MLMD -Chapter 114 Advancing into Lüzikou

Deep within the Lüzikou mountain range lay a spot whose terrain was higher than the surrounding areas. A ring-shaped chain of mountains enclosed a small lake, beside which stood dozens of scattered houses. At the center of these buildings rose a large two-story structure built of gray bricks—this was the Lin family’s main stronghold in Lüzikou.

At the heart of the building was a reception hall. At this moment, Lin Yuanteng sat in the center of the hall. Standing before him was a bald, burly man with a knife scar on his face—the Leopard Head who had led yesterday’s ambush on the Wulizhai prospecting team in the valley.

Lin Yuanteng picked up a long saber from the table, three chi eight cun in length, and weighed it in his hand. At five and a half jin, it was neither too heavy nor too light—just right. The blade was keen and sharp; even someone who knew nothing about weapons could tell it was a fine piece.

With a dark expression, Lin Yuanteng set the saber down and picked up a crossbow. Made of white waxwood and ox sinew, it could shoot over a hundred paces and possessed formidable killing power. It had long been a standard long-range weapon in the army. Upon seeing the crossbow, Lin Yuanteng’s face darkened even further.

After a long pause, Lin Yuanteng slowly asked, “Leopard Head, did you kill all of them?”

“Uh…” Leopard Head hesitated before answering. “One person managed to escape. All the rest were killed.”

“So that means someone already knows we did this?” Lin Yuanteng’s words carried a chilling edge.

“Y-yes.” Leopard Head no longer had yesterday’s ferocity; he hung his head like a dog that had been thoroughly tamed.

“Useless trash!” Lin Yuanteng suddenly exploded. Pointing at Leopard Head, he shouted, “What have I taught you all these years? Before acting, see clearly who you’re dealing with. Don’t provoke just anyone. Take a good look—really look—at these things. Do you think people who can afford gear like this are a bunch of starving paupers? And even if you were going to do it, why leave a survivor? That’s just handing others a handle to grab!”

“Master, what’s there to be afraid of?” Leopard Head muttered stubbornly with his head lowered. “No matter how capable they were, didn’t we still wipe them out? Besides, even if they’re government troops, so what? It’s not like we haven’t fought them before. They’re all a bunch of useless cowards who crumble at the first touch.”

“You—”

Lin Yuanteng cursed angrily. “You don’t know a damn thing! Yingzhou Prefecture isn’t what it used to be. The newly appointed garrison commander there is no easy opponent—he’s ruthless! Last year I personally saw him lead just five hundred militia and rout over ten thousand bandits. If we really anger the authorities and they send that man after us, we’ll be in serious trouble!”

“Really?” Hearing this, even Leopard Head wavered. Though brutal and violent, he wasn’t completely brainless. Seeing Lin Yuanteng speak so gravely, he couldn’t help asking, “Master, is that new garrison commander really that powerful? Five hundred men defeating over ten thousand bandits?”

“Nonsense! I watched it with my own eyes from the city walls—how could it be fake?” Lin Yuanteng snapped. Ever since Yue Yang’s rise, merely mentioning his name was enough to sour Lin Yuanteng’s temper.

“So such a person really exists…” Leopard Head was visibly shaken. That was ten thousand bandits—even killing ten thousand chickens wouldn’t be easy.

Lin Yuanteng shot Leopard Head an impatient glare. This fellow was usually bold and ruthless, with a bit of cunning, but cooped up in Lüzikou for so long, his horizons were inevitably narrow. Yue Yang’s true capabilities were far beyond what a man who only bullied others in this palm-sized corner of Lüzikou could comprehend.

At this moment, Lin Yuanteng had no idea that his top enforcer had already brought him colossal trouble. If he had known that the men Leopard Head killed yesterday were from Yue Yang’s prospecting team, he would not be sitting here so calmly now.

Just as Lin Yuanteng was considering whether to have Leopard Head lie low in their lair for a while, Yue Yang was already leading three thousand troops, advancing mightily toward Lüzikou.

Before setting out, Yue Yang had informed Prefect Zheng Fakui overnight, and Zheng fully agreed. This Lin Yuanteng, relying on over a thousand miners and several hundred vicious retainers, had long run rampant in the Lüzikou area—illegally seizing mines and colluding with horse bandits, never taking the authorities seriously. Zheng Fakui had wanted to deal with him for a long time but lacked the opportunity. Now that this man had actually killed Yue Yang’s people, it was as if even heaven itself wanted him destroyed.

This time, in addition to leading troops to wipe out Lüzikou, Yue Yang also summoned more than ten merchant households from Yingzhou Prefecture overnight, including Li Yuan. He bluntly told them that he intended to send troops to eliminate the Lin family and the bandits in Lüzikou, and that he was willing to open up the mineral resources there and share them.

Though Li Yuan and the other merchants were shocked by the sudden turn of events, none refused this windfall from the sky. Everyone knew how profitable mining was, but given the current situation in the Ming dynasty, wherever there were mines, there were local clans with criminal power. The thugs they raised were often even tougher than local troops—at the slightest disagreement, they would rally miners into armed brawls, classic bullies who feared force but not virtue.

Now that someone was willing to clean them up and even share the profits, why wouldn’t they be pleased? They also understood that the lion’s share would surely go to Yue Yang, but getting a portion of the leftovers was still fine—after all, it was free profit. What more could they ask for?

After a night of heated discussion, the merchants scrambled to buy in. Developing mines had always been hugely profitable; it was just that Lüzikou had long been monopolized by the Lin family and other criminal forces, leaving them no chance. Now that Yue Yang was taking the lead, only a fool would hesitate.

The next morning, Yue Yang set out with three thousand soldiers. Behind them followed several hundred wagons and over a thousand refugees newly recruited by Yue Yang. Li Yuan and the other merchants brought along their household guards and several thousand miners, bringing the total to seven or eight thousand people moving in grand formation toward Lüzikou.

After marching for two to three hours, the column entered the outskirts of Lüzikou. Then another problem arose. Though Lüzikou had roads, they were truly difficult to traverse—narrow and riddled with potholes. The merchants riding in carriages were jolted until their faces turned pale, nearly vomiting their bile. Yet for the sake of future profits, each endured it in silence.

Mounted on horseback, Yue Yang looked at the winding paths stretching deep into the mountains ahead, his brows knit tightly. In the twenty-first century, there was an old saying repeated for decades: If you want to get rich, build roads first. Old as it was, it made perfect sense. Without convenient roads, even a mountain of gold couldn’t be transported out. Lüzikou was just such a case—though only a little over a hundred li from Yingzhou City, a round trip took at least two days, showing just how treacherous the road was.

“It seems it’s time to build a road into the mountains,” Yue Yang thought as he rode. The mountain route was over a hundred li long; paving it with cement would be extremely costly—far beyond what Yue Yang alone could manage. But now…

He glanced at the dozen or so merchants behind him and a sly smile crept onto his face. It seemed his cement factory would be working overtime in the coming days.

Such a massive force advancing into Lüzikou naturally couldn’t go unnoticed by the locals. Starting the next day, ragged figures began appearing around the column—some hiding in the brush, others trailing behind—watching this familiar yet unfamiliar force with eyes filled with shock, fear, and curiosity.

By noon, the column was less than ten li from Lüzikou’s center. More people appeared, some even openly holding blades and spears as they brazenly monitored the advancing force.

Yue Yang checked the sky and asked Bai Kai, who had been accompanying him as a guide, “Bai Kai, how far is it to Lüzikou now?”

After being rescued, Bai Kai was originally to be sent back to Wulizhai. But upon hearing that Yue Yang intended to lead troops into Lüzikou to avenge them, the young man refused to leave. He sought out Yue Yang and begged persistently to accompany the army. In the end, Yue Yang relented.

Now, hearing the question, Bai Kai pointed to a mountain peak ahead. “Lord Yue, once we pass that mountain, we’ll reach the central area of Lüzikou. It’s about ten li from here.”

“I see.” Yue Yang turned to Hu Laosan beside him. “Hu Laosan, order the troops to halt and rest for half an hour. Let them eat something. Then have all soldiers don their armor and check their firearms and ammunition. Prepare for battle!”

Hu Laosan, who had done nothing but drill troops in Yingzhou for days on end, was long bored stiff. Hearing that a fight was coming, he immediately brightened and shouted, “Yes! This subordinate will see to it at once!”

Soon, a clear bugle call echoed through the ranks. Cavalry and infantry alike halted, sitting down to rest and drink water. Following Wulizhai’s training regulations, a small number of cavalry detached and spread out in all directions to conduct reconnaissance and guard against sudden enemies.

Meanwhile, the hundreds of soldiers in charge of logistics began unloading armor from the wagons and distributing it. The soldiers quickly donned their gear, and before long, ranks of ironclad troops appeared—clad in gray armor, their entire bodies concealed save for a pair of eyes.