I wield power with my innate talents, and forge the Heavenly Court.

Chapter 55: The Ming Dynasty is short of money; a final victory; a spiritual force field enveloping the mountaintop.

"Hmm, what about the casualties?"

Wang Chao was indeed very happy to hear Wang Dahu's report.

However, he was more concerned about the casualties.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dahu paused slightly before continuing:
"Five brothers died, seven were seriously injured, and thirteen were slightly injured."

"Yes, record the meritorious and wounded soldiers, and I will arrange for their rewards and compensation! For the fallen soldiers, make sure to find a way to send their compensation and provisions to their homes."
Even if it's not possible to do it now, it should be recorded and distributed together later.

Wang Chao said solemnly, turning to look at Wang Sanshun and Zhou Wen behind him.

He hasn't established a military merit and law department yet, so the rewards and promotions for meritorious service, the compensation for wounded soldiers, etc., are naturally handled by him, Wang Sanshun from the General Staff, and the various sentry commanders.

However, he has already decided that after returning this time, he will establish departments such as the Military Law Department and the Military Merit Department.

After hearing Wang Chao's instructions, Wang Sanshun immediately nodded vigorously and solemnly promised:
"Don't worry, Chief, I'll have someone record it immediately. There won't be the slightest mistake."

"Alright, now you and Registrar Zhou, take some people and transport the money and grain to the mountain to register and record them."

"Yes!"

After Wang Sanshun left, Wang Chao told Wang Dahu about the current situation.

After listening, Wang Dahu also felt that if they all gathered together, they could completely defeat and annihilate that group of government soldiers.

After that, Wang Shi, Li Shu, and Wang Erniu also returned one after another.

By the time the Shenshi hour (3-5 PM) was approaching, everything was finally completed.

This time, everyone reaped a great harvest, although not all of them had managed to collect nearly two thousand taels of silver like the headman of Dawang Village.

However, when all these were added together, including gold, the total amount reached a staggering five thousand taels, and the grain amounted to six thousand shi.

Upon hearing this number, Wang Chaodu couldn't help but click his tongue in astonishment.

Who said the Ming Dynasty was short of money or food?

It was the imperial court and the emperor who lacked food and money, not the gentry, landlords, officials, and merchants below them.

This was just a village head or village official in the county, yet he managed to extort five thousand taels of silver from him.

If you include food and supplies, it's enough for the dynasty to last for more than a year.

What about the wealthy families in those counties and prefectural cities? Or even those big merchants who travel throughout a province, or even several provinces, and beyond the Ming Dynasty?

Honestly, I wouldn't even dare to imagine it.

If these funds and grains were concentrated and properly utilized, they would benefit the Mongolian grasslands outside the Great Wall and the Manchu Tartars.
Haha, I guarantee they can sing and dance.

Originally, after receiving another five thousand taels of silver and six thousand shi of grain, the dynasty believed that if they purchased more grain and supplies with a large amount of silver, they could last for at least a year.

However, when he learned that Wang Dahu and his group had brought back a large number of new recruits in addition to money, food, and supplies when they returned to Bird Rat Mountain, he was shocked.

They were then dismayed to find that, let alone more than a year, they could barely manage to last six months.

In each village, hundreds, even thousands, of people joined them.

Although this group includes not only young and strong people, but also the elderly and infirm, they do not need to participate in military training, so they do not need to consume as much food and supplies.

However, when all the people gathered at Bird and Mouse Mountain were added together, the number had reached nearly four thousand.

Five thousand taels of silver and six thousand shi of grain are really not much; they can only last for half a year at most.

It seems that relying on this method for development is somewhat unrealistic.

Without thinking, Wang Chao looked toward Weiyuan County.

However, he quickly shook his head and rejected the idea, saying that it was not advisable to attack the county town for the time being.

Otherwise, it would inevitably attract the attention of the Ming Dynasty court.

When that time comes, they will attract the attention of the real Ming Dynasty regular army, or even the border troops, and they will have no choice but to flee from here, evading the encirclement and suppression of the army, and becoming wandering bandits.

The dynasty knew very well that bandits could never amount to anything.

To truly succeed, one must establish a stable base.

As for a certain army in later generations that also traveled around, it had a strong base of support among the people.

What does a dynasty have? Does having a notorious reputation as a bandit wanted by the imperial court count?

However, he wasn't without other options.

It is now August 16th. According to history, the Tianqi Emperor would have died on August 22nd, and then the Chongzhen Emperor would have ascended the throne.

Over the next three months, Emperor Chongzhen would try to remove Wei Zhongxian from his service, eventually forcing him to commit suicide in December.

This period was their golden time for development.

As long as the dynasty doesn't attack the county town, they are unlikely to attract the attention of the imperial court.

Moreover, to the east of Shaanxi, Wang Er and his group were attracting the court's attention.

Now, completely defeating the officers and soldiers in front of us is crucial for the next phase of our plan.

At the very least, we must deter those officials in Weiyuan County from easily sending troops to suppress them again.

After discussing with Wang Dahu and others, the group immediately decided to set up an ambush on a hilltop not far from Bird Mouse Mountain, on the only road leading to Bird Mouse Mountain.

At the end of the You hour (around 6 or 7 o'clock), the sun was already about to set.

Enraged, Chen Ying relentlessly pursued Li Yu and the others, vowing to catch them this time.

Just now, Li Yu and his men launched another sneak attack. Although it still didn't cause many casualties, it caused the pent-up frustration in Chen Ying's camp to erupt completely.

Even after chasing for some time and the distance gradually widened again, he did not give up the chase and kept close behind Li Yu and the others.

"Chase them! Hurry up and chase them! Once we cross that hill, we'll reach the bandits' lair. Let's see where they run!"

Looking ahead, Chen Ying shouted to encourage the equally exhausted and frustrated soldiers behind him.

As for whether those bandits might be lying in ambush in the mountains ahead.

They kept a close watch on each other, so how could the other side have time to lay an ambush?
Soon, they caught up with Li Yu and the others, crossing a small hill, their line stretching out in a very long queue.

"kill!"

Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted from the hilltop, arrows rained down, accompanied by rolling logs and boulders.

In an instant, the officers and soldiers were thrown into chaos and confusion.

Seeing the sudden turn of events, Chen Ying was momentarily stunned. "Buzz!"

The next instant, an arrow shot towards him with a sharp, piercing whistle.

"Lord be careful!"

A sharp-eyed soldier spotted the incoming arrows and shoved the stunned Chen Ying into the ground.

"what!"

Caught off guard, Chen Ying was instantly pushed to the ground, his head hitting a hard rock, from which a patch of crimson blood immediately seeped out.

Fortunately, he dodged the fatal blow and survived.

Chen Ying looked up with lingering fear and saw that one of the soldiers who had been behind him had been pierced by the arrow and pinned to a large tree behind him.

"help me!"

Blood and foam were spitting from his mouth as he painfully begged for help from those around him.

But at this moment, who cares about him anymore?

Finally, after spitting out a mouthful of blood, its head lolled to the side, and it lost all life.

When Chen Ying finally regained consciousness, shouts of battle echoed all around him.

At the same time, shouts of "Surrender and you will not be killed" echoed throughout the battlefield.

"Surrender without killing!"

"Surrender without killing!"

Just ten or twenty days ago, the soldiers were mostly peasants and naturally had little will to fight. When Wang Chao and his men shouted that they would not be killed if they surrendered.

Without much hesitation, they all threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

"My lord, run away!"

A garrison soldier, seeing the bandits roaming the mountains, urged Chen Ying to hurry up.

"Yes, yes, run! Run!"

At this moment, Chen Ying also realized that he had been completely defeated this time.

However, at this point, he should first try to escape, otherwise everything would be over.

Picking up the fallen goose-feather saber, Chen Ying immediately led his garrison soldiers and ran forward in a disheveled state.

As for heading back, they were already almost out of the hill, and the main battlefield was just behind them, so they naturally wouldn't stubbornly push their way in.

However, while they saw the chaotic fighting behind them, they momentarily forgot that Li Yu's troops were still relentlessly pursuing them ahead.

So when they left the battlefield and thought it was time to escape, they were completely stunned when faced with more than a hundred burly men suddenly charging at them.

How could they forget that there were bandits ahead?
But it's too late to say anything now.

Chen Ying glanced at Li Yu and his men, who seemed to have ill intentions, and tightened his grip on his goose-feather saber.

In the end, however, he sighed and threw the goose-feather knife in his hand to the ground.

"Choke!"

Clang clang

Following closely behind Chen Ying, the rest of the men also threw down their knives.

"Haha, at least you have some self-awareness."

Now, everyone, put your hands behind your heads!

Upon seeing Chen Ying and the others' actions, Li Yu couldn't help but burst into laughter, feeling indescribably happy and excited.

These were the very people who had truly defeated the government troops and captured a centurion.

Moreover, he played an extremely important role in this.

Upon returning to reward those who have rendered meritorious service, they will surely receive a great reward.

He no longer seeks gold, silver, or official positions; he only asks that the dynasty's leader grant him another supernatural power.

At that time, he will be the strongest person under the dynasty.

Thinking about this made Li Yu even more excited.

"Quickly, tie them up and take them back to the leader for his judgment."

By the time the battlefield was cleaned up, it was past midnight.

However, Bird and Mouse Mountain was brightly lit, bustling with people, and filled with laughter and joy.

Conversely, the captured Chen Ying and his many officers and soldiers were devastated, and could only secretly pray that these bandits were not cruel and bloodthirsty.

Seated in the main seat of the council hall, under the spiritual vision of the dynasty, a vast spiritual force field enveloped the entire Bird and Mouse Mountain, with endless spiritual power rising.

It seems that due to the continuous fighting, a large amount of dark red military aura began to be gathered and transformed by many celestial beings.

Countless armies' malevolent auras piled up on Bird and Mouse Mountain, far exceeding what they had seen before, resembling a dark red blood cloud that was extremely awe-inspiring.

Even though many lives cannot see it, it is all captured by it.

Within a radius of several hundred meters, there were no birds or beasts, and no insects or ants.

Chen Ying and many other officers and soldiers all felt a shadow looming over their hearts.

It was as if Bird and Mouse Mountain was now a living hell, which filled them with extreme fear and caused a surge of negative emotions and spiritual energy.

On the contrary, the people of Bird Rat Mountain suddenly felt safe and secure, and their respect for their leader, the dynasty, grew even stronger.

Even those who joined later were instantly won over by this great victory, and their hearts became incredibly at peace.

I never expected the bandits of Bird Rat Mountain to be here.
Hmm, the rebel army is incredibly strong; they even defeated the government troops.

Does this mean they'll be able to enjoy a period of good life?

The excitement following the great victory, the anticipation and hope for the future, and the gratitude and blessings for the leader's dynasty caused a surge of spiritual energy.

Because they did not belong to the original spirituality of soldiers or armies, they were not transformed into military evil energy by the many heavenly beings. Instead, they all converged on the dynasty.

(End of this chapter)