Chapter 103 My Son is Excellent
Lin Changning, accompanied by Wan Jin and soldiers, rode to the chevaux-de-frise pit. He then casually strolled to the pit's edge, feigning ignorance, and asked, "Wan Jin, is someone in this pit? I heard someone shouting."
Wan Jin shouted loudly, "Commander, perhaps the Tartars have fallen into a trap again while trying to find out what's going on."
Lin Changning shouted into the pit, "Hey, it's too dark to see clearly. It looks like another Tartar has fallen in. Why don't they learn their lesson?"
Wan Jin chuckled: "Exactly, is it so easy to find out information about Daxing?"
Hearing voices above, the people in the pit hurriedly shouted, "We are from the Duke of Qi's mansion! Our lord took us out last night but we accidentally fell in. We've been injured by the traps in this pit. Please pull us out as soon as possible!"
"Commander, I think I heard someone speaking Chinese, something about the Duke falling in."
Lin Changning suppressed a laugh and scoffed loudly: "What nonsense are you talking about? It must be a Tartar conspiracy. Didn't we have Tartars who were fluent in Chinese wearing our clothes and claiming to be one of our own before, asking us to drag them out?"
Lin Changning's eyes were smiling, but his words were righteous and indignant: "Besides, who is the Duke? He's our commander's own father. How could he be out spying like the Tartars in the middle of the night instead of resting at the post station? Stop talking nonsense. Go, go, go, bring the bow and arrows over and kill these people on the spot. Tomorrow we can drag them out, cut off their heads, and claim our war merits."
The group of people at the bottom of the pit panicked the moment they heard Lin Changning say he was going to shoot them dead in the pit with his bow and arrow: "My lord!!! We are indeed the Duke's personal guards. The Duke has already fainted. If you don't believe me, you can come closer and see."
Lin Changning squatted by the pit, took the tinder from Wan Jin, and squinted: "Oh dear, it's still dark, I can't see anything."
Those below were so anxious they wanted to drag Lin Changning down to see them: "Sir, I have the Duke's mansion token, I can throw it up!"
Lin Changning lifted the back of his coat and sat on the cold ground: "Just throw it up here and I'll check it."
Upon hearing this, the guard quickly tossed over a waist token. Seeing Lin Changning holding the token without speaking, Wan Jin, with a keen eye, raised a question: "Chief, it is indeed a Duke's waist token, but why would the Duke come out with his men in the middle of the night, acting so suspiciously? It doesn't seem normal at all. Do you think it's possible that the Tartars kidnapped the Duke and tried to force our commander to surrender and leave the city, but he accidentally fell into a trap? After all, how could our own people not know about the traps and still fall into them?"
Upon hearing this, the guards were on the verge of tears: "My lord, please understand! We are indeed the Duke's personal guards. Please notify the commander to come and identify us."
Lin Changning cleared his throat, suppressing a mischievous glint in his eyes: "Then let me ask you, how did you and the Duke suddenly appear outside the city in the middle of the night?"
The guards were on the verge of tears, stammering for a long time without being able to give a reason. They couldn't very well say that the Duke had chased them out in the middle of the night, trying to find fault with their command and strip them of their military power.
The group stammered for a long time without coming up with a suitable reason. Lin Changning said leisurely, "Can't come up with a reason? They must be spies. Wan Jin! Bury them alive!! They even disguised themselves as guards from the Duke's mansion."
Behind him, Wan Jin whispered, "Commander, are you really burying it?"
Lin Changning winked and whispered, "Throw a few shovelfuls of dirt down, just to make it look like the commander is arriving soon."
Wan Ning craned his neck and shouted, "Yes, sir! Men, get to work! Bury these Tartar spies alive!!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the city gate. Qi Rong led his men to Lin Changning and asked, "Commander Lin, what are you doing here in the middle of the night instead of patrolling the watchtowers and traps?"
Lin Changning responded loudly: "Reporting to the commander, a group of Tartar spies disguised as your father's personal guards tried to sneak into the city, but they just fell into our trap."
Qi Rong, feigning ignorance, blinked and said, "How dare you! You dare to impersonate my father's personal guard and defile the honor of my Duke Qi's mansion? Execute you on the spot!!"
The guards in the pit thought their saviors had arrived, but before they could even rejoice, they heard their young master say he was going to execute them. They cried out in alarm, their voices almost cracking, fearing that if they were a second late, they would die at the young master's hands.
"Young Master!!! Wait!! It really is us!! Please throw down a torch, the Duke has been stabbed by a trap and has already fainted!"
Qi Rong waved his hand with a slight regret, knowing that he had thrown down a torch. His personal guards, dodging the spikes, picked up the torch and used its light to illuminate the half-dead face of the Duke of Qi.
"Young Master, is it possible that you recognize him?"
Qi Rong's expression changed in surprise: "Why are you here in the middle of the night? And why are you being mistaken for spies by our people?"
The guard gritted his teeth and looked at Qi Rong: "The Duke saw people leading thousands of sheep out of the city in the middle of the night and thought they were thieves, so he led us out to chase after them."
Lin Changning sneered, "What nonsense are you spouting! All of Daxing's sheep have been taken away by Vice Minister Huang. Today, I only brought ten sheep to set a trap outside the city. Where would any more sheep be stolen by thieves? I think you're the spy. You can't even come up with a better reason for your lie. Everyone knows that the sheep in Daxing have been distributed to other garrisons!"
The guards knew that if they didn't stick to this point, this incident tonight would likely leave them with a huge handle, so they held on tightly and saw thousands of sheep.
Lin Changning squatted by the pit, listening to the man's sophistry and insistence that he had chased the thief out of the city. He said slowly, "Fine, you can go to the pasture and the city defense office to check tomorrow. The account books and records are all there. If you can't find anything, you're guilty of framing someone and will be exiled three thousand miles away."
The guard hesitated for a moment. At this moment, the Duke of Qi did indeed wake up. He felt a piercing pain in his thigh with the slightest movement. He groaned and reached out his hand: "First, help me up."
The guard stared at the Duke of Qi's legs, which were stained red with blood: "Your Highness, you must not move. A splinter has pierced your groin. It would be best to wait for the doctor to arrive."
Duke Qi grunted and struggled to his feet. A splinter had been torn from his thigh, leaving a bloody hole. Blood flowed down his thigh, and the blood loss and pain caused his vision to blur. Several guards supported the trembling Duke Qi as he stood up and said anxiously, "Your Highness, please find a military physician to examine the Duke. The wound is on his thigh."
The Duke of Qi gasped and said in a very low voice, "Tell Qi Rong that I received an imperial edict tonight and prepared to return to the capital, which is why I left the city overnight."
The guard nodded: "Young Master, our lord received an imperial edict today, which is why he insisted on taking us out of the city."
"That proves that you were just slandering Honsen-no-kyo!"
The guards tried to explain, but the Duke of Qi waved his blood-stained hand with difficulty: "It was too late tonight, and we were far away, so I mistook him for a thief. Tomorrow, the Duke's mansion will offer a hundred taels of silver to ask for your understanding!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Changning subconsciously looked at Qi Rong, who nodded to indicate that he could accept the gift. Lin Changning smiled sincerely and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Excellency is very generous. I would be impolite to refuse."
After saying that, Qi Rong's men dropped the rope and tried to pull these people out.
The Duke of Qi, panting heavily and supported by his guards, glanced at Qi Rong with a hint of uncertainty in the firelight, his seemingly honest and kind face hardening as he gritted his teeth.
"As expected of my son, excellent! No wonder you've risen to a command position. I will remember what happened today."
Qi Rong bowed, but his tone wasn't very respectful: "Thank you for your praise, Father. It's all thanks to you, Father, for teaching me so well!"
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