At first, when he arrived in this world, he thought the Yellow Ant Bandits were the same as the Huang Chao Rebellion army, but he hadn’t expected that Huang Chao had been wiped out decades ago. These Yellow Ant Bandits, dressed in yellow, were mostly descendants of the remnants of the Huang Chao rebels, and seemed to have inherited the doctrines of the Taiping Dao from the end of the Han dynasty. For a time, they rose up in a storm, sweeping through the Huai and Si regions like a whirlwind, and now they had even begun to enter the Central Plains.

“How dangerous is it?” Hearing Brian Carter say this, David Bennett became somewhat interested.

“At present, the main force of the roving bandits has moved from the Huai and Si regions into the Central Plains. Each province is only concerned with its own affairs, closing doors and fortifying defenses, waiting for the bandits to pass through, which has allowed the bandits’ power to grow day by day. The only ones who can pose a threat to the bandits now are the Zhu family of Bian and Luo and the Liu clan of Nanyang. Unfortunately, for various reasons, neither is willing to confront the bandits head-on. If the bandits return east from Ruzhou and can’t seize enough grain and supplies, they will surely attack the provinces and counties. If that happens, it will be a catastrophe for the Central Plains.” Brian Carter sighed.

This was truly what he felt in his heart.

He had followed the bandits’ path, and wherever they passed, the fields were desolate, just like ants and locusts swarming through. They swept through provinces and counties, leaving ordinary towns and villages empty. The rural people were either forced to join the bandits or fled to the cities or hid in the mountains to escape disaster. White bones littered the wilds, farmland lay abandoned, and no one tilled the soil. It was hard to imagine how people would survive the next season.

David Bennett was silent. He hadn’t expected the situation in the Central Plains and Jianghuai to be so dire. He had originally hoped that the Liu clan of Nanyang could join forces with the Li family, and together with the Shatuo Li clan of Jinzhong, attack the Zhu family. But he hadn’t anticipated the sudden rise of the Yellow Ant Bandits, whose momentum was so great that in the vast Central Plains, no one could stop them.

Chapter Twelve: Parting

Brian Carter’s words seemed to stir something in David Bennett’s heart, and their conversation came to a halt. It wasn’t until Emily Thompson appeared that the atmosphere improved a little.

Brian Carter greatly admired the fashion of this era, especially the elegant dresses worn by beautiful women like Emily Thompson. The floor-length, low-cut gown she wore perfectly showcased Emily Thompson’s tall and voluptuous figure. A long silk shawl draped over her shoulders and neck, her cheeks lightly made up, her lips crimson, giving her an almost ethereal beauty.

“What were you and Uncle Yuchi talking about? Uncle Yuchi seemed to be in a bad mood.” Emily Thompson appeared very poised. After a few pleasantries, the girl’s heart seemed to open up, and she had already forgotten Brian Carter’s somewhat bold behavior from the previous night.

“We talked about the Yellow Ant Bandits. I’m here this time mainly to gather intelligence on them. Although Guang Prefecture hasn’t suffered directly yet, it’s already been affected. Refugees from neighboring Caizhou and Yingzhou are pouring into Guang Prefecture, and the governor is having a hard time.” Brian Carter was also very relaxed, showing none of the restraint that ordinary people might have after learning the other’s identity. “Right now, the Yellow Ant Bandits are powerful, and I’m afraid it will affect Lord Yuchi’s original plans. He’s probably worried about that.”

Brian Carter didn’t have much faith in David Bennett’s current strategy of forming alliances. Uniting three families to oppose the Zhu family sounded good, but it was fraught with difficulties.

The Li clan of Guanzhong was riddled with internal strife and didn’t have the strength to move east beyond Tongguan. The Shatuo Li clan, though strong in arms, was held in check by their old enemy, the Helian clan of Tuyuhun, who controlled Wu and Wei prefectures. In addition, the rising power of the Tangut tribe in the northwest was also troubling the Shatuo Li clan. In fact, the external threats they faced were no less than those faced by the Zhu family of Bian and Luo.

As for Emily Thompson’s current diplomatic mission to Wanxiang, even if she could get the Liu and Xiao families to reconcile, the sudden rise of the Yellow Ant Bandits had already upset the balance of power in the Central Plains and Jianghuai. The Liu clan of Nanyang simply didn’t have the energy to compete with Bian and Luo; their main concern was to prevent the Zhu family from taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Yellow Ant Bandits. According to Emily Thompson, the Liu clan’s enthusiasm for reconciliation was probably for this very reason.

“Huh? Is there really no one in the vast east of the Pass who can control a band of roving bandits?” The girl was greatly surprised.

“Your Highness may not really understand these bandits. They roam the wilds, crossing provinces and counties, never staying in one place. They rarely engage the government troops directly—if they meet strong resistance, they flee; if they find weakness, they swarm in. The east of the Pass is vast, but divided among many provinces. Who would cross provincial borders to fight the bandits and do someone else’s dirty work? Besides, there are so many refugees now, and countless people are willingly joining the bandits. The power of the Ant Bandits grows by the day, and no one or two families can control them.”

Brian Carter gave a wry smile. He wondered if this princess truly didn’t know, or was just pretending. How were today’s great clans in each province any different from the old feudal lords?

Back then, the Tang dynasty may have fallen to the Zhu family, but the real cause was the rampage of Huang Chao’s army. At that time, the feudal lords had armies of millions, but how many truly fought for the Tang? If Song Wei hadn’t let the enemy in from the front and Gao Pian hadn’t avoided the enemy from behind, how could the great Tang have fallen?

There were also some things he hadn’t said: the Yellow Ant Bandits were far from as simple as many imagined.

He had infiltrated the Yellow Ant Bandits as an undercover agent. Even though he had only entered the outer circles, he could already feel how quickly the bandits were evolving, and there were quite a few outstanding figures among them. Whether in literature, martial arts, or even mystical arts, many had remarkable skills.

Brian Carter even suspected that some people might not really be Yellow Ant Bandits—could there be other roles at play?

But one thing was certain: perhaps the Yellow Ant Bandits had started out as a bunch of starving peasants looking for food, but now, they were definitely not that anymore.