Chapter 40: The Crisis of Dongping

Sun Fushan’s group appeared hostile, seemingly suspicious of their identity as imperial soldiers.

Xue Chengqian, however, was able to understand their perspective.

Although Su Youfang had shouted recklessly just moments before, combined with the sensitive relationship between government troops and bandits, the fact that the other party still took the initiative to come forward, greet them, and state their identity indicated that there was room for communication.

“I am Xue Chengqian, holding the rank of captain in the Zhenyi Battalion, acting under the orders of our Commander Luo to launch a surprise attack on the Northern Barbarian thieves.”

In truth, within the Zhenyi Battalion—especially with the recent addition of many new brothers—Xue Chengqian’s prestige was no longer inferior to that of Luo Fang.

Nevertheless, when introducing himself to "outsiders," Xue Chengqian still felt it necessary to give a brief explanation, affording Luo Fang full respect while also showing that he would not forget his origins.

“The Zhenyi Battalion? Aren’t those the local militia belonging to Wangjiang City? You… are all militiamen?”

Unexpectedly, though Sun Fushan looked rough and bold on the outside, he was part of a very "professional" group. Extremely familiar with the names of the surrounding government forces, he immediately realized that they belonged to Wangjiang and were not part of the regular imperial guards.

Yet, despite the disheveled appearance of Su Youfang’s men, they wore the uniform of the imperial guards, something that could hardly be concealed now that daylight had arrived.

Xue Chengqian generously replied, “Aside from our Zhenyi Battalion, there is also a unit of imperial guards. This man here is Imperial Guard Captain Su Youfang, who led hundreds of soldiers to escort government family members to this place.”

His explanation was already exceedingly gracious, refraining from directly stating that Su Youfang’s group had been rescued by them, let alone revealing Wei Xiao’s true identity.

Su Youfang had initially been quite displeased that Xue Chengqian had negotiated with the other party without consulting him first.

At that moment, seeing that he was being introduced, Su Youfang deliberately put on airs and stepped forward, wanting to demonstrate who truly commanded the government forces present.

Right then, one of Sun Fushan’s confidants suddenly hurried over and whispered a few words into his ear.

A look of astonishment could not be concealed on Sun Fushan’s face as he once again examined Xue Chengqian closely.

“A surname of Xue… the Zhenyi Battalion… there can be no mistake! Could Your Excellency be the young general outside Wangjiang City who led his forces to decisively defeat the Northern Barbarian cavalry and annihilate thousands of the enemy?”

Ah, had the news spread already?

For Xue Chengqian, that battle had also been a matter of considerable pride.

Yet, hearing praise to his face still made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

Luo Fang walked forward unhesitatingly, a hint of pride in his voice as he said, “Our brother Xue may not have attained the rank of general yet, but the person you speak of is indeed him!”

“What!”

Upon hearing this, Sun Fushan and his men were filled with immense admiration, while Su Youfang, Wei Xiao, and the others were struck with extreme shock.

The young man who had fought side by side with them throughout the entire night actually had such a formidable background?

However, Su Youfang’s expression quickly turned to one of anger.

“Hmph! Do you take us for fools ignorant of the situation in the northern frontier? The imperial court has already issued battle reports stating that it was Lord Lu who commanded the forces to crush the Northern Barbarian cavalry outside Wangjiang City. How dare you mere militiamen lay claim to such an unparallelled achievement?”

Sun Fushan, on the other hand, said dismissively, “You government officials only know how to look at the imperial court’s battle reports. Can you possibly understand the true situation on the northern frontier better than we do?”

“That Lu Xiaoyuan was merely a superior officer, which is why the merit was attributed to him. The true heroes who commanded and defeated the Northern Barbarian dogs are none other than Heroes Luo and Xue of the Zhenyi Battalion!”

The soldiers of the Zhenyi Battalion had not expected the news to spread this fast either.

Although the others merely cast looks of adoration toward Xue Chengqian, they too had participated in that battle and felt a deep, swelling sense of glory.

Unable to utter a retort, Su Youfang found his face growing even darker.

Behind him, Wei Xiao’s bright eyes burned as she continually cast glances at Xue Chengqian and Luo Fang from behind, her mind deep in thought.

Xue Chengqian was also deeply stirred inside.

At the time, engineering the defeat of the Northern Barbarian cavalry had been done purely for self-preservation, and he had never anticipated such a ripple effect.

On second thought, it made complete sense.

With the Northern Barbarian army pressing hard at the border, the government forces routed, and the soldiers and civilians of the northern frontier gripped by panic, inflicting a severe setback on the Northern Barbarian army outside Wangjiang City under such circumstances would undoubtedly provide a massive boost to public morale and spirit.

Knowing the inside story, it was hardly surprising that they held Xue Chengqian and his men in such high regard.

Now, all of Sun Fushan’s doubts had vanished. Raising his voice, he directly introduced this "young hero" from outside Wangjiang City to his brothers, prompting cheers and shouts from the surrounding bandit comrades.

Sun Fushan enthusiastically declared, “We have a camp right in the valley. If you few do not disdain it, why not come inside to rest and recover, and by the way, tell the brothers how you crushed the Northern Barbarian dogs outside Wangjiang City!”

Throughout that night, the Zhenyi Battalion had engaged in continuous, fierce battles with the elite Northern Barbarian troops.

What was originally intended to be a small-scale surprise raid had left everyone utterly exhausted by now, making further marching impossible.

Xue Chengqian graciously accepted the offer.

Su Youfang initially wanted to refuse, but upon looking at the battered and disheveled state of his own men, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

Still, he deliberately sidled up to Wei Xiao.

“ Eldest Miss, this Xue Chengqian actually listens to the words of bandits and intends to lead us into their den! Later on, you must stay close to us. Should any unforeseen changes occur, the brothers will risk their lives to ensure your safety.”

His words were practically an open provocation, but Wei Xiao was no puppet to be manipulated at his whim.

“Captain Su, just moments ago we were fighting shoulder to shoulder against the Northern Barbarians. Even if government forces and bandits cannot coexist, in the face of the Northern Barbarians' invasion and the slaughter of the entire northern frontier, everyone ought to fight side by side. Do not speak such words again.”

“Besides, since Xue Chengqian was able to shatter the Northern Barbarian cavalry, I believe he will not be easily deceived. I have confidence in him.”

Su Youfang’s expression flickered slightly.

He had not expected that Wei Xiao, despite her brief acquaintance with Xue Chengqian, would develop such a sense of trust in him, which only made his expression grow gloomier.

Let alone Su Youfang, probably even Xue Chengqian himself would never have imagined it.

The northern frontier of the Great Liang dynasty at this moment was in desperate need of a "heroic figure" to lift everyone’s spirits and unite them once again.

Xue Chengqian’s current status and position were not yet enough to shoulder such a role, but the brilliant victory he had brought about was so dazzling that people naturally felt a sense of reliance upon him.

Events proved that Sun Fushan had no intention of deceiving them.

Upon entering the camp, all the bandits treated them with utmost enthusiasm, even bringing out precious fine wine to toast the heroes in their hearts.

While arranging for the many brothers to rest and eat in various quarters, Sun Fushan cozied up to Xue Chengqian and Luo Fang, expressing his desire to "join forces."

“Brother Sun, we are not greenwood heroes; we don’t do this whole routine of joining bandit gangs,” Luo Fang replied half-jokingly.

Sun Fushan scratched his head awkwardly. “Hey! We folks are just used to saying it that way, but the meaning is pretty much the same—we also want to pledge our allegiance to the two brave warriors.”
“On one hand, being a bandit is not a long-term livelihood after all, and my brothers live a bitter life.”

“On the other hand, this is a rare opportunity. If we follow you brave warriors to fiercely slaughter the Northern Barbarians, we can rid the people of a scourge, achieve merits, and things will be much easier to talk about with the government authorities later on.”

Xue Chengqian nodded slightly; Sun Fushan’s remarks showed a fair bit of insight.

Moreover, their group numbered nearly a thousand men, mostly young and robust, and lacking no courage. With Luo Fang’s ability to drill troops, they could instantly be forged into a respectable combat force.

Just as he was about to give his consent, he suddenly saw one of Sun Fushan’s scouts rush anxiously into the camp, shouting loudly without any regard for propriety:

“Chief! No pursuers from the Northern Barbarians were seen outside the Eight-Aunt Mountains, but they’ve all gathered over at Dongping City! It looks like they’re about to launch a full-scale assault on the city!”