Chapter 516: Display and Intimidation

The two pieces of news — the wiping out of Lao Qi at Guaitou Wa and the Zengcheng County Office's bandit-suppression proclamation — caused a huge uproar in the bandit circles of the surrounding region.

At this moment, the full spectrum of human nature revealed itself.

The first to react were some of the bandit gangs. Just like people in later generations who specifically go to new shops to spend money, the ancients understood the same logic: the first to eat crab will most likely reap the benefits.

So several small, scattered bandit groups with few members and the ability to turn on a dime immediately ran to the County Yamen, openly mended their ways, and begged to be taken in. Those with a smattering of literacy even had their brothers strip to the waist, carry thorny branches on their backs, and put on a bit of performance art.

Gu County Magistrate, of course, happily forgave them.

Master Gu was certainly delighted: he didn't have to worry about resettlement issues for those who surrendered, he could show off a wave of political achievements before the elders of Xiancheng, and someone else even footed the reward silver for the surrendering bandits — what was there for him to be unhappy about?

Next, seeing which way the wind was blowing, the nearby roving bandits began to flee far away one after another.

Bandits also differ by nature: there are petty thieves, entrenched bandits, and roving bandits. For roving bandits, since the situation in Zengcheng was now murky and unclear, it was better to leave first and wait and see.

In the end, after these two waves of filtering and squeezing out, the tide receded, and the few remaining entrenched bandits were left holding the bag. These several entrenched bandit gangs, like Lao Qi at Guaitou Wa, were all large-scale operations that had occupied favorable terrain, passed down for N generations, had local standing and reputation, and divided spoils on the spot.

But at this time, the drawbacks of a large Company became apparent: slow decision-making, wavering between two minds. The several gangs neither wanted to flee like the roving bandits, nor could they bring themselves — with so many people — to shamelessly run to Xiancheng and surrender.

They could only sit tight and observe a little longer.

Unexpectedly, during this observation, Beishan Fotou Fort was surrounded by the Pioneer Army.

Fotou Stronghold was located on a high ridge north of Xiancheng, a strategically important and difficult position. This place happened to be adjacent to the overland route connecting Zengcheng with places like Yingde and Qingyuan — an excellent spot to set up a toll station — and was constantly teeming with bandits.

Then, when these people woke up early one morning, they suddenly discovered that the foot of the mountain had been surrounded by a large group of gray-clad men flying "Cao" character banners, and not a single one of the scouts they had deployed earlier had returned.

Although the bandit strongholds in the mountain gullies of Yuedong didn't know what the character "Cao" represented, the sheer display of force before their eyes was enough to throw the stronghold into utter chaos.

Strangely, the gray-clad men did not seize the opportunity to attack. Instead, they assigned manpower to cut off all the roads down the mountain and assumed a posture of long-term siege.

This action inadvertently gave the bandits of Fotou Fort time to unify their thinking and solidify their resolve.

The boss of Fotou Fort immediately judged that these civilian braves at the foot of the mountain were just like the previous Official Army — all show with plenty of numbers but lacking the ability to assault strong positions.

Unlike Guaitou Wa, which had no natural defenses, Fotou Stronghold had treacherous terrain and ample reserves. As long as everyone steadily defended the stronghold, given enough time, these people below would naturally disperse... Sending troops out on campaign burns silver. If the government really had that much money to throw around, they would have besieged and taken Fotou Fort long ago.

And so the two sides entered a standoff. During this period, the bandit gang even sent men charging out to test the waters, but after being driven back by volleys of gunfire, the gang completely sealed the stronghold gate with rocks and resolutely stayed inside.

Over the next two or three days, both sides seemingly accepted this situation. The people at the foot of the mountain did not attack the stronghold; they just kept clearing roads and building camps, maintaining a posture of long-term siege.

And the people on the mountain, not knowing the opponent's strength, also considered this normal — this was indeed the normal situation; for thousands of years, the early stages of warfare had always involved this kind of siege.

By noon of the fourth day, the situation underwent a slight change: Gu Tai, the Magistrate of Zengcheng County Main Hall, personally took the field, leading a support team dispatched by the entire county's gentry to bring comfort to the troops!

In fact, as early as three days prior, when Fotou Fort was surrounded, the Zengcheng County Office had dispatched a large number of yamen runners as messengers, conveying the County Magistrate's orders to every corner of the four townships.

The content of the order was simple: every major household must send manpower, led by someone of Steward rank or above, to provide material support to the troops suppressing the bandits at the front — each household only needed to provide one dan of rice.

The major households receiving the order all expressed emotional stability: since ancient times, whenever the government had business, it always levied grain and corvée labor this way; I've seen plenty of it. Although this order added the requirement of a Steward leading the team, the material minimum was only one dan of rice, so it wasn't much of a burden.

So three days later, the grain-delivery brigade, having assembled in Xiancheng, was personally led by Gu County Magistrate to Fotou Fort.

Only after these people arrived on the scene did they realize that things were not quite what they seemed.

This private army, dressed in gray and reportedly borrowed by Gu County Magistrate from Guangdong Regional Commander Cao, did not look like they were short on provisions at all. In fact, all the comfort supplies brought this time had actually been purchased by them with gleaming Silver Cakes.

If not for the Pioneer Army's large numbers, everyone would have thought these were Regional Commander Cao's household retainers. Those who caught on quickly got a glimpse of the legendary Regional Commander Cao's Local Tyrant side.

Next, the grain-delivery teams witnessed even more lavish behavior. Expensive military-grade canned iron food and white rice, which were costly on the market, were supplied here without limit. Moreover, the clothing, equipment, and various weapons on these private soldiers made the Stewards secretly click their tongues: worthy of being a Regional Commander's private troops — if government soldiers were all outfitted at this expense, even a mountain of gold would be squandered!

Displaying financial power was the First Step in the Transmigrators' subtle intimidation of the Natives. For many Landlords with brains, they would rather face vicious and desperate criminals than be at odds with a rich man — money is a Resource, and a rich man has endless Resources at his disposal. Although the Ming Dynasty had no concept of capitalists, many people still understood this logic.

Having displayed financial power and conveyed sufficient information, the next step was to display military force.

Then these self-provisioned Native propagandists from all over the county witnessed a clean and efficient stronghold-breaking military operation.

First, as always, volley fire suppressed the position.

On an afternoon specifically Selected for its suitable Wind Direction, the Pioneer Army's side erupted in gunfire, pinning the men on the stronghold wall down so they couldn't raise their heads.

When the thick gun smoke drifted toward the stronghold gate with the mountain wind, shrouding everything in haze, the Demolition Specialist, carrying three Explosive Packs, darted out under the bullets overhead.

A few Minutes later, an earth-shattering boom made the Onlookers plop down onto the ground. In their Panicked eyes, the distant Fotou Fort gate, along with numerous Bandits and assorted parts, were all blown into the sky at that moment, riding an Earth Plane.

Next, on the Mountain Path that only allowed three people abreast, armored soldiers wearing gleaming heavy steel armor and raising large shields began charging the formation, with Firearm Soldiers following in formation behind them.

The Battle ended right there: the Remaining Bandits, blood streaming from their ear canals, had not yet recovered from the huge blast when the armored soldiers, charging in by stepping on the slope before the gate, began hacking and slashing. They had no ability to fight back at all.

In the Aftermath, each of the teams that had come to deliver grain received a free Battle souvenir: the pickled human heads of the various leaders of Fotou Fort.

Not long After This, the Bandit Gangs within Zengcheng County's borders either surrendered or fled far away. Overnight, public order improved dramatically, meeting the Transmigrators' initial requirements.