Chapter 22: Surrendering Already?

It was only after a long while that the mountain stronghold returned to silence.

Li Gui gathered the men and formed them into ranks. A careful count revealed a dozen or so minor injuries and four severely wounded—all of them simply unlucky. Upon discovering that Yushan would not accept their surrender, those desperate men had fought with the ferocity of the damned, causing some minor trouble for the Yushan forces. Yet, it was only trouble; the disparity in strength was far too vast for mere willpower to overcome.

The stronghold had no doctor. For those with minor wounds, proper disinfection to prevent infection was usually enough, but those who were severely wounded were essentially beyond saving. Li Gui could only do his best, ordering men to carry the severely injured back to the stronghold. Everyone knew they were merely waiting for death.

Why is it said that it is better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos? There is no mystery to it: in a prosperous era, the common folk still hold some measure of worth, but in times of chaos, life is as cheap as grass, and aside from one’s own kin, no one cares.

Next came the counting of merit. Without a quartermaster to track heads, Li Gui had to do it himself. Unable to follow every man to verify his kills, he used the most convenient method. He declared that all soldiers who participated would receive merit, starting at the first rank. He then had everyone raise their spears; those with blood-stained red tassels on their spearheads had their merit increased by one rank, while those with clean spears had their merit halved. Officers—including personal guards, battalion commanders, squad leaders, and platoon leaders—received an additional two ranks of merit, while drummers and gong-bearers had theirs halved.

Seeing this method of calculation, many beat their chests in regret. "Ah! If I had only known, I would have stabbed the corpses a few more times!" But gold cannot buy foresight; the battle was over, and there was no chance to sneak in extra blows now.

After recording everyone’s merit, Li Gui ordered them to pack up and return to the mountain. The men marched back to Yushan, triumphantly driving pigs and sheep, carrying chickens and ducks, and herding the women who would become their future wives, leaving a raging inferno in their wake.

People find it hard to learn what is good, but easy to learn what is evil. Once they had experienced killing and arson, they knew how to do it. Without needing Li Gui’s command, the men proactively burned the stronghold down. Having been taught about firebreaks by Li Gui previously, they had learned that lesson well, too. Watching his subordinates’ rapid progress, Li Gui did not know whether to feel gratified or to sigh.

Back at the stronghold, they held a grand celebration. The rule that the wounded should not drink alcohol was, in the eyes of these brawlers, utter nonsense. If a man couldn't drink after taking a blade, he might as well be dead!

By the time everyone was drunk, Li Gui waved his hand to signal the distribution of the women. Li Gui understood the allure; dozens of women stood in a row before the bonfire. Illuminated by the flames, they appeared as beautiful as flowers, making the tipsy men’s mouths go dry and their hearts pound. The atmosphere in the stronghold reached a fever pitch.

Li Gui stood before them, looking at the red-eyed men, and picked up the merit ledger, shouting their names: "Li the Seventh, Song Big-Head, Huang Wannian... come forward and choose first!"

These were the minor leaders of the stronghold. Though the others were itching with desire, they had to restrain themselves. The minor leaders, all bachelors, were already bursting with impatience. Upon hearing their names, they charged forward like tigers released from a cage, picking out the women with broad hips and full breasts—signs of fertility—sweeping them up and carrying them away on their shoulders.

"Damn those bastards!" Li Gui cursed. "As if they've never seen a woman in eight lifetimes!" He continued calling names. As the number of women on the square dwindled, the remaining men grew increasingly agitated. By the time all the women had been distributed, half the men were still empty-handed.

Liquor emboldened the cowards, and with their lust surging, they no longer cared that the man standing above them was a cold-blooded killer. They swarmed forward, shouting, "Brother! How is it that when it gets to our turn, there are no women left?" "It’s unfair, Brother! Why did they get to choose first, and we get the leftovers?"

Seeing the crowd turning rowdy, verging on mutiny, Li Gui drew his steel sword with a sharp ring and swung it through the air. The sight sent cold sweat pouring down the men's backs, sobering most of them instantly.

"Damned sons of bitches!" Li Gui roared. "You weren't this bold on the battlefield! Your spear tassels looked brand new, not a drop of blood on them! Everyone else earned at least one share of merit, but you lot only earned half! Instead of reflecting on your own failures, you dare to cause trouble in front of me? Do you think I don't dare to kill?"

Li Gui had known there wouldn't be enough women; he had allocated them based on the number of soldiers with a full share of merit or more. Once they were gone, only those with half-merit remained. Intimidated by Li Gui and publicly berated, the men sobered up and dared not complain further. Seeing the situation stabilized, Li Gui offered comfort:

"You spineless wretches! There are still several strongholds in the vicinity. As long as we take them, why worry about having no wives? Next time we attack, I'll let you go first. Are you satisfied?"

The men turned their anger to joy, kowtowing repeatedly with fawning flattery. "Many thanks to our magnanimous Brother! Next time, we shall be the first to charge into the stronghold; we won't stop until we've killed three or five men for you!" "Brother is truly a hero of our age; the bandits of Yishui County should rightfully have you sitting in the first chair!" "Indeed, we shall help Brother sweep away every stronghold and unite Yishui!"

Li Gui waved them off, scolding, "Enough with the empty talk! Words are useless! Rest tomorrow, and at dawn the day after, we march on Lotus Mountain."

"Why wait until the day after? We can set out tomorrow!" the men clamored, eager to strike under the cover of night to bring their women home sooner. Li Gui ignored them and went to his room to sleep.

The plan was simple: follow the order of the mountains, attacking them one by one until every stronghold in Yishui County was wiped out, at which point his military training would be complete.

However, things rarely go exactly as planned. At noon the next day, news arrived from the foot of the mountain that someone had come to "pay a visit." This was a rarity. Paying a visit was a traditional rule of the underworld, much like officials exchanging formal letters, but Li Gui, being new to the "profession," had yet to encounter it.

Driven by curiosity, Li Gui ordered his scouts to bring the guest up the mountain. Entering the Justice Hall for the first time, he sat in the central chair and gestured. A man was led into the hall. He was dressed in simple, worn, but clean attire, looking sharp and capable. Upon reaching the hall, he bowed respectfully and said, "My name is Yan Shan, Third Master of the Lotus Mountain Stronghold. I come under the orders of my Great Master, Brother Huang Sicheng."

"Brother Li has conquered both the Su and Pen Mountain strongholds consecutively. Your bravery is unmatched; you are a true hero of our time. My Brother has always admired heroes and is willing to bring the entire stronghold to join yours. We wish to merge Lotus Mountain and Yushan, and recognize Brother Li as our master, asking only for a seat of our own at Yushan."