyone to shut up. His standing among the bandits was high, and at the sight, the men all closed their mouths.

Once it was quiet, Song Xianggong said, "Don't lose your tempers. Perhaps Brother Zhou was just stringing that fellow Cheng along."

At this, Peng Dazhu's face lit up with sudden understanding. He slapped his head and cried, "Right! Brother Zhou was just fooling that Cheng fellow for fun."

But Zhou Shixiang shook his head. "Master Song, Brother Peng, I wasn't stringing him along. I genuinely want to persuade Brother Hu and all of you to attack Luoding."

Peng Dazhu's voice cracked. "Brother Zhou, you really do want to send us to our deaths?!"

A balding man in the crowd stared blankly at Zhou Shixiang. "Mad. He's mad. This scholar has surely gone mad!"

"Mad or not—I'd say you're the mad one!"

Song Xianggong shot the balding man an annoyed glare, then fixed his gaze back on Zhou Shixiang's face, deeply puzzled. "Wasn't Brother Zhou planning to join the army in Guangxi? Why urge us to attack Luoding? Have you changed your mind about going to Guangxi?"

Hearing this, Boss Hu chimed in.

"I'm confused too.

Why does Brother Zhou insist we attack Luoding? Just last night I told Master Song that today I'd send someone to escort you to Guangxi to enlist.

I meant to tell you, but that fellow Cheng delayed things... If Brother Zhou hasn't changed his mind, I'll have men take you out of the mountains right now and escort you all the way to Guangxi.

As for Luoding, we'll just say we were fooling that Cheng fellow. What do you say?"

But Zhou Shixiang did not change his mind. He gave Boss Hu a grateful nod and said, "I thank Brother Hu for his kindness.

But Guangxi is too far, and I'm not familiar with Li Dingguo's army. After much thought—since I've met Brother Hu on this mountain, it shows fate brought us together.

Rather than trek over mountains and rivers to enlist in Guangxi, I might as well throw in with Brother Hu."

"You want to join me?"

Zhou Shixiang's words made Boss Hu's already sunken eyes bulge wide again. He said in disbelief, "Brother Zhou, you want to join me?

You're a scholar, and I'm a bandit. There's no principle in this world of a scholar teaming up with bandits."

As he said this, he forgot that Song Xianggong beside him was also a scholar—one who had even served as a county magistrate.

"Who is born a bandit? And who says a scholar can't team up with bandits? No need to look far—isn't Master Song right here with all of you?"

"Master Song's situation is different from yours. Different..."

Boss Hu realized he'd put his foot in his mouth, and his face turned sheepish. But Song Xianggong remained perfectly composed, not the least bit bothered.

"Master Song has told me all about Brother Hu's deeds.

In my eyes, Brother Hu is a man who stands tall between heaven and earth, and all of you brothers are true heroes.

I may have read a few more days of books than the rest of you, but in these chaotic times when human life is worth less than grass, what good is all the reading in the world? Does reading more books protect your parents, wife, and children from being slaughtered?"

At this, Zhou Shixiang closed his eyes in pain. A moment later, when he opened them again, they were filled with hatred.

He said gravely to the men, "I have no family left in this world. All my heart holds now is revenge!...

Brother Hu, Master Song, brothers—I, Zhou Shixiang, am not putting everyone's lives at risk for my own private vengeance. The Qing troops in Luoding are men too.

They don't have an extra pair of hands or an extra leg. Why should we fear them?"

Boss Hu picked up the thread. "It's not about fear. It's that we're too weak. This fight—there's no way to fight it."

"That's right. The brothers have clashed with the Tartars before, and the Tartars really are stronger than us. With only this many men, if we truly went to attack Luoding, we wouldn't even be enough to pick their teeth."

"If it were easy, we'd have attacked long ago. Why else would we be hiding in these mountains?"

"We're lucky we're so few. If we had several hundred or a thousand men, the Tartars in Luoding would have come for us long ago. They'd never let us live so freely here."

"This fight can't be fought. There's no way to fight it!"

Seeing that no one had any confidence in attacking Luoding, Zhou Shixiang said, "It's true we're few. But precisely because the Qing troops in Luoding don't take us seriously—precisely because they'd never imagine we'd have the guts to attack—that's why we have a chance to win.

The prepared against the unprepared. As long as we all pull together, I believe our chances of taking Luoding are great—at least fifty-fifty!"

"Besides, there's no such thing as a fight that can't be fought.

More men doesn't guarantee victory. Since ancient times, have there been few battles won against the odds?

Since you've all taken to the hills and become bandits, your heads are already tied to your belts—any day now they could roll to the ground. That being the case, why not go for something big?

As they say, steal a hook and you hang; steal a kingdom and you're a lord. Kill one man and you're a criminal; slaughter ten thousand and you're a hero!

Even if we can't accomplish great things, seizing Luoding's money and grain would still be good—far more than you'd ever get robbing houses."

"And we're not talking about a frontal assault. Even the fiercest tiger dozes off sometimes. We wait for an opening and strike by surprise—is that really impossible?!"

"Brother Hu, I've said my piece. Whether you stay in these mountains as a bandit chief, leading the brothers in petty raids and preying on the common folk, or seize this chance to lead them to Luoding for one big gamble—think it over carefully!"

Boss Hu was dumbstruck, standing there frozen without reaction.

But Song Xianggong's face took on a strange glow. He muttered something under his breath, over and over. Had anyone leaned in to listen, they would have heard: "Kill one man and you're a criminal; slaughter ten thousand and you're a hero!"

None of the men spoke. They hadn't yet digested Zhou Shixiang's words and just stared at him blankly.

After a long while, Ge Wu, his face a mass of hard muscle, suddenly roared: "Fuck his mother! If a scholar's willing to go for something big, am I, a bandit all my life, going to fall short of a scholar?

Brothers, let's do something fucking big—let's wash Luoding clean!"

The contract couldn't be delivered to Qidian on time due to holiday courier delays, which affected the update volume. Sorry for the inconvenience. A new book's word count is tied to its performance and recommendations.