Chapter 23: Direct Confrontation

Li Gui lounged in his oversized chair, his legs crossed, casting a dismissive glance downward at the cringing visitor before him with a sharp snort.

"Huang Sicheng?" he sneered. "Never heard of him! What kind of nobody is he to call me 'brother'?"

Yanshan’s expression shifted, his face betraying a momentary flash of indignation that he quickly forced himself to suppress. He changed his tone, attempting to persuade: "The Great Chief has grand ambitions; you must recruit heroes from across the land. We, though unworthy, could serve as the 'bones of a thousand-gold steed' to attract true talent."

"Ha! Look at you, spouting flowery prose! Why didn't you go take the imperial examinations?" Li Gui mocked. "The ancients paid a thousand gold for the bones of a legendary stallion, not for those of a broken-down nag! Buying such bones with gold wouldn't attract heroes; it would only make you a laughingstock. A phoenix doesn't roost in a chicken coop, and a dragon doesn't dwell with snakes. If all the leaders of this mountain stronghold are failures like you, who would ever want to come?"

Yanshan, a leader in his own right back on his own mountain, was accustomed to being feared and respected. Having never suffered such humiliation, he was struck by a mix of shock and rage, his words becoming noticeably sharper.

"Chief Li, you slaughtered the magistrate of Yishui and are a wanted criminal of the Imperial Court. You have kept your identity well-hidden, unknown to the authorities. But tell me, if someone were to report you to the officials and reveal exactly who is in charge here on Yushan, what do you think the magistrates would do?"

The threat in Yanshan’s words was unmistakable, but Li Gui was unmoved. He offered a cold, mirthless smile, his face filled with murderous intent.

"Heh, and what do you think I’ve been drilling my men for lately? If not for the imperial armies, do you really think it was for a bunch of clowns like you?"

Yanshan shuddered, cold sweat pouring down his back; he dared not speak another word.

"Get off my mountain," Li Gui commanded. "Go tell that fellow surnamed Huang to wash his neck clean and wait for me to come and lop it off!"

Before the nearby soldiers could drive him away, Yanshan fled in a panic, scurrying down the mountain in disgrace.

Upon returning to the Lotus Mountain stronghold, Yanshan recounted the situation to his brothers and urged them: "Brothers, that Li Gui has massive ambitions. He won't be satisfied with merely unifying Yishui. I fear he really will draw the imperial armies down upon us—who could withstand that? If you listen to me, we should abandon this stronghold, take our gold and silver, and move to another province to start over. Wouldn't that be far safer?"

Before Huang Sicheng could respond, the second-in-command spoke up impatiently: "Third brother, don't let Li Gui intimidate you. If he truly didn't fear the imperial army, he wouldn't have fled to Yushan to become an outlaw; he would have seized the government office in Yishui directly—wouldn't that be more fun? And talk of 'grand ambitions'? What, does he think he can become Emperor?"

"He should check if his ancestors' graves are even emitting the smoke of royalty!"

The crowd of leaders erupted into laughter.

Yanshan anxiously tried to persuade them further: "Brothers, you don't understand. I saw that mountain—the sentries are perfectly positioned, the banners and drums are all in place. It’s less of a mountain hideout and more of a military garrison. We are truly no match for them."

The men fell silent at these words. They knew the state of their own stronghold well enough; it was no better than the others that had already fallen. If those two strongholds couldn't stop him, they certainly couldn't either.

After a moment, another leader offered a strategy: "Our Lotus Mountain stronghold alone is certainly no match for Li Gui, but why not contact the other strongholds and combine our forces to resist?"

The men’s spirits lifted, and they voiced their agreement.

"True! Li Gui only relies on the weapons and armor he looted from Master Li’s shop. In terms of numbers, he has barely a hundred men. If our strongholds unite, we will have over a thousand—our chances of victory are high."

"We can fashion wooden shields to block their advance. One of us can take on ten of his men; what is there to fear?"

"Since we know he is coming to attack, we can set traps along the way and use an ambush to strike him. That increases our odds even more."

They babbled on, one after another, excitedly discussing their alliance and dismissing Yanshan’s warnings as if they were nothing more than a breeze. It wasn't that they didn't believe Yanshan; it was simply that they could not bear to part with their wealth. None of the leaders were willing to flee, so they grasped at this plan like a drowning man clutching at a straw.

Seeing that his words were useless, Yanshan eventually gave up in despair. He packed his belongings and, under the cover of night while the guards were distracted, slipped down the mountain and fled.

The next day, Li Gui gathered his troops once more. He made the men who had yet to secure wives his vanguard, and in high spirits, they marched toward Lotus Mountain.

Halfway there, the sound of wooden whistles rang out from the front. Li Gui immediately signaled a halt. In the distance, he saw Li Laoqi and his scouts fleeing for their lives, pursued closely by a pack of bandits.

"Damn those bastards!" Li Gui spat. "They actually dare to set an ambush for me!"

He spat on the ground and waved his hand, ordering his men to form ranks. The soldiers, now well-practiced, quickly arrayed themselves and advanced with lowered spears.

Once Li Laoqi reached the formation and ducked to the side, he panted his report: "Chief, be careful! There are many bandits ahead. At a glance, there must be hundreds. They cannot be underestimated."

The pursuers arrived, but upon seeing the forest of spears, they dared not press the attack, instead circling nearby to wait for the rest of their main force.

"You feathered curs!" Li Gui roared. "A bunch of motley fools, daring to provoke my tiger-like might! Men, do you see those clowns up ahead? They are nothing but corpses waiting to be sold—just fodder for military merit! Stab one, and you’ll have yourselves a wife! Keep the formation and follow me!"

Li Gui drew his blades and led his personal guards forward. The spearmen followed the beat of the drums, their steps perfectly synchronized.

The bandits, the bravest among their respective strongholds, were armed with steel blades and wooden shields. Seeing Li Gui charging with only a few men, they were not intimidated and, relying on their numbers, dozens surged forward to engage.

But the moment they clashed, Li Gui sliced the leader in two—shield and all. Blood sprayed like a fountain, drenching Li Gui.

"You think a few scraps of rusted iron are enough to face me?" Li Gui bellowed, brandishing his dual blades as he tore into the bandit line.

Drenched in blood and looking like a demon, he slashed through their ranks, finding no equal to stand against him. Riding his momentum, his personal guards surged behind him like a sharp arrow, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake.

The bandit leaders were terrified and scrambled back, shouting: "Shields! Use your shields! Block him!"

The common bandits behind them frantically raised their makeshift wooden shields, stacking them layer upon layer to form a barricade.

Li Gui’s momentum slowed slightly, but the spearmen had arrived.

"Thrust!"

At the commander's order, the forest of spears plunged forward. Though the bandits had many shields, they were untrained and riddled with gaps. They were no match for the dense, coordinated thrusts.

In a single volley, the bandits fell in heaps. Those who didn't die outright writhed on the ground, wailing, completely incapacitated. The bandit mob, already lacking morale and only capable of fighting when things were going their way, completely collapsed the moment they realized their wooden shields were useless.