Chapter 238: A Lone Boldness

North of the seat of Pingdu Department in Laizhou Prefecture, the Daze Mountains stretch for a hundred li with ridge after undulating ridge, over two thousand peaks in all, making them the patriarch of all Laizhou's mountains. Their highest peak is called the North Peak, the patriarch of the Daze Mountains. Most of the rivers near Pingdu's city originate in the Daze Mountains.

Unlike nearby places like Zhaoyuan where mountain links to mountain, the land around the Daze Mountains is flat and open. Because so many rivers rise in the mountains, irrigation is relatively easy and the soil is far more fertile than in Dengzhou. The Daze Mountains are tall and thickly forested — what later ages would call beautiful scenery is now only called harsh, barren wilderness — so inevitably quite a few bandits have set themselves up as kings of the hills. Dozens of large and small bandit gangs are scattered at every spot in the Daze Mountains convenient for coming down from the hills. They often raid the plains, and the great households all around maintain their own landlord militias.

A man with a face sharp as an axe, wearing a long gown, was walking through the Daze Mountains. He was Wu Jianzhong of the Wendeng Camp Intelligence Bureau. The peak he was on was called Breast Mountain, named for a rock formation on it that resembled a nursing woman. But Wu Jianzhong had no interest in that rock; he was only interested in a group of vile-looking men on the mountain.

Wu Jianzhong had been operating in Laizhou for nearly two months, searching for a suitable bandit gang to serve the Intelligence Bureau. The only ones who could help him were a few bandits he had subdued in Laiyang, but as an outsider from Liaodong with no reputation in Shandong's bandit circles, it was extremely difficult to make anyone trust him. Since arriving in Laizhou he had only recruited two gangs totaling a few dozen men, all bought with silver — utterly unreliable.

Qin Rong's action squad was small and not skilled at mountain and field combat; their specialty was close-quarters urban fighting and assassination. So the action squad only stayed briefly. Once they realized they were of little use, Qin Rong led them back to Dengzhou. Wu Jianzhong, however, insisted on continuing the search and stayed behind alone, with only a single Four Seas Trading Company shop in Pingdu Department able to give him very limited support.

A few days ago at the shop he received a message from the intelligence station and learned that the Wendeng Camp army would soon reach Pingdu Department. That made him even more anxious to complete his mission. When Zhou Shifa had assigned it, he had not explained the purpose of recruiting bandits, so Wu Jianzhong assumed it was in preparation for this military advance. In his urgency he took a single underling and went into the mountains again.

A quarter-hour later he reached a narrow pass. Several grimy heads appeared above, along with a few rusty blades. Wu Jianzhong stopped. The minor Laiyang bandit leader accompanying him ran up to greet them. His bandit name was Field Mouse; he had once stayed with this gang. In the sixth month, when Wendeng Camp struck at the bandits in Laiyang, his gang had also been subdued. Because he had work experience in Pingdu Department, the Intelligence Bureau recruited him for field duty, and this time he had followed Wu Jianzhong to Pingdu.

After the bandits above recognized Field Mouse, they came out cursing and grumbling. They talked for a while, then Field Mouse waved to Wu Jianzhong. Only then did Wu Jianzhong slowly walk up.

The grimy bandit leader looked Wu Jianzhong up and down for a long moment, then opened his mouth and stammered, "You, you, you fellow, what, what business you got with our Big Boss?"

Wu Jianzhong said expressionlessly, "I've come to do a deal with him."

The bandit leader glanced at Wu Jianzhong's clothes. "Our, our Big, Big Boss said, any deal under fifty taels of silver, don't, don't bother us with it."

Wu Jianzhong could not help the corner of his mouth curling up. He casually tossed over a five-tael piece of silver. "Fifty taels isn't even worth my trip. Lead the way."

"Lead. Lead, right, right away." The stammering bandit took the silver, put on a smiling face, and invited Wu Jianzhong to follow him to see the Big Boss. Field Mouse said to him smugly, "I told you he was a big shot. You should've listened to me."

The stammerer beamed. "You dog-fuck, fuck Field Mouse, you're doing all… all right for yourself. Me just guarding a mountain path, and I can still pick up five taels of silver."

Field Mouse seized the chance to ask, "Brother Stutter, how are you all making out in Pingdu Department? The other gangs still dare push us around?"

"Dare, of course they dare." The stammerer's expression turned to one of worry and misery. He pointed at several nearby peaks. "Yinglan Port… the Gaoshan Jun crowd all push us around. Last… last time we snatched a woman and they hijacked her halfway. Big Boss couldn't stomach it. We're fighting it out with them right now."

Field Mouse said in surprise, "Laojun Mountain's been taken over too?"

The stammerer said angrily, "You said it. Tell me about this world — even being a bandit, people fight you for it."

Wu Jianzhong had no interest in hearing about career competition among bandits. Along the way he observed the surrounding peaks. This area was on the west side of the Daze Mountains. From the West Peak summit southward, nearby were Niutou Mountain, Wawu Mountain, Yinglan Port, Huanxi Ridge, Laojun Mountain, and dozens of other peaks. Breast Mountain was set slightly farther in, so one had to pass through other bandits' territory — hence the stolen woman the stammerer had mentioned. From their location alone, Wu Jianzhong could tell this gang's strength was mediocre.

The stammerer and Field Mouse talked the whole way. After passing two more narrow passes, they reached the bandit stronghold halfway up the mountain. Wu Jianzhong estimated there were about three to five hundred men. The bandits' main hall had originally been a temple, which this gang had seized for their own use. They had dared drive out the monks but did not dare touch the statues of gods and buddhas, so the Big Boss shared the great hall with the bodhisattvas.

The stammerer went in first to announce them. After waiting a moment he beckoned Wu Jianzhong inside. As Wu Jianzhong entered, a motley assortment of bandits of every description were warming themselves around a fire in the hall. A goat was roasting over the flames. At the head sat a big man with a full, bristling beard, draped in a greasy fur coat.

The bandits all turned their heads at once — every face repulsive. One bandit came up cursing and searched him; Wu Jianzhong did not resist. The bandit found a dagger, made in the Wendeng armory, grinned, and tucked it into his own coat.

The bristle-bearded man at the head was the bandit chief, Crouching Tiger. Under the influence of Water Margin, Ming-dynasty bandits all liked to take nicknames — partly for swagger, partly to conceal their real names. The roving bandits in Shaanxi were the same; only later, once they were fully committed to the profession, did they make their real names public.

Holding a leg of goat, he tilted his head and looked at Wu Jianzhong. "What good can you offer me?"

"A thousand taels of silver."

The bristle-beard showed no excitement. He went on tearing at the goat leg, slowly pacing over to Wu Jianzhong. Pointing his left hand at him, he said, "You don't look like anything good. First tell me what kind of deal. I'm telling you, robbing officials we don't do, robbing soldiers we don't do, robbing anyone with relatives who are officials we don't do…" Before he could finish, Wu Jianzhong suddenly yanked his left hand. In a flash he was behind Crouching Tiger. His right hand drew a thin blade from his hair and pressed it against Crouching Tiger's neck.

A clatter of drawn blades — the bandits all around seized their weapons. They had clearly seen someone search him; they never imagined this man had hidden a blade in his hair.

Wu Jianzhong ignored the dozen-odd swords and blades inches away and said in a completely unconcerned tone, "Anyone comes closer and I'll kill your Big Boss."

Crouching Tiger's face was all fortitude. "You dog, if you've got the guts, kill me. All these brothers of mine will cut you into eight pieces and mince you into meat paste. The kind Sun Erniang uses to make her buns."

Wu Jianzhong felt Crouching Tiger trembling slightly. He gave the surrounding bandits a cold laugh. "Clear a path for your grandpa. I need a room to talk over the benefits with your Big Boss."

Without waiting for the bandits to respond, he shoved Crouching Tiger forward straight toward the blades. The bandits hurriedly parted and watched as Wu Jianzhong marched the Big Boss swaggering into a room at the back. The gang members looked at each other in dismay. They might call this a trade of licking blood off a blade, but they had never seen a man so utterly fearless of death.

As soon as Wu Jianzhong shut the door, Crouching Tiger begged in a low voice, "Brother, spare me. I don't want the thousand taels of silver. I'll agree to whatever you say. Just save me a little face in front of my brothers. Otherwise I can't go on being Big Boss."

Wu Jianzhong kept the blade at his neck and said expressionlessly, "I came to talk benefits with you. Naturally you can do without the thousand taels. This benefit is far bigger than a thousand taels. So long as you follow my orders and work for my lord, I guarantee that within a year you'll be master of all the strongholds in the Daze Mountains. Every gang will have to obey your orders. You'll have silver to spend by the fistful, the government troops won't suppress you. And moreover…"

Crouching Tiger was already stunned stupid. He asked blankly, "Moreover what?"

"Moreover, later on I'll get you amnesty, so you can settle down as a rich man in peace."

"My lord, you are my second father and mother. I'll obey you…" Five li outside the north gate of Pingdu Department, a stretch of farmland was covered with a dense array of tents. The main army tent was set on a slightly raised earthen mound, and from the top of the tent flew a Flying Tiger army banner.

Chen Xin was also gazing into the distance at the unbroken Daze Mountains. He had passed through here last year on his way back from Linqing. Pingdu Department bordered Laiyang. Apart from the great mountains due north and the low hills to the northwest, the rest of the area was flatland suitable for farming. Although Laizhou's natural conditions were better than Dengzhou's, it had likewise been severely affected by the natural and man-made disasters of the time. Peasants had fled in huge numbers, and countless acres of good farmland lay abandoned.

To Chen Xin, this land was the best foundation for expanding his power. As long as he could firmly control Laizhou and manage it efficiently, he could solve the problem of feeding a million people and thoroughly remedy Wendeng Camp's current shortage of land and grain. With land came enough people, and commerce and industry could develop along with it.

The Later Jin across the sea in fact controlled only limited resources. Most of eastern Liaodong was mountainous and hard to farm; the fertile land was concentrated on the Liao-Shen plain and the coast of the Four Southern Garrisons. The arable area was not large, and only one harvest a year was possible. Their manpower was even less comparable to the Great Ming's vast refugee population.

Chen Xin had clashed with them many times and now had a clearer understanding of this enemy. In terms of military organization, the Later Jin's mobilization capacity surpassed the Great Ming's, but it still bore a distinct tribal character. Their greatest advantage was possessing a cohort of veterans who had campaigned for many years. Although the entire Later Jin was centered on warfare, its organizational power still could not compare to a professional army. The previous three engagements showed that Wendeng Camp could make up for the experience gap through superior organization and training. As long as he could effectively control the three prefectures of Deng, Lai, and Qing, his overall strength and military power would be able to match the Later Jin.

Qingzhou was currently under the jurisdiction of the Shandong Provincial Governor and was likewise mostly flatland. Chen Xin coveted it intensely, but he could only wait and scheme for it later. The most important thing right now was to secure the benefits of the two prefectures of Deng and Lai. Once he had enough farmland, he would have the capital to be a warlord. With Wendeng Camp's combat power as his backing, he would become a major force capable of influencing the situation in the north.

A relay-mount messenger's back banner flashed between the tents. Chen Xin walked down from the mound. Two messengers quickly reached the main tent and handed the Intelligence Bureau liaison officer an envelope sealed with wax.

The liaison officer opened it, read it, and quickly stepped up to Chen Xin. In a low voice he said, "My lord, there's trouble again in Dongjiang Town."

Chen Xin was slightly surprised. By all accounts Dongjiang should already be frozen over — how could intelligence have gotten out? The liaison officer continued, "It was sent out before the complete freeze. On the eleventh day of the tenth month, a mutiny broke out on Pi Island. The mutineers seized the Dongjiang Regional Commander, Huang Long, cut off his nose, and sliced off his ears. Before the intelligence was dispatched, Huang Long was still being held by the mutineers."

Chen Xin took the intelligence report and saw it was written in Zhou Shifa's own hand. It recounted the general course of events: Huang Long had been excessively corrupt and harsh in his command; everyone on the island cursed him. An outside general behaving that way naturally invited trouble.

Chen Xin read it through carefully. The matter was extremely serious. Sun Yuanhua certainly could not keep it from Wang Tingshi and the others, and the imperial court would soon learn of it. Sun Yuanhua's situation would become even more difficult, because Huang Long was the man he had insisted on recommending. This was already the second mutiny in Dongjiang Town this year.

The affair had no direct connection to Wendeng Camp, but at the end of the intelligence report he noticed a name: Geng Zhongyu. This time Geng Zhongyu was one of the ringleaders of the mutiny. Chen Xin had seen this man on Pi Island; he was one of the officers who smuggled goods from Wendeng to Korea. And he had another identity: he was the younger brother of Geng Zhongming, the Assistant Regional Commander of Dengzhou's Central Battalion of the Army of the Standard.