Chapter 24: Section 24: Descending the Mountain to Suppress Bandits

As the only person in the party sitting on a sedan chair, Cao Zhenren was now thoroughly pleased with himself.

With bearers straining beneath him and a bandit gang shouting escort all around, if only he had a cigarette holder in hand, the scene would be perfect, he couldn't help thinking.

All along the road he desperately tried to recall a movie he'd once watched: an old bandit sitting on a sedan chair with a cigarette holder, running Liberation soldiers, a mountain town in a firefight — too bad he couldn't remember the film's name. The movie's content fit his current situation perfectly, except this time it wasn't Liberation soldiers coming to wipe him out; today's script had him wiping out others. His venerable self now belonged to the side of justice.

"Sir probably doesn't know there are Daoist temples on this mountain too, heh heh. Mu Mountain also has blessed Daoist grounds. Whenever the mood strikes, I'll take Sir for a few days' sightseeing — who knows, Sir might even find a fellow lineage member, heh heh, heh heh."

These past few days, Fort Master Zhou's manner of speaking had undergone a dramatic shift, suddenly transforming from a man mindful of his bearing into a chatterbox like Old Wang next door. Cao Chuan wasn't used to it, but he understood — this was exactly the result he wanted.

A few days earlier, in the afternoon, behind Pingfeng Stronghold: scorching bullet heads, bursting flames, a tremendous roar. The high-ranking members of Pingfeng Stronghold, having been fortunate enough to witness the might of the "Immortal Family Repeating Fire Musket," finally set aside their long-held attitude of "guard against everything" and began formally assessing a question: What exactly could the Immortal bring to everyone?

Cao had actually been rather puzzled all along too. When others crossed over stark naked, within days the big boss would shed his robe and yield his seat, the little brothers would kowtow and swear allegiance, and they'd start marching straight toward victory. His venerable self had arrived stepping from the void, bringing his own salt, bringing his own knife — and yet it was all for nothing. This bunch had always regarded him as a "dangerous tenant," never kowtowing or swearing allegiance. That hint of wariness hidden within their respectful attitude was something he could still detect.

Everything changed that afternoon, and he truly felt the meaning of the phrase "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." Zhou Tong and a few others had clearly reached some kind of consensus. These past few days, they'd begun probing, directly and indirectly, about his future plans, vaguely hinting at whether it would be rather dishonorable if Sir were to abandon the brothers later. Cao Chuan could read between the lines, and he was quite satisfied with everyone's current attitude.

His goal was certainly not to become some mountain king. Right now, he only wanted to pull a few men from Pingfeng Stronghold to accompany him to Hangzhou. It wouldn't have been appropriate to say so before — asking would have been begging, and you can't do business when you're the one climbing the pole. Now, of course, things were different. The initiative was in his hands. Everyone could sit down together later and discuss careers, discuss the future.

Hearing Zhou Tong mention Daoist temples, Cao Chuan smiled faintly and said, "When seniors of our sect go out traveling and cultivating, some take the form of inn waiters, some become cart drivers, some even become great merchants and tycoons — but none ever become Daoist priests, and they rarely enter Daoist temples. Do you know why? They've seen too much; it annoys them!"

Zhou Tong roared with laughter. "Sir is forthright! So the various seniors descending the mountain for experience even work as peddlers and laborers — tsk tsk, my admiration, my admiration."

At this point, he stole a glance at Cao Chuan, then asked casually, "I wonder what plans Sir has for the future, and whether there's anything we brothers can help with?"

Cao Chuan knew this question would come. He laughed heartily, reached out to take the bamboo tube Zhao Si handed him, drank a mouthful of mountain spring water, and only then said leisurely, "I probably couldn't manage being a shop assistant either. I've pondered it these days and always felt I can't shortchange myself. In the future, I'll find some prosperous place and try being a wealthy gentleman — how about that?"

Zhou Tong smiled wryly and shook his head. "At Sir's age, this is precisely the time to build achievements and establish a career. With great divine powers, wherever you go, can't you carve out a domain? What's the point of being a wealthy gentleman? Even Emper— ahem, even that could be done."

Zhou Tong had gotten carried away for a moment and now felt it was slightly improper. He was still thinking of how to remedy it when Cao Chuan's voice drifted leisurely from the sedan chair: "Emperor won't do — it goes against the Dao-heart. Being a regional power is already the limit of fortune. Let's discuss this matter later. Let me think it over some more."

Zhou Tong nodded repeatedly, shouted orders to the front and rear, and the column's speed abruptly quickened. Cao Chuan, sitting on the sedan chair, looked around, then turned his head and asked Zhao Si, "How much longer until we arrive?"

"Sir, still five li."

This time, Pingfeng Stronghold had truly mobilized its entire force. After witnessing the immortal demonstrate the Dharma artifact, Pingfeng Stronghold spent a few days conducting a second mobilization. Excluding the hundred or so men who had descended the mountain earlier, and not counting the garrison left behind — Lv Accountant and the rest of the old and weak — today's main force numbered over a hundred and eighty men. This was the stronghold's entire capital.

According to the plan set at the Green Stone Terrace war council, the main force had set out today at the fifth watch, swiftly covering forty li of mountain paths, to rest early at Hengtang Village, conserve strength and build energy overnight, then move out in full force tomorrow morning to strike straight at White Village's gates and break the manor in a frontal assault.

Forty li down from Pingfeng Stronghold was the official road; the mountain pass was the village of Hengtang, considered an outpost unit of Pingfeng Stronghold. Eastward from Hengtang in a single line lay, respectively, White Manor, Hu Manor, Lin'an County Town, and Hangzhou.

White Village was less than thirty li from Hengtang. If the plan went smoothly, Pingfeng Stronghold's men and horses could arrive by early afternoon, leaving an entire afternoon to break the stronghold.

Cao Chuan had no objections to the plan; he was only responsible for firepower suppression. However, after sitting on this sedan chair for the whole journey today, he was rather thankful he hadn't voiced any opinions. These mountain folk fighting each other involved many things he simply couldn't account for. Today, just these forty li of mountain road had taken up most of the day, with rest stops along the way to drink water and eat dry rations.

Thinking of that other world where the big brother sends a group message and within ten minutes the little brothers come rushing over in taxis, then looking at the thick calluses on the feet of these lean, short, tough mountain folk, Cao Chuan was filled with emotion for a moment.

After four in the afternoon, they finally saw a circle of earthen walls beside the mountain path in the distance — Hengtang was reached.

From far off, Chu Maosheng came out with men to greet them. Cao Zhenren also slid down from the sedan chair with assistance. There was no helping it — his legs had gone numb from sitting, somewhat embarrassing. After this, everyone filed into the village in a long line.

Hengtang had only forty or fifty households. In Cao Chuan's eyes, it wasn't much different from an impoverished mountain village of the twenty-first century. Rammed-earth houses, bamboo and wood shacks, dark skinny children, villagers in tattered clothes and bare feet. The only thing that interested him was the women secretly peeping out from behind windows. Not that he was desperate — it was just that this was the first time he'd seen women since arriving in this Great Ming dynasty, and even then he couldn't make out their features clearly. Still, he figured there wouldn't be any beauties.

The village wasn't far from the official road. Outside the village lay a stretch of pond, and its perimeter was a rammed-earth enclosing wall. Surrounded by the crowd and under the eager gazes of the warriors lining both sides of the path, Cao Chuan arrived at a large courtyard house in the center of the village. He saw Zhou Tong talking with several old men, two bags of the salt they had carried along with the column this time placed at their feet.

Zhou Tong knew Cao Chuan's temperament and didn't introduce him. He walked over and said, "These next few days the villagers will also have to contribute labor. Those are the clan elders, all acquaintances. Leave two bags of the good salt Sir brought to trade for some meat and bone. Today the brothers must eat well; tomorrow they'll need the strength to fight."