Chapter 20: Taking Over the Rear Camp

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The Rear Camp was the closest to the Archer Camp, and it took Liu Heng less than fifteen minutes to arrive there.

Now that the Rear Camp had lost its leader, morale began to waver. Each minor chief harbored their own ambitions. No one patrolled by day or night, and the entire camp was completely unguarded.

As soon as Liu Heng entered the Rear Camp, he said to Yang Yuan, "Take your men and gather everyone in the Rear Camp to the open ground in front of the command tent. If anyone refuses to come, you have my permission to execute them on the spot."

"Yes." Yang Yuan responded and led a squad of newly recruited bandits and archers away.

Liu Heng brought the remaining group of new recruits to the front of the Rear Camp's command tent.

Before long, scattered groups of bandits were driven to the open space in front of the tent.

When the last dozen or so bandits were brought over, Yang Yuan hurried up to Liu Heng and said, "Except for a few under Zheng Daqiu, everyone from the Rear Camp is here."

Liu Heng nodded.

As for Zheng Daqiu’s men, he didn’t even need to ask. Most of them had likely died last night. Even if some had miraculously escaped Ma Yunjiu’s cavalry, they probably wouldn’t dare return to the bandit camp.

"Liu Heng, what do you mean? Do you really think you’re the leader of the Rear Camp? You’re just like us—a minor chief in this camp. Why should we let you gather us like this?" It was Guo San, one of the minor chiefs of the Rear Camp, who spoke up.

He was on good terms with Zheng Daqiu and had been the one who bullied Liu Heng the most, so he had always looked down on him.

Liu Heng smiled coldly at Guo San and said calmly, "You’re right. From today on, I am the leader of the Rear Camp, the head of this camp."

"Pah! You’re a so-called leader." Guo San spat heavily on the ground and cast a sidelong glance at Liu Heng. "Don’t think we’re fools. Just yesterday, Shi Dagui appointed Zheng Daqiu as the leader of the Rear Camp."

Liu Heng gave Guo San a glance and replied, "Zheng Daqiu is already dead. I, Liu Heng, am now the leader of the Rear Camp."

"Who are you trying to fool?" Guo San scoffed. "Yesterday, Zheng Daqiu led two hundred men given by Shi Dagui to take Old Ma away. We all saw it with our own eyes. How could he be dead? Did you kill him? Haha, what a joke. Liu Da Muto, if you had that ability, how come I never heard of it?"

"Yeah! We saw Zheng Daqiu leave the camp with two hundred men."

"Liu Heng, we know you want to compete for the position of leader of the Rear Camp with Zheng Daqiu, but you can’t lie. That’s a force of several hundred. Unless the imperial army shows up, who could kill Zheng Daqiu?"

"Liu Heng, I advise you to go back to the Archer Camp. Zheng Daqiu will not spare you when he returns."

Among the gathered bandits of the Rear Camp, there were all sorts of voices, but none believed Liu Heng’s claim.

Liu Heng, however, was not angry about this.

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Zheng Daqiu had died last night; the news just hadn’t spread to the Rear Camp yet. By afternoon, everyone in the camp would likely know of his death.

But Liu Heng didn’t intend to wait that long. He had come to incorporate the Rear Camp under his command. Whether the bandits there accepted him or not mattered little to him. With several hundred new recruits under his control, the bandits of the Rear Camp were nothing to him. He was here only to claim the title of leader of the Rear Camp.

"It seems none of you accept me as the leader of the Rear Camp!" Liu Heng’s gaze swept over the crowd, especially lingering on the minor chiefs.

"Of course we don’t accept it." Guo San spoke again. "Without Shi Dagui’s permission, how can you be the head of the camp? I want the position myself, right, brothers?"

"That’s right."

"I want to be the head too!"

"Brothers, who wants to be the leader?"

"I do!"

Incited by Guo San, the bandits began to shout and bicker loudly.

Suddenly, a feathered arrow shot swiftly and accurately pierced Guo San’s unguarded throat, burying the entire arrowhead inside.

Guo San clutched his throat, blood oozing between his fingers. He opened his mouth to speak, but only blood foam emerged.

He stretched out a hand toward Liu Heng, but before it could reach him, he collapsed heavily to the ground, motionless, with blood still flowing along the arrow shaft.

At this sudden scene, all the bandits fell silent immediately. The minor chiefs looked particularly grim.

The killer was an archer beside Liu Heng, but the order had come from Liu Heng himself.

One minor chief couldn’t help but step forward and accuse, "Liu Heng, what do you mean? Guo San was one of the camp’s chiefs. How can you kill him?"

"Yeah, why did you kill him?"

Liu Heng’s brow furrowed, and he said coldly, "I didn’t come here to negotiate. I came to inform you—from today on, I am the leader of the Rear Camp. Those who refuse to submit will either share Guo San’s fate or leave the camp."

"Archers, ready!" Yang Yuan raised his right arm.

The archers loaded their arrows and pulled their bows taut, aiming at the bandits gathered before the command tent. The new recruits also raised their wooden spears toward the bandits.

Many of the bandits in front of the tent trembled with fear, and the minor chiefs’ faces darkened severely.

"I’ll count to three. State your choice… One." Liu Heng raised one finger.

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"… Two."

"I support Liu, the great leader, as our Rear Camp chief." Before Liu Heng could reach three, someone stood up.

The minor chief who had criticized Liu Heng earlier scowled and said, "Chen Daqing, what are you doing? Aren’t you afraid Zheng Daqiu will come back for revenge?"

"Afraid of what?" Chen Daqing replied. "Liu, the great leader, already said Zheng Daqiu is dead."

The chief retorted, "What do you know? Zheng Daqiu has two hundred men given by Shi Dagui and the backing of Shi Dagui himself. Who can kill him? Don’t be foolish."

Chen Daqing sneered, "Whether Zheng Daqiu is dead or not, I don’t respect him. He’s nothing but a sycophant. How else could he have become a minor chief? No skill, yet he wants to be the leader of the Rear Camp. I, Chen Daqing, do not accept him."

"You..." The minor chief wanted to argue further but was stopped by someone nearby.

"He’s asking for death; why bother?"

"Three." Liu Heng raised three fingers. "Are you staying, leaving, or meeting the same fate as the dead Guo San?"

After a moment, the minor chiefs exchanged glances. One said, "We choose to leave. But Liu Heng, don’t think you’ve secured the position of leader of the Rear Camp. Shi Dagui won’t let this go when he hears about it."

With that, the minor chiefs turned and began walking away from the camp.

They had barely taken a few steps when Liu Heng’s new recruits blocked their path with wooden spears.

One minor chief’s face darkened. "Liu Heng, what do you mean? Are you going back on your word?"

"Let them go." Liu Heng waved his hand, and the recruits parted to let the minor chiefs leave.

Aside from these few minor chiefs, none of the other bandits in the Rear Camp followed them, including the chiefs’ own men, which made the departing chiefs look even more displeased.

"Those who support Liu Heng as chief will regret it sooner or later!" one minor chief said angrily.

Not long after leaving the Rear Camp, these minor chiefs encountered a troop approaching in their direction.