Chapter 42 The Trump Card

By the turn of the afternoon, Jiang Yi and the others received some grim news.

The leader of the Lotus Cult had dispatched five hundred reinforcements to Funiu Village, while the imperial garrison within the city failed to send any aid whatsoever.

Upon hearing this news, Jiang Yi and his companions felt a deep sense of disappointment, and a few even touched the very edges of despair.

"The imperial garrison in Hanyang City refuses to come to our rescue, and we only have about a hundred fighting men on our side. How can we possibly defeat six or seven hundred Lotus Cult bandits?"

Pang Xiong was utterly furious. They either had to fight the enemy to the bitter end or have everyone in the village retreat up to Niutou Mountain.

Yet, if the Lotus Cultists were to discover the elderly, the weak, the women, and the children hiding in the mountains, they would be in extreme peril.

"Let me share some good news with you instead: the imperial court has already dispatched an army of fifty thousand as rapid reinforcements toward Hanzhou. They will arrive in ten days at the earliest, or a month at the latest."

As long as everyone could hold out until the arrival of the imperial reinforcements, the Lotus Cultists would not be able to run amok for much longer.

"In other words, before the imperial reinforcements arrive, we must figure out a way to ensure our own survival."

Jiang Yi considered this a severe problem; a mere hundred-odd people could never hope to wipe out hundreds of Lotus Cultists.

Some of his ultimate trump cards could not be used just yet, as they were reserved for capturing Hanyang and eventually the entirety of Hanzhou down the line.

"That is the case. Hanyang City will not send troops to reinforce us, so we must rely entirely on ourselves for everything else."

Once the Lotus Cultists captured Funiu Village, they would inevitably send troops to reinforce the other villages.

Judging by the intelligence brought back by the scouts, the situation in the other villages was no better than that of Funiu Village.

"For now, our only option is to fall back to Niutou Mountain and wait for the imperial reinforcements to arrive."

Jiang Yi believed that going toe-to-toe with the Lotus Cult was unwise; preserving their strength was of the utmost importance.

In truth, he harbored another idea: to unite the surrounding villages to fight the Lotus Cult together.

This, however, depended on whether the other villages would agree, as well as the official attitude of the magistrate's office toward the matter.

"If we do not wish to retreat to Niutou Mountain, there is one other alternative—joining forces with the other villages."

They needed to concentrate their strength and, ideally, place everything under the command of a single person to prevent any confusion in orders.

This was precisely the hardest part, for the local squires of the various townships possessed no combat command experience whatsoever.

If Jiang Yi were given command of a township's forces to fight the Lotus Cultists, he would have an eighty percent certainty of defeating the enemy.

"Having the various villages join forces to fight the bandits only requires a single word from the village squires."

Qin Lu felt that it was neither too difficult nor too easy; under the present circumstances, it was the only viable path left.

Initially, the plan was merely for each village to form its own militia and fight the Lotus Cult independently.

"We had better head to Niutou Mountain as quickly as possible. If we could think of uniting with the other villages, the Lotus Cult bandits have surely thought of it too."

Chang Youliang believed that their preparation time was running out and urged everyone to immediately relocate to the mountain.

"Evacuate at once. Take the wounded with you, and I will lead a detachment to hold the rear."

The Lotus Cultists would undoubtedly pursue them swiftly, making it essential to assign a contingent to stall the enemy.

The crowd sprang into action. Fortunately, they had captured twenty horses, which they used to pull the flatbed carts.

Fifty people accompanied the wounded up the mountain, while Jiang Yi and the remainder stayed behind to await the arrival of the Lotus Cultists.

Pang Xiong chose to remain as well, determined to fight the Lotus Cultists to the death alongside Jiang Yi.

"This is an extremely perilous mission. Why didn't you go up the mountain with the others?"

"You stayed behind, so I must stay too. If I should fall in battle, I ask only that you look after my younger sister."

Pang Xiong sought to repay Jiang Yi's kindness in this manner, intending to buy him a chance of escape should the battle turn disastrous.

"You know how to repay gratitude, and you possess a profound sense of loyalty. Once this crisis passes, I will certainly not treat you poorly."

Jiang Yi had only offered a helping hand out of casual convenience back then, never expecting it to win him such a fiercely loyal warrior.

After a short while, the Lotus Cultists arrived, led by several dozen horsemen.

They were flanked by infantrymen of the cult marching on foot, while those on horseback were presumably minor chieftains and their personal guards.

"Dozens of horses! If we could capture these mounts, we'd make a fortune."

Pang Xiong watched the riders and immediately pondered whether they could seize a few for themselves.

"I am afraid that will not be easy to pull off. The enemy numbers in the hundreds."

Jiang Yi deemed it too risky; this was the moment to deploy one of his prepared trump cards.

"In a moment, light these and throw them—as far as you possibly can."

Jiang Yi distributed the bamboo tubes he had prepared in advance to the others, using a fire starter to ignite the fuses on top.

The bamboo tubes were packed with gunpowder and had been improved to possess a certain explosive lethality.

With the situation now critical, he had no choice but to bring out his hidden trump cards ahead of schedule.

"You must throw these as far as possible. Consider it a welcoming gift for them."

The Lotus Cultists drew closer and closer. Jiang Yi held a bamboo tube in one hand and the fire starter in the other.

Judging that they were within throwing range of the approaching cultists, he ignited the fuse on his bamboo tube and hurled it forth with all his might.

The others imitated his actions, lighting and throwing their own tubes, which detonated instantly.

Shrapnel packed inside the bamboo tubes flew in all directions. The Lotus Cultists were wounded by the blasts, and their terrified horses bolted in panic.

What Jiang Yi was utilizing were rudimentary explosives, though their destructive power was not to be underestimated.

The men he commanded were the beggars he had previously recruited and the servants he had purchased—they were, in essence, his own trusted people.

They would never breathe a word to outsiders about the use of explosives, and they obeyed Jiang Yi's commands alone.

Since they usually received the best treatment, they were more than willing to lay down their lives for him.

"You must not tell anyone about my use of these items. This is our ultimate ace in the hole."

Hearing Jiang Yi declare this to be their trump card, everyone naturally understood the vital importance of keeping it secret.

"We would never breathe a word of this to anyone."

They held no faith in the officials; the meager rewards offered by the government were far less substantial than what Jiang Yi provided.

The officials at various levels would embezzle and squeeze them at every turn, leaving the final payouts pitifully small.

Though the explosions did not kill all of them, they inflicted heavy casualties and threw the ranks of the Lotus Cult into utter chaos.

Having exhausted the bamboo tubes in their hands, the men switched to bows and arrows, shooting down the Lotus Cultists.

"They are over there! Kill them!"

The Lotus Cult commander pointed his blade toward Jiang Yi's position, and the uninjured cultists surged forward.

Many fell with arrows in their chests, yet the Lotus Cultists did not break their stride.

"A generous reward awaits whoever kills them!" the commander roared at the top of his lungs.

Seeing that the enemy's numbers were few, he grew entirely confident in slaughtering Jiang Yi and his men to the last.

There was no need to capture anyone alive for interrogation; the commander was brimming with absolute self-assurance.

Jiang Yi and his men were running low on arrows, and hundreds of Lotus Cultists were closing in for the encirclement.

"We are running out of arrows. Shall we fall back?" one of them asked.

"Fall back to that house over yonder."

Jiang Yi led his men back to a nearby building, intending to draw the Lotus Cultists toward it.

Inside the designated house, he had already prepared fire lances and three-barrel hand cannons.

Once the Lotus Cultists gave chase, they would get a taste of the terrifying power of firearms.

The entire group spun around and sprinted swiftly toward the building behind them. Seeing them bolt, the Lotus Cultists mocked them for being cowards terrified of death.

One side fled desperately ahead while the other chased frantically behind.

Jiang Yi and his men ran with great speed, leaving the pursuing Lotus Cultists trailing in the dust.

Bursting into the house, Jiang Yi flung open a wooden chest containing the fire lances and three-barrel hand cannons.

"Do you all remember how to operate these from my previous instructions? Use these to deal with them."

The fire lances were forty centimeters long with a four-centimeter caliber, boasting a range of a hundred and thirty-five paces—over two hundred meters.

The men skillfully loaded gunpowder and lead balls, waiting for the Lotus Cultists to draw closer before opening fire.

Not daring to venture too close, some of the cultists simply drew their bows and loosed arrows toward the interior.

Jiang Yi and his crew took cover behind the walls, safely out of reach of the enemy volleys.

He ignited the match of his fire lance, and the lead ball struck squarely in the chest of a Lotus Cultist.

Because of the short distance, the stricken cultist bled profusely and likely had no hope of survival.

Pang Xiong rested his fire lance against the windowsill and lit the fuse. Propelled by the burning gunpowder, the lead ball shrieked through the air.

The firepower of the fire lances proved formidable indeed, and fortune abandoned the Lotus Cultists this day.