The instant the man in white shouted, a ripple of unease spread through the rebel ranks hidden on the hillside.
"Damn it, he spotted us!"
"That's impossible! We're this far away, and we're hidden perfectly. How could he possibly see us?"
"This has to be a trick. He saw how dangerous these mountain woods are and guessed there might be an ambush, so he shouted at random. If we panic and expose ourselves, we'll fall right into his trap."
The leader's analysis steadied their nerves. The rebels quickly regained their composure.
"Exactly, exactly! This is definitely a ruse to flush us out."
They remained motionless, bodies pressed flat against the ground, not daring to lift their heads even slightly.
The man in white was naturally Bai Yuan.
After calling out several times, he raised his head and looked toward the hillside. It was quiet and peaceful. Not a single rebel showed themselves.
He let out a soft sigh. "Alas."
Zhang Yingchang walked up from behind him. "Mr. Bai, you've already tried such a ruse, yet no one revealed themselves. That hillside is completely silent. It seems there's no ambush after all. We should continue forward."
"No, there is an ambush up there," Bai Yuan replied with a faint smile. "I wasn't using a ruse just now. I was simply greeting them."
Zhang Yingchang froze.
Bai Yuan continued calmly, "When one encounters strangers in the wild, especially in desolate mountains like these, it is only proper to exchange greetings first. This is part of the 'rites' among the six arts of a gentleman. I am quite particular about such things."
Zhang Yingchang: "..."
Inside, he muttered, Is this man completely insane?
Bai Yuan shook his head slowly. "Alas, these rascals truly lack decorum. I greeted them, yet they did not respond. No refinement at all."
"No one cares about that!" Zhang Yingchang snapped.
Bai Yuan calmly lifted the tin megaphone again and shouted toward the hillside, "Then I shall act."
The hillside remained silent. Calm. Seemingly safe.
Zhang Yingchang was on the verge of tears. This man is insane. He's yelling at an empty mountain!
Bai Yuan set down the megaphone without a trace of emotion. He then took out a peculiar metal tube fitted with two glass lenses and raised it to his eyes, carefully examining the hillside for several moments.
Lowering the tube, he gestured to a nearby retainer. "The rifle."
The retainer immediately presented him with a custom-made firearm.
Its barrel was significantly longer than standard military weapons, and its craftsmanship was visibly superior. The rifling inside the barrel was spiraled rather than straight. The stock was inlaid with gold, and several pieces of fine jade were embedded into the grip, making it both lethal and ornate.
Bai Yuan took the firearm, aimed it toward the hillside, and issued orders at the same time. "All soldiers, prepare yourselves. In a moment, bandits will spring out from the hillside. You may fire when they do."
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded in unison.
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Bai Yuan squeezed the trigger.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the mountains.
From a patch of tall grass that moments ago appeared empty, a shrill cry of agony rang out. A rebel's body rolled down the slope, flattening ferns and grass as it tumbled, like a grotesque game of sliding down a hill.
Shock rippled through the rebels hidden above.
"Damn it! Can he actually see us?"
"How is that possible? From this distance?!"
"How can his firearm shoot that far? And with such accuracy?"
"It must be luck! A blind cat stumbling onto a dead mouse! He's still bluffing, trying to scare us!"
Zhang Yingchang was completely stunned. There really were rebels on that hillside? And he killed one with a single shot? From that far away? That has to be several hundred paces! What kind of terrifying marksmanship is this?
Bai Yuan casually handed the rifle aside. The retainer took it, swiftly reloaded it with practiced movements, and returned it to him.
Without hesitation, Bai Yuan raised the weapon again and fired.
Bang!
Another scream echoed through the air. Another rebel body rolled down the hillside.
At last, the rebels could no longer hold on.
"We've been exposed!" their leader roared.
"Chief, should we counterattack?"
"Counterattack my ass! Our firearms and repeating crossbows can't even reach that far! Damn it! Get up, move positions!"
The rebels sprang to their feet, scrambling to flee.
But the moment they stood up, they became living targets.
While Bai Yuan was firing, the Gao Family Village militia had already prepared themselves. Their firearms were loaded and ready. The instant a rebel exposed himself, there was no reason not to fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A volley of gunfire erupted.
Their marksmanship was nowhere near Bai Yuan's level, but sheer numbers made up for it. With so many barrels firing at once, hits were inevitable.
Screams rang out continuously. One rebel after another collapsed on the hillside.
"What the hell?! Why can their guns shoot farther than ours?"
"At this distance, we can't even return fire!"
"Damn it, I'll fight back!"
A handful of reckless rebels began firing wildly. Bird guns cracked sharply, Three-Eyed Arquebuses thundered, and repeating crossbows loosed bolts that whistled through the air.
But their desperate resistance was completely useless.
Smoothbore bullets and crossbow bolts simply could not travel that far. The laws of physics were merciless.
Moreover, smoothbore firearms only showed their true power when used in disciplined formations firing in volleys. Scattered rebels, firing one shot at a time from a hillside, had no chance.
Their bullets and arrows began to arc downward midway, falling harmlessly into the empty ground between the two forces.
Meanwhile, the militia's bullets continued forward, precise and relentless, cutting down rebels one by one.
"This is pointless! Retreat! Retreat!" the leader shouted in despair.
"Run!"
The rebels turned and fled once more. The hillside became a scene of chaos as figures scrambled uphill, desperately trying to crest the ridge and escape.
But every time a militia gun barked, another body was struck from behind and sent tumbling down the slope.
Their morale completely collapsed.
Zhang Yingchang, who had been dazed until now, suddenly snapped back to his senses.
As a commander holding the rank of zongbing, he knew exactly how to seize such an opportunity. Seeing the rebels break so thoroughly, he waved his hand and roared, "Pursue them!"
His personal guards charged first, blades flashing as they cut down several fleeing rebels with brutal efficiency.
The garrison soldiers behind them, seeing how overwhelming their advantage was, felt all fear vanish. What is there to be afraid of? Charge!
Garrison troops were notoriously unreliable in head-on battles, but when it came to turning a victory into a rout, they were experts.
Hordes of Henan garrison soldiers howled like wolves as they surged up the hillside, caught up with the fleeing rebels, and hacked them down mercilessly.
It didn't take long.
Over two hundred rebel corpses were left behind on the hillside. The remaining seven hundred or so fled in panic toward Luoshi County.
"Hahahaha! A total victory! A complete triumph!"
Zhang Yingchang was overjoyed.
He had suffered defeat after defeat in recent days, to the point of doubting his own worth. But today's battle was deeply satisfying. At last, he had an achievement worthy of reporting to the imperial court.
He walked back toward Bai Yuan, beaming, cupped his hands respectfully, and said, "Mr. Bai, you are truly miraculous. How in the world did you manage to discover their ambush?"
Bai Yuan smiled faintly.
"I grew up by Horseshoe Lake," he said. "I've eaten fish since I was a child. My eyesight is naturally good."