Chapter 712: Chapter 712: Great Victory
Tie Laoba was the burly man in charge of the blacksmith shop in Outpost Village, the Guard Captain of the Outpost Village. When Chen Wei and Old Liu entered the village, it was Tie Laoba who led the blockade against them.
The person beside him said, "Great General, General Tie was on guard duty last night. He must have been tired and went to Outpost Village for a quick meal before retiring to rest."
Kui Bao gave a slight nod to acknowledge, but then felt something was amiss, "Usually at this time, he would have come over for a meal before resting. What’s with today..."
The person beside him was also puzzled, but understood, "Great General, since those grain transporters arrived, General Tie has been on night watch, saying he’d switch with someone else once the big snow seals off the mountains. He hasn’t rested much during the day, getting up to forge weapons, so even an iron man would be worn out. Perhaps he’s too exhausted to come over today."
Although Kui Bao still felt something was off, he accepted the explanation, as he had seen with his own eyes how tired the man was, and he knew that Tie Laoba was tough; it would be impossible for an average person to bring him down.
Kui Bao temporarily set aside his doubts and began his patrol. When he reached Outpost Village, he berated the listless guards.
After scolding them, he felt a bit weary himself, so he took a seat and casually asked the men where Tie Laoba was.
But he realized that none of them had seen Tie Laoba. The guards he had just scolded became listless again not long after, which was very wrong.
He abruptly stood up, grabbed the horn beside him, and was about to blow it when a wave of dizziness hit him.
Next, something round and stinky was hurled towards him.
Kui Bao, fighting the dizziness, instinctively dodged, and the round object rolled to his feet.
He looked closely and his pupils contracted, his eyes nearly splitting with rage as he shouted, "Tie Laoba!"
It was a human head!
He whirled around to look in the direction from where the head had come.
He saw a fair-faced young man with red lips and white teeth, wearing a sinister smile on his face, slowly appear before him, followed by two ordinary-looking men with cold expressions.
Feeling increasingly weak, Kui Bao drew the dagger from his waist and plunged it into his thigh to stay conscious.
As the pain and fresh blood arrived, he regained some clarity and fiercely demanded of the newcomers, "Who in the world are you?"
Yet the fair-faced young man completely ignored him, the cruel and sinister smile still on his face. He leisurely walked a circle with his hands behind his back, treating Kui Bao as if he were nothing, not even sparing him a glance.
After inspecting the area, the fair-faced young man seemed very pleased. He pointed at Kui Bao and spoke unhurriedly, "Tie him up, take him away."
After speaking, he immediately turned and left the village.
This attitude was more dismissive than towards ants. Kui Bao, ever since he had joined the Rebel Prince in insurrection, had never been treated this way. He was instantly furious, his eyes blood-red with rage. He wanted to draw his weapon but fell to the ground as his legs gave out, powerless. He could only glare as the men did as they pleased, and slowly, he even lost the strength to lift his eyelids, sinking into darkness.
The two men accompanying the fair-faced youth efficiently bound Kui Bao, and one of them pulled out a firework and shot it into the sky. Then they carried the unconscious man swiftly towards the outskirts of the village.
Several miles away, Shen Shi’s spirits were buoyed. Without bothering to wipe the frost and dew from his face, he leapt up, drew his treasured sword, and swung it towards the private soldiers’ village, shouting, "Boys, today we prepare a grand gift to wish our Emperor endless longevity!"
The next moment, a mass of soldiers surged out of the ground like a rising tide of dark water, indistinguishable from the grass and brush before.
One after another, the soldiers responded with a robust cry, "Long live the Emperor," as the foliage disguise on their bodies rustled and fell away.
"Charge!" Shen Shi was the first to take the lead and dash forward.
Long-contained morale found an outlet as the soldiers roared and, following Shen Shi, charged towards the remnants of the Rebel Prince’s forces that had hidden for years.
The battle was a great triumph, with more than a dozen resistance fighters slain and over 14,320 individuals captured alive, including many private soldier leaders like Kui Bao and civilians. Entire villages harboring private soldiers were swept clean. The military sustained only seven or eight injuries, with no fatalities, securing the entire private militia camp almost without bloodshed.
The victory was decisive and swift. The people of several villages had nearly no strength to fight back. Wherever Shen Shi’s forces went, they were as unstoppable as autumn winds sweeping fallen leaves, facing virtually no resistance. Most of the time was spent tying people up.
Of course, these people couldn’t have resisted even if they wanted to. Cao De and his men from the Internal Guard Bureau treated them like mice, nearly poisoning them all. Those lucky enough not to be poisoned saw the tide turn and mostly surrendered without a struggle.
It was also due to the hubris of Kui Bao and the others, who failed to effectively imitate military routines, merely scratching the surface.
When marching to war, a water supply is incredibly important to an army. Even before troops move out, people are sent to dig wells or find water sources. Camps are established, wells are dug, and a strict watch is kept to prevent tampering or private hoarding, specifically to prevent poisoning.
However, these private soldiers living in villages amidst civilians, had long lost the vigilance of an army and failed to protect their most vital resources, which gave Cao De and others an opportunity to exploit.
What kept Cao De busy these days was his strategy to subdue the enemy without a fight, by administering poison. The private soldiers, much like mice living in village clusters, were lax in safeguarding their water supplies and had their routines mapped out by Cao De and his men, thus they fell into the trap.
However, last night’s operation by the Internal Guard Bureau did not go entirely smoothly. The Outpost Village where Cao De went, known for being the most vigilant and hardest to conquer, almost caused complications.
Had Cao De not been quick-witted and resourceful, making an immediate decision to kill Tie Laoba and afterward arranging for someone to disguise the scene as if he were still alive, their efforts would have been in vain.
The battle went smoothly, but dealing with the aftermath of these private soldiers proved to be a hassle. It was necessary to avoid harming innocent civilians, yet they couldn’t be released lightly. Moreover, not all private soldiers were intent on rebellion, so execution was not a suitable solution.
Shen Shi had the remaining private soldier leaders tied up and escorted to the Capital, while the rest of the captured civilians and private soldiers were taken to the nearest guard station to be detained, awaiting further instructions.
With the situation under control, Cao De released pigeons to report the victory and waited half a day to ensure there were no changes before eagerly leading his troop and the captive Kui Bao back towards the Capital City on horseback.
All these were matters for another time.
Back in the Capital, with the rise of the morning sun, not only the people living in the brightness awakened but also those hiding in the shadows.
Under the dim lamplight, two people had long been alert to the noises outside, resting with eyes closed to preserve their energy, quietly waiting for the Capital’s most lively event of the year to arrive.
In Canglan Court, everyone rose exceptionally early that day.
Especially Lian Hua, who got up while it was still pitch dark, earlier than she ever had and much earlier than the Emperor.
She supported her sore back and, tiptoeing, gently lowered the bedside screen.