Longxi Robbery
The soil in Longxi is completely dry.
The sun, like a red-hot iron ball, was firmly embedded in the gray-white sky. Since the beginning of spring, it had been stingy with a single drop of rain. The earth was cracked open with crisscrossing gaping maws, bottomless, greedily devouring the last bit of moisture. The wind that swept through did not bring coolness, but instead carried scorching sand and gravel, scraping like knives across faces and over the withered, upright remains of crops. The cracked soil was as hard as shards of fired pottery; each step sent up a cloud of choking dust. A few stubborn, withered grasses trembled on the field ridges, their leaves yellowed and curled, turning to dust at the slightest touch, scattering in the wind like the faint life remaining on this land.
The distant mountains, once lush and verdant, are now only scorched brown outlines, lying lifelessly beneath the parched horizon. The Chishui River, once the lifeblood of the region, now has its riverbed exposed, covered with huge, sun-bleached pebbles, with only a thin line of murky muddy water in its center, struggling forward and exuding a desperate, fishy stench.
Xiao Yuxuan, his back hunched, carefully poured the last few scoops of murky, almost bottomless water onto the roots of a few dying millet seedlings beside his field. The water sizzled upon contact with the scalding soil, sending up wisps of insignificant white steam that were instantly absorbed, leaving only a faint, dark damp mark. He straightened his aching back, wiped the mixture of sweat and dust from his face, and his gaze swept over his meager fields, settling on the enormous old locust tree beside the distant road. The locust tree had long since lost its leaves; its gnarled, dark branches twisted and reached towards the sky, like the resentful claws of a dying man.
Beneath the tree, a newly erected, ten-foot-tall blue stone tablet gleamed coldly in the blazing sun. Deeply engraved on it were large, powerfully calligraphic characters in the Qin seal script, each character exuding a chilling aura:
Shang Jun's Order to Reclaim Grass
Imperial Edict from the Prefectural Governor's Office of Longxi:
The nation's most important affairs lie in agriculture and warfare. This year, a severe drought has struck, and with powerful enemies surrounding us, military supplies are urgently needed. All farmland within thirty li of the official roads within the prefecture, regardless of whether it is public or private, shall be confiscated by the national government for cultivation and to serve as the foundation of military provisions! Those who disobey this order will be punished as violators of the law, and their families will also be implicated!
—Prefect of Longxi Commandery of the Great Qin Dynasty
Beneath the stone tablet, a dark mass of figures surrounded them, most ragged and emaciated, like withered millet seedlings in a field. The air was stagnant, like lead, with only heavy breathing and suppressed, intermittent sobs rising and falling in the heat. Several village heads and prefectural chiefs, dressed in black official robes with short swords and rulers at their waists, surrounded a prefectural clerk in a dark robe and a pheasant-feathered hat. The clerk had a fair complexion and a short beard, but his eyes, like two icy awls, coldly surveyed the ant-like masses before him.
"Did you all hear that clearly?"
The clerk's voice was not loud, but it clearly drowned out the howling wind, and every word was like an ice bead hitting people's hearts.
"This is the law of the land! The order of the Prefectural Governor! Within thirty li of the official road, not an inch of land shall be left uncultivated! Your private fields shall be confiscated by the state immediately and shall be cultivated and managed by the government for the military and national needs! Anyone who dares to hide a single grain of rice or plant a single seedling is breaking the law! Anyone who dares to treason is committing treason! According to the law, they shall be executed! Their relatives shall also be punished!"
A deathly silence fell. An old farmer with graying hair and beard suddenly collapsed to his knees in the scorching dust, his withered hands gripping the hem of the legal official's robe. His forehead pounded against the hot ground, and cloudy tears mingled with the dust as he fearfully spoke:
"My lord! My lord, have mercy! I beg you! This little bit of land...this little bit of food to survive...if you take it away, my whole family...we'll be...we'll be finished! Please, my lord, have mercy..."
His voice was hoarse and desperate, like a dying cry. The other villagers, their eyes filled with pleading, knelt down on the scorching official road. No one dared to utter a sound, for fear of angering the legal official.
The magistrate didn't even flinch; he simply kicked the withered hand away with a clean, swift motion, as if brushing away a speck of dust. A burly village headman behind him immediately stepped forward, his large, iron-like hand grabbing the old farmer by the back of the neck. He roughly lifted the farmer off the ground like a chick and slammed him to the ground. Dust billowed up.
"So noisy!"
The village head shouted sternly:
"If you dare disobey again, you will be immediately bound and sent to the county jail!"
A stir ran through the crowd; anger and fear surged like undercurrents in stagnant water, yet no one dared to take another step forward. Those invisible shackles, the shackles called "Law," were more scorching than the blazing sun, more deadly than thirst.
Xiao Yuxuan watched from afar, his heart feeling as if gripped by an icy hand. He instinctively turned to look at his family's low, dilapidated mud-brick and thatched huts. His father, Xiao Zhenshan, appeared in the doorway. This taciturn old farmer, whose spine had never bent, now had a livid face, clenched teeth, and bulging veins on his forehead. He gripped a gleaming hoe tightly in his hand, his knuckles white from the force. His mother, Zhao, a similarly thin woman with resolute eyes, clung tightly to his arm, her lips moving as if pleading for something.
"father!"
Xiao Yuxuan's heart tightened, and he quickly ran home.
It's too late...
Xiao Zhenshan abruptly shook off his wife's hand, and like an enraged old ox, he shouldered the hoe and strode towards the old locust tree at the village entrance, towards the cold stone tablet and the group of ruthless officials. His figure cast a resolute shadow on the parched earth.
"Law? Your law is nothing but squeezing the blood and sweat of the people to fill your insatiable thirst for military merits and titles!"
Xiao Zhenshan's voice, like muffled thunder, boomed at the deathly silent village entrance. He rushed to the legal officer, slamming his hoe down on the ground with a clang, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"The official road is thirty li away? My Xiao family's fields are a full thirty-five li away from the official road! The boundary stones you measured are still at the edge of the fields, written in black and white. Can the prefectural government just call a deer a horse and turn black into white? These fields are the permanent lands allocated to us by the First Emperor! They are the lifeblood passed down from our ancestors! By what right do you take them away?"
A buzz of discussion arose from the crowd. Thirty-five li! Many people had seen that boundary stone before!
The judge's fair face finally darkened, his eyes sharp as knives as he stared intently at Xiao Zhenshan and said:
"You unruly scoundrel! How dare you speak ill of national policy and slander the government! You say it's thirty-five li? Hmph! The prefectural government has re-surveyed the area, and it's exactly thirty li! Boundary stone? Wherever I say it is, that's where it is!"
With a wave of his hand, his voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable air of killing intent as he shouted:
"Guards! Seize this traitor who incites a crowd to resist the law and incites public unrest! Execute him on the spot as a warning to others!"
"Here you go!"
Several fierce-looking village chiefs and village heads could no longer contain themselves. Upon hearing this, they immediately drew their bronze short swords and pounced on Xiao Zhenshan with sinister smiles.
"father--!"
Xiao Yuxuan's eyes were bloodshot as he roared and desperately tried to rush forward, but several quick-thinking neighbors grabbed him tightly, covered his mouth, and dragged him deeper into the crowd. He could only watch helplessly, like a fish out of water, struggling in vain, making hoarse, desperate sounds in his throat.
Xiao Zhenshan showed no fear, swinging his heavy hoe to parry. The hoe handle clashed with the bronze short sword, producing a piercing metallic clang. He was, after all, an old hand who was used to farm work, and his strength was immense. He swung the hoe with great force, forcing the usually domineering officials to stay away from him for a moment.
"What a cunning and treacherous traitor!"
The clerk's eyes flashed with fierce anger, and he shouted sternly:
"Resisting arrest while armed is tantamount to treason! Kill them without mercy! Archers!"
Upon receiving the order, the two black-clad soldiers who had been standing silently behind the magistrate moved with lightning speed, taking down their hardwood longbows and nocking white-feathered arrows. The bowstrings were drawn to their fullest extent with a heart-stopping creak, the cold arrowheads gleaming deadly in the blazing sun, pointing steadily at the stubborn figure wielding a hoe in the center of the field.
"put!"
"Buzz—!"
The bowstrings twanged! Two sharp arrows tore through the stagnant air, their shrill cries like the call of death!
Xiao Zhenshan was struggling to parry a short sword that was slashing down when he heard the sound and turned around sharply. In that instant, Xiao Yuxuan saw his father's face clearly—there was no fear, only an extreme anger and the deepest longing for this land, for his wife and children.
"Pfft!" "Pfft!"
The dull sound of a blade piercing flesh was terrifying. A white-feathered arrow pierced Xiao Zhenshan's left chest with pinpoint accuracy, the immense impact causing his body to lurch violently. Another arrow was deeply embedded in his right shoulder blade! Blood splattered on the scalding dust, blooming into two glaring red plum blossoms.
"Ugh—!"
Xiao Zhenshan let out a muffled roar of heart-wrenching pain, his grip on the hoe slipping from his hand, which clattered to the ground. His burly body swayed, but he stubbornly stood upright, refusing to fall. Blood quickly stained his rough linen shorts.
"Father—!" Xiao Yuxuan's roar pierced his throat, tears mingling with sweat and dust, blurring his vision. His mother's heart-wrenching wails echoed in the air.
Several village chiefs seized the opportunity to pounce on Xiao Zhenshan, forcing him to kneel on the scorching ground. The rough sand and gravel chafed his knees raw, and blood stained the soil beneath him.
The magistrate strode forward expressionlessly, looking down at the old farmer whose clothes were stained with blood and whose eyes were still wide open in anger, as if he were looking at livestock awaiting slaughter. He slowly drew the bronze longsword from his waist. The sword was heavy, and the blade gleamed with a cold, autumn-water-like light under the blazing sun. The spine of the sword was decorated with ferocious beast-face patterns, exuding a chilling aura of killing intent.
"These lawbreakers and rebels have gathered a crowd to defy orders and resist arrest with weapons; the evidence against them is irrefutable!"
The judge's voice was icy cold, devoid of any human warmth, just like the pronouncement of the law itself.
"According to the laws of the Qin Dynasty, he should be beheaded! To uphold the law and serve as a warning to others!"
As soon as the words were spoken, a flash of sword light appeared!
The bronze longsword, carrying a chilling arc of light, suddenly swung down!
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Xiao Yuxuan's pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum, staring intently at the cold glint of light aimed at his father's neck. He clearly saw the last look in his father's eyes—no pleading, only endless grief and indignation, deep-seated hatred, and a hint of...entrustment?
"No--!!!"
puff!
The dull thud of a blade slicing through flesh drowned out Xiao Yuxuan's hoarse roar. A gray head, gushing with scalding blood, rolled heavily onto the cracked, blood-soaked brown earth under the blinding sunlight and the gaze of countless terrified and desperate eyes. The headless corpse remained kneeling for a moment before collapsing forward in a slump.
Dead silence.
A suffocating silence enveloped the village entrance. Even the wind had stopped. Only the pungent stench of blood spread rapidly through the scorching air, making one want to vomit.
Xiao Yuxuan's world collapsed and shattered completely at that moment. All sounds and colors disappeared, leaving only that blinding red, that head rolling into the dust, and his father's last glance. Boundless darkness and icy hatred, like a cold tide, instantly swallowed and drowned him.
"take away!"
The magistrate sheathed his sword, his voice completely flat, as if he had merely crushed an ant. He coldly surveyed the trembling crowd and said:
"Clear the fields within three days! Anyone who disobeys will be punished the same way!"
Having said that, he turned around and, surrounded by county soldiers and officials, strode away, stepping over the still-warm pool of blood.
The crowd slowly dispersed in extreme fear, like a flock of sheep being driven away, numb and desperate. Only Xiao Yuxuan's mother, Zhao, remained, as if her soul had been ripped out. She staggered and collapsed beside her beloved's corpse, letting out a long, inhuman wail before fainting.
Night fell, like ink, and quickly engulfed the ravaged land of Longxi. The cold wind replaced the daytime heat, howling through the empty villages, stirring up withered leaves and dust, but unable to carry away the thick, unyielding stench of blood.
Under the dim light of the oil lamp, Xiao Yuxuan knelt on the cold, muddy ground. His mother, Zhao, awoke after a brief fainting spell, looking as if she had aged twenty years overnight. Her eyes were sunken, her gaze empty, with only the occasional flash of deep-seated hatred proving she was still alive. Trembling, she carefully wiped the bloodstains and dust from Xiao Yuxuan's face and neck with a faded, worn-out piece of coarse linen—the blood of his father that had stained his face during the day's struggles.
Her movements were light and slow, with a heartbreaking focus. Her rough fingertips brushed against her son's young face, now weathered and etched with hatred. After wiping it clean, she pulled a small, palm-sized piece of coarse white linen from her bosom. The cloth was old, but clean. She bit her fingertip, and by the dim, flickering lamplight, with the seeping blood, stitch by stitch, incredibly slowly and forcefully, embroidered a single word on the cloth. Her hands trembled violently, blood dripping and spreading into tiny red dots, but she was oblivious, her eyes fixed on the gradually forming, crooked yet powerful strokes that seemed to penetrate the fabric—
"install".
With the last stitch, she forcefully shoved the coarse linen amulet embroidered with the character "安" (peace/safety), stained with her own blood, into Xiao Yuxuan's arms, pressing it tightly against his heart. The cloth was burning hot, as if carrying the last drops of her mother's heart's blood.
"Xuan'er..."
Her voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from her broken lungs.
"Go! Go now! Leave this cannibalistic place... survive... remember... remember your father's blood... remember the word 'peace'..."
Just then, a rapid and violent knocking sounded like a thunderclap!
"Open the door! Remnants of the Xiao family's treason! By order of the Prefectural Magistrate's Office, we have arrested you! Open the door!"
It was the voice of the village head leading the county soldiers! Their voices were filled with murderous intent!
A final glimmer of light suddenly burst forth in Zhao's cloudy eyes—the resolute determination of a mother protecting her cub. With all her might, she shoved Xiao Yuxuan toward the corner behind the house, where a half-hidden hole led to the wasteland behind the house was made of firewood.
"Let's go!"
Her piercing screams tore through the night.
Xiao Yuxuan felt a powerful force push him, and he stumbled and fell towards the cave entrance. Looking back, he saw his mother's small, thin figure, rushing headlong into the rickety door that was about to collapse, her arms outstretched as if she wanted to use her withered body to block the surging flood of beasts.
"mother--!"
He was terrified and reached out as if to grab something.
With a deafening crash, the door was slammed open! Several dark figures pounced in like demons!
Zhao's frail body was instantly engulfed. Only a short, muffled groan and the terrifying sounds of fists and kicks clashing and objects shattering could be heard.
The last thing Xiao Yuxuan saw was his mother's gaze upon him in the dim light of the oil lamp—there was no fear, only endless reluctance, poignant admonitions, and a resolute acceptance of the weight of her entire life.
"You troublemakers, how dare you resist arrest!"
The village head roared:
"According to Qin law, those who resist arrest should be punished along with their relatives. However, the magistrate is kind-hearted, so he only executed the Xiao family of three. If you still dare to defy the law and refuse to cooperate with the magistrate, the Xiao family of three will be the end for you unruly people."
At this moment, the villagers gathered at the door of Xiao Yuxuan's house, watching the county soldiers mercilessly beat Zhao Shi. Everyone in the village felt insecure, and no one dared to step forward to stop them.
"Chief, Lady Zhao has passed away."
The county soldier said:
"This method of death is too merciful. From this day forward, all of you must strictly abide by the Qin laws. Anyone who dares to break the law... this is it."
The villagers shuddered, and no one dared to echo their sentiments. But their anger and resentment made them even clearer: "The people are the most lowly, the officials are the most important, and the state is secondary."
"Although the Xiao family is destroyed, there is still one son who has not been brought to justice. You county soldiers should continue the pursuit; he alone cannot go far."
The village head led the county soldiers to continue the pursuit, while the neighborhood head looked at the dilapidated Xiao family and the Xiao couple, and felt a pang of anxiety, as if he had made a difficult choice.
"Although the Xiao family defied the law, it was for our land. Do you truly believe the Xiao family is guilty?"
“Village Chief, we are just ordinary people. If you have any ideas, please speak them out. We will definitely do our best to help you.”
The neighbor said:
"Since everyone has no objections, why don't we send a few strong men to bury Mr. and Mrs. Xiao in a mass grave tonight? If Xiao Yuxuan ever returns, he will have a place to pay his respects."
"Then this..."
"Set it on fire, so as not to endanger us..."
"Yes, we are at the behest of the village chief."
The graves of the Xiao couple are small, resembling an inconspicuous mound of earth. Fortunately, they are always accompanied by willow trees, so they can rest in peace.
...
Without further hesitation, Xiao Yuxuan was overcome with immense grief and the instinct for survival. He shoved aside the firewood, squeezed through the narrow hole, and tumbled onto the cold, barren ground behind the house. The biting wind instantly filled his mouth and nose, but it couldn't extinguish the raging fire in his heart. Behind him, he heard his mother's painful groans, the roars of the corrupt officials, and the sounds of smashing things…
Like a wounded lone wolf, he ran desperately through the impenetrable darkness and biting wind towards the desolate wilderness beyond the village that had swallowed his father's head. Every step he took on the cold, hard earth felt like treading on his father's blood and his mother's tears. The coarse linen cloth clutched to his chest, the character "安" (peace/safety) embroidered with his mother's blood, burned like a branding iron, deeply etched into the depths of his soul.
Live on! Live for the sake of this "peace"! Live on with this deep-seated hatred! This thought, like a will-o'-the-wisp, burned his last remaining will in the boundless despair and darkness.
He ran for an unknown amount of time, his legs felt like lead, and his lungs felt like they were being torn apart by a broken bellows. Just as he was exhausted and about to be swallowed up by the sounds of pursuit and the darkness behind him, a series of deep and rhythmic hoofbeats suddenly came from around the bend in the road ahead, like war drums beating the earth.
A troop of heavily armored cavalry, like a steel torrent coalescing from the night, silently marched along the official road. At the head of the troop was a tall, imposing figure, seated atop a magnificent black horse, his dark battle robe fluttering in the wind. His face, hidden beneath his helmet, was obscured by shadow, but his eyes, sharp as eagles in the starlight, swept across the wilderness, catching sight of a staggering, fleeing figure, like a frightened bird.
Xiao Yuxuan saw them too. The cold armor, the chilling killing intent—it instantly froze the last glimmer of hope that had ignited in his heart. It was the government troops! He was finished! Wolf in front, tiger behind!
He stopped in despair, leaning against a cold boulder, panting heavily, awaiting his final fate. He could even hear the shouts of the village head and the county soldiers on their inferior horses approaching from the direction of the village entrance.
The leading general reined in his horse, which snorted and exhaled white breath. He raised his hand, and the cavalry behind him froze instantly, as still as a rock. The general's gaze fell on Xiao Yuxuan, sweeping over the undried tear stains and bloodstains on his face, over the deep-seated hatred and despair in his eyes, and finally, over the open collar of his robe, stained with dark red blood and embroidered with a crooked "An" character, which was faintly visible in the night.
The general's eyes flickered slightly. That talisman, that gaze… He had seen too many numb or fearful commoners, but rarely had he seen such a young face burning with such pure, desperate, and indomitable hatred. This hatred, in the Legalist-ruled Qin land, was an anomaly, and also… something rare.
He slowly raised his hand, which was adorned with an iron wrist guard, and pointed it at Xiao Yuxuan.
"Take it down."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, iron-fisted authority.
Two fierce cavalrymen immediately dismounted, their iron-like hands instantly pinning down the exhausted Xiao Yuxuan and dragging him toward the cold cavalry.
"Let me go! You..."
Xiao Yuxuan's final struggles and curses were choked back. Like a lamb to the slaughter, he was roughly thrown into the dust before the general's horse. The cold earth mixed with the stench of blood stung his nose and mouth.
The general looked down at him from his high vantage point, his gaze sharp as lightning. From the direction of the village entrance, the torches and voices of the pursuers could already be clearly heard.
"General! Ahead are the remnants of the rebels captured by the prefectural government! Please hand them over to us for justice!"
The village head arrived breathlessly, bowed to the general on horseback, and spoke urgently.
The general shifted his gaze from Xiao Yuxuan, glancing indifferently at the village head and the several sword-wielding soldiers behind him. His gaze was calm and unwavering, yet it sent a chill down the village head's spine.
"This person,"
The general's voice rang out in the night wind, clear and cold.
"They rammed into my cavalry and acted suspiciously, suspected to be spies from another country. I will take them away for further investigation."
The village head was taken aback, and hurriedly said, "General! This man is indeed the son of a local rebel who resisted the French, and was personally ordered by the prefect's legal officer..."
"Um?"
The general snorted softly, interrupting the village head. Behind him, dozens of silent cavalrymen stood like statues, only their cold armor plates reflecting a chilling glint in the starlight. An invisible pressure, forged in the crucible of battle, permeated the air.
The village head's remaining words caught in his throat, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. Only then did he see clearly the hidden and noble patterns on the general's black battle robe, as well as the style of the sword at his waist.
"roll."
The general's voice remained calm, yet it carried a chilling power that could deter a thousand troops.
The village head and the soldiers turned pale and dared not utter another word. They bowed obsequiously and retreated into the darkness, leading their horses in a disheveled state, even lowering their torches.
The wilderness fell silent again, with only the howling of the cold wind.
The general's gaze returned to Xiao Yuxuan, who was lying in the dust. The hatred burning in the young man's eyes had not diminished at all; on the contrary, the recent events had added a layer of cold scrutiny and deeper wariness.
The general leaned slightly forward, the friction of his armor producing a soft sound. He looked into Xiao Yuxuan's eyes, those hawk-like pupils holding no pity, only an almost cold scrutiny and a hint of... indescribable complexity.
"Take him away." He straightened up, his command as succinct as a knife.
Xiao Yuxuan was roughly lifted up and thrown onto the back of an empty warhorse. The cold leather and metal hurt him painfully. The cavalry started moving again, silently disappearing into the thick night, heading towards the unknown military camp. The horses' hooves pounded the hard ground like the drumbeats of a funeral procession.
He lay sprawled on the swaying horse, taking one last look back towards his hometown. Only an endless, all-consuming darkness remained. His father's blood, his mother's tears, the tragic scene of his family's destruction—these were etched into his eyes like the deepest brand. The coarse linen talisman in his bosom pressed tightly against his heart, the burning "peace" character on it seeming to silently remind him of this deep-seated hatred, and of the faint hope, like a candle flickering in the wind, amidst this chaotic world.
The wind grew colder.
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