Chapter 138: Guiding Wang Zuo's Left Flank

Li Yi walked into the courtyard, and the ten veteran guards vigilantly grasped their sword hilts.

Gao Jie and the others stepped forward in unison, the atmosphere between the two sides turning subtle.

"Wait outside," Li Yi said, looking back at Gao Jie.

Gao Jie hesitated and said, "Commander, please exercise utmost caution."

"They are upright and steadfast men; there is no need to guard against them like thieves."

Li Yi smiled faintly and walked straight past the group of veteran guards, entering the house.

"Lord Li, you are finally willing to see me," Wang Zuogua said with a hint of irritation.

Li Yi cupped his fists with a smile and stated frankly, "Military orders are hard to defy. I also wanted to buy some time to avoid a direct conflict with the Grand Commander and preserve harmony."

Wang Zuogua snorted coldly, "Today, scout cavalry reported that Hong Chengchou is marching east from Liangshan, and boats have blockaded the Yellow River. Are the imperial troops trying to fight a decisive battle with me?"

Li Yi shook his head, "If the Grand Commander thinks that way, he has likely fallen right into Hong Chengchou's trap."

Wang Zuogua was slightly taken aback.

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Grand Commander has his eyes fixed solely on Hong Chengchou and the Yellow River ferry crossings, but has he sent scouts to check whether there are any traces of imperial troops to the north and south?"

Wang Zuogua felt a jolt in his heart, stood up abruptly, and asked, "Could it be that imperial troops are encircling us from the north and south?"

Li Yi said in a deep voice, "Before I captured Longmen Town, Hong Chengchou had already dispatched garrison troops from Yan'an Prefecture and Xi'an Prefecture to set up a cage around Hancheng. Their sole purpose is to trap the Grand Commander inside and annihilate us in one fell swoop."

Wang Zuogua's expression turned as dark as water. His original intention was to test Hong Chengchou in battle, and if the situation turned unfavorable, lead his troops to retreat to Yaozhou or Shanxi.

Yet now the Yellow River was blockaded, and if the imperial troops closed in from three sides, his massive army would be completely surrounded—that would spell absolute disaster.

Wang Zuogua pondered for a moment, then raised his head to look at Li Yi, a complicated look in his eyes.

"Why are you revealing Hong Chengchou's military strategy to me, a rebel?"

Li Yi sighed softly, "With successive years of disasters and crop failures, officials knocking on doors to press for taxes, and wealthy gentry seizing the opportunity to buy up land, the land is filled with the dead of starvation. People use bones for firewood and resort to cannibalism. In such a world, how can one survive without rebelling? Although the Grand Commander comes from the border garrisons, you lead starving refugees to attack manor strongholds and distribute food, giving them at least a glimmer of survival and preserving a shred of backbone. What I am doing is merely trying to ensure these pitiable people have a way out, and to keep the suffering masses from losing their spirit and backbone of resistance."

Wang Zuogua was suddenly startled, staring at Li Yi in astonishment, his mouth opening and closing without uttering a single word.

After a long while, as if exhausting all his strength, he asked, "Do you think what we are doing is right? That we should rebel?"

Li Yi shook his head and replied, "Resistance was long overdue, but ultimately, merely leading the common people into chaos cannot be called doing the right thing."

Regaining his composure, Wang Zuogua slowly sat back down and scoffed, "You speak with such ease. We have neither money nor grain, neither armor nor weapons, nor even the opportunity to train troops and farm the land to protect ourselves. Hunted by the government forces, what else can we do besides kill and plunder everywhere?"

"Then may I ask, Grand Commander, what is the purpose of your killing and plundering?"

Wang Zuogua looked completely bewildered and said, "Naturally, it is to seize wealth, coerce the able-bodied commoners, and expand our strength."

Li Yi shook his head, "If your purpose is merely that, you will forever remain nothing more than rebels against the imperial court and bandits who stir up warfare."

Wang Zuogua had never thought about these matters in depth and said with some confusion, "What else could it be for?"

Li Yi said in a resonant voice, "Naturally, it is to save the people and bring peace. The abuses of the Great Ming are long-standing; powerful gentry and landowners annex land and bully the common people. Government officials extort without restraint and wallow in corruption. The imperial court's politics are in chaos, and the national treasury is empty. Coupled with relentless natural disasters and the torment of government troops, refugees are everywhere and border soldiers suffer from hunger and cold. Only by raising the banner of loving and pacifying the people, allowing them to live and work in peace, can one truly become a righteous army that eliminates tyranny and brings peace to the people."

Upon hearing these words, Wang Zuogua stood up with intense agitation.

Having rebelled for so long, Wang Zuogua had constantly pondered his next way out, and after much thought, he could only see accepting amnesty as the sole path. Yet Li Yi's words had opened up a magnificent grand avenue, and the sacred brilliance at its end set his mind trembling.

"Brother Li Yi, since you harbor such grand ambitions, why not simply cast aside your official position and join forces with me? At worst, I will hand the position of Grand Commander over to you. As long as we act as you say, we might just accomplish a great enterprise," Wang Zuogua blurted out suddenly.

Li Yi had not expected that his words would prompt Wang Zuogua to willingly abdicate and yield his position to a worthy successor.

Yet he did not let a sudden wave of excitement cloud his judgment.

Although the Great Ming suffered from excessive and deep-rooted maladies, it still held powerful border armies across the Nine Garrisons.

What he needed to do was accumulate strength, rather than being hunted down by government troops right after rising in rebellion and missing the golden opportunity for development.

The reason he told Wang Zuogua all this was simply to give the bandits a reliable guiding principle—to love and cherish the people and refrain from slaughtering the innocent.

The Great Ming was like the sun setting over the western hills, but a centipede dies hard even when rigid; building a great empire was no easy task.

As Hong Chengchou's army closed in, Wang Zuogua grew anxious to return and discuss countermeasures, hoping Li Yi would let him go.

Li Yi made things difficult for no one and personally escorted Wang Zuogua out of the city.

This not only touched Wang Zuogua deeply, but the veteran guards flanking him also looked at Li Yi with newfound admiration.

The two sides cupped their fists in farewell. Li Yi stood at the city gate, watching Wang Zuogua ride away under the protection of his veteran guards until he vanished from sight.

Gao Jie said with some worry, "Commander, by letting Wang Zuogua go so easily, will he lead his troops to attack the city again?"

Li Yi calmly replied, "With an encirclement from three sides, Wang Zuogua has very little maneuvering room left. If he doesn't want to die in Longmen Town, he will surely break camp as soon as possible and figure out a way to charge out of the encirclement."

Even so, Li Yi still had Gao Laoshi and Gao Jie lead troops to defend the city walls, while he himself headed to the tax bureau yamen and summoned Wang Wu.

Wang Wu was the leader of the civilian laborers. Upon hearing that Li Yi was looking for him, he hurried over.

Li Yi opened the room, looked at the large chests filled with gold and silver jewelry, and without beating around the bush, said directly:

"I want you to transport these goods back to Suijin Town, but the secret must not leak out. Do you have a way?"

All this gold and silver consisted of ill-gotten gains confiscated from the rebels. Li Yi wanted to transfer them out as quickly as possible while the fighting was still ongoing, so as not to let others reap the benefits.

Wang Wu thought for a moment and said, "My lord, the laborers are needed for military logistics. If they leave their posts abruptly, they will surely attract the attention of those with ulterior motives."

"Then do you have a solution?"

Wang Wu quickly replied, "Actually, my lord, you can first hide this batch of goods outside the city. Once the battle is over, under the guise of transporting the wounded, the goods can be smuggled back to Suijin Town without anyone noticing. I happen to have a few trusted brothers; it will only take five or six carts to haul everything away."

Li Yi thought it over and felt that Wang Wu's suggestion made a lot of sense.

"In that case, go find Team Leader Gao Laoshi, and have him dispatch men to go with you to hide the goods. Remember, proceed with utmost caution."

Wang Wu nodded, understanding that Li Yi wanted him to maintain strict confidentiality, and turned to carry out the task.