Mi Chuang Jiang stood on a high ridge, watching the so called government troops pour into the Micang Mountains.
A chill crept into his bones.
The army did not advance as one clumsy mass. The moment they entered the mountains, they split into more than a dozen separate columns. Each column numbered over two thousand men. They moved like a giant comb, sweeping every slope, gully, ravine, and forest.
This was not a symbolic search.
This was a purge.
One subordinate wailed, "This is bad. This is truly bad."
Another shouted, "Boss, we cannot just wait here to be surrounded. Let us roll rocks down the slopes and crush them."
"Yes, and set up archers for ambush."
Mi Chuang Jiang snapped, "Good. Do it at once."
Only then did the rebels scramble to establish defensive positions. Unfortunately, these were not prepared fortifications. They were hasty arrangements built on fear.
One group seized an excellent rockfall position on a slope.
There was just one problem.
They had no rocks ready.
So they scattered to search for suitable boulders nearby.
Their frantic movement made them beautifully visible.
Up in the sky, the observer in the reconnaissance hot air balloon saw everything.
Information was relayed to the ground units.
Thus, the Gao Family Village militia advancing along that route were suddenly stopped by a runner who came sprinting toward them.
"Stop. There is an ambush ahead. Another twenty meters and rocks will come crashing down."
The militia halted immediately and looked up the slope.
An officer lifted his binoculars.
"There. That patch of stone. Rebel squad. Small pile of rocks. Waiting for us."
"Damn them."
"Our flintlocks cannot reach."
"Bring up the small grenade mortars."
The artillery team hurried forward, setting down a compact cannon no thicker than a man's arm. They adjusted angle and elevation with practiced calm.
Boom.
The mountain answered with echoing thunder.
Steel factory militiamen watching from the side leaned in with interest.
"So that is how a small grenade mortar works."
"Fascinating."
After several explosions, the rebel rockfall position was shattered. The bandits either died or fled.
Only then did the column continue its advance.
Each of the more than dozen detachments had about two hundred regular militia at the front. The civilian militia followed behind. Their combat ability was weaker, their equipment simpler, their experience nonexistent. What they possessed in abundance was enthusiasm.
They were ideal for consolidating captured ground.
"Second squad. Occupy Shiziping Heights. Deploy a new hot air balloon immediately."
A balloon rose.
"Eighth squad. Ascend Bandengya Pass. Launch balloon."
Another balloon climbed into the sky.
One high ground after another fell into Gao Family Village hands. From each elevation, a new eye in the sky expanded the search radius.
It was terrifyingly efficient.
Soon, a vast portion of the northern Micang Mountains was under control.
Mi Chuang Jiang and his men could only retreat.
South.
Then further south.
For days, the mountain became a battlefield of pursuit and escape. Skirmishes erupted in forest clearings and narrow ravines. Each time, rebel casualties mounted. Bodies were abandoned. Retreat followed.
Mi Chuang Jiang's hiding space shrank.
Compressed.
Compressed again.
And again.
Until one day, he suddenly realized there was nowhere left to run.
Behind him rose a sheer cliff that could not be climbed. To his left yawned a gorge that promised certain drowning. To his right, a jagged precipice waited to claim any careless footstep.
He had no balloon to guide him.
Running blindly in the Micang Mountains had finally delivered him to a dead end.
His throat tightened.
Before him stood tens of thousands of Gao Family Village militia and civilian militia.
A forest of weapons aimed at him.
Bolt action rifles. Breech loading guns. Rifled muskets. Smoothbores. Even bows and crossbows in the hands of enthusiastic workers.
Every barrel pointed at Mi Chuang Jiang.
He swallowed.
Then he dropped his weapon.
With a desperate kick, he sent it sliding away.
He raised both hands high.
"Do not fire. I surrender. Do not fire."
In Hanzhong Prefecture, Zhao Guangyuan was patrolling the city when he saw a massive formation approaching the South Gate.
Wang Er had returned.
Behind him marched Mi Chuang Jiang and more than ten thousand disarmed followers.
Zhao Guangyuan's face lit up.
"Success. The mountain search succeeded."
He ordered the gates opened and went out to greet them.
The Prefect and Prince Rui soon arrived as well.
"All rebel forces in the Micang Mountains have been captured," Wang Er announced. "Hanzhong may temporarily lift its alert status."
"Excellent," Prince Rui cried out immediately. "Finally, no one will attempt to steal my steam train."
The others exchanged glances in silence.
Some worried about strategy.
The Prefect worried about people.
He looked at the more than ten thousand captives and spoke softly, "What will be done with them? Their resettlement is no small matter."
"There is no need for the Prefect to trouble himself," Wang Er replied calmly, once again invoking Sun Chuanting as a convenient shield. "We will escort them to Xi'an and hand them over for disposition."
In truth, Sun Chuanting would likely not bother personally. Most of them would probably be sent directly to Tianzhu Mountain or Huanglong Mountain labor reform camps.
Years of labor awaited them.
Wang Er was preparing to depart for Xi'an when the embroidered image of Dao Xuan Tianzun on his chest spoke in a voice only he could hear.
"Wang Er, there is a better way to handle these captives."
Wang Er immediately bowed slightly. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, your subordinate awaits your guidance."
Li Daoxuan said, "We have subdued this rebel force, but bandit groups still stir in Sichuan. Others may cross the Micang Mountains again and invade Hanzhong."
Wang Er frowned. "That is true. What should be done?"
"Strengthen the defenses of the Micang Mountains," Li Daoxuan replied. "Establish outposts and beacon towers at key locations. If bandits are sighted, light the beacons at once. The signal will reach Hanzhong immediately. From there, Xi'an can be notified without delay."
Wang Er understood at once.
Shaanxi was the core heartland of Dao Xuan Tianzun's liberated territory.
It could not be left vulnerable.
Bandits must never again cross the mountains unnoticed.
The defense line against Sichuan had to become iron.