Chapter 705: Order to Besiege and Suppress

Haozhou City.

The city walls are mottled.

The flow of people coming and going through the gate is sparse;

Everyone's face shows a pallor;

Their steps are hurried.

In the rear hall of the City Guard Headquarters;

There is a mingled smell of wine, meat, and moldy old wood.

Captain Wang Ren has his chest open;

He spears a chunk of fatty mutton with a dagger and stuffs it into his mouth;

Grease trickles down the corner of his mouth.

"Sir."

The Secretary holds an official document;

He approaches cautiously.

"A dispatch from the prefecture; asking about each prefecture and county's bandit‑suppression and pacification efforts…"

"Suppress a damn bandit!"

Wang Ren chews the meat;

He mumbles a curse.

"Those who could run have already fled; what's left are tough nuts—hard to chew and they'll break your teeth."

"Just write a few lines to get by."

"Say the region is peaceful; the drifters are gradually returning to the fields."

The Secretary smiles apologetically;

yet he does not leave.

"Sir… the prefecture this time is urging more urgently."

"He also mentioned… a bounty."

Wang Ren's motion pauses.

"A bounty?"

"Beheading a rebel chief brings fifty taels of silver and ten bolts of silk."

"Killing a rebel able‑bodied man brings five taels of silver."

"If the whole band is wiped out, there is also a promotion…"

Wang Ren thrusts his dagger into the table.

"Damn it; is the sun rising in the west?"

"That bunch of tight‑fisted officials; in past years squeezing out a little pay was like pulling teeth—this time they're being so generous?"

The Secretary lowers his voice.

"I hear… it's not just the prefecture's idea."

"There seems to be word from above; the north is unsettled; Liaodong is in serious turmoil."

"The southern prefectures and counties are ordered to 'secure the region,' lest… a great uprising break out."

Wang Ren narrows his eyes.

"The north?"

He recalls the vague rumors he heard a few days ago.

"It said that barbarian tribes are rebelling in Liaodong;"

"the border troops have suffered a loss."

"but that is thousands of li away;"

"what does it have to do with the heartland of Huai Xi here?"

"Moreover…"

The Secretary's voice drops even lower.

"In the city these past few days, a few strangers have shown up."

"They don't look like merchants, nor like refugees."

"They loiter in teahouses and taverns, asking about refugee settlements everywhere."

"Especially… the riverbank to the west."

Wang Ren's brows furrow.

"The western riverbank?"

"Just those mud‑legged folk who scoop up shellfish?"

"Yes." The Secretary nods; "Those people have been inquiring in detail—how many there are, who their leader is, whether they have weapons…"

Wang Ren falls silent for a moment.

He draws his dagger;

then spears another chunk of meat.

"You say…"

He chews the meat;

his eyes flicker.

"The prefecture suddenly urges bandit suppression; and now strangers have come to the city to inquire…"

"Those peasants on the west side; did they provoke someone they shouldn't have?"

"The advisor didn't dare to respond."

"Wang Ren, however, felt more and more that he was right."

"Otherwise, there's no way to explain it."

"A group of refugees numbering at most a thousand;"

"They huddled on the riverbank, scavenging for food;"

"Is it worth paying so much attention to?"

"Unless……"

"They are not merely refugees."

"Or…… someone doesn't want them to stay there any longer."

"Have you looked into it clearly; who is the leader of that group?"

"I asked several batches of people coming from the west to exchange salt; they all said it was a young man, surname Zhu, given name Yue."

"His accent is a bit strange; he doesn't sound like a local."

"But he's quite capable; he can gather people together; and he's even produced some ironware……"

"\"Ironware?! \" Wang Ren's eyes widened."

"\"Yes…… he said he made it himself in a makeshift furnace; not much; but it's indeed there. \"

"Wang Ren slammed the dagger heavily onto the table."

"\"Private iron production; gathering over a thousand people……\"

"\"Damn, are they still just peasants? \"

"\"These are rebels! \"

"He stood up;"

"He paced a few steps inside the room;"

"Reward."

"Promotion."

"And there's that attention of unknown origin."

"A surge of hot blood mixed with alcohol rushed to his head."

"\"Muster the troops! \"

"\"Call up all the mounted infantry you can muster! \"

"\"I'll personally go meet these rebels! \"

"The advisor was startled."

"\"Sir; should we investigate further? Since they can smelt iron, maybe……\"

"\"Maybe my ass! \"

"Wang Ren cursed."

"\"A thousand peasants can only scrape together a few dozen broken knives and spears at most! \"

"\"I bring five hundred regular troops, over a hundred in armor, and still can't crush them? \"

"\"Furthermore……\"

"He took a breath."

"Greed showed in his eyes."

"\"Fifty taels of silver per leader. \"

"\"Five taels of silver per follower. \"

"\"That's…… several thousand taels of snowflake silver! \"

"\"And promotion! \"

"\"Such delivered merit; not taking it would be stupid! \"

"He kicked over the wine jar at his feet."

"\"Go! Pass the order! \"

"\"Three days later, at the mao hour, muster troops and set out! \"

"\"Have the troops sharpen their blades and check the bowstrings. \"

"\"This time, I'm going to eat meat! \"

"The advisor dared not speak further;"

"He bowed and stepped back."

"Wang Ren sat back down at the table;"

"He grabbed the wine pot and took a gulp."

"The liquor dripped down his mustache."

"He seemed to have already seen."

"Blood and fire."

"Silver and merit."

"And there's the appreciation of that unknown 'big figure'."

"West riverbank."

"Zhu Yue just led people using wet mud and wooden planks;"

"They hastily sealed that mine shaft emitting blue light."

How effective was it;

Nobody knows.

We can only smear it on as thick as possible;

Press it down firmly.

When they returned to the camp;

It was already evening.

Everyone was exhausted to the point of being irritable.

Their bodies were covered in mud and that sweet, foul smell.

"Take turns going to the riverbank to wash; rinse several times with clean water."

Zhu Yue ordered.

He himself also walked to the riverbank;

He carefully washed his hands and face.

The icy river water refreshed him.

But the heavy pressure in his heart;

had not dissipated.

The vein had been sealed;

but the contamination had already spread.

Water sources;

Soil;

Air.

How long can the camp hold out?

He was thinking.

Tang He came over quickly;

His face didn't look good.

"Brother Yue; the brothers on picket duty to the south brought back news."

"He said that in the direction of Haozhou City, there was movement."

"The city gate has been under strict inspection these past few days."

"Moreover, some say they saw government troops gathering and repairing weapons."

Zhu Yue's hand, which was wiping his face, stopped.

"Gathering?"

"How many?"

"Unclear; but the commotion is significant, as if they're preparing to go far away."

Zhu Yue fell silent.

He watched the slowly flowing river water.

The vein had just been destroyed;

government troops were about to muster.

What a coincidence?

"Our position; has it been exposed?"

"Hard to say." Tang He shook his head; "But we've been camped on the riverbank for so long that the nearby refugees all know; we can't hide it."

Zhu Yue nodded.

As expected.

But we didn't expect;

that it would come this quickly.

"Tell Xu Da; the pace of building the wall must be sped up."

"Dig the moat another foot deeper."

"All able-bodied persons; starting tomorrow; training time will be increased by one two-hour period."

"Yes."

Tang He received the order and left.

Zhu Yue stood alone by the riverbank;

The setting sun dyed the river water dark red.

Like blood.

He recalled the warning of the fractured pulse.

It might arrive before autumn.

But the enemy……

seems more urgent than he anticipated.

The blades in the north are still being sharpened at an accelerated pace.

But the encirclement from the south is already imminent.

He turned around;

gazing at the rough stone formation in the center of the camp;

gazing at the crude, not yet fully cooled second smelting furnace.

Time;

Really not much left.