Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

On the same day that Zhang Sanlang replied to his second brother, Master Wang had already led his men back to Puzhou.

He took the old road on the north bank of the Guangji River, avoiding the official road and patrol stations, and heading east along the wild path below the river embankment. Occasionally, he would encounter woodcutters and hunters, which he would kill and hastily bury.

He was followed by more than 300 people, divided into five groups, each half a mile apart, so that they could look after each other without interfering with one another.

These people were mostly defeated soldiers and bandits from Yizhou, Mizhou, and Zizhou. Their clothes and armor were disheveled and their weapons were mixed up, but they walked steadily, showing that they were all experienced veterans who had seen blood.

A thin mist shrouded the river, and the sunlight, just rising from behind the eastern ridge, illuminated the water in a grayish-white hue.

The reeds on both sides of the embankment swayed in the morning breeze, and dewdrops rolled off the tips of the leaves and fell silently into the mud.

Master Wang rode a gray mule in the middle of the procession, his bamboo cane resting across his saddle. Behind him followed three burly men, all on horseback, talking in hushed tones.

The leader was surnamed Huo, about thirty-five or thirty-six years old. He had a scar on his face that ran from his left eyebrow to the corner of his mouth. He was a leader he had recruited from Yizhou, and he had more than two hundred men under his command, most of whom were former border troops who had fled to other places after their defeat.

His voice was rough and hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against sheet metal: "Old Wang, we've been going around in circles for seven or eight days, and the brothers' feet are all blistered. We need a place to rest."

Master Wang didn't turn around, his voice calm: "What's the rush? The Guangji River ferry is just ahead. Five miles to the east, there's an abandoned dock. The berths are still there, but the pier is mostly broken. There are a few old warehouses on the shore that can accommodate two hundred people to rest."

Boss Huo's brow twitched slightly: "Two hundred men? I have two hundred men under my command alone, where will the rest go?"

Master Wang gently waved his feather fan. "Have your men rest at the abandoned dock, and don't show themselves yet. Send a few men to collect grain from the nearby area every day after dark, and have them return before dawn. There's a well behind the warehouse; it should be enough for you to eat and drink."

"You, Boss Huo, have the most men under your command, and I believe your fighting strength is also the strongest. We'll be counting on you to capture Juancheng in a few days, so naturally we need to settle you properly first. As for the others, I have my own plans."

Upon hearing this, Huo Laoda looked pleased and stopped asking questions, urging his horse to take a half step back.

The man next to him leaned in; he was a thin, elderly man in his early fifties who spoke slowly and deliberately, as if reading from a book.

This man was originally a salt smuggler surnamed Luo from Zizhou, with over a hundred men under his command, most of whom were also surnamed Luo and were members of his clan. This group of people were desperate criminals who smuggled salt.

His voice seemed a little weak, but he enunciated each word clearly: "Old Wang, I don't have many men under my command, but they are all used to running mountain roads. Where do you intend to place them?"

Master Wang glanced at him sideways: "There's an abandoned mine north of the Puyang prison camp. A corner of it collapsed this year, killing a couple of people. The prefectural government was too lazy to repair it, so it was abandoned. The prison camp was also abandoned because some of its buildings were burned down."

"The entrance to the cave is half blocked with rubble, but the tunnel inside is still there, enough to hold a hundred people. Take some men in and clear the entrance, making sure no trace is visible from the outside."

Luo the merchant was silent for a moment: "The mine? What if someone comes to inspect it..."

"The prison camp has been moved elsewhere. There's no one in charge of that place now, so Brother Luo will have to make do with the two hundred men that Hao Laodao, Lu Shangfei, and Tie Toutuo have to stay there."

Master Wang said confidently, "Just go in, but don't seal the entrance completely. Leave a gap so that one person can squeeze through sideways. During the day, have people take turns keeping watch on the hillside near the entrance, and keep your distance if you see anyone."

"The entire old prison camp can hold three hundred people, which makes it convenient for me to organize my servants and gather them together to deliver supplies to you. Speaking of which, this is the best hiding place among all the places."

Luo nodded, his eyes flashing thoughtfully.

The man at the very back remained silent. He was in his forties, wearing an old gray cloth robe with a hemp rope tied around his waist and worn-out cloth shoes.

He was followed by more than twenty people, all of them silent, their steps as light as those of a raccoon.

He was an orphan adopted by Master Wang in his early years, and was given the surname Feng by him. Now he is in charge of those twenty-odd young and strong warriors.

These people had been scattered among the mountains, forests, and lakes for many years, hiding more than a hundred families in the deep mountains and forests. Each of them had their own unique skills. This time, they were summoned back by Master Wang and were considered the most core group of people.

Chief Feng suddenly spoke, his voice so low it was almost carried away by the river breeze: "Old Wang, what will my men do after we enter Juancheng?"

Master Wang did not answer immediately.

The gray mule stepped over a pebble on the riverbank, stumbled, and steadied himself before speaking: "Your men come with me into town. Disguise yourselves as attendants, shop assistants, and coachmen. Once in town, don't gather together; each find a place to stay and wait for my news."

Chief Feng responded.

After crossing the Guangji River ferry, and having to constantly evade patrolling soldiers, it was already dark when they reached Juancheng County.

The group rested in the wilderness for the night. The next morning, Master Wang summoned several leaders to an abandoned brick kiln and drew a simple diagram on the ground with a twig.

"Juancheng has four gates. The north gate is the smallest, and the fewest people use it. Three miles outside the north gate, there is a grove of trees. If your men attack the city, they can quickly cut down trees and make some makeshift ladders to climb up. The north gate has the fewest archers, only ten on duty at a time, and even fewer on the night shift."

"As soon as the city gates opened, a large contingent of troops entered through the north gate and marched straight towards the county government office..."

Boss Huo squatted down beside him, looking at the map on the ground: "Only ten men are guarding the North Gate? That makes it easy to take. But with our hundreds of men scattered everywhere, how are we going to gather them together?"

Master Wang drew a line on the map with a tree branch: "The prison camp has three hundred men, eighty li away from Juancheng. Two days before the uprising, I will send someone to guide us to hide in the woods outside the North Gate."

"Two hundred people from the abandoned dock walked twenty miles upstream along the riverbank, where they could land on a shallow beach and reach the north gate. The two hundred people from Wangjiazhuang and the scattered villages were dressed as local tenant farmers and were the least conspicuous."

"The night before the uprising, everyone came out of their homes and gathered outside the south gate to launch a feigned attack and attract the archers' attention. There are a total of seven hundred of you."

He raised his head and glanced at the leaders: "I will arrange for the hundred most elite men to enter the city as soon as possible."

Huo Laoda licked his lips: "Seven hundred men are attacking the city, and Wang Weng is even arranging a hundred more as inside agents. There are only about a hundred archers in the city; no matter how you attack, you're guaranteed to win. Isn't this overkill? Hehe!"

Master Wang threw the tree branch on the ground, stood up, and raised his head. "The Zuo Zhuan says, 'Even a small enemy should not be underestimated. Underestimating them will lead to the loss of your troops, and the loss of your troops will lead to defeat... Brother Huo, this concerns the lives of hundreds of brothers. How can we underestimate him?'"

Although the leaders only half understood what they were hearing, their faces were filled with admiration, and they all nodded in unison.

Master Wang's lips curled up slightly. "It's easy for you to hide in the countryside, but getting into the city is the most difficult part. Fortunately, my son is a clerk in the county government, and I am an old scholar returning to my hometown. This matter of getting into the city can be arranged in three to five days."

He looked up and gazed toward the distant city wall.

The outline of Juancheng was faintly visible in the morning mist, gray and hazy, like an old turtle dozing by the Guangji River.

The city walls were not high, the gate towers were old, and there were no barbicans, catapults, crossbows, or other defensive weapons.

He mentally reviewed the arrangements one last time: three hundred men would remain in the mine on standby, two hundred would guard the abandoned dock, two hundred would be scattered throughout Wangjiazhuang and other villages, and only one hundred elite soldiers would accompany him into the city.

Although these eight hundred men are scattered in different places, they can gather in Juancheng within a few days as long as he gives the order. With their combined efforts from inside and outside, even if Juancheng has five hundred imperial guards, they may not be able to stop them!