Chapter 35: Camp Mutiny

In the month of June, the sky was already bright by the hour of the rabbit.

Liu Heng had arranged for the group to light fires and cook at the second quarter of the hour of the tiger, and as the morning sun began to rise, the group broke camp and set off.

Chen Xunping, who had slept for less than four hours, looked at Liu Heng with a face full of resentment and said, "There is no need to rush like this; the sky has only just brightened."

Liu Heng, walking at the front of the column, replied, "I never feel at ease while the group remains here at the border between Yangyuan and the Tiancheng Garrison. It is better for everyone to endure a little hardship than to lose their lives."

"Does the Chief mean you are worried that the imperial troops of the Tiancheng Garrison will come to hunt us down?" Zhao Yutu chimed in.

Chen Xunping curled his lip and said, "That shouldn't be the case. The imperial troops suffered a major loss at our hands yesterday, and Shi Yunhu still has six or seven hundred men. The imperial troops cannot clear the area that quickly. Even if they intended to send troops to pursue us, they would have to finish off Shi Yunhu first before dealing with us."

"I also believe the imperial troops will not come so soon," Zhao Yutu added. "Yangyuan County is under the jurisdiction of Xuanfu, while the Tiancheng Garrison belongs to Datong Prefecture. For the Tiancheng Garrison troops to come to Yangyuan to hunt us down would be crossing jurisdictions to suppress bandits. Just the official paperwork alone would take more than a day or two to process."

Li Shuheng, who had returned after inspecting the various sections of the group, said, "I support Liu Heng. There is nothing wrong with setting off early. We cannot pin our hopes on the imperial troops; if they really do catch up, it will be too late for us to leave then."

Chen Xunping waved his arm forcefully and said, "If they catch up, we won't fear them. We'll just fight the bastards directly."

Li Shuheng's face sank as he said, "Shut your mouth. Remember, the leader of this group is Liu Heng. We can offer suggestions, but we must not question Liu Heng's decisions."

Hearing this, Chen Xunping sheepishly lowered his raised arm, and Zhao Yutu lowered his head in silence.

Liu Heng smiled at Li Shuheng from the side, saying nothing. Li Shuheng’s words were exactly what he had been thinking. Others could offer suggestions, but they could not question his authority. Since Li Shuheng had already said it for him, he did not need to emphasize it further.

After a night of rest, everyone was in high spirits. Having finished breakfast not long ago, their physical energy was at its peak, and the group's pace was even faster than the day before.

Shortly after Liu Heng and his men departed and moved south, the sound of a military assembly drum echoed from an imperial camp on the north side of Quanliang Mountain.

After the first round of drumming, only Huang An, Battalion Commander Zheng, and a few company commanders stood on the assembly platform; only a handful of soldiers appeared in the open space below.

"Sound the second assembly drum," Huang An shouted to the soldier beating the drum.

Boom! Boom-boom... Boom-boom-boom-boom!

Following the second round of drumming, a straggling group of soldiers emerged from the camp, yawning and dragging their spears along the ground as they made their way toward the assembly platform.

After the third round of drumming, the final few soldiers finally arrived, slowly adjusting their uniforms as they approached the platform.

Huang An had not expected these soldiers to assemble after only one or two rounds of drumming. He was already satisfied that all the men had gathered after three rounds.

"Commander Zheng, the soldiers are mostly here. Should we set off south to suppress the bandits?" Huang An turned to look at Battalion Commander Zheng beside him.

Ever since returning from the Commander-in-Chief’s camp, Huang An had relayed the orders to Battalion Commander Zheng, which was why the assembly drums had been sounded this morning.

Before Commander Zheng could speak, one of the company commanders interjected, "Lord Huang, isn't it a bit too early to set off? The brothers haven't eaten yet. Even if we are suppressing bandits, there is no need to rush. Let the brothers fill their bellies first; we cannot suppress bandits on empty stomachs."

Several other company commanders nodded in agreement.

Huang An smiled and said, "Do not worry about breakfast. I have already arranged for it to be prepared. Each soldier will get a piece of coarse grain flatbread, which can be eaten slowly on the march without delaying our progress."

"Lord Huang, that is not how it works. If the brothers are not well-fed, they will have no strength to march," another company commander said. "If you don't let the men eat their fill, it is easy to trigger a mutiny on the road. Lord Huang, please be lenient and let the men eat and drink their fill before pursuing the outlaws."

Another company commander added, "Lord Huang might not know, but these soldiers are extremely difficult to manage. It is fine on normal days, but once it comes to marching and fighting, if they aren't fed well, they won't put in any effort. We fear that if we encounter the outlaws, they will run away before the fighting even starts."

Hearing these excuses, Huang An furrowed his brows.

He was aware of what these company commanders were saying, but the Commander-in-Chief was pressing hard; otherwise, he would not have called for an assembly at the crack of dawn.

Just as Huang An was in a dilemma, Commander Zheng finally spoke: "Lord Huang, I think we should let the soldiers eat first. You and I both come from military backgrounds; we know better than anyone what these soldiers are like. If we don't let them eat and drink well, they will never be willing to risk their lives for us."

Since even Commander Zheng said so, Huang An knew he had to yield to the majority. Although he was anxious and worried that the outlaws would take the opportunity to escape, he knew that excessive pressure could easily trigger a mutiny, and the company commanders had already shown their dissatisfaction.

However, he was unwilling to let the soldiers disperse now, so he ordered his personal guards to have the food brought directly to the assembly platform.

Soon, baskets of coarse grain flatbread were carried up and distributed to each soldier.

The soldiers at the back watched as those in front ate, but it was not their turn yet. Some grew impatient and left the ranks to grab bread from the baskets. Seeing this, others followed suit.

Within moments, the area around the baskets was packed with people. The weaker soldiers were pushed to the back, while the stronger ones stuffed their mouths with bread while clutching more in their hands.

When some took more, others went without. The baskets were emptied in no time. The soldiers who had not received any bread saw others eating and, without a word, began to snatch it from them.

With everyone grabbing and fighting, the entire camp quickly descended into chaos.

Witnessing this scene, Huang An and Commander Zheng’s faces darkened, and the company commanders also looked grim.

"What the hell are you standing there for? Go and break up these mutinous soldiers! If the camp riot gets any worse, none of us are getting out of here alive!" Huang An ordered his personal guards to suppress the rioting soldiers.

Not only Huang An, but Commander Zheng also dispatched his guards to drive back the soldiers who were brawling.

The company commanders did not stand idle either; they charged into the crowd, wielding whips and scabbards to beat the soldiers who were still fighting.

A few soldiers, having lost their minds, tried to fight back against the guards and commanders, only to be executed on the spot. Blood flowed across the ground, and a pungent, metallic scent filled the air.

The terror of blood and severed heads worked. The soldiers who had been fighting gradually calmed down, and without needing further force, they retreated to the sides, behaving as meekly as quails.

It had taken more than half an hour from the start of the brawl to the restoration of order, and the sunlight on the ground had become even brighter.

With the camp riot suppressed, Commander Zheng looked at Huang An with a sour expression. "Lord Huang, I will report this to the Commander-in-Chief. It was your forced departure that led to this riot."

A camp riot was a serious matter; if handled poorly, heads would roll. Commander Zheng was determined not to take the blame.

Huang An’s face was bitter. He had only wanted to get the soldiers fed and on the road, never imagining that a riot would occur.

At this point, let alone pursuing the outlaws, if he could not resolve the aftermath of this riot, his position as a fourth-rank Assistant Regional Commander would be at an end.