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Chapter 533: Yang Gong's Bravery
Chapter 533: Yang Gong's Bravery
"Speaking of the mountains, it's truly a place where heroes and experts hide..."
As Yang Gong's reputation spread far and wide, gathering a force of two to three thousand, creating quite a stir, Hu Ma had also emerged from the mountains. Although he didn't personally meet with Yang Gong, he had learned everything that had transpired within the mountains.
After all, with the help of the Mountain Lord, nothing could escape his keen observation, not even the slightest movement or breeze within the depths of Old Yin Mountain.
Upon hearing the details, it became apparent that Yang Gong's actions, though seemingly reckless, bore the marks of guidance from a skilled mentor.
Whether it was the timing of his moves or his actions after seizing the supplies, everything was meticulously planned.
As an outsider, Hu Ma had more theoretical knowledge, but lacked practical experience. Therefore, he observed and learned like a novice, trying to understand the situation.
As the momentum in Mingzhou grew, and a vague sense of grand fortune loomed, he intended to pit these two forces against each other. His mind was keenly focused on this matter.
Seizing the Truth Sect's supplies and killing their deputy altar master had clearly enraged the entire sect. The sect leader issued orders, and various altar masters from different regions were already leading their followers towards Yang Gong's location.
The Truth Sect's response was indeed swift. Within a short time, several thousand followers had rushed towards the mountain corner where Yang Gong was located. The fastest among them, a grandmaster, had arrived with five hundred followers in just one day.
The grandmaster waited for the rest of his forces to gather before advancing. They set up camp just twenty li away from Yang Gong's position.
"Brother Yang Gong, something feels off..."
Under the guidance of his elder father-in-law, Yang Gong understood the gravity of the situation. As the number of people around him grew, he selected several fine horses from the village and distributed them to his close companions and brothers who had learned the art of spiritless combat. He sent them out to gather intelligence on the movements of the Truth Sect forces from various directions.
When these men returned, they were terrified. They exclaimed, "Back in the Scarlet Lantern Society, even when we fought desperately, it was only three to five of us. Sometimes there were more, but we rarely got into a real fight. It's a different story this time."
"Why is there such a commotion now that we've gathered over two thousand people? We can't control them, but the Truth Sect has forces from various regions, probably amounting to tens of thousands!"
"If a battle breaks out, can we hold our ground?"
"..."
Seeing the hesitation among his brothers from the Scarlet Lantern Society, Yang Gong hardened his heart and said, "The last time we fought those bandits, didn't we also feel outnumbered at first?"
"We, the disciples of Red Fragrance, have always relied on risking our lives to earn our fortunes. When it comes to numbers, weapons, or money, we've never had the upper hand. We've always been the smaller force."
"But we can't lack courage."
"Since they dare to attack us, let's charge at them and show them what we're capable of!"
"..."
After a round of harsh scolding, he swiftly gathered his forces, primarily consisting of villagers who had fought bandits alongside him and later trained in martial arts. Under the cover of night, they set out towards the Truth Sect grandmaster's camp, twenty li away.
In Hu Ma's opinion, these few hundred men were Yang Gong's most valuable assets, his lifeblood. Taking such a risk could lead to devastating consequences if something went wrong.
But Yang Gong paid no heed to these concerns. He relied solely on his courage and ventured forward.
Coincidentally, the Truth Sect grandmaster hadn't anticipated Yang Gong's audacity. To him, the forces in the mountains were nothing but a mob, easily dispersed with a single touch. He never imagined someone with such immense courage would dare to approach them.
The grandmaster had just arrived with his five hundred followers and settled in the mountain valley, preparing a meal, when they suddenly spotted a group of disorganized men charging towards them. The leaders of the group, mounted on horses, brandished large sabers, their auras filled with a fierce energy.
Behind them were several dozen riders and hundreds of foot soldiers.
The local villagers, caught off guard, suffered heavy casualties. They wanted to grab their weapons, but it was too late.
"These mountain villagers actually have such courage?"
The Truth Sect grandmaster, witnessing the attack, was both amused and angered. "They dare to attempt a surprise attack?"
Confident in his abilities, he wanted to seize this opportunity to establish a merit. However, just as he was about to give the order, he realized that his own men had already scattered in disarray.
The grandmaster's forces had not accompanied him. The followers he led were hastily recruited from nearby villages, villagers who had joined the Truth Sect but had never witnessed the ferocity of battle.
Upon seeing the enemy's boldness, they became intimidated, and their fear spread to their leader.
"The people of Mingzhou have grown soft from their comfortable lives, and their courage is pathetic!"
The grandmaster clenched his teeth in anger but remained composed. He ordered his Hundred Ghost Banner to be unfurled, and the incense altar was set up.
With his hair loose and a sword in hand, he burned incense and sprinkled blood on the sword, pointing it towards the banner. Instantly, a chilling yin wind blew.
All around, the sound of ghostly wails filled the air. The ground nearby seemed to become sticky, and beneath it, sinister and fierce ghosts emitted eerie howls, as if about to emerge from the earth to harm people.
At that very moment, Yang Gong, who was at the forefront, brandished his treasure sword and charged forward.
By his side were four close brothers who had accompanied him from the Scarlet Lantern Society.
Behind them were the vigorous young men from the village who had fought bandits alongside Yang Gong and trained for half a year. Although they hadn't experienced a real battlefield, they were united and knew to stick close to Yang Gong, never straying from his side even in chaos.
More importantly, there were over a thousand people behind them.
Even though some of these thousand had fallen behind, having someone at their backs gave them confidence, and they charged forward with increasing ferocity.
The Grandmaster's face turned cold and stern, then quickly shifted to astonishment, and soon, fear.
Under normal circumstances, killing the riders would have been a simple task for him, but he never anticipated their overwhelming momentum and the bold and courageous energy they exuded as they charged forward. Before the malevolent spirits could even emerge from the ground, they were suppressed by this formidable presence.
Despite being a mystic expert with unusual techniques, he allowed Yang Gong to charge right up to him. Yang Gong swung his sword, and the Grandmaster reacted swiftly, ducking to avoid the strike. He intended to counter with his sword, but it was too short to reach his opponent. At the same time, he felt a chill down his back, as one of Yang Gong's brothers stabbed him from behind, piercing right through. The man cried out and desperately tried to stand, intending to escape, but Yang Gong swiftly chopped him down.
The head rolled on the ground, the eyes still filled with panic and confusion.
"They say the grandmasters of the Truth Sect are so powerful, but to me, they look like fools."
Yang Gong himself was surprised at how easily he had killed his opponent. He tilted his head, holding the severed head, and said, "I led my men here, and instead of taking up arms against me, he's here burning incense and summoning ghosts..."
"Even if you had successfully summoned them, what good would it do?"
"We've followed Red Lantern Lady too, so why should we fear you?"
"..."
The grandmaster was easily slain, and the rest were also killed. The survivors scattered, running in all directions, some even blending into Yang Gong's group, pretending to be part of his forces and shouting about fighting and looting the supplies.
Upon inspecting their own supplies, they found they had quite a substantial amount of weapons and provisions, which greatly delighted the group that had just emerged from the mountains. Their morale soared, and their courage grew.
'Yang Gong's skills are truly unmatched. If I were in his place...'
Hu Ma stood on a nearby mountain, holding Little Red Tang's hand, quietly observing the battle below. He felt an indescribable sense of strangeness.
He had left the mountains only to witness Yang Gong's momentum and understand the situation in Mingzhou. He never expected Yang Gong to be so fierce; even if he were in Yang Gong's place, he wouldn't have dared to use such a risky strategy. However, he knew that he couldn't boost morale in the same way.
He could only sigh inwardly, realizing that Yang Gong's selection by the mountain people had its reasons...
But amidst his musings, he noticed that the people around Yang Gong were cheering, their formation was in disarray, and some were even looting the weapons and provisions left by the Truth Sect followers. A hint of worry crept into his heart.
He wanted to remind Yang Gong, but for a moment, he couldn't find the right words. It was as if every aspect of this group of mountain people led by Yang Gong was flawed.
He sighed softly, knowing that the tide could not be turned. Yang Gong's ambitions required far more than what he currently possessed.
Many of these deficiencies could only be filled with lives.
He did need to meet with Yang Gong, but it would be Yang Gong who would come to him, not the other way around.
With a deep breath, he led Little Red Tang straight to Green Stone Village, putting all other thoughts aside.
That night, after Yang Gong and his men won the battle, they arranged for a feast of meat and wine, sharing it with their followers. With their numbers increased, they needed to assign leaders. Each was made a squad leader, commanding their own group to maintain order.
Now that they knew the Truth Sect followers were arriving, they also needed to divide their forces to guard various paths, preventing them from sneaking up unnoticed.
When it was time to instruct Shen Bangzi, a brother who had been by his side for a long time, Yang Gong, despite having drunk some wine, was still clear-headed. "Bangzi, take three hundred men to guard the rear mountain pass and prevent anyone from infiltrating our village..."
"But be careful. Don't drink too much. Although we won this battle, we haven't seen any extraordinary skills from them. Yet, my eyelids keep twitching; I can't shake this feeling."
"..."
Shen Bangzi, who had drunk a large bowl of wine, laughed. "At this point, what are you afraid of?"
"We've faced life-threatening situations ever since we left the Scarlet Lantern Society, and we've overcome them all."
"You know my drinking capacity. I can usually handle three or four jars, but today, I've barely finished one, and you're already scolding me?"
"..."
He downed three large bowls in one go, his legs steady and his body unshaken. He immediately led his assigned troops towards the mountain pass.
(End of Chapter)
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