Chapter 1282

Hu Xiaotian said: "My original intention was not to cause slaughter; Mr. Wang, do you truly wish to save these people?"

Wang Baxi nodded, hope appearing in his eyes.

Hu Xiaotian said: "The mastermind is Ma Xingkong; I heard he still has a son—trouble Mr. Wang to find him out."

Wang Baxi shook his head and said: "He's already gone!"

Hu Xiaotian wore a look of doubt.

Wang Baxi said: "Bixin Mountain has a secret waterway, not as simple as you see, Sir; if you are willing to spare the others, I, unworthy as I am, am willing to reveal Bixin Mountain's secrets frankly."

Hu Xiaotian had never intended to massacre the stronghold; hearing Wang Baxi's condition, he secretly rejoiced, then coldly said: "On what grounds should I trust you?"

Wang Baxi said: "My humble life is of little worth to lose, yet today's slaughter is of my own making; Heaven loves life, and I have heard you, Sir, are benevolent; I hope you will spare the island's populace. I know what you hesitate about—you surely fear they will seek revenge later. I hold the roster of Blackwater Stronghold; aside from the young chief Ma Zhongtian and three others who fled, all other leaders, great and small, have been captured. I can help you find them; you may imprison and execute us, and we shall bear no grudge. Once we are slain, you need not worry about Blackwater Stronghold seeking vengeance."

Hu Xiaotian did not directly answer his request, softly saying: "This Blackwater Stronghold is ingeniously constructed, with layers of mechanisms—who designed it?"

Wang Baxi said: "It was me!"

Hu Xiaotian did not hide his admiration for Wang Baxi: "Mr. Wang, would you be willing to serve me?"

Wang Baxi blinked slightly, not expecting Hu Xiaotian to make such a demand, and countered: "Sir, are you not afraid I might be detrimental to you?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "Between Cangmu and Fenglin Valley there are vast tracts of wasteland; I can allocate a plot for your people to settle, and provide all necessities for settlement. Mr. Wang, if you are willing, you may personally lead them to accomplish this. As for that roster, I need not look at it; if you see talent there, you may recommend them to me—I guarantee I will not hold their past deeds against them, and will give them equal opportunity. Let them make full use of their abilities."

Wang Baxi could scarcely believe his ears; their stubborn resistance had caused Hu Xiaotian such heavy casualties, yet now Hu Xiaotian could actually let bygones be bygones.

Hu Xiaotian turned to Li Yongfu and said: "War has no right or wrong side; my intention was to avoid bloodshed, but Ma Xingkong, for his own selfishness, gambled the lives of tens of thousands of Blackwater Stronghold—this slaughter is not my wish. This situation fills me with immense sorrow."

Li Yongfu nodded.

Hu Xiaotian said to Wang Baxi: "I do not fear your revenge; the common people's eyes are clear, right and wrong will be judged by time. Mr. Wang, I offer you a chance to settle and prosper—will you accept or not?"

Wang Baxi's heart surged with emotion; he said nothing, bent his knees and knelt before Hu Xiaotian—this kneeling was not for himself but for the people of Blackwater Stronghold: "Thank you, Sir!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled faintly: "Do not forget my conditions."

Wang Baxi said: "As long as you deem me worthy, Sir, I will devote my utmost effort!"

Hu Xiaotian personally helped him up, loosened his bonds, and softly said: "The pacification of Blackwater Stronghold's populace is now your task; tell your people I will not pursue past matters."

After Wang Baxi departed, Li Yongfu stepped forward first to congratulate Hu Xiaotian on gaining a strategist.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Brother Yongfu, I know you do not approve of my approach in your heart."

Li Yongfu replied: "I dare not."

Hu Xiaotian sighed: "Actually I also feel deeply grieved, but stopping killing with killing, avenging blood with blood cannot fundamentally solve the problem; giving them land to survive, letting them settle and prosper there, teaching them to cherish life and family—this is the solution."

Li Yongfu said with sincere conviction: "I understand your lordship's painstaking intentions."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why haven't I seen Military Advisor Yu?"

Li Yongfu said: "He should be on the hillside!"

Yu Tianxing sat alone on the hillside, gazing at the sunset slowly sinking into the water; the battle had ended, yet Yu Tianxing could not detach himself from the bloody, cruel battlefield; he had volunteered to enter the water stronghold, but the close-quarters combat scene frightened him, leaving him utterly disoriented at the moment of life and death; Yu Tianxing recalled Hu Xiaotian's decisive shooting of Ma Xingkong, feeling deep regret—why had he not thought of that? If he could have slain Ma Xingkong a moment earlier, perhaps he could have deterred the Blackwater Stronghold's water bandits, avoiding such massive casualties.

"Military Advisor! So you're here!" Hu Xiaotian's voice sounded from beside.

Yu Tianxing hurriedly rose, bowed, and said: "My lord!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Why are you hiding alone here?"

Yu Tianxing, full of remorse, said: "Tianxing underestimated the enemy and made a grave mistake; please punish me, my lord!"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "Victory and defeat are common in warfare; the one who underestimated the enemy is not you, but I! Ma Xingkong came to surrender voluntarily; I was lulled by him, thinking he sincerely yielded, never expecting him to be so vicious as to gamble the lives of tens of thousands of Blackwater Stronghold in a death struggle."

Upon hearing Hu Xiaotian had no intention to blame him, Yu Tianxing relaxed and whispered: "My lord, how do you intend to handle those captives?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Do you have any suggestions?"

Yu Tianxing said: "In my view, we should kill them all, eradicate the roots to leave no future trouble!"

Hu Xiaotian glanced at Yu Tianxing without speaking; Yu Tianxing realized his suggestion had not gained Hu Xiaotian's approval, and hastily lowered his head.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Wang Baxi is a talent; this Blackwater Stronghold is his design. Military Advisor, he has agreed to serve me; Military Advisor, you should talk more with him—you ought to learn the mysteries of Blackwater Stronghold from him."

"Yes!"

Two days later, Hu Xiaotian first departed Bixin Mountain and arrived at Baichuan City for inspection.

Baichuan City's governor Zuo Xingjian, hearing Hu Xiaotian was coming, went all the way to Qinglong Bay to welcome him; this man is an absolute master of flattery and fawning; although Hu Xiaotian disdains his character, he cannot deny that keeping him nearby is still somewhat useful; Zuo Xingjian has gathered thorough intelligence on the seven cities surrounding Yunze.

Zuo Xingjian beamed: "Your subordinate pays respects, my lord; congratulations on your successful suppression of bandits, recovery of Bixin Mountain, triumphant return—boundless merit, awe-inspiring across the four seas..."

Hu Xiaotian bluntly said: "Cut the flattery, Zuo Xingjian! Many soldiers were wounded this time; temporarily settle them in Baichuan City to rest."

Zuo Xingjian readily agreed.

Entering Baichuan City, the garrison commander Zhan Peng, who had been stationed here, also came to greet him; hearing of the heavy casualties at Bixin Mountain, Hu Xiaotian went to the governor's residence, ate a simple lunch, bathed, then slept; upon waking it was already dusk.

Zuo Xingjian had been waiting outside; Hu Xiaotian had someone summon him in: "Sir Zuo, what business do you have?"

Zuo Xingjian smiled: "Nothing particularly important; I merely came to report to my lord the investigation's situation."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; Zuo Xingjian placed several maps before him—these were the maps he had gathered of the cities around Yunze during this period.

Hu Xiaotian skimmed them; the maps not only detailed each city's terrain but also listed their deployments, troop distributions, and the characteristics of the defending commanders in full; Hu Xiaotian expressed satisfaction with Zuo Xingjian's work, smiling: "Not bad!"

Zuo Xingjian said: "Because time was rushed, I could not make it perfect."

"Then there's no hurry; we have plenty of time to prepare."

Zuo Xingjian originally thought Hu Xiaotian would immediately launch an attack on the seven Yunze cities after wiping out Blackwater Stronghold, but he did not expect Hu Xiaotian to decide to pause the expansion tempo.

Hu Xiaotian's original intention was to establish a foothold at Bixin Mountain and build a naval base in Yunze; this base would become a nail driven into the heart of Dakang.

Xingzhou's troops began a slow withdrawal; Su Yuchi was not surprised by this outcome—Xingzhou's side, under the banner of rescuing Blackwater Stronghold, actually sought to restrain him, preventing his interference in the Bixin Mountain battle. Yuan Qing Shan reported the latest military situation and also breathed a sigh of relief; although a soldier's duty is to defend home and country, avoiding bloodshed conflict is certainly best.

Su Yuchi asked: "How is this year's planting?" Because of successive famines, Yunyang's populace fled everywhere, nearby fertile fields lay fallow, and planting season had arrived; to solve the labor shortage, Su Yuchi organized his troops to take off armor and till the fields, combining drills with farming.

Yuan Qing Shan said: "Everything is proceeding smoothly; judging from the present situation, this autumn may perhaps bring a bumper harvest."

Su Yuchi's face showed a knowing smile; to possess combat capability, one must first solve the soldiers' food problem; although Hu Xiaotian had provided 100,000 shi of grain, they could not simply live off stored supplies—if this autumn brings a bumper harvest, they can gradually recover their vigor.

Yuan Qing Shan said: "Actually, this year's overall situation is not bad; many places in Dakang have begun cultivation, and the displaced populace are gradually returning home."

Su Yuchi said: "Dakang has been ill for too long; it needs a period to recover."

At this moment, a commander hurriedly came before Su Yuchi, with a delighted expression, saying: "General, the Black Barbarians have formally declared war on Da Yong!"

Su Yuchi nodded. The Black Barbarians invading Da Yong is, for Dakang, a good thing. It can be foreseen that Da Yong will have to concentrate its forces to resist the northern Black Barbarians; they wanted to send troops south to destroy Dakang, but that plan must be postponed. Meanwhile, Dakang has obtained this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, and can slowly recover; perhaps this sleeping giant will quietly awaken, and this declining empire may yet regain its brilliance.

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