Deep inside Huanglong Mountain, while Baijia Fort was rattling like a nervous drum preparing for invasion, another drama was unfolding.
In a nameless valley hidden in the mountain's spine, more than six thousand bandits were squeezed together like dumplings in a festival pot. The place was loud, crowded, and absolutely chaotic.
Of these six thousand, half weren't even fighters—they were old folks, women, and children with zero ability to swing anything heavier than a cooking ladle. Of the remaining three thousand, most were just ordinary men with average muscle, barely different from the young farmers of Gaojia Village.
Only one thousand of them were real fighters—hard-faced, blood-seasoned bandits. And even these were split among several well-known leaders of the Green Forest underworld.
The biggest two:
Buzhan Ni, from Luochuan County — commanded five hundred elite bandits, one thousand average youths, and one thousand five hundred non-combatants.
Zuoguazi, from Yichuan County — same numbers, same structure, same headache.
The two men were equals in strength, allies by necessity, and right now… gleefully sharing a roasted rabbit.
Buzhan Ni tore off a chunk of meat with his teeth, speaking around the mouthful,
"Guazi, looks like Luochuan's a no-go. The county inspector brought border troops to block the mountain pass. That fellow's got real bite. If I go down, I'll march straight into his blade."
Zuoguazi—his mouth shiny with rabbit grease—grunted,
"Please. Yichuan's worse. There's a grain-inspector named Hong Chengchou—damned terrifying. I had thousands of men and still couldn't beat a bunch of his household servants. He chopped us all the way into Huanglong Mountain and he's still waiting at the pass. No way I'm going back."
Buzhan Ni froze mid-chew.
"Household servants that strong? Who the hell is this Hong Chengchou?"
Zuoguazi spat a bone.
"How would I know?"
They exchanged a look and spoke in unison:
"Looks like we can only go to Chengcheng County."
Huanglong Mountain sat at the junction of three counties:
West: Luochuan
North: Yichuan
South: Chengcheng
If the first two were blocked, the choice was obvious.
Buzhan Ni chuckled,
"I heard the Chengcheng county inspector, Cheng Xu, is useless. When Baishui Wang Er rebelled, he chased him for months and couldn't even touch a single hair."
Zuoguazi laughed louder,
"Yeah, and he's a coward. A leaf rustles and he runs with his whole unit."
Buzhan Ni grinned,
"Good. Then here's the plan—send scouts south, see what's happening, then we march into Chengcheng and grab whatever food they've got."
Zuoguazi snorted,
"I heard the new county magistrate, Liang Shixian, is giving out porridge. Means he's got grain. We break into the city, chop the new official, and take it all."
Buzhan Ni slapped his thigh.
"Perfect! Let's do it."
Meanwhile, Chengcheng County's atmosphere tightened like a bowstring.
News of thousands of bandits hiding in Huanglong Mountain swept into the city like a cold wind. Panic spread instantly. Last time Baishui Wang Er caused trouble, the rich were robbed blind and many women were assaulted. Even the poor suffered—bandits set fires that burned their flimsy wooden homes to ash.
Everyone in Chengcheng County was now a bird terrified by every snap of a twig.
Magistrate Liang Shixian, unlike his unlucky predecessor Zhang Yaocai, had no plans to die mysteriously. He immediately mobilized over thirty yamen runners, each ordered to recruit three to five helpers, forming a makeshift "army" of just over a hundred men.
Then he urged all nearby farmers to arm themselves and form militia groups to support the government against the bandits.
But an army needed weapons.
Liang summoned the aging master craftsman of the government workshop.
"You must gather all resident craftsmen and rotating craftsmen and forge weapons at full speed."
The old craftsman winced.
"Sir… the workshop doesn't have enough craftsmen… We can't meet the demand…"
"What?" Liang frowned. "Why?"
The old man sighed,
"Several rotating craftsmen have fled recently. Especially the rotating ones—every single one suddenly grew bold, paid their craft tax silver, and walked away. The workshop is practically empty now."
Liang's eyes widened.
"!"
The old craftsman continued,
"Yesterday I even submitted dozens of payments from rotating craftsmen. The steward can confirm."
Steward Shaoxing handed over a document listing their names—each had paid between six and thirty years of craft-tax silver.
Meaning: they were not coming back anytime soon.
Liang Shixian, a scholar with a razor-sharp mind, immediately triggered full deduction mode. The clues swirled in his head—bits of data dancing like lanterns—until everything clicked.
Someone helped them.
He growled,
"Someone needed craftsmen, so they paid their craft tax for them. This person must be wealthy. A noble family or local gentry. And since these craftsmen paid honestly instead of fleeing, someone must have left a trace. Investigate!"
The steward investigated and soon returned.
"They went to Gaojia Village."
"Gaojia Village?"
Of course Liang remembered—it was the Li family of Gaojia Village that donated grain for porridge relief.
"It makes sense now," Liang murmured. "The Li family. No wonder. They're good people."
He then ordered,
"Steward, go to the Li family personally. Request to borrow weapons for our militia. Once we repel the bandits, we will return everything intact. We will not seize a single piece."
The steward hesitated.
"But what if the Li family refuses…?"
Liang waved a hand.
"Explain the situation. Appeal to reason and righteousness. We do this for the people of Chengcheng, not for personal gain. The Li family is virtuous—they will not refuse."
The steward bowed deeply.
"I understand. I will go at once."
Footnotes
① Fun Fact — "Roast Rabbit Diplomacy"
The two bandit chiefs bonding over a rabbit feast is historically accurate bandit-brother culture: share meat, share loyalty.
② Fun Fact — "Household Servants of Doom"
Zuoguazi being beaten up by "household servants" is the ancient wuxia equivalent of losing a boss fight to NPC villagers.
③ History Note — Hong Chengchou
A real historical figure, later a major Ming dynasty general and political leader. His reputation for discipline and efficiency was legendary.
④ History Note — Refugees in Mountains
During chaos, it was common for bandit groups to include large numbers of old, weak, and non-fighters—essentially families fleeing together.
⑤ History Note — County Militias
Local governments often mustered farmers into temporary militias when professional troops were unavailable.
⑥ History Note — Craft Tax Silver
Rotating craftsmen paid yearly silver instead of service. If someone paid many years at once, it meant they were being "bought free" by a powerful patron.
⑦ Fun Fact — "Detective Liang: Scholar Edition"
Liang Shixian's deduction sequence is basically the ancient version of a Sherlock Holmes montage.