Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Chapter 111 Li Sheng? 1. A Reckless Man

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

During those fifteen days, Li Sheng hardly had a single day of rest.

The water conservancy project in Xiapi had just started, and new refugees were joining the construction site every day. Li Feng was so busy that he couldn't even leave the site completely, and even he, as a general, couldn't completely let go of his responsibilities. Every two or three days, he would go to the construction site to check on the progress and ask about the laborers' meals.

In addition, there is the training of troops.

With the two thousand new recruits brought back from Xiaxiang and Siwu, plus the existing troops in Xiapi, the Taiping army remaining in Xiapi numbered close to three or four thousand. However, these were just new recruits after all; their training period was short, and while their ranks were relatively orderly, they probably wouldn't last long in actual combat.

Moreover, through intensive training, not only could the new recruits' combat effectiveness be enhanced, but their sense of belonging to the Taiping Army could also be strengthened. By having experienced soldiers mentor new recruits, Li Sheng wanted these soldiers to know that serving in the Taiping Army was different from anywhere else.

After more than half a month of training, these new recruits have gradually integrated and are starting to take shape.

So Li Sheng decided to take them to Suiling to participate in the alliance meeting and let them broaden their horizons.

Before leaving, Li Feng found Li Sheng, but hesitated to speak.

"General, on this journey to Suiling, that scoundrel Que Xuan is full of cunning schemes. I have a feeling..."

"Oh? What are your thoughts? Feel free to speak."

Li Sheng was fastening the belt on his armor without even looking up.

Li Feng gritted his teeth.

"I believe this so-called 'alliance' is a trap. Que Xuan has occupied several counties in the south and claims to have tens of thousands of troops. He has lured you, General, to his territory. If he takes the opportunity to launch an attack, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Li Sheng raised his head, glanced at Li Feng, then stood up, stretched his shoulders, and the iron plates of his armor made a slight clanging sound.

"Que Xuan is a man who relies on deception and trickery to win people's hearts. The more you fear him, the more he will take advantage of you. If I dare not go to the alliance meeting, wouldn't that mean that our Taiping Army is afraid of Que Xuan? This would be detrimental to our development. If the people here become suspicious, how can our Taiping Army establish itself?"

Li Feng nodded in agreement.

In folk religion, belief in ghosts and gods is deeply ingrained, and the people simply believe in them. Que Xuan, claiming to be an envoy of the gods, has gathered a large following. If the general doesn't attend the alliance meeting, those uninformed people might genuinely believe that Li Sheng is cowardly and afraid.

"Furthermore..."

Li Sheng picked up the sword from the table, hung it at his waist, and spoke calmly.

"I'll take three thousand men with me. Even if he wants to make a move, he'll have to think twice. His tens of thousands of followers sound intimidating, but how many of them are actually capable of fighting? If a fight really breaks out, it's hard to say who will win or lose."

Li Feng remained silent for a moment; he knew the strength of his general.

"The general is right. Then I will make preparations immediately and we will break camp early tomorrow morning."

"Go."

Li Sheng waved his hand, then suddenly remembered something else.

"By the way, nighttime defenses need to be strengthened. We must be extremely cautious, as the possibility of the enemy sending men to raid the camp at night cannot be ruled out. Have each battalion take turns on night watch, and there must be no mistakes. Treat this as a rehearsal for the training we've been doing for the past two weeks."

"promise!"

Li Feng strode away.

Li Sheng's gaze was deep.

Alliance...

He wanted to see just what tricks that Que Xuan had up his sleeve.

The next day, outside Suiling City, on the banks of the Sishui River.

Li Sheng's army set up camp in Hexi, with the camp built according to the terrain, backed by a gentle slope and facing the Si River. The tents of three thousand men stretched out in a continuous line, and although it was not a large camp, it was still quite impressive.

The scouts had already found out that Que Xuan's troops were in Hedong, about three miles from the Taiping Army camp, with Suiling County at their backs.

Li Sheng rode his horse up the high slope behind the camp and squinted at Que Xuan's troops.

Que Xuan's camp was much larger than he had expected, with countless tents stretching from the riverbank all the way to the distant plains, seemingly endless. The camp was teeming with people; a rough estimate puts it at least in the tens of thousands.

Three thousand to more than ten thousand.

The numerical gap is indeed significant.

But Li Sheng observed carefully and found that the flags in Que Xuan's camp were in disarray, and the guards at the camp gate were dressed in rags, carrying only sharpened wooden sticks and farm tools. Only a few of them were equipped with knives and spears.

These so-called "believers" were less soldiers and more refugees who had been coerced into coming.

Li Sheng felt somewhat reassured and turned his horse to descend the hill.

That night, in Hedong, at the Que Xuan camp.

Unlike Li Sheng's camp, Que Xuan's camp, though large in scale, exuded an air of chaos and disorder. There were no clear divisions between the camps, provisions and supplies were piled up haphazardly, and patrolling soldiers were scattered in twos and threes, showing absolutely no military discipline.

But in the very center of the camp, there was a particularly conspicuous spot.

A tall platform rose from the ground, more than three zhang high, entirely constructed of thick logs and wrapped in yellow cloth on all sides, which fluttered in the night wind.

At the top of the platform hangs a huge yellow flag with the four characters "Huang Tian Dang Li" (meaning "The Yellow Heaven Should Stand").

Below the platform was a circle of rammed earth altars, on which were placed incense burners, talismanic water, copper bells and other items, as well as several roosters with their feet bound, which occasionally let out a few hoarse crows.

This is the "Altar of the Heavenly Gods" that Que Xuan spent several days building.

At this moment, Que Xuan was standing below the high platform, looking up at the masterpiece he had personally supervised, with a slight smile on his lips.

"Good, very good."

He turned to look at his trusted confidant beside him.

"Tomorrow is the alliance meeting, and I will ascend this platform to perform the ritual. Have the trumpeters you arranged all practiced thoroughly?"

"Don't worry, angel, I've already mastered it."

The confidant, all smiles, patted his chest and gave his assurance.

"Eight trumpeters, sound them all at once tomorrow, and I guarantee those country bumpkins under Li Sheng's command will be trembling with fear. Also, those strong men selected from various battalions, set up a formation below the stage and let them witness the aura of an angel."

Que Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

He turned around, his gaze passing over the camp fence, looking towards the faint lights visible on the west bank of the river.

"Li Sheng..."

Que Xuan muttered to himself, his voice tinged with disdain.

"He's nothing but a mere warrior who, with his meager strength, seized a few counties and dares to call himself 'Heavenly King.' His soldiers are nothing but ignorant country bumpkins who have never seen the world. Tomorrow, when they witness my abilities, they will naturally know who is truly favored by the gods."

He paused, then stood with his hands behind his back, the night wind blowing his Taoist robe, making it flutter.

"If Li Sheng is sensible enough to hand over his troops by then, I might even give him a general's position. If he's not sensible..."

Que Xuan gave a cold laugh.

The confidant nodded repeatedly, flattering him.

"The angel is right. Li Sheng just got lucky; in terms of real skill, how can he be compared to an angel?"

Que Xuan didn't reply, but just stared at the lights on the opposite bank, his contempt growing stronger.

He had seen plenty of reckless men like Li Sheng.

Relying on his brute strength, he gathered a motley crew and, taking advantage of the court's inability to control the situation, occupied several counties, and then thought he was someone important.

He's recruited quite a few people like that before. Tomorrow will just be another one.