Chapter 2638: Rapid Gun Squad

Though Li Guangyuan possessed magical arts to rely upon, he had also studied books for several years and understood that no one in history had ever achieved lasting success through sorcery alone. Whether it was the Taiping Dao of earlier times or the more recent White Lotus Sect, no matter how their uprisings blazed like violent storms, all had ultimately ended in defeat.

Even though Li Guangyuan believed his cause served the "Orthodox" Great Ming, using such strange powers and chaotic spirits to advance his aims left him feeling uncertain at heart.

He had witnessed the Australians' great cannons and rapid-fire guns firsthand. Thus he often muttered to Luo Hetu, saying how wonderful it would be if their own side possessed even a few such weapons.

This sentiment struck precisely at what Luo Heying had been hoping for. He immediately arranged for Luo Hetu to purchase guns, which led to this transaction.

"These rapid guns are simply too expensive," Li Guangyuan said, unable to suppress his heartache at Luo Heying's words. "Fifteen guns and a thousand bullets cost two hundred taels of silver." Two hundred taels for just this handful, while the Kun Thieves equipped every soldier with one.

"Nanyang Guns are nearly impossible to obtain," Luo Heying replied. "Even if you could find them, the market price is thirty Yuan each, not including powder and bullets. Those who wish to achieve great things cannot be hindered by trifles, nor should they spare money, goods, or even themselves. When Master holds high the Banner of Righteousness to Serve the King (Qin Wang) and the Celestial Troops recover Guangzhou, what will this bit of money matter then?"

He had repeatedly encouraged Li Guangyuan to pour his entire fortune into the cause—purchasing weapons, recruiting sturdy men, and training an elite force of several hundred. Once the uprising began, Li Guangyuan would lead the Eight Immortals Society's "Divine Soldiers" to fight the Kun Thieves head-on, while Luo Heying and his nephew could use their command position to absorb the troops for themselves.

The Walrus Monk's intelligence claimed the Court would soon dispatch a Grand Army for a Southern Expedition, descending upon the Two Guangs with thunderous force to sweep clean every corner—the Kun Thieves' days were numbered. Yet despite such assurances, Luo Heying knew the matter would not be so simple. The Court had fought the Jiannu for ten or twenty years with more defeats than victories. Commander Xiong had suffered complete defeat in the Two Guangs as well. How could anyone assume the Kun Thieves would simply "vanish like smoke" the moment the Southern Expedition Army arrived?

Spending Li Guangyuan's money while building his own Luo family's forces—this was Luo Heying's true calculation. If the Court's Grand Army succeeded, rewards for merit would naturally include his family. If the Southern Expedition faltered and the Court suffered defeat, having his own troops would make him invaluable to them regardless.

Li Guangyuan remained oblivious to these schemes. Hearing the advice not to begrudge money, he smiled bitterly. "I won't hide it from you, Worthy Brother. I have too many mouths to feed here, and the family's burdens are heavy. There are also relatives both near and distant who need looking after. Training the Rural Braves has already stretched our income past its limits. Though my heart wishes to buy more, I truly cannot produce that much silver."

As he finished speaking, he gazed at the bird guns with a mixture of heartache and longing, as if beholding a pile of treasures. A sudden thought struck him: "These thousand rounds of ammunition—what do we do when they're spent on the battlefield?"

"No matter. We can smelt the bullets ourselves. Only the fire caps require a secret method to manufacture. When the time comes, we need only purchase more caps, which will save considerable expense. Besides, on any battlefield, whether it's the Official Army's bird guns or the Kun Thieves' rapid guns, seven or eight shots is the most anyone fires. With eighty rounds per gun, there's more than enough for ten battles." Luo Heying spoke as if unconcerned. "Moreover, these rapid guns are meant only to harass the Kun Thieves from a distance. To truly break them, we must rely on Fairy Huang's spells to make the Rural Braves invulnerable to blade and bullet, then close to hand-to-hand combat. Once we're at close quarters, the Kun Thieves' guns become useless. They're few in number—even if several of our men engage one of theirs, we should always prevail."

At the mention of Fairy Huang's magic arts, Li Guangyuan's confidence seemed to return somewhat. "Fairy Huang says the talisman water is extremely difficult to refine. I'm uncertain whether she can produce enough in time."

Luo Heying cursed inwardly at this "Fairy Aunt" still playing mysterious games to extract money, but could only say: "The talisman water need only be applied when breaking formations in frontal assaults. As long as someone can charge close to the Kun Soldiers, the rest will be easily resolved."

"A Kun Thieves' Puppet Troupe arrived in the village recently," Li Guangyuan said with evident worry. "I wonder if they've caught wind of something."

Luo Hetu also found the Puppet Troupe's appearance suspicious. He had been traveling outside for several days, and upon hearing yesterday that his nephew would soon return, he came to Li Family Enclosure. The moment he entered the village, he encountered messengers from the Walrus Monk warning him to be careful—Kun Thieves' spies were active in the area.

The Puppet Troupe was not the only concern. A woman from the Tian family had disappeared several days earlier. Everyone assumed she had been abducted and sold. Then, a few days ago, she suddenly returned—dressed in new clothes, carrying many novel gadgets, and speaking well of the Kun Thieves to the villagers. She urged the village women to weave mats for sale together and was organizing some kind of "Mat Weaving Society." The whole situation reeked of suspicion.

For the moment, he could not determine the Puppet Troupe's true purpose, nor could he fathom the Tian family woman's intentions. After pondering for a while, he said: "For now, caution must be our priority. We should continue following the Walrus Monk's arrangements—keeping a low profile, appearing relaxed on the outside while remaining vigilant within. We'll observe the situation before deciding anything."

Li Guangyuan nodded. "The altar rituals and magical cultivation have been suspended. But everyone in the village knows about these things. Villagers have loose tongues—word is bound to leak out."

"A little leaking hardly matters. Opening altars and worshiping gods breaks no laws. You have nothing forbidden here. Don't the Kun Thieves always boast about 'Handling Matters According to Law'? Without solid proof and real evidence, they won't act." Luo Heying reassured him. "If they truly knew something, they would have sent troops long ago. Put your heart at ease."

Hearing this, Li Guangyuan felt somewhat relieved. Luo Heying continued: "This Xiaoyao Market is a vital location. I intend to establish an informant there. In the coming days, I'll personally scout the area and make arrangements. We'll say it's a relative of Brother Li's family, buying land and opening a shop in the market as our eyes and ears. For this matter, I'll need Master Li's help in hiring a reliable person to serve as guide."

Establishing a shop in Xiaoyao Market was something he and the Walrus Monk had discussed at length. The market was not merely a major thoroughfare and the gateway through which the Kun Thieves came and went. More importantly, just recently, the Kun Thieves had established a "Police Station" there, with five policemen now permanently stationed.

In the past, the Kun Thieves had merely passed through Xiaoyao Market. Now they had extended their tentacles directly into the area. They could not afford to ignore this development.

"That's easily arranged. Tomorrow I'll find someone familiar with Xiaoyao Market to await your instructions." Li Guangyuan, hearing how well-considered the plans were, felt his mind settle considerably. After inquiring about the Rapid Gun Squad's training for a while longer, he returned to the Inner Residence.

Luo Heying went back to the side courtyard where he was staying. Luo Hetu came forward to greet him and recounted in detail everything he had witnessed during the escort journey. When the account was finished, Luo Heying examined the newly purchased rapid guns for a time. These were indeed the same Folangji Rapid Guns the Walrus Monk had brought previously.

This type of rapid gun had only recently appeared on the market. Because they were trafficked through Folangji merchants, they bore that name. They were said to be roughly comparable to the Kun Thieves' rapid guns.

Luo Heying had once secretly test-fired this weapon and compared it against Nanyang Guns smuggled from the Kun Thieves. In terms of raw power, loading speed, and other aspects, the two were roughly equal (Bo Zhong). However, the Nanyang Bird Gun was more exquisite and lighter, yet also more durable. After firing ten or more times, the Nanyang Gun showed no change except for the barrel heating up. The Folangji Rapid Gun, by contrast, developed obvious swelling at the muzzle and along the body, with shooting accuracy degrading noticeably. The Nanyang Gun's barrel swelled only slightly, maintaining its accuracy.

From appearance alone, the Nanyang Gun's barrel was seamlessly fitted, forming an integral whole—how the Kun Thieves manufactured them remained a mystery. The Folangji Gun, in comparison, resembled the bird guns used by the Official Army: the barrel was visibly seamed and reinforced with several hoops.

Though Luo Heying understood nothing of smelting or manufacturing, he could plainly see the vast gap in craftsmanship between the two. Still, the Folangji Rapid Gun was the sharpest firearm available outside the Kun Thieves' arsenal. With these weapons, they could at least engage the Kun Thieves in frontal battle.

They had already secretly collected some Nanyang Guns, but the quantity was truly limited. To bring the Rapid Gun Squad to proper strength, they would need to continue coaxing wealthy households into parting with their silver.

He instructed Luo Hetu: "Master Li is organizing the Rapid Gun Squad, and you will serve as Instructor. Remember—you must hold this squad firmly in your grasp."

Having fought at San Liang alongside his clan brother, Luo Hetu possessed firsthand knowledge of the Kun Soldiers' capabilities. He couldn't help but voice his concerns: "Big Brother, no matter how we train, we have only fifteen rapid guns. Combined with what we already possess, that's barely over twenty. The Kun Thieves arm every man with one, and they've been drilling for years. Even if we train this Rapid Gun Squad to perfection, when the Kun Thieves' main force arrives, what use will it be? Not to mention their various great cannons..."

Luo Heying watched his nephew vent his frustrations with a knowing smile. Only when Luo Hetu had finished did he respond: "These ten-odd rapid guns naturally won't be enough on their own. But we're not trying to match formations with an elite army. As long as you train this Rapid Gun Squad well enough to hurt the Kun Thieves—to hurt them badly and build a reputation—those fence-sitters still watching carefully will see that the Kun Thieves aren't invincible with three heads and six arms, that they don't win every battle. Once people gain confidence and unite their strength against the Kun, we'll have a chance at victory."

He let out a long breath before continuing: "Even if we fail this time, as long as we preserve this Rapid Gun Squad intact, we'll have capital to establish ourselves in these chaotic times. Perhaps when the Court hears of our exploits, someone will come to verify them. With the right maneuvering then, we might even secure official positions."

"Official positions mean nothing to me," Luo Hetu said. "I only want to follow you, Uncle—to kill as many Kun Thieves as possible and avenge our destroyed family."

At the mention of the blood debt from their family's destruction, Luo Heying ground his teeth until they creaked. After a long silence, he suppressed the hatred burning in his chest and spoke: "The tricks of these side-door sects like the Eight Immortals Society—however impressive their spectacles—amount to nothing more than fooling ignorant peasants. Whether they can actually defeat the Kun Thieves remains to be seen. Even the Court's Southern Expedition Grand Army may not be something to count on. You must drill this Rapid Gun Squad thoroughly. Spare no expense—bind these men's hearts firmly to us."

"Yes!" Luo Hetu answered in a low voice.

Luo Heying's tone softened. "You've worked hard on this journey. The Temple Festival Opera runs for the next few days at Li Family Enclosure—take some time to rest and relax. Once the festival ends, the Rapid Gun Squad will begin training. We can plan the selection of men in detail then."

(End of Chapter)