Chapter 245: Killing Is the Only True Way to Rule

The mountains to the southwest of Qingzhou are rugged and layered, serving as a strategic military area since ancient times. Thus, there are many ancient fortresses scattered among the hills—some in ruins with only broken walls remaining, while others still have stone walls and houses. In the past, when the government demanded taxes, many people who could no longer bear the burden would take their families and hide in these mountains, returning home quietly once the storm passed. Not a few also turned to banditry.

With so many peaks and strange rock formations, the mountains resemble an ocean of peaks. The forests are dense, the air is clear, and there are over thirty peaks such as Jiji Ding, Zhaizhi Ding, Xieshi Shan, Yingxiang Shan, Sandengyan, Wayu Po, Yingmen Shan, Jiangjun Mao, Sancheng Shan, and Zhongjun Zhai. At first glance, the valleys are filled with trees and no one is visible. Without a guide familiar with the terrain, it’s impossible to recognize all of them. Therefore, people like Bin Hong, who were firmly based in Xieshi Pengzhai, could live in peace.

As the saying goes, a true hero should act like one. He had initially claimed to be a great protector under the Buddha Mother, and now that he had accomplished such a remarkable feat, he naturally sent his trusted followers to spread the news throughout the region, bringing others to Xieshi Pengzhai as well. In just seven or eight days, three to four hundred people had gathered in the mountains.

These people were not bandits. Although Bin Hong had accumulated some wealth over the years, it was still limited. If it weren’t for the provisions already prepared here, feeding and supporting these three to four hundred people would have overwhelmed him. Now, all he needed to do was have people build stone walls and houses to prepare for permanent settlement. The mountains were mostly filled with strong men, and the few women and children were the families of tenant farmers he had rescued. These women were deeply grateful for his rescue and took on all the miscellaneous tasks.

Many hands make light work. While other areas couldn’t be repaired yet, the meeting hall in the center of Xieshi Pengzhai was already fully built. After all, everyone belonged to the White Lotus Sect. Even Bin Hong wouldn’t leave Tang Sair behind at this early stage of his rise, so the seat of the sect leader was left vacant at the front of the hall. He sat in a chair at the lower left, with his trusted subordinates on either side. Seeing the fairly complete setup, he stroked his beard in satisfaction.

“Leader, the provisions in our stronghold will last at least two months, and we have everything needed, including water pools. I’ve also discovered two old fortresses on nearby mountains. If we spend some time restoring them, they can serve as strategic supports for each other. Now that we’ve gained a reputation, even the Sect Master must admit that you are the foremost protector under him. We should take this opportunity to raise our banner and recruit soldiers as soon as possible. By attracting people from nearby areas, we can conquer more lands in the future!”

A short, chubby man sitting in the third seat on the right stood up and spoke these words. The others immediately agreed, their faces filled with excitement. Though no one intended to disrespect the Sect Master, there were over a dozen leaders with equal status to him. If their leader emerged as the top one this time, it meant they too could benefit. The thought of establishing a utopian realm under their leadership made their clamoring even louder, much to the delight of Bin Hong, who was sitting at the head.

Fortunately, he wasn’t a fool. Raising a rebellion banner too quickly would attract the authorities, and he didn’t expect such a small group to withstand tens of thousands of troops from Shandong. He raised his hands to calm their enthusiasm, then confidently said that they would rise up right after storing enough grain from the summer harvest, satisfying his subordinates.

After everyone else left, a man with a hunchbacked face stayed behind. After scanning the surroundings to ensure no one else was hiding, he whispered, “Leader, those dozen or so newly recruited men seem suspicious. I’ve seen them gathering together and whispering—likely plotting something. Right now, our stronghold is still in its infancy. If we let them conspire…”

Upon hearing this, Bin Hong’s expression darkened, and he snorted coldly, “Those guys came here to see the Sect Master. Now that they can’t see him, they’re naturally dissatisfied. Sending a few people to keep an eye on them is enough. After all, our elite are just those first hundred or so men; the rest are farmers. No one is better at fighting than those ‘Sect Protectors.’ How’s the preparation you were tasked with? If we can show miracles like the Sect Master’s, who will refuse to obey?”

“It’s all taken care of. It can be used by tomorrow night.” The hunchbacked man smiled broadly and added, “In my opinion, the title of ‘foremost protector’ doesn’t do justice to your achievements. ‘Dharma King’ would be more fitting. If the Sect Master sees how far we’ve come, who knows—he might even step down and yield the throne to you?”

“Nonsense!”

Bin Hong snapped at them irritably, though inwardly he was extremely pleased. Which man would be happy to be beneath a woman?
While the two in the council hall were full of confidence, those building the stone wall outside were sweating profusely. Though they were all strong men skilled at labor, farming at home at least brought some income, while building the wall brought none and they couldn’t even see the sect leader—so their frustration was immense. Peng Shisan, mixed among the crowd, often complained, stirring even more discontent. Now, though fewer people complained openly, their anger remained buried inside.
Xu Er had once believed in the Buddha Mother as if she were a deity, but now that she seemed nowhere to be found and the stronghold was preparing for major construction, his worries grew. He trusted Peng Shisan, the experienced elder brother, even more. These past few days, if not for Peng Shisan’s keen detection of strangers among them, everyone would have continued to complain as usual. With the stronghold even issuing rewards and punishments, he felt like a grasshopper forced to stay on a half-sunken ship.
“Brother Peng, do we have to stay trapped on this mountain forever?”
Peng Shisan had gradually figured out the thoughts of these temporary companions. He knew that by pretending utmost devotion to the sect leader, he could win their complete trust. As he polished the stones with a hammer and chisel, he glanced around and whispered, “Everyone respects the sect leader, but we still haven’t seen him. Don’t you understand what those in charge are up to? Let me tell you, such a big-scale project must have alerted the authorities. It doesn’t matter if we die, but if it implicates others…”
His voice was low, but the few companions sharing a tent with him at night heard it and looked worried. So, while carrying stones, they gathered together again. The more they discussed it, the more uneasy they became. If not for the increasingly strict checkpoints, they would have fled the mountain long ago. As they pushed the heavy carts to the site of the stone wall, a somewhat shorter man suddenly spoke up.
“What if the authorities really come to suppress us?”
“It can’t be that bad…”
Though Xu Er replied with a forced smile, the others felt heavy-hearted. Only Peng Shisan silently continued carrying stones, thinking to himself: If the person in charge here were that elusive Tang Sect Leader, these people’s behavior would likely change. It had to be said that Bin Hong was far less influential than the Buddha Mother, and this was his only opening left.

They say never to enter forests, yet the southwestern part of Yidu County is surrounded by dense woods in the mountains, making it perfect for hiding people. In the woods southeast of Xieshi Mountain, quite a few people were gathered at the moment, all dressed in military uniforms, yet not a sound was heard—truly displaying the demeanor of elite troops. These were Liu Zhong’s most reliable elite forces from the military headquarters, led by his trusted general Jiang Yun. Now, he had generously lent Zhang Yue three hundred men in total.

The group sat in the forest for a full hour. From time to time, Zhang Yue sent a few of the servants and two guides that Liu Zhong had lent him earlier to scout the area, while he himself sat motionless on a large rock, carefully planning what to do after breaking into the fortress. It wasn’t arrogance on his part—after all, there were insiders in the fortress, defenses were incomplete, and their numbers were few. If they failed to capture it this time, there would be no hope in the future, and then he could just wait for misfortune.

Suddenly, two clear bird calls came from the silent forest. Almost instinctively, he straightened up, pushed off with his legs, and leaped down from the large rock. Soon, faint footsteps were heard deep in the woods, and the four scouts who had gone to investigate reappeared unharmed.

“The fortress on the mountain is building stone walls, having just completed a small section on the north side. The walls are as tall as twenty feet. If we wait another month or two, even with insiders, it will be difficult to capture it. Since we didn’t dare get too close and alert them, we dug up a map at the agreed location and explored the surroundings a bit. There are no defenses on the mountain now, but there are still a few watchposts in key areas. Even so, if we attack swiftly and suddenly, capturing the fortress will be easy.”

Before Zhang Yue could nod, Jiang Yun asked sternly, “Since you haven’t gone deep into the fortress, how do you know exactly how many people they have? In such dense forests, it’s easy to hide people. We only have a little over three hundred soldiers. Even if we catch them off guard, we’ll surely suffer losses. Just report everything in detail—no need for extra words.”

After that, the returning servant quickly recounted everything he had seen. Once he finished, Jiang Yun turned to Zhang Yue, bowed, and said, “Lord Zhang, since the situation is true, I will lead my men to destroy this nest of rebels at dawn. To avoid disturbing the rebels, you had better go back first. I’m here to handle it.”

Rather than being a concern for safety, these words were clearly an indication of not wanting anyone to be a burden around. Zhang Yue was not unreasonable; if possible, he would prefer to stand by and do nothing at all. However, he had to consider that among the hundreds of people on the mountain, many were likely innocent, and since they hadn’t risen in rebellion yet, he couldn’t just have the soldiers kill them all. He immediately pulled Jiang Yun aside and explained in detail Peng Shisan’s situation, emphasizing that there might be those who were merely following others blindly. “Since that personal guard of Lord Zhang is from the Duke of Ying’s household and has braved hardships to act as an insider, I will surely do my best to take care of things,” Jiang Yun nodded and then added, “If those who follow blindly don’t resist, I’ll leave them to Lord Zhang to deal with. As for those who resist, they must be killed without hesitation—this much I understand! But Lord Zhang, please don’t be too lenient with them. For such lawless bandits, killing is the only proper solution!”