Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 464 The End of a Tycoon

What came down from the mountain was not a wild beast, but Lin San, who had volunteered to go into the mountain.

He and his guards hastily ate some dry rations, drank a few sips of water, and plunged into Laoshan. Finding Gao Yingxiang and his group, who had entered the mountains half an hour earlier, in this hundred-mile-long mountain range would normally be like finding a needle in a haystack. However, the marks left by the spy Yu Bao along the way were the most accurate navigation. Following these marks, Lin San didn't take any detours and caught up with Gao Yingxiang's group almost exactly along their original route.

Most of the guards were former bandit soldiers. Their years of experience hunting in the mountains with dogs made them traverse mountains and valleys as if they were on flat ground. How could Gao Yingxiang and others from the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi compare to these Li people in the jungles of the south? The guards arrived late but caught up with their target on the fifth hill.

Liu Zhe stood on the mountaintop with twenty men, smiling as he said to them, "Show us your bows and arrows. We have a commanding view from above. This mountain path is steep and narrow, truly a place where one man can hold off ten thousand. Taking on ten men by ourselves is no problem."

These people were initially uneasy, but after hearing Liu Zhe's words, they felt somewhat better. They encouraged each other, drew their bows, and aimed their arrows at the path leading up the mountain.

After comforting them, Liu Zhe turned around and revealed a tragic expression: no matter how many soldiers he could take down with him, he would only end up dead anyway, so he would use this life to repay the kindness of the rebel king.

Several heads gradually emerged from the rugged mountain path. The refugees at the rear sneered, drew their bows, aimed at the unfortunate fellows, and prepared to shoot their arrows. Just as the arrows were about to leave the bowstrings, the refugees were surprised to find that these people were as agile as rabbits, darting up the mountain in a few swift movements, a stark contrast to their own sluggish ascent.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Liu Zhe shouted, "Shoot the arrows quickly, don't just stand there!"

As if waking from a dream, everyone loosened their grip on the bowstring. Arrows flew towards the agile soldiers, who skillfully used the trees for cover, dodging the arrows. Only a few were unable to dodge in time and were injured.

The refugees, caught off guard by the soldiers' agility in the mountains, panicked and hastily prepared to fire a second arrow. However, the enemy seemed determined not to give them the chance. The soldiers, having dodged the arrows, held a peculiar short gun in both hands and, while running, pulled the trigger, firing into the mountains.

The sound of gunfire echoed through the valley, and the refugees who were drawing their bows and arrows were caught off guard and fell to the ground one after another. Immediately afterwards, more and more red figures appeared on the mountain path, quickly approaching the top of the mountain.

Seeing the dense crowd below the mountain, Liu Zhe felt utterly hopeless. These people possessed excellent short guns, were skilled at traversing the mountains, and numbered in large numbers. It seemed that even if he risked his life, it would be difficult to buy the King of Rebels time to escape. He shouted and charged towards the crowd with his steel sword.

"Bang bang bang," more intense gunfire rang out, and Liu Zhe, riddled with bullets, fell into a pool of blood.

The sound of gunfire reached the ears of Gao Yingxiang and his men, who had just arrived at the foot of the mountain. Everyone was stunned. The soldiers were carrying long and heavy bird guns that were cumbersome to load and fire. How could they possibly use them effectively in this dense forest?

Before they could figure it out, the leaves on the mountain rustled and people were making noise, it looked like a large group of people were rushing down the mountain.

Gao Yingxiang's heart sank. Just how many soldiers had come? How could Liu Zhe not even last the time it takes for an incense stick to burn?

Huang Long said dejectedly, "Liu Zhe is a complete waste. He volunteered to cover the rear, but he'll probably be taken care of in one fell swoop..."

"Shut up!" Gao Yingxiang stopped him, waving his hand forward. "The soldiers are coming very fast. There's no time to escape. Quickly find a place that's easy to defend and difficult to attack."

The pursuers were much faster than Gao Yingxiang and his group in descending the mountain. In the blink of an eye, they had reached the mountainside from the summit, and the sound of voices still echoing from the top indicated that there were many more of them, at least several times their number. Huang Long and the others dared not waste any more words and followed Gao Yingxiang as they ran.

The noise behind them grew louder, the footsteps more frequent, and the distance closer. Terrified, they pushed forward with all their might, ignoring the stinging pain of branches and vines whipping their bodies and faces. Thorns frequently tore at their clothes and skin, and some were tripped by vines, unable to get up for a long time. Only after they had run far away did they hear the screams of those who had fallen behind them.

After running for a mile, Gao Yingxiang saw a cave with half of its entrance covered by vines. Without thinking twice, he plunged inside, and the others followed suit.

The cave was damp, with water droplets constantly dripping from the ceiling. By the light streaming in from the entrance, they could see it was a karst cave, with stalactites hanging everywhere, but it was pitch black inside, making it impossible to see the path. Huang Long lit a tinderbox to illuminate the way ahead and discovered that the passageway near the entrance was rather narrow, only wide enough for a dozen or so people to pass through, but it gradually widened inside and seemed to have no end.

Gao Yingxiang made a quick decision and ordered, "Huang Long, take fifty men and use the terrain to guard this passage. The rest of you, follow me into the cave." In his opinion, this cave might have an exit leading to the other side of the mountain. If Huang Long could hold off the pursuers for a few incense sticks' time, he might be able to completely escape their pursuit.

Huang Long never expected this unfortunate task to fall on his shoulders. He wanted to refuse, but under the weight of the rebel king's years of accumulated power, he dared not speak. He hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the more than two hundred men around Gao Yingxiang who were watching him menacingly. He sighed and reluctantly replied, "Yes, sir."

Seeing that he obeyed the order, Gao Yingxiang breathed a sigh of relief and took the lead into the cave, with the others following closely behind.

The group walked a mile or two further in, the terrain becoming increasingly lower and more slippery, the water droplets falling from above becoming denser, and the sound of rushing water could be heard ahead, yet no light shone in. Gao Yingxiang grew increasingly uneasy; if there was no other entrance, wouldn't they be committing suicide?

When an underground river appeared before him, Gao Yingxiang completely gave up hope. Water flows downhill, so the underground river naturally wouldn't flow to the surface; it must be flowing deep underground, and there wouldn't be any more entrances ahead.

At that moment, shouts came faintly from behind. Gao Yingxiang gripped the hilt of his knife alertly and turned to look back.

By the light of the tinderbox, Huang Long's face appeared in front of him. He said with great joy, "King Chuang, good news! The soldiers are moving fast and did not find this cave entrance. They went straight ahead. I sent someone to keep watch at the cave entrance. As long as we go out of the cave and turn back, we can shake off these soldiers."

Everyone was overjoyed and cheered. Gao Yingxiang felt that things were too coincidental and was a little suspicious, but there was no way out if they stayed in the cave, so he might as well go out and take a look. He said calmly, "Thank you for your hard work. Lead the way."

Following the path they had come from, Huang Long emerged first and shouted, "The soldiers have indeed gone far away! King Chuang, you can come out now!"