219: Fangshan broke through the enemy lines, captured Zeng Rou, persuaded Tongzhou to surrender, accepted Yuan Yuan, gathered troops, and prepared for the new journey.

The morning mist at the capital outskirts horse farm hadn't dispersed yet, and the silver armor of the Black Armor Cavalry gleamed coldly in the morning light. Shuanger squatted in front of the supply pile, stuffing the last bag of jerky into a recruit's pack. Beside her, a bamboo basket held Detoxification Pills and trauma medicine, each tied with a red string for easy identification. "Brother Hui, I've marked the terrain of the Fangshan base on the map. The Qing Army has set up three tripwires at the entrance and hidden poison smoke canisters," she said, handing over a hand-drawn map and pointing to the bottom right corner. "There's a small cave here that leads to the back of the base; it was discovered by former members of Prince Mus Residence."

Just as Xie Hui took the map, he heard Songgotu's loud voice from behind. Clutching a small scale, he was gesturing toward a pile of newly forged sabers: "This blade has added steel. If melted down to make gold bracelets, it could make at least ten! Little Xie, once we take the Fangshan base, can this official inspect the armory first? There might be parts made of gold!"

"Put your scale away first!" Wei Xiaobao ran over, clutching that Russian saber. "Yesterday you wanted to sell the horses from the horse farm for silver, and today you're eyeing the armory. If you keep this up, I'll tell the Emperor you're embezzling military funds!"

Songgotu quickly hid the scale in his sleeve, smiling apologetically: "this official was just talking! For the sake of the anti-Qing cause, I can donate anything! It's just... during the inspection, I must be allowed to watch from the side to ensure not a single coin is missing, so as not to wrong Brother Mao's soul in heaven."

Tu Hai pulled the horse's reins, his silver armor particularly striking in the morning mist: "Brothers, set out! Black Armor Cavalry take the lead to break the tripwires; Xie Hui will take the recruits through the cave to flank them; Fang Yi will lead the Heaven and Earth Society brothers to guard the sides of the base, don't let any Qing Army escape!"

The troop marched grandly toward the Fangshan base and arrived at the perimeter shortly. From a distance, they could see the barbed wire at the base entrance with bells hanging on it, and three tripwires hidden in the grass, with the dark shadows of poison smoke canisters faintly visible. "Long'er, take ten veterans and use Lightness Skill to cut the bells, don't alert the people inside!" Xie Hui lowered his voice, pointing to a corner of the barbed wire.

Long'er responded, her toes tapping the ground as she dashed forward. With a gentle stroke of the black iron sword, a bell fell to the ground with a "ding." Before the Qing Army could react, she had already severed the three tripwires. But just as they were about to charge in, pale green poison smoke suddenly drifted out of the base, and several Qing soldiers rushed out wielding sabers, shouting: "Don't come closer! This poison smoke rots the skin on contact!"

The recruits quickly took out Detoxification Pills to hold in their mouths. Mu Jianping ran over pushing a medicine cart, distributing wet cloths soaked in detoxification powder to everyone: "Quickly cover your nose and mouth! This poison smoke is an old formula from the Divine Dragon Cult; my detoxification powder can protect us for half an hour!"

While they were in a standoff, a girl in a blue skirt suddenly ran out from the nearby woods, clutching an old account book, shouting frantically: "Don't force your way in! The main valve for the poison smoke is in the armory! I know the way!"

Xie Hui looked up and saw a girl with gentle features, the corners of the account book in her hand worn down. It was Zeng Rou, whom he had seen before in the Divine Dragon Cult armory—after the battle at the Main Altar last time, she had followed the Green Wood Hall brothers to Tongzhou. He hadn't expected to meet her here. "Miss Zeng? Why are you here?"

"I was captured by the Qing Army to manage the armory!" Zeng Rou ran over, her skirt stained with mud. "They forced me to modify the poison smoke formula. I secretly recorded the location of the main valve in the account book. Quick, follow me, or the poison smoke will spread to the surrounding villages!"

Xie Hui quickly had Long'er protect Zeng Rou while he led a few recruits toward the cave. The cave was narrow and dark, but Zeng Rou knew the way well, pointing to a crack in the rock ahead: "It's right here! There's a copper ring inside; pull it once and the poison smoke will stop!"

Xie Hui reached in and indeed felt a copper ring. With a forceful pull, the poison smoke outside instantly dissipated. Seeing the poison smoke was useless, the Qing Army tried to push out cannons, but Tu Hai had already led the Black Armor Cavalry in a charge. Their silver blades whistled through the air, and they seized the cannons in no short time. "Surrender and live!" Tu Hai's voice shook the base walls. Seeing the situation was hopeless, the Qing soldiers threw down their sabers and surrendered.

Zeng Rou stood at the base entrance, looking at the captured armaments, her eyes turning red: "These armaments were once under my management, and they actually used them to harm the common people... Big Brother Xie, I want to follow you and help you manage the armory, so no one can ever use these things for evil again."

Xie Hui nodded and pulled the cosmos ring from his robe: "Take this. From now on, you are one of us. If there's danger, hide inside the small universe. Shuanger manages the supplies; you work with her, it'll be a perfect match."

Zeng Rou took the ring, her fingertips brushing Xie Hui's hand. Her face instantly flushed, and she quickly followed Shuanger to inspect the armory. Songgotu leaned in, peeking at the account book in Zeng Rou's hand: "Miss Zeng, does the account book mention any gold? this official will help you inspect it, I guarantee not a penny will be missing!"

"Lord Suo, the account book records the quantity of armaments, there's no gold," Shuanger said with a smile, handing over a Sesame Cake. "Eat a cake to fill your stomach first. When we go to the Tongzhou base later, maybe you'll find the 'treasures' you're looking for."

Just as they finished tidying up the Fangshan base, the walkie-talkie rang. It was a brother from the Tongzhou branch of Green Wood Hall: "Brother Hui! The Qing commander at the Tongzhou base, Tiger Li, is a former subordinate of Wu Sangui. He has three thousand men and has captured Miss Chen Yuanyuan, saying he'll use her as a hostage to force us to retreat!"

"Chen Yuanyuan?" Xie Hui's heart tightened—he had saved her from the Divine Dragon Cult cellar before, and hadn't expected her to be captured by Tiger Li. "General Tu, you lead the Black Armor Cavalry to guard the Fangshan base. I will take Wei Xiaobao, Fang Yi, and Zeng Rou to Tongzhou. We must rescue Miss Chen!"

Everyone rode fast horses toward Tongzhou. On the way, Zeng Rou suddenly said: "I've dealt with Tiger Li before. He respects Miss Chen Yuanyuan the most. If Miss Chen persuades him to surrender, he might agree!"

Xie Hui's eyes lit up: "If we can persuade him to surrender, it'll save us a battle, and we'll gain three thousand more brothers to fight the Qing."

Arriving at the Tongzhou base, they saw from a distance a girl in a white dress tied up on the city wall tower. It was Chen Yuanyuan; her hair was messy, yet she still held her back straight, showing no fear. Tiger Li stood beside her, holding a saber: "Xie Hui! Don't come closer! One more step and I'll push Miss Chen off!"

"Tiger Li! Don't be impulsive!" Xie Hui reined in his horse. "Wu Sangui has already surrendered. There's no benefit in following him. Why not join us against the Qing? When the New Dynasty is established, you'll have a bright future!"

"I don't believe it!" Tiger Li stiffened his neck. "Wu Sangui was forced by you! I want to avenge him!"

"Revenge? Look at the people below!" Chen Yuanyuan suddenly spoke, her voice clear. "You guard the base while the Qing Army robs the people of their grain, and you do nothing. Now you want to use me as a hostage to harm more people. Is this the revenge you speak of? The Tiger Li I know is not such a person!"

Tiger Li froze, looking down at the people outside the base. Some were crying while looking for their children, others were picking up crops trampled by the Qing Army. His expression slowly changed. Chen Yuanyuan continued: "Big Brother Xie and the others fight the Qing to let the people live good lives, not for power or profit. If you are willing to surrender and follow them, you'll have a better future than following Wu Sangui!"

The saber in Tiger Li's hand slowly lowered. He suddenly untied Chen Yuanyuan and shouted to Xie Hui: "I surrender! But you must promise me not to harm the people in the base and to let me join you in fighting the Qing!"

Xie Hui quickly nodded: "No problem! From now on, you'll follow General Tu. The Black Armor Cavalry is just lacking brothers who know how to fight!"

Chen Yuanyuan walked down the city tower, her white dress stained with some dust, yet she was still dazzlingly beautiful. "Big Brother Xie, I was always used as a pawn before. It's wonderful to be able to help this time. I want to follow you and help you contact Wu Sangui's former subordinates. Most of them don't want to fight; they just have no one to lead them in surrendering."

"I couldn't ask for more!" Xie Hui handed over a cosmos ring. "From now on, you'll be with Zeng Rou and Shuanger. With their support, it will be more convenient to contact the former subordinates."

Songgotu ran over then, gesturing at the hem of Chen Yuanyuan's dress: "Miss Chen, this dress is Suzhou cloud brocade, isn't it? It's worth a lot of silver! If we took the patterns off and embroidered them onto this official's robes, it would surely be worth even more!"

"Lord Suo, stop eyeing my dress," Chen Yuanyuan said with a smile, handing over a small box. "This is an emerald hairpin Wu Sangui gave me before. It's worth fifty thousand taels of silver. I'm donating it as military funds for the anti-Qing cause. Go and count it."

Songgotu's eyes lit up, and he immediately took the box. Opening it, the emerald hairpin was a brilliant green. He quickly pulled out his small scale: "Fifty thousand taels? this official must weigh it! If it's more, it'll be considered this official's incense money for Brother Mao's Ancestral Shrine of Loyal Martyrs!"

Everyone was amused, and the atmosphere at the Tongzhou base instantly lightened. Shuanger and Zeng Rou began to inventory the base's supplies, while Fang Yi followed Tiger Li to reassure the surrendered Qing soldiers. Wei Xiaobao held the emerald hairpin donated by Chen Yuanyuan, bargaining with Songgotu: "I'm going to melt this hairpin down and make a gold bracelet for Miss Xiao Hong!"

"No! This is military funds!" Songgotu clutched the box to his chest. "If you're going to make one, wait until the anti-Qing cause succeeds and the Emperor rewards us with silver!"

Xie Hui stood on the city tower of the base, looking toward the capital in the distance, his heart full of stability—the two bases of Fangshan and Tongzhou had been taken, Zeng Rou and Chen Yuanyuan had joined, and three thousand surrendered soldiers had been added. The anti-Qing forces were growing stronger. Zeng Rou understood armaments, Chen Yuanyuan could contact former subordinates, Shuanger managed supplies, Fang Yi understood Heaven and Earth Society affairs, Long'er could fight, Tu Hai could lead troops, and there were jokers like Wei Xiaobao and Songgotu to lighten the mood. The goal of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and establishing the New Dynasty was drawing closer.

As the sun set, everyone began to pack up the Tongzhou base. The Black Armor Cavalry arrived from Fangshan to rendezvous. The surrendered soldiers followed Tiger Li in practicing saber techniques. Zeng Rou and Shuanger sorted the armaments into piles. Chen Yuanyuan was writing letters of persuasion to Wu Sangui's former subordinates. Songgotu squatted before a pile of silver, his small scale "ding-dinging" as he muttered: "How much silver can this emerald hairpin be exchanged for? If we add the grain and fodder from the Tongzhou base, how many troops can we recruit? At least five thousand..."

Xie Hui walked over and patted his shoulder: "Stop calculating. First, transport the supplies to the capital outskirts horse farm. Tomorrow we still have to attack the Shunyi base. Once we take all the outer bases, we'll march on the Forbidden City. At that time, never mind silver, you'll manage the military funds of the entire New Dynasty."

Songgotu immediately stood up and tucked the small scale into his robe: "Really? Then this official will go transport the supplies now! I guarantee they'll all be moved tonight, and won't delay attacking Shunyi tomorrow!"

As the night deepened, the lights of the Tongzhou base came on. The horse troop, laden with armaments and grain, hurried toward the capital outskirts horse farm. The sound of hooves on the bluestone slabs seemed to play music for the next step of the anti-Qing cause. Xie Hui sat on horseback, clutching his black iron sword, with Zeng Rou and Chen Yuanyuan by his side and a grand troop behind him. He knew that tomorrow's Shunyi base would be another step on the anti-Qing path, and this step would bring them closer to the New Dynasty—because they not only had troops and weapons but also a group of brothers and beauties willing to fight side by side, and a heart dedicated to the well-being of the people.