The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 386: As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood
Jia Jing didn't know that Wang Ziteng had already sensed that something was wrong. Everything was going too smoothly, so smoothly that it made him feel uneasy.

However, he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. He had won battle after battle, and his soldiers were in high spirits. He couldn't stop the army just because of doubts. And the most important thing was that in order to defeat the White Lotus Rebellion, he indulged his generals to slaughter prisoners of war and civilians, which led to those generals being arrogant and domineering. He could no longer control them.

The whole army was stopped. As the old saying goes, "To cut off someone's wealth is like killing his parents", and blocking someone's career is even worse. If he dared to stop at this time, those arrogant soldiers and generals would probably turn against him. If there was a mutiny, at this time, the court would definitely choose to transfer him away from Henan, but he had killed too many people. Once he left here, the impeachment of the censors would drown him.

Knowing it might be a trap, Wang Ziteng had no choice but to go in.

The wind whistled past, raising a cloud of dust that also made Wang Ziteng's clothes rustle.

Nanyang is a military stronghold and a prosperous place. It is known as the granary of Central China and an important grain-producing area in Henan. But everywhere you look, you can see a dilapidated and desolate scene.

Wang Ziteng stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the yellow wind rolling silently in the distance, his eyes full of worry. He knew very well that if the ones they were chasing were not the main force of the White Lotus rebels in Henan, they would face a devastating disaster.

The scene of the group of ordinary people he had just met on the official road suddenly emerged in his mind. The undisguised disgust and hatred in their eyes made his back shiver.

Just as Wang Ziteng was frightened, he heard someone behind him say, "What are you doing here?"

Wang Ziteng was startled and turned around to see that it was none other than the Second Prince.

The Second Prince: "I noticed that you have been feeling uneasy these days. Has something happened?"

Wang Ziteng was silent for a moment, then said, "I suspect that the group we have been chasing is not the main force of the White Lotus Rebellion."

The second prince's expression suddenly changed: "Really?!"

Wang Ziteng nodded and continued, "Everything went too smoothly. The White Lotus rebels collapsed at the first blow and fled in panic, and we caught up with them later. I originally thought it was because they had too many refugees with them, which led to a decline in their combat effectiveness. We wiped out tens of thousands of White Lotus rebels in a row, but we didn't seize many official weapons and equipment, and we didn't even see a single firearm."

The second prince also realized that this group of White Lotus rebels had captured Luoyang and stolen a large number of official weapons and equipment, including many self-propelled muskets allocated from the Military Equipment Bureau.

At this time, Wang Ren rode up to Wang Ziteng, pulled the reins, jumped off his horse, and shouted to Wang Ziteng, "Uncle, the spies we sent out are back!"

Wang Ziteng: "Did you find anything?"

Wang Ren: “Nothing was found.”

Wang Ziteng said sternly: "We can't stay here any longer, we must move camp immediately!"

The Second Prince: "Where are you going?"

Wang Ziteng thought for a moment and said, "We can't go back the way we came here. There must be traps waiting for us ahead. Let's go south to Xiangyang!"

The Second Prince: "There must be an ambush over there too!"

Wang Ziteng: "We could fall into a trap in any direction, but only Xiangyang has a glimmer of hope!"

Wang Ren hesitated and said, "If we withdraw, we will be giving the whole of Henan to the White Lotus rebels. Will the emperor spare us if he finds out?"

Wang Ziteng gritted his teeth and said, "I can't care about it anymore. Let's just survive first." He paused and said, "We are doing this to preserve the strength of the court and for the overall situation!"

Wang Ren opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing.

Wang Ziteng turned his gaze to the Second Prince again: "Your Highness has always been a cold-eyed observer, and you must have noticed that these arrogant soldiers and generals are difficult to control. I would like to ask Your Highness to help deter those arrogant soldiers and generals. I owe Your Highness a favor."

The second prince was delighted, but pretended to be silent for a long time before he said, "I came to the army as a commoner to atone for my sins. I shouldn't have interfered in military affairs. But General Wang also said that this is to preserve the strength of the court and for the overall situation. I am the son of my father, and I cannot stand idly by for both public and private reasons. I can only break the rules of the court!"

Wang Ziteng: "Your Highness is righteous!" He bowed to the second prince.

The second prince showed a smug look in his eyes.

Wang Ren seemed to have noticed something and blinked his eyes wildly. Wang Ziteng was not the only one who regretted it. Shui Rong was regretting it so much that his intestines turned green.

After Yang Qilong's reminder, Shui Rong also realized that if he had not run away that night, it would be hard to say who would have won.

At least things will be better than they are now!

Not only did they lose many soldiers and generals, but most of the weapons and equipment they had worked so hard to collect were also lost, especially the dozen or so bronze cannons. Shui Rong was so heartbroken that he didn't sleep well for several nights.

At this time, Shucheng was shrouded in an intermittent autumn rain. Shui Rong stood by the door and looked at the incessant autumn rain with worry. This battle had seriously injured him. The food of the young and strong men could be robbed, but the weapons and equipment could not be taken.

There were no weapons and equipment, and the young and strong men who were forced to come were just ordinary people. Without enough troops, how could they resist Li Hu's attack next? I heard that Li Hu was expanding his army, and the strength of both sides was getting bigger and bigger. How could they fight this battle? !

Thinking of this, Shui Rong greeted Li Hu in his heart, and also greeted the Third Prince. If his people were not such useless, how could he have been defeated so badly due to lack of intelligence!
The sound of hurried footsteps brought Shui Rong back from his thoughts. It was Yang Qilong.

Yang Qilong hurried in from the moon gate of the courtyard holding an oil-paper umbrella. A gust of wind blew his umbrella over. He simply let go of it and rushed to the eaves of the corridor in the wind and rain.

Shui Rong: "What happened again?"

Yang Qilong: "Li Hu is here!"

Shui Rong was surprised: "Isn't he recruiting new soldiers?"

"He must have known about our situation."

Yang Qilong gave a bitter smile. The White Lotus Sect members had very poor military discipline. They threw everything away when they retreated. Many of them fled to Shucheng almost naked. How could they fight without weapons and equipment?
Shui Rong was angry: "This is too much!"

Yang Qilong was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Young Master, we need to make plans early."

Shui Rong looked at him.

Yang Qilong: "Li Hu is coming with great force. We are outnumbered and lack weapons and equipment. We can't stop him at all."

Shui Rong said nothing.

Yang Qilong: "As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. Let me tell you something that you may not like to hear. The bandits were wiped out and only eighteen of them were left. They fled into the mountains."

"You want me to hide in the mountains?" Shui Rong's face looked very ugly.

Yang Qilong: "It's to temporarily avoid the sharp edge! We will lead a small number of elite troops to hide in the mountains, and wait for Li Hu to leave, or go to Henan, or go to Hubei, or come back here."

Shui Rong: "Li Hu is not a fool, he will definitely search the mountain."

Yang Qilong smiled and said, "I have been sending people to keep an eye on Bai Hongzhi. After more than a month of preparation, that guy has put Wang Ziteng in his pocket. The Hubei troops have long been defeated by us. The Shaanxi troops have to guard against the natives in the northwest. Only Li Hu can go to put out the fire."

Shui Rong's eyes lit up.

Yang Qilong looked at him and said, "Wang Ziteng deserves it. He allowed his generals to slaughter the people wantonly and lost the support of the people. That's why he fell into Bai Hongzhi's trap."

Shui Rong understood what he meant and remained silent.

Yang Qilong changed the subject: "If the young master has no objection, I will make arrangements now. We will only take the old camp and the cavalry, and disperse the others. Let them fight freely and hold back Li Hu."

Shui Rong closed his eyes and said, "Go ahead."

(End of this chapter)