Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

The Dali Temple government office, prison, and dungeon.

The torture chamber was filled with a pungent, bloody stench that sent chills down one's spine, mixed with the strong medicinal aroma of ginseng soup.

The two smells mingled together, exuding an eerie and terrifying aura, leaving one teetering between life and death, seeking survival through death, yet finding life worse than death.

Duan Chunjiang was subjected to torture. Whenever he was on the verge of despair and his life was about to end, the jailers would stop the torture and then force-feed him ginseng soup.

They use only genuine old ginseng, never using inferior substitutes. The ginseng soup also contains other medicines that can instantly stimulate the suspect's blood and energy.

This strange life-sustaining ginseng soup is a secret recipe from the government prison system. Its medicinal power is extremely potent; even after being tortured, a few sips can restore one's life.

But this ginseng soup is definitely not a good thing for serious criminals who are being tortured, because the best outcome for them is to pass out.

Fainting can relieve severe physical pain and give the body a chance to catch its breath, but this strangely potent ginseng soup can prevent heavily tortured criminals from fainting.

Even after suffering the most severe torture, just one cup of this ginseng soup can revive a serious criminal, making him feel refreshed, with his blood and energy flowing freely, and his sense of pain clear and acute.

The endless pain caused by punishment is magnified clearly in the body. For serious offenders, this ginseng soup is more terrifying than any other instrument of torture...

……

Duan Chunjiang was forced to drink ginseng soup by the jailer. In a short while, his drowsy consciousness suddenly became clear and intense, like oil being ignited. He was in excruciating pain all over his body, feeling like he was living a life worse than death.

His hearing also became more acute, and he heard every word Yang Hongbin said.

When Duan Chunjiang heard that his background had been told to Yang Hongbin by others, a hint of horror flashed in his weak eyes, which Yang Hongbin keenly noticed.

Yang Hongbin continued, "Every move and word of a spy is a matter of life and death. Their daily behavior and speech are never without reason."

If you want to gather information or pass on secrets, you can't accomplish anything by yourself.

Colluding with accomplices, relaying information up and down the chain of command, forming alliances left and right, and weaving a web of connections are all daily routines.

Everything in this world, as long as you have done it, will leave traces, no matter how careful you are. If you pay attention, you can trace it back.

Just now, someone was talking about your trivial matters. Although it sounded very fragmented, I still managed to glean quite a bit of information from it.

For example, there is a grain dealer on Lotus Street in the south of the city named Ma Bai. You get all the grain in your shop from him.

Even when other grain dealers in the city tried to get your business, you remained unmoved and continued to do business only with Ma Bai.

You and Ma Bai meet frequently to settle business transactions. You owe Ma Bai four hundred taels of grain, which you have not yet paid off, and he has not even urged you to repay the money.

There's a restaurant called Wufu on Chunhe Street. It's only been open for a year, and I've heard that the food and drinks there are delicious. You often go there for a drink.

Moreover, you are on good terms with the restaurant owner because he is also from Datong, and it is reasonable for people from the same hometown to be close to each other even when they are from different places.

Even when you visit Hui Niang's home, you often have the restaurant deliver food and wine, so the manager must know you very well.

There's a street-front eatery on Yongchun Street that sells pan-fried yellow steamed buns filled with premium pork sauce. You go to that eatery every day to buy two pork buns for breakfast.

However, when you were in Datong, you only ate mutton or beef and never touched pork because you thought pork was fishy and smelly and was a low-grade, inferior meat.

People's tastes are developed over a long period of time and do not change easily. Why did your tastes suddenly change so drastically after you arrived in Shenjing?

I know many things like this. All sorts of people involved have had close relationships with you for various reasons.

If you were an ordinary person, this would be considered commonplace, but you are a Mongol spy, so these things are unusual and require in-depth investigation.

You've only been here for less than half a day, and your accomplices haven't noticed yet, but all the staff in your shop know that you've gone out to run the business.

I have plenty of time to apprehend and interrogate these people. It's not too difficult to determine whether they are your accomplices.

With a little investigation, we can find out when they came to the capital to make a living. If their arrival time is close to yours, then something is highly suspicious…

……

Yang Hongbin spoke slowly and deliberately, exuding strong confidence and certainty. His eyes were calm and steady as he quietly observed Duan Chunjiang's changing expressions.

As he began to recount his story, Duan Chunjiang's eyes flickered, and his chest rose and fell slightly, as if his emotions were becoming somewhat disordered.

Yang Hongbin's lips twitched slightly, and his eyes grew brighter...

He continued, "I will torture these people severely. I don't believe they all have the backbone of you!"

I am quite certain that among these people, there must be your accomplices. As long as someone can't withstand the torture, they will confess everything.

Once I take down one of them, they'll implicate even more people, and eventually I'll follow the trail to find all your accomplices.

Once one person starts confessing, a second and a third will soon appear, and I will know everything I want to know, in great detail and without omission.

The palace has issued an edict today. Due to the urgent war situation, the nine gates of the capital are to be closed from today onwards. None of you will be able to escape.

Whether you, Duan Chunjiang, talk or not is completely irrelevant to me. Your refusal to confess, even at the cost of your life, is nothing but a joke…

……

Upon hearing this, Duan Chunjiang, despite being covered in wounds, instinctively twitched a few times while bound to the rack, his eyes revealing anger and panic.

Yang Hongbin's eyes were filled with contempt and coldness as he continued, "If your accomplices confess honestly, I will make sure they die a good death and leave them with a complete corpse."

But it's different for you. Do you think that by refusing to confess you can get away with it and that you can just die? That's wishful thinking.

When the three judicial departments tried such a major case, they needed to conduct a joint trial, which involved a very complicated procedure and a long time to review and approve various documents.

To wait until the execution in the autumn, it would take at least half a year, and if it was delayed beyond the execution date, it was common to delay for more than a year.

I won't let you be idle for a year. You are the main culprit in the major case of leaking secrets from the military depot, the 800 soldiers of the military depot in Donggang Town, and the 40,000 wronged souls in Xuanfu Town.

No matter how I mistreat and torment you, I will feel perfectly at ease, and the officials of the Three Judicial Offices will turn a blind eye.

I will torture you every day, keep you alive with the finest ginseng soup, and sever your tendons and cut off your tongue to prevent you from committing suicide.

We will subject you to unimaginable torture, make you wish you were dead, and make you regret ever being born.

You will pay the price for what you've done and for your foolish stubbornness!

……

Yang Hongbin's words were calm, yet echoed eerily in the torture chamber, carrying a chilling coldness and cruelty that sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.

Even those few Jinyiwei executioners, who were all ruthless in administering torture, felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing this. Duan Chunjiang's broken body on the rack was trembling uncontrollably.

Duan Chunjiang broke down instantly and began to curse: "You are a high-ranking official of the imperial court, yet you are so cruel and vicious. You are worse than a beast!"

Seeing that Duan Chunjiang had spoken, Yang Hongbin revealed a smug smile.

He said in a sinister tone, "Do I need to be concerned with human ethics when dealing with a beast like you? If you don't want a good death, I will definitely grant you your wish!"

He continued, "Even if you survive until your execution in the autumn, wanting a quick and painless death is just wishful thinking."

You are a serious criminal of the military and the nation, owing too many lives and blood debts. You are still so stubborn and inflexible. Don't even think about being beheaded. You don't even deserve to be cut in half at the waist.

I will petition the Three Judicial Offices for severe punishment, so that you will be subjected to the death by a thousand cuts, suffering three thousand six hundred cuts until you die, and after death your bones will be crushed and your ashes scattered, never to be reincarnated…”

The few Jinyiwei executioners nearby, though they were all accustomed to cruel and bloody acts, couldn't help but shudder when they heard about the punishment of slow slicing.

Because they knew better than others what slow slicing was, which, depending on the severity of the punishment, ranged from eight to three thousand six hundred cuts, and was an extremely cruel form of torture.

In the nearly ninety years since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, only a handful of serious criminals have been subjected to the death by a thousand cuts, and all of them were heinous criminals.

The 3,600 cuts mentioned by Yang Hongbin refer to the extremely severe form of slow slicing, which requires three days to complete.

Even after the torture was over, the prisoner was still unable to die, but apart from his internal organs, his body was almost entirely just a skeleton. Finally, he was beheaded to take his life; the cruelty was indescribable...

……

After Yang Hongbin finished speaking, he slowly got up and walked to the door of the torture chamber. He said, "Continue to torture me. Use all your skills. As long as I don't die, that's fine!"

The Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) officers hurriedly nodded and bowed in agreement. As soon as Yang Hongbin walked out of the torture chamber, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

One of them said to the leader of the Imperial Guards, "Brother, this Lord Yang is so refined and looks like a scholar, how come he is even more ruthless than us?"

My legs went weak just listening to that. The Dali Temple has such a ruthless man, yet they still made us brothers embarrass ourselves here.

The leader of the Imperial Guards said, "What the hell do you know? He's a scholar who does the dirty work himself, so naturally he'll let others do it."

When this scholar gets ruthless, he's a hundred times more heartless and immoral than we are. We brothers think we can be degrading, but compared to this gentleman, we're a joke.

The more books a person reads, the more ruthless and black-hearted they become, and the more varied and ingenious their methods of tormenting others become—methods we could never come up with even if we racked our brains.

We guys only know how to use brute force, but look at their methods, it's truly an eye-opener.

I truly admire Lord Yang's methods of humiliating people, but unfortunately, I can never learn them.

"I've wasted my life. If I fell into his hands, I'd slit my own throat without hesitation, to avoid being tortured and tortured to the point of wishing I were dead."

As the guard spoke, he glanced back at Duan Chunjiang, his eyes filled with contempt and disdain.

He laughed loudly, "This beast is just asking for trouble, trying to be a hero in front of Lord Yang. He's really asking for a quick death."

You'd better have some backbone and just hold on like this, so I can see what it's like to be ripped out of three thousand six hundred pieces and torment you for three days and three nights.

"If I could see it with my own eyes even once, I would be content for this lifetime."

……

The Imperial Guard standing next to him said, "Brother, your taste is too heavy. What's so interesting about that stuff? It's so unlucky."

The leader of the Imperial Guards cursed, "You good-for-nothing! This is what we do."

Without Lord Yang's brains and methods, one can only rely on their own skills. To survive 3,600 cuts—that skill must be incredible! It would be such a waste not to see it.

Duan Chunjiang, lying on the rack, had lost all courage to curse. He was trembling uncontrollably, and his crotch was soaked. All his toughness had vanished.

He could no longer suppress his overwhelming fear; all his defenses crumbled instantly, and he screamed irrationally, "I'll confess, I'll confess everything..."

The Jinyiwei executioners, though all ruthless by nature, felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing Duan Chunjiang's pleas and recalling Yang Hongbin's methods.

They used all their strength to torture the prisoner, but they still couldn't pry him open his mouth.

Yang Hongbin can scare criminals so much they wet their pants and cry out for a confession just by talking. This guy is terrifying...

……

In the dungeon's torture chamber, Yang Hongbin paced back and forth, appearing somewhat leisurely, as if taking a stroll in a garden. He hadn't gone far after leaving the torture chamber; he was waiting for something.

The oil lamps on both sides of the corridor wall emitted a dim, twilight-like light, casting shadows on his face, making it appear unusually dark and indistinct, with only his eyes flashing with a cold light.

Inside the torture chamber, Duan Chunjiang roared, "I confess! I'll confess everything..."

A smile appeared on Yang Hongbin's lips, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He called over the gatekeeper and ordered, "Summon Zhou Ping, Hu Tai, and Fan Jiwei to see me immediately."

The three men he mentioned were judges under his command, who accompanied him on this investigation into a major case of leaked military supplies.

A short while later, Zhou Ping and the other two entered the dungeon.

Yang Hongbin said, "Duan Chunjiang's defenses have been broken down, and he is now willing to confess. Zhou Ping is with me to interrogate the prisoners."

Hu Tai has ordered fifty clerks from the Dali Temple to be on standby at the government office tonight, with their swords, ropes, shackles, and crossbows ready, without fail!

I have to interrogate Duan Chunjiang urgently tonight and I really can't get away. Fan Jiwei reported this matter to Minister Wei.

He also requested Lord Wei to sign a warrant to transfer one hundred elite soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison to work with the clerks of the Court of Judicial Review to arrest the man overnight, in order to ensure complete success.

It won't be long before the interrogation department produces the arrest list. The three of you will assist in this matter, each leading a team to apprehend the suspects.

"Not a single one of those mentioned by Hui Niang is allowed to escape tonight!"

After making some arrangements, Yang Hongbin led Zhou Ping into the torture chamber.

……

That night, many of the clerks and runners of the Dali Temple who had left their posts received notices to return to their posts and went back to the Dali Temple government office one after another, but no one knew the specific reason.

By midnight, the entire capital city had fallen asleep, the streets were almost deserted, and everything was empty.

A troop of one hundred soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison marched in formation through the streets, their heavy, orderly footsteps echoing in the dead of night.

When they arrived at the Dali Temple government office, the gates were already wide open, and a hundred soldiers filed in. Although it was midnight, the government office was brightly lit.

The open space in front of the main hall of the yamen was filled with clerks and soldiers, densely packed together, their heads thronging, their swords and spears gleaming, exuding a chilling atmosphere.

Zhou Ping strode out of the prison dungeon, holding several pages of paper in his hand, the ink still dripping and wet.

He called over Hu Tai and Fan Jiwei, and the three of them discussed the list for a while before assigning each of them to clerks and soldiers, and preparing lanterns and torches.

More than a hundred people surged out of the Dali Temple government office like a tidal wave. When the procession reached the street corner, it split into three groups and hurried in different directions.

At this moment, a full moon was high in the sky, its cool and bright light overlooking the magnificent streets and alleys of the capital, as well as the bustling crowds and lights on the streets...

……

Thirty miles northwest of the capital, there is a low hillside.

As midnight approached, a bright moon hung high in the sky, and the world was silent and solemn, except for this gentle slope, which was not entirely peaceful.

Below the slope, thousands of Zhou soldiers were busy digging with picks and carrying soil in baskets, working in a lively and bustling manner.

Many soldiers drove horses and pushed carts, using ropes to pull them up the hill. Each cart was carrying a heavy load and covered with a tarpaulin.

Although the commotion on this gentle slope was quite significant, it went unnoticed because the surrounding thirty miles were completely deserted and it was late at night.

Hundreds of scouts patrolled the area around the gentle slope, and hundreds of fixed sentry posts were set up to constantly patrol and be vigilant about any activity in the surrounding area.

This place is about fifty miles from the direction of Wawu Town, where there might be remnants of the Mongol scouting party. Fortunately, it is now late at night, so this possibility has been reduced to a minimum.

When the bright moon was high in the sky, dozens of horse-drawn carriages had reached the top of the hill. The soldiers unloaded the heavy loads from the carriages and arranged them in order at the top of the hill.

The tarpaulins covering these heavy objects were lifted, revealing thirty Shenji Battalion cannons, with ten improved Red-Clad Cannons in the center and ten improved Franco cannons on each flank.

Dozens of dark cannons faced southeast, exuding a powerful aura and killing intent, as if they were about to rule and awe this land.

Hundreds of soldiers stepped forward to inspect the cannons, confirming that no malfunctions had occurred during the bumpy transport and that they could be fired at any time. They then covered the cannons with tarpaulins again.

Many wooden crates filled with artillery shells were carried to the top of the slope by hundreds of soldiers, where they were neatly arranged and sorted. Once everything was in place, they were covered with dry grass and branches.

Finally, camps were set up around the artillery positions. If enemy cavalry attacked, even if they rushed within 500 paces, they would only see the camps on the hilltop.

However, they would not be able to identify these carefully concealed artillery positions in a timely and accurate manner...

…………

Twenty miles northwest of the capital, there was a dense forest nestled at the foot of a mountain. Various tents were pitched in the forest, but the area was completely dark due to the strict control of lights.

Only by setting up multiple outposts along the edge of the dense forest and closely monitoring the surrounding area for miles around, can we effectively prevent any disturbances, since this place is only twenty miles from Wawu Town.

About a hundred paces from the dense forest, there is a natural cave with a faint light shining from the entrance, but not noticeable from the outside.

Inside the cave, figures moved about, and a dozen or so people gathered. The leader was Jia Cong, the commander of the Shenji Battalion, and the rest were more than ten officers and squad leaders.

The crowd gathered around a flat rock, on which soil was piled up to form a slope, and stones were neatly arranged, resembling a model of an artillery formation ten miles away.

The route was drawn around the earthen slope with charcoal, and several special markings were also drawn, seemingly representing some kind of meaning.

Jia Cong said, "We don't have enough time to train the cavalry formation, so we can only rely on you all to take command of your respective cavalry as I just instructed."

If the two armies were to encounter each other, the Mongol cavalry would be too numerous to be defeated by force, and could only be outmaneuvered.

"Maintain effective firing range. If the enemy breaks through your firing range, do not linger in battle. Retreat immediately and in an orderly manner, and keep the enemy at bay outside the firing range..."

Jia Cong then explained in detail to his battalion commanders the strategies for engaging the enemy, retreating, flanking maneuvers, and maneuvering techniques for cavalry control.

He would then ask the officers in charge of the headquarters questions, and he would provide detailed answers, exchanging ideas with them until everyone had no doubts.

As each brigade returned to their respective camps, Jia Cong instructed his musketeer cavalry to relay the key points. He then had his personal guard summon Jiang Xiaoliu.

He said, "When it gets light, you will personally lead the scouts to explore the direction of Wawu Town and gather information on the enemy's troop movements."

With over 10,000 cavalrymen on the other side, it's impossible for them to just sit idly in Wawu Town; they will definitely take action.

Based on the surrounding terrain, the area within sixty li (approximately 30 kilometers) of Wawu Town is their optimal operating area.

Because once they cross this area, the large-scale movement of troops will inevitably attract the attention of the four surrounding states. If the guards of each state are mobilized to restrain them, they will lose the initiative.

Within a 60-mile radius of Wawu Town, either by invading surrounding villages and towns or by cutting off the capital's grain supply routes, the best way to launch a surprise attack would be to either seize the surrounding villages and towns or cut off the capital's grain supply routes.

Within a 60-mile radius of Wawu Town, only Jiafeng Town and Yushan Village remain, which are highly likely to have been occupied by enemy forces.

Therefore, his subsequent actions will inevitably involve cutting off the capital's grain supply, patrolling the nine gates surrounding the capital, and severing the capital's external communications.

The remaining Mongol cavalry numbered 15,000, more than enough to accomplish this task. If the capital wanted to wipe them out, it would need to mobilize 40,000 to 50,000 troops.

With troops recently transferred from the four surrounding prefectures, there is absolutely no way to raise more soldiers. Anda Khan's plans are extremely profound, and he anticipates that the surprise attack will lead to a chaotic situation, making it very difficult for the Great Zhou to be eradicated.

Now it is up to us to break the deadlock. You lead your team to patrol south of Shenjing and keep an eye on the enemy's movements in Wawu Town.

Many temples and Taoist monasteries around the capital were places that could be looted, so it is likely that the monks and nuns inside have already moved away.

There is another crucial location outside the capital city: the Ministry of Works' firearms workshop. You must keep a close watch on it and not overlook it.

Jiang Xiaoliu asked curiously, "Lord, the firearms workshop has been moved into the city, and now it's just an empty shell. Are you still afraid of enemy harassment?"

Jia Cong said, "The firearms workshop only moved into Shenjing City a few days ago. Even if there are remnants of the Mongols in the city, they will not have time to send out the news."

Therefore, it was impossible for the remaining Mongol elite cavalry of Wawu Town to know this news.

Firearms had proven their power on the Liaodong battlefield. Although the Mongols had not personally witnessed the power of firearms, Anda Khan was a man of great foresight and could not have been completely oblivious to it.

It's not surprising that the firearms workshop became their target, so we need to be especially careful.

Although the workshop has been emptied, it is still a key area under the control of the imperial court, and is now guarded by 500 imperial guards, making it even more difficult for the Mongol elite cavalry to discern the truth.

Perhaps this could become an opportunity that our army can make good use of..."

……

When Jiang Xiaoliu came out of the cave to make arrangements, Ellie appeared out of nowhere, lit the fire in the cave, and laid out a makeshift bed next to the fire.

He laughed and said, "Yu Zhang, your preparations are so meticulous, you are sure to win this battle by surprise. But I really have a question."

Jia Cong laughed and said, "What's so strange about you? Tell me."

Under the glow of the campfire, Ellie's pretty face was radiant and flawless, with an alluring pink hue, and her beautiful eyes were deep and brimming with light, clearly reflecting the firelight.

He said, "When you first arrived in Liaodong, your horsemanship was very basic, and you needed me to give you some pointers."

Although you led the team on a long expedition afterward, I never saw you manage the cavalry like this. I've been by your side for the past two years, and apart from going down to Nanjing, you haven't been anywhere else.

The way you operate your cavalry sounds incredibly sophisticated, like the skill of a seasoned general. Where did you, a mere scholar, learn all this from?

Jia Cong laughed and said, "What's so strange about that? I've read more books than others. There are many military books written by ancient sages and predecessors. It's all written in these books."

He naturally wouldn't mention that with the information explosion of the future, and his specialized expertise, people today could easily access massive amounts of information in the future...

Ellie was skeptical and said, "Is that really true? No wonder people say that a scholar can know everything without leaving home. There are so many benefits to studying."

He continued, "Fifteen thousand elite cavalry is quite a lot. I hope you can win a great victory in this battle, so that we can go home sooner. I wonder how my mother is doing?"

Jia Cong smiled as he approached the fire, sat down next to Ellie, and smelled her sweet and soft body fragrance.

He said, "Don't worry about Aunt Xu, the two maids I chose are both very clever and diligent."

They will definitely take good care of Aunt Xu; there's nothing to worry about. Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and my sister will visit her on my behalf. Aunt Xu will be properly looked after.

Ellie smiled slightly and said, "I've heard that your aristocratic families celebrate the Lantern Festival with great fanfare?"

Jia Cong laughed and said, "It's very lively, even more so than New Year's Eve. There's wine, opera, lanterns, glutinous rice balls, and riddles. There are so many fun things to do."

Next year on the Lantern Festival, I'll invite you to my house to celebrate together. With many sisters around, it'll be lively and fun.

Ellie blushed slightly, a warm feeling rising in her heart, and she rested her head on Jia Cong's shoulder.

Jia Cong reached out and placed his hand on Ellie's waist. Her slender waist was soft and fragrant, and the feel of it was truly exquisite.

The firelight flickered in the cave, dispelling the chill of the spring night, and Ellie allowed Jia Cong to get close to her.

She closed her eyes, smiled, and said, "You're just good at sweet-talking people, always so charming, I wonder if you're even being sincere..." (End of Chapter)