Chapter 00117: The More You Debate, the Clearer the Truth Becomes
# The More You Debate, the Clearer the Truth Becomes
Chapter 117
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 117: The More You Debate, the Clearer the Truth Becomes
The Immortal Spirit Village was just a small hamlet with limited resources.
If Lu Yao were to bring all fourteen hundred of his men up the mountain, how would they solve the food problem? Would they have to gnaw on tree bark?
Who knew how long this gathering would last? At the very least, the three factions would need to hold several meetings, engage in power struggles, determine who was in charge, set some rules, and then rally and motivate their troops before they could even consider wrapping things up.
"That means Wu and Pei also brought only a small number of men up the mountain, similar to Lu Yao," someone remarked.
Indeed, the more you debate, the clearer the truth becomes.
"Combined, the three factions would have at most seven or eight hundred men gathered by the Immortal Spirit Lake."
Madam Ying looked puzzled.
"Only seven or eight hundred? Didn't that cannibal general have seven hundred men lying in ambush at Whistle Rock?"
"Exactly!" He Chunhua chimed in, his eyes gleaming.
"The three factions must have agreed beforehand to bring only two hundred men each up the mountain. On one hand, the village's limited resources couldn't support more, and on the other, it would help them keep each other in check and avoid conflict."
To prevent any accidental skirmishes, of course.
With this explanation, everyone felt much more at ease.
Their own forces numbered three hundred, and with the blessing of the Imperial Edict, they could fight like four or five hundred men.
The enemy had seven or eight hundred—though twice their number, it wasn't an overwhelming advantage.
Moreover, the enemy troops were all deserters from Woling Pass, demoralized and scattered like stray dogs.
As long as their own side remained united and fought with courage and determination, they might just be able to break through the enemy lines!
Defeating an enemy two or three times their size on the battlefield wasn't a myth—there were plenty of examples.
In fact, He Chunhua himself had fought such battles in his younger days.
"That means the three factions are constantly wary of each other, and we can use that to our advantage," He Yue said with a smile.
"Lu Yao also brought seven hundred rebels from Desheng Town, supposedly to deal with us, but the other two factions don't know that. Since Lu Yao didn't attack us at night, those seven hundred men are essentially useless. So why were they brought here? Who knows? Maybe it was just to intimidate the other two factions."
Everyone exchanged glances and let out a collective sigh of relief.
He Chunhua's expression had already relaxed significantly.
"When these three groups of deserters gather, the three generals will have to determine who's in charge and establish a chain of command. Otherwise, these thousands of men will remain a disorganized rabble, useless in the long run."
In an army, there could only be one voice.
"If we play our cards right, we might be able to achieve a lot with little effort."
He added, "I've heard that Wu Shaoyi and Lu Yao have a long-standing grudge. Wu Shaoyi has stolen military merits several times, earning him greater favor from Hong Xiangqian, which has made Lu Yao extremely resentful. There was also a time when Wu fell for a beautiful woman and wanted to marry her as his official wife, but Lu Yao got to her first, defiled her, and then had her cooked and sent to Wu Shaoyi. It's said that when Wu saw her, she was still smiling."
He took a sip of water to moisten his throat.
"General Wu flipped the table on the spot and went after Lu Yao. In the end, it was Hong Xiangqian himself who stepped in, using his immense authority in the army to settle the matter. But you can imagine that the relationship between the two has never been the same since."
"Such a grudge?" He Lingchuan exclaimed in surprise.
"Lu Yao is a cannibal, not one of the rebellion's founding members. Why did Hong Xiangqian keep him around?"
"The man is a formidable fighter. After joining Hong Xiangqian's ranks, he won seven consecutive battles, one of which even resulted in the death of 'Iron Barrel General' Zhao Ronglue, who was severely injured and died, leading to the fall of Woling Pass."
He Chunhua recounted the details as if they were common knowledge.
"Both soldiers and enemies instinctively fear such a ferocious cannibal, and Hong Xiangqian made good use of that."
A weapon of unparalleled ferocity, in the right hands, could become a divine weapon.
"But Hong Xiangqian is dead now," He Lingchuan mused.
"The other rebels probably dislike Lu Yao more than they fear him. Why are they gathering here with him?" With the big boss gone, wouldn't the underlings start causing trouble?
"That, I don't know. Perhaps they each have their own reasons."
He Yue thought for a moment.
"The key now is to locate the other two rebel forces."
"If they're planning to gather tomorrow afternoon, they should be on their way up the mountain or already there," Mo Zhe Jingxuan said.
"They're not here for sightseeing. Even bandits scout the area before committing a crime. They must have come up earlier to survey the terrain."
"There are only two paths up and down the mountain, both leading to Immortal Spirit Village. Night travel is difficult, so they wouldn't take any side paths."
He Chunhua turned to his guards.
"Bring the guide here."
After some discussion, they quickly came up with a rough plan.
He Lingchuan had only started the conversation, but the others had taken over, leaving him with little to contribute.
He went to grab an apple.
This one looked riper and hopefully wouldn't be as sour.
By the time he finished the apple, the group had finalized their plan.
He Lingchuan added, "Words alone won't convince them, Father. You need to win the trust of Wu and Pei. Otherwise, the three of them will quickly reconcile and become one big happy family. Seeing is believing. It would be best if... you could let them see you and Lu Yao having a friendly conversation."
"Let them see it?" Mo Zhe Jingxuan pondered this.
He Chunhua ordered his guards to fetch paper and brush.
"I'll also send a letter to the Hebei Garrison, asking them to send troops. That way, we'll have a two-pronged approach."
Madam Ying looked worried.
"Will they agree?"
"If the rebels are weak," He Chunhua said meaningfully.
"A defeated general dares not boast of his courage. With the momentum of our victory at Woling Pass, how could we not take down these panicked rebels? It would be another great military achievement."
Mo Zhe Jingxuan coughed lightly.
"The rebels plan to settle here. How could the local governor tolerate that? He'll want to uproot this cancer before it takes hold."
He Chunhua wrote swiftly, finishing the letter in one go.
Before sealing it, He Lingchuan peeked and saw that it mentioned "over a thousand deserters."
He couldn't help but chuckle.
If the number of deserters was too high, the reinforcements might not come.
A thousand or so was just right.
He Chunhua himself had three hundred elite soldiers.
If the garrison and local troops only wanted to assist, two or three hundred more would suffice.
But if they genuinely wanted to crush the rebels, they'd need at least two thousand men.
Still, He Chunhua's reported number wasn't entirely wrong.
The actual number of rebels gathering at Immortal Spirit Village might indeed be just over a thousand.
Soon, he finished writing everything and handed the letters to the appropriate people to deliver.
He Lingchuan watched from the side, feeling a sense of admiration.
He Chunhua served as an official in a remote border region, yet he was well-informed about events within the Kingdom of Yuan.
From the personalities of the rebel leaders to the temperament of the local governor and the strength of the garrison, he had it all figured out.
What kind of mind did that take?
The Kingdom of Yuan was vast.
Without urgent dispatches, it would take a courier over a month to travel from east to west.
He Chunhua was stationed in the most isolated border region, yet he still had a clear grasp of the kingdom's situation.
That required energy, money, and connections—none of which he lacked.
(End of Chapter)