Chapter 81

With the collapse of the Chongliang family's troops, the battle ended quickly. After instructing Daxi Guozhi and Yino to clean up the battlefield and eliminate the remaining enemies, Zhengliang rode his small pony to a grassy area west of the city. Zhengliang did not choose to enter Feiliang City, where several battles had taken place in a single day, leaving bloodstains everywhere that had yet to be cleared. He had no interest in going inside.

In front of him was a natural grassland of about 10 acres, with a small stream not far away. According to Yino, there was an even larger natural grassland and even wild ponies on the other side of the stream. Upon hearing this news, Zhengliang's eyes lit up. He had always wanted to establish a cavalry, but the scarcity and high cost of horses made it impossible with his current resources. If he could obtain the wild horses from the forest, although they would still need to be trained into warhorses, it would be the first step toward his cavalry dream. At the same time, Zhengliang was very satisfied with Yino, whom he had temporarily appointed as the head of the scouts. In such a short time, Yino had managed to gather this information about the enemy's territory and even understood the lord's thoughts, proving to be a capable vassal.

The small pony was eating voraciously not far from Zhengliang, as there was an abundance of tender grass on the ground. After carrying Zhengliang for half a day, it was quite hungry. Seeing the pony eating heartily, Zhengliang smiled slightly. He speculated that his riding skills were influenced by the game system from his穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越" in English, but in this context, it refers to a time-travel or game-related scenario). Although he was not an expert, he was certainly proficient, even capable of performing some advanced horse archery techniques. During the two days of patrolling his territory, Zhengliang took the opportunity to go hunting a few times, improving his nutrition with some wild game.

Just as Zhengliang was lost in thought, Daxi Guozhi approached quickly.

"Your Highness," Daxi Guozhi knelt and bowed.

"Hmm, how is the situation?" Zhengliang came back to his senses and asked Daxi Guozhi.

"The battlefield has been cleaned up, and Yino is leading people to search for any remaining enemies," Daxi Guozhi reported. "The captured peasant soldiers have been sent back to their homes, but we don't know what to do with the ronin samurai. They have expressed their willingness to serve Your Highness."

"Let them join the ashigaru (foot soldiers) as samurai, but their pay will be the same as the ashigaru for now. Once their abilities and loyalty are confirmed to meet the requirements of our family's samurai, they will receive the appropriate treatment," Zhengliang thought for a moment and said. "From now on, all new samurai will be promoted from our family's ashigaru. I will provide their weapons and armor, but they must work hard for me. To be re-promoted to samurai, they must not only have strength and loyalty but also establish a household in the local area before being promoted." These ronin had no clear ties to his interests, so Zhengliang decided to bind them to the Luo family's war effort through family and land.

"Yes, Your Highness," Daxi Guozhi, though not entirely in agreement and somewhat puzzled, remembered the lord's character and knew that once he made a decision, it was hard to change. So he swallowed his words.

"Are the troops assembled?" Zhengliang continued to ask.

"Yes, as per Your Highness's instructions, 30 cape-wearing soldiers and 50 ashigaru have been assembled," Daxi Guozhi said. "All the assembled troops have prepared lunch for the journey, which was left over from the Chongliang family's midday meal."

"Good, then let's proceed. I will immediately lead them to the Taileda family's territory. I suspect the surrounding powerful families have already noticed," Zhengliang instructed. "The remaining 10 cape-wearing soldiers and 50 ashigaru will be under your and Yino's command. Secure this area as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Your Highness, I guarantee that this area will be secured by tonight," Daxi Guozhi immediately bowed and said.

After giving the remaining instructions, Zhengliang mounted his small pony and led the assembled troops to the former Taileda family's territory.

......

One hour earlier. The Jiu Castle of the Jiu family.

"Are you saying that the Taileda family suddenly sealed off the checkpoint with our family, not allowing anyone to enter or leave?" Jiu family's lord, the one-armed Jiu Bao Yi, asked.

"Yes, my lord. I have sent people to try to enter several times, but they were all driven away," the ashigaru said.

"Damn Taileda Taikou, what is he planning? We haven't received any news from there since yesterday," Jiu Bao Yi's son, Jiu Bao Qing, said angrily.

"Trouble, there must have been a change. Taichiro, immediately lead 100 peasant soldiers to the Taileda family and probe the situation," Jiu Bao Yi said with a frown. "We must force Taileda Taikou to reopen the checkpoint. If that fails, let him allow Renge and Muni to visit their families."

"Yes, Father," realizing the seriousness of the situation, the usually lax Jiu Bao Qing did not hesitate and immediately took the order.

When Zhengliang led his troops to the former Taileda family's territory, Jiu Bao Qing had already been leading dozens of elderly and weak peasant soldiers to stand off with the Jiu family's troops at the checkpoint for over an hour.

Seeing the elderly and weak soldiers at the checkpoint, Jiu Bao Qing, who had been tense, immediately became arrogant. He sent people to shout and curse outside the checkpoint, even attempting to storm it several times, but they were all repelled by Ping Zuo Taichiro.

The situation was tense, and a battle seemed imminent. However, the Luo family's troops guarding the checkpoint were mostly elderly and weak peasant soldiers, and it was unclear how they could withstand a full-scale attack. Just as Ping Zuo Taichiro was anxious, Zhengliang arrived in time.

"Hmph, you don't know what's good for you. Men, attack with full force. I want to see why Taileda Taikou, that coward, has become so bold and no longer respects our family," Jiu Bao Qing drew his katana and shouted.

"Whoosh," just as Jiu Bao Qing was feeling proud of his stance, he saw a long arrow land just a step in front of him, causing him to fall to the ground in fright. The peasant soldiers, who were about to charge forward, also paused.

At this moment, a group of 30 samurai wearing white capes emerged from the heavily guarded checkpoint, followed by a young man who looked to be around 17 or 18 years old. As he walked, he said with a smile, "Are you the rat of the Jiu family, Jiu Bao Qing?"

"You... you... what are you saying?" Jiu Bao Qing hated being called that. Whenever he heard someone in his territory call him that, he would find a way to torture them to death. Now, seeing a young boy call him that to his face, he was furious and immediately prepared to order another attack, planning to capture the boy and torture him for three days and three nights before tying him up and throwing him into the river to feed the fish.

"Whoosh," before Jiu Bao Qing could give the order again, Zhengliang raised his hand and shot another arrow at him. "Thud," the arrow landed just half a foot in front of him, the arrow's tail still trembling. Jiu Bao Qing quickly crawled backward, his legs trembling.

"Hmph, your cheap old father made a mistake by sending you here," Zhengliang said disdainfully. "Go back and tell Jiu Bao Yi that the Taileda family no longer exists. Now, only the Luo family is here."

"What?" Jiu Bao Qing exclaimed, clearly unable to believe the young boy's words.

"Scram! If you don't, this arrow will be in your body," Zhengliang shouted. The 30 cape-wearing soldiers behind him immediately drew their katana and advanced, their white capes still stained with blood, clearly indicating they had just been in a battle.

The Jiu family's peasant soldiers had never experienced such a scene. Without waiting for Jiu Bao Qing's order, they began to retreat.

"You... you..." Jiu Bao Qing was also frightened by the murderous aura of the samurai, especially when he saw the young boy raise his bow and aim at him. Without finishing his sentence, he immediately got up and ran back. Seeing their young lord run, the rest of the Jiu family's troops scattered in a panic.

Watching the enemy troops gradually retreat, Zhengliang took a deep breath. It wasn't that he was afraid of fighting; it was that his troops, after a series of forced marches and battles, were already at the end of their strength. A single attack from the enemy would likely cause his troops to collapse. With no other choice, Zhengliang had to resort to this tactic. What he didn't expect was that the enemy's leader was the Jiu family's weakling, turning a desperate move into a successful one.

That afternoon, Zhengliang's 30 cape-wearing soldiers and 50 ashigaru formally took control of the former Taileda family's territory and defenses. The line of defense from the Tengping Lake to the Taileda family's territory was now established, with 50 regular ashigaru led by Jin Tian Guangzong on the left and 30 samurai and 50 regular ashigaru led by Zhengliang on the right. Once the situation stabilized, Daxi Guozhi would take over, and Zhengliang would return to the lord's residence in Yegao Mountain with 30 samurai.

Ping Zuo Taichiro, following Zhengliang's instructions, led 100 elderly and weak peasant soldiers to assist the residents of the former Taileda family's territory in moving to the town below Tengping Castle. Each of the 100 peasant soldiers would receive 10 liters of mixed grains as a reward upon arrival and then be dismissed to return home. Ping Zuo Taichiro would remain in Tengping Castle to handle daily affairs. Accompanying them were three spies from the Jiu, Myakoshi, and Sashi families, who had been imprisoned in the dungeon of Nakao Castle, as well as two maids who had accompanied Jiu Renge to the Taileda family. It seemed that Taileda Taikou was not foolish and had a clear understanding of his territory. To prevent these people from leaking information, he had them imprisoned before advancing on Feiliang City. The three spies were incorporated into the territory's slave army by Zhengliang, while the two maids were sent to find Jiu Renge, who had already settled in the town below Tengping Castle. Despite the repeated advice of his vassals, Zhengliang, though extremely reluctant, had tacitly allowed Daxi Guozhi to return Jiu Renge's infant son to the Taileda family two days ago, only to find out that the child had been killed when he arrived. Although Ping Zuo Taichiro reported that the child was killed by people sent by the Chongliang family, Zhengliang suspected that it was the work of his vassals, who aimed to eliminate any potential threats. In this era, too many families had been destroyed due to a moment of kindness. While Zhengliang could not be angry with his vassals, he felt deeply guilty toward Jiu Renge.

Speaking of which, the Taileda family was extremely poor, similar to the situation in Xiaomu Village. Only about 600 liters of mixed grains were found in the entire Nakao Castle, and not a single copper coin. No wonder the Taileda family's peasant soldiers had gone on a rampage after occupying Feiliang City, ultimately benefiting the Luo family. Even when Zhengliang issued the order to forcibly relocate the residents of the former Taileda family's territory to the town below Tengping Castle, with each household receiving 100 liters of mixed grains as compensation, there was no unrest like there had been during the forced relocation to Tengping Castle. Initially, Zhengliang was puzzled, as farmers in this era generally did not want to leave their homeland. However, when he saw the emaciated residents, he understood. For them, as long as they had food, they would go anywhere. To reassure these frightened residents, Zhengliang personally told them that most of the men who had accompanied their former lord were safe and promised that they would soon be reunited with their families.

Standing on the earthen wall of Nakao Castle, watching the large group of people gradually move away, Zhengliang sighed. No matter where they were, farmers were always the most honest and enduring, silently bearing any hardship and surviving like resilient weeds. With the last resident leaving, the entire Taileda family's territory became a real military camp, with only the Luo family's troops remaining.

In the evening, Daxi Guozhi and Higashiguchi Heiji, accompanied by 10 cape-wearing soldiers, arrived at Nakao Castle, along with a familiar guest of Zhengliang's.

(PS: Working during the day and writing at night, maintaining two updates a day is really tiring. Everyone, please recommend and collect to comfort me!)