Jiang Cheng let out an exasperated groan. "Again? Lord Shi, we just drove off the Huangmei river bandits and returned to camp. The soldiers have not even had two bites of hot food yet."
Shi Kefa looked awkward. "I know you are exhausted. But the bandits of the Western Camp's Eight Great Kings are advancing over land, and the damage they cause is far worse than water bandits. On land there are villages and towns everywhere. Tens of thousands of civilians are at risk. I have no choice but to trouble you again."
Jiang Cheng sighed. "If it is for the common people, then a bit of hardship is nothing."
He stood up and rushed out of the tent. Moments later, his voice rang out across the camp.
"Emergency mobilization. Emergency mobilization."
"Again?"
"We just got back."
"No time for complaints. Five minutes to prepare for departure."
The camp immediately fell silent. Five minutes was not long at all. No one had time to grumble anymore. The soldiers moved swiftly, making ready for battle.
Everything was urgent, yet orderly. There was not the slightest hint of panic.
Not far away, Shi Lang witnessed this scene with his own eyes.
This was the first time he had finally seen Shi Kefa in person. His eyes lit up at once. He strode forward and performed a deep bow.
"Lord Shi."
Shi Kefa paused. "Oh? And you are?"
"I was introduced by Uncle Zhu Piaoling," Shi Lang said. "I wish to enlist and kill the enemy. In the future, I hope to rise to rank and title and become a great general."
Shi Kefa was in the middle of a crisis and had no time for idle conversation. Hearing Zhu Piaoling's name, he waved off the rest. "You want to enlist? Go find Instructor Jiang."
"I wish to join the regular imperial army," Shi Lang said earnestly.
Shi Kefa's expression turned strange. "The regular imperial army? I see. Very well. Stay by my side for now. I will show you what a regular army looks like."
With that, Shi Kefa sprinted off. Shi Lang hurried after him.
Soon, Shi Kefa burst into the official Anqing Garrison camp and shouted loudly, "Bandits of the Eight Great Kings are looting Susong. All units, assemble and prepare to march at once."
With that order, the Anqing Garrison soldiers also began to move.
From Shi Lang's perspective, the scene that followed was almost painful to watch.
The garrison officers started putting on their armor lazily. One of them had no visible muscle at all, only sagging fat. Several retainers crowded around him, fumbling for ages without even managing to fasten his armor properly.
When the general is useless, the soldiers follow suit.
The soldiers were no better. They looked little different from ordinary farmers. The moment they heard they were going to battle, chaos immediately broke out. The camp turned into a scene of chickens flying and dogs jumping, with people running everywhere.
One man even emerged bare chested from the latrine, holding up his trousers and walking slowly, sniffing his fingers as he went.
Shi Lang fell silent.
Only then did he truly understand the saying that without comparison, there is no harm.
Just moments ago, he had seen the militia. Now he was seeing the so called imperial troops. The contrast made his face burn with embarrassment.
Shi Kefa, however, seemed long past caring. He watched coldly as the soldiers dragged their feet. He did not urge them on, because he knew it would be useless.
No matter how much you urge a snail, it will never run like a leopard.
Shi Kefa could endure it, but Shi Lang could not.
Still a teenager, he cared little for worldly tact. When something was wrong, he shouted about it.
"How can you be like this?" Shi Lang yelled. "The bandits are killing their way here, and you are still dragging your feet?"
The garrison soldiers rolled their eyes at him. If not for the fact that he had entered with Shi Kefa, someone might already have lashed out. Even so, all they did was speed up a tiny bit.
They evolved from snails into turtles.
For a snail, the speed of a turtle was already astonishing. They were truly doing their best.
"This is infuriating!" Shi Lang shouted. "Lord Shi, can you really let this go on?"
Shi Kefa sighed. "I want to manage them, but it is very difficult. You think you are dealing with an ordinary soldier, but his uncle's wife's younger brother might be a high official. That official's fellow townsman might be another official, and that official's teacher might be yet another."
Shi Lang froze.
Shi Kefa's expression darkened. "Sigh."
After who knew how long, the troops finally finished assembling. Five hundred men, scattered and disorderly, barely gathered together.
As they marched out of the camp, Shi Lang saw Jiang Cheng already waiting outside with the militia.
On one side were the imperial troops, noisy and chaotic, their formation crooked and unsightly.
On the other side was the militia. Only one hundred and twenty men, yet their ranks were neat and their bearing solemn.
Shi Lang looked left, then right. His emotions tangled.
"We take the water route," Shi Kefa ordered. "Move at full speed to Susong."
The militia boarded the Wanli Sunshine at once. The imperial troops climbed onto all kinds of shabby little boats. The garrison vessels were old and poorly maintained, falling apart at the seams. Not only did they lack cannons, even firearms, rockets, and fire oil were in short supply.
The soldiers rowed lazily, unwilling to exert themselves. Even at cruising speed, the Wanli Sunshine was far faster than they were. After sailing some distance, it had to stop and wait for them.
The more Shi Lang watched, the more alarmed he became. Which side was the regular army now? He could no longer tell.
Fortunately, water travel was still much faster than land. From Anqing Harbor to the Susong riverbank was only two hundred li. Even rowing, it took just half a day to arrive.
Ahead lay Huikou Town.
The small town was already under attack.
On the water were the Huangmei river bandits, sealing off the docks with countless small boats. On land were the bandits of the Western Camp's Eight Great Kings, numbering several thousand, attacking from all sides. Their formation made it clear that they intended to spare not a single civilian and plunder everything.
Inside the town, local gentry had organized militias to resist desperately.
Because the Jiangnan region had long suffered from pirate raids, the militias here were better equipped than those in the northwest. Many militiamen even carried their own firearms. The militia instructors were also better funded, pouring boiling oil down from the walls without restraint.
The fighting around the town walls was fierce.
At the sight of this, Shi Kefa could no longer hold back. "Rescue Huikou Town at once."
The moment the order was given, the imperial soldiers' boats slowed down in unison.
They were afraid to fight.
Shi Lang cursed aloud, "Damn it."
At that moment, the Wanli Sunshine abruptly shifted from cruising speed to combat speed and charged forward.
Like a ferocious dragon crossing the river, like divine soldiers descending from the heavens.
The Huangmei river bandits took one look at the Wanli Sunshine and reacted like mice seeing a cat.
"That monster ship is back."
"Damn it, it is that five colored flag again."
"Run. We cannot fight that thing."
The boats blocking Huikou Town's docks scattered at once, fleeing in all directions.