Taiheiki

Chapter 134: Seizing the Pass
"You will hide in the crowd and wait for the signal from Qian Dubo!" said Diwu Deng.

"Don't worry, Captain. As long as that man shows his head, Guan Jiang can kill him with one arrow!" Zhebie said in a deep voice.

"Okay!" Diwu Deng said with a smile, "Go quickly and come back quickly, don't make any mistakes!"

At the water gate, Qian Wen boarded a small boat with seven or eight followers and approached it. He tried his best to pretend to be exhausted and anxious after a long march, and shouted to the gatekeepers, "We are the vanguard troops under the command of Wei Cong, the anti-rebel captain. We have been ordered to come to Jiaozhou to quell the rebellion in Jiuzhen County. Quickly open the gate and let our boat in!"

There was no immediate response from the water gate. Qian Wen could hear someone shouting in the local dialect. Apparently, the sentry on duty didn't understand Qian Wen's official language and was calling for his superior. A few minutes later, he heard a panicked reply from the water gate, with the characteristic voice of someone suddenly awakened: "Who are you and where are you from?"

Qian Wen repeated his previous answer and shouted, "The superiors are urging us to hurry. We brothers have traveled all night in the rain to meet the deadline. We are all exhausted. Please open the gate quickly so that we can enter the city and report to the governor!"

By this time, the fog had dissipated considerably. The Dubo on duty looked down and saw, as expected, a number of dark ships on the water. The man shouting near was dressed in a crimson robe and iron armor, indeed a Han soldier. He breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "You've all had a hard time on the journey. However, this water gate is a strategic point in Panyu. A large group of troops and ships like yours requires a token. Only when they match can it be opened. Please hand over the tokens quickly, and I will open and raise the gate immediately."

When Qian Wen heard that he needed the talisman, he turned around and glanced at Zhebie. Seeing Zhebie nod slightly, he knew that he was ready. He laughed loudly and said, "That's easy. Just have someone lower a basket and I'll put the talisman in it!"

"Okay!" The Water Gatekeeper was about to turn around and tell his men to lower the basket when he heard a slight sound and felt a pain in his throat. He fell from the sluice gate, but a large white-feathered arrow pierced his throat and hit the water with a loud noise. Because his back was facing his soldiers, they thought the Water Gatekeeper had slipped and fallen from the sluice gate. They shouted for the men to open the sluice gate and send the boat out to rescue him. Qian Wen was overjoyed and shouted behind him, "Open the sluice gate, open the sluice gate!" Then he urged his men to row towards the opening sluice gate.

In the chaos, the people at the water gate didn't notice that the small boat called Guan had already sailed under the gate. As soon as the gate was raised, the boat rushed in and collided head-on with the defending boat that was about to come out to rescue Du Bo. Before the defenders on the boat could understand what was happening, Zhebie shot an arrow right in the face of the man rowing the boat at the stern. As the man fell, he was hit by the oar, causing the boat to shake violently. Caught off guard, some people fell and some fell into the water. Qian Wen took the opportunity to shout loudly: "Kill! A real man will achieve fame and fortune today!"

Everyone responded in unison, rowing towards the dock inside the water gate. Zhebie drew his bow to full length, aimed at a man shouting and waving his arms, then released the string. Without checking to see if he had hit his target, he pulled another arrow from his quiver, a gray shaft with white feathers, and aimed it at a guard bending over to string a crossbow. He released the string again. Like a ruthless machine, he nocked an arrow, drew the string to his ear, aimed, released the string, and searched for his next target. When the quiver at his waist was empty, someone nearby handed him a full one, and they continued. When the battle ended, the third quiver was also empty. He felt a tingling sensation in his finger, and looking down, he saw that it had been bleeding since he hadn't noticed.

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"You're the first to achieve this feat by using a small force to defeat a large one!" Diwu Deng punched Qian Wen hard in the chest. "I'll definitely ask the captain for your commendation!"

"Report to the Captain!" Qian Wen, his body covered in blood, laughed. "Actually, the reason I was able to successfully capture the pass just now was thanks to Zhebie. It was he who shot and killed the guarding Du Bo with an arrow at the very beginning. He fell into the water from the gate. The guards heard the sound and thought he had fallen into the water, so they quickly opened the gate to rescue him. That's how I took the opportunity to enter the water gate. After the gate was opened, it was Zhebie who shot and killed the rower of the enemy ship, causing the ship to shake and many people to fall into the water. That's how I was able to take the opportunity to go ashore and rush to capture the pass!"

"Well! You're worthy of being the Archer given by the Captain!" Happy events filled the air, and Diwu Deng nodded with satisfaction. "That achievement was yours! Work hard, and if the Captain takes Jiaozhou this time, we'll all be promoted and our descendants will benefit! Like Qian Wen and Zhebie, if you're lucky, you two might even become Marquises of Guannei!"

Zhebie naturally didn't know what Guannei Hou was, so he just hurriedly bowed and thanked him. Qian Wen smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Commander. If it is true as you said, and I can become Guannei Hou, then you must be granted the title of Marquis!"

Hearing Qian Wen's flattery, Diwu Deng was already grinning from ear to ear. "I dare not even think about it. I dare not even think about it. Time is running out. Everyone, hurry ashore and form a battle line. Take Panyu City. We must capture the governor. We must not let him escape, otherwise there will be a lot of trouble later!"

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The official residence of the prefect of Nanhai County.

The Nanhai Commandery Governor, Kong Gui, was a native of Yanzhou and the State of Chen. He was the eighteenth-generation descendant of the sage. His fifth-generation ancestor, Kong Ba, had been a teacher to Emperor Yuan of Han and held the rank of Minister of the Court. His grandfather, Kong An, had migrated to the State of Chen, and by the time of Kong Gui, three generations had passed. His family had generations of high-ranking officials, often holding the rank of 2,000-stone official. Kong Gui himself was well-versed in the I Ching, the Book of History, and the Book of Rites, making him a renowned Confucian scholar of his time. After he became Governor of Nanhai Commandery, scholars from Lingnan flocked to him to seek his advice. The Governor's residence was overflowing with guests, and three to four hundred young Lingnan scholars took up residence next door, conveniently seeking his advice.

Kong Gui also adored this. On weekdays, the prefectural government's residence was a constant riot of reciting poems and lecturing. He delegated all the mundane duties of the prefect to the chief priests, chief clerks, and other provincial officials. He himself, dressed in a wide robe and holding a ruyi (a sacred inscription), would lecture on the Five Classics with a group of scholars, staying up all night and never tiring. This day was no exception. When news arrived that Diwu Deng had led his troops through the water barrier, their warships were approaching the city walls, and that the soldiers had dismantled the wooden fences and were heading straight for the prefectural government's residence, Kong Gui was still soundly asleep in his bed.

"Master, Master! Wake up, wake up, something bad has happened!" The housekeeper ignored the woman's frightened gasps and rushed directly into Kong Gui's bedroom, shaking him hard to wake him up from his sleep.

"What, what's going on!" Kong Gui opened his eyes. His thick eyelids seemed to be hung with lead and were constantly falling down. "What time is it now?" "The rebels have entered the city!" the housekeeper shouted. He pulled back the soft quilt on Kong Gui. Under the quilt, besides Kong Gui, there was another naked white figure. The housekeeper didn't care about so much anymore. While helping Kong Gui put on his clothes, he shouted, "Hurry up, or it will be too late! The rebels are coming this way!"

"Traitors?" Kong Gui had gradually regained consciousness. He hurriedly put on his clothes while asking in confusion, "Where did these rebels come from? Haven't the soldiers guarding the city been issued their uniforms yet? Zhu Zhi, that bastard, actually forgot such an important thing!"

"It wasn't a mutiny among the city garrisons!" The steward bent down to help his master put on his shoes, saying, "It was another army, dressed in crimson robes and iron armor, like evil spirits!"

"Another army!" Kong Gui was about to ask, "Isn't there a water barrier outside the city?" Suddenly, he heard shouts and banging on gates coming from outside the courtyard. Judging from the sound, they had already entered the prefectural palace. He quickly jumped out of bed, grabbed the sword hanging on the wall, and was about to charge forward, but the housekeeper grabbed him and said, "Master, go out the back door quickly. There will be a boat waiting for you when you get down the slope and reach the shore!"

"Nonsense!" Kong Gui pushed the housekeeper away, straightened his clothes, and drew his sword: "A gentleman should not take off his hat even when he dies, it is disrespectful! I have been ordered by the emperor to guard an area, how can I run away when facing an enemy." After saying this, he took two steps at a time and ran towards the front mansion.

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At the main gate of the prefectural government, Qian Wenzheng commanded his soldiers to storm the gate. After entering the city, the stiffest resistance he encountered wasn't from the soldiers guarding the gate—it was barely dawn, and most of the soldiers were still waiting for breakfast in the barracks, only to be beaten to a pulp by the armored troops dispatched by Diwu Deng. Rather, it was from the young scholars living near the prefectural government who were studying under Kong Gui. Unlike the weaklings of later generations who studied the eight-legged essay and took the imperial examinations, these scholars studying the Five Classics under Kong Gui came from well-off families and retained the tradition of the Qin and Han dynasties, who combined both civil and military skills. They possessed a solid foundation in archery and swordsmanship.

These diligent scholars rose early, gathering at the academy near the prefectural governor's residence at daybreak, some reviewing the Five Classics, others practicing swordsmanship. Upon hearing the sounds of the Wei army advancing, they immediately gathered, retrieved the bows, crossbows, and shields from the prefectural governor's residence, strung the shields together with iron hooks, surrounded the street exits, and shot at the "rioters." Qian Wen and his companions had had such a smooth journey that they thought capturing the prefect would be easy. However, they were met with a hail of arrows upon exiting the intersection. Seven or eight of the men in front were struck and felled. Unaware of the situation, Qian Wen and his companions fell into disarray, and the young scholars rushed out and killed over ten of them. Seeing the increasing number of soldiers, they retreated back to guard the mansion.

"Ji An, what's going on outside?" Kong Gui arrived at the gate and saw his disciple Shi Wu. He was wearing a pair of armor over a wide robe. There were bloodstains on his body, and it was unclear whether they were his own or the enemy's. He was sitting on the steps, talking to several scholars next to him.

"Disciple greets the Lord!" Shi Wu saw that it was Kong Gui and quickly stood up. "The enemy troops are numerous, and their armor is strong and well-armored. Given the huge disparity in numbers, I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for long!"

"Really?" Kong Gui looked around and found a ladder nearby. He shouted, "Quickly move the ladder over here so I can climb up the wall and see the enemy!"

"Absolutely not!" Shi Wu hurriedly stopped him, saying, "There's a sharpshooter among the thieves, wielding white-feathered arrows that never miss a target. Anyone peeking over the wall will be struck dead. Several of us have already been killed. Your Majesty, your life is worth millions. You must not risk it!"

"Is there such a thing?" Kong Gui said in disbelief. "Just bring me a shield. How can we be so afraid of arrows that we dare not observe the enemy's situation?"

Shi Wu's persuasion proved futile, so he fetched a shield and a short ladder, climbing up to protect Kong Gui with his shield. Kong Gui climbed up the wall and looked around. He saw the adjacent alleys filled with soldiers in crimson armor, at least three or four hundred of them, tearing down houses and making machinery. He was about to rebuke them when he heard a scream. It was Shi Wu's shield arm that had been struck by an arrow. He lost his footing and fell off the wall, but he dodged the second arrow.

"What a great archer!" Kong Gui sat on the ground, looking at the white feather arrow that pierced Shi Wu's right arm. He felt a chill all over his body. If he had been a little slower, he would have been dead.

"Come, send someone to treat Ji An's injuries!" Kong Gui shouted, his mind racing. Although he hadn't seen much, it was clear the enemy outside were no ordinary bandits, but rather a well-trained and well-equipped regular army. The prefectural government had walls, but they weren't specifically designed to withstand a siege. As long as the enemy constructed devices like battering rams, broke down the gates, and knocked down the walls, it would only be a matter of time before these armored troops, armed with spears and swords, would slaughter all these young scholars. He was the prefect of a county, earning his salary and being loyal to his master. Death was his due. But these young scholars were the cream of the Lingnan scholar class, having come to Panyu to pursue their studies. Wouldn't it be an unwarranted disaster if they perished in the chaos while trying to protect them?
Thinking of this, Kong Gui had already made up his mind. He walked to the gate and shouted, "I am Kong Gui, Kong Nan'an, the prefect of Nanhai County. Who are you? Why are you attacking the city and looting the people? Don't you fear the imperial court's law?"

Kong Gui's daily Qi cultivation skills were quite good. Even across the street, the other side could hear everything clearly. They immediately fell silent. After a moment, someone replied, "We are soldiers under the command of Wei Mengde, the anti-rebellion captain, who is sending troops to support Jiaozhou. Just now, someone suddenly shot arrows in the mansion, killing or wounding our comrades. That's why we raised our troops to fight back. We are not committing any rebellion!"

"Suppressing the Rebellion Captain Wei Mengde? Sending aid to Jiaozhou?" Kong Gui was stunned. Shi Wu, who was being treated with medicine nearby, said anxiously, "Your Majesty, please don't believe these thieves' lies. If they were truly an army sent by the imperial court to aid Jiaozhou, why wouldn't they have been notified in advance by official seals and letters? Besides, they've come all the way from Shuiguan Pass. They're clearly plotting something nefarious."

"Forget it!" Kong Gui waved his hand. "It's possible that mistakes might have occurred on the way to the letter. Besides, I've handed over all the chores to the Chief Clerk during this period. It's possible that I forgot something!"

"My lord, these are clearly rebel soldiers. You must not believe their lies!" The scholars nearby saw that Kong Gui showed signs of believing them, and hurriedly advised him, but Kong Gui just didn't listen.

(End of this chapter)