Chapter 423: Keep a Close Watch
Chapter 418 of "The Great Ming in the Box" kicks off with: After conveying the Deityâs instructions, the captain had nothing left to say. He waited quietly... Continue reading!
After conveying the Deityâs instructions, the captain had nothing left to say. He waited quietly as the porters moved the grain. Three whole cargo ships of grain would take a long time to transport, even with hundreds of porters working together.Heâd have to stay here another two or three days before returning.
Xing Honglang, Gao Chuwu, Zao Ying, and Old Nan Feng gathered together.
âOver in Gaojia Village, theyâre preparing to set up base in Hancheng on Tongguan Road,â Xing Honglang declared. âWe canât fall too far behindâotherwise, those back home will laugh at us. Our fort is secure now. The merchants we sent ahead to Puzhou are on their way. The next step is to strike Jie Pond. The real priority is to get that salt back as fast as possible.â
Old Nan Feng wasted no words, simply clasping his fists. âThis general volunteers to go.â
Zao Ying interjected, âThis isnât a battleâitâs about making contact with salt craftsmen near Jie Pond. General Nan Feng, you neednât come. Stay and guard our ancient ferry dockâthatâs best.â
Old Nan Feng nodded, not pressing the issue.
Xing Honglang elaborated, âHedong City (modern-day Yuncheng, Shanxi) on the north shore of Jie Pond has many officials troops garrisoned there. So weâll have to sneak to the south shore. We wonât need many people for this. Iâll take Iron Bird Flies with me. Instructor Zao, you bring a small cavalry unit to escort us. Letâs see⌠bring fifty riders with us. The remaining cavalry will temporarily be commanded by General Nan Feng.â
âGood!â Zao Ying turned to Old Nan Feng. âGeneral, you can command cavalry, right?â
Old Nan Feng chuckled. âOf course I can! Any border army veteran knows cavalryâitâs basic!â
That was true. A garrison commander from Jiangnan might lack cavalry skills, but those from the border army were all proficient.
Everyone silently thought: Having Old Nan Feng here really put their minds at ease.
âThen itâs settled!â
The men, Gao Chuwu and Old Nan Feng, stayed to guard the fort.
The women, Xing Honglang and Zao Ying, were in charge of the mission.
Truly, women were holding up more than half the sky this time.
Early in the morning the next day, after breakfast, Xing Honglang, Zao Ying, and Iron Bird Fliesâalong with fifty cavalry riders, Xing Honglangâs forty-two salt smugglers, and Iron Bird Fliesâ eighteen salt smugglersâover a hundred people in total, all mounted warhorses. They rode out of the ancient ferry dock, galloping towards Jie Pond.
HoweverâŚ
Shortly after they left, in the woods north of the ancient ferry dock, two heads emerged. These were two elite border army scoutsâalso called Ye Bu Shouâseasoned border troops from Guyuan.
During the Guyuan military revolt, they hadnât followed Captain Wolf in attacking Chengcheng (where the Deity had crushed them). Instead, theyâd joined the Bu Zhan Ni rebel forces.
They belonged to the âfifth squadâ under Bu Zhan Ni, serving under Old Zhang Fei.
One scout whispered, âSee that? Xing Honglangâs gone!â
The other scout nodded. âJudging by their direction, theyâre heading for Jie Pond. Itâs over a hundred li from here. Leaving this early on horseback, including time for rest and meals along the wayâthey wonât arrive till the middle of the night. This is definitely a smuggled salt run.â
âHeh. Once theyâre gone, they wonât be back for two or three days!â
âIf Xing Honglang isnât here, then that little fort by the river should be easy pickings.â
âExactly! They killed the Young Masterâvengeance must be served. Letâs hurry back to inform Old Zhang Fei. With Xing Honglang gone, letâs crush that pathetic fort.â
âHey, donât forget the ship on the river. Those cannons⌠terrifying!â
âDonât worry. Weâve been watching for days. Once itâs unloaded, it leaves. By the time we notify Old Zhang Fei and he marches troops here, the ship will already be gone. Then, no ship, no Xing Honglangâcapturing that flimsy fort will be a breeze.â
Having planned this, the two swiftly slipped away northâŚ
With Xing Honglang gone, Old Nan Feng was the only person left in the fort with any real wit.
Gao Chuwu was hopelessâthe big oaf was still joyfully helping porters unload grain from the ship, striking up conversation with people from Sun Family Village: âHey, are you folks from Honglangâs hometown? Can you tell me stories about Honglang when she was little?â
âWhat? She⌠she used to wet the bed? Wow, my Honglang had such an embarrassing moment?â
âNo⌠youâre lying! Honglang is beautiful.â
Gao Chuwu and the Sun Family Village folks were having a lively, cheerful time.
Old Nan Feng gave him a sidelong glance, shook his head, and steeled his resolve: Itâs all up to me now. Canât mess this up. Iâve finally got this massive backer, the Deity. Iâm not guarding the border anymoreâback in this flowery central plains world. Barely started enjoying this good life. Donât want to die here.
Old Nan Feng climbed the newly built watchtower, scanning the surroundingsâŚ
Suddenly, something flickered at the very edge of his visionânear the woods.
At this distance, the naked eye couldnât make it out!
No problem. Gaojia Village had high-tech solutions!
He pulled a single-barreled telescope from his waist pouch and aimed it at the woods.
Now he could see: two sturdy fellows moving through the trees. Judging by their clothing and gear⌠they looked like border army scouts. Specifically Guyuan border troops. He vaguely recognized those facesâŚ
Old Nan Fengâs mind raced: Actual Guyuan soldiers still operating out here? Must be aligned with rebels now. For Guyuan troops, thatâd mean Shaanxi rebelsâBu Zhan Ni from Luochuan is the most likely chief.
He handed the telescope to two sentinels beside him. âWatch this direction. Use the telescope often. If Iâm right, the bandit army will attack from here within two days.â
The two sentinels jumped. âHuh?â
Old Nan Feng snapped, âNo time for fear! Weâve got a fort, cavalry, firearms, and naval guns. This battle is ours to win. The only question is whether itâs a major or minor victory. Havenât you always wanted to play with this telescope? Enjoy it these next two daysâhave some fun.â
The two sentinels beamed with delight. âUnderstood!â
They took the telescope, marveling at it, looking east, then west, gasping âWow!â now and then.
âLook, over there by the south bank! A big girl washing clothes. Sheâs pretty. Huge hips!â
Old Nan Fengâs face darkened as he snatched the telescope back. âDammit! I told you to watch the north! What nonsense are you staring at?â
The sentinels sweated profusely. âGeneral, we wonât do it again!â
âIâve said itâthe bandit army will be here within two days. No looking around aimlessly! Keep your eyes glued on the north!â He finished sternly, then suddenly his tone shifted. âBut⌠their scouts just left. Itâll take them time to report and bring the main force. That means⌠a few hours of safety, at least. Heh⌠where was that big girl? Point her out for your General!â
The two sentinels: ââŚâŚâ