Taiheiki

Chapter 135 Saint
It's not that he really believed the nonsense that people said outside, but he knew that he had no choice. Instead of watching those well-equipped rebels outside rush in and kill all the young scholars around him, he might as well pretend to believe them and see if he could deal with the superiors of this group of rebels. Anyway, as long as the other party still wanted to maintain the appearance of "the captain who was sent to aid Jiaozhou", they would have to make superficial efforts with him, a two thousand stone official in Nanhai County, instead of tearing their faces off and attacking him directly. Then he could at least save the lives of these young scholars.

"Open the door!" Kong Gui said in a deep voice.

"My dear!" The housekeeper was startled. "There are rebels outside!"

"Were you deaf just now? Those outside aren't rebels, they're the imperial army coming to aid Jiaozhou! Where are the rebels?" Kong Gui shouted, "Why don't you open the gate and let me contact the leader of the reinforcements? You can't afford to delay official business!"

"Master!" Shi Wu saw this and hurried forward to stop him. "Master, you have something to do, and I'm here to help you! Since those are imperial soldiers outside, let me go out for you!"

"Ji An, you're talking nonsense again!" Kong Gui laughed and said, "You're just a commoner, not even a county official. How can you go out on my behalf, a 2,000-stone official? Get out of the way!"

"Teacher!" Shi Wu kowtowed, but refused to rise. Kong Gui sighed, reached out and helped him up, saying, "It is a matter of propriety! The empire loves the empire, the princes love their territories, the ministers love their offices, and the scholars love their families. To go beyond one's love is to encroach upon one's position. You are not in your proper place, nor do you seek the government's help. This is my business, Kong Nan'an, and it is beyond your power. Why don't you get out of the way?"

"Teacher, I'm blaming you for the great cause. How dare I not move aside?" Shi Wu knelt to make way. Kong Gui walked to the gate, where the housekeeper and servants had already opened it. He walked out and shouted, "I am the governor of this county. Where are you, the leaders? Do not harm our people. If you have any trouble, just kill one of my men!"

————————————————————————

"Is the person inside?" asked the Fifth Deng.

"Yes, the prefect is in the courtyard!" Qian Wen pointed to the gate. "There are more than 300 scholars inside who want to learn from him. They have handed over their bows, crossbows, and spears, but I let them keep their swords!" He paused for a moment and said, "Although this prefect Kong does not know the art of war and is not a talent for governing a country, he is generous and magnanimous, has the demeanor of a gentleman, is courageous, and can win the support of others. He is worthy of being a descendant of a saint!"

"Anyone who can hold the rank of 2,000 stone official must be quite capable!" Diwu Deng said with a smile, "I'll go in and test the waters. It's the captain who'll deal with him in the end anyway, so it's not my turn to have a headache!" Having said that, he straightened his armor, knocked twice on the gate, and said in a deep voice, "I am the captain Diwu Deng, begging to see you, Lord!"

A moment later, the courtyard gate opened. Diwu Deng nodded to the steward who opened the door and entered, followed closely by a team of armored guards. Arriving at the front of the hall, he saw Kong Gui standing before the door. Diwu Deng hurriedly bowed and said, "I am wearing armor and cannot perform the formal ceremony. I beg your pardon!"

"Forget it! Now is not the time to be so polite!" Kong Gui swung his sleeves and said, "Come in and talk!"

"Yes!" Diwu came up to the hall and asked the soldiers to guard the door. He went in and sat down with Kong Gui as host and guest. Kong Gui sighed and said, "There are no outsiders here. Let me ask you, who are you?"

"I have already answered you just now!" said the Fifth Deng with a smile.

"Are you really a subordinate of that rebel-suppressing captain Wei Cong?" Kong Gui glanced at Diwu Deng. "Then why have I never heard of him?"

"The Rebellion Suppression Captain is just a minor title. You're a high-ranking official in the county, so it's no surprise you haven't heard of it!" Diwu Deng said with a smile, "My commander should be here in a day or two at most. Then you can ask him in person!"

"Alright!" Kong Gui sighed. He looked Diwudeng up and down, and suddenly sighed: "Although I was a prefect and ruled without any hesitation, and spent all my energy on educating young scholars, you were able to fight all the way into the city before I knew what was going on. It's really a great skill!"

Hearing Kong Gui praising his own abilities, Diwu Deng also smiled: "Let the Lord know that all of this was planned by my general. He is indeed quite capable!"

"Then can you please let these young scholars around me go?" Kong Gui asked tentatively. "Although they just shot arrows at you, it was unintentional. They didn't know you were also imperial soldiers. They mistook you for thieves, so they shot arrows at you."

"Sir Kong!" Diwu Deng laughed. "I'm just a captain. I don't have the power to decide how to deal with these young scholars. But I can assure you. My captain has always been a bloodthirsty man. Over the years, he has always chosen not to kill anyone who could be spared!"

"If you can avoid killing him, then don't." Kong Gui looked at Diwu Deng suspiciously: "Are you serious?"

"Of course it's true!" Diwu Deng laughed. "He has a catchphrase: 'A person's head isn't a leek; it won't grow back after it's cut.' If you put someone in the wrong place, you can kill him again, but if you realize you killed the wrong person, can it grow back?"

"Haha!" Kong Gui couldn't help but laugh at Diwudeng's rather crude analogy. "Yes, Captain Wei, what you said makes perfect sense. If that's the case, then I'm relieved!"

----------------------

Wei Cong arrived in Panyu City much later than Diwudeng had anticipated. This wasn't due to any unexpected delay along the way, but rather to the fact that upon learning that Diwudeng had captured Panyu and captured the Nanhai Commandery Governor, Kong Gui, Wei Cong immediately slowed his march. He even ordered the ships to fly more flags and the infantry to slow their march, intending to show off his military prowess to onlookers and to mentally undermine the resolve of the Nanhai and other prefectures in Lingnan to resist him. However, this had an impact on the imprisoned Kong Gui that even Wei Cong hadn't anticipated.

The backyard of the prefect's mansion.

"Doctor, how is the injury on Ji An's arm?" Kong Gui asked the doctor who had already changed the medicine on Shi Wu's arm.

"Reporting to the governor!" The doctor bowed respectfully to Kong Gui, "Shi Langjun is lucky. Although he was hit by an arrow in the arm, the arrow did not injure the tendons and veins. In addition, the arrow went straight through. It was handled very well at the time. The arrow shaft was cut and pulled out from the other end. The arrow did not cause a second injury in the victim's body. If nothing unexpected happens, the wound should be healed in a month or so. After the injury is healed, Shi Langjun's body should not be greatly affected!" Kong Gui was delighted to hear that Shi Wu's injury would not leave any sequelae. He was a person who valued talents and liked to select younger generations. Shi Wu usually respected his teachers and loved to learn. He was born into a prominent family in Lingnan. The arrow wound on his arm was inflicted to protect Kong Gui himself. If the arrow wound left any sequelae, Kong Gui would probably feel guilty for the rest of his life.

"Thank you, doctor!" Kong Gui bowed to the doctor and said, "Ji An suffered this injury for me. If you can heal Ji An's arm, you have healed mine!"

The doctor dared not accept Kong Gui's greeting and quickly stepped aside. After a brief exchange of push and shove, Kong Gui sent the doctor away and sat down next to Shi Wu. He whispered, "I just asked the doctor, and he said your injury will heal in a month or so, and there won't be any lasting effects. If I had listened to you and not insisted on climbing the wall, you wouldn't have been injured!"

"Why do you say that, Lord? It's the duty of students to protect their teachers. Moreover, you disregarded your own safety to check on the enemy. How could a student just stand aside and cower?"

"Ji An, you are right. You were studying under me, but you were injured because of me. Alas!" Kong Gui sighed when he said this.

"My Lord, you are not only the teacher of your students, but also the governor of a county. In today's situation, you can't just take care of your students!" Shi Wudao said.

"Ji An is right!" Kong Gui nodded. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's strange. The Fifth Deng said that the Rebellion Suppression Captain would meet me within a day or two, but now four days have passed and there's no sign of him. Could something unexpected have happened again?"

"These thieves are full of lies, my lord, please don't believe them!" Shi Wu said angrily, "This must be a delaying tactic by the thieves!"

"I don't think so!" Kong Gui shook his head. "You and I are both prisoners now. Our lives hang in the balance. Why would they bother to delay us? Something unexpected must have happened!"

"My Lord!" Shi Wu wanted to persuade him, but for a moment he didn't know what to say, and couldn't help sweating profusely. Seeing this, Kong Gui smiled and reached out to support him: "Ji An, you are injured, you'd better lie down and rest first. I have also gone to the second floor to look outside these days. Although Panyu has fallen, there is no situation of rampant soldiers and bandits. On the contrary, there are often soldiers patrolling the streets. Although the market is depressed, it is relatively peaceful. This shows that even if this group of people are not the reinforcements sent by the court to Jiaozhou as they claim, they are definitely not the kind of thieves who do all kinds of evil. If that's the case, there is a way to deal with them. I have been entrusted by the court to govern a county, so naturally I must do my best to protect the safety of the people in the county!"

Shi Wu was about to advise Kong Gui not to be so pedantic, lest he be exploited by thieves and ruin his reputation, when he saw a servant come in and whisper something in Kong Gui's ear. Kong Gui's face changed slightly and he stood up. "Ji An, focus on recovering. Wei Cong is here. I'll go meet him first!" Without waiting for Shi Wu to say anything, he walked out the door.

------------

"Meng De pays homage to Lord Kong!"

"I dare not!" Kong Gui stood up and returned the greeting, looking at the man in brocade robes in front of him in surprise. He had originally thought that Wei Cong was just a brute and uncouth man, but he had not expected him to be eight feet tall, with a face as beautiful as jade and an imposing figure. He wore a crown to repel enemies, a Shu brocade robe (straight-hem Zen robe), and a four-foot-long reel-shaped sword at his waist. He was truly spirited and dignified. Judging from his appearance, even in Luoyang and Yingchuan, where famous scholars gathered, this rebellion-suppressing captain Wei Mengde would be the focus of everyone's attention. If those scholars who like to judge others saw his appearance and learned about his deeds, they would probably sigh, "Judging a man by his appearance, he missed Zi Yu. Mengde is as beautiful as gold and jade on the outside, but he is rotten cotton on the inside. Even a sage cannot tell the difference, let alone us?"

"I was delayed on the way and kept you waiting! Please forgive me!" The two sat down as host and guest, and Wei Cong smiled and said, "My subordinates have not been short of supplies these days, have they?"

"That's not the case!" Kong Gui looked at Wei Cong and said, "But I don't know when these students around me can leave."

"Leave?" Wei Cong asked curiously, "Why did the governor want to drive the students away?"

"This..." Kong Gui opened his mouth: "Isn't it me who wants to drive them away? But they want to leave on their own?"

"Master Kong?" Wei Cong asked. "When I was in Yuzhang, I heard that you were educating the people in Panyu and selecting outstanding talents. Many young scholars from Lingnan were staying outside the prefectural government to be taught. Why did Master Kong dismiss the students when I arrived? Isn't this my fault?"

Kong Gui snorted coldly upon hearing this: "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. As a teacher, how can I let my students live in a place where their safety is uncertain?"

"So, Mr. Kong thinks that after Wei comes, Panyu will become a place of unpredictable safety? Then why doesn't Mr. Kong ask to go himself?" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"How can that be the same? I am a loyal servant to my master, so why would I abandon the people of this city for my own safety?"

Wei Cong nodded. While Kong Nan'an might seem a bit pedantic and his military and civilian management skills weren't particularly impressive, he possessed a strong sense of responsibility and integrity. Such individuals were highly sought after by those in power. After all, skills can be learned and honed, but responsibility and integrity can't be acquired naturally. As long as such a figure existed within Panyu City, the people would have a strong backbone. After all, everyone knew that a scholar-official like Kong Gui, a descendant of a sage, might risk his life but never his reputation. At most, they could simply assign a capable deputy to him.

"Okay, since Master Kong says so, I'll release these scholars!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "But I have to be frank. Returning home may not be safer for you students than staying in Panyu City. After all, the entire Jiaozhou region will be in chaos for a while. If they stay with you, I can ensure their safety. But if they leave here and a war breaks out, swords and guns will have no eyes!"

Hearing Wei Cong's half-threat, half-warning words, Kong Gui was secretly alarmed. However, he was pedantic, not timid, and snorted coldly: "As long as a man is cautious in times of danger and maintains his reputation, matters of life and death are not that important. But Meng De, what did you mean when you said that the whole Jiaozhou would be in chaos? Could it be that you are the cause of this war?"

"Hahaha!" Wei Cong laughed. "Mr. Kong's accusation is quite frightening. Diwu Deng should have told you that I'm here to aid Jiaozhou and pacify the barbarians in Jiuzhen County!"

"So what did you mean by that just now?" Kong Gui asked.

(End of this chapter)