Chapter 179: Exposing the Scheme

"Report!"

"Great Chief, disaster has struck…"

Just as he spoke half the sentence, the messenger suddenly realized there were many outsiders present.

After all the effort to gather this intelligence, to reveal it to outsiders would be a terrible loss.

"Just speak! There are no outsiders here!"

Though his words sounded reassuring, the He clan chief's heart bled inwardly.

But he couldn't stop his man from speaking—everyone had already heard. To keep hiding it now would offend them all.

Among all the tribal chieftains, the He clan's strength was only average, utterly unable to bear the consequences of provoking collective anger.

"Our men captured a deserter coming from Xunzhou. He confessed that the Marquis of Filial Piety was defeated at Pubei, his army nearly annihilated."

As soon as the messenger finished speaking, all the tribal chieftains turned pale.

All the oddities now made sense.

Learning of the main force's defeat, Su Su Laoda, knowing he had no chance of victory, chose to flee with his troops.

Fleeing wasn't unusual.

In the world of tribal chieftains, running when you can't win was common—but when you run, you must take everyone with you!

The Bai Bai Lian Holy State's elite troops fled, leaving them as cannon fodder—that was unforgivable!

"Su's clan is dishonorable. What should we do?"

The He clan chief asked, feigning ignorance despite knowing the answer.

Deserting orders carried responsibility.

Even if they despised the Bai Bai Lian Holy State, Among Guangxi was still their domain.

Only by uniting to shoulder the blame could they avoid being held accountable.

"Let's temporarily retreat to nearby mountain strongholds, avoid the imperial troops' momentum, and wait until Among Guangxi's situation clears."

The Wu clan chief proposed.

His stronghold lay in Siming Prefecture; other chieftains could flee, but the Wu clan could not.

Imperial troops never showed mercy to rebels.

After the last defeat at Lianzhou, the small tribal clans there were all purged by the court.

The leading chieftain had his family seized and beheaded; the young warriors were imprisoned in prisoner camps; their clansmen still languished in jail awaiting the court's next move.

By custom, the families of rebels were exiled and conscripted into military labor.

Here in Lingnan, exile wasn't likely—but conscription was unavoidable.

If nothing changed, once the various garrisons were established, they would be sent there for forced labor.

The only beneficiaries were the lowly villagers, who became commoners from slaves.

They were relocated from the mountains, split up, and resettled across the land.

"Moving into the mountains is easy—but what about supplies?"

Without the Bai Bai Lian Holy State providing grain and provisions, your few strongholds can't feed this many troops.

Once the imperial troops block the key routes, they'll starve us to death.

I say you shouldn't overthink it—while the imperial troops haven't arrived, hurry back and take your clansmen and flee."

Hearing Zhu's chief's suggestion, the tribal leaders whose territories lay nearby turned pale.

Relocation sounded simple, but putting it into practice was a terrible idea.

The world may be vast, but land had owners.

Even if the imperial troops didn't stop them and let them leave, where could they possibly go?

Rebuilding a kingdom elsewhere wasn't something you could accomplish by mere words.

Once they left their ancestral homes, they'd become rootless driftwood.

Being swallowed by other chieftains was merely a matter of time.

More likely, they'd be caught in the act and annihilated on the road.

"Relocation is impossible. My Wu clan will not abandon our ancestral legacy.

Since none of you wish to retreat into the mountains and unite against the imperial troops, then we take our leave!"

With that, the Wu clan chief turned and walked away.

Seeing this, several tribal chieftains whose territories lay nearby also took their leave.

Others wanted to stop them but didn't know how to speak.

When a clan's survival was at stake, no amount of quick talk could persuade them.

"If we let them go like this, won't they defect to the imperial troops?"

The Zheng clan chief said anxiously.

"Who knows!"

No matter how they choose, we can't stop them.

Unless you're willing to fight them here and let the imperial troops profit from our bloodshed."

The He clan chief snapped.

He wouldn't play the villain.

Forcing them to stay and compelling them to act together would make enemies.

Who knows? On the march, their clans might come back to exact revenge.

This is about escaping, not staying to fight to the death.

Numbers didn't matter—what mattered was speed.

After exchanging glances, the tribal chieftains tacitly turned and left.

……

"Tat-tat-tat…"

As the sound drew near, the earth began to tremble.

"Cavalry!"

"Chief, imperial cavalry has appeared ahead!"

When the scout brought the news, the cavalry's hooves were already echoing on the horizon.

The Wu clan chief, who had led the first group to flee, now wore a terrifyingly dark expression.

He'd rushed to leave precisely to avoid becoming cannon fodder.

He never imagined he'd run straight into imperial cavalry here.

"Quick! Retreat to the hill on the left!"

The Wu clan chief ordered decisively.

While infantry victories over cavalry did exist, they certainly didn't include the Wu clan.

A band of cloth-clad soldiers with incomplete iron weapons, facing cavalry head-on, was suicide.

The order came too late—in the blink of an eye, the enemy cavalry had circled behind them.

On the battlefield, turning your back to the enemy was deadly.

"Bang, bang, bang…"

Muskets fired; soldiers at the rear fell dead or wounded in an instant.

Under panic, the tribal soldiers abandoned their baggage, threw down their weapons, and surged forward in a desperate scramble, terrified of being left behind as targets.

"The enemy's morale is broken—don't pursue too closely!"

After three volleys, Shu Shu Zhongyi ordered calmly.

Normally, after a full volley, close combat would begin.

But the situation was unusual—the rebel formation was already shattered.

Charging their camp would merely mean more heads cut.

His mission was to hold the rebels back, not to annihilate them.

Earlier, to destroy the ferry and cut off the rebels' escape route, he'd let the Bai Bai Lian cultists flee—now he couldn't let these tribal troops escape again.

His own lord was working hard to push forward the reform of replacing tribal rule with imperial administration in Among Guangxi.

Compared to the Bai Bai Lian Holy State's army, keeping these tribal troops was far more important.

If we let them go now, they'll become major threats during future reforms.

……

"Chief, the scout reports:

Several tribes that fled with the Wu clan have been intercepted by imperial cavalry and are now trapped at Ruilin Mountain."

Upon hearing the news, the He clan chief smiled faintly.

Fortunately, the Wu clan fled quickly and took the blow for him—otherwise, the He clan would be the ones suffering now.

After his relief, his eyes suddenly moistened.

When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves.

Though Among Guangxi's tribal chieftains fought among themselves, they stood united against the court.

The tribal clans of Lianzhou were already finished; now it was the turn of Siming Prefecture's clans to suffer.

By now, the overall strength of Among Guangxi's tribal chieftains had been greatly diminished.

If Da Yu were overthrown, they might still have a chance to recover during the chaos.

Once the White Lotus Rebellion is crushed, the Among Guangxi tribal chieftains, their strength severely weakened, will lack the capacity to resist the court's retribution.

"Issue orders: the army accelerates forward."

While the imperial cavalry is entangled by the Wu clan, immediately head for the ferry crossing."

"Also, send scouts to monitor other tribes to see if anyone moves to aid the Wu."

After suppressing his extraneous emotions, the He clan chieftain gave a decisive order.

Reason told him that at a time like this, everyone would only sweep the snow from their own doorstep.

Yet emotionally, he still hoped someone would lend the Wu a hand.

When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold.

Every additional day the Siming Prefecture chieftains hold out, they gain one more day of preparation time.

"Chieftain, since the enemy's cavalry has arrived, the ferry crossing is likely destroyed."

Those White Lotus Holy State bastards went straight to Siming Prefecture, bypassing us entirely."

If the crossing were still usable, they'd never have taken such a detour!"

Hearing the young man's warning, the He clan chieftain instantly realized the truth.

The enemy cavalry's presence here means they were sent on a specific mission.

A mere thousand cavalry could never overwhelm tens of thousands of troops.

To prevent their retreat, the best option is to destroy the bridge and the boats at the ferry.

"Damn!"

"The imperial forces' target is us—they deliberately let the White Lotus forces escape!"

The He clan chieftain couldn't help exclaiming.

If the imperial cavalry had blocked them, the White Lotus Holy State unit could never have withdrawn intact.

Their failure to intercept immediately was clearly intentional.

Together, the two forces numbered over seventy thousand.

No matter how strong the imperial troops, their numbers were limited.

If these seventy thousand fought desperately, they could inflict serious trouble on the imperial army.

But the situation is different now.

After letting that ten-thousand-strong White Lotus force escape, the remaining tribal armies have been utterly demoralized.

Even among these chieftains, the first thought is to flee—not to stand and fight the imperial troops.

An army that only wants to run has virtually no combat power.

The imperial forces can annihilate them east of the Great River at minimal cost.

Realizing the truth, the He clan chieftain stood frozen in place.

Proceeding methodically toward the ferry crossing would mean no crossing at all.

Turning toward Siming Prefecture and crossing upstream would take too long.

If the imperial forces set up such a large trap, they wouldn't let them escape so easily.

The enemy's main force might already be on its way.

"Chieftain, if the path ahead is a dead end, order a change of direction!"

While we still have time, break away from the main force—we should be able to escape."

The young man suggested going with the flow.

If we can't fight them, we can at least avoid them.

Avoiding the imperial troops' sharp edge isn't shameful.

"We cannot move now.

The Wu clan is proof—if we turn toward Siming Prefecture, the imperial cavalry will pounce immediately.

Unless we unite with other tribes, we won't escape Siming Prefecture under constant cavalry harassment.

The imperial main force is still some distance away—hold out until nightfall.

Then, under cover of darkness, split our forces and flee, avoiding the enemy cavalry!"

…

(End of Chapter)