Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 213 Crossing the Great Swamp
“Gao Yan was a general of the court, but he colluded with barbarian tribes, massacred Han people, and committed countless heinous crimes. He was no different from a demon.”

“The Vajra has a fierce gaze, so it subdues the four demons; the Bodhisattva has a gentle gaze, so he has compassion for the six realms.”

Abbot Ruoran of Dongyan Temple declared passionately: "We, the monks of Dongyan Temple, are willing to follow the general to quell the rebellious villain, kill the Buddhist enemy Gao Yan, and eliminate the demon to protect the righteous path!"

“Gao Yan is cunning and skilled in warfare…” a Chaozhou gentryman said sheepishly, “Although we in Chaozhou have some brave men, I’m afraid we would be no match for him…”

Upon hearing this, many people in the room nodded slightly, feeling a sense of shared sentiment.

Several people echoed this sentiment, agreeing that it made sense.

"What nonsense are you spouting, Deng Tanyue?" Zen Master Ruoran roared like a lion: "Gao Yan's military tactics are no match for Liang Yudu. He only managed to kill us by a fluke. Although our righteous army is trapped in the mountains, its men have not suffered serious injuries. If we rescue them, we can defeat the enemy in one fell swoop!"

"Liang Yu was ambushed by the evil Gao Yan and fell into the Han River, yet she was unharmed by the rapids, reefs, and crocodiles, and returned safely, which shows that Buddha protected her. With the power of Buddha to subdue the demon, how could she not succeed?"

The wealthy man surnamed Deng was startled, and suddenly had a look of enlightenment on his face: "If the abbot is right! I have spoken out of turn. I think Gao Yan will become arrogant after his victory. If we take advantage of his arrogance to send troops, it will be a sure thing."

Zen Master Ruoran laughed loudly, "Donor Deng is indeed wise. Besides, Gao Yan, the enemy of Buddha, employs barbarian officials. We Han people and the righteous army are already bound together by fate. If Gao Yan leads the barbarians back to fight, what good will come of it for us?"

Everyone thought that Deng, the wealthy man, who enjoyed great popularity, would be able to resist sending troops.

Unexpectedly, Deng the rich was persuaded by Zen Master Ruoran so easily, and his momentum immediately deflated.

This setup clearly indicates that they were in cahoots.

However, Deng, the wealthy man, enjoyed great prestige in Chaozhou. He had spoken first and had already been implicitly regarded as the leader by the opposition. His sudden defection left everyone speechless.

At this point, several gentry members stepped forward and expressed their willingness to organize troops to help Zhu Wen rescue the trapped heroes.

Zhu Wen smiled slightly and walked to the center of the room: "Since so many prominent figures from Chaozhou have expressed their approval, this matter can be settled. I will not force those who are unwilling to help."

"Those barbarians may be poor, but they are all strong and healthy. Once captured, they are skilled at both farming and mining. The prisoners we capture will be distributed according to each family's contribution, and we will certainly not treat everyone unfairly."

Upon hearing this, the gentry in the room all had their eyes light up.

In eastern Guangdong, the feud between Han Chinese and the Manchu people was nothing new. Gao Yan's massacre and plunder of Chaozhou and Xunzhou by the Manchus further intensified the hatred to the extreme.

But hatred alone doesn't necessarily lead to war. It's customary in the Chaozhou area that even when Han and non-Han people fight each other, business continues. Some gentry and non-Han people even have a blood feud with each other, yet when it's time for trade between the two sides, they are still more enthusiastic than anyone else.

Therefore, Zhu Wen wanted them to believe that they could not only win the battle, but also win with minimal casualties.

Who doesn't love to win a battle?

After Han Yu, the Duke of Han Wengong, governed Chaozhou, Chaozhou transformed from a remote and desolate town into a period of rapid development. Farmland was quickly opened up, and commerce developed rapidly, which was precisely when there was a shortage of manpower.

The barbarian warriors that Gao Yan recruited were all able-bodied men from barbarian tribes. If they were sold to Arab merchants as slaves, they could fetch a high price.

Considering the potential disputes over the distribution of spoils, the heads of each household would need to personally inspect the barbarian prisoners on the front lines to ensure their peace of mind. This would encourage them to eagerly request to participate in the war, thus resolving the secrecy issue raised by Ge Congzhou.

With the plan settled, Zhu Wen divided the assembled militia into two teams. One team was led by Huo Cun, while a man who looked four or five parts like himself was placed in the center. He covered most of his face with a white veil, saying that he had been scratched on the face by rocks when he fell off the cliff.

Gao Yan used an imposter to impersonate Zhu Wen, thereby disrupting the morale of the rebel army and luring Zhu Wen himself into battle, where he then had his poisoned crossbowmen ambush him. Zhu Wen, in turn, retaliated by using a double, employing a substitution technique.

The other team was the real decisive surprise attack team. Although small in number, they were all elite soldiers selected from the militia and volunteers, and some of them were quite outstanding in terms of individual martial arts skills.

In a truly grand and imposing battle formation, it's difficult for martial arts masters to utilize their skills. However, warfare involves more than just grand formations; it also includes various ambushes, surprise attacks, raids, and skirmishes. In these situations, martial arts masters skilled in one-on-one combat can come in handy.

With fewer personnel, it was easier to march quickly and traverse dangerous swampy areas.

When Ge Congzhou arrived, he had already broken off large sections of reeds as markers. However, as a precaution, Zhu Wen still ordered his soldiers to carry firewood and lay it in front of them as his army passed through. The soldiers at the front even used bamboo poles to poke the ground, testing the softness of the soil and the depth of the mud ahead.

Zhu Wen said to Ge Congzhou, "Keep an eye on Zhizhen's side. If the two of them get stuck, quickly organize people to pull them out."

Lan Suting was worried and also wanted to participate in the battle.

It's advantageous for her to come along; Lan Suting is extremely likable wherever she goes, and the militia will undoubtedly fight harder to protect her.

Kelan Suting was weak and could not walk fast, so a big, burly nun, who was even taller than Tian Jun, carried her on her shoulders and walked swiftly.

While this is fast, the weight of two people becomes increasingly dangerous in the swamp.

Zhu Wen's doubts stemmed largely from the fact that Ge Congzhou was just a young boy, and the sections of land Ge Congzhou could safely traverse might not be traversable by others. It took them a whole day to cross the swampy area.

At least a dozen militia members stumbled and fell into the mire, never to rise again.

Hundreds more were scratched by thorns or bitten by leeches, but none of these injuries affected their ability to fight.

Fortunately, the burly nun who carried Lan Suting walked steadily and unharmed.

At this moment, Huo Cun's motley crew also approached Gao Yan's encirclement from the main road.

Deng the landlord was wrong to say that Gao Yan would become arrogant after his victory. Gao Yan did not let his guard down at all. He and Qian Liu patrolled the camp day and night, boosting morale and reminding the soldiers that they could not relax their vigilance until the final victory.

But those barbarian tribes were different. They had won a battle and were overjoyed, drinking and making merry in the besieged camp. Only when Gao Yan came to inspect did they put away their wine bottles and pretend to be serious.

"Zhu Wen isn't dead? That's perfect! The bandits we've besieged are almost out of food. Isn't that girl surnamed Tian Zhu Wen's woman? Let's have our way with his woman right in front of him!"

One of the barbarian chieftains was arrogant and, after winning a battle with Gao Yan, no longer took Zhu Wen, whose wisdom was renowned throughout the land, seriously.

Gao Yan couldn't do anything about them, and there was no real hierarchy between them; they were just allies.

He could only make his men more vigilant.

But if you don't know where the danger is coming from, this kind of vigilance often just wastes your mind and energy.

Night fell silently, the darkness of the sky so thick it seemed impossible to penetrate. The mountain pass leading to the swamp was hidden in the tall grass, appearing especially desolate in the night dew.

Upon exiting the mountain pass, Zhu Wen ordered the entire army to extinguish their torches and proceed only by the faint starlight. The brightly lit besieged camp provided the raiding party with its objective.

The soldiers at the front were all those with the best night vision. As they advanced to the front of the enemy camp, arrows flew out in quick succession. Several guards at the gate fell to the ground before they could even give a warning.

Zhu Wen's eyes flashed with lightning, his shouts thunderous, and he charged into the enemy camp with a broadsword: "Brothers, follow me and slaughter these barbarians until not a single one is left!"

"Amitabha Buddha, cutting off karma is not cutting off people; killing is for the sake of protecting life. May you all be reborn in the Western Paradise soon."

If Zen Master Ruoran chanted Buddhist mantras, he would raise his water-polished iron staff and smash the skull of a barbarian who was drinking and making merry with a barbarian woman.

The warrior monks roared like lions and charged in, displaying their imposing power.

If Zen Master is so enthusiastic, it is certainly not just because he admires Lan Suting's profound understanding of Buddhist principles.

Previously, Gao Yan led the barbarian tribes in a massacre, killing many landowners and turning the land into a no-man's-land.

Zhu Wen promised Zen Master Ruoran that if the rebel army won, he would allocate more land to large temples such as Dongyan Temple, which had a large number of warrior monks. As for the problem of lacking manpower for farming, he said that capturing barbarian tribesmen as tenants would solve the problem.

Despite injuring his leg in the swamp and walking with a slight limp, Deng, the wealthy man, led a dozen or so trusted servants in a valiant fight against the enemy.

The people of Chaozhou are known for their fierce and unruly nature. Even the poor learn some martial arts, while the rich increasingly embrace martial arts. Compared to the barbarian tribes, they are only lacking in the constraints of imperial laws and regulations and experience in killing.

Killing barbarians can avenge one's grievances and also provide opportunities to conscript men for profit. In such a situation, who wouldn't be eager to be the first to act?
Outside the mountain pass, the soldiers who remained behind lit a massive number of torches and planted them in the ground, instantly creating a boundless sea of ​​flames. To the barbarians in the camp, the approaching enemy appeared endless and countless.

"Oh no! The Han thugs from Chaozhou are coming with the bandits! They're numerous and ruthless, we can't hold them off!"

The barbarians, half-drunk, didn't even have time to pick up their weapons before they were terrified and started shouting and yelling in their barbarian language as they ran around the camp.

A small squad of elite naval soldiers rushed over to maintain discipline, but Zhu Wen roared and charged into their ranks. His broadsword, reflecting the flickering firelight, swung down and beheaded the squad leader. In the lamplight, the blood tinged with an orange-yellow hue.

The local militia fought bravely and killed the leaderless government troops.

Zhu Wen estimated that the chaos caused by his surprise attack would soon spread to the other side of the encirclement.

Huo Cun led so many men along the main road, certainly not just as a feint.

When the enemy was in a chaotic and disorganized situation, Huo Cun's troops, though weak, were numerous and powerful, and their Taipingquan (a style of Chinese martial arts) could be of great use.

With attacks from both sides, the surrounded brothers will seize the opportunity to break through. Even if Gao Yan possesses superhuman abilities, he cannot escape the fate of fleeing in terror!

(End of this chapter)