Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3838 The Great Struggle
Inside the county government hall, Zhou Gu, dressed in official robes and wearing a scholar's cap, stood solemnly in the center of the hall, holding a long sword.

Behind him were several trembling constables and an old servant carrying a wooden box.

Wei Yan stopped in his tracks, not rushing into the hall immediately. He glanced coldly at Zhou Gu, then focused his attention on the surroundings of the hall and the dark corners of the corridor.

Upon seeing Wei Yan's behavior, Zhou Gu, inside the hall, burst into laughter, 'You scoundrel! You're like a frog in a well looking at the sky! Even clad in three layers of armor, you fear the grains of millet will hurt your skin; wielding five weapons, you suspect a child of a hidden blade! Ha ha! Wherever the stench of money lingers, you'll scrutinize every penny; at the sight of a flurry of silk, your eyes will widen in fury! Even Li Guang, who shot an arrow at a stone, retained his sincerity; today, you upright men, even facing a child playing football, will still point your spears at him! Because your bellies are filled with serpents, you see everything as snakes! Your hearts are filled with countless thorns, so you mistake every footstep for a hidden crossbow! Alas! If the gates of the camp tolerate such people, what difference is there between storing rotten carrion in fine wine?'"

Wei Yan understood, and his gaze grew cold, but he did not fly into a rage because of Zhou Gu's words. Instead, after his soldiers reported that there was indeed no hidden ambush, he still stared at Zhou Gu with a hint of suspicion.

Wei Yan couldn't quite understand why Zhou Gu's men, who had no large troops, no external support, and no ambushes in the government office, dared to directly attack the Flying Cavalry.
While Wei Yan was pondering, Gan Feng had already circled the city and arrived at the government office.

"You treacherous dog!" Gan Feng strode into the hall, his sword pointed directly at Zhou Gu. "You are vicious and cruel, offering grain on the surface while secretly poisoning him. What is your punishment?!"

Zhou Gu remained calm, as if he had long since disregarded life and death. His gaze swept over Wei Yan and Gan Feng, a slight smile appearing on his face. He chuckled, "In war, each side serves its own master. I am a county magistrate of the Han Dynasty, defending my territory against the rebels. What crime have I committed?"

"Resist the traitor?" Wei Yan sneered, stepping into the hall. "That traitor Cao Cao, who holds the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords, is the real traitor! We are here on the orders of the General of Chariots and Cavalry to purge the emperor's inner circle and quell the national crisis!"

Zhou Gu shook his head, his tone firm: "Even if Cao Mengde has a thousand faults, he is still the Prime Minister of the court, acting on the Emperor's decree. You have taken matters into your own hands, invading prefectures and counties, killing officials; what are you if not bandits?"

Gan Feng flew into a rage and roared, "Insolence! We have traveled the entire way without committing any offenses; every county we passed through welcomed our royal army with food and drink! Only you, you feign obedience while secretly poisoning us, resorting to such despicable tricks, and yet you still have the nerve to spout such nonsense here!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Gu burst into laughter, a laugh tinged with sorrow: "Not a single hair taken? Food and drink provided? Wherever your iron cavalry passes, every county is well-stocked with provisions. Is this truly the will of the people?"

Zhou Gu, standing tall and looking directly at Wei Yan and Gan Feng, declared loudly: "No! This is not welcoming the royal army, but rather fearing power! Qing, Xu, Yan, and Yu provinces have been ravaged by war for years, the people are impoverished, and the magistrates of various cities and counties are either temporarily avoiding the enemy to protect their borders and people, or feigning compliance to save their own lives. But in their hearts, who truly wishes to betray the court and follow you rebels? Haha! What a joke!"

Wei Yan narrowed his eyes; he knew Zhou Gu was not lying.

Wei Yan had met some gentry and local officials who outwardly expressed their respect for General Huo Qubing and their longing for Guanzhong, but how much loyalty did these people truly have for the General Huo Qubing...?

Gan Feng scoffed, "That's sophistry! The people have suffered under Cao Cao for far too long. General Huo Qubing has raised a righteous army to relieve their suffering; how can this not be the will of the people?"

"A benevolent army?" Zhou Gu scoffed, his eyes full of mockery. "You've advanced deep into enemy territory, fighting across thousands of miles. Where did your provisions come from? Did you eat the people's stored grain, or did it really fall from the sky?"

Before Wei Yan and Gan Feng could answer, Zhou Gu continued, "While you are in Qing and Xu, you may refrain from disturbing the people due to the local poverty. However, once you enter the prosperous lands of Yu Province, where provisions are plentiful, and the road ahead is long and supplies are scarce, what will you do then? You will surely levy excessive taxes and even allow your troops to plunder!"

Gan Feng was furious. "I neither conscripted from the countryside nor plundered the people! You dog scoundrel, you slander me! The General of the Cavalry is a man of strict discipline; how could he allow his troops to plunder? It is you, you corrupt official, who poisoned my warhorse! What is your punishment?!"

"Hmph! You may not have it now, but can you guarantee that after the army passes through, you will never take a single grain or blade of grass from the people?" Zhou Gu's expression was stern. "As the magistrate of this Han Dynasty, I have a duty to defend this land. You have invaded my territory and harmed my people, and I will do everything in my power to stop you! The poisoning was indeed my doing, and I have no regrets!"

Zhou Gu paused, sighed, and his tone turned sorrowful, "It's just a pity... we couldn't succeed..."

Wei Yan finally spoke, his voice icy: "Magistrate Zhou, I respect you as a man. If you surrender now, I can guarantee your life."

Gan Feng angrily turned to Wei Yan, "Wen Chang! Why spare him?!"

Zhou Gu shook his head, a faint smile appearing on his face. "I have studied the classics and learned loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness. The Zhou family has served the Han dynasty for generations, receiving the emperor's favor; how could we surrender to the enemy?"

Zhou Gu raised his longsword, its blade gleaming coldly in the candlelight. "Today, I face only death."

Wei Yan sneered, "Don't you worry about your wife, children, and elderly parents?"

Zhou Gu gestured for his old servant to step forward.

The old servant took two steps forward and placed the lacquer tray he was holding on the ground.

"This is..." Wei Yan's pupils constricted slightly when he saw the blood-stained white silk, the child's blood-stained clothes, and a blood-written letter on the lacquer tray.

Zhou Gu remained calm, as if speaking of something unrelated to himself, "Knowing you would commit beastly acts... when the city fell, my wife and children had already gone... to prevent them from falling into the hands of you wolves and suffering humiliation..."

The hall fell silent for a moment; even Gan Feng stared wide-eyed, speechless.

Zhou Gu continued, his voice still steady, yet carrying a chilling coldness, tears welling in his eyes, "Before my wife died, she asked why I was so cruel... I replied... 'With the country destroyed and the family ruined, what good is living on?' She then fell silent and hanged herself..."

Zhou Gu's gaze swept over Wei Yan and Gan Feng, then he suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh filled with sorrow and mockery. "You think swords and spears can conquer everything? That the butcher's knife can subdue hearts? Wrong! Utterly wrong!"

Zhou Gu declared resolutely, "You may kill me, you may massacre the city, you may burn everything! But you cannot extinguish the spirit of loyalty and righteousness between heaven and earth, nor can you destroy the sense of propriety, righteousness, and shame that have been passed down for thousands of years! Though I, Zhou Gu, die today, my loyalty and righteousness will live on forever! The annals of history will one day record your atrocities!"

Wei Yan smiled and said, "Not necessarily."

Gan Feng was furious and wanted to go forward to kill Zhou Gu, but Wei Yan stopped him.

"Wen Chang!" Gan Feng didn't understand why Wei Yan was like this.

Wei Yan gestured quietly to his men beside him, "Alive..."

Zhou Gu, having discerned Wei Yan's intention, raised his head and declared loudly, "Your subject, Zhou Gu, is incapable of defending this land; only death awaits me..."

Before he finished speaking, the long sword in his hand suddenly spun around and was placed against his neck.

Seeing this, Wei Yan rushed forward to stop him, but it was too late.

A flash of sword light, and blood splattered.

Zhou Gu's body slowly fell to the ground, but a strange, serene smile remained on his face. His eyes were still wide open, gazing at the dark night sky outside the hall, as if questioning the heavens of this chaotic world.

The hall was deathly silent.

The constables were already paralyzed with fear, while the old servant knelt beside Zhou Gu's corpse, silently weeping. After a moment, he too collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his chest and abdomen. It turned out that the old servant had also committed suicide with a short blade.

Gan Feng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.

Gan Feng had previously wanted to kill Zhou Gu with a single blow, but after seeing Zhou Gu commit suicide on the spot, he felt that something was amiss.

"General... what... should we do?" Wei Yan's guard stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

Wei Yan frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "Collect Magistrate Zhou's body and make proper arrangements. Issue an order to the entire army: strictly prohibit any disturbance of the people; those who disobey will be executed!"

However, things took an unexpected turn.

The notice to reassure the public was posted, but it didn't have much effect.

The cavalrymen did not disturb the people, but it was the people who, upon hearing the news of Zhou Gu's death, gathered in front of the government office to mourn him...

When Wei Yan and Gan Feng heard the commotion outside the yamen, they went out to see what was happening. They found hundreds of people, young and old, gathered in front of the yamen, all dressed in mourning clothes and holding incense, candles and paper money.

Leading the group were several village elders. Seeing Wei Yan emerge, one of them stepped forward and said loudly, "General! Magistrate Zhou is an upright official who loves the people like his own children. Why has he suffered such a calamity?"

Wei Yan frowned and said in a deep voice, "Zhou Gu poisoned my warhorses and resisted the heavenly army; he deserves to die."

The old man shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. "General, you are mistaken! Lord Zhou has been in Xiaohuang for three years, upright and honest, never taking a single penny. Last year, during the great drought, he opened the granaries and distributed grain, saving countless lives; this spring, with the plague, he didn't even take off his clothes, prescribing medicine and treating the people! Now, bandits have vanished from Xiaohuang County, and no one picks up lost items on the road! How many officials like him are there in the world?! You...you have caused Lord Zhou's death!"

Another old man shouted, "You've entered the government office, so you must have seen Magistrate Zhou's inner courtyard! Let me ask you, does Magistrate Zhou have vast wealth in his inner courtyard?! Does he have fine silks and satins?! Last year, the yellow crops failed, and the magistrate's wife was gathering firewood alongside us country folk! Her calloused hands were no different from those of a village woman..."

The old man cried out, tears streaming down his face, "Magistrate Zhou originally had two sons! Why did his youngest son die young?! During the plague, the magistrate saved countless lives, but had no time to care for his family, and his youngest son succumbed to the disease!"

Another village elder chimed in, “Upon hearing of your arrival, Lord Zhou knew his time was near and distributed all his remaining wealth to the poor… He told us that if the General of the Cavalry came, he would surely die, but he forbade us from seeking revenge for him or making enemies of the General of the Cavalry! His… his benevolence is undeniable, heaven and earth can attest to it!”

A sob rose from the crowd.

An old woman pushed her way forward, holding a cloak in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. "This was a gift from Madam Zhou last month for my seventieth birthday; she sewed it herself… She was such a kind person, why… why did she…" Seeing this, Gan Feng couldn't help but shout, "Zhou Gu poisoned my warhorses; he's no different from a bandit! Anyone who dares to say another word will be punished as an accomplice!"

These words, instead of intimidating the people, provoked an even greater reaction.

A young man who looked like a scholar stepped forward, glaring angrily, "You all keep saying that Magistrate Zhou is a thief, but do you know who the real thief is in the hearts of these common folk!"

The young scholar was clearly terrified, but he still pointed at Wei Yan and Gan Feng, his voice trembling as he shouted: "You led your troops to invade our borders, breached our city walls, killed our officials, and forced their entire families to their deaths! How are you any different from bandits? How are you any different from jackals?"

"Insolence!" Gan Feng roared in fury, drawing his sword to strike and kill the young man.

Wei Yanshen grabbed Gan Feng's arm and said to the scholar in a deep voice, "Magistrate Zhou committed suicide! I also advised him to live; it was not because we forced him!"

The scholar sneered, "If it weren't for your troops besieging the city, how could Magistrate Zhou have come to this? Losing territory is like losing one's integrity! Because he has righteousness and integrity in his heart! You dare to judge such a loyal and righteous man?"

A chorus of agreement erupted from the crowd.

Although the people of Xiaohuang County feared the swords and spears of the cavalry, they made no attempt to hide the anger and contempt in their eyes.

Wei Yan surveyed the angry crowd, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He sighed deeply, losing all interest in continuing to talk to them, and ordered the surrounding soldiers: "Disperse the people, but do not harm anyone."

Back in the county office, Wei Yan said to Gan Feng, "It's not that I want to stop you, but if we really fight... I'm afraid it won't end well..."

Gan Feng remained defiant, shouting, "A bunch of fools! I'll just kill them all!"

"Be careful what you say!" Wei Yan said, frowning. "Don't let a moment of pleasure jeopardize our lord's important affairs!"

Gan Feng snorted angrily, but he stopped talking about massacring the city.

After a long pause, Gan Feng suddenly said, "Could someone be behind this?"

Although Wei Yan didn't quite feel it was instigated—after all, the emotions shown by Zhou Gu and the common people seemed genuine, not feigned or pretentious—he still nodded. "I'll have someone investigate..."

However, in the following days, the atmosphere in Xiaohuang County became increasingly tense.

Although the cavalry had strictly ordered that they not disturb the people, the people's hostility only increased.

The town of Xiaohuang did not recover its vitality after being occupied by the Flying Cavalry; instead, it fell into a deeper and more suffocating silence.

Wei Yan ordered a notice to be posted outside the county government office to reassure the people, stating that only the ringleaders would be punished and the common people would not be implicated, and that the market should continue as usual and everyone should go about their business.

However, even when the sun was high in the sky, the streets remained eerily empty.

Occasionally, women who had to go out to fetch water would appear. They would wrap themselves tightly in coarse cloth headscarves, heads bowed, moving swiftly in the shadows close to the wall, like startled moles. They would never make eye contact with any soldier. Even if cavalrymen tried to obey orders and deliberately make way, they would abruptly turn away as if avoiding a plague, preferring to take a longer route rather than approach…

All the shops in the city were closed. Even when the cavalry clerks kindly knocked on doors with money, no one was willing to sell. When pushed to the limit, even the shopkeepers said they should either be killed or the cavalry could simply rob them.

What made things even more difficult for Wei Yan and Gan Feng was that they seemed to be caught in an invisible net, woven from silence.

An invisible pressure spread through the cavalry.

They were used to the clash of swords on the battlefield and the enemy's desperate resistance, but they felt out of place in this cold silence.

Walking on the empty streets, they could clearly feel that behind the tightly closed doors and windows on both sides of the road, countless eyes were watching them. There was no curiosity or fear in those eyes, only silent alienation.

Swords and spears can open city gates and kill the defenders, but they cannot break through the impenetrable wall of steel that permeates the air and is rooted in people's hearts.

This silence was more unsettling to the cavalry than arrows and swords.

Meanwhile, the results of the investigation into Zhou Gu, as well as the findings of the local people who had gathered around the county government office to investigate him, also surprised Wei Yan and Gan Feng.

Chenliu County was not entirely peaceful either. Xiaohuang County was once in ruins. It was only after Zhou Gu arrived in Xiaohuang County that it took him more than three years to slowly restore some of its vitality and gather the people in the county. Therefore, the people of Xiaohuang County had genuine feelings for Zhou Gu. In a sense, Zhou Gu's land reclamation and disaster relief efforts made him a "benefactor" to many people in Xiaohuang County.

Now that Wei Yan and Gan Feng have arrived, and the Flying Cavalry has arrived, regardless of whether Zhou Gu committed suicide or was killed by the Flying Cavalry, the people of Xiaohuang County believe that Zhou Gu should not have died, and that the Flying Cavalry is the "culprit" and the "enemy".

The people of Xiaohuang County were using this method to express their gratitude to Zhou Gu and their disgust for the Flying Cavalry...

Wei Yan and Gan Feng listened to the soldiers' report and were at a loss for words.

Wei Yan picked up the blood-written letter left by Zhou Gu on his deathbed from the table.

The blood-written letter contained only a few lines: "I am powerless to defend this land, and my only recourse is death to repay the nation's kindness. My wife and children are innocent; I am deeply ashamed to have died with them. I only beg the general not to harm my people, then even in death I will have no regrets."

Wei Yan sighed.

"We...I..." Wei Yan frowned. "This guy...at least he's not a bad person..."

Good people, bad people.

A simple dichotomy can only exist in a simple world.

In truth, both Wei Yan and Gan Feng had blood on their hands and had killed many people, but they did not become nothing more than monsters who only knew how to kill.

Both of them loved war and believed that only on the battlefield could they demonstrate their value, but they also had their bottom line and would not easily turn their blades against the people.

Of course, on the battlefield, if the enemy forces incite civilians, they will also act without mercy. But in peacetime, it would be unacceptable for Wei Yan and Gan Feng to massacre entire cities so readily...

At least Wei Yan couldn't bring himself to do it.

In his early years in the Xiliang army, Gan Feng had killed many innocent civilians, but later, under the command of the Flying Cavalry and the instruction of the Martial Arts Academy, he learned that such things were not allowed. So even now, when he frequently shouts that he wants to kill someone, he can still control his hand when Wei Yan pulls him.

The impression Zhou Gu had built up over three years could not be changed by Wei Yan and Gan Feng in just a few days.

"Pass down the order," Wei Yan took a deep breath, "to break camp and leave Xiaohuang County tomorrow."

Gan Feng said in surprise, "They just left like that? What about Zhou Gu..."

"Give Magistrate Zhou a proper burial..." Wei Yan interrupted him, "As for the people of Xiaohuang County... they may remember, or they may soon forget... but now, we can't stay here any longer..."

Before the people of Xiaohuang County had forgotten Zhou Gu, every extra day the Flying Cavalry stayed meant a greater amount of resentment.

The next morning, the cavalry broke camp and left Xiaohuang County.

As they left the city, people still gathered on both sides of the street to watch, but this time their eyes held not only hostility but also a complex expression.

Wei Yan, mounted on his horse, glanced back at the city wall of Xiaohuang County.

As the sun rises, it gilds the small town with a golden hue.

Wei Yan suddenly realized that this war to unify the world was far more complicated than he had imagined.

The key is that Wei Yan has a feeling...

He felt like he had walked into a trap, a trap for both good and bad people.

(End of this chapter)