The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 037 Attention

After the origin of Wang Er's name was explained, everyone burst into laughter.

However, since they are all family, the laughter was entirely good-natured and not meant to be mocked.

Moreover, Wang Er himself didn't care too much, since he knew the origin of the name. He chuckled a few times and changed the subject.

"King Chuang, Brother Li!" Wang Er clasped his hands in greeting to Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing, saying, "It is my great fortune to meet you two. Now that I have joined the group, I hope you two brothers will take good care of me in the future."

"No problem, no problem, we're all brothers, no need to distinguish between us."

Wang Er smiled and nodded, then asked, "Just now, Chuang Wang said that the rebel army was heading north to Fugu to join forces with the rebels there?"

"Exactly!" Gao Yingxiang nodded, then took the initiative to explain to Wang Er the decision he and Li Wanqing had discussed, and analyzed the reasons for going north to Fugu.

After listening carefully to Gao Yingxiang's explanation, Wang Er suddenly understood and admired Gao Yingxiang's insight and judgment even more.

In his view, Gao Yingxiang's reputation and prestige were truly well-deserved, making him a formidable leader. He had initially thought that Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing's northward journey was merely to avoid the government troops, but he hadn't expected such a scheme.

It seems that my decision to go north to seek refuge was the right one. Otherwise, with just a surge of enthusiasm and the team I had built, I might have been wiped out by the government at any time.

Now that he was following Gao Yingxiang's team, the future path was much clearer, and he had even become the third-in-command of the rebel army, which made Wang Er even more excited.

Then Wang Er couldn't help but ask again whether they should continue north and reach Fugu as soon as possible.

At this moment, Gao Yingxiang hesitated for a moment, glanced at everyone, and said, "Originally, I was going to discuss the matter of stabilization with Brother Li Xian tomorrow, but now that Brother Wang Er is here, why don't we discuss it together?"

"Why not?" Li Wanqing nodded with a smile. Wang Er looked on with anticipation.

Gao Yingxiang immediately stated that he planned to attack Anding County, take it for a short rest, and then head north. After saying this, he asked for everyone's opinion.

Zhou Lun's expression remained unchanged upon hearing these words, but he felt somewhat worried.

Li Wanqing had already told Wang Er about this matter before Wang Er arrived. At the time, Zhou Lun was against it and even planned to persuade Li Wanqing to express his different opinion.

In his view, although Anding County was not a prefectural capital, it was still a county, and its size was not small in the local area. Although Anding only had two city gates, east and west, the city had a population of tens of thousands. In addition, it was not far from Anzhai to the south. Gao Yingxiang had caused a great uproar in Anzhai before, and neighboring Anding had probably already learned about it and taken precautions.

Moreover, after Gao Yingxiang's troops and Li Wanqing's forces merged, the two combined forces numbered over two thousand men. Their march to this point made it impossible to conceal their movements. Any magistrate in Anding, unless he was a fool, would naturally have received the news and taken precautions. With their current strength, breaking through Anding and capturing the city wouldn't be easy.

Now Wang Er's forces have joined, bringing their total to around a thousand men. The three divisions combined have over three thousand men, seemingly a large and powerful force, but their actual fighting strength is questionable. Attacking Anding appears promising on the surface, but the chances of success are slim. Regardless, Zhou Lun doesn't want to fight.

But now the situation has changed.

If it were only Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing's forces, and Li Wanqing expressed opposition, Gao Yingxiang wouldn't have much of a chance of success attacking Anding alone, and the matter might just fizzle out. If Li Wanqing then followed Zhou Lun's advice and persuaded Gao Yingxiang to bypass Anding County and attack only the surrounding towns and villages, starting with the local powerful families, the chances of success would be much greater.

The problem is that Wang Er has now arrived.

Moreover, Wang Er is clearly a huge fan of Gao Yingxiang, a complete "little fanboy." In Wang Er's eyes, whatever Gao Yingxiang says is right, even his farts smell good.

In this situation, with Wang Er's natural support, Li Wanqing's influence was not as strong as before. Moreover, in this rebel army, Gao Yingxiang was not only the nominal leader, but also, with Wang Er's addition, he implicitly held absolute initiative.

With a sigh, Zhou Lun felt a pang of regret. He never imagined that Wang Er's appearance would disrupt the previous balance between the two sides. With the addition of a third party, Gao Yingxiang's strength increased, while Li Wanqing's side weakened.

Gao Yingxiang explained to everyone why he wanted to attack Anding County.

On the one hand, the attack on Anding was intended to boost morale, train troops, and consolidate the combat capabilities of the merged rebel army.

On the other hand, there was the issue of supplies. Although they had rested in Bao'an for two days and Gao Yingxiang had received provisions from Li Wanqing, the supplies available to the entire unit were not yet sufficient.

At the current marching speed, the two units, totaling over two thousand men, consume a considerable amount of food daily for both men and horses. Without replenishment, they might run out of food halfway through the journey.

While it's possible to plunder towns and villages and acquire resources by attacking wealthy local families, how much wealth can these families actually possess? These methods don't address the fundamental problem. Only by capturing a county and seizing the official granaries and the assets of the city's rich can the problem be truly solved.

In addition, Wang Er's arrival is also a problem.

Wang Er's troops marched north, but by the time they reached this point, they had run out of food. Even with the aid of Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing, their already scarce provisions had become even more meager. Running out of food was a major crisis; without supplies, the rebel army would collapse without the need for government troops to suppress them, and they would be finished. Gao Yingxiang had to consider this issue and dared not be careless in the slightest.

More importantly, Gao Yingxiang also planned to use the military operation to attack Anding to firmly grasp the real command of the rebel army, while enhancing his own influence and preparing for the further expansion of the rebel army's strength.

Therefore, Gao Yingxiang, who already harbored the intention to establish stability, had this idea intensified after Wang Er's arrival. In his view, establishing stability had only benefits and no drawbacks, so it should be done as soon as possible.

"Good! Good! Good!"

As soon as Gao Yingxiang finished speaking, Wang Er immediately agreed, his eyes gleaming, and without a second thought, he agreed to Gao Yingxiang's plan to attack Anding.

Seeing the excited Wang Er, Gao Yingxiang smiled with satisfaction.

This kid looks effeminate, but I didn't expect him to have such a fiery temper. But that's normal; if he didn't have this kind of temper, Wang Er wouldn't have been able to just grab a woodcutter's knife and rush into the county government office to behead the magistrate. Gao Yingxiang felt that such a brave, daring, and obedient rebel leader was simply sent by God to help him.

"Brother, what do you think?" Gao Yingxiang asked Li Wanqing with a smile.

Li Wanqing did not immediately agree, but instead frowned slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

"King Chuang," Li Wanqing said, clasping his hands in a fist salute after organizing his thoughts. "What you said earlier, King Chuang, does have some merit, but An Ding has probably already made preparations. Once the city closes its gates and holds firm, it won't be so easy for our rebel army to take it by force..."

"Brother Li, you're wrong about that. How can you boost the enemy's morale while diminishing your own?" Before Gao Yingxiang could speak, Wang Er interjected, dissatisfied. "Why attack Anding? Chuang Wang just explained it clearly. Besides, if we continue east, we must first pass Anding before we can head north. Anding is blocking the rebel army's path. If we can't take it, once we pass Anding, the government troops will gather there and pursue us directly from behind. If government troops then block our way from the front, wouldn't that ruin our grand plan to march north?"

He paused, then raised his voice a few decibels: "Furthermore, once we capture Anding and obtain the city's grain, supplies, and weapons, the rebel army will have no worries about its rear. Our strength will increase significantly, and our northward advance will be much more certain. How can you see such a good thing as a risk? What in this world doesn't involve some risk? Especially since we're engaged in a major rebellion, killing officials! How can we succeed with such cowardice and fear of trouble?"

Wang Er's words delighted Gao Yingxiang. If Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun hadn't been there, he would have given Wang Er a thumbs up.

"What are you saying, Chief Wang?" Before Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing could speak, Zhou Lun, who had been silent until now, retorted: "If my elder brother were a coward, he wouldn't have started a rebellion in the first place. Attacking Anding does have its advantages, and as for what those advantages are, the King of Chuang just explained them clearly, and we all heard them clearly. The key is to take Anding, but military affairs are never guaranteed to be successful. How can my elder brother be called 'cowardly'? He is simply being cautious."

As he spoke, Zhou Lun ignored Wang Er. In his view, Wang Er was nothing but a brute, and a brute at that, one who unconditionally supported Gao Yingxiang. There was no point in arguing with someone like him; the key issue was still Gao Yingxiang.

Zhou Lun bowed to Gao Yingxiang and said, "King Chuang, my elder brother's meaning is very clear: if this matter is to be done, we must consider it thoroughly. We must not only think about the benefits of taking Anding, but also anticipate the consequences if we fail to take it."

"Chuang Wang, don't forget that you once attacked Anzhai. Anzhai is also a county town, and you know better than us whether it's easy or difficult to attack. Although our rebel army currently has a large number of men, we lack equipment and have no experience in attacking cities. Once Anzhai is firmly defended, it won't be easy for us to take it down with our strength."

He straightened his back, and his voice became steady: "The art of war says... He who wins a battle before it is fought has many calculations in his favor; he who loses a battle before it is fought has few calculations in his favor. Many calculations lead to victory, few calculations lead to defeat, and what about those who have no calculations at all! By observing this, I can see the outcome of the battle."

Zhou Lun said solemnly, "In that case, I urge King Chuang to reconsider. If we really have to fight, we need to make preparations in advance and plan our retreat, so as not to be caught in a dilemma when we are unable to take the city."

When Zhou Lun said this, Wang Er and the others were completely confused and had no idea what he meant by his rambling.

But Gao Yingxiang understood.

He couldn't help but stare intently at Zhou Lun.

Although Gao Yingxiang had known Zhou Lun for a long time and knew that he was Li Wanqing's sworn brother and the second-in-command of Li Wanqing's troops, and that Zhou Lun had played a significant role in Li Wanqing's capture of Bao'an County, he had never taken Zhou Lun seriously.

In his view, Zhou Lun, this young man, only became the second-in-command because of his relationship with Li Wanqing. He didn't care about the young man's abilities or capabilities. He believed the true core of Li Wanqing's faction was simply Li Wanqing himself. Not to mention Zhou Lun, Li Shoutian, Wang Tieniu, and the others were all the same.

But now, Zhou Lun's words made Gao Yingxiang realize for the first time that his previous judgment might have been wrong.

This seemingly unremarkable young man is actually quite extraordinary.

He started spouting Sun Tzu's Art of War, and he did it so eloquently. In particular, his words hit the nail on the head, which greatly surprised Gao Yingxiang and also aroused his great interest in Zhou Lun.