Lian Guoshi nominally led the main force as it pressed forward.
Scouts rode back one after another with reports. Shangnan County lay just ahead.
"The rebel scouts have already discovered us," one scout reported. "A portion of their forces has retreated south, likely toward Yunxi County. However, tens of thousands remain inside Shangnan County, apparently preparing to engage us."
Upon hearing this, Lian Guoshi couldn't help but let out a startled sound.
Li Daoxuan, however, showed no reaction at all.
Everything the scouts described, he had already observed clearly from the reconnaissance hot air balloon. The rebel army had indeed split cleanly into two large contingents—one retreating south, the other remaining behind to hold Shangnan County.
The enemy force was enormous, spreading across the plains like a dark tide.
With only two thousand men from Gao Family Village, it was impossible to annihilate them. Even driving them off would already count as a success. To truly wipe them out would require the White Pole Soldiers from Sichuan, General Zhang Yingchang's Henan troops, and the Yunyang Pacification Commissioner to converge from multiple directions, forming a great encirclement.
For now, the objective was simple—
Reclaim Shangnan County.
The army advanced steadily.
Before long, another scout arrived at a gallop.
"The rebels holding Shangnan County are led by the Henan bandit chiefs Yi Dou Gu and Wa Guanzi. Their numbers are estimated at… fifty thousand."
This figure genuinely stunned Lian Guoshi.
His own forces consisted of the Xi'an Right, Front, and Rear Three Guards—each with only five hundred men. Even after adding local militia and volunteer civilians, the total barely reached three thousand.
Including Luo Xi's two thousand household guards and militia, their entire force amounted to only about five thousand.
No matter how it was calculated, five thousand against fifty thousand was an absurd disparity.
The unease was not limited to Lian Guoshi alone. The garrison soldiers of the Three Guards and the local militia also showed obvious hesitation as they marched.
At last, a commander from the Xi'an Right Guard stepped forward and bowed.
"Governor," he said respectfully, "our forces are insufficient. We should not force an assault on Shangnan County. It would be better to monitor the rebels and wait for other armies to arrive before engaging."
Lian Guoshi hesitated.
"Uh…"
At this moment, Flat Rabbit stepped out from the side.
"It's useless," he said bluntly. "When other government forces arrive, they'll only stand around in their own provinces and look toward Shaanxi. They won't cross the border to suppress bandits."
Lian Guoshi froze.
"Ah!"
He knew it was true.
Once rebels entered Shaanxi, dealing with them became the Shaanxi Governor's responsibility alone. Expecting other provinces to send troops was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Still, Lian Guoshi felt deeply uneasy.
He simply didn't believe this battle could be won.
Flat Rabbit waved his hand dismissively.
"You just stay back and watch," he said. "This battle—we'll fight it. Heh heh. Wherever this Rabbit Lord's sword points—"
"Hey!" Lian Guoshi interrupted sharply. Hearing this dramatic nonsense, he immediately judged this man unreliable. "Wait. Who exactly are you? What are you saying? Isn't anyone going to restrain him? Whose subordinate is this? Whose?"
Luo Xi broke out in a cold sweat and stepped forward awkwardly.
"This person… is with my contingent."
Lian Guoshi stared at him.
"Where did you find such a character? Couldn't you have—"
Before he could finish, Flat Rabbit had already strode forward toward Shangnan County. Behind him, two thousand riflemen advanced in silence, their formation tight and disciplined.
Lian Guoshi pointed after them, stunned.
"What's going on? What are these people doing?"
Still sweating, Luo Xi spoke quickly.
"That! I—this subordinate—must also… go and assist them."
Lian Guoshi looked at him incredulously.
"General Luo, I've never known you to be so fearless."
Luo Xi's face darkened.
"Is my reputation really that bad?" he said bitterly. "You've misunderstood. My family has produced generals for generations—we're not cowards!"
He clenched his teeth.
"It's just that in past battles, my subordinates always ran first, and I had no way to stop them."
Then his expression changed.
"But this time," he said firmly, "my subordinates are exceptionally reliable. This subordinate dares to fight."
Lian Guoshi stared.
"!!!"
Luo Xi hurried forward.
"Brother Zheng! Brother Rabbit! Wait for me! I still have one hundred and fifty household guards—they can be useful!"
By this point, Flat Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi had already begun surveying Shangnan County.
Like all county towns previously taken by the rebels, its city walls had been torn down. Only heaps of broken bricks and rubble remained. Where walls once stood, crude stacks of stones had been piled up in their place.
Zheng Gouzi observed calmly.
"The lack of city walls helps us greatly."
Flat Rabbit chuckled.
"Heh, but they're hiding among the ruins. That makes it harder for our riflemen to fight effectively. We'll still need to draw them out."
Zheng Gouzi frowned.
"They're defending the town. Why would they come out?"
"Uh—"
Flat Rabbit paused, then slapped his thigh.
"You're right! They don't need to come out. Oh! I remember—last time, when you attacked Wangjia Fork fortress, didn't you blast them out with artillery?"
Zheng Gouzi shook his head.
"The cannons aren't here this time."
Flat Rabbit thought for a moment.
"Then we'll just use hand grenades to force our way in."
Zheng Gouzi said seriously, "Hand grenades don't have much range. Our men would be exposed to arrows while throwing them. There will be casualties."
"Casualties should be avoided."
A calm voice spoke from behind them.
"I'll handle it."
Tianzun Unit Three stepped forward.
"This is a good opportunity to test whether the Type Three unit can be deployed normally."
Seeing that Li Daoxuan intended to act personally, Flat Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi were immediately delighted. They stepped aside respectfully, unconsciously forming positions to either side of him.
Just like that, Li Daoxuan found himself walking at the very front.
Luo Xi followed closely behind. Although he had no idea what was about to happen, he knew one thing very clearly—
Li Daoxuan was the highest authority present.
So he followed without hesitation.
The four of them advanced together, like a legendary quartet, radiating an indescribable sense of dominance.
Behind them marched over two thousand subordinates, their presence only amplifying the weight of the scene.
By now, Lian Guoshi and his entourage could no longer see Li Daoxuan himself. From where they stood, all they could see was the advancing wall of riflemen, completely obscuring whatever was happening at the very front.
Li Daoxuan stopped when he was several hundred meters from Shangnan County.
Then—
He placed his right hand over his left wrist.
Applied force.
Pulled.
In the next instant, his left hand came off.
Luo Xi, standing nearby, let out a terrified gasp.
But there was no blood.
No torn flesh.
Where the wrist should have been, there was only a dark, hollow opening.
Luo Xi's mind went completely blank.
"???"
Li Daoxuan casually tossed the detached hand to a nearby soldier.
"Hold this for me."
The soldier accepted it respectfully and stepped back, his expression utterly calm.
It was as if Luo Xi alone was living in a different world—one where this scene was horrifying—while everyone else found it entirely normal.
Li Daoxuan smiled faintly at Luo Xi.
"I lost my left hand due to an injury when I was young," he said casually. "This is a prosthetic I later attached. Perfectly reasonable, wouldn't you say?"
Luo Xi stammered.
"A… a prosthetic? But I saw you just a few days ago—your hand moved perfectly! That was fake?"
Li Daoxuan replied evenly.
"This is mechanical art."
"An invention of our ancient ancestor Mozi."
"Understand?"