knife

Chapter 360 Only Balance is the Way

In times of peace and prosperity, bandits have little room to survive.

Not only did the imperial court not want them to exist, but the local people also had no goodwill towards them. If the bandits were caught and beheaded, the people would mostly clap their hands in celebration, and some would even spit on them.

So in good years, bandits could only live stealthily, like dogs, and if they found a way out, they would immediately try to escape their bandit situation and hope to have a better future and a better home.

However, in times of chaos, the situation is completely different.

Banditry sometimes became the only way for some ordinary people to survive.

At this point, what God rewards honest people with is not survival and wealth, but poverty and death.

"Murderers and arsonists wear golden belts, while those who build bridges and roads leave no trace of their bodies"—this is the most accurate depiction of such times.

In chaotic times, bandits roam freely.

Some bandits commit all sorts of evil deeds and are despised by everyone.

But some thieves rob the rich to help the poor and act as righteous men.

Without exception, in chaotic times, the living space for bandits is expanded infinitely.

From small groups of bandits to large-scale thieves who occupy mountains and rivers and openly challenge the government, they are everywhere.

The Yuan Dynasty is currently in a state of chaos.

It took only a year for the region to go from great order to great chaos.

After Yingzhuo's death, the three kings fought for the throne, killing each other and splitting the country. In just one year, the once prosperous Yuan Dynasty was transformed into a place where the people lived in misery.

Eagle Bandits is currently the largest bandit gang in the Northern Yuan forces.

Or rather, they should no longer be called bandits, but rather be regarded as a force of their own.

Because they no longer hid, but openly raised their flag and openly carved out their territory. They began to collect taxes in their territory, and of course, those who paid taxes were able to receive their full protection.

This is an open rebellion.

The Akdun Dynasty in Yandu naturally could not tolerate this, so the suppression of the bandits began.

Unfortunately, both campaigns launched within a year ended in failure.

After the spring planting season, the general in charge of the siege underestimated the bandits. He led a light cavalry charge, intending to strike at the heart of the bandits' territory and capture their leader first. However, he ran headlong into a brick wall and suffered a bloody head injury.

More than a thousand elite cavalrymen were wiped out in one battle, and Rendobao was captured alive.

It wouldn't matter if you killed Renduobao, but the Eagle Bandit didn't kill him. Instead, he shaved off his hair and beard, cut off one of his ears, and then released him.

This infuriated the Rendo family.

So, as winter approached, the second large-scale campaign began.

Ren Duozhong's general, Pugu En, commanded tens of thousands of troops to encircle the bandits from three directions, aiming to eliminate them in one fell swoop.

However, the three hammers struck empty air; the eagle bandits vanished without a trace, and the army's logistical supplies were burned to ashes by the eagle bandits.

The army of tens of thousands returned in disarray. During the retreat, the thousand or so elite troops who were covering the rear were swallowed up by the Eagle Bandits, leaving not a trace.

These two battles immediately established the Eagle Bandits' status among the bandits in the Yuan Dynasty.

The Yandu regime stopped mentioning the suppression and tacitly accepted the existence of the Eagle Bandits.

The eagle bandits openly began appointing and dismissing officials, recruiting people, cultivating fertile land, and raising livestock on their own territory, operating in a seemingly respectable manner.

Within the territory of the Northern Yuan, there were already countless tribes. Ying Zhuo had been promoting a policy similar to the Qin state's "reform of native chieftains into officials," but now, with Ying Zhuo's death, the Three Kings' Council has reversed the course of history, and the reform of native chieftains into officials has come to an abrupt end.

This is naturally good news for the tribes, as their privileges will be preserved to the greatest extent possible.

The so-called "Three Kings' Council" also required a guarantee of strength.

These tribes then became the object of contention between the emperor and the Rendo and Xifeng families.

Under such circumstances, how could we dare to infringe upon their interests?

Once the Eagle Bandits became a powerful group like this, they immediately became a target for the Northern Yuan to win over.

However, the Eagle Bandits seemed completely uninterested in forming alliances with anyone.

Although they also farmed and herded livestock, they preferred robbery. They would steal from anyone, regardless of whose property it was.

There is no moral integrity at all.

Because today they can join forces with Yandu to seize Zhending, and tomorrow they can suddenly take away human faces and hang up dog faces, and then join forces with Zhending to seize Yandu again.

Sometimes, after a day of collaboration, they'd hide their faces at night and immediately double-cross each other.

Therefore, the reputation of the hawk bandits was not good in both Yandu and Zhengding.

However, as long as the Eagle Bandits remain strong, he will still be a target for both sides.

After the collapse of the orderly rule of the Yuan Dynasty, the Eagle Bandits experienced rapid growth. Especially after the upheaval in Yandu, the influx of a large number of members of the Azure Dragon Brigade propelled the Eagle Bandits' strength to new heights.

Nearly a hundred members of the Azure Dragon Brigade, who had already revealed their identities in Yandu, were no longer suitable to remain undercover there. Apart from a few who were transferred back to Beiting, most of them went to the Eagle Bandits.

These men had been infiltrating the Yuan Dynasty for many years and were extremely familiar with everything about the Yuan Dynasty. Joining the Eagle Bandits could be considered making the best use of them. Of course, their addition also strengthened the Northern Protectorate's control over this army.

People like He Zheng and Gao Wuyang are no less skilled than Guan Shan, the leader of the Eagle Bandits, in terms of both personal martial arts cultivation and ability to lead troops in battle.

Today, the Eagle Bandits' fighting force has expanded to three thousand people.

The number of people under their protection, who farmed and herded for them, had reached tens of thousands, making them a powerful local force.

From being shrouded in secrecy to now being officially on the big table of Beiyuan, it has all taken less than two years.

This illustrates the dramatic nature of the political changes in the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

"When will the Beiting Protectorate launch its final offensive?" Guan Shan, the chief of the Eagle Bandits, looked at Zhou Yi and asked loudly. "In my opinion, both Yandu and Zhengding are currently extremely weak, making it the perfect time to launch a campaign!"

Zhou Yi shook his head repeatedly. He could understand Guan Shan's feelings, but Bei Yuan did look weak now, but that was not the case.

The Northern Yuan split, but their true war potential was not greatly depleted.

The Eastern Camp, Southern Camp, Northern Camp, and the Imperial Guards of Yandu still retain considerable strength.

They appear weak now because they are desperately fighting amongst themselves, but whether they will unite when faced with strong external pressure is unpredictable.

The Beiting Protectorate is currently strong enough to challenge either Yandu or Zhengding, but if they were to join forces, the outcome would be uncertain. Furthermore, Beiting itself has many internal problems; if it encounters setbacks on its northern expedition, the potential for internal conflict to erupt is also a concern.

You should know that the Beiting Protectorate is still working hard to wipe out those small, rebellious forces within the Black Domain!
Bei Yuan wasn't stupid either, so naturally they would exert their efforts within the Black Domain, intending to create more difficulties for the Beiting Protectorate.

"Now is not the time to attack them!" Zhou Yi said. "Let them continue to fight amongst themselves, and we'll cheer them on from the sidelines."

"Has the Beiting Protectorate's attention now shifted to the interior?" Guan Shan asked.

Zhou Yi chuckled: "It won't delay anything. The focus is shifting to the interior of the pass. It's Protector-General Li who's handling things there, and he's using very little manpower. The main focus of the Northern Court will still be on internal management and bringing about the complete collapse of the Northern Yuan. However, it's not something that can be accomplished in a short time to completely disintegrate such a large empire as the Northern Yuan. Even a broken ship has three thousand nails!"

"That's good, that's good!" Guan Shan chuckled. "Li Duhu is a remarkable man. When he came to Beiyuan alone, he caused Beiyuan to fall apart. This time when he enters the pass, he will surely do something great as well."

“Of course,” Zhou Yi said smugly. “When I returned this time, I received good news. Under the Protector-General’s planning, Shu has fallen into our hands. Soon, our Northern Court will be transferring a large number of officials to Shu to manage it! By the way, Protector Cui is also among those being transferred!”

"Shu County, that's a very remote place!" Guan Shan exclaimed in surprise.

"It's not exactly close, but it's not exactly far either!" Zhou Yi said. "Shu Commandery holds a pivotal position. Once we take Shu Commandery, we'll have a stable base of influence in Guanzhong. With such a solid foothold, we can control Chang'an, consolidate our territory, and even influence the southwest. That's why the Protector-General has selected only capable officials this time. Seven or eight officials from Dragon Flame Valley have been chosen!"

"This is a good thing." Guan Shan nodded repeatedly.

As the power of the Beiting Protectorate grows daily, there are naturally distinctions of kinship and favoritism within its ranks. For Guan Shan, it is a good thing that those who came from Dragon Flame Valley are being entrusted with important responsibilities, as they can look out for each other in the future.

"Since matters within the pass are not the focus of the Northern Protectorate right now, what should we do?" Guan Shan said, "In the words of the Dean, how can we encourage them?"

“According to our investigation, it seems that Tiele has now made contact with Jebe, and the two sides intend to cooperate to deal with Aktun!” Zhou Yi said, “Tiele has purchased a large amount of supplies from us, which should be given to Jebe as a gift.”

"You want us to rob them?"

"We'll leak this information to Aktun. Do you think Aktun will be worried?"

"That's natural!"

“It’s not easy for Akdun to send troops on his own. He’s too conspicuous, and Yandu is like a sieve. Any movement will be leaked immediately. So I will arrange for someone to hint to Akdun that he should send someone to contact you.”

"Should we steal this batch of goods and then sell it to Akton? Let's establish a positive relationship?"

“Now that the Tiele and Jebe have made contact, you should naturally align yourself with Aktun!” Zhou Yi laughed. “Only balance is the key to success.”

(End of this chapter)