IDWBE -Chapter 140 The Decision

Bao Kui couldn’t hold back any longer. He uncorked a bottle of wine he had taken from Zhu Ruorong, filled Zhang Mian’s cup first, then his own. After draining his in one gulp, he sighed.

“Lord Zhang… that was one hundred and ten thousand taels of silver.”

This campaign had emptied Sanhe’s coffers.

Losing wasn’t the worst thing. Losing money was.

If revenue didn’t cover expenses, the Prince might very well tear them apart with his bare hands.

“This…”

At the thought of how the Prince valued money like his life, Zhang Mian hesitated.

Of all things, Prince He cherished silver most.

If they returned empty-handed like this, what would await them?

The answer required no imagination.

Bao Kui sighed. “Lord Zhang, you’ve seen more of the world. Think of something.”

At the very least, they couldn’t suffer a loss.

Sanhe was barren—otherwise he’d be tempted to loot a few wealthy households.

Zhang Mian finished his cup, let Bao Kui refill it, clinked cups, and drank again in one gulp.

“When I served under Commander Yang Changchun, fighting the Wadan, every battle was bitter. You’ve fought the barbarians of Ayu Kingdom and helped suppress the rebellion in Liangzhou. I’ve heard how fierce the barbarians are. But what about the Liangzhou rebels?”

Could they possibly have been like these Yuezhou rebels?

He wanted to describe them—perhaps “collapsing at the first touch”? Yet that wasn’t even accurate. The bandits had fled before making contact, not even knowing what kind of troops they faced.

As for Jin Ke’s so-called core force—claimed to be twenty thousand but in truth barely over ten thousand—they only advanced reluctantly under the threat of their own overseers wielding broadswords and bows.

One volley of arrows from their side killed over a hundred. The bandits did not retreat immediately—they continued charging forward, which briefly caused some panic among his own troops.

But once the cavalry rushed in and casualties mounted, the rebels hurriedly withdrew. A serious stampede followed. Even the overseers couldn’t stop it.

Later, when tallying casualties, most dead or injured laborers had panicked at the sight of battle, instinctively fled, and in their confusion fallen into ravines or been trampled by supply carts.

Startled livestock had been uncontrollable.

Only one or two had actually been wounded by charging enemies.

The same went for his troops. Many of the newer recruits had never experienced formation combat. When rebel blades came at them, they froze in fear, forgetting even to dodge. A few had been decapitated by vicious bandits.

Still—they had won.

Won inexplicably.

The battle had been far too easy.

Bao Kui sneered. “In Liangzhou, the rebel leader Wu Baishun once rallied a million followers. Though said to be suppressed, he still roams Jinzhou, Ningzhou, and Yuzhou. He once chased General Zhang Bi for a hundred li. Hardly ordinary.”

“What was special about those Liangzhou rebels?” Zhang Mian asked.

“Our Liang Kingdom maintains a million soldiers. The most miserable are the frontier troops—their pay is barely two qian and five fen, not enough for two days’ meals,” Bao Kui said, draining another cup. “Military households on the frontier are poor to the bone. Naturally, they rebelled too. Most of Wu Baishun’s men were frontier soldiers and courier station guards. Corrupt officials, weak generals, neglected armaments—true. But they trained in martial arts from youth and reported for drills at the parade grounds. When facing the imperial army, they were no less formidable. And if we speak plainly—even the capital garrison and imperial guards… you and I both know their true condition.”

Zhang Mian fell silent for a long time. “It is only Generals Yuan and Mei who struggle bitterly on the front lines.”

Bao Kui snorted. “If I weren’t under Prince He, I’d have rebelled myself long ago!”

“Brother Bao! Watch your words!” Zhang Mian’s face changed.

“Hmph.” Bao Kui refilled his cup carelessly. “What, Lord Zhang? Will you report me to the secret guards?”

“We’ve been brothers long enough not to speak like that,” Zhang Mian said helplessly. “Just be careful. Walls have ears.”

“And if they do?” Bao Kui laughed loudly. “Others may fear. I do not!”

“Brother Bao, let’s drink.”

After finishing his cup, Zhang Mian quickly changed the subject. “Given our situation, what strategy do you propose?”

Whatever happened, they could not return to Baiyun City empty-handed.

“Jin Ke was poor—barely a thousand taels,” Bao Kui frowned. “Lord Zhang, we’ll have to go personally to Yuezhou.”

“But the Prince only instructed us to block the refugees.”

Zhang Mian hesitated. He was the commanding general; if anything went wrong, he would bear responsibility.

“The Prince never said we couldn’t leave Sanhe. Nor did he forbid entering Yuezhou.”

Bao Kui clapped his shoulder. “Brother, fortune favors the bold. Besides, what danger could there be from such rabble?”

After long contemplation, Zhang Mian drained his cup.

Before dawn, stretching seven or eight li along the mountain path, Sanhe’s troops and laborers lit fires and cooked. As the aroma spread, scattered fleeing bandits, unable to bear hunger and mosquitoes, emerged from the forest one by one.

Another three or four thousand arrived.

After feeding them, they too were bound like the previous group and escorted back to Baiyun City.

Bao Kui sighed. “These people can really eat.”

He feared their grain supply wouldn’t last.

Zhang Mian glanced at Jin Ke, curled in the tent half-dead, and kicked him.

“Well? Hero?”

“Sir… please spare me…”

After a night of torment, Jin Ke, unable to live or die, finally broke.

“Trying to act the hero before me? You’re too green.”

As Commander of the South Gate Military Office, Zhang Mian oversaw prisons. He had seen countless such men and was confident in his interrogation methods.

“Speak. Who controls the passage into Yuezhou beyond here?”

“Chen Zhong… he’s just a useless man,” Jin Ke stammered. “You needn’t worry, sir.”

Bao Kui asked, “Who among the bandits has the most money?”

Jin Ke didn’t understand the question, but after a moment replied, “Huang Sifang.”

“Where?”

“When I came… he was in Daxi—”

Bao Kui pressed his foot against Jin Ke’s chest, cutting off his breath.

Zhang Mian ordered, “Escort him back to Baiyun City for judgment.”

Bringing him along was only a burden now.

They found seven or eight refugees to serve as guides and set out toward Daxi.

For two days, aside from a few insignificant bandit groups, they encountered no resistance.

But upon reaching the boundary marker between Sanhe and Yuezhou, the cement road ended.

Before them rose endless mountains. The paths were rugged; one misstep meant plunging into a thousand-zhang abyss.

Traveling on foot was hard enough—supply carts were impossible.

After discussion, Zhang Mian and Bao Kui decided only those of third rank or above would enter Yuezhou. The rest would remain behind.

To their surprise, besides eight hundred qualified soldiers, over six hundred of the twenty thousand laborers were also third rank or above!

“Zhu Ruorong! What are you joining for?” Bao Kui barked.

“Commander Bao,” Zhu Ruorong grinned. “You said third rank and above go. I’m third rank!”

He had known Bao Kui since their days in the capital and wasn’t intimidated.

Bao Kui raised his voice. “All of you stand down! This trip risks your lives. You’re laborers—it has nothing to do with you.”

Li Sanniang stepped forward. “Commander Bao, I don’t like those words. We are all martial artists. Even against bandits, we fear no one. I personally cut down three men.”

“Shopkeeper Li’s valor rivals any man—we admire it,” Bao Kui clasped his hands. “But if everyone goes to Daxi, who will guard this place? I ask you to remain and oversee matters here.”

Without further argument, he and Zhang Mian led only the eight hundred third-rank soldiers into Yuezhou.