UCTOOT CH134

Kneeling on the yellow earth, he presented a secret letter. Xie Wuchi, surrounded by his victorious army, sat on a chair at the head. After the prolonged slaughter, his brows and expression had become increasingly gloomy and unyielding, carrying a natural chill.

Not far away, the Xie Army stood in a dense mass, forming a menacing tiger-and-wolf formation.

The person reported: “This is a secret letter from my General. The Great General has pacified the chaos of the whole country, and we admire you endlessly. If the Great General wishes to enter the gates of the Eastern Capital, my General is willing to personally open the gates to welcome you and assist in your grand plan!”

Xie Wuchi said indifferently: “Who is your General?”

The person replied: “The Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Front, currently in charge of the Imperial City Department, Chu De.”

Hearing this, Xie Wuchi smiled: “The Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Front, controlling hundreds of thousands of Imperial Guards—the General Chu who was defeated again and again by the Min Army?”

The person stammered in humiliation: “The General could not resist; it was truly His Majesty issuing contradictory orders day and night, forcing others beyond their ability…”

Xie Wuchi: “Very well. It seems General Chu is perceptive and wise, with a grand vision in his heart. Tomorrow, let us meet at the gate of the Eastern Capital.”

Everyone was puzzled by his meaning. The messenger hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly and quickly knelt to thank him: “Yes!”

As the person knelt and retreated, the crowd buzzed with discussion, asking Xie Wuchi: “Are we really to believe this person’s words and enter the city gate?” “General, please reconsider!”

Xie Wuchi didn’t answer. He took a sip of tea, raised his eyelids, and asked attentively: “Where is the Second Young Master?”

Xin Bin reported at the right moment: “The Second Young Master heard what the Revenge Army said and went to Shaoxing Prefecture to receive Young Master Du’s body. Guards are already following him; please rest assured, General.”

Xie Wuchi put down the tea cup: “Du Zihan is dead?”

Xin Bin repeated the Revenge Army’s words. Xie Wuchi’s eyes seemed to scrutinize, and a moment later, a layer of frost re-condensed in them.

“Dispatch more personnel to protect the Second Young Master’s safety.”

After the autumn rain, the road surface was muddy and unbearable. A scene of fallen flowers and flowing water after rain beat upon plantains; the scenery in the valley was beautiful. Shi Shu lifted his foot and stepped on the swollen flower petals soaked with rainwater.

Trudging through deep and shallow mud, passing desolate wild villages where human presence was scarce. Linjiang Prefecture had been a battlefield; nine out of ten houses were empty, cooking smoke cut off. Occasionally, wild dogs ran past, carrying unidentifiable bones in their mouths.

Shi Shu urged his horse hurriedly, glancing back: “I’m sorry, Xie Wuchi. At this time, I should have been witnessing your victory, but…”

He turned his head, muddy water splashing. A guard reminded him: “Second Young Master, be careful! Although the Min soldiers have been routed, there are still many remnants causing chaos, hiding here and there. It might not be safe if we encounter them.”

Shi Shu seemed to wake from a dream: “Understood. Thank you, everyone. I will be careful.”

The guard said: “We received a secret report that two groups of remnants are gathering in this direction and disappeared into the mountains, their whereabouts unknown. This subordinate has already asked the Revenge Army to deploy a team to escort us.”

Shi Shu finally remembered: “Just now, I heard the generals reporting war merits, but I didn’t hear Yinkun’s name. Has this person been caught?”

The guard said: “This person is not among the prisoners of war.”

Shi Shu reined in his horse and stopped suddenly. After hearing the news of Du Zihan’s death, his brain had been groggy, stiff, and sluggish. Now, there seemed to be a trace of life.

Shi Shu looked around blankly and asked: “Where does this road go? What cities are nearby?”

The guard said: “We are taking Lanyang Road, passing through Ping’an County, Fengle County, Qionghua Town, Liushui Village, Wulin Township, and then to Shaoxing Prefecture.”

Shi Shu reined his horse and walked on. Seeing the surrounding buildings—white walls and gray tiles, small bridges and flowing water, vermilion gates and embroidered households—it was obviously a scholarly family’s residence at a glance. But the houses were burned, clearly having suffered the disaster of war; many traces seemed very recent.

Shi Shu said: ” This is Jing Army territory. Where is the Jing Army?”

The guard said: “The Jing Army is in great chaos. Soldiers are cowardly and have long abandoned the common people.”

The horse’s hooves trampled anxiously and randomly. Shi Shu said “Giddyup!” After traveling another distance, the road felt increasingly familiar. A memory flooded into his mind—countless days and nights, he and Xie Wuchi traveled by day and rested by night, rushing on the road during the day and resting in deserted villages and wild temples at night, himself chattering endlessly.

Then on the night of the Red Thread Festival, small oars and light boats, fishing drums frequent, lively and noisy. That was when Xie Wuchi’s career was just beginning, rushing for his future. After Shi Shu and he managed the plague in Shukang Prefecture, they detoured to Changyang County to get Pei Wenqing’s documents, effectively making connections with the court’s new faction, and then returned all the way to the Eastern Capital.

Shi Shu was stunned: “I once walked this road with someone.”

The guard was puzzled: “Please speak clearly, Second Young Master.”

Shi Shu: “Further ahead, isn’t it Changyang County, the leader of Confucian scholars for a hundred generations, Hedong Academy?”

The guard said: “Exactly. Further down this road is indeed the literary vein of Great Jing, where the Xu family’s Hedong Academy is located.”

A bolt of lightning seemed to flash through Shi Shu’s mind. He turned his horse around: “Don’t go find Zihan first. Tell the Revenge Army to send a troop immediately to Changyang County! Protect the academy.”

Two remnants of the Northern Min army gathered near a low hillside in Yuyang Village. In their long flight for their lives, every Min soldier had a dark face and weary eyes, leaning on a scimitar.

Everyone was skin and bones from hunger. Hearing they could rest, they took out their scarce food one after another and gnawed on it.

Everyone complained: “Didn’t snatch any food along the way. The commoners here are all dead broke; not a grain of rice in their homes.”

Someone else said: “No choice. Everything was snatched during the fighting.”

One person quietly walked to the leader of the remnants and took a steamed bun from his bosom: “Prince, you eat. This slave has two left.”

Yinkun’s face was covered in soot. He glanced at him, smiled, and took the bun: “Good, Chongge, you have me in your heart. Just for this bun, when we return to Northern Min, I’ll ask the Great Monarch to appoint you an official and reward you with a thousand cattle and sheep.”

The one called Chongge said desolately: “This slave is loyal to the Prince, how dare I seek reward. Now that the army is defeated, we take it one step at a time.”

Yinkun tore into the bun, glancing at him: “Have you heard the saying? Victory and defeat are common in military affairs. My Wolf Soldiers were not routed, only temporarily retreating.”

Chongge lamented: “Prince, this slave saw with his own eyes that the Great Monarch was captured, the First Crown Prince and Third Crown Prince were captured, the Queen Mother was captured. Why don’t we flee back north of the Cha River?”

Yinkun’s face changed suddenly, grabbing his wrist: “What are you saying?”

The man lowered his voice: “North of the Cha River has also been occupied by Xi Xin and Han Tian, but if we flee back, flee to the far north of the mountain range, recreate our nation—”

Yinkun said nothing, crushed the bun bite by bite and ate it clean, staring at him as if chewing his flesh. The man was somewhat terrified and backed away. The next second, he was grabbed by the back of his collar by Yinkun and, amidst a burst of maniacal laughter, hacked to death violently.

Yinkun revealed a fierce glint: “I said it, Northern Min has not failed, and we will not fail!”

The other Wolf Soldiers looked astonished. Someone said: “Prince, that was the Prince’s companion growing up…”

Yinkun said: “Only those who defeat the Jing people with me are companions! If anyone else dares to discuss fleeing, don’t blame my blade for having no eyes!”

Everyone said one after another: “Yes.”

Soldiers approaching the city walls, a gloomy sun.

For over two hundred years of the Great Jing’s national fortune, the Eastern Capital was besieged for the first time. The whole country was shaken.

Civilians crowded in the city quarters, looking down from the city tower at Xie Wuchi’s army one after another. Even the defending Imperial Guards were extremely curious. The crowd had to squeeze, trample, and argue: “Which one is General Xie?” “Which one is it?” “General Xie’s elite troops only win and never lose compared to the Jing Army.” “Their military appearance is much stronger than ours!”

Feathered arrows carrying documents were shot onto the city gate one by one. Civilians squeezed together, opening and reading them one after another: “The Great General defeated hundreds of thousands of Min soldiers, buried alive over thirty thousand. The Great General can be called an army of tigers and wolves!”

Pairs of civilian eyes looked down from the city tower, but just as words of praise left their mouths, the Imperial Guards who arrived rushed over, snatched the documents, shoved them roughly, and even stabbed the reader to death!

Blood flowed like a stream. Students of the Imperial Academy ran through the city quarters, heartbroken: “These are the facts! The iron-clad evidence is mountainous; why still deceive! Stop killing the people! Stop killing the people!”

A gentle breeze blew. Thousands of troops were arrayed under the Eastern Capital’s city tower. The front row was elite iron cavalry, followed by infantry, then siege equipment. Black clouds pressed on the city, threatening to destroy it. The gates of the Eastern Capital were tightly closed, the drawbridge hung high, wary of the military horses under the tower.

An armored hand rose. Before the solemn military formation, horses parted way, and a tall date-red horse walked out.

“General, I fear cold arrows from the city tower. General better not…”

Xie Wuchi: “Make way.”

Xie Wuchi urged his horse forward, carrying a pitch-black mulberry bow and arrows on his back. The horse’s hooves were unhurried as he reached the very front of the formation.

“This is General Xie! The General Xie who killed the Min soldiers until they wailed like ghosts and wolves!” Someone said. The city wall fell silent instantly. Everyone looked at the sole figure before the solemn military formation below, holding their breath.

Witnessed by over a hundred thousand people present, everyone waited for every word this figure would say. This was a man’s supreme power; no one did not submit to him, did not bow and scrape to him. Everyone had to act according to his expression.

Xie Wuchi: “Where is Chu De of the Imperial City Department? Let him come out.”

A moment later, on the city tower, the general who wanted “merit of supporting the dragon” stood trembling. But still on the city tower, not daring to truly rebel, he had to say pleasantly: “General Xie summoned this subordinate; what is the matter?”

Xie Wuchi unhurriedly took the mulberry bow from his back, his finger wearing a jade thumb ring. A letter was attached to the arrow. He expanded the mulberry bow, aiming toward the top of the city tower. The bow was like a full moon, the force powerful.

“General Chu stand still, my General wants to test fire!”

Xin Bin shouted with a cheeky smile.

“What did you say?!”

“Outrageous!”

“What does this mean?”

There was a commotion on the city wall. The next second, the arrow shot out, carrying a sharp wind toward Chu De’s throat. Chu De screamed loudly, turning his head to dodge, but a piece of flesh was torn from the back of his ear, red meat dripping with blood. The feathered arrow grazed past and sank deep into the wall crack, showing the fierceness of the force!

Xie Wuchi put away the bow and arrow, smiled slightly, and said: “Please, General Chu, hand the letter to His Majesty. Say the Xie Army comes to offer victory. The Wolf Soldiers His Majesty introduced into the pass have been exterminated. Requesting His Majesty and the civil and military ministers of Great Jing to exit the city to appreciate the Jingguan (tower of heads) of Min soldiers and play polo, sharing the joy of victory.”

He added: “In two days, if you do not come out, the Xie Army will have to enter the city to speak with His Majesty face to face.”

After speaking, Xie Wuchi urged his horse into the formation. The Xie Army laughed unreservedly under the city tower: “Hahahahaha!!! Requesting His Majesty and the civil and military ministers to exit the city for viewing! Hahahahaha!”

On the city tower, someone murmured: “Outrageous, outrageous… How can the Xie Army be so arrogant…”

“How dare they humiliate His Majesty and the court officials like this!”

Xie Wuchi returned to the military formation, handed the mulberry bow to an attendant, brows furrowed in thought, and looked toward Shaoxing Prefecture over the layers of mountain ranges.

Snow-white mourning banners were tied to the wooden shed, making a mortuary hut. Paper wreaths and effigies were placed to the side.

Shi Shu walked from the end of the small path, holding a bunch of yellow chrysanthemums in his hand, and placed them on the covering white cloth. Song Sinan was punching teeth marks into yellow paper. Shi Shu placed a hand on his shoulder: “Enough, Sinan. These papers are enough.”

Song Sinan’s eyes were filled with bloodshot veins: “I don’t know why it turned out like this, why?”

Shi Shu held his shoulders with both hands and pulled him up. “Follow me. You are a young general; there is one more thing waiting for you to do right now.”

Song Sinan: “What is it?”

Shi Shu: “Come with me, go quickly to Hedong Academy in Changyang County. The number one library in the world today, its books are comparable to the Imperial City of the Eastern Capital, and its literary treasures are countless, as well as the priceless palace gate fortress… Go quickly, you must protect the academy and the entire Shaoxing Prefecture city.”

Song Sinan: “What about him?!”

Shi Shu: “After dealing with it, we’ll come back together to carry his coffin.”

Clatter. Song Sinan violently threw away the hammer and nails in his hand and walked out of the mourning hut. At this time, a column of the Revenge Army had already been assigned and was waiting.

Shi Shu mounted his horse, raised his whip, and led them galloping toward Shaoxing Prefecture city.

“Hyah, hyah, hyah!” Along the way was nothing but ruins. White bones exposed in the wild; no roosters crowing for a thousand li. Human smoke was cut off. Galloping along the main road all the way to the prefecture city, the city gates were wide open, but the households inside had doors tightly shut, eaves damaged, city towers burned. Clearly, this city without defending troops had already been attacked.

“Quick!”

Shi Shu’s heart hung tight. He whipped harder, galloping to the foot of the stairs.

Orthodox Central Plains, clothing and caps of the superior state, high gates and magnificent clans, Confucian sect literary vein. Hedong Academy, where scholars of the world gathered like clouds and followed like shadows, should have emitted the sound of loud reading, with elegant clothing bowing at the arched gate. At this time, it was a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses.

Shi Shu’s pupils contracted. Three thousand steps, blood flowing down. Scholars were all beheaded below the steps, corpses discarded, culture swept into the dust.

Shi Shu picked up a token from a pool of blood—”Wolf Soldiers entering the pass; scholars please evacuate to Hedong Academy for refuge.”

Scenes of the past appeared before Shi Shu’s eyes. In prefectures looted by Wolf Soldiers, scholars carried their bags. The Eastern Capital no longer accepted outsiders, so they fled here to read, rub poetry and songs, and record history. In war, besides human lives, there is one more thing easily destroyed, and that is civilization.

Walking up, suddenly a corpse was hanging on the main gate. The plain and elegant white clothes were stained with filthy blood; it was likely a direct descendant of the Xu family. This handiwork—Shi Shu murmured: “It’s definitely him, definitely Yinkun… He traveled Great Jing and admired Great Jing’s culture the most. He once came to Hedong Academy to study principles. Now…”

“The Min soldiers’ fate is exhausted. Even as a fugitive, he still wants to sever Great Jing’s literary vein!”

Those who wish to destroy a country must first destroy its history. Those who wish to destroy a race must first destroy its culture and remove its customs.

“I know Yinkun. Follow me, don’t let him go again!”

Shouts and screams came from inside the academy. Shi Shu had just started running up when he suddenly remembered something: “No… I can’t go…”

Song Sinan drew his sword and asked: “What’s wrong?”

Shi Shu muttered to himself like a curse: “Zihan is already dead, I can’t go, I…” As Shi Shu spoke, his body was already running up the stairs. While running, his eyes grew moist. “I can’t go, I can’t go… If I die too…”

Fear, fear like never before, indescribable fear, fear that swallowed all bravery completely. Shi Shu’s eyes were moist, heavy as if unable to take another step forward: “I will die too…”

“…It’s fine if you stay here. If you die, the Great General won’t let us off.” After Song Sinan finished speaking, he carried his sword, stretched his arms, leaped several times, and led a group of people sprinting into the gate.

Shi Shu stood in place, eyes red, feeling that curse that had been coiled in his heart since the war began.

Shi Shu felt tormented. Walking up step by step, suddenly, he saw many figures in white clothes winding out from behind the porch, carrying huge buckets in their hands. Shi Shu thought they were people from the academy, but when they turned their faces, he unexpectedly saw a familiar face—

Shi Shu smelled a lingering scent of tung oil. Fierce fire oil, stone grease water, gunpowder—his mind suddenly went blank. That person was preparing to seal the doors of the entire magnificent academy tight.

“—Stop!”

Shi Shu stumbled on the stone steps, sprinting forward wildly. Cold wind was suddenly sucked into his throat, as if passing through a huge storm.

Footsteps echoed in his ears.

—Fate, through choices, lets you verify who you are time and again.

Clear sky shining bright. People outside the tent sat in long chairs, surrounded by cloth forming a fence, creating a colosseum.

Inside the fence, the leader of the Wolf Soldiers was bound with ropes, kneeling on the ground, covered in mud and dust.

Outside the fence were hundreds of Xie Army soldiers holding sharp knives. Not far away stood a Jingguan piled with human heads. Xie Wuchi walked into the fence, his clean shoes brushing against the dust on these royals.

Xie Wuchi walked slowly. A moment later, someone reported: “General, the court’s people have arrived!”

Xie Wuchi: “Oh?”

A bright red carpet. The civil and military officials of the Jing Dynasty walked up slowly, each wearing vermilion and purple robes, brocade clothes and jade belts, exuding an indescribably noble and aggressive aura. With grave expressions, they walked into the military formation. Only a very few could maintain a lofty chin; most were uneasy.

Leading them was Prime Minister Fu Wen, holding the letter Xie Wuchi had shot into the city, followed by other court officials.

Xie Wuchi looked at the number of people: “Where are the people this General wanted?”

Fu Wen stepped aside. More than a dozen people behind him were tied up and kneeling before him: “Here. The Marquis of Anguo, Marquis of Yiyang, son of the Duke of Dingguo, Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Minister of War, Vice Minister of War, favored eunuchs… This group are all the rebellious ministers who confused His Majesty back then, advising to introduce Wolf Soldiers to fight the Xie Army. His Majesty asked us to send them here for the General to dispose of.”

Xie Wuchi: “So many people. It seems His Majesty was confused quite badly. However, the people this General wants are not them.”

Fu Wen knew his meaning: “General Xie, this is too much bullying.”

Behind him, a lofty official said: “His Majesty certainly won’t leave the city to see some Jingguan! Surnamed Xie, you are fierce as a tiger or wolf, but ultimately just a usurping rebel thief.”

Xie Wuchi: “If this General is a usurping rebel thief, why did Lord Zhou leave the city to come to this central army?”

That man didn’t expect Xie Wuchi to still recognize him: “It’s simply because you exterminated the Wolf Soldiers; naturally, I had to come see you.”

Xie Wuchi: “Good. Since you are here to see the Jingguan and polo, then please.”

Xie Wuchi sat back on the chair. With a wave of his hand, someone threw those dozen or so bound officials into the fence like pigs.

Moments later, several tall horses carrying heroic and vigorous strong soldiers galloped into the fence holding sticks with spikes, simulating a game of Cuju (polo). After Xie Wuchi nodded, the horses began to gallop wildly. The strong soldiers tensed their waists on horseback, leaned down, posture like a wolf’s back, and smashed the spiked sticks heavily with a “Bang!” onto the heads of these people.

Blood spurted, brains popped out. The soldiers laughed wildly on their horses: “Hahahahahahahaha!”

“Hahahaha!”

“What? It’s actually… this…”

The seated civil officials were all horrified, shaking all over, looking at Xie Wuchi trembling like sieves. All kinds of reactions from all kinds of people: some couldn’t watch and covered their eyes with hands; some hurriedly closed their eyes and chanted Amitabha; some were extremely muddled and fainted on the spot; some clutched their chests retching, and some were stiff as wooden puppets, daring not to breathe loudly.

Xie Wuchi raised an eyebrow slightly, expression calm, face full of frost and snow.

Horses galloped and crossed paths. Amidst the screams were struggles and wails of those not yet completely dead.

“Ah! Ahhhhhhhh! Ahhh…”

“Ah! Begging the Great General to spare my life, spare my life—”

The voices were shrill, the instinctual cries of uncontrollable pain.

“Hyah!” The horses galloped to the end of the fence, then galloped back to the starting point. Ping Yichun looked at Xie Wuchi’s face, understood, and immediately galloped back. Passing by, he raised the spiked stick high and smashed it with a “Bang” on the heads and faces of this group, scraping off a large piece of flesh, or even separating head from body.

Besides the wild laughter, there was only dead silence.

Xie Wuchi raised his eyes, tilted his head and asked: “Gentlemen, how was the ‘polo’? Satisfied with the view??”

Some were already unwell, forcing themselves to endure, daring not to leave their seats. The scene was chaotic; everyone was shivering.

Since Xie Wuchi rebelled, Fu Wen was reinstated, while Liu Chenglan was dismissed and confined at home. Fu Wen’s aged hands clenched, his face changing color: “They did wrong, there are laws and military discipline to handle it. Such bloody conduct to invite ridicule is overly cruel.”

Xie Wuchi said: “Cruel? Before Northern Min entered the pass, this General had never seen such tricks of killing for pleasure. I only learned it after watching them play.”

Everyone fell into silence, not daring to say a word.

“Doing unto them as they did unto others; didn’t expect it to be so interesting.”

Xie Wuchi’s brows relaxed, and he smiled calmly.

“A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye. Since the main culprits who introduced the Wolf Soldiers into the pass have all been killed, gentlemen, please return.” Xie Wuchi stood up.

These ministers had come prepared to die. Hearing this sentence: “You’re letting us go?”

Xie Wuchi: “Of course.”

After speaking, Xie Wuchi thought of something and looked at Fu Wen: “However, Prime Minister Fu has a debt of exiling me three thousand li back then. Please be careful on the road, Prime Minister Fu, and watch your step.”

Fu Wen’s aged eyes looked at him, saying stiffly: “Many thanks, General.”

Xie Wuchi: “Escort them outside the city gate.”

“Yes!”

A group of soldiers escorted the civil officials toward the city tower. Separated by water, Xie Wuchi stood among the pitch-black military horses, robes blown by the wind. Ping Yichun spoke in his ear: “My Lord, ready.”

Xie Wuchi: “Give me the bow.”

A pitch-black mulberry bow. The drawbridge was slowly lowered. The group of officials in vermilion robes walked into the city, avoiding him like the plague god, hurrying away.

Xie Wuchi pressed the bow body against the cold jade thumb ring, narrowed his eyes slightly, and pointed the arrowhead at a purple robe in the crowd.

“Hit!”

The bowstring tore the air, quickly cutting through space, galloping toward the noble and elegant back under the city gate tower. Fu Wen’s hindbrain was violently pierced by a sharp arrow, white hair instantly stained with blood.

Xie Wuchi threw the bow and mounted his horse. The cavalry behind him surged out like black fog.

“Enter the city!”

__

Author’s Note:
Shi Shu triggered skill: Brave Choice
Xie Wuchi triggered skill: Fear Intimidation

1. I can’t remember where it’s from, but Baidu has it; it should be on a test paper.
   
2. Fate, through choices, lets you choose who you are time and again—I saw it on Chicken Soup (inspirational quotes), can’t remember the source.
   

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