Chapter 105: Tan Ping's Pacification Scheme

Tan Jiang was wounded by Li Bucai with a spear; after running a short distance he felt a scorching heat in his chest, a thin line of fresh blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and when he reached San Shui Kou the river mist spread ahead, obscuring the view, and he faintly heard voices ahead, realizing the road was blocked, regretting his overconfidence, having relied on some Buried Corpse and thought he could easily capture Li Bucai's main stronghold, leaving no way back. {Hand. Hit/ Shouda8. Com first release}

He cursed the scout, noting that there were not merely over three hundred people, a cavalry unit of at least fifty, the siege force of Le Jin and others totaling a hundred, and from the voices ahead there were at least one or two hundred people.

Now injured, he could not control the raging wind, and his wind‑controlling technique mostly served as battlefield support; his solo killing method consisted of only one move with limited range, so when faced with many enemies he knew he could not withstand them, feared being captured, and thus turned back.

On the way back, the sound of horse hooves came from ahead; Yue Ji's cavalry, following Li Bucai's orders, bypassed the Buried Corpse and prepared to lure the Luru beast.

Tan Jiang heard the hooves drawing nearer, urged his horse into the woods and hid; when the hoofbeats faded, his chest throbbed unbearably, so he sat briefly under a tree. The battle sounds from the White Horse Beach direction grew fainter, and he realized the situation was lost, while from the San Shui Kou direction a tide‑like noise rose, leaving him unsure how many troops Li Bucai actually had.

At that moment, voices of some girls outside the woods searching for him were heard; fearing capture, he abandoned his horse and ran deeper into the forest. Not far out, he heard the murmur of water ahead, while voices behind grew nearer, with no way left or right, so he leapt into the water. Since he knew how to swim, he followed the current into Shalanjiang.

At that time many girls were rowing Tan Jiang's boat into the water village; Tan Jiang slipped into the village amid the chaos, reached the dock, saw a dugout canoe, and jumped onto it to hide inside. The most dangerous place was the safest, as 180 undead soldiers searched everywhere yet never expected him to be in the water village. While the crowd dispersed to look for him, only a few guards remained at the water village; he quietly rowed the boat to the water gate, and when he tried to push the gate open a crack, a guard on the watchtower spotted him.

"Who is there?"

"Ordered to go and capture the enemy army," Tan Jiang pressed his voice down to be very soft and thin; his voice was already thin and sounded almost like a woman's, and being in the water village, the guard above happened to be called away to help, so Tan Jiang squeezed out through the door crack, dragging his wound, rowing upstream. After a day and a night he finally returned to his Territory; once back at the main stronghold he immediately sent for his brother Tan Ping…

At noon the next day, Tan Ping arrived leading a few attendants.

When Tan Ping arrived, Tan Jiang, like a three‑year‑old child, burst into tears and, with a trembling voice, said, "Big brother, you must avenge me."

Tan Jiang, severely wounded, was lying on a bed, his complexion pale.

"What happened? You're the only one back? Where's Leng Ying? And my 120 Whirlwind Death Soldiers?"

"Including my six generals, they were all killed by him; I was also wounded by him. If I hadn't run fast, I fear... I fear I would never see you again, big brother."

Tan Ping felt a sudden shock; seven battle generals, 120 Whirlwind Death Soldiers, plus 100 elite soldiers, all devoured by him in one bite? How could that be?

Tan Ping now sensed the problem becoming complicated; within the Holy Spirit Sixteen Nations, Li Bucai was no longer the only opponent.

"Li Bucai, Li Bucai..." Tan Ping muttered to himself.

"Big brother, you must rid me of this foul spirit; if we don't eliminate him first, what will we use to vie for the King of Ten Thousand Nations?"

"How many troops does he have? In this battle, how many of his men were lost?"

"Probably two or three hundred people," Tan Jiang thought: when Le Jin captured the small stronghold before, there must have been at least a hundred or so inside; as for inflating the numbers, even in front of his brother he didn't want to look too face‑less, otherwise having lost a general and over a hundred Whirlwind Death Soldiers, if he didn't match the enemy's losses to his own, it would seem he was overconfident; it would be no surprise if his brother scolded him, and later asking him for reinforcements would become difficult.

Tan Jiang wiped his tears and continued: "It was that damned scout who lied about the intel, saying there were only three hundred plus people. After I breached his first main stronghold, I ran into an ambush of several hundred halfway, and the number I saw was at least six or seven hundred. I didn't expect him to arrive half a month later than us, and in just a month he gathered so many troops, including at least a hundred cavalry. Now he is definitely our greatest threat; if we don't eliminate him, let alone contend for the King of Ten Thousand Nations, give him a few more days and the two of us will be dealt with first."

Tan Ping, hearing of six or seven hundred, noted that his own forces numbered only about seven hundred: "Just him alone can match all my troops, and Qian Feng and that woman are on his side, with hundreds of li of waterways; now all the ships have been lost because of you, what can we use to fight him?" He suppressed his anger, lowered his voice: "Until we build a big ship, we cannot act rashly. Now, how many troops do you still have here?"

"We lost a hundred men; now there are roughly four hundred plus left. My generals are almost all gone; the formation has been completely disrupted."

Tan Ping nodded thoughtfully and said, "Then... during this period you must be careful. You've entered his Territory; if he bears a grudge he'll come for you first. Our original ships have been seized by him, and he can dispatch troops against you at any time. My main stronghold is a hundred li away; traveling downstream takes half a day. Even so, we have no ships left, and building dozens of ships would take half a month. So before then, even if he attacks you, I cannot support you..."

Tan Jiang, sensing the seriousness, asked, "Then... what should I do?"

Tan Ping let out a long sigh and said, "The only plan now is that you... first go find him and make peace, steady his mind. When I have recruited all the Whirlwind Death Soldiers, my carpenters should be able to build warships. Then we can strike together and eliminate him. Until then, try to pacify him, use him to block Wei Zidan, and after they both are weakened, the Holy Spirit Sixteen Nations will be ours."

…

Li Bucai's two scouts, having followed him for only a few days, were sacrificed, their deaths gruesome and unbearable, leaving him deeply remorseful. Early the next morning he handed all affairs to Yue Ji and others, personally delivered the two bodies home, and paid their families the full month's salary. Since they died in his service, as long as Li Bucai lives in this world a single day, he will send their monthly stipend on time to soothe their families.

It was the first time a lord personally returned a servant's corpse, and also the first time such treatment was given; their families felt greatly comforted, need not be elaborated.

After leaving the two families' homes, Li Bucai headed straight for the labor market.