Seeing the Guyuan rebels, Liang Shixian began to panic. He hissed urgently at a retainer beside him, "What about our 'Ghost' Commander? Isn't he here yet?"
The retainer whispered, "We're dozens of li from Bai Family Fort. Contacting the Ghost Commander will take time, and then he has to march his troops here. That also takes time. It won't be that quick."
Liang Shixian fretted, "Then what do we do?"
Fang Wushang, however, was less flustered. "Magistrate Liang, we at least have city walls and ten thousand commoners helping us defend. The rebel force before us numbers at most eight hundred. With that few men, wanting to take a county seat defended by so many won't be easy. The Ghost Commander will surely arrive in time to reinforce us."
This calmed Liang Shixian, if only slightly.
By now, the rebels had reached the city. Their leader, a general in military attire, rode out from the ranks. It was the rebel chief, Northern Water Wolf. Not only did he have a nickname, but he also wore a cloth mask over his face, held down by his helmet, revealing only a pair of sharp, gleaming eyes.
This style of covering up tightly was quite similar to Cheng Xu's.
The man rode alone to a spot not far from the city gate, reined in his horse, and laughed loudly, "I'm from Guyuan. Name's Northern Water Wolf. You can call me Commander Wolf. Who's the magistrate of this Chengcheng County? Tell him to come out and talk."
Liang Shixian steeled himself and stepped onto the battlement. "This official is Liang Shixian, Magistrate of Chengcheng."
Commander Wolf glanced at him and gave a derisive chuckle. "I'm a soldier. I don't like fancy talk. I'll speak plainly. The court owes us three years of pay. Three years. My brothers here can barely survive. Since the court won't give it, we'll take it ourselves. Hand over all the official silver from your county treasury. Also, send out a few dozen carts of grain. If I'm satisfied, I won't bother your little dump of a county."
Liang Shixian wasn't particularly frightened yet. He thought, This Commander Wolf might be like the previous Ghost Commander—someone with a shred of conscience. If I can use my silver tongue to talk him into surrendering, that would be a fine achievement.
He cleared his throat. "Commander Wolf, this official deeply sympathizes with your plight regarding the unpaid wages. However, rebellion and disorder are capital offenses. Why not lay down your weapons, and we can talk properly? This official has some friends in the Donglin Academy... perhaps we can advocate on your behalf..."
(Ming Context:) The Donglin Academy was a powerful faction of scholar-officials known for their moralistic stance and political influence. A magistrate claiming such connections was attempting to leverage significant political capital.
He hadn't even finished his sentence when Commander Wolf flew into a rage. "Shut your mouth! You civil officials understand nothing! All you know is how to lie! Three years of unpaid wages! How many civil officials have fed me lines like that? Not a single tael of pay ever reached my brothers' hands in the end. I don't trust you pen-pushers anymore. The wages the court owes us, we'll take back with our own hands!"
Liang Shixian: "..."
Commander Wolf: "I don't want to talk to anyone now. I just want to loot."
With that, he turned and pointed at the bound figure on horseback behind him—Guerrilla Li Ying. "You know that guy?"
Liang Shixian: "Of course. That is Guerrilla General Li Ying."
Commander Wolf: "When I was demanding pay in Baishui County, this birdman charged out with government troops against me. Now look at him."
Li Ying cried out, "Wronged! Commander Wolf! This humble general had no intention of stopping your... requisitioning. I was truly being pursued by the Ghost Commander, just passing through your area... just passing through! Loot wherever you want! This humble general absolutely did not mean to spoil your fun."
A proper third-rank general, calling himself "this humble general" to a fifth-rank commander just to stay alive—it was a pathetic sight.
Commander Wolf snarled, "Bullshit! There's no 'Ghost Commander' in the Guyuan border troops! You were clearly lying in ambush, trying to launch a surprise attack on me! Overestimating yourself! Now that you're captured, you're making up lies to beg for your life."
Li Ying wailed, "That man also has to protect his nine clans, so he dares not use his real name! That's why he uses 'Ghost Commander,' just like you call yourself 'Commander Wolf'! I was truly being pursued, fleeing in panic from Chengcheng County into Baishui, right into your path! I absolutely was not ambushing you! I wouldn't dare ambush you even if you gave me a hundred extra guts... Please investigate clearly, Commander!"
Commander Wolf hmphed. "Shut up for me! One more word, and I'll chop you up to feed the dogs."
Li Ying was terrified into silence, though inwardly he cried injustice: I'm telling the truth! Why won't you believe me? Do I have to lie to you to make you happy?
Commander Wolf turned back to the wall and shouted at Liang Shixian, "Don't think you can stall me with lies! I fought my way here from Guyuan. The souls under my blade number no less than eight hundred, maybe a thousand. Piss me off, and I'll slaughter every man, woman, and child in this Chengcheng County."
Before he said this, Li Daoxuan, watching from above, had felt some sympathy for him. Three years without pay, of course you'd be angry. In my time, if a company didn't pay you for three years and you stabbed the unscrupulous boss, I'd probably applaud you.
But hearing him say "I fought my way here" and boasting about the "souls under his blade," Li Daoxuan's face darkened.
From Guyuan to near Xi'an, how many regions did he pass through? How many villages? This path of burning, killing, and looting... the casualties certainly weren't unscrupulous bosses. They were all innocent passersby, villagers A, B, and C.
Sure enough, Li Daoxuan wasn't the only one who realized this. Liang Shixian's expression in the city shifted from sympathy to fury. "What did you just say? You... you... the court owes you wages, so you... went around killing commoners?"
Commander Wolf sneered, his eyes glinting coldly. "The Great Ming owes me silver. So, what's wrong with me looting as I please on Great Ming's territory?"
Liang Shixian: "..."
Li Daoxuan let out a long sigh.
Liang Shixian: "Unreasonable! Utterly unreasonable! You, you are simply..."
Before he could finish, Commander Wolf suddenly drew an "Kaiyuan Bow" from his back. Nocking an arrow in one fluid motion, from draw to release took only the blink of an eye. The arrow was already in flight, aimed straight at Liang Shixian's face.
(Ming Context:) The "Kaiyuan Bow" was a powerful, long-range composite bow used by Ming cavalry and elite infantry, named after the Tang dynasty's Kaiyuan era renowned for military excellence. Its use signaled the shooter was a skilled veteran.
Liang Shixian had no time to react. The arrow was already upon him.
Fortunately, Fang Wushang was right beside him. He yanked a shield from a nearby retainer and thrust it in front of Liang Shixian.
Thud!
The arrow struck the shield, its fletching still quivering.
"Tch! Blocked it, huh?" Commander Wolf put away his bow, turned his horse, and began retreating.
As he retreated, Fang Wushang already had his own "Large-Tip Bow" ready. He drew and loosed an arrow at Commander Wolf with a swish.
But Commander Wolf seemed to have eyes in the back. Executing a "Hide in the Stirrup" maneuver, he vanished from the saddle. The arrow whistled through empty air. The next instant, he swung himself back up onto the horse as if nothing happened, not even looking back as he galloped back to his troops.
(A classic cavalry evasive technique where the rider hangs off the side of the horse, using the animal's body as a shield.)