UCTOOT CH69

The wooden hairpin was as smooth as new. Shi Shu and Du Zihan looked at each other for a moment under the dim lamplight, a feeling of unease swirling in their hearts, but not a single word was spoken.

On the other side, the lanterns in Zhao Shirui’s field headquarters had just been lit, illuminating the tent!

Zhao Shirui strode in from outside, his cold iron armor carrying the chill of the wind and snow. As soon as he sat down, he asked, “Has Staff Officer Xie been waiting long?”

Xie Wuchi sat upright and said, “Not long. For General Zhao to convene a meeting in the middle of the night, you must have already made a decision?”

Zhao Shirui turned his face, and only then could one see the traces of blood on it. The tent was filled with his trusted confidants, including the Chou Army’s vanguard, Song Sigui. Zhao Shirui said, “The friction with Feng Kuizhi’s army is increasing. He’s been causing trouble on the Senzhou border. First, he came to use the supply route, and now he wants to use our Cha River’s transport capacity. Yesterday, he moved his troops to the Xiaohuaichong area, acting with impunity, looting and harassing. I went to see Military Commissioner Feng about it, but…”

Xie Wuchi remained silent. Another strategist in the tent asked, “Did Military Commissioner Feng side with General Feng again?”

Zhao Shirui’s expression was grave. “Feng Kuizhi is his youngest son. It’s understandable that he would favor him. I just never expected the life-and-death friendship my late father shared with him…”

Sandalwood smoke curled in the tent. Xie Wuchi propped himself up and said faintly, “General, even if there was a friendship, that was twenty years ago. Your ability to lead troops in battle far surpasses Feng’s son, but he is the youngest son and will sooner or later take control of the central army. You are his greatest hidden threat. Haven’t you heard that ‘a tall tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind’? You and Feng Kuizhi will have to fight sooner or later.”

Zhao Shirui’s tiger-like eyes scanned the hall, his face dark and silent.

In recent years, Feng Zhongshan had grown increasingly arrogant and proud of his achievements, his temper volatile, fond of whipping people. When Zhao Shirui had gone to report military intelligence, Feng Zhongshan was listening to music. In a fit of rage, he had swung his whip at Zhao Shirui’s face.

That whip, just like that arrow twenty years ago, had lashed from his forehead to his jaw, and it had also shredded the last of Zhao Shirui’s tender feelings and hesitation.

The other confidants spoke up one after another. “Brother Zhao, it’s time to make a decision.”

“These past few days, the troops and supplies in the city have already been prepared and are under martial law.”

“The opportunity must not be missed; it won’t come again! It’s precisely at the height of winter’s cold. Even heaven is helping us!”

“…”

Zhao Shirui looked at Xie Wuchi. “Brother Xie, has any letter come from the Eastern Capital?”

Xie Wuchi: “I have sent a letter to the Prince of Han. If war breaks out, the Prince of Han will certainly advocate for war and do his utmost to protect the General.”

Zhao Shirui asked again, “That map…”

Xie Wuchi said, “I have already had scouts disguised as Min people cross the Cha River to investigate. The defense lines and garrisons are exactly as described by the refugees. First, let the ‘Chou Army’ lead ten thousand men, divided into three routes, as the vanguard. Under the cover of heavy night snow, cross the Cha River, bypass the defense lines and garrisons, move silently, and first burn the enemy’s granaries and military supplies. The first defense line will inevitably assemble troops to counterattack the vanguard with the garrison. General Zhao can then lead the main army in pursuit, take the opportunity to throw the enemy into chaos, and annihilate the bulk of their forces.”

Zhao Shirui listened to his strategic arrangement without a word.

Xie Wuchi continued, “Once the vanguard has burned their supplies, the winter snow will make travel difficult and resupply challenging. Retaking Dasheng Prefecture will be a matter of moments.”

“Good, good, very good…”

Dasheng Prefecture, the place where the Great Jing dynasty had risen. It had been humiliated and lost twenty years ago. If it were retaken, it would be an immense honor and achievement, the merit of a general being enfeoffed as a marquis.

Zhao Shirui slumped back into his chair, staring straight ahead. After a moment, he finally said, “Since the signing of the ‘Cha River Agreement,’ the Great Jing has been at peace for twenty years. Do any of you know how cruel the scenes of war can be? At that time, I was only ten years old, following my father’s army, running from east to west. What I saw was rivers of blood, enough to float shields, people being killed like flies, and corpses littering the fields. If I start this war today, if I am the one to start the border conflict, then these twenty-odd years of peace will cease to exist, vanish into thin air. The flames of war that follow will spread, and there will be no more peaceful days!”

Xie Wuchi sat on his mat, the area under his eyes dark. He slowly rolled a string of beads in his hand, as if suppressing a madness, and watched him quietly.

He leaned forward slightly, looking directly at Zhao Shirui, as if waiting for the answer he wanted.

These past few days, Xie Wuchi had been rushing about, planning everywhere. In his exhaustion, he couldn’t help but pick up his Buddhist beads again. There were many gathas in Buddhism: To senselessly give rise to views is to seek enlightenment through attachment to form. If one becomes attached to form, amplifying the ego, a single thought can turn a god into a demon.

“Better to be a dog in times of peace than a man in times of chaos!”

Zhao Shirui’s tiger eyes swept the room as he said loudly, “I, Zhao, also have a heart that loves the people! But… my Zhao family has been loyal and brave for generations. If anyone wants to wipe out my Zhao family, I will never agree!”

After speaking, a ruthless look appeared on Zhao Shirui’s face. With a “swish,” he threw a military command flag to the ground. “Kill without mercy!”

The demonic chant in his mind finally stopped.

Xie Wuchi’s hand finally stilled. A faint smile touched his lips, his expression extremely proper and righteous. He stood up.

“I will go and prepare now.”

In the room, Shi Shu sat on a chair and placed the hairpin back into its pouch.

“I’m sure the hairpin Xie Wuchi has is identical to this one.”

Du Zihan shook his head. “Impossible. My teammate was a master craftsman. His only pastime here was making toys. Brother Xie wouldn’t have such a hobby, would he?”

Shi Shu asked, “When did your teammate die?”

Du Zihan thought carefully. “I met him after wandering for about half a month. Then we went to Xingufu to farm together. We were there for about a month, and his physical and mental health kept getting worse. But I was still in good shape at the time. The officer in charge of the farming let him stay in the village while I and the others went out to farm as usual every day.”

Shi Shu: “And then?”

Du Zihan said, “It was early spring then, we were planting wheat. It was my turn to guard the fields at night, so I was gone for a day and a night. When I got back, he was already hanging from the beam, long dead.”

A chill ran down Shi Shu’s back. He calculated, “At that time, I was also in Zhou Family Village learning to farm. After the rebellion in Shukang Prefecture’s Huainan region, many refugees were fleeing everywhere, and the regulations on travel permits were temporarily relaxed—did you ever see Xie Wuchi among the refugees?”

Du Zihan: “No.”

Shi Shu: “That hairpin—”

Du Zihan suddenly remembered something. “Oh, he loved handicrafts. When there was a break from farm work, he would take a piece of wood and a small knife and carve. After he was done, he would occasionally give them to everyone. Besides hairpins, he made other things…”

Shi Shu suddenly had a bad feeling. “Are you sure he committed suicide?”

Du Zihan looked strange. “Of course. What do you mean? What are you suspecting? I’m sure it was suicide. A coroner came to examine the body at the time and said it was suicide. No doubt.”

Shi Shu’s mind was a mess. “So what’s with the hairpin? Xie Wuchi told me he found it. Could it be that it was given to some refugee, and it ended up in his hands after being passed around?”

Du Zihan looked bewildered. “I don’t know either. That kind of civilian farm was crowded and chaotic. Sometimes you didn’t know who was coming or going. And given my teammate’s mental and physical state at the time… he always wanted to die. I never doubted it.”

Shi Shu pinched the hairpin. “Are there any other details?”

Du Zihan thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “Oh, during that time, I suspected he was always thinking about suicide because he often urged me to go out and farm and not to take care of him. You know, at that time, dozens of people, with their families, lived together. With the officials urging us, he and I couldn’t always be together. I had to go dig irrigation ditches and plant crops.”

Shi Shu: “Uh-huh, uh-huh, and then?”

“Later, his health got worse, he was really weak, and he didn’t want to see me much. He said he was sick and was afraid of infecting me, so he always told me to leave, not to be with him. I believed him at the time. It was only later that I thought, maybe he already had suicidal thoughts back then.”

Shi Shu: “Was he trying to send you away?”

Du Zihan: “Maybe. He was quite dependent on me. He couldn’t walk before, and I carried him on my back for a long way. Maybe he wanted to spare my feelings.”

Shi Shu: “Did he also leave you a suicide note?”

Du Zihan slapped his head. “Yes! That suicide note, he had written it several days before and left it in my room. I only found it later. In the letter, he told me that there might be more than two transmigrators in this world and told me to be careful.”

“…”

“Be careful? Why ‘be careful’?”

Shi Shu silently retreated to his spot. “His and Xie Wuchi’s views on new teammates are the same: be extra careful. Why? Could it be that they had already encountered others?”

Cloud after cloud of suspicion.

Also, a bigger question loomed in Shi Shu’s mind.

Xie Wuchi was very cautious about other transmigrators, and even more so with Du Zihan, keeping a clear distance. So why was he so good to him? He understood now that he seemed to have fallen for him, but back then in Zhou Family Village, when Shi Shu ran down the hillside covered in mud, holding a whip like a little shepherd, could that have been love at first sight?

Xie Wuchi, who never acted without a reason, wouldn’t be good to someone for no reason. But why did he feel that Xie Wuchi was especially good to him right from the start? It made Shi Shu want to stay with him and never leave.

Shi Shu rubbed his face. The lamplight shone on his handsome, clean features, warming his skin slightly.

Xie Wuchi.

In Zhou Family Village, he had saved his life. From then until now, almost a year, they had always been together. At Xiangnan Temple, he had helped him, so Shi Shu had followed him to the Flowing Water Nunnery at Prince Liang’s residence. On the way to Shukang Prefecture, that was the first time Shi Shu had traveled so far. He was afraid of ghosts on the road, and Xie Wuchi had held his hand the whole way. When Xie Wuchi caught the plague in Shukang Prefecture, Shi Shu had stayed up day and night, squeezed into the narrow woodshed to take care of him.

At the birthday celebration in Prince Liang’s mansion, they never saw each other.

Imprisoned in the Censorate, serving in the Lantai Guard, Shi Shu brought him mung bean soup every day. Then, with a sudden transformation, he soared through the ranks, acting regent for the new policies and touring the country. It was also Shi Shu who had walked through these mountains and rivers with him, wandering around with him every day after reaching the post stations, exploring the world.

Then, when the new policies were abolished, he accompanied him for three thousand miles of exile, from the rustling autumn rain to the biting cold wind, through ice and snow, all the way to this border town of Senzhou, buried in ice and snow.

As long as he considered someone a friend, Shi Shu would treat them well. So, since Xie Wuchi had saved him once, he had also been good to him without reservation. From that time until now, he and Xie Wuchi had always been this close, inseparable.

Now, this hairpin had unsettled Shi Shu, but he was unwilling to harbor malicious speculations about him. He thought for a moment and said, “No rush. Let’s wait first. When Xie Wuchi comes back, we can ask him if he knows anything.”

The snow kept falling. These few days were extremely cold, with fierce winds and heavy snow. Outside the window, the mournful howl of the wind would sound from time to time, like the wailing of ghosts.

Shi Shu sat in the courtyard warming himself by the stove, his forehead reflecting the firelight. He said, “Why isn’t Xie Wuchi back yet?”

He had been waiting for him for a day or two, but the result was: not back, not back, not back!

Du Zihan also said, “This is too busy, isn’t it?”

Just then, a guard came to the door and asked, “Is this Lord Xie’s residence?”

Shi Shu stood up. “Yes. Is there news of Xie Wuchi?”

The man said, “Lord Xie is currently handling military affairs in General Zhao’s tent. He specifically asked me to come and say, please rest assured, young masters, and rest well these few days.”

The hope that had just been kindled in Shi Shu was extinguished. He said lazily, “Then when will he be back?”

The guard said, “I don’t know.”

Shi Shu sent him away. Standing at the courtyard gate, he saw wheels rolling on the road, troops gathering. The soldiers were driving the men out of their houses, house by house, saying, “You, you, you, and you, all of you come out. General Zhao is levying labor. All the men in the household, come out!”

Shi Shu’s eyes flickered, and he was ready to go out. Unexpectedly, the soldier passed him by and went to the next house. “Knock knock knock, open up, someone come to the door!”

He’s not calling me. Did Xie Wuchi speak to them? Shi Shu simply walked into the street. These were the people he had cleared the snow path with. At this moment, they were walking out with their heads bowed. As expected, being drafted for military labor in the dead of winter, everyone was naturally resentful.

As Shi Shu was observing, a familiar figure flashed through the crowd. Shi Shu suddenly called out to him, “Song Sinan?”

Song Sinan was bundled up heavily, his posture nimble. It was indeed him. He walked closer to Shi Shu, his smile generous and bright. “What’s up, second young master?”

Shi Shu also smiled and asked, “What are you guys doing?”

Song Sinan said, “Levying military labor. These people are useful.”

“Then why not levy me? Levy me along with them.”

Song Sinan clapped his hands with delight. “Oh my, others don’t want to go, and you’re fighting to get in? Would Lord Xie be willing? He gave a thousand warnings not to let these people call you.”

Shi Shu simply asked, “Where did my brother go?”

“To General Zhao’s military camp outside the city. He’ll probably be very busy these days.” Song Sinan lowered his voice. “He’s General Zhao’s big favorite now.”

Just as he finished, someone in the distance shouted, “Young General, it’s time to go!” Song Sinan waved his hand, preparing to leave. Seeing the source of his intel about to depart, Shi Shu, in his urgency, grabbed him. “Take me with you!”

Song Sinan shook his sleeve in shock. “Huh? No, what are you doing!”

Shi Shu: “Take me to see my brother. If you won’t let me see him, then leaving me in the army to do labor is also fine. You know, I’ve never had an older brother since I was a child. I want to know what he’s really doing.”

Song Sinan: “Ahhhhh, don’t cling to me!”

Shi Shu: “Ahhhh, help me! Help me this once! I’ll help you in the future too, ahhhhh!”

Song Sinan refused, “Ahhhhhhhhhh!”

Shi Shu insisted, “Ahhhhhhhhhh!”

Du Zihan: “…………”

What kind of communication method do young people have?

Song Sinan surrendered. “What can you help me with?”

Shi Shu paused. “Anyway, if you need anything in the future, just call me anytime.”

Song Sinan looked around, really at a loss. “Forget it, come with me, brother.”

Shi Shu said loudly, “Thank you, my Brother Song! I wish my Brother Song good health, a long life, and a happy family!” After speaking, he beckoned to Du Zihan, and the two of them followed the group out of the city gate.

The moment the heavy city gate opened, the thick snow and cold wind instantly blew into their eyes. Shi Shu raised a hand to rub his eyes, his handsome, fair face flushed red from the wind.

When Shi Shu opened his eyes, his footsteps suddenly halted.

Before him.

Were black masses of neatly arranged troops, gathered outside the city gate, holding long spears, wearing armor, standing like a fortress in the wind and snow, unmoving, even blocking the wind and snow behind them.

This was Zhao Shirui’s elite force, the Langdi Army.

Of the two hundred thousand plus troops led by Feng Zhongshan in the central army, the Langdi Army was the elite. The quality and equipment of its soldiers far surpassed that of other armies. The last civilian rebellion in the Huainan region was suppressed by this army.

Shi Shu was stunned. In this high-pressure, solemn environment, he subconsciously lightened his steps. He hadn’t seen war yet, but he felt its prelude. There were probably tens of thousands of soldiers outside the city. Power, violence… the phalanx assembled before him could easily take the life of an ordinary person, even a group of people, a city, smash all old rules, and make the commanding general the only one whose words counted, to be revered as a god.

The coldness of power could easily crush an individual. Was this what Xie Wuchi was chasing?

As Shi Shu was lost in thought, Song Sinan said in a low voice, “It’s under martial law now, you two must be extremely cautious. The vanguard is assembling. We are the logistics unit, don’t get in their way. The slightest violation of military orders will result in execution.”

Shi Shu said, “Understood, understood. Don’t worry, I won’t cause you any trouble. What should I do?”

“You, well—”

Shi Shu scratched his head. On the other side, the sound of a whip cracking was heard. Turning around, he saw a procession pulling supplies, tents, arrows, large and inconvenient weapons, pots, and pans. They had started to move. Columns of people were marching. Perhaps because it was winter, some people couldn’t help but complain, cursing as they walked.

Song Sinan jumped down from his horse and said, “Provisions and fodder go before troops and horses. The first logistics unit has already set off. Let’s set off too. As for you, there are still a hundred catties of soybeans that haven’t been brought, for feeding the horses. Can you carry them to the mule cart?”

Shi Shu: “Leave it to me!”

Shi Shu and Du Zihan went together to the granary, moved the soybeans for the horses onto the cart, and then he sat on the cart as it slowly moved forward, transporting the goods to their destination.

This logistics team, composed of refugees from the “Chou Army,” was more inclined to sing and dance, full of joy. The group walked and chattered among themselves.

“Our homeland is between the embrace of mountains and water.”

“The land there is fertile, suitable for farming, and the harvests are abundant…”

“The nobles of Northern Min seized our land, turned farmland back into grassland, only allowing us to herd horses and sheep, not to farm anymore…”

“There was no food to eat, and they would beat and curse people.”

“Now, we can finally return to our homeland and drive away those evil invaders.”

“…”

Shi Shu sat on a haystack, scratching the snowflakes from his hair, revealing a handsome, youthful face. Du Zihan quietly asked him, “Are we really going to war? We’re in the logistics unit, we should be completely safe, right?”

Shi Shu: “Are you afraid of dying?”

Du Zihan: “Aren’t you?”

“…………”

Shi Shu: “It’s fine. Logistics unit. Nothing should happen.”

Du Zihan looked around, perplexed. “What is this? How did we end up at war?”

Shi Shu felt a bit muddled, without any sense of reality. Du Zihan was about the same. The two of them were in a daze.

Song Sinan rode a small horse, pacing back and forth, and returned to Shi Shu’s side. “How is it? Are our refugees particularly well-trained and high in morale?”

Shi Shu couldn’t help but nod. “Indeed, they can be considered elites.”

Song Sinan said, “That’s right. The logistics unit is the parents of the vanguard ‘Chou Army,’ and the vanguard ‘Chou Army’ are the sons of the logistics. Everyone has to be of one mind to go home.”

Shi Shu smiled and said, “Alright, then with me working here, with my help, aren’t you like a tiger with wings?”

Song Sinan laughed wildly. “Xie Shishu! You can’t even drive a cart. How much can you help us?”

Shi Shu: “Who are you looking down on? I can learn. I learn things very quickly.” Song Sinan let the driver rest first and had Shi Shu take the reins, holding a whip in one hand, lightly tapping the mule’s rump. The cart began to trudge forward.

Shi Shu: “This is interesting. Zihan, you try!”

Du Zihan said seriously, “Xiao Shu Bao, I’m twenty-five years old.”

“…………”

The group found joy in their hardship, working and laughing. Shi Shu was concentrating on driving the cart and didn’t notice a raised bump in the mountain path. The mule was fine, but the cart suddenly lurched. Shi Shu pitched forward and, with a “thud,” jumped off the cart, his hands landing in the icy snow pile.

Shi Shu: “Ouch.”

Song Sinan, slapping his horse’s back, laughed wildly. “Hahahahahahahaha!”

On the other side, several tall, magnificent horses were walking together.

The transport officer said respectfully, “The grain and supplies are all here. Please inspect them, my lords.”

Dressed in a sharp, all-black outfit in the wind and snow, which made his figure look even more upright and neat, tall and handsome, Xie Wuchi sat on his horse. A guard at his side jumped down from the cart, bag by bag, lifting the oilcloth to inspect the grain and military supplies in detail, brushing away the wind and snow. The transport officer held the account book.

Xie Wuchi’s gaze swept over them. The guard below said, “Reporting to my lord, there are no errors!”

Xie Wuchi handed the account book back. As his gaze passed by, he saw the youth sitting in the snow, laughing.

He paused, then urged his horse forward with a “Jia.”

The sandy snow was fine and soft. Shi Shu sat on the ground. Seeing Du Zihan and Song Sinan still laughing, he balled up two snowballs and threw one at each of them. “Laughing? Is it funny? Still laughing? It’s my first time driving a cart, this is already pretty good, okay?”

Du Zihan stood up and shook the snow off his body. “Damn, you’re playing dirty!”

Song Sinan also walked back. “Don’t be like that.”

However, just as Song Sinan’s horse turned, the smile on his face vanished. He nimbly jumped off his horse. “Lord Xie!”

Shi Shu was standing up and patting the snow off his body. Hearing the commotion, he turned his face. In the vast expanse of wind and snow, a tall, magnificent chestnut horse, and Xie Wuchi, covered in wind and snow, was walking toward him.

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