The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 039 is really ruthless.

In the end, Gao Yingxiang decided to choose someone from among his own men to infiltrate Anding.

The reason was quite simple: his rebel army consisted mostly of people he had brought from the Anzhai area. Anzhai was not far from Anding in the north, and the customs and accents of the two places were similar.

More importantly, most of the people in Anzhai have kinship ties with Anding, and many have relatives or friends in the city. Using this as a cover, their chances of sneaking into the city are naturally much greater.

As for Li Wanqing and Wang Er's side, they are not suitable.

Firstly, they weren't locals, especially Wang Er's subordinates, who were mostly from Baishui and Chengcheng, hundreds of miles away. Their accents wouldn't match, and if they were stopped for questioning, they would be completely clueless.

Secondly, Gao Yingxiang trusted his own subordinates more. He wouldn't feel comfortable entrusting such an important matter to outsiders. To be on the safe side, it was best to use his own people.

And that was settled. Gao Yingxiang selected several dozen men from the team and had them disguise themselves as local residents to lie in wait outside Anding City.

When the rebel army attacked the western towns, Gao Yingxiang had a backup plan: to drive some of the local people to Anding City. Once these people reached the city walls, his pre-placed agents could sneak in amidst the chaos… This would greatly increase his chances of success.

It must be said that Gao Yingxiang's planning was indeed meticulous. Even for a small infiltration operation, he considered every detail thoroughly, calculating every single step clearly. Zhou Lun couldn't help but admire him secretly after listening.

After the men he sent out set off, Gao Yingxiang ordered the camp to be broken up and the troops marched in a grand procession toward Anding.

Along the way, Gao Yingxiang made no attempt to conceal his presence, with his troops serving as the central army.

Logically, Li Wanqing's troops, being the most elite, should have been at the forefront. However, Wang Er, a new recruit, volunteered to be the vanguard. Gao Yingxiang didn't refuse and agreed with a smile. Thus, Wang Er's troops became the vanguard, while Li Wanqing's troops were relegated to the rear.

Having been appointed vanguard officer, Wang Er was bursting with energy, like he'd been injected with adrenaline. Having just joined the group, he was eager to make a good impression on his idol and show off.

Leading his men, Wang Er charged forward with a roar. Their camp wasn't far from Anding; the towns west of Anding were only about fifty li away. Wang Er spurred his horse and arrived in just two hours.

Upon arriving at the destination, Wang Er didn't even bother to test the waters. With a wave of his hand, he led his men directly into the town.

The villagers were going about their lives when suddenly they heard deafening shouts of killing coming from the west. Looking up, they saw a dark mass of people in the distance, carrying all sorts of weapons, rushing towards them like ferocious demons. Everyone was terrified on the spot.

It's just a small town with a population of only a thousand or so. There aren't any decent city walls here; the most sturdy buildings are just the residences and ancestral halls of two prominent local families.

Faced with the rebel army storming their doorstep, how could the common people possibly stand up to them? Those who reacted quickly took off running, those who reacted slower were stunned and hurriedly hid in the nearby alleys, and some were so frightened that they just stood there motionless.

It wasn't until the rebels rushed up to him and swung their weapons at him that he finally came to his senses and let out a terrified, shrill, and desperate scream.

By the time Gao Yingxiang's central army and Zhou Lun's rear army arrived, Wang Er had already taken over the entire town.

Wang Erxing rushed over to boast of his achievements. Zhou Lun looked at him, then at the chaotic town in front of him, and the several corpses lying on the street. His expression became somewhat complicated.

He couldn't understand why Wang Er was so ruthless.

To be honest, Wang Er himself came from a poor family. His rebellion in Chengcheng, which involved killing officials, stemmed from the tragic fate of his sister's family. But now, Wang Er has transformed from an ordinary citizen into a rebel leader. How could he possibly bring himself to be so ruthless towards ordinary people who were just like him in the past?

It wasn't just Wang Er; his men were the same.

After the entire town was captured, his men looted indiscriminately. The two prominent families were given special "targets."

Anyone who dared to resist was killed without a word. All the gold, silver, and valuables in the house were taken; what couldn't be moved was smashed. Some rebels even stripped the clothes off the dead and put them on themselves.

In the town, the cries of men, women, children, and the elderly rose and fell, one wave higher than the next. If Wang Er hadn't remembered Gao Yingxiang's plan to demolish the houses to make machinery, he might have impulsively set the entire town ablaze.

"Well done! Did you handle everything I asked you to do?" Gao Yingxiang looked at the miserable state of the place, but there was no hint of blame on his face. Instead, he asked with a smile.

"Don't worry, King Chuang, I remember everything." Wang Er grinned, pointing east. "I deliberately let over a hundred men escape, driving them towards the county town. If you hadn't given me instructions beforehand, how could these peasants have escaped my grasp?"

"Hahaha!" Gao Yingxiang burst into laughter, patting Wang Er's shoulder forcefully. This kid's ruthless and clever. Very good, very good!

At this moment, one of Wang Er's men rushed over and whispered something in his ear. After listening, Wang Er's face lit up with joy, and he quickly told Gao Yingxiang that he had already raided the wealthy households in the township and seized a lot of goods, and asked Gao Yingxiang to come and take a look.

After a pause, Wang Er leaned closer and whispered, "...his men have also captured several pretty young women, which they intend to offer to the rebel king."

Upon hearing this, Gao Yingxiang's face remained expressionless, revealing neither his joy nor displeasure.

He hesitated for a moment, then told Wang Er directly that he didn't want the woman; he could leave her to Wang Er and his men to deal with as they saw fit. As for the supplies, they were exactly what the rebel army needed right now, and he would take him to see them now.

After a pause, Gao Yingxiang said solemnly, "None of the rebel forces should let their guard down. In particular, Li Wanqing's and Zhou Lun's troops should quickly establish perimeter defenses. The town will be fully taken over by his own troops and Wang Er's troops. Mobilize manpower, seize the time to dismantle houses, build weapons, and prepare for the siege."

Upon receiving Gao Yingxiang's order, Wang Er excitedly responded loudly.

Li Wanqing frowned slightly. His gaze swept over the messy street, his lips moved as if he was about to say something, but Zhou Lun beside him tugged hard at his clothes.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, leave the outer perimeter security to us. We will ensure absolute safety!" Zhou Lun stepped forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Li Wanqing was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses. After a slight hesitation, he followed Zhou Lun's words and clasped his hands in a fist salute as well.

Seeing this, Gao Yingxiang's expression softened, and he nodded. After thinking for a moment, he said to Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun, "My two brothers bear heavy responsibilities, so you must not be careless. As for the town's supplies, don't worry. I, Gao Yingxiang, have always been fair in my dealings. Once the inventory is complete, everyone will receive their share."

"Then thank you very much, King Chuang." Zhou Lun looked overjoyed, and together with Li Wanqing, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Gao Yingxiang, before leading his men to the outer perimeter.

After leaving the town and arranging for his men to set up defenses, Zhou Lun and Li Wanqing walked slowly along the outer perimeter, observing the surrounding situation as they went.

"Brother, are you feeling unwell?" After walking for a while, Zhou Lun asked in a low voice when he saw that Li Wanqing was in a bad mood.

"This Wang Er... he's gone too far. We're all just ordinary people, why is it like this? Even the rebel leader, why didn't he..." Li Wanqing's words trailed off, his brows furrowing tightly.

"Why not reprimand him?" Before Li Wanqing could finish speaking, Zhou Lun interrupted him, saying exactly what he wanted to say.

"What? Am I wrong?" Li Wanqing asked, his brows furrowing even deeper as he saw Zhou Lun looking at him with a half-smile.

Li Wanqing initially had no problem with Wang Er. When he first heard about Wang Er's deeds of killing officials and rebelling, he even had a good impression of him and sincerely praised him as a "hero".

But after what happened today, he really looked down on Wang Er's behavior. Just because he was a rebel and had weapons, he used such cruelty against ordinary people. What kind of person was he?

Especially those things... blatantly robbing people of their property, killing people indiscriminately to steal, and even forcibly taking local women as commodities to offer to Gao Yingxiang... Such actions are simply shameless and despicable. This disgusted Li Wanqing, who was upright and had a strong sense of justice, from the bottom of his heart.

If Zhou Lun hadn't stopped him, Li Wanqing would have immediately questioned Wang Er. But just as he was about to speak, Zhou Lun stepped in and interrupted him, even finishing his sentence for him.

Li Wanqing had always trusted his younger brother Zhou Lun, and besides, he knew in his heart that Zhou Lun would never do this without a reason. Since he was stopping him from speaking, there must be a reason.

"Brother, if you really say that, what are you going to do about Chuang Wang?" Zhou Lun sighed and shook his head. "What Wang Er has done is indeed despicable. But what can Chuang Wang do now? Is he supposed to punish Wang Er on the spot? If he does that, Wang Er might break up with the group in a fit of anger, or even do something else in a fit of rage. How will we handle that then?"

"Those who achieve great things must be ruthless when necessary, and cannot be bound by trivial matters. The rebel leader's rejection of Wang Er's woman already made his stance clear. Besides, the attack on Anding is imminent. If our own people start fighting before the battle even begins, how can we fight effectively?"

Zhou Lun shook his head and continued, "The reason why the rebel king placed us on the outer perimeter for guard duty is probably because he was worried that you, brother, would clash with Wang Er. He arranged it this way on purpose. Brother, at this time, even if you have any dissatisfaction with Wang Er, you must not show it. Great things are not bound by trivial matters, and you should not show your emotions. This is the best way to deal with it."

"As for Wang Er... what kind of person he is has nothing to do with us? As long as we act in accordance with our conscience, no one else can interfere. Brother, things are different now than before. There are some things we have to tolerate even if we can't stand them. At worst, we can just have less contact with each other in the future, what do you think?"

Li Wanqing frowned and remained silent for a long while before he had to admit that Zhou Lun was right. At this critical juncture, there was indeed no need to break ties with Wang Er over such a matter, much less cause a split within the rebel army and put Gao Yingxiang in a difficult position.

He sighed deeply: "Fine... then so be it. Even the rebel leader is in a difficult position... but this Wang Er, that man... humph!"

Seeing that Li Wanqing had figured it out, Zhou Lun finally felt relieved.

However, Zhou Lun did not take Li Wanqing's last statement, "Even the rebel king has a hard time dealing with this," seriously.

In his view, it was hard to say whether Gao Yingxiang was genuinely difficult or just pretending. Gao Yingxiang was no fool like Wang Er.

This man is brave and resourceful, with a very deep and calculating mind. What is he really thinking? It's not as simple as Zhou Lun just said, nor is it as naive as Li Wanqing thinks.