Taiheiki

Chapter 123 Departure
The two men climbed the city wall, the autumn wind blowing cold air into his collar, and Zhao Yannian couldn't help but shiver. About a mile to the northeast, the moth bandits' camp was awakening, and the smoke from countless campfires stretched like fingers into the pale sky. Zhao Yannian tried to calculate the enemy's number, but he quickly gave up. The number was too despairing.

"There are at least 20,000 enemies here! It will only increase, not decrease! And it's getting bigger and bigger!" Wen Sheng complained, "Damn it! With so few people like us, we're doomed sooner or later!"

Zhao Yannian ignored his old friend's complaints. Wen Sheng hadn't lied. He now greatly admired the man who had called his enemies "moth thieves." The term couldn't have been more appropriate. These enemies were as numerous as moths, countless, and as fearless as moths flying into a flame.

Up to now, he had lost count of how many moth thieves he had killed - five thousand, eight thousand, ten thousand, or even more. But there were always more enemies coming to fill the gaps left by the dead, and his army's ranks were becoming increasingly sparse. Such enemies were no longer something that could be resisted by military tactics and martial arts.

A strange sound interrupted Zhao Yannian's thoughts. It was the archers of the moth thieves coming again. These cunning guys usually worked in groups of two, with one carrying a shield that was big enough to cover two people, protecting his fellow archers and shooting arrows at the defenders on the city wall.

A few days ago, a hidden arrow had struck Chen Qi, sending him plummeting from the city wall. Now, no one dared to peer out to see what was happening below. Zhao Yannian had ordered a counterattack, but it was futile. There were too many of these snipers, and the defenders simply didn't have the energy or numbers to sustain such a depletion.

"Come over here, you're too close to the city wall!" Wen Sheng pulled Zhao Yannian towards the inside of the city wall, then lowered his voice: "Honestly, it's time to leave here! Feng Gun gave you the empty title of General of the Central Army, but no soldiers! Han Taishou gave you two thousand men, and nothing else. Doesn't Nanjun have soldiers? Yes! Those local nobles, those with the surnames Huang, Kuai, and Cai, which family can't mobilize thousands of troops? The problem is that they won't give you any, and they all guard their own Wubao and manors.

In the final analysis, you are not a husband. A husband does not have to do anything, and people just obediently send horses and arrows to him. But you and I are completely ignored. If you continue like this, you will end up in trouble sooner or later!"

Zhao Yannian sighed. Just as Wen Sheng said, Wei Congsheng was tall, handsome, and talented. It was obvious at first glance that he was a young man from a prominent family with a promising future; while he was just a poor, penniless old soldier who could do nothing but fight.

The world treated him and Wei Cong with completely different faces. Although Feng Gun gave him the title of General of the Central Army, it was just an empty title. He had no soldiers, money, armor or anything else. Not to mention those noble families, even in the eyes of colleagues like Wen Sheng, he was still the penniless and desperate old revolutionary a few years ago.

"If we give up this place, where should we go?" Zhao Yannian asked.

"Of course it's Jiangling. Everyone's family business and your eldest son are there. Where else can we go if not Jiangling?" Wen Sheng answered decisively.

"Hmm!" Wen Sheng's response didn't surprise Zhao Yannian. As Wen Sheng had said, the backbone of this army knew full well that their wealth lay in the farm in Jiangling. Even if the bandits were so powerful that they couldn't even hold Jiangling, as long as they could protect Madam Ajing and the child, they would have a backbone. At most, they could take a boat to Yuzhang to seek refuge with Wei Cong. It wouldn't be any worse than their current situation, right?

"We can't retreat during the day!" Zhao Yannian said in a deep voice, "How about this? First, go and count the armor, weapons, money and food in the treasury. Don't tell anyone about the retreat except Li He!"

"Don't worry!" Wen Sheng immediately became excited when he heard Zhao Yannian agreed to his suggestion: "Don't worry, we've been in the army for decades, you don't need to remind us about this kind of thing! I'll go and get busy first! Be careful here, don't get hit by a sneak attack!"

Watching Wen Sheng quickly descend the city wall, Zhao Yannian turned around. The moth bandit camp in the distance was like a mother in labor, countless offspring pouring out of her womb, slowly but inexorably pouring towards Dangyang City. Zhao Yannian took a deep breath and groaned, "One more day, at least one more day!"

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Yuhan County, rear yamen.

"Things aren't as good as they used to be!" the county magistrate sighed to Wei Cong, his eyes lowered. Half of his eyebrows were already white, almost covering most of his eyes. Wei Cong suspected he couldn't see a thing. "I can't fall asleep in bed at night. It's often after two o'clock in the morning before I can fall asleep. And my sleep is so light that the slightest noise wakes me up and I can't fall asleep again."

The two of them sat on a Hu bed by the study window. A maid brought them pickled leeks, millet porridge, oven-baked cakes, boiled eggs, and mulberry wine. "These are extraordinary times. The people are displaced and the court is in turmoil. We have no choice but to keep things simple. Lord Wei, please forgive me for any inadequacy in my hospitality!"

"What the county lord said is admirable!" Wei Cong smiled and picked up an egg. "But I have been in the military for a long time. I usually eat and dress simply. I think this is already very good!"

"Really?" The county magistrate stroked his chest-length gray beard. "If you say so, Lord Wei, that's great!"

"It's good enough to have something to eat during the march, let alone eggs and porridge!" Wei Cong peeled the eggshell and said with a smile: "Please forgive my crude behavior!"

"No problem, no problem!" The county magistrate watched Wei Cong quickly peel the eggshell, eat it in two or three bites, and then reach for the next one. Like many old men of his age, his movements became sluggish. Wei Cong smiled and said, "What's wrong, County Master, you want to use it too!"

"Okay, okay, okay!" The county magistrate nodded, but did not take any action. After a moment, he asked, "Mr. Wei, given the current situation, what are your plans?"

"Of course, we'll just have to act according to the circumstances!" Wei Cong clapped his hands, brushing off the eggshells clinging to his clothes. He smiled and said, "To put it bluntly, the weak will try to protect themselves, while the strong will try to annex others. What's the matter, County Magistrate? You don't expect me to go and defeat the moth bandits and save the two thousand stone from danger, do you?"

"No, no, no, of course not!" The county magistrate's head shook rapidly, and he didn't look old at all. Nanchang County, the seat of Yuzhang County, was being besieged by tens of thousands of bandits. It was the center of the war in Yuzhang County. Only a mentally abnormal person would bring disaster upon himself.

"That's good!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "Fortunately, the county magistrate didn't order this, otherwise I would have had to move to another place. After all, with the few men I have, going to Nanchang would be like committing suicide, wouldn't it?"

Hearing Wei Cong's words, the county magistrate was at a loss for words and could only offer an awkward smile. Though old, he wasn't completely lost, and naturally, he didn't believe Wei Cong was as honest and harmless as he claimed. He had heard a few stories about him. Back when he was still in the army, he'd killed the county lieutenant with a single blow due to a verbal dispute, leading to his abandonment of office and escape. Would he now lead his troops in an honest escape? The county magistrate felt it was best not to know the answer.

"I am already sixty years old, and many things in this county are based on the teachings of Huang Lao. If we keep the people in harmony, there will naturally be great order!" The county magistrate said with a smile, "However, the current situation is turbulent, and it is the time for people like Mr. Wei to display their talents. Therefore, I would like to entrust the people of this county to you. I hope that Mr. Wei will—"

"Your Excellency!" Wei Cong interrupted the magistrate. "I won't be staying in Yuhan County for long, so you can rest assured I won't take your position!" "Ah!" the magistrate was stunned. "What are your plans, then, Lord Wei?"

"County Master!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "I know you invited me here today not just for yourself, but for those people behind the scenes. So, tell them to come and ask me, and I'll talk to them in person!"

"Oh, oh!" The county magistrate found himself speechless and could only respond vaguely twice. He looked at Wei Cong in front of him and suddenly realized that compared with this young man, he exuded a decadent atmosphere all over his body. Perhaps he should really resign and return home to consider his burial.

"Your Excellency, your breakfast is really good. Would you like to have some together?" Wei Cong pointed at the oven cakes and smiled at the county magistrate.

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Facts proved that the county magistrate's efficiency in delivering messages was indeed very high. That afternoon, eight or nine people came to Wei Cong's military camp to pay him a visit. After everyone sat down, Wei Cong said straight to the point: "Although I have been in Yuhan for some time, this is my first time meeting you. Please forgive me for any impoliteness!" After that, he bowed to everyone.

The eight or nine people quickly stood up and returned the greeting. The leader smiled and said, "We have long heard of Lord Wei's name, but have been reluctant to meet him. Now that we have seen him, we can see that he is indeed a hero of the time, unlike the mediocre people like us!"

"Yes, yes!"

"It is truly a bright moon in the sky, far beyond the reach of our insignificant light!"

"We have long wanted to meet you. Today's meeting is truly extraordinary!"

Everyone seemed to have agreed to speak the same thing beforehand. Wei Cong did not reply, but simply smiled and waited for everyone to finish speaking before saying, "I am coming to the county today and will not take a single penny or an acre of land from you! You can rest assured!"

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, each seeing relief in their own eyes. As the saying goes, a powerful dragon cannot overpower a local snake, but Wei Cong was a bit too powerful. With thousands of elite soldiers equipped with armor and powerful crossbows, he far exceeded the capabilities of the local tyrants. Such a disparity in power transcended geographical boundaries, and they couldn't help but worry about their own wealth. Not to mention the widespread outbreak of bandits, the imperial court was already busy dealing with them, so how could they have the time to care about Wei Cong?
"What does the young man want to do this time?" asked the leading man.

"I wish to accomplish great things, to achieve great achievements in this world, and to make my name known for generations to come! Therefore, I ask for your assistance!"

Everyone in the tent had strange expressions on their faces when they heard what he said. The timid ones had already secretly peeked behind the screen and outside the tent to see if there were any assassins lying in ambush. It wasn't because they had read too many historical novels like Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin, but mainly because what Wei Cong had just said was too horrifying. In ancient times, the words "great event", "great achievement" and "eternal" generally meant that millions of heads would fall to the ground. It sounded nice to say that they were being asked for help. If they didn't agree, they would probably become one of those millions of heads that fell to the ground.

"Lord Wei, you're too kind!" The leader laughed dryly. "What's the point of talking about helping us? We're not ignorant of right and wrong. Lord Wei commands, and we obey! Isn't that right, everyone?"

"Yes, yes, I will obey you!"

"Yes, we should follow the Duke of Wei's lead!"

"Even if it means ruining my family, I will follow you!"

The others were no fools, and they quickly agreed. Wei Cong smiled, extended his hand, and pressed down slightly, bringing silence to the tent. "The moth bandits are rampant these days, and the imperial court is weak. I originally wanted to send troops to conquer the moth bandits and restore peace to the world, but my army and generals are few and far between, and I'm unable to do so! So I plan to first send troops to unite with Xingan, Luling, and Ganxian, the southern counties that haven't been affected. With everyone's strength, we can then conquer the moth bandits!"

The local tyrants in these counties were well-versed in the geography of Yuzhang Prefecture and naturally knew that Xingan, Luling, and Ganxian were all located in the south, along the Gan River, and that these counties were indeed free of bandits. Wei Cong's plan was reasonable, but the problem was that Wei Cong was a fugitive who had murdered an official and, in theory, a criminal. He had no written orders in his possession, so why would the county chiefs ally with him?
"What Duke Wei said is very much to my liking, but I'm afraid those county magistrates may not obey your orders!"

"No problem, everyone, please take a look!" Wei Cong waved his hand, and the guard beside him handed over a scroll of silk book: "This is an imperial edict sent by the governor of Yuzhang, appointing me as the county commander, commanding the troops of these counties to fight against the moth bandits!"

"The imperial edict from the Yuzhang governor?" The leading man took the silk scroll and opened it, his expression slightly quizzical. The edict was quite well-made, but as a clerk in the county during his youth, he could immediately tell there were two or three flaws in it, clearly a forgery by Wei Cong. However, at this point, no one would have pointed that out unless they were an idiot. He carefully closed the scroll, handed it back to the guard, and said solemnly, "Since we have the edict from the governor, then it's naturally different. I shall obey your command!"

"We are also willing to obey your command!" everyone responded in unison.

"Good, good!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "I have enough soldiers and armor, but I'm still short of food, boats, and sailors. I still ask for your help. After this is accomplished, I will report your achievements to the governor and reward you handsomely!"

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After leaving the camp, someone couldn't help but ask the leader, "Mr. Liu, why didn't you show us the imperial edict just now? What did you say in it?"

The leader smiled and asked, "Why, do you still want to see it with your own eyes?"

"Of course. Even though Wei Cong doesn't want money, he wants everything else. He should feel at ease after giving it away, right?"

(End of this chapter)