Chapter 50: The Official Military Expedition

Lu Xiaoyuan, accompanied by Huang Xiaoyong and other trusted aides, stood atop the city wall, looking down at the bustling scene below.

"It seems that Luo and Xue truly have the hearts of the refugees!"

These tens of thousands of refugees had gathered from all corners of the northern frontier. Even if their own local magistrates were here, they might not necessarily make them obey so docilely.

Yet now, they were joyfully surrounding Luo Fang and the others, eagerly signing up to participate in the selection for the Righteous Town Battalion.

Just yesterday, they had used procuresses and others to "play dirty," creating chaos among the refugees in an attempt to ambush and kill Luo Fang and Xue Chengqian in the confusion.

Now look at them: not only were they unaffected, but they had also gained even greater prestige among the refugees.

Cold sweat was trickling down Huang Xiaoyong's back.

He had been entirely responsible for this matter, originally hoping to perform a great service in front of the City Governor. Now that the job had been botched, he naturally had to bear the responsibility.

"My Lord, it is solely due to this general's incompetence."

Lu Xiaoyuan said impatiently, "I don't want to hear such nonsense! Right now, you only need to tell me how much longer it will take and how many resources must be committed to complete my task!"

Huang Xiaoyong's cold sweat multiplied.

"Yesterday's battle resulted in heavy losses for their subordinates, and now the refugees treat Luo Fang and Xue Chengqian like gods. To strike forcefully now would simply be sending men to their deaths. We must give them time to build up their strength and re-recruit personnel before—"

"Hmph, in other words, I can't count on them at all in the short term. Might as well go burn incense at a temple and pray that when they fight for their lives against the Northern barbarians, they don't come back alive?"

"Uh..."

Huang Xiaoyong no longer dared to respond.

"Since that is the case, keeping them is utterly meaningless! Furthermore, if we let them go around running their mouths, it would spell no small trouble for me."

"Handle this matter yourself!"

Lu Xiaoyuan saw no need to spell it out too clearly. Having dropped these words, he directly turned and walked away from the city wall.

The livelier the scene outside, the more displeasure it stirred in the lofty City Governor.

Huang Xiaoyong naturally grasped the City Governor's intent immediately, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

"What a pity. You used to show me quite a bit of filial respect, but who told you not to know your place? Our City Governor doesn't keep idle hands."

This task was as easy as turning over his hand for Huang Xiaoyong.

At most, he felt a twinge of regret over the bribes the procuresses and others had previously given him. Since they had no solid roots within Wangjiang City anyway, and now that the City Governor wanted them to disappear, they would absolutely not live to see tomorrow's sun.

...

"Xue, lad, our recruitment is going smoothly enough, but can we really eliminate the procuress and her gang with this method?"

With the cooperation of Wei Xiao and little Dewdrop, Kang Yu finally finished the personnel tally.

Clearly, the vast majority of the accounts were the work of Wei Xiao, whose mind had always been deeply invested in Wangjiang City.

"Lu Xiaoyuan is extremely selfish and has always looked down on the refugees outside the city. To him, those people are merely local bosses, and he only evaluates them based on whether they have any usable value."

When Luo Fang and the others heard him say this, their spirits did not lift much; in fact, they felt rather subdued.

Indeed, usable value!

The procuress and her faction were indeed their mortal enemies, but fundamentally, they shared a similar background, both having risen from the ranks of refugees to establish their own forces here.

The only difference was that Luo Fang's group had relied on their own strength, winning the designation of the Righteous Town Battalion through military achievements, and even gaining Lu Xiaoyuan's tacit consent to expand their power on their own.

Meanwhile, the procuress and her ilk had completely degenerated into running dogs for others.

If the situation were reversed and they traded places, how much better would their own fate have been than that of the procuress?

Even now, though they looked infinitely glorious on the surface, the moment the Righteous Town Battalion suffered a crushing defeat, Lu Xiaoyuan would undoubtedly use it as an excuse to root them out entirely!

By then, what difference would there be between them and the procuress's gang?

Sensing their thoughts, Xue Chengqian walked over and patted Luo Fang on the shoulder.

"Let's go. The recruitment of new soldiers is complete, and our forces have expanded once more. It's time to set out!"

"No matter what others think of us, we must keep our own lives in our own hands! Even if we die, we'll go down fighting!"

...

The strength of the Righteous Town Battalion had expanded once more. Even if they temporarily lacked sufficient weaponry to arm everyone, at least they could use sheer numbers to put up a bold front.

Moreover, maintaining order among the refugees did not require carrying weapons.

The messenger sent by Luo Fang to contact Sun Fushan had already returned.

True to his word, Sun Fushan had gathered all his brothers from the mountains and was waiting to rendezvous with them just east of Baguzi Mountain.

Although a larger army would exert a greater influence on the battlefield, Dongping City was currently enduring day-and-night fierce assaults from the Northern barbarian army. They could not afford to waste time, and whether they could subdue other factions would simply depend on luck.

Leading five hundred warriors, Luo Fang and Xue Chengqian crossed the Angry River once again, heading straight for Dongping City.

"Xue, old chief, Luo, old chief, we've finally been longing for you to arrive."

Because of the Battle of the Angry River, Sun Fushan held the Righteous Town Battalion in extreme awe and willingly brought his brothers to join them. In his mind, Xue Chengqian, who had personally directed that battle, clearly held a higher status.

Every time they met, he would put Xue Chengqian's title first.

However, since everyone was now in the Righteous Town Battalion and facing a precarious existence from day to day, no one bothered about such distinctions.

"My fifteen hundred lads are all members of the Righteous Town Battalion as of today!"

Having said that, he quickly lowered his voice to add, "Aside from them, there are also over three hundred old folks, women, and children. I must ask the two chiefs to make proper arrangements for them."

Luo Fang waved a hand dismissively. "Rest assured! We are already supporting tens of thousands of refugees outside Wangjiang City; we can easily feed a few hundred more mouths!"

"Besides, if we can truly rescue Dongping City and render a great service, Lord Wei certainly won't skimp on the rewards."

Hearing this, Wei Xiao immediately made a guarantee on behalf of her father.

Xue Chengqian took the opportunity to observe the troops.

Although Sun Fushan's subordinates possessed a chaotic and mismatched assortment of weaponry that lacked uniformity, virtually everyone held a weapon in their hands, and most had clothing sufficient to ward off the cold. They could immediately deploy their full combat capability, causing Xue Chengqian to nod in satisfaction.

"Chief Sun, from today onward, you are also a captain of the Righteous Town Battalion. The thousand-odd brothers you lead will remain under your command for now."

"Now, tell us what the situation at Dongping City has devolved into."

Since Lu Xiaoyuan had relinquished control and allowed the Righteous Town Battalion to develop on its own, they naturally had the authority to temporarily appoint grass-roots commanders as their numbers expanded.

Of course, the officers they appointed themselves could not gain official recognition from the government for the time being.

Even if they truly shattered the Northern barbarians and achieved great merits, it was unlikely they would receive official recognition through Lu Xiaoyuan's recommendations.

Sun Fushan, however, cared little for such matters. Hearing his appointment confirmed and knowing he could continue to lead his brothers, he was overjoyed and knelt in deep obeisance.