Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 82 The Red Girl's Ingenious Calculation
How did you know?
Are you implying that you were a corrupt official in the past?

Yun Ce pushed away the finger that Hong Guniang was pointing at, and said indifferently, "The rich are the stingiest people in the world. They can squander their money, spend lavishly on their desires, and make advance investments to earn more money. But if you think you can use their money to help others, you're definitely overthinking it."

First, the tribute inexplicably increased by 50%, and they generously agreed to the extra 50%, which in itself raised many suspicions.

So I think there was no extra 50% in tribute at all. The tribute for this ten-year period came entirely from ordinary wealthy households and free people.

After learning of this news, you notified many people, which led to this grand spectacle of robbing tribute.

Once the army has killed all those who were dissatisfied with being cheated, the remaining people who were cheated out of money will only have naked hatred for the city lord Pompeii and the governor Han Du.

When the time comes, you will raise your arms and call for an attack on the city lord Pompeii, the governor Han Du, and the city lords and the wealthiest families of various cities. You will not only gain the support of the poor and slaves, but also ordinary wealthy people and free citizens will join your ranks and help you completely overthrow the entire Izumo Province.

Miss Hong, I have to say, the chances of your plan succeeding are extremely high, with each step linked to the next.

But you used to care so much about human life, how come you now treat it like dirt? Don't you dare tell me anything like "Those who aspire to great things don't concern themselves with trifles."

Looking at the bandits lying dead on the other side of the river, slaughtered by the soldiers, Hong Guniang's face twitched slightly as she said, "Someone told me that we don't ask for a good life for ourselves, but only that the next generation be free from humiliation."

Upon hearing this, Yun Ce looked at the girl in red with alarm and asked in a hoarse voice, "Who is this fellow?"

Hong Guniang, however, had already finished eating the food in the pot. With her greasy mouth, she said to Yun Ce, "Don't rush out now. The carriage is carrying an ambush. The real tribute will arrive in two hours. After the army finishes its business and leaves, we'll fight our way out together and make a fortune!"

As Hong Guniang climbed down the tree with her buttocks sticking out, even though her buttocks were still so round, Yun Ce felt that it wasn't Hong Guniang climbing the tree, but a fierce tiger.

The army was still killing people in the canyon. They were truly a killing machine. The soldiers in front killed people, and the soldiers behind were responsible for killing the bandits who were not dead. Then they threw them into the Gaoliang River. There were so many dead that the water of the Gaoliang River turned faintly red, and the corpses were densely packed and floated with the current.

Commandant Zhao Ling had been fighting on the front lines. He had killed countless people with his sword, and both he and his horse were soaked in blood. Even so, he continued to fight fiercely, and the blood of the bandits stained his teeth red.

The robbers were driven by sheer courage or anger, but when they discovered that the slashed carriage was filled with fully armed soldiers, their courage and anger quickly dissipated.

Meanwhile, in the rubble they had just emerged from, a large number of state soldiers appeared out of nowhere. They formed a line and were closing in from behind like a large net.

"Ah, we've been tricked! Run!"

"Pompeii, you treacherous Han Du, I'll bite off a piece of your flesh even if it kills me! Kill me!"

"Spare me! I don't want the money anymore!"

"General, we've been deceived... uh..."

What was initially not a massacre escalated as the armored soldiers in the carriages disembarked and joined the battle. The remaining bandits, and those who had come seeking justice, all perished under the spears and swords of the government troops.

Before long, the battle in the canyon gradually subsided, but the battle at the pile of rocks became increasingly fierce. Unfortunately, under the shooting of archers and crossbowmen, their hastily assembled teams were scattered and then wiped out. Only some seemingly skilled individuals were able to break through the encirclement and desperately enter the wasteland.

There, at the edge of the wasteland, a large group of cavalry appeared like a black line at the edge of the earth, carrying the breeze blowing from Mount Gaoliang, and mercilessly slaughtered the bandits who had just escaped.

The tall Zhao Ling knelt before two men in wide robes and sleeves. Yun Ce, holding up his binoculars, could clearly see the faces of the two men. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, their expressions were extremely smug.

Instead of helping Zhao Ling up immediately, they left him kneeling, causing the blood flowing from his armor to form two small pools of blood at his knees. Soon, these two pools merged into a larger pool of blood.

This was a meticulously planned massacre, and also a means for the city lord Pompeii and the governor Han Du to intimidate those who were dissatisfied with paying more money.

The girl in red wanted the imperial convoy, while the city lord and the governor wanted to intimidate her. It was by chance that the two sides had created such an inescapable trap.

They all had good gains, but unfortunately, the bodies submerged in the Gaoliang River were the real losers, the real failures. After paying the economic price, they also had to pay the price with their lives.

If the city lord and the governor were any more ruthless, they might even have paid the price of their families being destroyed. However, they no longer need to worry. As the last corpse was thrown into the Gaoliang River, Yun Ce knew that City Lord Pompeii and Governor Han Du seemed to have given up on pursuing the responsibility of the families of the dead.

Yun Ce felt this was a failure. People who manipulate politics shouldn't have inexplicable kindness. Since they had already done it, they should have completely devoured this big dish.

They didn't pursue the responsibility of those families, but the families of those who lost money and lives would never forget the hatred between them just because of the city lord and governor's exceptional mercy.

In this respect, the politicians of the Han Dynasty were far inferior to those of politicians on Earth.

Yun Ce looked around but couldn't find where Hong Guniang and the others were hiding. However, they should be on this side of the river, where there was a dense forest that could provide them with excellent shelter.

Yun Ce always felt that Zhao Ling was watching him. When he looked closely with his binoculars, he realized that Zhao Ling's eyes were looking at the opposite bank of the river. He just happened to be within the range of Zhao Ling's gaze.

Zhao Ling stripped naked and stood in the Gaoliang River to wash away the bloodstains. The body was no longer visible in the river; it had been carried away by the rushing current.

City Lord Pompey and Governor Han had already left on their Thunder Smoke Beasts, along with a large contingent of troops. What remained were five or six hundred equally heavy carriages, their wheels leaving deep marks, likely genuine imperial palanquins.

The soldiers, who had been fighting fiercely for four hours, were exhausted. Instead of leaving Moyan Ridge, they set up camp and prepared a meal.

The resounding victory made them less wary of the dangerous environment, and they ate and drank heartily and made loud noises.

Although Zhao Ling was always vigilant and would glance at the opposite bank of the river from time to time, when he saw that the Gaoliang River was swift and difficult for people and horses to cross, he still had his personal guards spread out blankets so that he could have a good rest.

Lord City, the governor's army has only been gone for a little over an hour. Red Girl would never launch a surprise attack at this time. She should continue to wait until the lord and his men have gone further away, so that she has enough time to rob them.

Yun Ce guessed that Hong Guniang was waiting for these soldiers who had just fought a fierce battle to fall asleep. Once they fell asleep, the adrenaline levels that had been raised by the battle would drop rapidly, their strength would disappear, and even their combat reactions would take some time to recover.

Zhao Ling didn't wear armor, probably because he felt uncomfortable sleeping in armor.

Yun Ce sat on the edge of the platform with his legs dangling below. From the beginning, his gaze never left Zhao Ling. It wasn't that he wanted to kill Zhao Ling to fulfill his promise to Hong Guniang, but rather that he knew from the way Zhao Ling had knelt before the city lord and the governor that this man was a vicious dog kept by them and had to be killed as soon as possible.

It's always better if the enemy is weaker.

After a day of noise, Moyanling finally quieted down. The sound of snoring from the opposite bank of the river was deafening, and even Zhaoling himself gradually drifted off to sleep.

While Hong Guniang was still waiting, Yun Ce had already finished packing and climbed down from the tree, leaning against the tree to wipe the second lance he had obtained from Peng Zeng.

This lance is clearly the work of a master craftsman. The cloth wrapped around it is no longer ordinary oil-soaked cloth, but silk, with only the outermost three layers made of non-slip nylon fiber.

This spear does not have a wide, sharp blade, but is triangular in shape. Its main purpose is to stab, reducing the use of chopping, sweeping, and cutting, and instead focusing all its functions on armor-piercing.

A flock of birds fluttered up from the woods, and soon Yun Ce saw dozens of towering trees slowly falling. As the angle of the fall gradually increased, the trees fell faster.

Zhao Ling, who jumped up the instant the bird took flight, roared "Enemy attack!" while putting on his armor at the fastest speed he had ever done.

The giant trees crashed onto the Gaoliang River, instantly forming bridges. Then, Yun Ce saw Hong Guniang, wielding a lance, shouting as she stepped onto the giant logs and swiftly charged towards the opposite bank.

Meanwhile, on the other giant trees, a long line of warriors clad in black armor, wielding various weapons, were rapidly crossing the river.

"Raise your shields and form ranks!" Zhao Ling roared desperately, while continuing to tighten his armor.

Seeing this, Yun Ce chuckled and leaped out from behind the tree. He hadn't prepared any giant logs to serve as a bridge, so he could only accelerate and fly, stepping on the exposed stones to cross the Gaoliang River, which was less than twenty meters wide.

The sharp lance pierced through the giant shield that hadn't yet been properly arrayed, relentlessly pushing it inside. With a teeth-grinding scraping sound, Yun Ce's lance pierced through the giant shield and then through the armored soldier behind it.

(End of this chapter)