Chapter 98

Wang Huazhen had been actively reorganizing his troops, but the number of capable men at his disposal was indeed limited. Only Sun Degong was somewhat competent, but this man had many bad habits, often bullying and oppressing the people, and his reputation was terrible.

After much thought, Wang Huazhen thought of Zhang Feng. When Zhang Feng was a battalion commander, he fought many battles against the Tartars and was known as a brave warrior. Moreover, he had a brother who was both literate and martial. By bringing Zhang Feng on board, Wang Huazhen was confident that Zhang Ke would not hold back.

Wang Huazhen's plans were well thought out. To win over Zhang Feng, he even endured the pain of accepting Zhang Ke's extortion, sending three hundred sets of armor, twenty tiger-squat cannons, and even two hundred thousand taels of silver as a reward for military achievements, to support the training of troops at Dacheng Fort.

Zhang Ke had been eagerly awaiting these supplies, not only for the "dowry" of his men but also for the upcoming spring plowing and the suppression of bandits. However, these items were suddenly stolen, and Zhang Ke was furious, his cheeks burning with anger. He had never suffered such a loss before!

With a single command, all his subordinates gathered, their faces grim, teeth clenched in anger.

"Report, sir, the messenger just died... Before he passed, he said a group of people robbed them in Wazi Valley!"

Crash!

The teacup shattered, and Zhang Ke's fists clenched tightly. No wonder he was angry; Wazi Valley was less than ten miles from Dacheng Fort, and the robbers had taken the supplies right under their noses. Everyone present was outraged.

"Sir, we must send troops immediately! We need to catch the bandits and cut off their heads!" Yue Zixuan shouted.

Qiao Fu added, "Just cutting their heads off? I think they should be flayed and quartered, their skin nailed to the city gates!"

Zhang Ke frowned, suddenly slammed the table, and shouted, "What a mess! The first priority is to find out who did this."

Zhang Ke looked at his brother.

"Take twenty night scouts and investigate the crime scene. With so many supplies, there must be some trace. Investigate thoroughly and find the culprits!"

"Understood!" Zhang Feng nodded. "I will find them!"

After dispatching the scouts, Zhang Ke turned to Tang Bi. "Tang Sir, send out official notices immediately to alert the surrounding forts to be on the lookout for clues."

Tang Bi nodded and went to carry out the order. The rest of the people looked at Zhang Ke.

"Everyone, gather all the troops and prepare for battle. Whoever stole our supplies, we will make them pay!"

Dacheng Fort and Zhenyi Fort quickly mobilized. Initially, Zhang Ke had formed five small units, but now, with control over both Dacheng Fort and Zhenyi Fort, his forces had significantly increased.

Eight infantry units, one cavalry unit, one archer unit, one supply unit, and twenty musketeers, along with thirty night scouts, totaling over six hundred men—this was Zhang Ke's entire force.

Although these soldiers had not been trained for long, they were all strong and capable, roughly on par with household guards. In the entire Ming Dynasty, no other defense commander had such a formidable force.

While gathering the troops, Zhang Feng rushed back, his face pale and his teeth grinding.

"Too audacious, too audacious! Such villains must be punished!"

Zhang Ke stood up abruptly and asked, "Brother, what did you find?"

Zhang Ke took a deep breath, barely suppressing his anger, and said, "Brother, I went to Wazi Valley with my men. The valley was full of signs of a struggle, with the bodies of civilian laborers and soldiers on the ground. The supply carts were all taken away. Most infuriatingly, on a blank patch of snow, they wrote in blood: 'Not bandits, just borrowing!'"

Zhang Ke laughed in anger. Such audacious bandits, turning robbery into borrowing! It was like Liu Bei borrowing Jingzhou, never to return it!

"Brother, did you find out who did this?"

Zhang Feng pulled out a feathered arrow from his waist and handed it to Zhang Ke.

"Brother, this is what I found at the scene. Look at it!"

Zhang Ke examined it closely and saw four faint characters on the arrow shaft: "Shuanglong, Leitang."

"Shuanglong" seemed to be a bandit name, and "Leitang" looked like a gang name. Zhang Ke was puzzled.

"Call everyone together, let's discuss this."

Soon, Qiao Tieshan and Tang Bi arrived, and Zhang Ke handed them the arrow shaft.

"Is there anyone or any place called Shuanglong around here? What is this Leitang?"

Qiao Tieshan, who knew Yizhou best, frowned after a long look.

"I've heard of a group calling themselves Shuanglong, but they were wiped out by the government three years ago. As for Leitang, it sounds like a gang name. We in Liaodong are poor military households, and gangs don't pay attention to us. I can't think of anything."

Zhang Ke looked at the others, who all lowered their heads, clearly not knowing.

"Go and inform all the people of Dacheng Fort. I don't believe no one knows!"

The news spread, and after more than an hour, Zhou Langzhong hurried in.

"Sir!"

"Mr. Zhou, please stand up. Do you know anything?"

Zhou Langzhong looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Sir, I'll be honest. If you want to punish me, go ahead!"

"Mr. Zhou, what are you saying? You are guiding us, and you have done us a great service. How could I not distinguish right from wrong!"

Zhou Langzhong sighed in relief and recounted an incident from five years ago. It was winter, and someone suddenly asked Zhou Langzhong to treat a patient, but wouldn't say where. Zhou Langzhong wanted to refuse, but the person offered him two hundred taels of silver, and he couldn't resist.

He followed the person out of Dacheng Fort, and Zhou Langzhong was knocked unconscious. When he woke up, he found himself in a strange room with a seriously ill old man. Zhou Langzhong treated him for seven days, and the man recovered. Zhou Langzhong was then sent back home.

"Sir, on the way back, they were grateful for saving the man's life, so they didn't knock me out. That's when I realized we were already outside the Great Wall, in Tartar territory."

"Mr. Zhou, the people who asked you to treat the patient were Mongol Tartars?"

"No, no, they were Han people who had defected to the Tartars. They were about eight miles from the ruins of Yizhou, with two large mountains that looked like dogs, called Ergou Mountain. They didn't like the name, so they changed it to Shuanglong Mountain!"

Zhang Ke nodded, understanding the meaning of "Shuanglong." Suddenly, he remembered something.

"Mr. Zhou, who are the people who defected to the Tartars? Are they the White Lotus Sect?"

Zhou Langzhong nodded quickly. "Sir, you are wise. They are indeed the White Lotus bandits. They perform rituals and deceive many people, but when they are truly ill, no so-called gods help them. They secretly invite doctors, fearing exposure."

Zhang Ke was no stranger to the White Lotus Sect. Since its inception, it had been a rebellious organization. During Zhu Yuanzhang's uprising, he had used the White Lotus Sect's influence.

In the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the White Lotus Sect grew rapidly, with some regions having tens of thousands of followers. They frequently rebelled, and many White Lotus members fled to the steppes after their failures.

Notable defectors included Zhao Quan of the White Lotus Sect during the Jiajing period, who gained the trust of Altan Khan and once commanded tens of thousands of cavalry, becoming a major threat to the Ming Dynasty.

With the involvement of the Mongols and the White Lotus Sect, Zhang Ke's head was spinning. These two groups were like the stars of the heavens and the demons of the earth. Encountering one was bad enough, but encountering both would be a nightmare, even for someone ten times more powerful than a defense commander.

"Shuanglong Mountain, White Lotus Sect, Leitang..." Zhang Ke paced back and forth, and the others looked at each other, at a loss.

Tang Bi suddenly said, "Sir, I also remember that the White Lotus rebels in Yizhou number about three to five thousand, with many followers. We don't know who their spies are. With just the strength of Dacheng Fort, we might have trouble. In my opinion, we should seek help from Sir Wang, mobilize a large force, and crush the White Lotus rebels in one fell swoop!"

Everyone agreed.

But Zhang Ke firmly shook his head. "No!"

"Sir Wang may not have said it, but I know these armors were also privately withheld. If the matter becomes public, Sir Wang will be implicated. He has been kind to me, and I cannot betray him. I would be unforgivable."

Qiao Tieshan frowned. "Then, should we give up the supplies?"

"Absolutely not!" Zhang Ke said firmly.

Joking aside, Dacheng Fort was still fragile. Zhang Ke's intelligence and wisdom were what kept everyone united and working together. If he couldn't even respond to a robbery, how would his subordinates view him? More importantly, how would he maintain his standing in the eyes of people like Wang Huazhen and Zhang Ye? If they saw him as incompetent, he would be discarded, and there would be no turning back.

Zhang Ke had to win, no matter the challenge. Losing meant destruction.

"Whether it's White Lotus or Tartars, anyone who dares to provoke me, Zhang Ke, will not have a good end!" Zhang Ke said fiercely. "Brother, send scouts to investigate Shuanglong Mountain. They won't disappear without a trace, so continue to search for clues!"

As he spoke, Ma Biao rushed in.

"Sir, we have news!"

"Speak quickly!"

"From Dajing Fort, a group of people, numbering several hundred, appeared to the southwest and are heading towards the Great Wall!"

"Bring the map!"

The map of Yizhou was laid out before Zhang Ke. Carefully examining it, the bandits had not returned directly to Shuanglong Mountain after robbing the supplies in Wazi Valley. Instead, they had moved west to avoid Dacheng Fort and Zhenyi Fort, and then crossed the Great Wall through a gap west of Dajing Fort.

Zhang Ke nodded. Indeed, their plan was well thought out. It seemed they had been planning this for a long time.

"Send my orders. Leave two units to guard Dacheng Fort, and the rest will go with me to Dajing Fort to retrieve our supplies!"

Zhang Ke's determination inspired everyone, and they responded with enthusiasm. Soon, the sound of marching feet echoed outside Dacheng Fort.

"Rest assured, we will not return until we have won!" Zhang Ke's voice rang out.

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