Cheng Xu withdrew his troops, retreating until they were directly beneath the low-hanging cloud.
The militia followed him back. Everyone began tallying their spoils. Hey, there was quite a bit.
The official troops had shed weight all along their flight, truly exemplifying the phrase "dropping helmets and casting off armor."
Li Ying's complete set of mountain-pattern armor had now fallen into the militia's hands. Several men had each picked up a piece; they assembled it into a full set and presented it to Cheng Xu. "Ghost Battalion Commander, we captured the enemy general's armor. It's yours."
Cheng Xu laughed. "What use is it to me? The set I'm wearing is no worse in craftsmanship than this one. Take it back and store it. When we have a second commander, give it to him."
Flat Rabbit popped his head in from the side. "That must be me! Great Commander Rabbit Lord. Might as well give it to me in advance."
Thump!
Cheng Xu knocked Flat Rabbit to the ground with one punch.
Everyone tallied the spoils, collected everything together, and loaded it into large bundles to carry.
At this time, whether it was Ming government troops, Manchu soldiers, or roving bandits, the attitude towards spoils was "whoever finds it, keeps it." But Gao Village's militia was different. One of the "Three Main Rules of Discipline" they studied daily was "all captured items must be turned over." So, they didn't operate on a finders-keepers basis; they pooled everything for unified distribution.
This ensured the militia wouldn't have individuals charging recklessly for loot during battle.
Watching their actions from the sky, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but nod in approval. Good. The results of ideological education are gradually showing.
Just as he thought this, he suddenly noticed a fast horse appearing at the edge of his vision. The rider was fully armed, holding a long spear…
Chengcheng Patrol Officer Fang Wushang had arrived!
It turned out the news of the "Guyuan rebels'" arrival had been secretly reported to the county town by Fengyuan Town gentry.
Magistrate Liang and Fang Wushang had immediately come to assist.
The magistrate, leading the civilian militia, moved slowly and was far behind.
But Fang Wushang had a horse. Impatient by nature, he couldn't wait for the foot soldiers to catch up. He came alone, single-handedly and single-mindedly.
However, he was ultimately too late. Li Ying's troops had long vanished, and Cheng Xu's militia had already begun their return.
A more cunning patrol officer, like Cheng Xu himself, would certainly not engage now. But Fang Wushang was stubborn to the core. The moment he saw the "Guyuan rebels," he roared, "Traitors! How dare you invade my Chengcheng!"
With that, he slapped his horse's rump and charged forward.
This charge stunned even Li Daoxuan. "Huh? You dare charge like that?"
Cheng Xu was equally dumbfounded. "This patrol officer is too reckless! You, a petty ninth-rank patrol officer, drawing a salary of a few taels of silver? Is it worth throwing your life away like this?"
"Drillm… Ghost Battalion Commander, he's charging at us!"
"What do we do?"
Someone asked.
Cheng Xu snorted. "What do we do? Pick up your spears, huddle together, point the spearheads at him. That's what we do."
The militia, after all their training, immediately obeyed the command. They quickly tightened formation, hundreds of spears raised together, a forest of spearpoints like a giant porcupine.
However, this was their first time facing cavalry. Seeing the warhorse charge was genuinely frightening. Dozens of spears trembled, showing the holders' hands weren't steady.
But it was enough!
Fang Wushang, charging halfway, suddenly saw the enemy change formation like this and was also startled. He didn't dare to charge straight through as he had against the Heyang bandits last time. Instead, he reined in his horse and began circling the militia formation.
Cheng Xu shouted loudly, "Raise crossbows!"
The militiamen all raised their hand crossbows…
Fang Wushang's heart skipped a beat. He didn't even dare to keep circling. He pulled his horse's reins, turning to flee.
Cheng Xu didn't give the order to shoot. He just shouted at Fang Wushang's retreating back, "I say, brother, being a soldier is just for a living. Don't be so desperate. Go back and hide. We Guyuan border troops are only here to demand our wages from the court. We don't loot commoners."
Fang Wushang stiffened slightly in the saddle. He turned his head back, giving Cheng Xu an incredulous look, then slapped his horse's rump, speeding away. He couldn't help but think: Border troops truly are formidable. This formation, I alone on horseback can't break it. Even with my hundred men, there'd be no chance. I can only hope these rebels keep their word and don't harm my Chengcheng commoners.
Seeing him go far, Cheng Xu finally chuckled. "Why would we loot commoners? Which commoner in Chengcheng County is richer than our villagers? Robbing them is worse than robbing Flat Rabbit."
The men around him laughed. "Exactly! Let's go rob Flat Rabbit!"
Flat Rabbit: "Hey hey hey, what kind of terrifying topic is this? This Rabbit Lord isn't rich at all! A rabbit's home has only four bare walls. Robbing me would yield nothing!"
Zheng Gouzi asked, puzzled, "The militia pays high wages. How can you not be rich? Even I, a newcomer, have saved quite a bit."
Flat Rabbit laughed heartily. "You understand nothing! This Rabbit Lord is generous with vegetables. I give all my wages to the poor people of Bai Family Fort! Hahaha, wealth is like dung to me! This Rabbit Lord will save the world in the future, turning the heavens and earth upside down. How could I possibly covet a little bit of wealth?"
Everyone was astonished upon hearing this…
Only Cheng Xu cursed, "It's generous with wealth, not vegetables! Damn it, how does an idiot like you have the face to brag?"
Gao Chuwu muttered, "When you first came to the village, you were jumping around for a tiny bit more pay."
Flat Rabbit: "Ah ah ah! That's a past this Rabbit Lord doesn't want mentioned! Anyone who brings it up again will be silenced by my Heavenly Rabbit Severing Tyrant Sword!"
Everyone: "..."
Li Daoxuan couldn't help but smile. This Flat Rabbit always manages to surprise in strange ways.
Perhaps this is the greatest joy in raising miniatures.
Always being pleasantly surprised by them at certain times.
The militia continued their return, soon passing by Fengyuan Town.
Magistrate Liang, Fang Wushang, the gentry, and the town militia were all on the town wall, watching this "Guyuan rebel army" warily, fearing they might suddenly attack Fengyuan Town.
But they worried for nothing!
Cheng Xu's group bypassed the town, heading north, and soon entered Huanglong Mountain. Confirming that Fengyuan Town's scouts hadn't followed them into the mountains, everyone immediately removed their masks, burned the "Ghost" banner and the "Return Our Hard-Earned Wages" banner, circled around a valley within the mountains, and descended from the northern slope of Bai Family Fort.
Bai Yuan had been waiting there for some time. He clasped his hands in salute. "How did it go?"
Cheng Xu pointed at the low-hanging cloud in the sky, a smile on his face. "With Tianzun watching over us, how could we not succeed immediately? Guerrilla General Li Ying has been driven out of Chengcheng County."