After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 117: Chapter 118: Truth Becomes Clearer Through Debate

Xianling Village was just a small village with limited supplies. If Lui Yao brought all fourteen hundred of his men up the mountain, how would he feed them? Have them gnaw on tree bark?

Who knew how long this rendezvous would last? At the very least, the three factions would have to hold a few meetings, scheme against one another, and establish a pecking order. Only after setting some rules and then re-mobilizing, re-motivating, and re-deploying their rebel forces could they even consider it over.

"So, that means Wu and Pei didn’t bring many men up the mountain either, about the same as Lui Yao." The truth, it seemed, became clearer with debate. "The combined forces of all three factions rendezvousing at Immortal Spirit Lake can’t be more than seven or eight hundred men!"

Madam Ying looked bewildered. "Only seven or eight hundred? Didn’t that man-eating general have an ambush force of seven hundred at Whistle Rock?"

"Exactly!" Hee Chunhua interjected, a gleam in his eyes. "The three factions must have agreed beforehand to only bring two hundred men each up the mountain. For one, the village’s supplies are limited and can’t support more. For another, it keeps them all in check and prevents any fighting."

A precaution against any accidental flare-ups.

Hearing this, everyone felt a great sense of relief.

Their own fighting force was three hundred strong, and empowered by the Society Command, they could fight like four or five hundred men. Their opponents had seven or eight hundred... more than double their numbers, but it was no longer an overwhelming advantage.

Besides, the enemy were all defeated troops who had fled from Woling Pass, like dogs that had lost their homes. Their morale had been shattered long ago. As long as they fought with one heart, with courage and conviction, they might just be able to break through the enemy’s lines!

Defeating a formidable enemy two or three times one’s own size was no myth on the battlefield; there were plenty of historical examples. In fact, Hee Chunhua himself had fought and won such battles in his youth.

"In other words, these three factions are constantly on guard against each other, and we can make good use of that." Hee Yue smiled. "Lui Yao brought another seven hundred rebels over from Desheng Town. He did it to deal with us, but the other two factions don’t know that. If Lui Yao doesn’t move against us tonight, those seven hundred men are useless. So why were they really brought here? Who can say for sure? For all we know, he’s actually trying to intimidate the other two."

The group exchanged glances, all letting out a collective breath.

Hee Chunhua’s expression had relaxed considerably. He spoke up, "When these three groups of defeated soldiers meet, the three generals will have to establish a pecking order and decide who holds ultimate command. Otherwise, these few thousand men will be nothing but a disorganized mob, useless in the future. There can only be one voice in an army. We just need to make a few moves, and we might be able to use a little effort to achieve a great result."

He added, "I’ve heard that Wu Shaoyi and Lui Yao have an old feud. Wu Shaoyi stole credit for military achievements several times, earning him greater appreciation from Hong Xiangqian, which made Lui Yao extremely resentful. Wu once fell in love with a beautiful woman and even planned to marry her as his wife, but Lui Yao got to her first and defiled her. Afterward, he cooked her and had her sent to Wu Shaoyi. It’s said that when Wu Shaoyi saw her, her face still held a smile."

He took a sip of water to wet his throat. "Grand General Wu flipped the table on the spot and took his men to go fight Lui Yao. In the end, it was Hong Xiangqian who personally intervened. Only his immense authority in the army could settle the matter. But as you can imagine, their relationship could never recover after that."

"There’s that much bad blood between them?" Hee Lingchuan asked, surprised. "Lui Yao is an Ogre, not one of the founding members of the rebellion. Why did Hong Xiangqian keep him around?"

"The man is a brilliant fighter. After joining Hong Xiangqian’s command, he had a glorious record of seven consecutive victories. In one of those battles, he even smashed the ’Iron Barrel General’ Zhao Ronglu’s eyes, leading to his death from grievous wounds, which allowed the rebels to capture Woling Pass." Hee Chunhua recounted the details with perfect familiarity. "Soldiers and enemies alike have an instinctual fear of a fierce Ogre like him, and Hong Xiangqian used that to his advantage."

An unparalleled Fierce Weapon, placed in the right hands, might just become an unparalleled Divine Weapon.

"But Hong Xiangqian is dead now," Hee Lingchuan said, a look of understanding on his face. "Perhaps the other rebels feel more disgust than fear toward Lui Yao now. Why would they still rendezvous with him here? ’With the top dog gone, his underlings are bound to start thrashing about, aren’t they?’"

"That, I don’t know. Perhaps they all have their own schemes."

Hee Yue thought for a moment. "The priority right now is to find the other two rebel factions."

"If they’re supposed to rendezvous tomorrow afternoon, they should be heading up the mountain soon, or they’re already on it," Mozhe Jingxuan said. "They’re not here for a leisurely hike. Even thieves scout a place out before a job. They have to come up early to check the terrain."

"There are only two roads up and down the mountain, and both lead to Xianling Village. The roads are already difficult at night; they won’t risk taking some other small path." Hee Chunhua said to his Personal Guard, "Bring me the guide."

After some discussion, the group quickly settled on the framework of a plan.

Hee Lingchuan had only gotten the ball rolling; afterward, everyone else chimed in, leaving no room for him to add anything more.

He went and fished out another apple. This one looked a bit riper, so it probably wouldn’t be so sour.

Just as he was about to finish the apple, the others finished their discussion. Hee Lingchuan then added, "Words alone aren’t proof. Dad, you have to gain the trust of Wu and Pei. Otherwise, the three of them will quickly bury the hatchet and become one big happy family again. Seeing is believing, after all. It would be best, hmm... best if you let them see with their own eyes that you and Lui Yao are getting along splendidly."

"See with their own eyes?" Mozhe Jingxuan mused.

Hee Chunhua ordered a Personal Guard to bring him paper and a brush. "I will also write to the Hubei Zhichong Prefecture and ask them to dispatch troops. A two-pronged attack."

Madam Ying worried, "Will they agree?"

"They will if the rebels seem weak," Hee Chunhua said meaningfully. "A defeated general doesn’t boast of his valor. We’re riding the momentum of our great victory at Woling Pass. How could we fail to capture these rebels, who are as jumpy as birds startled by a bowstring? It will be another great military achievement for the taking."

Mozhe Jingxuan cleared his throat. "The rebels plan to set up a stronghold here. How could the local Prefect tolerate that? He’ll have to act quickly to remove this cancer before it can take root."

Hee Chunhua wrote swiftly, finishing the letter in one fluid motion. Before it was sealed, Hee Lingchuan sneaked a peek and saw the phrase "over a thousand defeated soldiers." He couldn’t help but find it amusing.

If the number of defeated troops was too high, the reinforcements might be too afraid to come. The "over a thousand" figure was carefully calculated. Hee Chunhua himself had three hundred elite soldiers. If the Zhechong Prefecture and local Official Army only wanted to provide support, another two or three hundred men would be enough. But if they genuinely wanted to wipe out the rebels, they would need at least two thousand men.

Still, the number Hee Chunhua reported wasn’t technically wrong. The actual number of rebels rendezvousing at Xianling Village would likely be just a little over a thousand.

Soon, he had finished writing everything and handed the tasks off to the appropriate people.

As Hee Lingchuan watched from the side, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

Hee Chunhua was an official in the remote borderlands, yet he was knowledgeable about affairs deep within the Yuan Kingdom. From the personalities of the rebel leaders to the temperament of the local Prefect and the troop numbers of the Zhechong Prefecture, he had a clear grasp of it all.

’What kind of mind did it take to do that?’

The Yuan Kingdom’s territory was vast; without using express couriers, it would take a post horse over a month to cross from east to west. Hee Chunhua was stationed in the most isolated of border regions, yet he still had a crystal-clear understanding of the domestic situation. It was a feat that required immense energy, money, and connections—not a single one could be lacking.