IDWBE -Chapter 150 Raising Bandits to Strengthen Oneself

At this moment, everyone in Sanhe was filled with rage.

Lin Yi remained silent for a long time, ultimately not saying another word.

The funeral for the fallen soldiers was funded by the Provincial Administration Commissioner and held on Baiyun Mountain.

For the first time, the monks and Daoists of Baiyun Temple joined hands, conducting three full days and nights of funeral rites.

“Settle their families properly. Raise their children until they come of age,” Lin Yi said as he sat in the main hall. Thinking of so many young lives lost, he felt deeply troubled. “And during holidays and festivals, don’t forget their families. Send money when it’s needed, send goods when it’s needed.”

The campaign against the bandits had been his impulsive decision. Now that things had gone wrong, it was only right that he take care of the families of the fallen soldiers.

Shan Qi cupped his hands and said, “Your Highness, rest assured. I will make the arrangements properly.”

Lin Yi turned to He Jixiang. “And what do you have to say? This is what you meant by ‘Third Rank’?”

It was this bastard who had talked him into it—claiming how formidable Third Rank fighters were, how a hundred of them could chase down a thousand Imperial Guards as if they were invincible.

And yet now, eight hundred Third Rank fighters—among them even Fourth and Fifth Rank experts—had been chased down by a band of roaming bandits and suffered heavy losses.

More than a hundred lives wasted.

“Being prepared while the enemy is not is one thing; being unprepared is another,” He Jixiang sighed. “Your Highness, they had five to six thousand men, all well-trained. With volleys of arrows loosed at once, even a Grandmaster would have to avoid the edge!”

Let alone mere Third Rank fighters?

He had wanted to say that victory and defeat were common in warfare, that casualties were inevitable—but seeing the prince looking as if he had lost his father, he held his tongue.

Then again, if his father had truly died, this prince would probably look like the Crown Prince does.

Lin Yi said, “Tang Que is from Jizhao Nunnery. Jizhao Nunnery supports Prince Yong. And now he’s mixed in with these bandits?”

Shan Qi said, “Your Highness, I previously had doubts. General Yuan Qing, General Mei Jingzhi, and Prince Yong’s three armies are all elite and battle-hardened. They stand against the Wadan army without yielding an inch. How could they fail to wipe out a mere band of bandits? Now it seems Prince Yong has been raising bandits to strengthen himself. That explains everything.”

He Jixiang narrowed his eyes. “Indeed. I overlooked it as well. I never imagined Prince Yong would be so bold. That Huang Sifang of Daxi City was likely his man all along.”

“Otherwise, how could he have trained such fine troops? And how could Tang Que just happen to be in the enemy camp?” Lin Yi sneered. “Without my dear uncle and General Mei turning a blind eye, how could Huang Sifang have grown so powerful?”

Qi Peng shook his head. “Not necessarily. General Yuan Qing has been relentlessly pursuing Han Hui’s forces without sparing any effort. Daxi City’s terrain is complex and easy to defend but hard to attack. Yuan’s troops are all northerners, unaccustomed to the southern heat. Many have fallen ill, and they’re currently recuperating in Yuezhou.”

He Jixiang cupped his hands. “Chen Xinluo has sent word by carrier pigeon. Daxi City is surrounded. I would like to go there in person. I ask for Your Highness’s permission.”

In the past, he had been nothing more than a penal soldier. Without an imperial decree, he could not leave Baiyun City. Even the two previous bandit-suppression campaigns had been carried out in secret, under Shen Chu’s name.

But things were different now. With the situation so chaotic, who had time to monitor him?

“Go,” Lin Yi said. “Chen Xinluo has never fought a war.”

If not for the heat, Lin Yi would have wanted to lead the campaign himself—experience the thrill of commanding troops, leave behind a legendary tale in the history books.

“I wish to atone for my failure. I will go with Mister He!”

Zhang Mian, still injured, knelt on the ground.

When he had served under Yang Changchun, he had only been a deputy general, responsible merely for obeying orders. In Sanhe, this was his first time leading troops—and he had made a mess of it.

He had assumed that with so many Third Rank fighters under his command, there was no need to bring bows or crossbows.

He had sent out only a single scout—Wang Tuozi.

He hadn’t even known when the enemy had set up their ambush.

The greatest humiliation of his life.

“I will go as well!”

Bao Kui, who had only just awakened after two days of unconsciousness, his face still pale, stepped forward.

Lin Yi waved his hand. “Go. Everything will be under General He’s command. Remember—revenge is revenge, but don’t underestimate the enemy again. If more men die, I won’t have the face to remain in Sanhe. And if you get the chance to kill Tang Que, don’t show mercy.”

Pitifully enough, in all of Sanhe, the only one who had truly commanded troops in hard battles was He Jixiang.

“Yes!”

He Jixiang knelt together with Bao Kui and Zhang Mian.

Lin Yi continued, “Mister Bian.”

“Your Highness, your command?” Bian Jing cupped his hands.

Lin Yi snorted. “Empty the warehouse of all crossbow bolts and let them take everything. Ninth Rank fighters have that so-called true qi, don’t they? Let’s see if it can stop a bolt. Tang Que…”

He was destined to be at odds with Jizhao Nunnery to the death. There was no need for courtesy anymore.

He Jixiang, along with Bao Kui and Zhang Mian, set out immediately with over a hundred soldiers.

Halfway there, they saw a familiar figure standing ahead.

Bao Kui was the first to rein in his horse and salute. “Chief Steward!”

Who else could it be but Hong Ying?

Zhang Mian asked, “May I ask why the Chief Steward is here?”

Hong Ying said calmly, “Didn’t you hear the prince? Kill Tang Que. Find Ye Qiu and Tang Que.”

Without waiting for a reply, he drifted away, gradually shrinking to a small black dot among the mountains.

Zhang Mian and the others were overjoyed.

Against ten thousand troops, they might not fear Ninth Rank Tang Que in broad daylight.

But they dreaded a nighttime ambush.

In the dark, even the slightest disturbance could cause chaos in the camp, let alone repel an attack.

Daxi City lay southeast of Yuezhou, nestled among towering mountains.

Sanhe’s ten thousand troops, along with twenty thousand laborers, were stationed beneath the east gate of Daxi City, watching as enemy bandits hurled insults down from the city walls.

There was nothing they could do.

Zhu Ruorong fumed. “Commander Chen, why don’t we just charge in?”

If Chen Xinluo hadn’t held him back, he would have already climbed the walls with his butcher’s cleaver and hacked those bastards to pieces.

“No rush,” Chen Xinluo sighed.

This was the first time in his life he had led troops, and he had no one to consult.

They had surrounded Daxi City for three days and still had no plan.

“Commander Chen,” the hot-tempered Li Sanniang shouted, “Between the soldiers and the laborers, we can muster over a thousand Third Rank fighters. Why don’t we climb the walls at night and open the gates from inside?”

“Shopkeeper Li,” Chen Xinluo gave a wry smile. You’re suppliers—why are you more anxious than the soldiers? “Let’s besiege them first and see how long they can hold out.”

“And how long will that take?” Li Sanniang snorted. “The roads from Baiyun City are poor. We only have provisions for fifteen days.”

Wang Tuozi approached. “Commander Chen, I led the brothers around the city walls and asked some local hunters. Couldn’t find any hidden paths into the city. How about I sneak in again tonight to gather information?”

There was a wound at the corner of his mouth; even speaking hurt.

“No need,” Chen Xinluo shook his head.

He remembered what Lord He Jixiang had once said: as long as you win, any number of deaths is acceptable.

But he couldn’t bring himself to be so ruthless.

He knew that Prince He disliked death—even of small animals.

When otters sneaked into the prince’s manor to steal goldfish, His Highness would be furious, yet ultimately only lightly punish them before letting them go.

Wang Tuozi couldn’t help asking, “Then what should we do?”

Chen Xinluo was about to reply when he suddenly felt a chill down his back. Seeing the stunned expressions on Zhu Ruorong and Wang Tuozi’s faces—like they had seen a ghost—he carefully turned around.

There stood Hong Ying, expressionless.

“Chief Steward…” Chen Xinluo forced a smile. “What brings you here?”

Hong Ying said, “Where are Ye Qiu and Tang Que?”

“They’re both Ninth Rank. We simply can’t catch up to them,” Chen Xinluo replied.

By the time he raised his head, Hong Ying had already vanished.

“The Chief Steward’s gone,” Zhu Ruorong patted his chest in relief, then grinned. “Now that he’s here, everything’s as good as dead!”

Chen Xinluo said, “Since the Chief Steward has arrived, Lord He and the others should be close behind.”

As he expected, by the following afternoon, he saw He Jixiang riding in on a skinny horse.