Taiheiki

Chapter 140 Conflict
He knew how embarrassed he was. People on both sides of the street were squirming and shoving to make way, while people in the distance were trying to squeeze in to watch the excitement. The smell of disaster was overwhelming: "Hurry up, get out of the way, don't block the road!" he shouted.

His words were drowned out by a tumultuous uproar. A thunder of contempt, gloating, and derision rolled in from all sides, engulfing them. "Cowards!" some screamed at the defeated soldiers. "Runaways!" others cursed. Mixed in with the insults were cries of "Heaven sees!" "Eternal joy!" and "Holy Son of Heaven, be with you!"

Crowds surged on both sides of the street, pressing toward the defeated soldiers. They lashed out with their spears, avoiding the points, desperately trying to maintain their line of defense to protect the wounded trapped between them. Stones, earth bombs, and all kinds of debris whizzed overhead. "Get out of Panyu!" a woman shouted.

"Get out of Jiaozhou!" The man behind her became more aggressive.

"Food is too expensive! We need to eat!" In an instant, a thousand voices shouted together. All curses were put aside, and only the belly ruled the world. "Eat," they kept shouting, "Eat! Eat!"

"Shoot, shoot!" Liu An was too busy to care. He knew that if the crowd rushed forward, his men would be trampled into a pulp. The defeated soldiers quickly drew their bows and unleashed arrows at the oncoming crowd. Then came the second row, stabbing with spears, and finally with swords. People wailed and fell, fleeing in all directions, their previous fury and ferocity gone. Like lions transformed into rats in an instant, the defeated soldiers burst through the crowd and ran towards the barracks.

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"Liu An, Liu An! I asked you to catch the thieves and recover the stolen property, but instead of getting defeated by them, you ran off to Panyu City and started killing the people!" Liu Jiu was so angry that his nose was crooked. "Tell me what you want me to do with you?"

"Reporting to the captain, the thief has been caught and the property has been recovered. However, some unexpected events happened later, which led to this situation. As for the city of Panyu, the mob saw that I was defeated and took the opportunity to besiege me. I had no choice but to order the arrows to be shot!" Liu An replied.

"Really? Where are the thieves and their valuables?" Liu Jiu looked at Liu An, whose cheeks were swollen, with suspicion. He didn't look like he had won a battle at all.

"The stolen property is all on the ship, docked at the pier. As for the thieves, they're related to the local wealthy Yin family. After I captured the leader and learned the whole story from him, I went after the Yin family. Unexpectedly, Yin, feeling guilty, fled to a nearby mountain stronghold upon learning that troops were coming from Panyu. I led my troops in pursuit, but we clashed with some local barbarians, which led to this situation!"

When Liu Jiu heard this, the anger in his chest gradually subsided: "So, you weren't beaten by bandits, but by those barbarians? Are there a lot of barbarians?"

"It's not many! Only about twenty or thirty people!" Liu An felt ashamed and angry when he said this.

"Twenty or thirty? You have over a hundred, with armor and bows and crossbows. How did you get beaten like this?" Liu Jiu was startled, then furious. He had always thought the Lingnan provincial troops were weak, and any barbarians they could suppress would be even weaker. While Liu An's men weren't clad in iron armor like Wei Cong's, they were fully equipped with armor and bows and crossbows collected from the arsenals of various counties. They were also skilled archers and horsemen from Youzhou. How could they be beaten like this by a group of barbarians?
"If it were flat ground, we could have wiped out not only 20 or 30 people, but even 200 or 300. But in the rugged terrain of the mountains, those barbarians are good at using long poles to advance and retreat, and they also like to use flying stones. We couldn't catch up or escape, so we suffered a lot!"

Liu Jiu listened to Liu An's explanation for a long time before he finally understood what was going on. It turned out that the Yin clan's stronghold was nestled in the rocky mountains, with narrow, rugged paths. The local barbarians, when traveling, often carried a four-meter-long pole. When they encountered difficult terrain, they used it as a prop to leap over, as swift as deer. They were skilled at using slings to injure even those in armor, leaving them bleeding and fainting from a single blow. The barbarians dispersed, hiding in the crevices of the rocks and attacking with flying stones. Liu An's men, unable to pursue or flee, were forced to passively take the beating. Even when they finally managed to get close, the barbarians' poles were often too heavy for two or three men to reach, so when they were outnumbered, they simply used their poles to prop themselves up and flee. This battle lasted a day, with few casualties, while Liu An's men suffered over thirty dead or wounded. It was a crushing defeat.

"The key, then, is that long pole! With this pole, those barbarians' legs will be four or five times longer than ours, so they're no match for him!"

A familiar voice came from behind them. The two turned around and saw it was Wei Cong, who was stroking his chin in thought. The two hurriedly bowed and apologized. Wei Cong waved his hand and said, "It's not your fault that you lost to such a strange enemy! Get up!"

"But this time our army's reputation has been damaged. Judging from the commotion in the city just now, the people are quite resentful of us. They only surrendered temporarily out of fear of our power. I'm afraid someone will take the opportunity to cause trouble!" Liu Jiu looked worried.

"That's fine. If those people just stay in hiding like this, I really can't do anything to them. After all, we are reinforcements sent by the imperial court to Jiaozhou. We really can't take action against these traitors without a reason!" Wei Cong laughed and said, "It would be best if they could bring all the soldiers from Jiaozhi and Xin'an (the seat of the Jiaozhou governor) over here. I can wipe them out in one fell swoop and save me the trouble of digging them out cave by cave!"

"Captain, do you have a plan in mind?"

"Hmm!" Wei Cong smiled. "Most of the soldiers available in Jiaozhou right now are fighting the Linyi people in Jiuzhen Rinan. The ones who can be used to fight me in a hurry are either newly recruited soldiers, or soldiers left behind by prefectures and counties, or retainers of the local powerful people in Jiaozhou. These soldiers can still fight if they are pulled out to defend themselves, but if we bring them all in at once, the Jiaozhou governor is not a famous general, and he usually fights the local barbarians. The more people there are, the worse it will be! When the battle starts, we just need to pick off a weak one and defeat it, and the rest will naturally flee. They will be defeated on their own without us having to do anything!"

"You say they are very knowledgeable, but have you forgotten that your own subordinates were also recruited here and there? How strong can they be?" Liu An secretly complained, but he just thought that he was in the same boat with Wei Cong. Even if he wanted to switch sides, he was a foreigner and might not be tolerated by those Jiaozhou people. If Wei Cong was in trouble, he would be dead too. He couldn't help but feel depressed.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's set off for Zhongsu County tomorrow to see what those barbarians are capable of!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"Captain, you're going in person?" Liu An was surprised and said quickly, "These are just a few barbarians. Why do you need to go? I will select 500 soldiers tomorrow and kill them in five days at most, or three at least! If you fail, you will be severely punished!"

"Never mind. As the saying goes, even a lion will use all its might to slay a rabbit! Besides, I'm quite interested in these barbarians who are good with long poles. Maybe I'll be able to use them in the future!"

With Wei Cong's resolve made, the camp outside Panyu City quickly began to move. Wei Cong assigned Diwu Deng to remain behind, temporarily acting as military commander for the few days he was away. Then, along with Liu Jiu, Liu An, and others, he led two thousand men and set out by land and sea for Zhongsu County. Before they reached the city, the Zhongsu County Magistrate learned of the situation and hurriedly led the Chief Clerk and other county officials out of the city to greet them. Wei Cong refused to meet them, instead bypassing the city and heading for the mountains where Yin's family had hidden. He sent a message, telling the magistrate and others to wait in the city, stating that he would meet them upon his return after completing all his duties.

Not to mention the anxiety that filled Zhongxu County, when Wei Cong arrived at the foot of the mountain, he ordered the construction of a camp, wrote a letter himself, and called Liu Jiu: "Send someone who understands the barbarian language to deliver this letter to the group of barbarians in the mountains, saying that this captain will wait for them in the camp for two days. As long as they come within two days, everything will be settled. If they don't come within one day, I will not stop until their nest is razed and they are all killed!" "Captain, if those barbarians send people to you, will you really spare them?" Liu Jiu said anxiously: "The barbarians hurt our soldiers. If we don't kill them all, it will damage the reputation of our army!"

"Just send someone to deliver the letter, and don't worry about anything else!"

No matter how many times Liu Jiu prayed in his heart that the barbarians would not send anyone to the camp within the deadline given by Wei Cong, but on the afternoon before the deadline, a middle-aged barbarian wearing a fur coat, silver jewelry on his head and a ferocious face came to the front of the camp. He claimed to be the chief of the barbarians in the mountains, named Wu Wu, and came as agreed.

"Wu Wu?" Wei Cong frowned and asked the local guide beside him, "Is this his Chinese name or was it originally called this?"

"It's a Chinese name!" the guide replied carefully. "This group of barbarians is a branch of the Wuhu barbarians. They are considered relatively civilized among the local barbarians. For example, the chiefs of the tribe all have Chinese names, all surnamed Wu. On a daily basis, they live in the mountains, do little farming, and focus on hunting and raising livestock. They are not much different from the local Han people!"

"That's good. Since we're open-minded, there will be fewer misunderstandings!" Wei Cong nodded: "Then let him in first!"

"Here!"

A moment later, Wei Cong saw Wu Wu enter the tent. He was of medium build, with a solid physique and nothing special about his appearance, but his eyes were filled with determination and unyielding spirit.

"You barbarian, now that you see the captain, why don't you kneel down and apologize!" Liu Jiu shouted loudly.

"You must be the captain!" Wu Wu refused to obey. He looked at Wei Cong, who was sitting at the head of the table, and said, "How unreasonable! You clearly told me to come and discuss this in your letter, so why are you asking me to kneel and apologize now? If I kneel now, it means I'm admitting my guilt. What else is there to discuss? It's easy for you to kill me, but asking me to kneel is impossible!"

"Alright!" Wei Cong reached out to stop Liu Jiu's scolding. "You're right. You don't need to bow down and apologize to me now. I'm pressed for time and can't stay here long. Let's get started!"

"it is good!"

"A few days ago, my ship was attacked by bandits in Zhongsu County. The crew was killed and the ship's property was stolen. Therefore, I sent people to Zhongsu County to apprehend the thieves. I discovered that the attack was linked to the Yin family, a prominent family in this county. My men then went to apprehend Yin, but he fled into the mountains, fearing the punishment. My officers pursued him. Why did your men attack without provocation, killing and injuring so many people?"

"Captain Langshun!" Facing Wei Cong's questioning, Wu Wu remained remarkably calm. "Twenty years ago, the Nanhai County Governor made an agreement with my tribe, using Dongligou as the boundary. Neither Han nor Liao people were allowed to cross the line. Anyone who crossed would be killed. That day, over a hundred of your men, armed with bows, crossbows, and staffs, crossed the border into our territory. My men were simply acting in accordance with the agreement!"

"Is there such a thing?" Wei Cong subconsciously cast his gaze towards the guide beside him. Seeing a helpless smile on his face, he knew that what Wu Wu said was likely true. Jiaozhou was originally the land of the Baiyue people. Although it had become a county of the Central Plains Empire after being conquered twice by the Qin Emperor and the Han Emperor, it still had a large number of local ethnic groups. These local ethnic groups had vastly different living and cultural habits from the Han people who migrated south. To avoid conflict, they usually divided their territories and lived separately. Local Han officials generally did not interfere in their internal affairs. Even if there were any issues, they would communicate with their leaders and handle them. Sending troops directly to the enemy's territory to arrest people, as Wei Cong did, was indeed a violation of the rules.

"Yin is also a Han Chinese. Why was he able to escape into the mountains with his family? I heard that he has a nest in the mountains. What's going on?" Wei Cong asked.

"Although Yin is also Han Chinese, his family has been intermarried with my clan for generations. His third son's wife is my niece, so she is half my clan. How can I turn him away when he escapes here?"

"Sure enough, there's something else going on. This Yin guy dared to tease me, but he still has this way out! I guess they've already considered this relationship. They probably thought it would be best if I got entangled with these barbarians. The more enemies I make, the better, so they can hide behind and reap the benefits!"

"Okay, then let me ask you, did the attack on the government ship have anything to do with you?" Wei Cong asked.

"Of course not!" Wu Wu replied, "Yin didn't tell me when he fled into the mountains. He just said that your people coveted his property and framed him, so he had no choice but to flee into the mountains. If I had known this at the time, I wouldn't have let him escape!"

"Alright!" Wei Cong said, "Since you have nothing to do with the attack on the government ship, and it was concealed by Yin, I can grant you the benefit of the doubt. But this mountain is your territory, and Yin fled into the mountains. You should capture him and hand him over to me!"

"Okay! I will arrest them immediately after I return, and escort all the members of the Yin family to the camp before dark tomorrow!" Wu Wu agreed very readily.

"The bodies of my men you killed last time, as well as the wounded who fell into your hands, and their armor and weapons, must be returned to me immediately!"

(End of this chapter)