Chapter 350 Hasty Escape
The weather these past few days hasn't been suitable for traveling.
During the plum rain season in Gangnam Province, the air is humid and muggy, with intermittent rain and overcast skies.
Like a damp towel twisted to its limit but still dripping with sweat, draped over your back.
However, with Khufu's seal and travel permit as the emperor's private envoy, and the sacred edict he carried close to his body,
Cai Qin and other soldiers returning north had an unimpeded journey, and with the added advantage of ships and other means of transportation, they could travel quickly even in the rain.
Although they still frequently faced checkpoints heavily guarded by soldiers as they got closer to Hongzhou and Jiangzhou.
After the night Cai Qin asked him strange questions.
Khufu, restless and anxious, began to abstain from alcohol.
It was no longer an attempt to use this item to curry favor with the garrison commanders.
He began to stay awake day and night.
On the afternoon of the third day after seeing the unfamiliar young man in the felt hat in the middle of the night, Hu Fu met the Captain Du that Cai Qin had mentioned.
This was an ordinary-looking, robust young man with tanned skin, who indeed resembled a border military officer.
He wore a felt hat and kept a low profile.
The situation is already sensitive, and Cai Qin and the other soldiers returning north are the focus of attention from all sides. Hu Fu is naturally curious about this so-called Captain Du who returned to the unit midway.
However, Commandant Du was somewhat like Commandant Su of Jiangzhou Zhechong Prefecture; he was dull and taciturn, and Hu Fu didn't have many opportunities to strike up a conversation.
Seemingly noticing that Khufu had stopped drinking, Cai Qin and other generals no longer called him when they drank at night.
Hu Fu didn't think anything of it at first, but gradually he noticed that Cai Qin and the others no longer called him when they discussed matters.
Although they still treated him with utmost respect, they no longer consulted him on matters such as the location and duration of encampments for the returning soldiers, but instead made their own decisions, only sending someone to report back afterward.
Khufu was naturally dissatisfied and made several attempts to negotiate, but he was always brushed off with excuses such as the need for professional military officers and the need for the envoy to rest.
Later on, Cai Qin and others would only seek him out when they needed travel documents or to overcome difficulties caused by local officials.
However, none of these things worried Khufu the most.
What angered him was that in recent days, he had noticed an increase in the number of weapons, armor, and other items among the garrison troops.
The garrison troops, who had been disarmed in Tanzhou Prefecture, gradually began to re-arm themselves.
On this day, seeing the scattered, self-possessed soldiers in leather armor and carrying swords appearing in the camp, Hu Fu, with a displeased expression, approached Cai Qin and other generals at the forefront of the column:
"General Cai, what's with all these weapons and armor? Didn't you promise me and the court that you would lay down your weapons and return home unarmed?"
Cai Qin exchanged glances with his companions, then turned back and said:
"Your Excellency, you misunderstand. This matter has nothing to do with me or the other officers. It was just the armor that the brothers carried privately. They had no malicious intent."
He paused, then added:
"Some of them were things they had secretly hoarded beforehand, and some were things they bought haphazardly along the way with their own money..."
Khufu, panting heavily, glared and said, "Why are you hoarding things and buying weapons and armor all of a sudden?"
Cai Qin showed no sign of guilt or fear, but patiently explained:
"Your Excellency has spent too little time in the military camp and does not know the details. Hey, weapons and armor are the soldiers' usual companions, and most of them are brought to the army by the soldiers themselves as military households."
"Some of them are family heirlooms, so naturally they are treasured. It's true that a lot of them were handed over in Tanzhou Prefecture."
"But some brothers are reluctant to part with their family property and have hidden one or two items, which is normal. Everyone is having a hard time right now, and we hope that Your Excellency will understand."
Khufu calmed down and asked in a lowered voice:
"What about purchasing it halfway through? Where did they get the channels to purchase and manufacture such items that are under the control of the imperial court?"
Upon hearing this, Cai Qin and the other generals looked at Khufu with strange expressions and tentatively asked:
"Your Excellency, there must be few people from the South."
"What does it matter that I haven't spent much time in the South?"
Cai Qin patiently explained:
"The South is different from the North. It has been peaceful for a long time, and the control is not as strict."
“In some remote areas where banditry was serious, the government even encouraged people to take up arms for self-defense. In some poor and remote places, two villages would fight each other with weapons and bloodshed over water sources.”
He paused for a moment, then chuckled:
"In short, there are quite a few weapons hidden among the people in the south. In the town we just passed by, I even saw a hunter selling powerful bows privately. They clearly exceeded the bow strength limits strictly controlled by the imperial court."
"this……"
Hu Fu was taken aback. As a northerner, he was indeed not very familiar with the customs and culture of the Jiangnan and Lingnan regions.
In my mind, only men from the north are skilled in archery and horsemanship, and are brave and warlike. Shouldn't the south be a place of small bridges, flowing water, and rural homes?
Cai Qin glanced at his rapidly changing expression in just a few breaths, opened his arms, and sighed:
"Your Excellency, please rest assured, it was just a few brothers who were ignorant. This humble general and the other officers would never do such a deliberate act, nor would we hoard weapons and armor."
Hu Fu saw that Cai Qin in front of him had opened his hands, indicating that he should examine him.
Behind Cai Qin, the generals, including Captain Du and Captain Su, were also dressed in plain black robes with round necks, without any armor or swords.
"No, we can't do that."
Khufu frowned and said sternly, "All the swords and armor on the soldiers must be confiscated."
One of the captains looked troubled:
"If Your Excellency would be lenient, our brothers have their own difficulties and haven't done anything wrong, so it's not really appropriate for us to say anything."
Hu Fu shook his head: "No, this was agreed upon in Tanzhou Prefecture, how can it be changed?"
After a moment of silence, Hu Fu saw Cai Qin, who had been silent, suddenly look up:
"When we were in Tanzhou Prefecture, Lord Hu didn't seem to mention that the entire route would be heavily guarded by soldiers, treating us like thieves."
"Lord Hu, is this how you treat unarmed people returning home?"
Hu Fu was about to speak when Cai Qin, seemingly disheartened, asked in a gradually cooling voice:
"Lord Hu, may I ask whether the officials of the court and the local authorities have truly granted a pardon and allowed them to pass, or whether they are worried about some unforeseen event and fear that the soldiers on the road might scatter and cause trouble, so they sent you here as a delaying tactic?"
Khufu choked.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he forced himself to speak:
"General Cai has completely misunderstood. The Sage and the gentlemen had no such intention. The soldiers guarding the passes along the way were merely acting on the orders of local minor officials, and there was absolutely no intention to target the soldiers."
"Tell me... tell me, if there really is some conspiracy, am I a fool to follow you all this way? Wouldn't that be like standing under a crumbling wall?"
Suddenly, a captain appeared from behind and replied in a muffled voice:
"Those soldiers had no intention of harming the area or plotting anything untoward. Wearing their armor again was simply for self-preservation, a matter of human nature."
"If you're empty-handed and constantly watched by heavily armed guards like a thief, which hero can remain completely at ease?"
Hu Fu discovered that the person who spoke was none other than the newly arrived Captain Du.
"That's right, that's correct."
"Brother Du is right."
Cai Qin and other generals responded with their support.
Khufu shut up.
They fell into silence.
Before long, the group continued its journey.
Soldiers who did not hoard weapons or armor were punished.
Khufu forgot how he eventually returned in a daze.
All he remembered was that, under the increasingly cold and indifferent gazes of Cai Qin and the others, he had no choice but to nod.
However, he soon felt the backlash from this seemingly insignificant nod.
Within the ranks, the number of rearmed self-defense soldiers was visibly increasing.
Sure enough, once this opening is made, it will only get bigger and bigger.
Khufu became anxious.
That day, at night, the garrison troops were stationed on the outskirts of a prefectural city.
As usual, they received military supplies and a messenger from the state government, but were tacitly refused entry to the city gates. Except for the imperial envoy, no one else was allowed to enter the city.
Both sides maintained a tacit understanding of maintaining a certain distance, which was the norm between the returning soldiers and the local prefectures and counties along the way.
Inside a tent in a temporary military camp, the tall figure of a bearded eunuch paced back and forth.
Khufu frowned, paced back and forth in the tent for a while, then turned to look at the distant city of the prefecture, where lights were faintly visible.
"No, something's not right. We need to report this to the imperial court..."
Hu Fu muttered something to himself, and the next moment, he turned his head to pack up his identity documents and the emperor's private envoy seal. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the waist knife given to him by Ouyang Lianghan hanging on the shelf, took it down, and tucked it into his waistband.
He prepared to go out to find his subordinates.
"Where is Lord Hu going?"
There was a group of people in the shadows not far from the door.
"General Cai?" Hu Fu stammered, "You, what brings you all here? Aren't you going to drink?... What brings you all here?"
He had just stepped out of the tent when he bumped into Cai Qin and his entourage of generals.
"We can drink anytime. We just had a little discussion. We have a favor to ask of Lord Hu. We hope we haven't disturbed your sleep."
Cai Qin paused, as if he had noticed something, and asked in confusion:
"Where is Lord Hu going in the middle of the night?"
Realizing that they were also heading towards his tent and had just happened to run into him, instead of waiting for him at the door like ghosts, Khufu felt slightly relieved.
He concealed his panic and guilt, and spoke with his voice still full of vigor: "I also have something I would like to discuss with General Cai."
"What is the purpose of wearing a sword?"
"It was that Commandant Du again, asking in a muffled voice."
"Well... I'm used to it, haha."
Khufu took off his waist knife and said with a smile.
Cai Qin shifted his gaze from the waist knife, looked at him, and held out his hand:
"Lord Hu, please speak first."
Khufu answered without looking to the side:
"I just have some suggestions on the route back north. There's no rush. If General Cai has something important to say, you can speak first."
"good."
Cai Qin nodded without being polite.
Behind Khufu, the tent was unlit, and most of Cai Qin's generals stood in the darkness where the light from the nearest torches did not reach.
For a moment, Hu Fu couldn't see Cai Qin and the others' expressions clearly; he could only hear the calm voice of the leader chosen by the mutinous soldiers of Guizhou:
"This humble general has prepared a petition; please take a look, Lord Hu."
"Wh...what petition?"
"That's right, we're almost at Hongzhou. We're getting nervous as we get closer to home, and there are some rumors circulating among the brothers down here."
Cai Qin continued without pausing:
"We are worried that things will go wrong if this continues, so we discussed it tonight and came up with some small requests. We hope that Lord Hu can report them to the court on our behalf."
"this……"
Hu Fu nervously accepted the paper that Cai Qin silently handed him.
In front of all the generals, he strode to the torches not far away and leaned down to get closer.
Upon closer inspection, the paper contains roughly two requests:
First, the three military commanders—the Commandant, the Instructor, and the Chief Clerk—of the three military prefectures in Jiangzhou and Hongzhou, who were hated by the soldiers who directly caused the delay in border defense, were ordered to resign.
Secondly, it was demanded that the soldiers returning north establish a separate command post, with all under one general, in order to maintain independence.
After reading it, Khufu was terrified.
He looked up as if to speak, but met the cold, menacing gazes of a group of warriors in the darkness ahead.
"……good."
He swallowed his words, forced a smile, and nodded, agreeing to what was utterly impossible.
"I will write a letter on behalf of the generals tomorrow."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Hu."
Cai Qin seemed to nod.
Behind him, a captain said stiffly:
"Please write it immediately, and I will send it to the city for you right now. The official post station will be able to dispatch it tomorrow."
Khufu stiffened slightly, then nodded obediently, "Okay."
Under the watchful eyes and urging of Cai Qin and others, he wrote a document based on the petition, stamped and sealed it, and reluctantly submitted it.
The captain took the documents and left, entering the city overnight.
Hu Fu, who was subtly surrounded by Cai Qin and others and trying to appear calm, glanced at the dimly lit city in the distance.
So close, yet so far...
Khufu submitted his petition, but he was unable to leave.
After a brief rest, the soldiers returning north left this small prefecture and continued their journey, heading towards Hong and Jiang prefectures, the gateways to the southeast.
However, the marching route of the soldiers returning north was slightly different.
Khufu discovered that one day, the main force turned into the deep mountains and forests, far away from the heavily guarded checkpoints, as if they were taking a long detour.
He didn't know exactly where he was going.
Hu Fu had inquired with Cai Qin and others, but after submitting the petition and turning into a deserted place, the generals' attitude towards him became visibly cold.
When asked, the answer was simply that they were returning to their hometown as usual; no specific details could be found out.
Hu Fu couldn't help but recall the smooth sailing he had experienced when he led the garrison soldiers out of Tanzhou Prefecture.
He began to reflect, or rather, to review, exactly when Cai Qin and others' attitudes changed.
It seems to have been the night "Commander Du" returned to the unit and Cai Qin asked a strange question during their conversation.
Khufu fell silent.
Right now, he is subtly being swept along, and can only go with the flow.
It was late at night that day.
The military camp in the valley suddenly became noisy.
Khufu, who was sleeping fully clothed, suddenly opened his eyes.
This time, they were no longer easily frightened; listening closely, they could hear the soldiers outside rapidly assembling.
"What, what are they trying to do?!"
Hu Fu stared blankly, looking around, as if he wanted to get out of bed and run away.
Just then, a troop of soldiers ran toward his tent, their footsteps growing ever closer.
"It's over," Khufu cried out in despair as he lifted the covers.
But unexpectedly, the footsteps stopped abruptly the next moment. The group of soldiers seemed to have stopped at the door, and only the rather rough breathing of the soldiers could be heard.
Sweating profusely, Khufu saw the curtain lifted and a person walk in.
"you……"
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Captain Su, whom they had never spoken to before.
He walked in alone, without any soldiers behind him.
Su Qian did not draw his sword, but raised his right hand.
Khufu paused for only a second before immediately shutting up.
Su Qian tilted his head slightly, and Hu Fu's eyes widened. He nodded quickly, as if he understood. He hurriedly got off the bed and crawled under it.
They hid.
Su Qian went out again.
Khufu, who was lying under the bed, vaguely saw Su Qian re-enter the room, followed by a group of soldiers who conducted a rough search of the tent.
The only thing they didn't check was the position of the bed where Su Qian was standing.
"They've run away, chase them."
It sounded like Su Qian's voice.
The soldiers of the Third Regiment kept their eyes straight ahead, nodded obediently, and went out to chase after the person.
Su Qian watched them go.
Hu Fu timidly emerged, his voice trembling: "General Su, what is happening tonight...?"
Su Qian glanced at Hu Fu, who was only wearing a thin nightgown, but did not answer. He led him out of the house and bypassed the guards.
The two arrived at a riverbank, and Su Qian finally spoke.
Don't look back.
The sound was hoarse, like the sole of a shoe rubbing against a stone.
Khufu nodded hastily.
He had only taken a few steps when a hand stopped him. Hu Fu looked down and saw Su Qian handing him a familiar waist knife.
He must have taken it when they searched the tents.
Khufu immediately thought to himself.
He silently accepted the life-saving knife and put it on his waist.
"Thank you, General," he said softly.
Khufu crossed the river by water and fled in panic during the night.
Su Qian watched the tall eunuch, whose beard had fallen off from being soaked in water, hurriedly walk away, then suddenly turned around and returned to the military camp.
He went back into the tent.
The captain of the Third Regiment of Jiangzhou Zhechong Prefecture bent down and picked up the imperial envoy's seal and the sage's edict that Khufu had forgotten in his hasty escape. He silently returned to the bustling assembly point in the center of the military camp along the road in the opposite direction of Khufu's escape...
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(End of this chapter)
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