The crack of flintlocks shattered the rebel lines in an instant.
These Henan rebels had joined the main rebel army less than a year ago. Green as spring grass, their combat ability was pitiful, their morale even worse. If not for veterans like the Rebel King and the Dashing General holding things together, they would still be scattering at the mere sight of imperial banners.
Back in the early Chongzhen years, a few hundred imperial soldiers had dared to chase tens of thousands of rebels across the plains.
That same truth applied here.
Yi Dou Gu and Wa Guanzi barely heard a few sharp bang, bang, bang ahead before the rebel formation completely collapsed.
"Run—!"
"They're firing—!"
"We can't hold—!"
Panic exploded through the ranks.
The front line crashed into the rear. The rear shoved the sides. Fear spread like falling tiles. In the blink of an eye, every rebel soldier went from charging to fleeing.
Yi Dou Gu hadn't even finished cursing "Damn it!" when the rout slammed into him, forcing him to retreat as well—otherwise, he'd be trampled by his own men.
Wa Guanzi relied on his nimble footwork, sprinting like a rabbit while shouting curses over his shoulder.
"Damn it all! So flintlocks really are this terrifying?!"
Yi Dou Gu kept pace beside him, panting hard.
"Bloody hell… I never imagined they'd be this effective. No wonder the Dashing General heard flintlock troops were coming and immediately bolted south. And here we were—idiots—staying behind to be targets."
The two men fled south as if flying, dragging a massive tide of Henan rebels along with them.
Li Daoxuan switched his co-sensing to the reconnaissance hot-air balloon.
From above, he saw a dense black tide surging southward—routed troops scattering like ants after their nest had been smashed.
Not every one of them was a hardened bandit.
Many were ordinary Henan commoners—farmers driven to desperation by floods and droughts, forced into rebellion just to survive.
Their will to fight was low. During the charge, many had hidden at the back. They hadn't taken much flintlock fire. Now, fleeing, they couldn't run very fast either—unlike the "main rebel forces," they hadn't been eating well. They simply didn't have the stamina.
Li Daoxuan switched his co-sensing back to the ground and gave a calm order:
"Pursue them. Capture all slow-running rebels alive. Do not let them rejoin the main rebel forces."
Flat Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi immediately understood.
The Dao Xuan Tianzun wanted more labor reform prisoners.
Excellent.
Gao Family Village never had too many labor reformees—only not enough.
"Chase them!" Zheng Gouzi roared with laughter.
"Time to round up some able-bodied men!"
Flat Rabbit frowned.
"Hey, Gouzi. The way you say that makes us sound like villains."
Zheng Gouzi blinked.
"Then how should I say it?"
Flat Rabbit scratched his head, struggling.
"Capture… uh… damn it, I'm not good with words."
He waved his hand decisively.
"Brothers, move out! Let's free them from their sea of suffering!"
Two thousand Gao Family Village militia surged forward in pursuit.
Seeing this, Luo Xi had no choice but to follow, leading his one hundred and fifty personal guards as well, shouting encouragement as they ran.
Their pursuit sent the Henan rebels into a fresh wave of panic.
Those lagging behind screamed in terror. They had just witnessed, with their own eyes, how these strange flintlock soldiers could drop rebel troops like wheat with a single volley.
Terrifying.
And now those terrifying people were chasing them.
What choice did they have?
An old woman, exhausted, stumbled and fell.
Her son immediately turned back to help her. But fleeing with an elder slowed them down even more. As the pursuers drew closer, the son raised a woodcutting knife behind his mother and roared:
"You sons of bitches! I'll fight you to the death!"
In a flash, Flat Rabbit leapt in front of him.
The son slashed wildly, but his movements were clumsy, his strength sapped by hunger. Flat Rabbit kicked his wrist cleanly.
Clang!
The knife flew from his hand.
Believing death was certain, the son turned and hugged his old mother tightly. Both buried their heads, trembling, waiting for the end.
Then—
"Hands on your heads. Squat by the roadside. Don't move."
Flat Rabbit's voice was calm.
"We won't kill you."
"…Huh?"
Mother and son looked up in disbelief.
Imperial soldiers earned merit by cutting off rebel ears.
He wasn't going to kill them?
He didn't want military honors?
At that moment, the two thousand militia bellowed in unison:
"Rebels ahead! You're running too slow! You're already within flintlock range! We command you to immediately put your hands on your heads, squat by the roadside, and surrender! Otherwise, we'll shoot you in the back!"
The slower rebels were scared out of their wits.
They glanced back—and sure enough, the imperial soldiers were close. At this distance, if the flintlocks fired, everyone would be shot down from behind.
Exhausted and terrified, they obeyed.
Hands on heads.
Squat.
In moments, nearly ten thousand people were crouching by the roadside.
Only a handful of stubborn rebels kept running.
Zheng Gouzi raised his rifle, aimed at a large tree just ahead of one fleeing man—
Bang!
A bullet punched a neat hole through the trunk. Wood chips sprayed.
The man shuddered violently, then dropped, hands on head, squatting without another step.
Soon, every slow-moving rebel had been rounded up.
Yi Dou Gu, Wa Guanzi, and the faster rebels, however, had already fled far south.
Zheng Gouzi stared into the distance and let out a long sigh.
"Too many… far too many. We're only two thousand strong. We can't capture them all, even as prisoners."
Flat Rabbit nodded.
"The Dao Xuan Tianzun said the rebel problem isn't a military one—it's a social one. You can't cure it by fighting alone."
He smiled faintly.
"We'll take it slow."
The pursuit ended.
Behind them, Li Daoxuan calmly reassembled his two arms.
After firing several shots, a few components had shaken loose and needed replacement. Once repaired, he reattached everything and reapplied the silicone outer layer.
In the blink of an eye, handsome, refined Squire Li was back.
He stepped forward, surveying the nearly ten thousand Henan rebels squatting across the fields.
Zheng Gouzi lowered his voice.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun… are all these people being sent to Huanglong Mountain Prison?"
"Yes," Li Daoxuan replied.
"That's the plan."
As they spoke, Lian Guoshi hurried over, looking utterly bewildered—and secretly delighted.
He had stayed far behind earlier, too afraid to advance. Seeing Yi Dou Gu and Wa Guanzi routed so quickly had left his mind spinning.
Now that the fighting was over, he rushed forward to heap praise:
"Oh, esteemed generals! Truly formidable! So many rebels, crushed in an instant! They fled like dogs, and you even captured such a vast number alive! A great achievement! A tremendous achievement! I will certainly write to the imperial court and request commendations for you all!"
At those words, Luo Xi nearly jumped out of his skin.
"No—no—please don't petition for honors!" he shouted in panic.
"You'll get us all dismissed!"