Chapter 355: Throwing Axe

A dense mass of branches and leaves ahead kept scraping across his cheeks. Tang Ershuan was no stranger to them — this was a gently sloping hill, mostly covered with these small trees, and the sightlines in the woods were very short. He hunched over as he moved through the forest. The sound of the roving bandits ahead pushing aside branches was clearly audible, and occasionally there were shouts in a northern accent.

Weeds blanketed the ground between the trees, rustling loudly as Tang Ershuan ran. This stretch was all uphill. Tang Ershuan panted as he chased, but he dared not slow his steps.

Passing through a grove of low cypress, Tang Ershuan suddenly realized the sounds ahead had vanished. The thought had barely formed, and he had no time to stop. His rattan shield was just pushing aside the cypress branches in front of him when a twang sounded from ahead, very close. Tang Ershuan couldn't even pull back his shield; he only had time to duck his head. A heavy arrow shot over from the right front like a bolt of lightning. With a thud, it slanted across the leather armor on his chest — the force was ferocious. Before Tang Ershuan's shock could settle, the cypress branches before him burst apart, and a waist saber cleaved through the dense foliage, hacking straight at his head.

In the sudden ambush, Tang Ershuan had no time to react. A loud clang rang out above his head, and a massive vibration shuddered through his helmet. Dizzy and reeling, Tang Ershuan lurched sideways. A human figure appeared in his vision, along with half a blade tumbling through the air.

A furious roar came from the opposite side as a hand seized his rattan shield. Tang Ershuan's left hand was strapped into the shield, and his movement was instantly hampered. He couldn't out-pull the man with one hand; the shield was yanked aside. A figure appeared on his right, thrusting a waist saber at his abdomen.

Tang Ershuan had no time to think. He threw himself in the direction the shield was being pulled, and the two of them went tumbling to the ground. In the chaos, the rattan shield got wedged against the roots of a tree. Two figures leaped over swiftly. The one in the lead swung a saber at him. Tang Ershuan hurriedly slipped his left hand free. As he rolled to his feet, a cold sensation shot through his left arm. Tang Ershuan slashed back wildly, and without caring whether he hit anything, turned and fled down the mountain.

Loud shouted orders came from the foot of the mountain — clearly, the Marine Corps from elsewhere were rushing over. Shouting, Tang Ershuan stumbled and staggered downhill. A yell came from the mountain; he could tell it was the roving bandits telling each other to stop chasing.

Tang Ershuan grabbed a cypress tree beside him. The cypress shuddered violently with a loud rustle. Using the pull of his arm to anchor his body, he swung half a circle around the tree, turning his downhill escape into a lateral run without losing much speed.

The rough cypress bark cut painfully into his palm, but Tang Ershuan had no time to look. His left arm began to throb fiercely. He glanced at it hastily — the entire arm was covered in blood. There was no time to bandage it. He sprinted forward a few steps to gain speed, then veered and ran up the mountain to his right.

Tang Ershuan threaded through the cypress woods, keeping a rough sense of the position. He chased uphill from the right. Moments later, the rustling sound of scraping branches came from ahead, along with violent panting. Tang Ershuan hunched down and saw a leg flash through a gap in the branches and leaves.

After a few more running steps, a gap between trees appeared on his left. Tang Ershuan raised his saber and burst through. A figure in a red archery robe appeared before him. Tang Ershuan had no time to think; he swept his waist saber directly at the man's leg, his own steps never pausing. The red-robed man's scream fell away behind him.

Tang Ershuan ran with all his might, dashing laterally for a dozen or so steps. The shouts of the other roving bandits rose from where he had just been. Tang Ershuan made a turn and continued running uphill — this way he could circle ahead of the group. Back in the old days during dockside brawls, he had always fought and run just like this.

The northern-accented curses coming from the cypress woods carried a note of urgency, further confirming their position. After running uphill for over ten steps, Tang Ershuan's legs began to weaken. He stopped at once, crouched down, and looked to his right. Sweat from his forehead streamed down past the corners of his eyes. Tang Ershuan dared not blink. Avoiding the dense canopy of the cypress trees, he spotted figures moving among the trunks and weeds — their position was now lower than his.

Tang Ershuan switched his saber to his left hand and slowly drew his throwing axe. A sharp pain shot through his left arm, and his right hand trembled violently. He drew a breath, studied the distribution of the tree roots, and prepared to stalk through the trees toward the roving bandits' position.

"His leg's hurt, he can't get away. Leave him. Take the bow."

The three roving bandits spoke and moved on at once. Tang Ershuan had no time to stalk. He abruptly rose and lunged forward, his throwing axe already raised. He ran at an angle toward the group. Moving on the slope was extremely difficult. He picked his footing carefully, leaped twice in succession, and between two trees caught sight of the lead bandit's form.

They were only two or three steps apart. The bandit was tall and large. He had clearly heard the sound of running, but before he could determine the direction, he was pulling out an arrow to ready his bow. Tang Ershuan's sudden appearance made his face twist in shock.

The throwing axe flew from his hand, hurtling straight at the bandit. Tang Ershuan didn't look to see if it hit. Maintaining his speed, he swept past, bent low, and darted swiftly beneath the canopy. A scream rang out behind him. A surge of excitement flooded his heart — it felt as if strength had returned to his limbs.

His foot suddenly slipped. Tang Ershuan had not planted it firmly on the slope and went tumbling down the mountain. In his panic, his hands clawed wildly. After crashing into two tree trunks, he finally stopped. An arrow flew through the woods. Though it was far from him, Tang Ershuan still jolted in alarm. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled up, ran a small half-circle, and crouched down again to observe. Screams and groans came from two positions in the woods.

Blood dripped steadily from the fingertips of his left hand. Tang Ershuan took the leg wraps from his waist, bit one end between his teeth, and with his right hand pulled them tight, winding them several times above the wound on his left arm.

The shouts from the foot of the mountain were still distant but urgent — all in Anqing accents. The Marine Corps had reached the base of the hill. The roving bandits had little time left to ambush him. Tang Ershuan did not delay. Following the screams, he ran all the way to the spot where he had thrown the axe earlier.

The other two roving bandits had indeed fled. The bandit struck by the axe was slumped against a tree trunk, blood pouring ceaselessly from his abdomen.

"Mercy, officer..."

Tang Ershuan paid no heed. He stepped up and slashed the man across the neck. The man instantly fell silent. Tang Ershuan retrieved his axe and looked up the mountain — he could still see the fleeing backs of the other two. Tang Ershuan gave close chase.

The two roving bandits had opened some distance and were fleeing desperately ahead. Tang Ershuan couldn't catch them for the moment and could only follow tightly behind. Under the blazing sun, the mountain forest remained stiflingly hot. The stamina of both pursuer and pursued was rapidly draining, but neither dared stop.

Blood still flowed from his left arm. Tang Ershuan felt exhaustion setting in; his legs grew heavier and heavier. They had already crossed two hilltops. When they crossed a small mountain path, he saw no blocking government troops, and behind him he heard no sound of other Marine Corps soldiers. He roughly understood that the two roving bandits had veered off course, turning from heading west to heading north, running straight for the great mountains to the north. Even if they escaped in this direction, they would most likely starve to death in the mountains. Clearly, the bandits were fleeing in blind panic.

Chasing, they crossed another hill. The mountains ahead grew larger and larger. Both sides slowed more and more, from running to jogging, from jogging to walking, and finally to stopping and starting. When Tang Ershuan stopped, the two roving bandits would even stop to rest as well. The distance between them shrank to twenty or thirty steps.

They reached another stretch of uphill path. The bandits' backs grew closer and closer. Tang Ershuan felt his vision blurring. He struggled to climb one more step, but his left hand could no longer hold the saber. The waist saber dropped to the ground, and Tang Ershuan didn't even have the strength to pick it up. He stopped, braced his hands on his legs, and panted heavily. He felt he couldn't lift his limbs at all and wanted to lean against a tree to rest for a moment.

When he raised his head with difficulty, he saw the bandit at the rear collapse face-first onto the ground. Tang Ershuan's mental spirit surged. He bit the handle of his throwing axe between his teeth, grabbed a branch in front of him with his right hand, and closed in on the fallen bandit step by step.

The bandit lay face-down on the ground, not even a saber in his hand. The arrow case at his waist was completely empty. His violent breathing was clearly audible from several steps away. He was practically paralyzed on the ground. The red robe on his back was soaked with sweat and plastered to his body, turning a deep crimson. At the sound of approaching footsteps, he squirmed a few times but ultimately could not turn over.

Tang Ershuan stumbled up to the bandit. A feeble arrow flew past in front of him. He raised his head to look. Six or seven steps up the mountain was the last bandit — a middle-aged man, his features full of viciousness but also exhaustion. He still held a bow. After shooting that last arrow, he had actually fallen to the ground. Now he was struggling desperately to stand, reaching to his waist for his final arrow.

Tang Ershuan's left arm hung limp at his side. He swayed, barely able to stand, with no strength at all to dodge. His mind was in a state of blank stagnation. He ignored the bandit on the mountain drawing the bow and pulled his gaze back. The bandit on the ground had only managed to turn his head with great effort, his eyes filled with terror. Tang Ershuan took the axe from his mouth, raised it with difficulty, and using the momentum of his body collapsing forward, brought it down toward the bandit's head.

The bandit let out a tearful wail, his body shuddering and struggling a few times. Tang Ershuan pressed down on his back, slowly sat upright, and raised the axe again with his right hand, chopping down. It struck squarely at the temple. The man let out a grunt and stopped struggling.

Tang Ershuan lifted his head. He wanted to go kill that last bandit, but his limbs had not a shred of strength left. He couldn't even stand. The bandit on the mountain half-drew his bow, his body swaying and arm trembling. A soft twang sounded. Tang Ershuan felt a heavy impact on his thigh, and searing pain swiftly surged through him.

The bandit, seeing his companion was beyond saving, turned to leave. In the midst of the sharp pain, Tang Ershuan felt strength surge back into his arm. With a sudden furious roar, he hurled his right hand with all his might, and the throwing axe went spinning toward the fleeing back.

Outside Erlang Town, a cavalry squad approached from the direction of the Mountain Pass. Pang Yu dismounted at the bridge head and met the relay horse that had come from Chema River.

"Reporting to Lord Pang, the Land Combat Division has captured Sweeping King. His back wound is quite severe and has been bleeding without stop."

"Ha! Sweeping King!" Pang Yu nearly cheered aloud at the name. After steadying his mind, he let out a long breath. The imperial court's merit system for roving bandits did not prioritize headcount, but rather the bandit chieftains — especially the famous major bandits. Sweeping King had ravaged several northern provinces, and his name appeared in nearly every Court Gazette. Pang Yu believed he was definitely a major bandit in the emperor's mind. With this major bandit, Pang Yu had finally achieved his campaign objective.

He turned to look at Pang Ding. Pang Ding's expression was complex. Two years ago, this Sweeping King had bloodily sacked Anqing, and back then Pang Yu had been nothing more than a yamen runner head.

"Stop Sweeping King's bleeding. Find captives in the camp to carefully verify his identity. This official needs absolute certainty that it is Sweeping King." Pang Yu turned to the herald. "Go tell Xie Zhaofa: if confirmed as Sweeping King, escort him to Erlang Town immediately. The Land Combat Division and the First Division are to station separately at Tufeng Fort and City River Stockade and assist in screening the captives."

After speaking, Pang Yu walked south along the riverbank. Outside the southern side of the market town, countless horses and mules were scattered across the fields grazing, and some livestock were even eating the rice seedlings in the paddies, with no one around to tend to them.

Before noon, Pang Yu had led one company of the First Division to Erlang Town and joined the assault on the Mountain Pass. After yesterday's defeat, the roving bandits at the Mountain Pass had lost all morale. Starting last night, they had been withdrawing toward Guangji through the night. The Garrison Commander's camp had suffered severe combat losses and could only attack the Mountain Pass with a small force. Although they had many cannons, it was merely a feint, and they lacked the strength to cut off the bandits' elite troops. In the end, they only captured nearly a thousand abandoned, weak servants.

In the direction of Old County, the Second Division had failed to catch the fleeing Chuang Tatian. The fighting within the Susong area was largely over. The Garrison Commander's camp was dispersed along the post road at several key points, and there was still tedious aftermath work to complete.

At the docks of Erlang Town, six grain transport ships were moored. Near Erlang Bridge, the riverbank was covered with floating corpses. Some captives were using long bamboo poles to retrieve them, clearing the docking area. The docks and the post road were packed with horse carts, all loaded with corpses and wounded soldiers.

Pang Yu made his way along, comforting the wounded. The cart drivers were all captives — urgently screened last night for those who could harness carts and raise horses. Although these servants were roving bandits, once captured, they were even more docile than ordinary commoners.

This time they had intercepted four major camps, three of which had their baggage at Chema River. Due to the terrain, the roving bandits had been unable to ride into battle and could not take their mounts with them when they retreated in defeat. From Chema River to Fenghuangpu, abandoned camp grounds were everywhere. A rough estimate put the captured horses and mules at as many as five thousand, with carts and oxen also numbering around two thousand.

With these tools, transporting supplies and the wounded became much more convenient. He soon reached the boarding point. Pang Yu looked left and right at the line of horse carts and asked the officer guarding the docks, "Has Company Commander Zhou already been sent off?"

"Company Commander Zhou left on the boat up ahead."

Pang Yu thought for a moment, then asked, "What about Centurion Wu Dacai of the Second Division? I heard he was also wounded. Is he here?"

The officer looked at Pang Yu blankly. "This subordinate does not know. These wounded are all sent over mixed together. This subordinate is from the Third Division and does not know Centurion Wu."

Pang Yu waved his hand dismissively. His military medic system was extremely incomplete, capable only of simple bandaging and bleeding control. The medical officer who could set bones was a captive exchanged from Chuzhou — the entire army had only one. They could basically only handle a small portion of battlefield first aid and didn't even have a military hospital.

"Last time we posted a recruitment ad in the Times for trauma department doctors — how many have been recruited from Nanjing?"

Pang Ding looked stunned. "That matter is not my responsibility. I don't know."

Pang Yu snorted and led him forward a few steps. Ahead were rows of horse carts. Unlike the other carts, each of these had a soldier beside it, and at every third cart, there was also a Garrison Inspector soldier.

"This matter is your responsibility. Transport them to Chang'an Port, load them onto ships, and deliver them. Not a single tael of silver can be missing."

Pang Ding's face was full of excitement. "With this silver, Young Master need not worry about making up the shortfall in Nanjing."

"Why would I make it up?" Pang Yu said matter-of-factly. "I only worry the silver won't be enough to use."

Pang Ding took a step to the side, looked at the long line of carts, and suddenly said, "Young Master, do you think the roving bandits, carrying all this silver around everywhere, find it terribly troublesome too? Otherwise, let them deposit it in our silver house. Wouldn't carrying silver notes be far more convenient?"

Pang Yu extended a hand, paused for a long moment, then turned to look at him. "That's actually a good insight. The roving bandits definitely have that need."

"Wait until they've all exchanged for silver notes, then the young master wipes them out in one go." Pang Ding swung a fierce punch, his face full of excitement. "Then the silver becomes ownerless silver — all of it ours."

Pang Yu patted Pang Ding approvingly. "Never imagined, Pang Ding, a kid who looks so innocent, could come up with such… outstanding creativity."

Pang Ding rubbed his hands together. "It's definitely workable. Those Roving Bandits are people too — drifting around like that, sooner or later they won't escape the sword. Plenty of them must want out, and this way they'd skip the escort work…"

Pang Yu slapped him on the head. "What 'all of it ours' — all of it is the young master's, mine. You think the Roving Bandits are as dumb as you? If you haven't set up money house in Huguang and Henan, would the bandits dare ship the silver to Nanjing to deposit it? Forget all that later talk. First, get this silver delivered to Anqing."

Pang Ding rubbed his head. "Something this important, young master — you're not escorting it back to Anqing yourself?"

"I'm still waiting for word from Fengjiadian. I hear plenty of General Officers are dead or wounded — I need to see who's still alive." Pang Yu paused, then said, "Mr. Ma has been found. He and Pi Yingju are on their way from Anqing. I have a lot to discuss with him."