Eliminates Another Scourge
Ever since Bai Yuan seized Yellow Turban Fortress, he had never stopped moving.
One bandit stronghold after another was discovered, surrounded, and crushed. Within a short time, a large number of water bandits in the surrounding region had already been wiped out.
But Xiaolangdi was vast—an enormous, churning "pond." No matter how thorough the sweep, a few fish would always slip through the net.
Li Dayu was one such survivor.
This man usually entrenched himself deep within Mopan Mountain, inside a stone-built fortress that rivaled Eagle Beak Mountain in height and difficulty. It was a hard nut to crack, and not something that could be taken lightly.
In fact, Bai Yuan had already dispatched scouts to pinpoint the exact location of the stone fortress. Preparations for an assault on Mopan Mountain were nearly complete.
Then fate intervened.
The Yellow River shifted course yet again. The floodwaters around Mengjin County receded.
With the water gone, the rescue boats became useless overnight. Bai Yuan was forced to divert manpower and materials into urgently constructing mud sleds to save the stranded population.
Because of that interruption, the attack on Mopan Mountain had been temporarily postponed.
What Bai Yuan had not expected was that the very bandits he had spared for later would take this as weakness—and launch an attack themselves.
Such audacity.
Bai Yuan's voice rang out across the mountain.
"Militia—advance! Attack from both land and water! Erase that stone fortress!"
At first glance, there seemed to be almost no one around him. Yellow Turban Fortress was still under construction, and only a handful of visible guards stood nearby.
Yet the instant his command fell, a militia soldier burst out from behind a tree.
"Yes, sir!"
Then another appeared.
Then another.
In the blink of an eye, militia soldiers emerged from every direction—as if the mountain itself had given birth to them.
One group sprinted toward the riverbank, rushing to ready the boats.
Another group moved inland, forming up for a land assault toward Mopan Mountain.
Even the young recruits—who moments earlier had been training with wooden staves behind the fortress—abandoned their drills and surged toward the main gate.
These were fresh recruits, newly drawn from the refugees. They were not yet qualified to carry flintlock rifles.
But cold weapons?
Those posed no problem at all.
At the fortress gate, a squad of militia soldiers dragged out a massive wicker basket, filled to the brim with weapons: swords, spears, bows, arrows, shields.
The recruits grabbed what they could.
Some chose bows, slinging quivers across their backs.
Others hefted long spears.
Some took shields in one hand and sabers in the other.
In mere moments, a cold-weapon force of more than a thousand men was assembled.
Liu Bawan stood frozen, staring at the scene in disbelief.
"Master Bai…" he breathed. "You've raised such a militia in the blink of an eye?"
"Raised?" Bai Yuan laughed loudly. "Hardly. This bunch just grabbed whatever they could find. They've only just started training—calling them impressive would be an exaggeration."
He waved his hand casually.
"Now, the militia I organized back in Chengcheng County—that was something worth boasting about. They defeated people like Bu Zhan Ni and Bai Yuzhu."
Liu Bawan recoiled.
"Bu Zhan Ni? Bai Yuzhu?" His eyes widened. "Those are infamous bandit leaders!"
"They were," Bai Yuan replied calmly. "Before they were beaten."
Liu Bawan's admiration surged like a tide.
Anyone capable of defeating those two was no mere wealthy merchant. This was a man of real substance—someone worthy of absolute trust.
Before they could exchange more words, the massive cargo ships of Gao Family Village surged forward from the reeds.
From Liu Bawan's vantage point, the sight was overwhelming.
The flat-bottomed ships were enormous—like moving fortresses on the water.
"What colossal vessels…" he gasped. "How much grain can a single ship carry? No wonder Master Bai could provide Mengjin County with such vast relief supplies."
The ships slammed into the bandits' sampans.
Battle erupted instantly.
From halfway up Eagle Beak Mountain, Liu Bawan could only see the broad strokes of the fight—boats colliding, figures scattering—but that was more than enough.
Then—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sharp crack of flintlock rifles echoed across the river.
Boom!
A hand grenade detonated.
Liu Bawan flinched.
"Firearms?" he asked hesitantly. "Master Bai… aren't these weapons… perhaps a bit excessive?"
"You mean illegal?" Bai Yuan chuckled.
Liu Bawan smiled awkwardly. "Just… slightly."
"Spend some time in Shaanxi," Bai Yuan said lightly. "Then you'll understand. Without weapons like these, how does one survive the rebels?"
Liu Bawan paused, then nodded slowly.
Indeed—Shaanxi had been in flames for years. And during the Japanese pirate raids in Jiangnan, even common folk had taken up firearms. The court might call them illegal, but after the chaos ended, it rarely bothered to investigate.
With that thought, his unease faded.
The river battle ended swiftly.
Li Dayu was cut down. The remaining bandits scattered like startled fish.
At the same time, the land-based militia reached the base of Mopan Mountain.
The scouts had already locked onto the stone fortress's location. The assault proceeded with brutal efficiency.
From Eagle Beak Mountain, flames flickered faintly on Mopan Mountain to the south.
The crack of rifles and the thunder of explosions echoed between the peaks.
Bai Yuan raised a telescope and observed for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"Good. The stone fortress has fallen."
Liu Bawan blinked. "You can see that clearly?"
Bai Yuan handed him the telescope. "See for yourself."
Liu Bawan peered through it—and gasped.
The distant mountain leapt closer. Dense forests parted, revealing the hidden fortress.
Militia soldiers poured inside, blades flashing as water bandits fell one after another.
Liu Bawan clenched his fists.
"Kill them! Cut them down!" he shouted, exhilarated. "Watching these scoundrels wiped out—it feels indescribably satisfying!"
After a long while, a thunderous cheer rose from Mopan Mountain.
The battle was over.
Liu Bawan returned the telescope, letting out a long sigh.
"Master Bai the Benevolent… another great scourge has been erased."
"It's still too early to celebrate," Bai Yuan replied calmly. "Xiaolangdi is vast. Clearing it will take time. And this region straddles both Mengjin County and Xin'an County…"
"We won't interfere in Xin'an County," Liu Bawan said quickly. "But as for Mengjin County—I can promise you on behalf of the magistrate. Do as you see fit. We will not obstruct you in any way."
Bai Yuan smiled.
"Excellent."
Having seen everything he needed, Liu Bawan clasped his fists.
"I will return at once to report to the magistrate. Mengjin County will accelerate the opening of the land route to Hengshui Town. We hope to deepen our cooperation."
"Excellent," Bai Yuan repeated.
Liu Bawan led his men down Eagle Beak Mountain, returned to Hengshui Town, and mounted the waiting mud sleds.
They splashed through the endless yellow sludge back toward Mengjin County.
After hearing the full report, the magistrate fell silent for a long time.
Finally, he sighed.
"Forget it. Even if there are problems… what can I possibly do about them?"
Just keeping this disaster-stricken county alive already consumed every ounce of his strength.