Henan Province.
In the sixth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Henan had just endured the catastrophic breach of the Yellow River. Before the land could recover even slightly, another calamity followed close behind.
A great drought.
Autumn arrived, yet there was no harvest to speak of. Wheat could not be planted at all. The fields lay bare, cracked and lifeless, without even a trace of green grass. Of every ten households, nine stood empty.
In this desolate land, grain prices soared beyond reason. A single dou of rice sold for five silver qian. A strong laborer could work from dawn until dusk and still fail to earn enough to buy one meal.
People began digging up grass roots. Tree bark was stripped and boiled.
Husbands abandoned wives. Mothers deserted their children. Selling a child barely bought a few days' worth of grain. Some people hanged themselves in the barren woods, deliberately letting their bodies fill ditches. Others collapsed by the roadside and starved where they fell.
Beggar corpses lay together, heads touching, death taking them side by side.
Some families sealed their doors with mud and fled overnight, carrying whatever scraps they could. In certain places, there were even cases of kin devouring kin.
This was Henan.
And into this hellscape—
The rebels returned.
Like a swarm of locusts, the rebel army swept in, swords and knives flashing. At first, they intended to sack villages as usual, stripping them clean.
But the moment they entered the countryside, they were stunned.
There was nothing.
No grain. No livestock. No villagers worth robbing.
Meng Hu rode back to report, his face dark.
"Brother Chuǎng Wang," he said, "there's nothing to take. The people of Henan are poorer than we are. Damn it."
Chuǎng Wang frowned deeply.
"What now?" he asked. "We have over a hundred thousand men. They all need to eat."
From the side, Chuang Jiang spoke up.
"Brother Chuǎng Wang, hear me out. With an army this large, plundering villages is meaningless. How many peasants would we need to rob to feed over a hundred thousand mouths?"
He continued, his tone firm.
"We must seize cities. Only by capturing prefectures and counties can we open the government granaries. As for the common folk—rather than robbing them, we should conscript them."
"Bring them into the army. Expand our numbers. Only then can we keep advancing and take more cities."
Chuǎng Wang listened in silence.
The logic was sound.
Thus, the rebel army changed its methods.
They no longer wasted effort looting villages. Instead, they forcibly recruited the starving population, swelling their ranks as they advanced.
County seats across western Henan fell one after another.
The rebel army surged once more.
This time, their vanguard pointed directly—
At Wuguan Pass.
Tianzhu Mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, the common folk of Shanyang County fell into panic when rumors spread that the rebels might be coming.
But before the rebels arrived, something else reached them first.
The logistics convoy of Gao Family Village.
The moment the convoy entered the county, the situation changed.
Li Daoxuan issued an order without hesitation.
Each household was to receive five measures of grain.
There were no speeches and no ceremonies.
The grain was distributed immediately.
The effect was instantaneous.
The people stopped panicking. They became obedient, cooperative, even proactive.
Farm work was temporarily set aside. Instead, villagers began digging trenches, foxholes, and concealed shelters. Entire villages were transformed into fortified warrens, resembling the tunnel networks described in war legends.
Everything was prepared.
They waited.
Soon, new intelligence arrived.
After ravaging Henan, the rebel army—once reduced to just over a hundred thousand—had expanded again.
Two hundred and fifty thousand.
With their momentum restored, the rebels grew arrogant. Instead of hiding in mountain routes along the borders of the four provinces, they marched openly along the main roads.
Their target was unmistakable.
Wuguan Pass.
"The rebels are almost at Wuguan Pass!"
Luo Xi rushed into the Medicine King Temple, shouting as he entered.
"Brother Zheng, this is bad! Wuguan Pass is the gateway to Shaanxi. If it falls, the rebels will re-enter Shaanxi. What should we do?"
Zheng Gouzi spread his hands, disbelief plain on his face.
"They're that bold? Not even sneaking through the mountains—charging straight at Wuguan Pass?"
Luo Xi nodded grimly.
"They've calculated it. Hong Chengchou is pinned down at Guyuan dealing with the Mongols. Shaanxi's defenses are weak. That's why they dare."
Before Zheng Gouzi could reply, Li Daoxuan stepped down from his carriage, his expression calm.
"Then we go to Wuguan Pass," he said.
He continued evenly, "We stationed ourselves in Shanyang County precisely because of its central position. No matter where the rebels go, we can reinforce quickly."
"Where they go—we follow."
At his command, the militia mobilized at once.
From Tianzhu Mountain to Wuguan Pass was only one hundred li.
Marching at speed, they arrived in just over a day.
Luo Xi narrowed his eyes, staring ahead.
"There it is—Wuguan Pass. I don't see any rebels attacking. It's still in government hands."
Flat Rabbit scanned the walls.
"…But I don't see any government troops either."
Luo Xi froze.
"That's strange. This is the gateway to Shaanxi. There should always be troops stationed here."
Flat Rabbit laughed outright.
"They ran. Obviously."
Luo Xi wiped the sweat from his brow.
Just then, scouts from the Gao Family Village Militia appeared atop the pass walls, waving signals to indicate the route was safe.
The main force advanced immediately.
Inside Wuguan Pass, their suspicions were confirmed.
It was completely empty.
No government soldiers. No civilians.
The residents had fled long ago, escaping into the surrounding mountains when the garrison withdrew.
Luo Xi let out a bitter laugh.
"This defending general is even more cowardly than I am. I might run after losing a battle, but I wouldn't flee before a single strike. Doesn't he fear the Emperor's wrath?"
Zheng Gouzi chuckled.
"Running means dismissal. Losing a battle means execution. Can't blame him."
"With the government troops gone, things are simpler for us."
The militia immediately began surveying the terrain, assigning defensive positions and marking fallback routes, just as they had done in Luoyang.
Everything proceeded methodically.
Luo Xi and his household guards, however, found themselves with nothing to do.
After lingering awkwardly for a while, Luo Xi finally spoke.
"Brother Zheng… could you find something for my men to do?"
He smiled wryly.
"I invited you here to help, yet I've done nothing myself. It feels wrong."
A militia soldier brushed past him.
"Move aside. Don't block the road."
Luo Xi: "..."
After a moment's thought, Luo Xi brightened.
"How about reconnaissance? My men are good at that."
Zheng Gouzi nodded.
"Not a bad idea."
"Post some of your men on the watchtowers. Send others east from the pass toward Henan. If they spot the rebels, have them return immediately."
Luo Xi was delighted.
"Excellent! Finally, I can be useful."
He had one hundred and fifty household guards, all elite troops. The personal guards of Ming officers were never weak.
Some climbed the towers.
Others slipped out of Wuguan Pass, spreading into the countryside.
The scouts set out.
And the storm approached.