Chapter 166: A Human Tableau

That night in Chuzhou City, some schemed, some hesitated, some struggled, and some sank into melancholy.

A retired former Vice Minister of Works—whose household had not even been marked for confiscation—led his entire family in hanging themselves.

A garrison officer of Chuzhou City suddenly became the man with the greatest military authority in the city beneath the Yan occupiers. He busied himself leading more than two thousand subordinates from household to household, confiscating property and exterminating entire clans.

A highly respected old gentleman accepted the Yan army's demand and became the new head of Chuzhou City's civil administration.

He sat alone in his courtyard, drinking peach-blossom wine through the entire night while the cold wind blew around him.

His figure looked unbearably lonely.

One man carried a wine flask in one hand and a sword in the other.

He walked into the streets in the middle of the night and cursed the Yan at the top of his lungs.

He shouted that the northern barbarians should not grow arrogant, that once the king's army arrived, Yan heads would roll until the rivers themselves were dammed.

Before he could finish venting the heroic fury in his chest a Zhenbei Army patrol enforcing curfew shot him dead with a single arrow.

His corpse was then tied behind a horse by an overexcited Zhenbei Army Lieutenant Commander and dragged through the streets until flesh and blood were ground into ruin.

Others tried fishing in troubled waters.

Small gangs inside the city decided that with war and chaos everywhere, this was the perfect chance to make a fortune.

They reached toward wealthy households they would never normally have dared touch.

All living beings wore different faces.

Different states.

Different expressions.

Each person wrote out his own nature.

But no matter how different their reactions were the overwhelming majority simply waited in fear.

Any household with a deity enshrined inside, whether statue or painted image, had placed far more offerings on the altar than usual.

If gods truly existed in Heaven, perhaps they would have looked down in surprise and wondered why Chuzhou City had begun celebrating the New Year so early.

All things beneath Heaven exist in relation to one another.

Where there is black, there is white.

Where there is brightness, there is darkness.

Where there is red naturally, there is black as well.

Story after story.

Scene after scene.

Though performed beneath a pitch-black night, every one unfolded with startling clarity.

Yet for the ordinary soldiers of the Zhenbei Army anyone who had no city-patrol assignment and had not been sent outside as a scout ate his fill early and went straight to sleep.

After days of hard riding, they had long since become exhausted.

They desperately needed rest.

The occasional screams and sobbing rising from inside the city were nothing more than minor background noise in their dreams.

When it came to bloodshed to cruelty what happened in the desert had always been far more thorough than this.

What was happening here now truly counted as nothing more than a drizzle.

Perhaps, in the eyes of these soldiers, the Qian people were almost overly sentimental.

The ending had already been decided.

Why still insist on making extra noise?

Why still insist on displaying extra emotion?

What was the point?

The balance of power had been overwhelmingly unequal from the beginning.

And once the Zhenbei Army successfully forced its way through the city gate nothing could change that outcome anymore.

But the great curtain of war had only just risen.

...

"The discipline of the Zhenbei Army really is impressive," Zheng Fan said.

"Master, that's because the fighting has gone too smoothly.

"The army hasn't truly tasted blood yet."

Zheng Fan nodded.

He agreed with the Blind Man.

Once an army as a collective truly became soaked in blood, the destruction it could cause would become terrifying beyond measure.

At that point even if the commanding general wanted to restrain his men he might not be able to stop them.

And the Commander of this particular command was that lunatic Li Fusheng.

The lunatic had already been restraining himself to an extraordinary degree.

Heaven only knew how long he could continue.

"Master."

The Fourth Lady approached carrying a washbasin.

Two steaming towels lay inside.

Zheng Fan and the Blind Man each took one and began wiping their faces.

Then, Zheng Fan noticed a timid young girl standing beside the Fourth Lady.

She looked perhaps thirteen or fourteen.

"Picked up another stray?" Zheng Fan teased.

The Fourth Lady had a habit.

Whenever she found a promising seedling, she brought the child back and trained her.

The first batch of young girls she had taken in still had not fully grown.

So they could not yet be put to much use.

Still—

Zheng Fan believed that intelligence agents trained personally by the Fourth Lady would definitely prove far more reliable than the Silver-Armored Guard.

Several Silver-Armored Guard "wives" Zheng Fan had encountered had actually been identified long ago by the households they were spying on.

That level of failure was almost impressive.

Of course, with Zheng Fan's current position and strength, he had no real use for a "Red Whisk Lady" either.

"I just happened to come across her.

"Come.

"Little Rui, be good.

"Kowtow to Master."

The girl called Little Rui knelt.

She kowtowed to Zheng Fan with great seriousness.

Then said softly, "Greetings, Master."

She was afraid.

But not excessively timid.

And from the posture of her kowtow alone, one could tell that she had received good family education.

That was not a joke.

Etiquette was something ordinary commoners did not study in detail.

Even kneeling and kowtowing had particular forms.

For commoners, whether worshiping ancestors or bowing to some great lord one simply knelt and muddled through.

"Whose family?"

"Her family once produced a Vice Minister who served in Upper Capital.

"That retired old official killed himself together with his entire household."

"Haa..."

Zheng Fan let out a long breath.

"When I arrived, several men of the household were forcing the women to commit suicide too.

"This little girl didn't want to die.

"She ran through the courtyard.

"Her grandfather chased her and stabbed her once.

"Fortunately, I arrived in time and saved her."

As she spoke, the Fourth Lady pointed toward Little Rui's back.

Her clothing was torn there.

A wound should have been beneath it.

The Fourth Lady had already treated it.

"What a pity.

"Even using cosmetic needles, it'll be difficult to erase the scar completely."

"There'll be ways later," the Blind Man said.

The Demon Kings might not possess the ability now.

But once everyone's strength recovered further erasing one scar would hardly count as difficult.

"Tell me.

"If someone wants to kill himself, fine.

"Why insist on dragging the entire household with him?

"From that old man down to the other men of the family—they were all acting like madmen," the Fourth Lady said.

"I don't want to die...

"I don't want to die..."

Little Rui seemed to recall something terrifying.

She began panicking.

"Good girl.

"It's all right now.

"You're safe."

The Fourth Lady soothed her.

"Only by taking the entire family with him could the old man preserve his spotless reputation.

"Perhaps he might even leave a glorious name in the histories," the Blind Man said.

"Enough.

"It's hard to say who was right or wrong in something like this."

Zheng Fan had no desire to waste more mental energy on the matter.

Then he said, "Those who should rest, go rest.

"Those who still have work, continue working."

...

Zheng Fan did not sleep especially well that night.

Perhaps because the Fourth Lady was not sleeping beside him.

So he dreamed.

In the dream he sat behind a pearl curtain.

On his lap sat the Princess Consort wearing a golden phoenix crown.

She used every seductive trick she knew.

Meanwhile, beyond the curtain stood a grand hall.

Separated from Zheng Fan by only that curtain was the dragon throne.

Prince Fu's heir sat upon it wearing imperial robes.

While listening to the sounds coming from behind the curtain he received the full prostration of a hundred officials below.

They thundered, "LONG LIVE HIS MAJESTY!"

Thud-thud-thud!

Thud-thud-thud!

Thud-thud-thud!

A sudden burst of urgent hoofbeats tore Zheng Fan from his beautiful dream.

After opening his eyes he actually spent a moment savoring what he had just seen.

Then he laughed at himself.

"Motherfucker.

"I'm really a pervert."

At that moment, Liang Cheng lifted the tent flap and leaned inside.

"Master.

"A Qian army has been discovered forty li southwest of the city."

"Qian troops?

"Southwest?"

If they were coming from the southwest then they definitely were not Qian frontier troops returning to rescue the city.

In truth, given how quickly the Yan army had advanced, even if Qian's frontier forces had immediately chosen to turn around and rush south from the very beginning they still could not possibly have arrived today.

The Yan army, after all was entirely cavalry.

"How many enemy troops?"

"The exact number is unclear.

"But likely more than twenty thousand."

Zheng Fan immediately rose and put on his armor.

Then he went outside with Liang Cheng.

On the streets—

Zhenbei Army riders were already moving rapidly into formation.

Scout cavalry kept racing in from beyond the walls.

Each messenger shouted reports about the enemy situation as he rode.

More and more cavalry units were moving out from inside the city, preparing to meet the threat.

Zheng Fan frowned.

"What are they doing?"

Chuzhou City had only just been taken.

True under threats of steel and various incentives, they had thrown together a puppet yamen the previous night.

But the entire city remained trapped in fear and uncertainty.

And now, news that a Qian army had appeared nearby was being shouted openly through the streets?

Wouldn't that immediately stir hope in the hearts of Chuzhou City's commoners and powerful households?

One had to remember at any given time and in any group the silent majority was always the true main body.

And right now the last thing they should be given was hope.

Zheng Fan narrowed his eyes.

At that moment, a rider approached at speed.

After reaching Zheng Fan, the man cupped his fists.

"Garrison Commander Zheng.

"The Commander summons you."

Zheng Fan returned the salute.

"This General accepts the order."

He mounted.

Then rode with Liang Cheng toward Li Fusheng's position.

Li Fusheng had stayed the previous night inside an ordinary residence.

He had not chosen some wealthy mansion.

According to the original plan, they would be leaving again in two days anyway.

There was no point wasting effort on luxury.

One had to admit the Zhenbei Army's senior commanders did not possess especially strong personal appetites for comfort.

As Zheng Fan rode through the streets, scout riders and cavalry detachments constantly passed him.

Yan troops inside the city and the army camps beyond the walls had already begun moving like a machine.

Something else had begun moving too.

The hearts of Chuzhou City's people.

Behind walls and courtyards who knew how many heads had quietly appeared, secretly watching the streets?

The sight made Zheng Fan's fingers itch.

He almost wanted to string his bow and practice headshot archery.

...

The most imposing structure in Chuzhou City and the building that symbolized the region's center of authority was the Prefectural Yamen.

Qian did not actually use the office of Prefect.

The equivalent position was Military Commissioner.

But when the Yan army broke Chuzhou City yesterday—

Chu Commandery's Military Commissioner had not been present.

He was eighty li south of Chuzhou City in Antian City, personally urging grain and supply shipments forward.

So that big fish had escaped the net.

At this moment, inside the yamen a white-haired old man sat behind the desk in the administrative chamber.

His face carried the deep exhaustion of a terrible hangover.

He had spent the entire previous night drinking.

Peach-blossom wine.

Wuchuan was famous for its wines.

Good vintages were extremely expensive.

Normally, the old man hated wasting even a little.

Last night the more he drank the more tasteless the wine became.

Yesterday the Yan army had burst into his residence.

Then laid a blade across the necks of his entire clan.

The old man had yielded.

He accepted the Yan army's demand and became Chuzhou City's new Military Commissioner.

Then the Yan began stuffing officials into the administration beneath him.

Quite a few.

He himself found additional people.

Within a single day they had somehow managed to assemble the skeleton of an administration.

But that skeleton was made of paper.

Everyone might physically be inside the yamen right now yet no one was truly handling official business.

Nobody possessed the heart for it.

Still every official had arrived unusually early for "work."

Their normal habits of laziness and delay had vanished completely.

After sitting down they whispered to one another.

Who had been exterminated last night?

Whose household had been confiscated?

Who had suddenly been promoted?

The Yan had arrived too quickly.

Their blades had reached everyone's throats too quickly.

These officials who had only just "surrendered" still had not adjusted to their new identities.

Fortunately their nominal Military Commissioner seemed to be in exactly the same state.

The entire morning passed like this.

Everyone simply sat.

The Military Commissioner issued no orders.

One after another they might as well have been clay statues.

Then, a steward entered the yamen.

He walked into the administrative chamber.

Approached his master.

Bent close to the old man's ear.

And whispered something.

Instantly hope and excitement appeared in the old man's clouded eyes.

With trembling hands he lifted the official hat from his head.

Then placed it on the desk.

The king's army.

The king's army had returned!

The old man was ecstatic.

But almost immediately his hand began trembling again.

Fear rose inside him.

Because although he had been forced he had still worn that official hat.

After decades of drifting through officialdom, he understood perfectly well even if he had worn the hat for only one day no.

Even if he had worn it for only one moment he would never truly be able to take it off again.

Throughout the previous night his heart had been tormenting him.

The great aspiration he had formed as a youth while reading the sages.

The glory of hearing his name proclaimed outside Donghua Gate after passing the examinations.

The freedom of retiring with empty sleeves and returning home.

He had never possessed enormous ambition.

He had never risen especially high.

But overall his life had been smooth.

There had been storms.

Yet the road had mostly been kind.

Who could have imagined when he was already old and preparing to enter the earth something like this would happen?

Especially after he heard that one of his old friends had killed himself together with his entire family the torment in his heart became even stronger.

Had he... chosen wrongly?

The king's army was coming back.

It would drive out the Yan.

He was happy.

This was Qian territory!

How could Yan barbarians be allowed to run wild here?

This was a land of royal civilization and ritual!

How could Yan barbarians be permitted to trample it?

And yet if the king's army truly returned what... would happen to him?

The steward beside him was only in his early forties.

But he had inherited the position from his father and had served this household his entire life.

Seeing his master's haggard, tortured state the man silently sighed.

"Go.

"Invite all the gentlemen from the front hall."

"Yes, Master."

Before long more than ten officials arrived.

The front hall had always served as the offices of the senior commandery officials beneath the Military Commissioner.

Some of them had been promoted only last night.

Others had already occupied these same seats before the city fell.

Now all had been summoned together.

Their expressions differed greatly.

Some openly carried contempt.

Some showed the helplessness of men sharing the same illness.

Others looked numb.

After a short silence inside the administrative chamber the assembled officials saluted the old man behind the desk.

"Greetings... my lord."

A bitter smile appeared on the old man's face.

He raised one hand.

Then, gently slapped himself across the face.

He did not speak immediately.

Instead he kept slapping.

Harder.

And harder.

Smack!

Smack!

Smack!

Smack!

"Master!

"Master!"

The steward hurried forward and grabbed him.

The old man's left cheek had already turned crimson.

But there was so little flesh on his face that it barely swelled.

The officials below stared uncertainly.

The old man lifted the cup of tea that had been sitting on the desk for a long time.

It had long since gone cold.

He drank.

Mixed with blood from his own mouth he swallowed it down.

Then said, "I imagine all of you already know.

"The city is in chaos.

"The Yan are in chaos too.

"And according to reports—the king's army is not far beyond the walls."

Everyone had known since morning.

Servants from their households had been continuously delivering newer reports as well.

"The Yan entered the city.

"And yet all of us are still sitting here inside this yamen.

"Heh.

"What kind of damned business is this?"

Every face below changed.

They became extremely ugly.

"But this old man understands.

"You gentlemen are different from me.

"I—was possessed by greed.

"I wanted high office and status.

"So I climbed aboard the Yan bandits' ship.

"You gentlemen, on the other hand—only endured humiliation in order to preserve useful bodies.

"You and this old man—walk different paths."

Some officials looked surprised.

Some confused.

Some blank.

But any man capable of surviving officialdom could hardly be stupid.

Very quickly everyone understood what the old man meant.

"Cough...

"Cough cough..."

The old man began coughing violently.

After a moment he wiped the corner of his mouth with his official sleeve.

Then continued, "It was this old man who forced all of you to sit in this yamen today.

"Every crime—belongs to me.

"Once the king's army recovers Chuzhou—

"I will personally submit a memorial to the court.

"I will take responsibility for everything.

"I only ask that all of you—afterward—look after my family somewhat.

"For that—this old man thanks you."

He rose from the chair.

Then bowed deeply to the officials below.

Every man below immediately knelt.

Together they cried, "My lord..."

Soon all were weeping uncontrollably.

"Go.

"Do what you must do.

"Prepare whatever you must prepare.

"You should already know."

The officials acknowledged.

Then withdrew.

The old man sat back down.

It was as though most of the life had been drained from his body.

The steward looked at him in pain.

"Master... why must you suffer like this?"

The old man smiled.

"You think if I didn't say those words—they wouldn't dump the entire chamber pot of shit onto my head anyway?"

"This..."

The steward did not know how to answer.

"The moment they heard the king's army had appeared—they probably began coordinating among themselves.

"Since I sat in this seat—

"I must bear the consequence.

"Instead of waiting for them to push me out—

"I might as well walk out by myself.

"That way—

"I can at least leave behind a little goodwill.

"Perhaps afterward—someone will still look after the household."

"Master.

"This is too hard on you."

The steward understood.

Had his master not been trying to preserve the lives of the entire clan he would never have yielded to Yan threats in the first place.

The old man reached out.

Picked up the teacup again.

"Master, the tea has gone cold.

"I'll brew another cup."

The old man nodded.

The steward carried the cup out of the room.

The old man looked around the empty chamber.

Suddenly something clenched inside his heart.

Horror appeared in his eyes.

Because just now one thought had risen inside him.

A thought so terrifying that even he frightened himself.

That thought was Wouldn't it be better... if the king's army were defeated by the Yan?

...

News spread from Prince Fu's residence that the heir's wife had fallen ill from shock.

She remained inside her room recovering.

At that moment, Prince Fu's heir and the Princess Consort sat facing one another over lunch.

Today the Princess Consort wore mourning white.

Yesterday had been an exceptional situation.

But in truth she was still within the mourning period for her deceased husband.

"Eat quickly.

"Later, you still need to take the servants out and properly bury your father."

"Mother Consort... outside..."

Obvious panic covered the heir's face.

"What happens outside—what does it have to do with you?"

"The army... the army has returned, Mother Consort!"

"If it returned, then it returned.

"If the army takes the city back—you can inherit your father's position and become the new Prince Fu."

"No, Mother Consort..."

"If the army truly returns—then it simply means you, Zhao Yuannian, don't possess that fate.

"And it means I don't possess it either.

"If we don't have that fate—then we accept fate.

"Eat."

"But...

"But A-Qing is dead."

"Dead is dead.

"When your father was alive—he already told you her identity.

"Don't tell me you actually developed feelings for her?"

"Of course not.

"But Mother Consort—she was still an agent of the Silver-Armored Guard.

"If the army returns—the Silver-Armored Guard will never believe that A-Qing simply died of illness."

"That's easy enough.

"Didn't your father leave several secondary consorts in the residence?

"If the Yan really lose—then when our Great Qian army enters the city—kill those aunts of yours too.

"Place your wife's corpse together with theirs.

"Then say the Yan committed atrocities.

"I'll mess up my hair and clothes a little.

"When the matter is reported upward—

"His Majesty may even pity our household.

"After all, your father died while traveling on His Majesty's business to proclaim an imperial decree.

"Your princely title will definitely be preserved.

"You may even receive additional rewards.

"And you won't need to live as painfully as your father did."

"Mother Consort... this..."

"When matters arise—you must know how to decide.

"Your father is already gone.

"In this world—only the two of us remain to rely on one another.

"Do not place any hope in your maternal grandfather.

"If your grandfather had truly cared about me back then—he would never have married me into Prince Fu's residence."

"Mother Consort.

"Your son understands."

"Good.

"Then eat.

"This afternoon—we bury your father.

"We can't leave him unable to rest forever."

"Yes, Mother Consort."

...

Chuzhou City's newly appointed garrison commander had already gathered his subordinates.

More than two thousand men.

When Zheng Fan and Liang Cheng arrived they happened to see the group assembled.

"Heh.

"They've come to request battle," Zheng Fan said.

The previous night this new garrison commander had led the city troops he could control into one wealthy household after another.

He exterminated quite a few powerful families.

He also seized enormous amounts of wealth.

Now after hearing that the "king's army" was nearby he had gathered every man he could control and requested permission to fight beside the Yan army.

It was a strange thing.

When the Yan first entered Chuzhou City the city's several thousand defenders had offered only a little resistance before scattering like frightened birds.

But now, they had somehow found the courage to fight Qian troops.

Their actual combat ability naturally remained pathetic.

But the contrast in courage between then and now was enormous.

The first reason was simple.

They understood clearly that they had already committed enormous crimes.

If Qian troops recovered Chuzhou City they had absolutely no road to survival.

Not only in Chuzhou City.

Across the entire State of Qian there would be nowhere left for them to hide.

Last night they had enjoyed themselves.

Looted until they were drunk on wealth.

After sobering up at dawn they immediately began worrying about the reckoning.

"Troops like these only possess temporary courage.

"Once they suffer even a small setback—they'll collapse," Liang Cheng said.

"They're puppet troops.

"How high can your expectations be?"

"Master is correct."

"Heh."

Zhenbei Army guards did not stop Zheng Fan.

He entered the small residence directly.

It was merely a single-courtyard house.

The first thing he saw inside was Li Fusheng's Pi Beast lazily sprawled on the ground.

Its bloodline naturally could not compare with the mounts used by the two Marquises.

But truthfully compared with Fatty Xu's beast this creature stood on another level entirely.

Its size.

Its pitch-black scales.

Everything about its appearance was imposing.

If Zheng Fan could someday be assigned a Pi Beast too perhaps the Demon Kings could study it and figure out how to improve the bloodline.

Still there was something amusing about the different habits of the two states.

The Qian Emperor liked distributing wives to his ministers.

The Yan Emperor liked distributing mounts.

The moment Zheng Fan entered the house he saw Li Fusheng sitting on the edge of the bed while two personal guards helped him into armor.

"Garrison Commander Zheng.

"You surprised me.

"I've already read the household lists and the reports on seized wealth and grain that your people sent over this morning."

Hm?

Hm!

After returning—

Zheng Fan had actually forgotten all about the matter and gone straight to sleep.

Fortunately the Demon Kings beneath him handled things reliably.

They had delivered everything to Li Fusheng early.

"The Marquis truly did not misjudge you.

"You really are different from rough soldiers like us.

"You're capable of getting things done."

"My lord praises me too highly."

"Stop being so modest all the time.

"Our Zhenbei Army doesn't care for that.

"You should hear these bastards during command meetings.

"When everyone wants the vanguard position—they practically start cursing one another's mothers."

"Yes."

"Scouts reported that Qian troops appeared outside the city.

"The latest report says there are quite a lot.

"No fewer than thirty thousand.

"Heh heh."

Zheng Fan noticed—

Li Fusheng's eyes had started turning red again.

The man had been holding back too long.

"My lord..."

"I know what you want to say.

"You're wondering why the whole city already knows their king's army is nearby, aren't you?

"Hahahaha!

"I deliberately ordered the news spread.

"I deliberately told those scouts to shout it openly through the streets.

"I know what Zhao Jiulang's booklet and what you lot did yesterday were trying to accomplish.

"But my brain isn't very good.

"I can't think in that much detail.

"I don't know exactly how to carry those things out.

"And I don't have the patience.

"But one thing I do understand.

"The best way to make a man completely collapse—isn't smashing him dead with one blow.

"It's giving him hope first.

"And then—crushing that hope to pieces right in front of him!"

His armor was secured.

Li Fusheng stood.

Then roared, "Motherfucker!

"That Chuzhou City business came from listening to your damned advice.

"Sure, we took the city.

"But it tasted like nothing!

"Fortunately—

"I don't know where these thirty thousand Qian troops crawled out from.

"Doesn't matter.

"At least there's finally a proper battle to fight.

"My Zhenbei Army has fought the barbarians in the desert for a hundred years!

"Don't the Qian people love saying our Zhenbei Army's reputation is nothing but boasting?

"Good.

"This time—

"I'll show the Qian exactly what the finest iron cavalry of this age looks like!"

(End of Chapter)