The two men's blades met with a metallic hum, Night-Ranger's officer saber forcefully rebounding backward.
His heart clenched: This frail scholar Dian Dengzi actually has such a formidable subordinate among his men?
Cheng Xu chuckled, pushing Dian Dengzi farther back until only he and Night-Ranger stood face-to-face. "Border garrison Night-Ranger, eh? Decent skill—but in the end, just a common soldier."
Night-Ranger: "Fuck!"
He cursed, his saber rising again as he roared to his men: "Attack!"
His personal guard charged forward. From the distant grove behind them, his fifteen hundred followers erupted with battle cries, surging out.
He'd come thoroughly prepared to eliminate Dian Dengzi from the start.
Dian Dengzi stared in shock. Fellow rebels, fellow subordinates of Bu Zhan Ni—yet Night-Ranger attacked without the slightest hesitation. It made Dian Dengzi seem painfully naive by comparison.
Fortunately, while Dian Dengzi might be naive, his Qingjian villagers weren't. The Xiejiagou incident had proven that—these countryfolk had actively rescued their idealistic scholar-leader.
Now was no different. Without awaiting Dian Dengzi's order, Village Head Xie bellowed: "Villagers, fight! These bastards planned this from the beginning—they just want our ten dan of grain!"
The scrawny old man's voice roared with surprising volume. Three thousand Qingjian people charged forward simultaneously.
Qingjian County was no innocent backwater!
In the vast peasant uprisings of the late Ming, this tiny county alone produced three notorious rebel leaders: first, Zuo Guazi (who'd attacked Bai Family Fort)—though rising in Yichuan, he was Qingjian-born, originally named Wang Zishun; second, Dian Dengzi Zhao Sheng; third, the famous Lao Hui Hui Ma Shouying, later leader of the Ge-Zuo Five Camps.
Qingjian bred heroes; its villagers were bold and daring.
Three thousand Qingjian civilians charging truly surged like an avalanche.
As the saying goes: when gangsters face gangsters, they fight ruthlessly, fearless, drawing cleavers to battle to the death.
The frontlines of both sides immediately clashed. Elderly, women, and children in the rear provided strategic shouting...
Amid the chaos, Night-Ranger slashed at Cheng Xu again.
Cheng Xu dragged and guided his blade, making Night-Ranger's saber scrape clang against his waist armor plate, pulling Night-Ranger off-balance, nearly stumbling. Simultaneously, Cheng Xu's officer saber cut toward Night-Ranger's flank.
The move startled Night-Ranger. Years as a scout emphasized flexibility and adaptability. Desperately, he dropped to the ground, rolling in a continuous series until he escaped Cheng Xu's range.
Jumping up several meters away, his expression changed. "You... you're no ordinary martial artist."
Ordinary martial artists rarely utilized "armor" to deflect attacks—they seldom wore armor in their lives.
But this masked man intentionally guided his blade to strike armor, using that motion to nearly trip him while reducing his own evasion, gaining faster counterattack opportunities.
"Damn it, which army trained you?" Night-Ranger roared. "Yan-Sui border garrison? Guyuan garrison? Or some elite guard unit?"
Cheng Xu chuckled inwardly: I'm a ranked military officer, you fool! You keep thinking I'm just a soldier. What about me looks like a common grunt?
He wasn't rushing to attack, still waiting for Bai Yuan's reinforcements. Since the opponent liked talking, talk it was—perfect for buying time. Cheng Xu declared smugly, "I'm surnamed He, given name Jiu. Meeting me is your bad luck. Prepare to meet your granny."
The boast backfired. Hearing this, Night-Ranger froze momentarily, exclaiming: "Chengcheng's War God, Cheng Xu? Weren't you killed by the Imperial Guard?"
Cheng Xu: "!!!"
What the hell? How did one sentence expose his identity? He wore a mask—such an extensive mask! He'd even given a fake name! How was he recognized from a single sentence?
Cheng Xu panicked—truly panicked. If his name leaked, wouldn't Imperial Guards soon surround Gao Village? If the Tianzun happened to be visiting other deities then, he'd be finished.
This man must be silenced. Cannot let him escape.
He abandoned idle talk, lunging forward, swinging his officer saber fiercely at Night-Ranger's face. Night-Ranger startled, hastily parrying. Clang-clang-clang!—their blades exchanged several rapid blows.
Cheng Xu quickly gained the upper hand.
But Night-Ranger also wore border garrison padded armor, making him difficult to finish off. Cheng Xu seized openings several times, landing blows, only to have them blocked by Night-Ranger's armor.
Attempts to strike unprotected areas met with effective defense.
Just then, shouts erupted from the slope's edge. Bai Yuan finally arrived, leading Bai Family retainers, Gao Village militia, and Bai Family Fort militia—over two hundred men, all able-bodied fighters.
Especially the Gao Village militia—now every man wore armor.
Climbing up, they saw chaotic fighting ahead. Both rebel groups wore similar coarse hemp clothes, bore no identifying markers, and were tangled together—who could distinguish them?
The Gao Village militia lowered their raised hand crossbows—firing indiscriminately would inevitably hit allies.
Bai Yuan fretted: "We can't distinguish friend from foe. Which side do we help?"
While he hesitated, Zheng Da Niu charged forward.
Two men were fighting ahead. Zheng Da Niu reached out, grabbed both by their collars, lifted them into the air, and boomed: "Which side are you on?"
Left one: "Second Team!"
Right one:"Seventh Team!"
Zheng Da Niu flung the right one—thud!—smashing his head against a rock. The man's eyes rolled back, unconscious.
The left one gasped cold air: Thank heaven I'm Second Team.
Bai Yuan and the others broke into sweat: "That actually works?"
Cheng Xu suddenly shouted: "Those by that grove below are all Seventh Team! Charge there! Qingjian people won't attack us—anyone blocking you is Night-Ranger's man!"
Even while fighting Night-Ranger, he had breath to shout orders—clearly holding advantage. Conversely, Night-Ranger struggled to defend, unable to speak.
Well... Cheng Xu also couldn't let him speak, fearing he'd shout Cheng Xu's identity. His blade grew faster, forcing Night-Ranger to dodge and weave, increasingly disheveled and狼狈.
---
Historical Context: The Qingjian Rebel Triangle]
The text's claim about Qingjian County producing three major rebel leaders is historically accurate:
1. 王子順 (Wang Zishun), aka 左掛子 (Zuo Guazi), operated in northern Shaanxi in 1628-1631.
2. 趙勝 (Zhao Sheng), aka 點燈子 (Dian Dengzi), active 1631-1633.
3. 馬守應 (Ma Shouying), aka 老回回 (Lao Hui Hui), a Muslim rebel who later joined Li Zicheng's coalition.
This concentration wasn't coincidence. Qingjian sat in the arid Loess Plateau where the Ming's "Three Campaigns" taxation crushed local economies. Ethnic diversity (Han, Muslim, Mongol intermarriage) and frontier military culture created a volatile mix when famine struck—explaining why "Qingjian villagers were bold and daring."
Cheng Xu's panic about his identity reflects real Ming surveillance. Former officers turned rebel/bandit knew the Ministry of War maintained detailed registers; exposure meant their home villages faced collective punishment.