Beyond Expectations

The group had actually arrived last night, but Thousand-Household Commander Su didn't trust them at all. In the darkness, it was hard enough to see anything.

Let alone tell whether they were really defeated, scattered soldiers, or if Roaming Bandit spies had slipped in among them...

None of them were given important posts. They were all assigned hard labor, like guarding the city gates and walls. Those duties were handled almost entirely by Liang City's local military households, in case spies had gotten in and opened the gates in the middle of the night.

As a local strongman in the Liang City area, Thousand-Household Commander Su was the most nervous of all. Though his cultivation was profound, he was still afraid. If the Roaming Bandits came, those low-ranking officers might survive, but he would certainly be killed so they could divide up his land and property.

That was why he was being so thorough now, doing his best to avoid mistakes. As long as he held out until reinforcements arrived, everything would be fine.

The army commanded by Commander-in-Chief Li Baisheng was an elite force that had only recently finished training. Emperor Chongyan had sent them to suppress the bandits. Not only did their soldiers generally have high martial cultivation, they also possessed fine firearms and cannons. If they met the enemy head-on, victory would be all but certain.

As for Commander-in-Chief Li, he was one of the Great Jin's rare top-tier martial artists. In a place like Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office, he could beat every single garrison soldier by himself.

The Roaming Bandits who had taken Linshui County probably belonged to King Cui, Zhao Chengde.

Zhao Chengde had once been a carpenter. His family was so poor they could barely survive, so he joined the Roaming Bandits.

Thanks to his military ability, he had risen all the way to become their leader. Now he controlled half of Tianzhong Province and half of Jinyuan Province, commanded fifty thousand troops, and was very close to Wuqu Province.

The court had failed to suppress them because it had no usable forces. Commander-in-Chief Li's army had previously been defending the frontier against the Qiangqu People.

Now that the court had made peace with the Qiangqu People and secured a brief respite, it could naturally bring the army back to suppress the bandits.

However, Thousand-Household Commander Su didn't think Commander-in-Chief Li would meet a good end. Emperor Chongyan had ruled for ten years already, ruined several governors, and executed dozens of civil officials. If someone like Commander-in-Chief Li defeated the Roaming Bandits, he would probably have to face the emperor's suspicions.

Liangcheng Guard had neither firearms nor cannons. It wasn't that the Great Jin court didn't know how to make them; they simply couldn't afford to. Equipping the elite troops with those weapons was already a severe financial burden. If they wanted to arm every garrison across the country...

The question wasn't whether the treasury could afford it. It would end up in debt.

Lin Xuan went to the Drill Ground and tested his strength by lifting a stone. He could now raise five hundred pounds with ease, though lifting five hundred and fifty was still a struggle.

Even with the boost from [Super Strength], the effect of the medicine was quite impressive.

Lin Xuan's assignment today was to patrol the nearby area. If any refugees destroyed farmland or attacked ordinary people's homes, he was to kill them without mercy. He also had to keep an eye on the Roaming Bandits' movements and return to the garrison immediately if he spotted any trace of them.

As luck would have it, Lin Jie had been assigned to the squad Lin Xuan managed.

Since the garrison was short on men, each Flag Commander could only lead three squads, with ten men in each squad.

The other two squad leaders were Liu Jiye and Qin Huai.

Qin Huai, who had hunted the Black Bear Spirit alongside him last time, was now his subordinate.

Even Qin Huai found the situation unbelievable.

The moment Lin Jie joined Lin Xuan's unit, he became completely docile, no longer acting arrogant as before. Lin Xuan was his superior now.

Lin Xuan patrolled only within two hundred zhang of the garrison. If he went farther, there'd be no time to react if the Roaming Bandits came. Everything seemed normal so far, and he was starting to find his patrol rather boring.

There were some refugees on the road. Perhaps because they saw Lin Xuan and his men patrolling in armor, they behaved themselves and didn't do anything out of line.

Trouble broke out at noon that day. A vast, dark mass of people came rushing from the west.

Their clothing was a jumble. Some wore brand-new armor and carried gleaming bows and spears, while others wore tattered armor. Some didn't wear armor at all and carried weapons cobbled together from crude farm tools.

Even the colors of their clothes were all over the place. They had no uniform at all.

Lin Xuan saw them and immediately turned to run.

He shouted to the squad leaders and soldiers, "Move! Back to the city."

Lin Xuan sprinted with all his might across the several hundred meters and reached Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office in the blink of an eye.

The garrison soldiers saw Lin Xuan running back and prepared to shut the gates as soon as he entered.

Once the whole group had made it inside, the gates, which had already been set to close, swung shut.

The gate hinges creaked. Once the gates were closed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Then Thousand-Household Commander Su ordered the entire army to prepare for battle and get the logs and boulders ready.

But the Roaming Bandits didn't attack the Thousand-Household Office as they had expected, nor did they go after ordinary homes.

Lin Xuan watched from atop the city wall, already prepared for battle. But when he saw that the bandits weren't coming to attack, he began to wonder why.

Could it be... they aren't coming for us at all... but...

They're... coming to loot the wealthy households!

Anyone who could lead an army of several thousand was no fool. Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office had already prepared to defend the city and was waiting in comfort for the enemy to tire themselves out. A reckless assault would inevitably bring heavy losses.

The Roaming Bandits were a complicated mix, and their rank-and-file soldiers had little military discipline. If they failed to take the garrison in one attack, their morale would collapse.

So attacking the Thousand-Household Office wasn't their best option.

The leader of this band was Liu Zuolong, a ferocious general under King Cui, Zhao Chengde.

He had dark skin and a lean build, and wore a brand-new Jin military officer's suit of armor. He had seized it as spoils while fighting Jin soldiers.

He had led five thousand men in taking two undefended counties and looting the money and food of wealthy families, landlords, and officials.

Seeing the garrison, his men couldn't figure out what to do next, so they asked him for instructions:

"General Liu, the garrison has shut its gates and is ready for us on the city walls. It looks like they're prepared to defend themselves. Should we attack?"

After pondering for a moment, Liu Zuolong shook his head and replied calmly, "The nearby counties and garrisons are on their guard now. There's no need to storm their defenses. Don't harm ordinary people. Only rob the wealthy and the landlords."

After all, the Righteous Army was made up of the poor. Ordinary people would become its soldiers and supporters in the future.

The wealthy and landlords, on the other hand, had often done evil. Robbing them might meet a little resistance, but ordinary people would only cheer.

Whether the Thousand-Household Office came to the wealthy families' rescue or not, he would come out ahead.

If they dared to come out, he could wipe out the garrison troops. If they stayed inside, he could loot without resistance—and undermine the people's faith in the government.

After all, if the government didn't rescue them when they were robbed, then the next time it tried to collect grain, recruit soldiers, or requisition supplies, it would face enormous resistance. If the government didn't come to help when people were in trouble, what right did it have to collect taxes?