Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Advantage is Mine

Recently, the name Li Chang’an has been in the eye of the storm, without a doubt the hottest topic of discussion throughout the Imperial Court and the land.

Consequently, news of the Taiping Uprising Army’s hasty retreat spread like wildfire.

Seeing the Taiping Army, in which they had placed such high hopes, scatter like birds and beasts without the slightest resistance…

Countless ambitious warlords across the Central Plains, who had been eager to make their own moves, were utterly disappointed.

They had been counting on Li Chang’an to stick his neck out and draw all the fire, giving them the chance to grow and flourish!

But who would have thought that before he even took a single blow, the bird that stuck its neck out would just fall over on its own?

It was the most ridiculous joke in the world!

「 … 」

Outside Sanhuang County Town, inside a makeshift military tent.

Harqin’s expression was grim and uncertain. He sat in his grand armchair, silent for a long time.

Just a few hours ago, he had been busy transporting siege equipment from all over, preparing to launch an assault on Sanhuang County, the headquarters of the Taiping Army.

His objective was to crush the Taiping Uprising Army in one fell swoop, take Li Chang’an’s head, and return to the capital to report his success.

However, just a few hours later, the scouts he had sent out returned with news that the Rebel Army had abandoned the city and fled for their lives.

When he first heard it, Harqin was completely unwilling to believe it.

’They fought so hard to capture several cities, only to abandon them without a shred of resistance.’

’What was the point of risking their lives, facing the threat of execution, for this?’

’Even if they really had to abandon the cities, couldn’t they at least put up a show of resistance?!’

’Who just turns tail and flees at the first sign of the enemy without even a fight?’

However, several subsequent waves of scouts he dispatched all confirmed the truth of the report.

Not only had Li Chang’an abandoned his main base in Sanhuang County, but all traces of the Rebel Army had also vanished from Qingpu County and Pingdong County, which they had just captured a short while ago.

Even after racking his brains, Harqin couldn’t figure out Li Chang’an’s objective in doing this.

Now, he could only stroke his chin, his face full of confusion. “What’s going on? This bunch of peasants were so audacious before, daring to proclaim to the world the slogan, ’In the year of Jiazi, a new era of peace begins!’ How could they suddenly surrender without a fight?”

Hearing his words, which were tinged with a hint of existential doubt…

Below, one of his military advisors pondered for a moment before smiling and saying, “Lord Prefect, that brat is merely the lowly son of a carpenter. He might have the guts to cause trouble in these backwater villages where no sages are born, but now that he’s heard that you, Lord Prefect, are personally leading an army of hundreds of thousands to quell the rebellion, it’s only natural that he’d be scared out of his wits!”

Flattery will get you everywhere, as they say.

Although this military advisor was clearly sucking up, his speculation wasn’t entirely without reason.

The Yaoqing Imperial Court had, in fact, only dispatched fifty thousand elite soldiers, but they had publicly claimed the number was three hundred thousand.

Ten thousand rebels against three hundred thousand Imperial Court soldiers.

Any normal person hearing such an exaggerated ratio of forces would have second thoughts.

It wasn’t impossible that Li Chang’an had been frightened out of his soul and fled for his life!

Harqin nodded but didn’t rush to state his own opinion. Instead, he looked at the other military advisors in the tent, signaling for them to share their thoughts as well.

As his gaze swept over them, another military advisor from the Central Plains stepped forward from the group, knelt respectfully, and kowtowed. “Lord Prefect, this servant believes the Rebel Army fled without a fight because that Li Chang’an fears the strength of our soldiers and can no longer suppress the internal strife within his own ranks!”

Several military advisors came forward one after another, analyzing the situation from various angles, yet the deep frown on Harqin’s brow did not relax.

’If Li Chang’an were truly just an ordinary Rebel Leader, that would be one thing. Given my own status, I couldn’t be bothered with so many messy details.’

But Harqin hadn’t just lost a team of Small Banner Officers from the Prison Control Department at Li Chang’an’s hands; he had also lost dozens of powerful Assassins.

And these were not just some random nobodies.

They were some of the strongest forces Harqin could normally deploy.

Adding to that the incident on Tai Lake some time ago, and that name which made him feel a faint unease just by hearing it…

No matter how you looked at it, it all indicated that the power Li Chang’an wielded was both mysterious and formidable.

He was not nearly as simple as he appeared on the surface.

’So the question is, would a young man whose depths even I can’t quite fathom flee without a fight simply because he can’t suppress dissent within the Rebel Army?’

’Something feels wrong, no matter how I look at it!’

Just as Harqin was completely baffled, a clear voice suddenly rang out from outside the tent. “Lord Prefect, no matter what that brat is plotting, I will capture him and bring him back as soon as possible. Whether you want to kill him or torture him, it will be entirely up to you!”

Hearing the voice from outside, Harqin snapped out of his deep thought. He quickly stood up and said politely, “Lord Sang, this matter is highly suspicious. I’m afraid I must trouble you to take action!”

As he went to greet them, the tent flap was pushed aside, and two figures in black robes embroidered with gold cloud patterns entered.

Although Harqin was the current Emperor’s maternal uncle, holding the power of life and death over an entire province, he dared not show the slightest arrogance in front of these two.

If Li Chang’an had been present, he would have recognized that following behind the gaunt, middle-aged man Harqin called Lord Sang was the very same Martial King Level expert who had pursued him across Tai Lake!

「 … 」

After the Rebel Army broke up its forces and vanished into the mountains and forests, the Imperial Court army led by Harqin easily took control of the three counties: Sanhuang, Qingpu, and Pingdong.

Because everything went so smoothly, many of the soldiers grew arrogant. After occupying the county towns, their words were filled with utter disdain and contempt for the Taiping Uprising Army.

However, when these derisive insults reached the ears of the common people, something happened that stunned everyone.

The common folk had spontaneously organized themselves by the dozens and even hundreds to throw rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables at the places where the Imperial Court army was stationed. Some even dared to spit at the soldiers to show their contempt and resentment!

Never mind the soldiers who were being subjected to this unprovoked hostility; even Harqin, the Prefect, began to wonder if he had come to the wrong place!

’We’ve only just entered the city, and we haven’t done anything to offend these people yet!’

’Why have these commoners become so aggressive?’

Immediately, a few of the more hot-tempered soldiers rushed forward, seized the commoner who had spat at them, and dragged him to the prison for interrogation.

The captured commoner showed no fear. Instead, he cursed them loudly, “You bunch of bandits! Just you wait! The Taiping Immortal Master will return, and when he does… all of you will face judgment! You’ll all die a horrible death!”

Seeing him captured, the surrounding crowd temporarily suppressed their anger.

But it was clear they were not subdued in their hearts!

At first, the soldiers had no idea where this bunch of peasants got their nerve. They just found their defiance baffling.

But before long, disaster began to befall them.

One day, as several hundred elite Imperial Court soldiers were searching for traces of the Rebel Army’s remnants, a group of mysterious ’Mountain Bandits’ suddenly charged out from the mountains.

This group of unknown Mountain Bandits outnumbered the searching Demon-Clear Soldiers. Although they had few decent weapons, every single one of them was fearless in the face of death and possessed impressive physical strength.

In a fight, they charged and rampaged like wild bulls!

Because it was a well-planned ambush against an unsuspecting enemy, after half an hour of fierce fighting, the group of Mountain Bandits had long since vanished by the time reinforcements from nearby arrived at the scene. All that was left was a field of soldiers’ corpses, lying in disarray.

「 … 」

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