Yang Tianwang's team gradually walked away.
Zhang Shixun turned his head and said to the two people beside him, "Leave me fifty men, and you two will lead the team to chase after Yang Tianwang."
"And you?"
Zhang Shixun pointed at Li Moulue and said, "I'm going to meet this arrogant guy."
"There are still so many rebels in the camp. How can only fifty people be enough? Bring more."
"No need. The people left behind by Heavenly King Yang are all old, weak, sick and disabled. These people also know that they have been abandoned, and their morale has long been dispersed. I will try to persuade them to surrender."
"Okay, be careful. If things don't go well, don't force it. Wait until the matter with Yang Tianwang is resolved, and then come back to deal with them."
"Well! Go ahead. When it comes to military matters, listen to Han Shizhong. He's fought in battles and is very skilled in martial arts."
He Ji was very generous and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, the command will be handed over to Commander Han, and I will assist."
Han Shizhong did not shirk responsibility and stood up and said, "Let's go."
After they led the team away, Zhang Shixun dusted himself off and walked towards the camp gate.
Li Moulue sat motionless until Zhang Shixun approached, then he stood up and clasped his fists, "Li is incompetent and failed to complete the task entrusted by Zhang Tianshi."
"You've done your best. There's no need to blame yourself."
Zhang Shixun walked to the door and saw nearly a thousand old, weak and disabled soldiers sitting or standing, all looking at this side nervously.
Among them were about a hundred people holding knives and guns, who seemed to be monitoring them.
Li Moulue said, "I, Li Moulue, am not someone to be trifled with. I brought a group of brothers from Wuyou Cave with me when I came here, and later I recruited a few more. As soon as Heavenly King Yang left, these brothers took control of the situation... Zhang Tianshi, how do you wish to deal with these people? Kill them or chop them up, it's up to you."
Zhang Shixun glanced at those people and sighed, "You don't need to ask to know that most of these people are so poor that they have no food to eat and can't survive. That's why they followed Yang Tianwang to rebel."
"As Master Zhang said, the vast majority of them come from humble backgrounds, with no roof over their heads, no land to plough, no food to eat, and no clothes to wear."
Zhang Shixun nodded and said, "As long as they haven't done anything wrong, you can dismiss them."
Li Moulue shook his head. "Even if you send them away today, they still have nowhere to go. They'll either starve to death or become pirates again. What can we do?"
"What should we do, according to you?"
"What if we hand them over to the authorities?"
"No, if we hand it over to the government, some people will definitely be beheaded, and some will be forced to do forced labor. The outcome could be even worse."
Li Moulue sighed, "There's nothing I can do."
Zhang Shixun frowned and stood at the gate with his hands behind his back. He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a good solution.
When he accidentally looked at Taihang Mountains, he suddenly had an idea.
"Li Moulue, you'd better become a bandit."
Li Moulue was stunned.
Without waiting for his reply, Zhang Shixun pointed at the people in the camp and said, "Take these people into the Taihang Mountains and find a suitable place to settle down."
Li Moulue seemed to understand something. "What does the Heavenly Master mean..."
"The Jin Kingdom is about to invade the Song Dynasty. When that happens, the world will be in chaos... Old Li, you have studied. Do you know the Eight Paths of Taihang?"
"I've heard a little bit."
The so-called "Eight Paths of Taihang" mainly refers to the eight channels connecting the Shanxi Plateau and the Hebei Plain, and is named because they cross the Taihang Mountains.
Shanxi is located at the junction of the frontier and the Central Plains, and its geographical location is very important. Taiyuan, as the central area of Shanxi, naturally becomes a battleground for military strategists in both places.
Historically, when the Jin soldiers invaded, they split into two groups, one attacking Taiyuan and the other attacking Kaifeng.
The military and civilians of Taiyuan vowed to resist to the death and never surrender.
The Song Dynasty court sent reinforcements twice, but was defeated by the Jin army both times.
Finally, Taiyuan City was broken and the Jin army massacred the people.
"Li Moulue, since you know the Eight Paths of Taihang, I don't need to tell you much about their importance, right?"
Li Moulue nodded, "The Heavenly Master wants me to control a strategic route, right?"
"That's right! That's exactly what I mean."
Li Moulue looked back at the old, weak and sick people, and said with a wry smile: "In Taihang Mountain, there are countless kings who occupy the mountain. It is too difficult for me, a weak scholar, to occupy a place in the mountain with a group of old and weak people."
"A man who wants to achieve something can't be timid. The more difficult and dangerous the situation, the more he must move forward. Fortune and honor are found in danger."
"I understand the logic, but what kind of career can one achieve by becoming a bandit?"
Zhang Shixun glanced at the soldier behind him, pulled him aside, and whispered, "Old Li, peasants like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang dared to raise their arms and shout, 'Kings, princes, generals, and ministers, are all born with blood?' How come you, a man well-versed in the classics, don't even have that much ambition?"
"I have ambitions too, but how can I, the king of a mountain,..."
"Have you become stupid from studying? I'm only letting you become a bandit as a temporary solution, not to make you a bandit forever... Old Li, within three years at the latest, I will definitely give you a satisfactory result."
"What's the result?"
Zhang Shixun asked in return: "What result do you want?"
"Give me an official position, at least a county magistrate."
"Okay! It's a deal!" Zhang Shixun laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Old Li, how could you have achieved so little? You've risked your life, and all you want is a county magistrate. How satisfying!"
"Since I was little, I have had a dream to become a county magistrate and govern the people."
"I, Zhang Shixun, swear that I will make your wish come true."
Li Moulue bowed to him and said, "I would like to thank Master Zhang first."
Zhang Shixun took his arm affectionately and said, "Don't worry, before you go into the mountains, I will provide you with weapons, food, mules and horses. In addition, I will also select some people from the Tianwu Army to give to you."
Li Moulue smiled and said, "If you had told me earlier, I would have agreed to it."
"If I had known that this was all you wanted, I would have told you earlier."
The two looked at each other and laughed.
After things here were settled, Zhang Shixun left thirty soldiers to assist Li Moulue in handling the affairs here, and he mounted his horse and left with the rest of the soldiers.
The battle over there should be starting soon.
…
As for Yue Fei, he had already arrived at the entrance to the mountain.
The terrain here is very good. There is a hillside on one side of the road and dense forests on the hillside.
Yue Fei was very cautious in using his troops. After setting up an ambush, he sent out ten scouts to investigate the situation in the mountains.
When the sun was high in the sky, Yang Tianwang's team appeared. They didn't even send scouts, and the whole team walked lazily.
When the troops were about to reach the intersection, Yue Fei began to issue the first order: "Archers, prepare."
More than two hundred people drew arrows from their quivers.
"Draw the bow! String it...shoot!"
“Buzz…!”
More than two hundred arrows flew towards Yang Tianwang's team like hornets leaving their nest.
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