Ten thousand common folk spread out across the mountainside like an enormous net.
Someone suddenly shouted, "Look! Footprints here!"
"Yeah—someone's been walking this way a lot."
"Oh? I found a mushroom. Looks edible."
"Hey, focus! We're here to hunt bandits and get our things back. Why are you picking mushrooms?"
"But… the mushroom really is edible."
"Enough nonsense. Look at the ground—this path's been trampled flat."
"Only bandits would use a trail like this. Regular people wouldn't climb the mountain this way."
Excitement rippled through the crowd.
Members of the Gao Family Village Militia were immediately called over. With the militia soldiers taking point and the commoners following behind, they advanced up the mountain along the well-worn trail.
At the same time, every other path that the river bandits had used over the years was seized—blocked and occupied by militia and civilians working together.
All roads lead to Rome.
And every path on this mountain led straight to the Yellow Turban Fortress.
From halfway up the mountain, Capsizing Dragon looked down.
His whole body went cold.
"Not a single escape route…"
"They're sealing us in completely?"
"Damn it all!"
Fierce determination surged up his spine. He grabbed his blade and roared, "Brothers! Follow me! We charge down the mountain and carve out a path with blood!"
A cornered dog would leap a wall.
Cornered river bandits were far more terrifying.
Capsizing Dragon led over two hundred bandits in a wild charge down the slope.
They had the advantage of high ground, momentum, and desperation—
—but the Gao Family Village Militia on land was even more terrifying than on water.
Hand grenades were made for terrain like this.
On the river, a bad throw meant the bomb sank uselessly.
On land, even a crooked toss could still kill.
Militia soldiers swung their arms and hurled grenades uphill.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Explosions ripped through the charging bandits. Bodies flew, screams tore through the smoke. Those who survived the blasts stumbled forward—only to be cut down by disciplined volleys of flintlock fire.
Even if the bandits had held a numerical advantage, they would still have been slaughtered.
Now, they didn't even have that.
When the main bandit force collapsed, leaving only a handful of trembling men clutching their blades, the commoners finally found their courage.
With a unified roar, ten thousand people surged forward.
The scene that followed was simple and brutal.
Ten thousand beating down a few dozen.
No one could survive it.
Capsizing Dragon still gripped his waist-saber, trying to fight back—but a dozen clubs struck him at once. His blade never had a chance to rise. He was smashed to the ground, and in the next breath, blows rained down like hail, shattering bone after bone.
Li Daoxuan had never intended to send these scoundrels to labor reform.
The moment they took advantage of the flood to rob isolated disaster victims, their fate had already been sealed.
Death was the only verdict.
The chaos on Eagle Beak Mountain lasted a long time.
River bandits hiding in distant river forts and mountain dens were terrified out of their wits and dared not approach.
More than an hour later, the mountain finally fell quiet.
The commoners flooded into the Yellow Turban Fortress.
As expected, there was gold, silver, and valuables inside—but not much.
The disaster victims had already been desperately poor. Most families had lost only a few taels of silver or a handful of copper coins. Piled together in the bandit storehouse, the loot looked pitiful—nowhere near enough to support over ten thousand mouths.
Slowly, the crowd turned to Bai Yuan again.
Hopeful.
Uneasy.
Almost pleading.
Bai Yuan smiled and raised his tin megaphone.
"Fellow villagers, don't worry. The silver here really is limited—it's not enough to divide fairly. So…"
He paused.
"I will distribute additional silver myself."
"Oh?" the crowd exclaimed.
"First," Bai Yuan said, "each person will receive three taels of silver as resettlement money."
The mountain exploded with cheers.
Then Bai Yuan raised a hand.
"However," he continued, "we're deep in the mountains, far from towns. What use is silver if you can't buy food? Grain is what truly keeps people alive."
The crowd murmured uncertainly.
"So," Bai Yuan declared, "I'll exchange that silver for an equal value of rice and flour, and distribute it to everyone."
"Good!"
"Wonderful!"
"Long live!"
The cheers rolled like thunder.
"Next," Bai Yuan went on, "we'll start building our new home. This bandit fortress must become a place fit for living—strong, warm, and secure. A place where river bandits, mountain bandits, government troops, or wandering rebels will never dare bully you again."
With that opening, Bai Yuan launched into the familiar Gao Family Village routine.
Work assignments.
Pay rates.
Food rations.
In a disaster-stricken late Ming world, this system was irresistible.
The moment it was announced, ten thousand people erupted in joy.
Bai Yuan stepped down, moved aside, and quietly spoke to the small avatar on his chest.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, this place is temporarily settled."
Dao Xuan Tianzun let out a soft sigh. "Too early. As I said yesterday, the Yellow River has lost its course. It can sweep across the Henan plains at any moment. The disaster won't stop here—more regions will suffer, and more people will be pushed to the brink."
Bai Yuan nodded. "Understood. We must rescue as many disaster victims as possible and bring them here. But Eagle Beak Mountain alone…"
"Is not enough," Dao Xuan Tianzun replied. "There are many mountains near Xiaolangdi—Grindstone Mountain, Winnowing Basket Hollow, Ancestor Mountain. We will wipe out every river bandit in the region, seize their strongholds, settle the people, and build docks."
Bai Yuan answered without hesitation, "As you command."
——
Meanwhile…
In northern Shanxi, outside Daizhou City, deep within a forest.
Tie Niaofei, Zao Ying, and Zheng Daniu lay hidden in dense undergrowth, watching the city walls from afar.
"I had my salt-smuggling brothers investigate," Tie Niaofei whispered. "Tian Shenglan is inside Daizhou."
Zao Ying nodded. "What about Zhai Tang?"
"Still nothing," Tie Niaofei replied. "That one's slippery."
Zheng Daniu grinned. "Then why not charge in, kill Tian Shenglan, grab his money, and leave? We're dressed as wandering rebels anyway—no one would trace it back to us."
"Absolutely not," Zao Ying cut in.
He lowered his voice. "You haven't read the court reports. There's a monster in Daizhou—terrifying in battle. The Chuang King and the Chuang General led a joint force and were beaten back by his personal guard. We only have a few hundred cavalry. We can't chew a bone that hard."
Zheng Daniu blinked. "Who's that scary?"
"Sun Chuanting," Zao Ying said. "A civil official who was supposedly just staying at home."
Zheng Daniu scratched his head. "Why are court civil officials always monsters on the battlefield?"
Zao Ying and Tie Niaofei shrugged together. "Who knows?"
At that moment, the small avatar on Tie Niaofei's chest stirred.
Dao Xuan Tianzun's voice sounded calmly:
"Oh? It's been a while since I checked on you. Tie Niaofei—how goes the hunt for the Jin merchants?"