Chapter 79: "Mount Tai Bandits"

Xu Huang and Gan Ning haven't rested for a whole night. Liu Bei ordered them to retreat, and they both went back to rest. After they left, Liu Bei looked up at the ceiling.
"Hateful! Hateful! I let those damn Yellow Turban bandits escape! It's all my fault. I should have surrounded Dongpingling, causing the death and injury of most of the people in the city," lamented Liu Bei, pounding his chest.
King Mu put down the pen in his hand and stretched, saying, "No one can be blamed for this. No one expected that our army had not even attacked the city yet, and they would retreat without fighting. Moreover, they withdrew so neatly. It seems that there are capable individuals among the Yellow Turbans, and they are not just a group of disorganized mob."
"Liuxian, you've been busy all night. I'm sure you're tired too, so you can go rest first!"
"Yes, sir!"
County Office of Acheng, Zhi City
Cheng Yu was looking at the message Wang Mu had passed to him. Although he was far away in Zhi City, he still kept an eye on the battle.
Looking at the letter from Wang Muxin, it stated that Taixian and Yingxian have been captured, and the army is advancing rapidly towards Dongpingling. Cheng Yu put down the letter in his hand.
"Our army is invincible, besieging Dongpingling should be a piece of cake. It seems that I need to prepare to congratulate our Lord." Cheng Yu smiled and stroked his beard.
Report! At this moment, a junior official rushed in.
"Report to County Magistrate Cheng, there is a large number of bandits in Xu Village, eight miles southeast. More than a dozen households in Xu Village have been killed, and these bandits have fled into the deep mountains." The junior official said anxiously.
"How many times is this!" Cheng Yu's face grew completely dark.
"Lord, if we include this time, there have been three incidents this month. The bandits have caused over a hundred casualties, and their methods are always the same. They must be the same group of people. The people in the city are now fearful and the soldiers are all requesting that you lead an army to suppress the bandits in order to calm their hearts." The officer knelt on the ground and pleaded.
Cheng Yu stood up with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth in the yamen. He walked to the door and said to the clerk, "Convey my order to put the entire city on high alert immediately. Send people to the villages outside the city to inform the people to temporarily take refuge in the city to avoid banditry."
"But..." the clerk was somewhat surprised by Cheng Yu's decision.
"Do as I say!" Seeing the clerk hesitate, Cheng Yu glared fiercely at him.
"Here you go!" The low-ranking official quickly closed his mouth and respectfully exited the county government office.
As he retreated to the county government office's main gate, the low-ranking official, with a disdainful expression, spat forcefully under his breath and muttered, "Damn Cheng Yu, he's so cautious. Now things will be difficult!"
After saying these words, he looked around and saw no one, then hurriedly left.
After the servant went far away, Cheng Yu slowly came out from behind the pillar. At this moment, Cheng Yu, who no longer had a gentle appearance, had only endless fierceness in his eyes. "Since General Ziliang left with his troops, all kinds of insignificant people have emerged. They really think I, Cheng Zhongde, am a soft persimmon!"
Although the spies of the enemy were among the low-ranking officials, they still conveyed the orders issued by Cheng Yu. The news rapidly spread to the surrounding villages, and the two thousand soldiers in the city began to strictly guard the city gates. Every person entering the city had to undergo a careful identity check. At this moment, the hearts of the people in the entire Zhu'a city were filled with fear, and the people outside the city rushed desperately towards the city.
In the mountains of Xucun in the eastern part, there are a large number of people resting at the foot of the trees. Each person is fierce and evil-looking, and they all carry weapons. These people are the Tai mountain bandits who have repeatedly clashed with Zhang Fei.
At this moment, a slender Tai Shan thief was quietly navigating through the crowd, his small physique allowing him to move more swiftly. In no time, he approached a large group of people, carefully searching among them. As soon as he spotted the familiar face in the crowd, he immediately stepped forward to report.
"Big brother, a spy from the city has reported that it seems our plan has been discovered. County magistrate Zhu has already ordered a city-wide curfew, and the villagers from surrounding villages have been ordered to enter the city." The skinny Tai Mountain bandit said respectfully.
"Hmph! Big brother had already told Zang Ba and Sun Guan that there are only two thousand soldiers in Zhuba City, while we have eight thousand in Mount Tai. We can easily take Zhuba City by a direct assault, and then we will have control over the city's provisions, grain, and weaponry. But now, we have to listen to the foolish advice of Wu Dun and Yin Li, using some method to lure the snake out of its hole. And now, the whole city is under martial law. What should we do now?" someone next to him said angrily.
"That's right!" The other Tai Shan bandits on the side also began to complain.
"Big brother, it's up to you now. What should we do?" The skinny Tai Shan bandit looked at the middle-aged man with a goatee sitting in the center of the crowd, who had his eyes closed and was resting.

The bandits around Mount Tai suddenly fell silent and all looked at the one still sitting there.
"Wu Dun and Yin Li have been repeatedly beaten by Zhang Fei, what kind of plan could they have? Since they don't listen to my advice, I'm not interested in being associated with them. Since their plan is exposed, there's no need to waste any more time. Spread the word to the brothers, let's raid a nearby village and then return to Tai Shan County." The middle-aged man with a moustache patted the dust off his bottom and said.

"Yes! Big brother." The gang of thieves immediately raised their blades and cheered.
Not far from here, on a hillside, there was a large group of Taishan bandits resting. Among the crowd, there were four Taishan bandits wearing armor, and there were Taishan bandits standing behind them. The four people were Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Wu Dun, and Yin Li.
The Tai Shan thief, standing behind Sun Guan, informed the four of them that Chang Xian had singlehandedly led his men to clear out all the nearby villages.
"Those damn bandits, Chang Xian has acted on his own again!" Sun Guan raised an eyebrow and said.
"Ah! He has been doing this for more than just a couple of days, what can I do? Besides, our plan has been exposed. It's better for him to take people to clean up the village than for us to wait here foolishly!" Zang Ba looked at Wu Dun and Yin Li helplessly. He felt frustrated at this point, wondering why he had trusted the terrible idea they came up with."
Wu Dun and Yin Li blushed a bit.
Wu Dun, with a stiff expression, said, "How about we gather our forces and launch a strong attack on Zhu A?"
"Hmph! There are 2,000 people in Zhu A's city, although we have 8,000, we lack siege equipment, our brothers have no experience in attacking cities, and attacking the city will result in a large number of casualties. How about letting your men go first?" Sun Guan coldly snorted, and Wu Dun obediently closed his mouth.
“即使我们不能进攻祝阿，也埋伏到祝阿的人，我们还可以去偷袭他们矿场啊！”尹礼突然想起来向三人提议。
“他们矿场之前就被你两人一直骚扰，我们没来前就已经戒严了，而且年初的时候，程昱就在矿场四周建起了营寨，其中驻守士兵从来就没有低于过四千人，而且程昱派来守矿场的皆是久经沙场的精兵。”孙观摇了摇头。
At that moment, the four of them found themselves in a stalemate, looking at each other to see if someone would come up with a plan.
"How about we do what Chang Xin did and raid a village, destroy some fields, and then return to Taishan County," Zang Ba said helplessly.
"This is the only way for now, hurry up and get prepared!"
Dongping Ling
After a few days of rest, there is finally some activity in Dongping Ling City. The common people have resumed their normal life, but the city is facing a shortage of food and is relying on the support from Liu Bei's army.
Moreover, there is a shortage of government officials in the city, and all the major and minor affairs of the city have to be handled by Wang Mu and Liu Bei, which exhausts them.
"Lord, is there any news about the group of Yellow Turban bandits?" Gan Ning excitedly rushed into the county government office.
In the county government office, only Wang Mu was dozing off on the desk, while Liu Bei seemed to have disappeared to some unknown place to slack off.
"Oh..." Wang Mu waved his hand dismissively at Gan Ning.