Chapter Sixty-Eight: Beyond Imagination!

This was Li Yun’s first great battle since taking command of Cangshan Stronghold, and in terms of outcome, it was undoubtedly a resounding victory. The combined casualties for Cangshan Stronghold, the yamen officers, and the hired hands from the estates did not exceed ten, whereas the Ten Kings’ Stronghold lost around fifty men. That stronghold was certain to descend into chaos because of this.

More importantly, through this battle, Li Yun earned the recognition of Lijia Village. Was it truly just because he’d warned them to leave the village early that the old village chief now agreed to let him recruit men there? Perhaps not.

These days, banditry was rampant everywhere, especially in Xuanzhou, where brigands had only grown in number over the years. Villages like Lijia, if targeted by bandits, could do nothing but wait meekly for slaughter. But now, Li Yun had demonstrated the strength of Cangshan Stronghold to the villagers—they had the power to protect Lijia Village in such troubled times.

Given this, the old chief naturally had no reason to oppose Li Yun’s recruitment efforts. After all, the last two chiefs of Cangshan Stronghold had actually hailed from Lijia Village. In these chaotic times, if Lijia didn’t rely on the Cangshan Stronghold, could they possibly count on the authorities?

If, in the future, the village aligned itself with Li Yun, then Cangshan Stronghold would no longer simply be his lair—it would become his true base of operations, one capable of supporting productive labor.

After staying at the stronghold for two or three days and settling most affairs, Chief Li packed his things and prepared to descend the mountain once more. This time, as before, he was accompanied by Li Zheng and Zhang Hu. Liu Bo escorted them all the way to the stronghold gates before asking, “Second Brother, when do you plan to head for Lingyang Mountain? I need to make preparations.”

Li Yun glanced at the sky and replied, “After this battle, Ten Kings’ Stronghold will be in chaos. We can’t delay; otherwise, they’ll recover, and even if their strength is diminished, it’ll be much harder to take them down. Within ten days, we’ll march up Lingyang Mountain and settle accounts. I’ll have Skinny Monkey come back ahead of time to notify you.”

Liu Bo grinned. “Understood, Second Brother.”

“As for the estate hands below the mountain—leave them in your care. Keep a close eye on them. Pick out a group of those willing to fight and raise their monthly pay to two strings of cash.”

Liu Bo paused, then quickly caught on, “Second Brother, are you planning to bring them into the stronghold?”

“No,” Li Yun shook his head. “They’re a separate group; don’t mix them up. But even those estate hands need to be capable fighters. Otherwise, we’re wasting money. There will be plenty of fights and clashes in the future…”

“There’ll be no end to it.” Liu Bo half-understood but nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind, Second Brother.”

With a pat on Liu Bo’s shoulder, Li Yun turned and led Li Zheng and Zhang Hu down the mountain. When the three reached Lijia Village at the foot, the villagers no longer seemed afraid of them. Some of the bolder ones even came up to greet them.

Each mounted on horseback, the three raced back to Qingyang County. Since it was already afternoon upon arrival, they didn’t go to the county office but instead found a tavern in town and drank until nightfall. It wasn’t until early the next morning that they returned to the yamen.

In the yamen, Chen Da was practicing swordplay with the standard-issue blade. When he saw Li Yun return, he quickly sheathed his sword and greeted him with a smile, “Chief, you’re back only today?”

“We reached Qingyang yesterday afternoon, but it was too late to come to the yamen.” Li Yun patted Chen Da on the shoulder and asked, “How are the injured brothers from the other day?”

“The lightly wounded are nearly recovered. The one with the severe wound is still bedridden—I checked in on him yesterday. He’s stable for now, but it’ll be at least a year or more before he’s able to get up.”

Li Yun nodded silently, then instructed, “This afternoon, take ten strings of cash to his family.”

The yamen officers’ wages were paid by the county, but the bounty squad’s funds were separate. Ever since the Gu family made their donation, the major households of Qingyang contributed monthly to the bounty squad’s expenses. On top of that, the squad could claim spoils from each campaign, so they actually had their own accounts. Only Li Yun had access to these funds; if he wasn’t present, Chen Da and the others couldn’t withdraw money from the bounty squad.

Chen Da immediately acknowledged, then asked, “Chief, did you uncover anything during your days at Cangshan?”

“That’s exactly what I was about to address.” Captain Li’s expression grew serious. “Go gather all the brothers. I need to speak to them.”

“Yes, sir!” Chen Da nodded and hurried off to carry out the order.

After about half an hour, all the bounty squad and yamen officers of Qingyang County had assembled before Li Yun. They were not a tidy sight, their postures slouched and undisciplined. Transforming this would not happen overnight, and Li Yun let it pass. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a somber voice, “Brothers, you’ve all heard about the recent clash between bandit gangs.”

“These past days, I’ve been investigating near Cangshan and have finally pieced things together.”

He narrowed his eyes, “You’re all aware there’s a bandit gang on Cangshan. Not long ago, the county magistrate’s young lady was nearly abducted by them. I’ve been investigating in order to wipe out the Cangshan bandits and avenge our magistrate.”

“A few days ago, while I was looking into things near Cangshan, for reasons unknown, the bandits there provoked the Ten Kings’ Stronghold on Lingyang Mountain, and the two sides ended up in a bloody fight.”

“Many of you saw the aftermath yourselves,” Li Yun said, clearing his throat. “Both sides took heavy losses.”

“From what I’ve gathered, the Cangshan bandits are almost entirely wiped out—no longer a threat, so we needn’t waste effort rooting them out. Even better, the Ten Kings’ Stronghold also suffered grievous losses!”

“Ten Kings’ Stronghold atop Lingyang Mountain is the largest stronghold within Qingyang’s borders, home to the most bandits. These villains have entrenched themselves on the mountain for years, committing countless crimes.”

“Now, with their strength broken, this is the perfect opportunity to annihilate them. I’ve decided that in a few days, we’ll muster our bounty squad and rally the local militia to destroy the Ten Kings’ Stronghold!”

“Any yamen officers here, not already in the bounty squad, may sign up with Chen Da in the coming days. All those who dare to fight will be enrolled in the squad.”

Li Yun swept his gaze across the crowd and continued, “If you’re already in the bounty squad but are unwilling to participate in this campaign, you may also see Chen Da and have your name removed. In the future, you’ll be automatically dismissed from the squad.”

There were over thirty officers in Qingyang, but only ten in the bounty squad. Now, as they all heard this, the yamen officers cheered and crowded around Chen Da. Who wouldn’t? The bounty squad earned an extra string of cash each month. The regular officers had been green with envy for months!

Caught in the center of the mob, Chen Da shouted, “Don’t push, don’t crowd!”

Seeing this, Captain Li couldn’t help but laugh, then turned and headed to the armory in search of crossbow bolts.

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed.

That day, Li Yun was studying at the county school when he was summoned to the main hall of the yamen. There, Magistrate Xue awaited, and beside him stood a martial man in short attire with a thick beard.

The bearded man stepped forward, cupped his fists, and greeted him with a smile, “You must be Captain Li?”

Li Yun returned the gesture, “Li Zhao at your service. And you are?”

“I’m Commander Du from the prefecture, here on orders from Marshal Cao to discuss a few matters with Qingyang County.”

Li Yun glanced at Magistrate Xue, who lowered his head to sip his tea in silence.

Sensing something, Li Yun asked, “What brings Marshal Cao’s business to my desk?”

Commander Du smiled, “It’s an important matter, of course. I hear you’re preparing to attack the bandits on Lingyang Mountain?”

Li Yun was surprised, “The prefecture knows of this?”

“We only just learned.” Commander Du’s smile never faded. “Captain Li, here’s the situation: Lingyang Mountain has plagued Xuanzhou for years. Marshal Cao has been laying plans to eliminate the Ten Kings’ Stronghold since taking office, and the final stage is at hand. Marshal Cao believes Qingyang’s forces are too few, so you must not act rashly. Leave this matter to us at the prefecture.”

Li Yun suddenly looked up at Commander Du, then glanced at Magistrate Xue.

The old magistrate met his eyes, full of helplessness.

It was clear—they weren’t trying to steal Li Yun’s glory. The prefecture’s troops struggled even with Cangshan Stronghold, let alone Ten Kings’ Stronghold. Even a wounded Ten Kings’ Stronghold would still be beyond their means.

On the contrary, it was clear that someone with influence at the prefecture wanted to shield the Ten Kings’ Stronghold from Li Yun.

At that moment, Li Yun felt a sense of absurdity he had never known before. It was utterly bewildering.

Just as Li Yun frowned, Commander Du continued with a genial smile, “Also, I heard you’ve captured more than a dozen bandits from Ten Kings’ Stronghold. To assist Marshal Cao in determining the situation on Lingyang Mountain, those bandits…”

He looked at Li Yun, his face still friendly, but his tone unmistakably brooked no refusal—it was an order.

“I’ll be taking them with me.”