Chapter 122: A Rabble of Disorderly Masses

In the chaotic shantytown northeast of Laiyang County, Zhao Xuan led a few of his men back from Grand Shopkeeper Yu Mahayana's place. The Wenxiang Sect encampment stank to high heaven, garbage strewn everywhere. Women's shrieks rang out constantly from the shacks on either side. Some sect followers were cooking over open fires outside, laughing and talking loudly. They had already looted the nearby wealthy households clean, so at least they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry for a while. Even though Dengzhou's government troops could wipe them out at any moment, they couldn't afford to care anymore.

Along the way, sect followers who knew Zhao Xuan all saluted him. Zhao Xuan walked with his head high and chest out, at most giving a slight nod. Most of the followers recognized him because he was well-versed in the sect's teachings, had a decent way with words, and often lectured them on the scriptures.

The White Lotus Sect had a long history, dating back at least to the early Southern Song. Its teachings originated from the Tiantai and Pure Land schools of Buddhism. The founder was a monk named Mao Ziyuan. The organization at that time resembled a Buddhist pure-karma group, calling themselves the White Lotus Vegetarians. Followers ate vegetarian meals and chanted sutras like Buddhists, but they could marry and have children, and they frequently held gatherings. Orthodox Buddhism regarded them as a heterodox path.

The White Lotus Society was banned as an evil cult during the Yuan dynasty, yet it grew increasingly widespread in secret. In the late Yuan, the White Lotus Sect merged with Mingjiao. The Red Turban Army that overthrew the Yuan regime was a White Lotus righteous army. Liu Futong and Peng Yingyu were both White Lotus followers. Han Shantong styled himself as the reincarnation of Maitreya. Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was also part of the Red Turban Army at the time, but once he developed to a certain extent, religious authority inevitably clashed with political power. Zhu Yuanzhang didn't adopt a theocratic system either; he directly declared the White Lotus Sect a heretical evil art. From then on, the White Lotus Sect was at war with the Ming regime. Even during the tightly controlled eras of Hongwu and Yongle, there were constant White Lotus uprisings. After the mid-period, as social conflicts intensified, this underground organization grew even stronger.

Because the White Lotus was officially banned, they kept changing their appearance and spawned many branches, including Wenxiang, Nirvana, Luozu, Jingkong, Wuwei, Hongyang, and others — sixteen in total. It was precisely seeing the chaos of these factions that Zhao Xuan's elder brother falsely claimed descent from Zhao Guyuan, the Zhejiang White Lotus leader of the Wanli era, and fabricated two scriptures himself — the *Maitreya Buddha's Precious Scroll on the Ten Honored Ones of the Red Sun* and the *Guiding Scripture* — preaching that when the Red Sun kalpa ended, the White Sun would arise. In this way, he gained a number of followers.

The Wenxiang Sect that Zhao Xuan now belonged to was originally called the Shandong Mahayana Sect. Its founder was Wang Sen, the master of Xu Hongru. Wang Sen was originally just a leatherworker. Later, he claimed to have obtained a strange fragrance from a fox spirit, hence the name Wenxiang, or "Smelling the Fragrance." He was later arrested and died in a Jingshi prison. This sect was the most fond of using violence, with nearly two million followers. And what was most detestable was that Xu Hongru also had his army wear red headscarves. The common folk called them the Red Turban Army — enough to make Zhu Yuanzhang rise from the grave in fury.

Although they themselves all claimed that heavenly gods had descended to earth, their level of organization still could not compare to the authorities. The chaotic scene before Zhao Xuan's eyes only made him feel more strongly that this evil cult was unreliable. When the Wendeng Battalion attacked his mountain stronghold, he had witnessed their combat capability, which was as different from these rabble as heaven is from earth.

The few of them walked all the way back to where Zhao Xuan was staying. He was, after all, a Vanguard Commander and held the title of Assembly Head, so he had commandeered a nearby civilian house. He brought only one person inside; the others stood guard outside the door.

As soon as the door closed, Zhao Xuan immediately bent his ramrod-straight back and said obsequiously to the attendant behind him, "Lord Nie, that Yu Mahayana wants to attack the city again today. When exactly will Lord Chen arrive? We mustn't let Yu Mahayana actually take Laiyang."

Nie Hong, disguised as an attendant, raised his face, revealing his fiercely gleaming eyes, and said to Zhao Xuan, "With demonic rabble like you, you think you can storm a county seat? Do you take us for the Wendeng Battalion?"

"Yes, yes, this lowly one spoke out of turn. Please do not take offense, Lord Nie. This lowly one merely worries that if you, my lord, arrive too late, and Yu Mahayana sees the situation turning bad and flees, he'll be hard to catch."

"When the lord arrives is his own arrangement. You need only keep a close watch on Yu Mahayana and Li Shengming. Do not let them slip from your sight."

Zhao Xuan said worriedly, "I can't be at his side at all times. After all, I'm not one of his most trusted confidants. What if..."

Nie Hong cut him off coldly, "There is no 'what if.' If you lose track of them, I will personally chop off your head to deliver to the lord, along with your sister-in-law and nephew. And only then will the lord chop off my head."

Cold sweat broke out on Zhao Xuan's forehead, and his voice trembled slightly. "This lowly one will certainly do his utmost. It's just... just that after following the two of them, what comes next?"

"It would be best to capture them on the battlefield. If we don't, we'll have to follow them all the way, letting them flee toward Zhaoyuan or Qixia — in any case, toward Dengzhou."

"Why Zhaoyuan?" Zhao Xuan asked worriedly. From Laiyang to the seat of Zhaoyuan County was a full one hundred fifty li. With such a long distance, he truly feared losing track of Yu Mahayana.

"The reason is not for you to ask. Whether your sister-in-law and nephew live or die depends on your ability."

Zhao Xuan wiped the sweat from his face. "From Laiyang to Zhaoyuan and Qixia, the roads are all over a hundred li, with mountainous terrain along the way and many small mountain paths. How can we ensure Lord Chen and his men can keep up?"

"That matter I will naturally handle myself. We'll see how the situation develops at the time. If he has no trusted henchmen around him, I'll seize him first."

Zhao Xuan was deeply afraid of this Nie Hong, but he had no choice but to ask one more question, because everything discussed so far was about his nephew and sister-in-law — his own life hadn't been addressed yet. He probed cautiously, "My lord, once this matter is settled, what arrangements will Lord Chen make for this lowly one? Has he perhaps revealed anything to Lord Nie?"

"You may serve as a garrison farmer or clerk in my Wendeng Battalion. Your nephew and sister-in-law will be treated no differently from ordinary garrison farmers. If you wish to live a peaceful life, you must never speak of this matter to anyone."

Zhao Xuan felt somewhat relieved, though he still worried that Chen Xin might not keep his word. But he didn't dare question it directly. Just as he was about to continue fishing for information, the attendant standing guard outside pushed the door open and muttered a few words in Nie Hong's ear. That attendant was also one of Chen Xin's personal guards in disguise. After hearing it, Nie Hong immediately stepped to the doorway and looked south. In the distance, scattered sect followers were fleeing this way in a desperate panic, shouting in confusion as they ran.

Nie Hong turned his head to look at Zhao Xuan and said with a cold laugh, "They're here."

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On the walls of Laiyang County, cheers thundered. A government army was approaching from Xinge Village to the south. Scout riders swept back and forth all around, hunting down isolated Wenxiang Sect rabble. Behind them, large numbers of infantry units streamed in continuously. The black iron armor of the killer squads and the red cotton armor of the firearms units interwove, spreading across the eastern plain. The vanguard was deploying. Every soldier wore a bright helmet. Seen from the city wall, the view was filled with bobbing red tassels.

The officials and people of Laiyang had never seen such a well-ordered military display. They cheered in admiration while wondering in astonishment which Great Ming army this could be. At that moment, a central army relay rider wearing mail armor and carrying a back banner rode straight up to the city moat and shouted up at the wall, "I request to speak with the County Magistrate of Laiyang."

Someone on the wall replied, "The County Magistrate has gone to the north wall. I am Assistant County Magistrate Zhang Wenguang. If you have a message, you may tell me first."

"My commanding officer is Picket Officer Chen Xin of the Wendeng Battalion. By order of Regional Commander Zhang of the Dengzhou Coastal Defense, we have come to exterminate the demonic followers of the Wenxiang Sect. I am here specifically to inform you."

Assistant County Magistrate Zhang shouted, "Does Lord Chen require us to sally forth and attack from both sides?"

The scout rider also shouted back, "Lord Chen requests that all the lords of Laiyang simply hold the city securely."

With that, the scout rider turned and headed back toward the main army. Chen Xin's six-chi red central army banner with fringed edges had also arrived outside the city. Once the central army banner was planted, it continuously issued flag signals and drum music, directing the three company-commander battalions to deploy in succession. The left wing was the First Battalion, the center the Second Battalion, and the right wing the Third Battalion. A detached unit, a cavalry banner unit, and the central army guard remained at the central army position as a reserve force.

The Second Battalion in the center deployed two divisions in parallel. Each division's front spread out three squads. In front of each squad were two rows of firearms teams arrayed horizontally; behind them were killer squads in Mandarin Duck Formation, arrayed in pairs. Because the enemy's combat strength was low, their formation was not deep and dense but spread out into a broad front, so that more soldiers could be on the front line.

The First and Third Battalions on the wings each dispatched one squad to move farther out toward the flanks, serving as decoy troops to harass and unsettle the demonic rabble's morale.

Chen Xin watched the rabble surging forth in the distance and said to Liu Pojun and Hai Gouzi beside him, "This rabble probably won't stand up to a fight. After they collapse, send the central army guard to pursue Yu Mahayana and Li Shengming. Taking them alive would be best. Of the two, Yu Mahayana and Li Shengming, Li Shengming is the more important one. Yu Mahayana serves him as his master, calling him something like Lingbao. Also, Gouzi, keep your eyes wide open. Don't let Nie Hong and the others get hurt."

Hai Gouzi grinned foolishly, "What about that Zhao Xuan?"

Chen Xin said, "Since I promised to spare his life, try not to harm him either. This man managed to accomplish this task — he's not bad."

Liu Pojun acknowledged the order. At that moment, all three battalions had sent back flag signals. Liu Pojun said to Chen Xin, "My lord, the entire army is in position. Shall we advance?"

"Wait a little longer. Wait until those rabble have finished forming their lines. A chance like this is rare — let these soldiers spend more time on the front line."

Compared to the relaxed composure of the Wendeng Battalion, the Wenxiang Sect on the opposite side was in a sorry state. They had no cavalry. What few horses they had were kept by assembly heads and transmission heads to flaunt their authority. They had received no warning whatsoever of the Wendeng Battalion's arrival. Only when sect followers out looting nearby spotted them did they hastily scramble into action. Leaders large and small brought their respective followers and roughly formed a single line. The Wenxiang Sect's organization, besides titles like Shopkeeper and Vanguard Commander, also included organizational heads such as General Assembly, Enlightener, Scripture Head, and Head Assembly. Their level of organization was somewhat stronger than that of ordinary refugees.

Zhao Xuan led his fifty-odd men and hurried to where Li Shengming and Yu Mahayana were positioned, blending into the Shopkeeper's contingent. Because it was so hastily thrown together, the formation was originally a patchwork, far from tight, so he was able to monitor the two targets at close range. Twenty paces ahead of him was Li Shengming's great banner, painted with a lifelike Maitreya Buddha. Li Shengming, the Lingbao of the Laiyang Wenxiang Sect, sat in a grand armchair carried by eight men, swaggering over. The sect followers along the path all fell to their knees in worship.

Nie Hong had no choice but to kneel as well. Watching the posturing Li Shengming, he cursed under his breath while also thinking that this man did indeed have a certain air of transcendent refinement — he had a youthful face and white hair, held a goose-feather fan in his hand, and wore an expression of perfect composure.

He whispered in Zhao Xuan's ear, "Did your elder brother also look like this?"

"Uh, well, my brother is a young man. He's probably better-looking. But when it comes to fooling people, Li Shengming's appearance works better."

"You lot are all a bunch of damned swindlers."

Zhao Xuan and the others stood at the back. Through the sparse crowd, they could see the opposing formation. The firearms teams in the front row all wore short red tunics, with leg guards also in red, topped by the red tassels on their helmets — it looked like a red wall had been built on the horizon.

Seeing them, Zhao Xuan recalled the ferocity of the Wendeng Battalion when they attacked his mountain stronghold. If he hadn't been quick-witted enough to surrender in time, they would probably have cut him down long ago. Now here he was on the opposing side again, worried both about being killed by mistake and about letting Li Shengming and the other man escape. He was so tense that his head was drenched in sweat again.

Nie Hong saw his expression and said disdainfully, "What are you afraid of with me here? Just make sure you don't go to the very front row. The Wendeng Battalion's firearms are formidable. When you hear the bugle, just crouch down."

After another quarter-hour, the rabble finally formed a chaotic battle line, also with left and right wings plus a center. Yet the frontage of over five thousand men was still narrower than the Wendeng Battalion's two thousand-plus. The Wendeng Battalion's several dozen cavalry roamed the flanks, pressing the rabble's wings even further toward the center.

Ahead of Zhao Xuan, Li Shengming waved his goose-feather fan. Two burly Wenxiang Sect men beat the great drums. The Wenxiang followers squeezed together and began advancing, trembling with fear.