Chapter 67: Routed Soldiers

"What good spots are there within a few dozen li? Those large strongholds are all interconnected, supporting each other like horns; they are hard to break. As for the remaining small hamlets, many are known to us! When we went out to collect grain this time, they all paid up according to the count!"

Zhang Zhuanggen's opening words dampened the spirits of many.

Wu Nai, growing impatient, said, "Too many twists and turns! What's wrong with knowing them? We'll just eat our own! If that doesn't work, go learn from Mao'er Ba and slaughter a few more hamlets; even a fly is meat! If that still doesn't work, then let's hit those large strongholds. Those damn rich families, feasting on fish and meat inside, with wives and concubines—we're starving to death just looking at them!"

The people at his table quickly echoed him, rubbing their fists in excitement, unable to wait.

Zhang Zhuanggen waved his hand, lowering his voice, "Actually, I called everyone here today because there's movement over at Mount Wuxing Mountain!"

"Mount Wuxing Mountain?"

Mount Wuxing Mountain is about twenty li to the northeast of the county town. Taking the official road from Ma Chao's Tomb and Hejiaying, the entire route is a wide road, very easy to travel.

Everyone in the hall fell silent.

"What's happening over there?"

Wu Zhuge also frowned.

"A few days ago, several scouts reported that people in the villages over there keep going missing!"

"Isn't Mount Wuxing Mountain next to Shuzhou Pu and Huo'an Camp? Could it be Xie Liuzi?"

"I initially thought it was Master Xie, but later I realized something was wrong. Even people in their forties and fifties are going missing. Moreover, the dens of the 'Mao Ganzi' bandits at Mount Wuxing Mountain, Longgoukou, and Pengshan have all had their nests wiped out!"

Zhang Zhuanggen spoke with a heavy tone, "Now this matter has already escalated terribly. Coincidentally, rumors say that Zhang Xianzhong and his troops have entered Shaanxi territory. Everyone in the county town is terrified, thinking these people are the vanguard of Zhang Xianzhong's main camp."

"Selling people in their forties and fifties? Is that something Zhang Xianzhong would do?"

"Their dens wiped out? So ruthless? I also think Zhang Xianzhong's vanguard mostly disguises themselves as merchants to spy on information, or acts as an inside man to open the gates. How could they go up the mountain and fight us, his disciples, for food?"

"It definitely isn't Zhang Xianzhong; it must be other roaming bandits!"

Suddenly, many in the hall realized something was wrong. Even Zhang Cang's face grew grave.

Logically, only those with vastly superior strength could wipe out a nest. Those three dens of Mao Ganzi, combined, had a dozen or twenty people, as sharp as crystal monkeys. Who has such power to wipe out a nest in one go?

"Damn it, have you found out the truth or not?"

Wu Zhuge, irritated by the urge to urinate, said impatiently.

"They all have a Shaanxi accent, like rogue soldiers. They have armor, firearms, and cavalry. Their numbers are not small, at least thirty or forty people!"

Zhang Zhuanggen stopped playing coy and stated the conclusion directly.

"Hiss..."

Suddenly, the hall fell silent again. Li You understood, but asked curiously, "What is a 'gun'?"

"Huh?"

Not only was Zhang Cang shocked, but Li Qinxiang beside him also stared blankly at Li You. Since the Yongle Emperor, the Great Ming had established the Shenji Camp as a formal unit. Two hundred years have passed; even in the countryside, red and white events have welcome guns, banquet guns, wedding guns, and funeral guns. How could Li You, a scholar who knows everything, not know what a gun is?

Li You regretted asking immediately. He hadn't realized the thing was a "firearm." He laughed at once, "I know it's a fire gun. Just teasing you... haha..."

In fact, in the hall, aside from Li You's joking voice, no one spoke. Even Wu Nai, who had been shouting the loudest just moments ago, was now silent.

Originally, everyone thought they were going out for a "spring outing" to do some work. Who knew it would be such a tough nut to crack!

Just kidding. At least thirty soldiers, with heavy armor, firearms, and a significant cavalry force. Most importantly, their origin is all Shaanxi. Such deserters have a lineup that can be called luxurious. Just the armor alone is enough to make all the mountain bandits lose their courage.

In the era of cold weapons, the utility of armor in war is beyond imagination. For example, when Hungarians attempted to reconstruct the lamellar armor of the 6th-century Avars and Huns and shot at scale armor with a 9mm Luger pistol, the result was that although the plates were damaged, the bullet could not penetrate the scale armor. This means that a person protected by scale armor, even if their armor is damaged, will not die.

Therefore, in the *Zizhi Tongjian*, Li Shimin had his "Black Armor Cavalry," and in *Ming Ji Nan Lue, Volume 11*, Zheng Chenggong had his "Iron Man Army," both achieving unimaginable and terrifying military records.

Thus, rulers throughout the ages have "banned armor but not weapons," with the saying "one suit of armor equals three crossbows, three suits of armor lead to the Underworld." For instance, Zhou Yafu of the Han Dynasty was sent to the Underworld simply for privately hoarding five hundred sets of armor.

And in our Longmen Stronghold, among the four leaders, only Shi Dayong has an ancestral suit of lamellar armor. Wu Zhuge, a few years ago, robbed a suit of pangolin armor from a family in Mian County whose ancestors had produced a military degree holder, but that was just a leather suit of armor.

Even this leather suit of armor would take a skilled craftsman over a month to make, while an iron suit would take about three to six months. Just the labor time, let alone the material costs, is an astronomical number for common people. That is why there is the saying of "ancestral armor."

"Now, shouldn't the government troops all be concentrated in southern Shaanxi, western Sichuan, and Yunyang? Where did these deserters and routed soldiers come from?"

Niu Jinku muttered in confusion. Qin Governor Zheng Chongjian had personally gone south, and the heavy troops of He Renlong and Li Guoqi had already marched out.

"Perhaps they are routed soldiers who escaped from the two battles at Miaoya; it's hard to say!"

"Have these people been stationed in that area for a long time? They shouldn't be settling down, right?"

Wu Zhuge pondered. For this group of vicious and desperate dry soldiers, as long as they are outsiders, it is best not to provoke them.

In fact, he had already backed down upon hearing the Shaanxi accent. He knew that in recent years, the most capable fighters were the Shaanxi border troops. Of course, most of these people had joined the roaming bandits, either becoming core members or establishing their own factions.

Shaanxi during the Chongzhen reign was a place that produced many rebels, especially in Suide.

This is where "Guo Tianxing" Zhang Tianlin came from. At his peak, his forces numbered over a hundred thousand. In fact, he had four younger brothers who were also engaged in rebellion: "Great General" Zhang Dameng, "Second General" Zhang Ernen, "Solitary Tiger" Zhang Sanlong, and "Fourth Tiger" Zhang Sixiang.

"Hard to say!"

Zhang Zhuanggen said, "They seem to have been in that area for some time, and the scope of their sweeps is getting larger. The county town has already heard rumors and organized local militia, but these damn guys seem to prefer hunting bandits!"

"Damn it!"

Wu Zhuge cursed viciously. Mount Wuxing Mountain is not the closest to us; the closest should be Qiguan Mountain. But the problem is that Qiguan Mountain is blocked by Dingjun Mountain and the Han River, so the closest one actually became Longmen Stronghold.

As the leader, Wu Zhuge knows his own assets better than anyone. The Longmen bandits, acting as official bandits, have been accustomed to living in comfort and ease. Just like after raiding Lueyang County last time, they haven't worked for nearly a month, yet they still have food.

Because Cao Er sends them grain. Besides doing dirty work for the gentry and rich families, their other plundering and village massacres are just picking on soft persimmons to satisfy their meat cravings, while also earning some extra money... So where have they ever fought a proper battle?

Let alone fighting a hard battle against the Shaanxi official army?

The only ones under his command who can truly fight are probably the dozen or so border troop deserters Shi Dayong brought, two of whom were chopped up by Li You just a few days ago.

As for the men under Wu Nai and Zhang Zhuanggen, there are many, but those who can carry the main load... Hey, they are all filthy scum who eat shit. They look fierce killing commoners, but fighting strong soldiers... Pfft!

Suddenly, the hall fell into silence.

"How many horses do they have?"

An untimely voice sounded. Everyone turned their gaze to Zhang Cang's table, looking at Li You, who looked harmless and handsome.