The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 035 White Water King 2

Zhou Lun and the others hurriedly left the camp, repeatedly asking what had happened.

Just then, Li Zhong rushed over and saw Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun, and quickly went up to them.

"Father! Second Uncle!" Li Zhong cried out urgently, "A group of people are coming from the south!"

"Government troops?"

Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun were instantly alarmed; their first thought was that the government troops were coming.

"They've arrived quickly!" Li Shoutian said solemnly, drawing his sword. "How many government troops are there? How far are they from the camp?"

"Damn it! So what if they're government troops? I've killed officials before! Today I'll make sure they don't leave alive!" Wang Tieniu said in a gruff voice, also holding his weapon in his hand.

"No...it doesn't seem to be government troops." Li Zhong quickly said, "They don't look like government troops from a distance, but there are quite a few of them, a huge, dark mass, probably over a thousand."

"Brother, no matter what, let's prepare first. Better safe than sorry!" Zhou Lun said with a serious expression.

Li Wanqing nodded. No matter who came, they could not relax. He immediately ordered the entire army to assemble and prepare for battle.

A sharp whistle suddenly rang out in the camp.

Although Zhou Lun and his band of rebels had not yet seen battle, their training these past few days had been quite effective. In just a few dozen breaths, the troops quickly assembled and assumed a defensive posture according to the formation they had practiced. They also brought out the camp's carts and horses to block in front of them, serving as chevaux-de-frise and cover.

The commotion on Li Wanqing's side naturally also affected Gao Yingxiang's side.

As Li Wanqing's troops deployed and prepared, Gao Yingxiang's camp also hurriedly began to organize and line up.

However, compared to the orderly situation on Li Wanqing's side, things were rather chaotic on Gao Yingxiang's side.

Firstly, his subordinates had not undergone rigorous training, and secondly, they had never practiced or prepared for emergency situations. For a time, the rebel army below could not find their leaders, and the leaders could not find the soldiers under their command. The chaotic running and shouting in the camp rose and fell, making Gao Yingxiang frown.

Looking towards Li Wanqing's camp not far away... At this time, Li Wanqing's troops had completed their formation, and all the carts, horses, and miscellaneous items had been brought out and placed in front of the formation, showing that they were well-trained.

"Huanglong!"

"exist!"

"Get your men together and get them organized quickly! What a mess this is!" Gao Yingxiang said, pointing at the camp with displeasure.

Huang Long responded and hurried off with a dozen men. With his assistance, the rebel army in the camp finally regained order and gradually began to take shape. After another half an incense stick's time, they had formed ranks and were on guard.

Seeing this, Gao Yingxiang finally breathed a sigh of relief. But he knew in his heart that in today's competition, his side had been outmatched by Li Wanqing. Although Gao Yingxiang had more righteous soldiers, Li Wanqing's side was clearly superior in terms of elite troops. Moreover, from the moment they discovered the situation in the south to their reaction, Gao Yingxiang's side had only just come to their senses—this alone revealed the difference in strength.

Gao Yingxiang stared intently at Li Wanqing's camp, his expression grave, seemingly lost in thought.

Just then, the team coming from the south was not far from the camp.

The two sides were about two or three miles apart when the other side stopped and did not continue forward.

The sun hadn't set yet, and Gao Yingxiang, with his sharp eyesight, could tell from the distance, though he couldn't see clearly, that this group wasn't government troops. Their clothes were a motley collection, they carried all sorts of weapons, and they were carrying several flags; they looked more like a rebel army that had appeared out of nowhere.

A moment later, someone from Li Wanqing's side arrived and reported to Gao Yingxiang that the group that had come had sent someone to make contact, saying they were a rebel army from the south who had happened to encounter these two groups on their way north. Li Wanqing specifically sent someone to ask Gao Yingxiang how to deal with it, since Gao Yingxiang was the nominal leader.

"Let's go! Let's go take a look!" Gao Yingxiang said to Liu Zhe, leaving Huang Long at the camp to command the troops, while he planned to go and see Li Wanqing.

"King Chuang, be careful!" Huang Long whispered a reminder.

Gao Yingxiang nodded, patted him on the shoulder, and led Liu Zhe and a dozen men toward Li Wanqing's camp not far away.

"King Chuang!" Upon seeing Gao Yingxiang approaching, Li Wanqing hurriedly went to greet him.

"Who goes there?" Reaching Li Wanqing's side, they were even closer to the army that had come from the south. Looking ahead in the setting sun, Gao Yingxiang was certain that the enemy was definitely not government troops; they were clearly a rebel army like theirs. But their origins remained a mystery.

"The men said their leader was named Wang Er, a native of Baishui, and came from the south," Li Wanqing answered truthfully. "By the way, they also asked if we were part of the rebel leader's army."

"Wang Er? Bai Shui?" Gao Yingxiang was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, his previously serious expression instantly becoming much more relaxed.

"What? You know this Wang Er, the rebel leader?"

"I've heard of him." Gao Yingxiang nodded with a smile. "Not long after the uprising in Anzhai, I heard that someone in Baishui to the south had also raised a flag, and the person raising the flag was this Wang Er. I even thought about contacting him, but your letter came earlier, and after receiving your letter, I set off for Bao'an. I never expected that after all this, this Wang Er would actually go north on his own and we'd run into each other here. Hahaha! Things in this world are really too coincidental."

call…….

Li Wanqing let out a breath, and a smile appeared on his face upon hearing Gao Yingxiang's words. Since Gao Yingxiang knew the other party's identity, then this Wang Er was also a hero of the uprising. They were both rebels, so there was an innate sense of kinship. Besides, it was fate that they met here on Wang Er's journey north.

With Gao Yingxiang's words and Wang Er's men asking if they were part of the rebel leader's group, there was no problem at all.

After obtaining Gao Yingxiang's consent, Li Wanqing immediately sent someone to the south to deliver a message, telling the other party that his side was the rebel army of King Chuang, and that King Chuang Gao Yingxiang was in the army. If the other party was indeed King Baishui Er, he was invited to come and meet him.

The message was relayed, and soon after, several people came out from the other side and headed straight for Li Wanqing and his group.

A moment later, the group approached.

The leader was a young man of average height and build, with fair skin and a somewhat refined appearance. He was followed by three men, and the group walked briskly towards them.

"Where is the rebel leader? Who is the rebel leader?"

Wenxiu, a young man, came closer and shouted at the top of his lungs, his expression showing barely suppressed excitement.

"Hero! I am Gao Yingxiang, the King of Chuang! May I ask your name?" Gao Yingxiang stepped out from the crowd.

Dressed in white and wearing a white headscarf, with his tall stature, he stood out particularly.

Upon seeing Gao Yingxiang and hearing him declare himself to be the rebel leader, Wenxiu, the young man, immediately stepped forward.

Liu Zhe was startled, fearing that the other party might harm Gao Yingxiang. Just as he was about to step forward to stop the man, he saw the man bow down directly to Gao Yingxiang.

"Wang Er of Baishui greets King Chuang!"

"You're Wang Er?"

"I am Wang Er!" Wang Er beamed, looking up at Gao Yingxiang. "I've rushed here as fast as I could, and I've finally made it! King Chuang, you've made me search so hard!"

When Gao Yingxiang's identity was confirmed, Wang Er was overjoyed. Not only him, but also the three men who had come with him, all bowed down to Gao Yingxiang and greeted him as the King of Chuang.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Lun, who was standing to the side, felt a mix of emotions.

What merit or ability does Gao Yingxiang possess to have such good fortune?

In terms of starting things, Gao Yingxiang was only two days earlier than Li Wanqing.

Judging by their achievements, they directly captured Bao'an County, while Gao Yingxiang couldn't even breach Anzhai. In terms of being good to the people, Li Wanqing's actions in opening granaries and pacifying the locals in Bao'an County were no less effective than Gao Yingxiang's. Yet, Gao Yingxiang's reputation far surpasses Li Wanqing's. How can this be explained? Even Wang Er, who came from afar, saw Gao Yingxiang with stars in his eyes, looking like a devoted fan—clearly, he had come specifically for Gao Yingxiang.

Could it be that Gao Yingxiang is a chosen one, with an aura surrounding him?

Compared to this, how could Zhou Lun not feel moved?

Gao Yingxiang strode forward, helped Wang Er and his men up, and held their hands warmly, displaying his strong personal charm.

This action delighted Wang Er and his men even more. Judging from their earlier words, Wang Er and his group had come north to seek refuge with Gao Yingxiang, and now that they had met here, how could they not be overjoyed?