UCTOOT CH67

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 thought lingering in their minds, but neither said a word.

On the other side, Zhao Shirui’s mobile headquarters had just raised its command tent, which was brightly lit!

Zhao Shirui strode in from outside the tent, his cold iron armor wrapped in wind and snow. He sat down and asked, “Has Censor Xie been waiting long?”

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

Zhao Shirui turned his face, revealing a trace of blood on it. In the tent were several of his trusted men, including Song Sigui, the vanguard of the “Vengeance Army.” Zhao Shirui said, “Friction with Feng Kuizhi’s army is increasing. He has been harassing the Senzhou border, first by encroaching on the supply routes, and now he wants to use the transport capacity of our Cha River. Yesterday, he moved his troops to the Xiaohuai Chong area, acting with impunity, looting and harassing. I went to see Regional Commander Feng about it, but…”

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

Zhao Shirui’s expression turned grave. “Feng Zhongshan is his youngest son, so it’s understandable that he favors him. I never expected that the life-and-death friendship my late father shared with him…”

Sandalwood incense smoke lingered in the tent. Xie Wuchi propped himself up and said lightly, “General Zhao, even if there was a friendship, it was from twenty years ago. Your ability to lead troops in battle far surpasses Feng Zhongshan’s, but he is the youngest son and will sooner or later take command of the central army. You are his greatest hidden threat. Have you not heard that ‘a tree that stands out from 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 swept across the room as he remained silent and grim. In recent years, Feng Zhongshan had grown arrogant and proud of his achievements. He had a violent temper and liked to whip people. When Zhao Shirui had gone to report military intelligence to Feng Zhongshan, Feng Zhongshan was listening to music and, in a fit of rage, had swung a whip at Zhao Shirui’s face.

That whip, just like the arrow from twenty years ago, struck from his forehead to his jaw, and it also shattered the last of Zhao Shirui’s sentimentality and hesitation.

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

“In these past few days, the troops and supplies in the city have been readied, and we are under martial law.”

“The opportunity is now or never! It is the coldest time of winter; even the heavens are helping us!”

“…”

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

Xie Wuchi replied, “I have sent a letter to Prince Han. If a war starts, Prince Han will surely support the war and protect the General.”

Zhao Shirui asked again, “That map…”

Xie Wuchi said, “I have sent scouts disguised as Min people to cross the Cha River and investigate. The defense lines and garrisons are exactly as described on the map provided by the refugees. First, let the ‘Vengeance Army’ lead with ten thousand men, split into three routes, as the vanguard. Under the cover of the heavy night snow, they will cross the Cha River, bypass the defense lines and garrisons, move silently, and burn the enemy’s granaries and military supplies first. The first line of defense will inevitably gather troops to attack the vanguard with the garrisons. 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 grain and supplies, travel will be difficult in the winter snow, and resupply will be a challenge. Retaking Great Sheng Prefecture will only be a matter of time.”

“Good, good, good…”

Great Sheng Prefecture, the place where the Great Jing dynasty rose, had fallen in humiliation twenty years ago. If they could retake it, it would be an immense honor and achievement, a merit worthy of being ennobled as a marquis.

Zhao Shirui fell back into his chair, staring straight ahead. After a moment, he said, “Since the signing of the ‘Cha River Agreement,’ Great Jing has been at peace for twenty years. Do you all know how cruel it is when war strikes? At that time, I was only ten years old, following my father’s army, running from east to west. What I saw were rivers of blood, where bodies dammed the flow, countless people being killed, and corpses littering the fields. If I start this battle today, if I am the first to provoke a border conflict, these twenty-odd years of peace will cease to exist, turned to nothing, and the ensuing fires of war will spread with no end to the turmoil!”

Xie Wuchi sat on his mat, his eyes dark. He slowly rolled a string of beads in his hand, as if suppressing a madness, and watched him quietly. He leaned his body forward slightly, looking directly at Zhao Shirui, seemingly waiting for the answer he wanted.

These past few days, Xie Wuchi had been running around, plotting and planning. In his exhaustion, he had inevitably picked up his Buddhist beads again. There were many gathas in Buddhism: To senselessly give rise to views, is to seek bodhi through attachment to form. If one is attached to form, amplifying the self-obsession in one’s heart, a single thought can cause a god to fall and become a demon.

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

Zhao Shirui’s tiger-like eyes scanned 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 allow it!”

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

The demonic sound finally stopped.

Xie Wuchi’s hand finally stilled. A slight smile touched his lips, and his expression was extremely proper and upright as 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 that the hairpin Xie Wuchi has is exactly the same as 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 had been wandering for about half a month when I met him. Then we went to Xingu Prefecture together for land reclamation. We probably reclaimed land for a month. His physical and mental health kept getting worse. But I was still in good shape at the time. The officer in charge of the land reclamation had him stay behind in the village, while I and the others went out to farm as usual every day.”

Shi Shu asked, “And then?”

Du Zihan said, “It was early spring then, and we were planting wheat. It was my turn to guard the fields at night, so I stayed there for a day and a night before going back. When I returned, he was already hanging from a beam in the house. He had been dead for a long time.”

A chill ran down Shi Shu’s back as he calculated, “At that time, I was also at Zhou Family Village learning to farm. After the rebellion on the Huainan circuit of Shoukang Prefecture, many refugees fled everywhere, and the supervision of travel permits was temporarily relaxed. Did you ever see Xie Wuchi among the refugees?”

Du Zihan said, “No.”

Shi Shu asked, “That hairpin—”

Du Zihan suddenly remembered something. “Oh, he loved handicrafts. When he had free time from the farm work, he would take a piece of wood and a small knife and carve. After he finished, he would occasionally give them to everyone. Besides hairpins, he made other things too…”

Shi Shu suddenly had a bad feeling. “Are you sure it was suicide?”

Du Zihan had a strange expression. “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 bit chaotic. “So what’s the deal with the hairpin? Xie Wuchi told me he found it. Could it be that it was given to some refugee, and as they traveled, it ended up in his hands?”

Du Zihan looked bewildered. “I don’t know either. In those civilian reclamation settlements, there were a lot of mixed people, and sometimes you didn’t know who was coming and going. And given my teammate’s mental and physical state at the time… he had always wanted to die. I never suspected anything.”

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

Du Zihan thought for a moment and suddenly said, “Oh, during that time, I suspect 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 government’s inquiries, he and I couldn’t always be together. I had to go dig irrigation ditches and plant crops.”

Shi Shu said, “Mmm, mmm, and then?”

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

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

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

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

Du Zihan slapped his forehead. “Yes! That suicide note, he wrote 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 that I should be careful.”

“…”

“Be careful? Why be careful?”

Shi Shu silently stepped back. “He and Xie Wuchi have the same view on new teammates: be careful. Why? Could it be that they had already met someone?” So many doubts, so many doubts.

Also, an even bigger question arose in Shi Shu’s mind. Xie Wuchi was very cautious about other transmigrators and even more so with Du Zihan, maintaining a clear hierarchy. So why was he so good to him? Although he now understood that Xie Wuchi seemed to have fallen for him, back at Zhou Family Village, when Shi Shu ran down the hillside covered in mud, holding a whip like a little shepherd boy, could that really be love at first sight?

Xie Wuchi never did anything without a reason; he wouldn’t be good to someone for no reason. But why did it feel like he was especially good to him from the very beginning? He had let Shi Shu follow him all this time, never thinking of leaving. Shi Shu rubbed his face. The lamplight illuminated his handsome and clean features, bringing some warmth back to his skin.

Xie Wuchi.

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

At Prince Liang’s mansion for the birthday celebration, they saw each other constantly. When he was imprisoned in the Censorate, the Lantai Konghe, Shi Shu brought him mung bean soup every day. Then, with his transformation and rapid rise, he supervised new policies and toured the country. Shi Shu was also the one who traveled with him through the mountains and rivers, and after arriving at the post stations each day, he would wander around with him, enjoying the world.

Then, with the repeal of the new policies, he accompanied him for three thousand li of exile, from the rustling autumn rain to the biting cold wind, through ice and snow, all the way to Senzhou in this frozen borderland.

As long as it was a friend he recognized, Shi Shu would treat them well. So, because Xie Wuchi had saved him once, he also treated him well without reservation. From that time until now, he and Xie Wuchi had always been this close, inseparable.

Now, this hairpin had made Shi Shu uneasy, but he was unwilling to speculate maliciously about him. He thought for a moment and said, “Let’s not rush. Let’s wait. When Xie Wuchi comes back, we can ask him if he knows anything.”

The snow kept falling. It had been extremely cold these past few days, with sudden gusts of wind and heavy snow. The shrill sound of the howling wind would occasionally ring out from outside the window, like the screams 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?” For the past day or two, he had waited for him, and the result was: not back, not back, not back!

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

Just then, a guard walked in from outside 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 handling military affairs in General Zhao’s tent. He specifically asked me to come and tell you, Second Young Master, to rest assured and take a good rest these few days.”

The hope that had just ignited in Shi Shu was extinguished. He said listlessly, “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 wagon wheels rolling on the road. The army was gathering, and soldiers were going door to door, driving out the men. “You, you, you, and you, all of you come out! General Zhao is conscripting labor, all able-bodied men in the household must come out!”

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

They’re not calling me. Did Xie Wuchi put in a word again? Shi Shu simply walked into the street. These were the same men he had cleared the snowy paths with. At this moment, they were walking out with their heads down. As expected, being drafted for military service 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, “Song Sinan?”

Song Sinan was heavily dressed, his posture nimble. It was indeed him. He walked closer to Shi Shu, smiling broadly and cheerfully. “What’s up, Second Young Master?”

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

Song Sinan said, “Conscripting for military service. This group of people will be useful.”

“Then why not conscript me? Conscript me too.”

Song Sinan clapped his hands in delight. “Aiya, everyone else doesn’t want to go, and you’re trying to rush in? Would Lord Xie be willing to part with you? He gave strict orders not to 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 now General Zhao’s favorite.”

Just as he finished speaking, someone from a distance shouted, “Young General, it’s time to go!” Song Sinan waved, preparing to leave. Seeing that the information he had just obtained was about to disappear, Shi Shu grabbed him in a moment of desperation. “Take me with you!”

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

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

Song Sinan said, “Ahhh, don’t pester me!”

Shi Shu pleaded, “Ahhh, help me! Help me this once! I’ll help you in the future too, ahhh!”

Song Sinan refused, “Ahhhhhhhhh!”

Shi Shu insisted, “Ahhhhhhhhh!”

Du Zihan thought, “…………” What kind of communication method is this for young people?

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

Shi Shu paused for a moment. “In short, if you need anything in the future, just call me.”

Song Sinan looked left and right, seeing no other choice. “Fine, come with me then.”

Shi Shu said loudly, “Thank you, my Brother Song! I wish my Brother Song good health, a long life, and happiness for his whole 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, a thick flurry of snow and cold wind instantly blew into his eyes. Shi Shu raised his hand to rub them, his handsome and fair face turning red from the wind. When Shi Shu opened his eyes, his steps suddenly halted.

Before him was a black mass of a perfectly arranged army, assembled outside the city gate. They held long spears and wore armor, standing like a city wall in the wind and snow, unwavering, even blocking the wind and snow behind them. This was Zhao Shirui’s elite unit, the Langdi Army.

Among the more than two hundred thousand troops of the central army led by Feng Zhongshan, the Langdi Army was the elite. The quality of its soldiers and equipment far surpassed that of other armies. The last civilian rebellion on the Huainan circuit was suppressed by this very army.

Shi Shu was momentarily stunned. In this high-pressure, solemn environment, he subconsciously lightened his steps. He had not yet seen war, but he felt its prelude. There were about ten thousand soldiers outside the city. Power, violence… the phalanx assembled before him could easily take the life of an ordinary person, or even a group of people, a city, smashing all old rules, making the commanding general the only one whose words mattered, 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’s mind was filled with thoughts, Song Sinan whispered, “We’re under martial law now, so you two must be extremely cautious. The vanguard is assembling. We are the logistics unit, so don’t interfere with them. The slightest violation of military orders will get you killed.”

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

“You, well—”

Shi Shu scratched his head. On the other side, the sound of a whip cracking was heard. He turned around and saw a column of men, pulling carts of grain, tents, arrows, large and inconvenient weapons, and pots and pans, beginning to move. He saw rows and rows of people marching. Perhaps because they were setting out in winter, some people couldn’t help but complain, cursing as they walked.

Song Sinan jumped down from his horse and said, “The army doesn’t move before the provisions. The first logistics unit has already set out. Let’s get going too. As for you, there are still a hundred catties of soybeans left behind for feeding the horses. Can you go and carry them onto the mule cart?”

Shi Shu said, “Leave it to me!”

Shi Shu and Du Zihan went to the granary together and loaded the soybeans for the horses onto the cart. Then, he sat on the cart, which slowly moved forward, transporting the goods to their destination. This logistics team, composed of refugees from the “Vengeance Army,” was more inclined to sing and dance, full of joy and excitement. The group of people chatted among themselves as they walked.

“Our homeland is a land of water and soil, surrounded by mountains.”

“The land there is fertile, suitable for farming, with bountiful harvests…”

“The nobles of Beimin seized our land, turned the farms back into grasslands, and only allowed herding horses and sheep, forbidding us from farming again…”

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

Shi Shu asked, “Are you afraid of dying?”

Du Zihan replied, “Aren’t you?”

“…………”

Shi Shu said, “It’s fine. We’re in the logistics unit, so nothing should happen.”

Du Zihan looked around in confusion. “What is this? Why did a war just start?”

Shi Shu felt that it was all a bit muddled, with no sense of reality. Du Zihan felt much the same. The two of them were in a state of confusion.

Song Sinan rode a small horse, pacing back and forth, and returned to Shi Shu’s side. “How is it? Aren’t our refugees exceptionally well-trained, with high morale?”

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

Song Sinan said, “That’s right. The logistics unit is made up of the parents of the ‘Vengeance Army’ vanguard, and the vanguard are the sons of the logistics unit. Everyone has one heart and one mind, so that we can go home.”

Shi Shu smiled and said, “Alright, then with me here working, and with me helping you, isn’t it like giving a tiger wings?”

Song Sinan laughed wildly. “Xie Shishu! you don’t even know how to drive a cart, how much can you help us?”

Shi Shu said, “Who are you looking down on? I can learn. I learn things very quickly.” Song Sinan had the driver rest first and let Shi Shu take the reins. With a whip in one hand, he gently tapped the mule’s rump, and the cart began to move forward slowly.

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

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

“…………”

The group made the best of their situation, working and laughing. Shi Shu was concentrating on driving the cart when he failed to notice a raised hump on the hillside. The mule was fine, but the cart suddenly lurched. Shi Shu stumbled forward and with a “dong!” sound, he jumped off the cart, his hands landing in a pile of cold snow.

Shi Shu said, “Ouch.”

Song Sinan slapped his horse’s back and laughed hysterically. “Hahahahahahahaha!”

On another side, several tall and handsome horses were walking together.

The transport officer said with a respectful expression, “All grain and supplies are here. Please inspect them, my lords.”

Dressed in a sharp black outfit against the wind and snow, which made his tall and handsome figure look even more upright and neat, Xie Wuchi sat on his horse. A guard beside him jumped off the cart and, one bag at a time, lifted the oilcloths covering the grain and military supplies to inspect the details. He brushed off the wind and snow, while the transport officer held up 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 back the account book. As his gaze swept past, he saw the youth sitting in the snow and laughing up ahead. He paused, then spurred his horse on, calling out, “Jia!”

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

Du Zihan stood up and shook the snow off his clothes. “Fuck, you don’t fight with honor!”

Song Sinan also backed away. “Don’t be like that.”

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

Shi Shu was just getting up and patting the snow off his clothes. Hearing the commotion, he turned his face. In the vast wind and snow, on a tall, handsome, reddish-brown horse, sat Xie Wuchi, covered in wind and snow, riding towards him.

Support me on Ko-fi