Chapter 516 – The Attack on Fengyi County (24)
In Jiao Ping County.
“Don’t rush, take your time—what’s with the crying, you big softy?”
The leader of the Green Garment Army in Jiao Ping County proudly called himself General Ping Tian, one of the prominent figures in the Green Garment Army.
Receiving news from a little soldier that there were comrades from Cheng An County outside the county town, muttering something about General Cang Tian being dead, he was taken aback and quickly had them brought in. To his astonishment, they were indeed subordinates of General Cang Tian.
General Ping Tian’s heart raced as he hurriedly questioned them about the details of General Cang Tian’s death.
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, the guys were already sobbing uncontrollably, their faces smeared with tears and snot. After days of fleeing without washing, they looked a dreadful mess, quite disgusting to behold.
“…Our great commander… our great commander was harmed by a group of people! They even robbed Cheng An County, swaggering in and ousting us Brothers… Our general was unjustly killed!” sobbed the Green Garment Army leader who once flattered General Cang Tian, now forced to seek refuge with “companions” in order to survive.
Cheng An County had been breached?
Upon hearing this, General Ping Tian’s heart sank, and he hurriedly probed further.
“Don’t cry, brother! First, tell me—who the hell harmed General Cang Tian? How many did they bring?”
Cheng An County was very close to Jiao Ping County; with a fast horse, it was only a day’s ride or so. If the enemy had taken Cheng An County, they might set their sights on Jiao Ping County next! He needed to know who the adversary was to prepare himself mentally.
Hearing General Ping Tian’s concern, the subordinates who had fled the body of General Cang Tian cried even harder.
They clung desperately to their emotional ploy, hoping to leverage whatever goodwill remained from General Cang Tian to secure a good position for themselves here.
They portrayed Jiang Pengji and her group as particularly heinous, while striving to embellish General Cang Tian’s grand image, casting him as someone who sacrificed himself and delayed the advance of the invading army, buying time for the brothers to escape.
Upon hearing such flattering words, General Ping Tian inwardly sneered, well aware of General Cang Tian’s temperament. If it meant saving his own skin, Cang Tian would have abandoned his subordinates without a second thought; how could he possibly sacrifice himself for others?
However, he couldn’t voice this, so he put on a deeply moved expression to match their act.
After a lengthy inquiry, General Ping Tian finally discerned who had taken Cheng An County.
“Xiang Yang County’s… this is troublesome; they’re tough nuts to crack, no one has been able to take them down for half a year.”
The Green Garment Army only knew how to rob, not how to build!
No matter how impressive the bounty, in their hands it would only end in disaster.
Cheng An County had been ravaged to the point of being so poor they couldn’t scrape together even a single grain of rice.
General Ping Tian, however, knew to restrain himself; he didn’t push the populace of Jiao Ping County to the brink all at once, but he did take a bit from them here and there. The common people were suffering, and often contemplated escape.
Though General Ping Tian didn’t know much, he understood that without the common people in the county, could he really call himself a general?
So, he cracked down on any attempts to flee, rounding up all those who tried to escape.
Yet, life was pressing the common people, and despite risking being cut down by the Green Garment Army, some still sought ways to escape.
Faced with this situation, General Ping Tian clenched his teeth in frustration, all the while envying the sturdy Xiang Yang County.
Unfortunately, that county was as tough as a turtle shell, making it hard to get any advantage.
When he heard that Xiang Yang County was taking the initiative to attack Cheng An County, he was nothing short of panicked.
“Do you know how many they brought to Cheng An County?”
General Ping Tian was secretly anxious, fearing Jiang Pengji’s next target would be him. He hadn’t yet enjoyed enough of the general’s glory!
“About six or seven thousand… or maybe many more than that…” the little leader of the Green Garment Army cautiously replied, unsure of the exact number but guessing based on feeling; how could they take Cheng An County so easily if they weren’t numerous?
Little did he know, his wild guess provoked inappropriate greed in General Ping Tian’s heart.
“Six or seven thousand?” General Ping Tian asked in surprise. “Are you sure there are that many?”
“Uh, well, there should be that many. There are too many thieves to count at a glance…”
The little leader of the Green Garment Army pinched his clothing nervously, filled with unease.
“Six or seven thousand… but Xiang Yang County doesn’t have a total strength of even ten thousand, right…”
A thrill went through General Ping Tian, clouded by a bold idea. He was so excited that he could barely hold on to things.
If the folks from Xiang Yang County really had sent off six or seven thousand troops into Cheng An County, that would mean only three to four thousand remaining to guard Xiang Yang County! Keeping such a vast territory secured with that few would be a ridiculous dream!
Maybe… he could snatch a bargain?
General Ping Tian clearly understood the situation in Cheng An County; it was a massive disaster waiting to ensnare Jiang Pengji and her lot, leaving them with no time to consider the situation in Xiang Yang County. In this case, Xiang Yang’s rear would be left defenseless.
However, recalling the losses the Green Garment Army faced in Xiang Yang County last year, General Ping Tian couldn’t afford to be careless.
He realized he needed to seize that castle with sufficient manpower as quickly as possible.
Seizing the chance while Xiang Yang’s rear was vulnerable, he had to take a gamble!
Even if those people caught on later, by the time the main forces arrived at the city, it would be too late.
With that thought, General Ping Tian’s heart raced with excitement. Originally, he planned to lead sixty percent of his troops to launch a surprise attack on Xiang Yang County, but now he wished he could take everyone and storm Xiang Yang as fast as possible. The image of Jiang Pengji’s shocked and furious expression flashed in his mind.
With that, he gently soothed General Cang Tian’s old subordinates, feeling in high spirits.
Though General Ping Tian looked down on General Cang Tian’s hefty frame and dull wits, he still thought about absorbing the remaining forces he left behind. A mosquito, no matter how small, is still meat! If he could manage to draw the remnants of General Cang Tian’s Green Garment Army under his banner, his strength would grow.
General Ping Tian asked, “Besides you guys, are there any other surviving brothers?”
The little leader of the Green Garment Army sorrowfully replied, “Only a few hundred brothers managed to escape; the rest all met a terrible end.”
Some fled to Jiao Ping County, while others went to Mao Lin County.
General Ping Tian’s heart sank. He was worried the faction in Mao Lin County might also realize the vulnerability of Xiang Yang and come to take advantage of the situation.
A sense of crisis surged within him.
He patted the shoulders of General Cang Tian’s old subordinates, a fiery passion igniting within him as he said, “I and General Cang Tian were brothers in arms! He was persecuted and killed by those bastards; how can we not seek revenge? Don’t worry, we’ll gather our troops and take down that villain’s lair!”
Coincidentally, a similar scene played out in Mao Lin County.
