MLMD -Chapter 116 Total Annihilation

“Clatter… clatter… clatter…”

Following Yue Yang’s command, the muzzles of the firelocks—already loaded—were lowered in unison. The dark, yawning barrels leveled straight ahead.

If any modern person had been present, facing so many gun barrels pointed at them would have been enough to scare them into wetting their pants. But these ragged miners and their families had never seen firearms in their lives. They had no idea what those black objects were.

Many women even pointed at the firelocks in the soldiers’ hands, laughing loudly in disdain. Some children went so far as to throw stones at the soldiers ahead. From time to time, rocks struck helmets and armor, producing sharp clang sounds.

Though these stones posed no threat to soldiers wrapped head to toe in iron armor, they pushed the already tense atmosphere to a breaking point.

“Ignorant brats—how dare you insult imperial troops!”
Seeing this, Hu Laoshan, who was commanding from the rear of the formation, flew into a rage. Born of the rough-and-tumble world of outlaws, Hu Laoshan had been fierce and combative since his youth, and not much had changed over the years. Ordinarily, had anyone dared throw stones at him, he would have ordered them shot on the spot. But now it was children throwing the stones, and for a moment he hesitated.

After a brief pause, Hu Laoshan turned to Yue Yang and said, “My lord, these mountain rabble are being outrageously insolent. What should we do?”

“What should we do?”
Yue Yang murmured softly. Looking at the children hiding behind the adults and hurling stones at the soldiers—faces filled with anger or fear—his expression grew distant. During this brief hesitation, the thugs lurking behind the miners and their families saw that the troops were not reacting, and their behavior grew even more brazen.

At this moment, another voice rang out from the rear of the formation:

“Fellow villagers of Lüzikou! I am Yue Yang, Defense Commander of Yingzhou. I have come here under the orders of the Prefect to reorganize the various mines of Lüzikou. After the reorganization, the mines will continue operating. When that time comes, you may all return to work. I have already spoken with the merchant managers—anyone willing to work may continue. I guarantee that your lives will only improve. Furthermore, I will recruit people to build a road leading to Yingzhou Prefecture, ensuring that everyone has work to do and no one goes hungry!”

Hearing Yue Yang’s words, some miners and their families began to waver. A disheveled young woman holding a child whispered to the man beside her, “Child’s father, the officials said they’ll keep hiring us. Maybe we shouldn’t oppose the government?”

The young man hesitated, then said weakly, “Don’t be afraid, wife. Sixth Uncle said those soldiers wouldn’t dare act.”

At that, a middle-aged man nearby shouted, “Da Ya, stop stirring trouble! Steward Lin said those soldiers won’t dare do anything. Look at them—no knives in their hands. You think holding a firewood stick can scare people? They’re far from it!”

“Haha—exactly! I even saw a bunch of carts behind them just now. There must be plenty of good stuff on them. When things get chaotic later, we can loot the hell out of it!” a burly man holding a long saber yelled from the back.

“That’s right! Loot it—maybe we’ll even make a small fortune! Everyone, charge together!”

The crowd grew increasingly agitated. The miners quickened their pace, many breaking into a run toward the soldiers. Having never witnessed the power of firearms, to them the firelocks in the soldiers’ hands were no different from firewood sticks.

Seeing over a thousand miners surge forward, Lin Yuanteng, who had been watching from the rear with amusement, revealed a smug smile. He muttered viciously, “Yue Yang, aren’t you supposed to be tough? Let’s see if you dare lay a hand on these miners! If you do, I’ll join others in impeaching you before the court!”

Inciting miners to cause trouble, provoking brawls and even killings—this was Lin Yuanteng’s specialty. Over the years, relying on several hundred vicious servants and more than a thousand miners, he had fought countless bloody battles with neighboring mine owners, killing many and establishing his reputation as the local tyrant. Today was merely another performance of his tried-and-true routine.

“My lord, what do we do?”
The miners were now within fifty paces of the formation. If they didn’t fire now, it would be too late. Hu Laoshan grew anxious.

Watching the advancing crowd, a faint killing intent flashed in Yue Yang’s eyes. “What else can we do? We warned them already. If they insist on coming to their deaths, then don’t blame us for being merciless. Hu Laoshan—order the troops to fire!”

“Yes—fire!”
“Fire!”
“Fire!”

As the command was passed forward, the centurion at the front issued the final order.

“Bang, bang, bang—”

A rapid series of explosions, like beans popping in a pan, erupted from the front of the formation. Dozens of miners at the very front fell instantly into pools of blood. The gruesome scene stunned those behind them. Many of these miners were accustomed to brawls—injuring or even killing people was not unheard of—but seeing dozens fall almost simultaneously was utterly foreign to them.

“First rank, fall back! Second rank, step forward!”
“Fire!”

“Bang, bang, bang—”

The gunfire rang out again. Another several dozen collapsed to the ground. Not all died instantly; some, struck outside vital areas, lay mangled and bleeding, rolling on the ground in agony, their piercing screams echoing through the air.

Such carnage would test even elite troops, let alone miners and women driven by momentary impulse or raw emotion. After two volleys, they finally broke. Turning around, they fled in panic toward the rear. Even the several hundred of the Lin family’s vicious servants—kicking, beating, and even hacking at them with blades—could not stop the rout. To them, those fire-breathing cylindrical objects were simply too terrifying.

Watching the rioters wail and scatter in all directions, Yue Yang said calmly, “Order the cavalry to charge. Anyone holding a weapon—arrest them all. Any who resist are to be executed on the spot!”

At Yue Yang’s command, Wu Chengfeng, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately led five hundred cavalrymen in a pincer movement from both flanks, charging straight at the thugs.

The thunder of hooves roared as the five hundred cavalry surged forward, kicking up clouds of dust. A heavy stench of blood rose with the dust and drifted back toward the formation. When it reached Li Yuan and the other merchants lingering in the rear, many turned pale, some unable to hold back and vomiting on the spot.

“Kill—!”

A cavalryman wielding a saber leaned low over his horse, spurring it forward. As he thundered past a thug holding a spear, the razor-sharp blade swept across the man’s neck. A jet of blood sprayed nearly a meter into the air. The thug collapsed without a sound, clutching his throat as he spun to the ground.

“They’re killing people—!”
“Run—run!”

Though Lin Yuanteng’s thugs performed well in everyday mine-grabbing brawls, they were no match for Yue Yang’s troops—soldiers rigorously trained for the sole purpose of killing. After a series of brutal blows, both the incited miners and the thugs completely collapsed, turning and fleeing desperately toward the mountain gate, wishing only that they had been born with two extra legs.

Wu Chengfeng led the five hundred cavalry in hot pursuit toward the gate, while the infantry advanced in orderly formation under Hu Laoshan’s command. Very quickly, they herded Lin Yuanteng’s men and the miners into the mountain entrance.

The collapse came suddenly. When Lin Yuanteng tried to order the gate closed, Ming cavalry were already close on the heels of the fleeing miners, charging straight through the entrance. A far bloodier slaughter began.

Remembering Yue Yang’s orders, Wu Chengfeng showed no mercy—anyone holding a weapon, regardless of who they were, was executed on the spot. By the end, Lin Yuanteng’s men had learned their lesson. Many threw down their weapons and knelt, begging for mercy.

Thus, after half an hour, the lopsided battle came to an end. Aside from those killed on the spot, the remaining hundreds of Lin Yuanteng’s thugs were all captured. When Lin Yuanteng himself—trussed up tightly—along with over a hundred of his men, was brought before Yue Yang, Yue Yang looked at the once-arrogant master of the Lin family and sneered coldly.

“Lin Yuanteng, you never thought you’d see a day like this, did you?”

Gone was Lin Yuanteng’s earlier swagger. Looking up at Yue Yang, who sat coldly on horseback above him, he gave a bitter smile. “Yue Yang… you win. Take the mines. I’ll lead the Lin family away from Yingzhou and never return.”

“Leave?”
As though he had heard the funniest joke in the world, Yue Yang threw back his head and laughed. “Lin Yuanteng, I already gave you a chance. You failed to cherish it. Now—even if you want to leave, you no longer can.”

At that moment, Bai Kai, standing behind Yue Yang, spotted Leopard Head among Lin Yuanteng’s followers. Pointing at him, he shouted angrily, “Lord Yue—that’s him! It was this man who led the ambush the other day! Brother Song and the others were killed by him!”

“What? Him?”

A terrifying cold light shot from Yue Yang’s eyes as he fixed his gaze on Leopard Head and sneered. “Good… very good. Looks like today we settle every score at once. Men—drag this one out and behead him. Avenge our fallen villagers!”