Chapter 94: Another Incident
The time had come. Sun Kan shouted sharply, "Kill—"
In an instant, hundreds of figures burst out of the grass like wolves, catching the grain transport team off guard.
The opposing leader roared hoarsely, speaking in a language the Li Dynasty people couldn't understand at all. These southern barbarians seemed well-trained; after a brief moment of panic, they quickly recovered and began to form ranks.
Sun Kan swiftly and decisively slit the throat of a southern barbarian soldier, roaring, "Disrupt their formation!"
The southern barbarians were plump and strong, while the enemy, on the other hand, were so hungry that their steps were unsteady, and most of them were only holding on by their last bit of willpower. Once the southern barbarians formed their ranks, the enemy's chances of breaking through would be extremely slim, so it was necessary to break their formation at all costs, as this would greatly increase their chances of victory.
Li Zhengyang, gripping the thick sword he had snatched from the Southern Barbarians, charged at the forefront. Covered in blood, he resembled a black bear escaping from a pool of blood, wildly wielding his sword.
Upon hearing this, he saw through the Southern Barbarians' actions and found a gap in the enemy's defenses, attacking it recklessly.
The muddy ground was soaked with dark red blood and became a muddy mess. In the chaotic fighting, people kept falling, some still struggling, while others immediately stopped breathing.
With a snap, Sun Kan broke the neck of the struggling southern barbarian who was trying to get up, and then turned his gaze to the grain cart.
Zhong Hui was indeed underestimating the situation. The Southern Barbarians' grain transport wagons were even larger than theirs, stretching as far as the eye could see. Even without counting, it was clear that there were definitely more than fifty wagons. The wagons were piled high with grain, and even Sun Kan couldn't help but feel a little envious.
He continued to boost morale: "Brothers, let's fight! After this battle, we'll be able to eat our fill."
With food running out soon and they were about to starve to death, they decided to fight to the death, and everyone became bloodthirsty. Those with nothing to lose are fearless, and the southern barbarians were clearly terrified by their reckless actions, crumbling within half a quarter of an hour.
Taking advantage of their panic, Li Zhengyang plunged a large knife directly into the heart of the enemy leader.
With their leaders gone, the soldiers, leaderless, began to scatter in all directions.
Li Zhengyang and Yuan Fei were in a bloodthirsty frenzy and immediately wanted to lead their men to give chase, but Sun Kan stopped them, saying, "No need to chase, hurry up and transport the grain."
A soldier came running up with a limp: "Centurion, I just counted them. There are eighty tugs of rations. More than fifty of them should be millet and soybeans, and the rest are all high-quality straw."
Sun Kan's expression was stern: "Those remnants of the army are no longer a threat. Let them go back and report. The most urgent task is to transport these provisions back to the city."
Their casualties were equally heavy. Of the more than 500 people that Sun Kan brought, less than 400 are left. Among them, some are injured and unable to move, and only about 200 are able to work.
Large beads of sweat appeared on Sun Kan's forehead.
Li Zhengyang hardened his heart and suggested, "The wounded are the priority. We should transport as much grain as we can, and if there's anything left, we can just burn it all. We can't leave it to those southern barbarians."
"No!" Sun Kan ordered decisively, "Put all the wounded who can't move on horseback, and help each other back to the front if they can walk. The rest of you go and fetch horses and feed."
They risked their lives to get this batch of grain, sacrificing countless brothers in the process. He wouldn't burn even a single grain, let alone a cartload of it.
The soldiers escorted a large convoy of grain carts. Although they were exhausted after the battle, everyone was full of energy when they saw the grain.
Yuan Fei patted the horse and praised, "What a fine horse! Even the horses here are better fed than those in our camp. I wonder what they're feeding them."
Zhong Hui: "Straws, maybe even mixed with soybeans! The food we eat might not even be as good as theirs."
Sun Kan smiled slightly: "The southern barbarians have run away, so these dozens of horses are a good deal for us."
Zhong Hui felt a furry itch on the back of his hand. He looked down at the blanket and said, "Li Zhengyang, what the hell are you doing, transporting grain and fodder with nothing better to do than bringing a bloody head to scare people?"
Li Zhengyang exclaimed excitedly, "This is the leader! I'll cut off his head and take it back to show off, hehe!"
Sun Kan smiled and said, "It's just a transportation supervisor."
Li Zhengyang curled his lip: "He's still an official, no matter how small." This was the first time he had killed a leader. He remembered that last time Sun Kan had a stroke of luck and killed the enemy's centurion. When he returned, he was rewarded with two taels of silver, which made them all extremely envious.
"Fine, take it back if you want, but don't carry it around scaring people," Sun Kan advised him.
As dusk approached, the grain supplies were finally transported into Jizhou City. Sun Kan and Li Zhengyang did not enter the city, but instead led their group on horseback to wander around the outskirts of Suiyuan.
Judging by the time, those southern barbarians should have sent reinforcements by now.
Sun Kan's lips curled up, "The captain's predictions are truly prophetic; he actually managed to get them to bring in quite a few reinforcements."
Li Zhengyang also became happy and shouted, "Brothers, let's give these southern barbarians a good thrashing!"
Sun Kan ordered, "Remember not to engage in direct conflict with them. The Southern Barbarians' arrows have a slightly longer range than ours, so remember to keep your distance from them."
After being led around twice by Sun Kan and his men, the leader of the Southern Barbarians suddenly realized something was wrong.
His expression was sinister and ruthless as he roughly pulled the soldier off his horse: "Where are the provisions?"
The soldier's legs went weak with fear, and he stammered, "Lord Wusun, I don't know where the grain is hidden, but the people who hijacked it were definitely them." He could never forget the man riding at the very back who had repeatedly provoked them; it was he who had killed the transport supervisor.
The leader kicked him away, muttered a few curses under his breath, and angrily ordered, "Stop chasing! Return to camp immediately!"
They've been tricked by these Jizhou soldiers!
Seeing that the southern barbarians had given up chasing them, Sun Kan called out loudly, "Brothers, we can go back to the city now."
Li Zhengyang felt refreshed and laughed heartily: "I wonder how they felt when they returned to camp."
At this time, the Nanman army camp stationed in Suiyuan was in complete chaos.
"There's a spy! Go and catch him!"
"Fire! Quick, put out the fire!"
"The Wusun leader's camp is on fire! Quickly, put out the fire!"
Soldiers came staggering up from the north, shouting, "It's terrible! The granary is on fire! The granary is on fire!"
The Wusun spurred their horses back to camp at top speed. Seeing the raging fire, their vision blurred, and only one thought remained in their minds:
It's over, it's all over. He's fallen for the enemy's diversionary tactic.
It turns out that robbing their grain was not their only objective. They first robbed their grain in the Suiyuan area, and then deliberately left survivors to come back and find reinforcements.
The loss of supplies was a serious matter. Relying on the fact that Suiyuan was their territory, he confidently abandoned the rear and took a large number of troops out of the camp.
By the time they realized something was amiss, it was too late.
In Jizhou Camp,
Guan Shao hadn't even taken a sip of her cold tea when she choked violently after hearing her subordinate's report, coughing so hard she felt dizzy.
"General, are you alright?" The guards outside the tent rushed in upon hearing the commotion and asked with concern.
Guan Shao waved his hand: "Ahem! It's nothing, you can all go down!"
The guard was about to leave when he called out to him, "Wait, has Xie Pei returned to the city?"
The guard lowered his eyes: "He must have just returned to the city."
Guan Shao frowned deeply and slammed his fist on the table: "So you all knew he led his troops out of the city, but instead of reporting it in time, you even helped cover for him!"
The guard lowered his head even further: "It's not that I didn't report it in time, it's just that when Lieutenant Xie left the city, he didn't say he was going to rob grain supplies."
Guan Shao laughed: "I'm old, not senile. Everyone says they don't know. But Xie Pei's men were very eager to open the door when they brought back the supplies. If I hadn't asked, were you planning to help him get away with it?"
The guard bowed and said, "Your subordinate is terrified."
Guan Shao breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that he had spoken too harshly. His personal guards had been with him since they were teenagers, sharing life and death with him for many years, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were as close as his own children.
He wouldn't go so far as to help Xie Pei cover up the truth, but he certainly delayed reporting what he knew.
"That's enough," he waved his hand. "Go and call Xie Pei over, and have him receive ten more lashes to teach him a lesson."
"Yes!" The guard received the order and secretly grinned, thinking no one would notice, but Guan Shao saw it and scolded him a few more times.
When Xie Pei entered the tent, Guan Shao was still drinking tea.
Xie Pei remained kneeling on one knee for a long time, but Guan Shao did not tell him to get up.
He did it on purpose. This kid is arrogant, and he wanted to put him on the spot and let him relax more.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Guan Shao had finished drinking his tea, but Xie Pei remained motionless with no expression on his face.
Guan Shao was furious at the sight of his deadpan face. The blisters on his lips started to throb again. He picked up the teapot to pour himself some cold tea, but after a few tries, not a drop came out. Frustrated, he slammed the teapot back onto the table.
Then he looked at Xie Pei, who was kneeling on one knee: "Do you know your crime?"
Xie Pei said expressionlessly, "This humble general is terrified."
Guan Shao: ? ? ? What are you so afraid of?
Not only does my mouth hurt, but now my temples are throbbing with anger.
This military camp is unbearable. Now, one by one, they've all gone too far. They've made mistakes but don't know they're wrong. They all keep saying they're terrified, as if they've conspired in private.
The key is that he could tolerate others expressing fear, but he simply couldn't stand Xie Pei's attitude of fear.
The camp fell silent once again.
Guan Shao finally gave in and said, "Get up."
Xie Pei finally made a move, standing up straight.
Guan Shao said irritably, "Speak, why did you lead your troops to raid the Southern Barbarians' supplies without my consent?"
"Do you know how dangerous this is? You're disregarding the lives of your soldiers."
Xie Pei silently endured the scolding, his face showing no emotion.
Guan Shao both loved and hated him, and he couldn't bear to punish him. He truly cherished talent, and it was precisely because he wanted to nurture him that he was so angry about what happened today.
"I have already sent a message to the capital, and I expect the matter of supplies will be resolved in the next few days."
Xie Pei slightly raised his eyes and said in a calm tone, "Someone starved to death." It was as if he were stating a trivial matter, but it stirred up a storm in Guan Shao's heart.
Guan Shao was puzzled: "Why haven't I heard anyone report this?"
Xie Pei: "This matter should not be publicized, lest it cause panic. The doctor lied to the public and said that he died of illness."
Guan Shao opened his mouth, unsure of what to say, and after a long while finally managed to stammer, "This was the right thing to do."
It was hard to utter any more words of blame. Guan Shao felt physically and mentally exhausted, and instantly looked ten years older.
He sighed and said, "Let's wait a little longer. I have already written to the current emperor. He will surely understand the difficulties faced by the Jizhou army. The imperial court will definitely send grain over soon."
Xie Pei's lips curled into a mocking smile: "How much longer?"
Guan Shao was somewhat agitated: "I told you I would be here soon, how can you be so stubborn? If you continue like this, I think you will..." He suddenly stopped, unable to utter the words of reproach.
What did Xie Pei do wrong again? After days of food shortages, he even emptied the grain shops in Jizhou City by taking money from his own pocket, but it was still a drop in the bucket.
No one can stand by and watch their soldiers starve to death instead of fighting on the battlefield.
He asked himself if, if he were back in his thirties and faced with such a humiliating situation, he would have made the same decision as Xie Pei.
He thought, "I think so!"
The reason he initially chose Xie Pei was because he saw the stubbornness he had in his youth reflected in him.
Thinking of this, he felt weak all over, and he couldn't even straighten his back. He looked like he had aged ten years in an instant.
He deeply realized that he was truly old, and he couldn't even tell whether the stubbornness and restlessness referred to Xie Pei or himself.
As Xie Pei gained more and more respect in the army, even his personal guards, whom he had personally trained, spoke of Xie Pei with great admiration.
He was both pleased and worried. He was pleased that Xie Pei was growing up so fast. He was decisive in his daily life in the camp and resourceful and capable in battle. He already had the potential to become a famous general in the future.
With a sigh, he said helplessly, "As a soldier, obedience is his duty. Your men should obey your orders, and you should also learn to obey my orders."
Xie Pei glanced at him with a longing look, and Guan Shao immediately added, "Of course you can have your own ideas, but you should report them to me. If everyone in the army were like you, wouldn't it be chaos?"
"Alright, this matter is forgivable, so let's call it even. I've already sent men to haul the provisions into the main granary. I've left you a load as a reward for the soldiers who participated. From today onwards, your cavalry battalion's rations will increase by 50%. Also, what do you plan to do with the soldiers who died in this battle?"
Xie Pei said solemnly, "The person has already been buried outside Jizhou. If the family can be found, a pension will be issued and taxes will be reduced."
Guan Shao nodded with satisfaction: "That's how it should be."
Unfortunately, he failed to provide them with a proper meal before he died, which was his dereliction of duty.
As soon as Xie Pei stepped into the cavalry camp, Li Zhengyang approached him and asked, "Captain, how was it? Did the General reward you?"
Xie Pei stopped in his tracks when he was stopped, and replied impatiently, "No."
Xie Pei strode away, while Li Zhengyang stood there in astonishment, muttering, "Impossible, right?"
Sun Kan: "What's impossible?"
Li Zhengyang: "We've done such a great service, shouldn't we be rewarded?"
Sun Kan was puzzled: "Yes, it was just announced that our battalion will be able to have a full meal tonight, and the food rations will increase by 50% after today."
Li Zhengyang: "I mean, an extra reward."
Sun Kan suddenly realized: "You should throw that head away! It's so hot, I bet it'll be infested with maggots soon."
Li Zhengyang was indignant and about to shout when Sun Kan stopped him: "I advise you to give up your idea of taking credit. We didn't report our operation outside the city to the General beforehand, and he's furious right now. Even the Captain was reprimanded. We should be grateful that we're not punished. You'll even have millet rice tonight, so be content."
Upon hearing that Xie Peigang had just been reprimanded, Li Zhengyang immediately became obedient. "No wonder he looked unhappy when he saw me earlier; it turns out I've offended him."
Sun Kan: "...When has the Captain ever been happy to see you?"
...
"Shopkeeper, I've deposited these four hundred taels into the bank for you." He An cheerfully handed the silver note to Zhu Mingyue: "Adding to the deposit from the shop a while ago, you now have six hundred and fifty taels."
Zhu Mingyue was in a good mood and held up five fingers to correct him: "It's five hundred taels. The first time I saved one hundred and fifty taels, I used it to buy a restaurant."
He An remembered and said apologetically, "I've been too busy lately, and my memory isn't very good."
Zhu Mingyue was very understanding of him: "You're busy every day, but you still need to rest properly. There are some things you don't have to do yourself, so don't wear yourself out."
He An smiled and said, "Although Manager Qian of Mingyue Tower has some ability, I don't know his background, so I'm really worried. I can only run between the two places for now. It's not too much trouble. Once you find someone trustworthy, I can quit."
Zhu Mingyue didn't know how to put it, but in short, He An was more concerned about these things than he, the shopkeeper, and he was also used to being lazy, which forced him to become a model worker.
He An handed over the silver notes, and that was the end of it. Before leaving, he gave him a few more instructions: "Shopkeeper, the town has been in chaos these past two days. I heard that a criminal wanted by the imperial court has fled to Ganzhou, and officials from the capital are searching the whole town for him."
"There's such a thing?" Zhu Mingyue would leisurely stroll to the county town almost every day after lunch. Because Mingyue Tower was located in a relatively remote area near Jizhou Wharf, he would usually take a shortcut along a country path and walk along the Jizhou River to the restaurant, thus missing out on much of the city's excitement.
Seeing that he was not only not afraid, but even quite interested, He An was afraid that he would want to join in the fun: "This is a criminal wanted by the imperial court. Just by hearing his name, you can tell that he is the kind of ruthless killer who will not blink an eye. Shopkeeper, you must not be foolish and go to join in the fun. If you really run into him, it will be dangerous."
Zhu Mingyue thought about it and agreed. It was better to avoid trouble, so he decided to stay away from the city and obediently walk along his country path.
As soon as He An finished speaking, the sound of running footsteps rang out outside Mingyue Tower, followed by officials in their uniforms stepping through the tower's gate.
Zhu Mingyue looked at He An with a puzzled expression, and He An was also speechless upon seeing this.
Zhu Mingyue had just said not to join in the fun, but the next second the fun came knocking on her door. She really didn't want to experience that.
His expression was not good. He stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me, what is this?"
The officer stared at him for a moment, then said arrogantly, "I am here on orders from the imperial court to apprehend a criminal."
Zhu Mingyue frowned slightly as she watched the officials rush in and barge in, scaring away the guests who hadn't finished their meals at the few tables on the second floor. "I am not harboring any criminals here."
The sound of a vase shattering came from upstairs. Zhu Mingyue was heartbroken and wanted to go upstairs to stop it, but He An stopped her.
He An secretly took out a tael of silver from his sleeve and handed it to him, greeting him with a smile, "Sir, let's talk this out."
The officer glanced at the silver in his hand but didn't take it; instead, he sneered.
Helpless, He An reached into his sleeve again, his face showing difficulty, clearly unable to produce any more silver.
Zhu Mingyue suppressed her anger, pursed her lips, and secretly slipped a few taels of silver into his palm.
He An took the silver and didn't linger in his hand for a moment, giving it along with the previous tael to the official.
Only then did the officer's expression soften somewhat, and he shouted loudly, "What kind of work are you doing? So clumsy!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the activity upstairs quieted down considerably, and the sounds of vases and dishes breaking ceased.
After some time, the officials and constables came down one after another.
It seemed he hadn't found anything, so he nodded slightly to him and left.
He An's face turned ashen: "These bastards, where would there be prisoners at Jihe Wharf? Searching for murderers is a pretense; I think they're just here to make money."
In the blink of an eye, five taels of silver were gone. Although it didn't hurt, it was still hard to swallow.
Zhu Mingyue comforted him, "Since things have come to this, let it go! Just consider it money spent to avoid further trouble."
He An sighed, "It seems things aren't peaceful here either. Shopkeeper, you should go back now. These officials won't be leaving anytime soon, so don't come back tomorrow."
Zhu Mingyue nodded and said, "The money has been paid, so there shouldn't be any more trouble. However, we can't do business today. Let's pack up, close up shop, and go home as soon as possible." For some reason, he felt a sense of unease.
Zhu Mingyue walked along the path, and although there was no one around, his heart inexplicably raced.
He quickened his pace, but after running less than a hundred meters, he tripped and fell to the ground on the overgrown path.
He rubbed his sore knee and looked back, his pupils suddenly contracting.
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