Seeing so many people gathered by the dock, Bai Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.
"Master Feng, look at this. We already have over three thousand men here. That's not a small force."
Feng Jun frowned hard.
"We are three thousand rabble. Wang Jiayin has fifty thousand rabble!"
A voice immediately jumped in from behind Bai Yuan.
"Hey now, who are you calling rabble?"
It was Flat Rabbit.
He had originally been assigned to protect Gao Yiye, but she had passed him to Bai Yuan, so he followed all the way here to Qiachuan dock. He had been keeping a low profile the whole time, but the moment he heard that word, he could not take it anymore.
He stepped forward with a huff.
"Master Feng, you are an important man, but you should not look down on our Gao Family Village militia. I, Flat Rabbit, first expert of the Gao Family Village militia, known throughout the Jianghu as a peerless swordsman who can shine light across forty provinces with a single strike, am not someone who can be described as rabble."
His tone was full of pride, his posture arrogant, his chin lifted so high it looked like he was trying to stab the sky with it.
Feng Jun paused and studied him from head to toe.
Strange man. Maybe… possibly… somewhat impressive?
He cupped his hands politely.
"Apologies, I misspoke. May I ask, Hero Rabbit, what insight do you have on the current situation?"
Bai Yuan sighed internally.
Bad. He is about to expose himself.
Flat Rabbit, suddenly being treated as an expert by a county magistrate, immediately puffed up with pride.
"Master Feng, you calculated the enemy numbers wrong. Wang Jiayin does not have fifty thousand men."
Feng Jun frowned.
"This figure comes from official court military intelligence. How could it be wrong?"
Flat Rabbit shook his head confidently.
"If this is land warfare, then maybe Wang Jiayin could bring fifty thousand. But he is coming by the Yellow River to attack this dock. He cannot bring fifty thousand men. He can only bring as many as his ships allow."
Feng Jun froze for a moment.
Then his eyes lit up.
"Hero Rabbit speaks with reason!"
He suddenly grew excited.
"Wang Jiayin cannot possibly have that many ships. River travel on the Yellow River is difficult. Fishing boats and merchant ships are limited. Even if he loots along the way, he still cannot transport fifty thousand troops. At most, he will send a forward scouting force."
Flat Rabbit nodded smugly.
"Exactly. They won't exceed ten thousand. We have over three thousand men. With a riverbank wooden fort, the enemy must attack at least five times our number to break through. That means they need at least fifteen thousand men. We are safe. How could we lose?"
Feng Jun nodded slowly, impressed.
This Rabbit fellow actually makes sense.
"Hahaha!"
Feng Jun laughed loudly.
"In that case, I am no longer worried!"
But just as he finished speaking, chaos erupted among the thousand-plus laborers working on the cement road and fortress.
"War is coming?"
"So many militia, there's going to be fighting?"
"The bandits are coming?"
"Ah!"
"I am leaving!"
"I am leaving too! I do not want to die!"
In a panic, over a thousand laborers instantly scattered toward the northwest, fleeing in a chaotic wave. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
Only about two thousand men remained at the dock.
Feng Jun wiped sweat from his forehead.
"We still have two thousand men left. Hero Rabbit, didn't you say the enemy needs five times our number? That would be ten thousand. Isn't that just right?"
Flat Rabbit's sweat started pouring down his face.
Bai Yuan could not help but burst out laughing.
So this rabbit is showing cracks again.
"Enough talk. Set up the cannons!"
Bai Yuan waved his hand.
"Bring up our two cannons. Aim them at the Yellow River."
The militia immediately sprang into action.
At that moment, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly rang out from afar.
Deng deng deng.
Three hundred cavalry came charging in from the northwest.
Leading them was a tall, broad-shouldered female general who looked like a giant ape riding a horse.
It was Zao Ying.
Even from a distance, she shouted loudly.
"Mr. Bai! Is the dock safe? I have come under the order of Dao Xuan Tianzun to reinforce you! Instructor He's infantry will arrive in a few hours!"
Bai Yuan turned and smiled with delight.
"Zao Tuanlian, perfect timing. Wang Jiayin's fleet has not arrived yet."
Feng Jun's eyes widened.
More cavalry?
This Gao Family Village actually has cavalry reinforcements too?
Zao Ying spoke again.
"My troops are not suitable for defending the dock. I will ride along the western bank of the Yellow River to scout ahead."
Bai Yuan nodded.
"Good. Reconnaissance is in your hands."
Zao Ying raised a fist in salute, turned her horse, and galloped north along the river. Three hundred cavalry followed like a storm, disappearing quickly into the distance.
Feng Jun could not help asking.
"You actually have cavalry? And that woman is… who exactly is she?"
Bai Yuan smiled.
"That is our Gao Family Village's Zao Tuanlian. She is responsible for cavalry training. Not bad horsemanship, right?"
Feng Jun frowned.
"Cheng County is not horse country. Where did you get so many warhorses?"
Bai Yuan chuckled.
"Bought them."
Feng Jun blinked.
"Hundreds of warhorses… that must cost a fortune."
Bai Yuan snapped open his folding fan with a crisp sound.
The words "Gentleman" were written on it. He covered half his face, looking extremely composed.
"The Li family has some wealth."
Feng Jun went silent.
This is not "some wealth."
This is absurdly rich.
Somehow, his confidence grew even stronger.
With such a powerful backing, maybe they really could hold off Wang Jiayin.
He exhaled deeply.
"Very well. Soldiers meet soldiers. Water meets earth. No need to panic."
He quickly began organizing defenses, ordering militia to build elevated firing platforms behind the wooden barricades.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuan walked over to Bai Shui Wang Er.
"Your men… might not be suitable for this fight. You just broke away from Wang Jiayin. If you immediately fight him here, it might damage your sense of Jianghu loyalty."
Wang Er shook his head.
"I have already fulfilled all obligations of loyalty. The moment his brother-in-law Zhang Liwei and his clan Wang Guozhong tried to kill me, that loyalty ended."
"My men have nothing to hesitate about. Cheng County is also our hometown. If we fight to protect our homeland, it is justified anywhere you go."