Chapter 407 – Relocation to Chenzhou (Thirteen)
A few days later, at the Xiangyang County Government.
“General Ninth, please sample this aged fine wine. This is the treasured wine of the former county chief; a single jar is worth hundreds of taels of silver. In my humble opinion, only a valiant and exceptional man like you deserves such fine wine. Allow me to pour it for you…”
The Brown-clothed Steward served the wine with a fawning smile, bowing and scraping to a burly man with a bushy beard.
The man, in his early thirties, had broad shoulders and muscles like massive stones, strong and twisted.
His large, rough hands resembled a fan; the bowl he held looked tiny and delicate in his grip.
Reclining in the honored position, he held two scantily clad women in his arms, their skin marred all over. One of his free hands roamed over them, leaving fresh red marks in no time.
The two women were terrified, biting their lips and trembling, not daring to resist or make a fuss.
“Pah! Is this what you call fine wine? It’s not even half as good as what I’ve had before—”
The man took a sip, and his fierce face stiffened, spitting the wine out in disgust, shattering the bowl in his hand.
This rough and hefty man sat like a little mountain of meat, enough to account for four ordinary men.
The Brown-clothed Steward trembled in fear, nearly dropping the wine jar he was holding.
“Get lost, you useless coward! Don’t disturb this general’s pleasure!”
With a casual wave of his massive hand, the man pushed the Brown-clothed Steward aside.
He didn’t even use much force, yet the steward stumbled back and rolled, losing a few teeth in the process.
Seeing this, the man burst into a thunderous laugh, his boisterous guffaws echoing even outside the courtyard.
The Brown-clothed Steward staggered to his feet, limping away, faint sounds of the women’s sobs trailing behind him.
Originally, this place was the estate of the Xiangyang County Chief, and the two exquisite women were the beloved concubines of a wealthy businessman from the area.
As for the raucous man inside, he was the leader of the Green Garment Army, General Ninth.
Just as Feng Jin and others mentioned, the leaders of the Green Garment Army had originally been mere bandits, as wicked as they come. Had it not been for the calamity that shook the land and the Dongqing royal family’s reckless move to relocate, stirring up public grievances, they might still be holed up in the mountains, committing their nefarious deeds.
Now they had risen in rebellion, receiving enthusiastic support from the masses, and proclaimed themselves generals, basking in their newfound glory.
The so-called General Ninth, self-proclaimed ‘Flying Tiger’, had once been just a yokel. One day, in his drunken foolishness, he attempted to take liberties with a neighbor’s daughter, faced strong resistance, and accidentally killed her. Fearing imprisonment, he fled and ultimately became a bandit.
Living in houses he once could only dream of entering, sleeping beside women he had only fantasized about, his life had become irresistibly extravagant.
“Report!”
Just as General Ninth was enjoying himself, a messenger from the Green Garment Army arrived outside.
He begrudgingly pulled himself away from the women, bellowing, “What news? What’s going on now?!”
“General, there’s a big catch outside the city.” The messenger grinned, raising his head. He was a trusted subordinate of General Ninth, taken along from the bandit hideout, so he wasn’t intimidated by this killer of men. “According to the brothers, it seems to be a cook transporting supplies for the court.”
“The court’s…?” General Ninth’s heart skipped a beat as he asked, “How many people?”
“About three thousand! Most of them are injured. They must have barely escaped from some fight.” The messenger continued, “They have at least a hundred supply wagons; we discreetly checked their route, and it was all rice spilled everywhere.”
Hearing this, General Ninth was intrigued, but a hint of worry arose after the excitement.
“Three thousand… could be too many?”
The messenger reassured him, “No need to worry, General. Among those three thousand, about seventy to eighty percent are fleeing common folk, and the remaining soldiers are wounded too. Those supplies are probably from the court idiots, sent out to help with disaster relief elsewhere…”
Since the establishment of the Green Garment Army, they had repeatedly pillaged Jiang Pengji’s troops, seizing a fair amount of grain.
To these bandits, these supplies were better off in their hands than being given to the barely surviving common people.
“We of the Green Garment Army are fighting for the common folk!”
“General, I think they’ll pass through the Longhu Stockade. If we let them slip by, chasing them down later will be difficult.”
Once past the Longhu Stockade, they could be in Chengde territory, where other factions of the Green Garment Army lurked, and that setup would be too ripe for the taking by others.
General Ninth pondered, “How much food do we have left?”
The messenger replied, “We’ve amassed quite a bit of wealth, but there’s not much food. Many brothers are tightening their belts.”
To be honest, there was indeed a fair amount of grain. However, due to the sheer number of the Green Garment Army, exceeding ten thousand and each one hungry, their storage was running low. If it weren’t for the autumn harvest season, household granaries would be sparse, risking starvation soon.
General Ninth frowned impatiently, “Then you take some brothers and intercept their grain. Don’t let others profit off it.”
The messenger’s heart brightened; he understood what General Ninth meant—he wouldn’t be going himself!
Thinking of the report he received, he couldn’t help but feel ecstatic.
That crew transporting the food was substantial, with refugees trailing behind, ripe for the taking.
“General, how many brothers should I take to intercept the grain?”
“Just bring three thousand.”
General Ninth initially considered saying four thousand but quickly adjusted knowing many were ordinary folk, likely lacking combat effectiveness.
“Understood!”
The Green Garment Army had been keeping an eye on that supply convoy, ready to mobilize as soon as they gathered their forces.
Less than an hour out of the city, they could vaguely see the group moving like ants toward the Longhu Stockade.
They seemed to have been through quite a struggle, each bearing injuries, appearing exhausted and trudging along at a snail’s pace.
Carrying a huge load of grain, their speed was already slow; coupled with thousands of common folk dragging them down, they moved like turtles.
“I thought it’d take another half day for the fish to bite; I didn’t expect them to show up so quickly…”
Meng Hunyun observed from a distance, shading his eyes from the sun. Catching a glimpse behind him, he noticed the pursuing Green Garment Army.
Xu Ke chuckled and said, “Stop talking; let’s go. Young Master is already prepared.”
Dressed in simple, worn-out clothing, his frayed straw sandals made him look rather shabby.
“Any idea how many came?” Xu Ke adjusted his sun hat, asking Meng Hunyun.
“Looking at the stir, about three thousand, most of them on foot; they’ve likely been on the run.” Meng Hunyun smirked, a trace of mockery in his tone, “Running long distances tires one out, and they think they can sneak up from behind to intercept supplies? What a thought…”
