Taiheiki

Chapter 84 Killing
"Captain, what a great victory, a great victory!" Zhao Yannian shouted excitedly.

"Yes!" Wei Cong sighed sadly, "But how many of our brothers and sisters have we lost? Look, if we win like this again, I'm afraid neither you nor I will be able to return to Jiangling alive!"

"Yes!" Zhao Yannian looked at the corpses scattered on the ground and calmed down. "But after all, we won, which is better than losing! Captain, give chase!"

Wei Cong shook his head. He no longer wanted to say anything. "I'll leave this matter to you! I'm going to go look for Nie Sheng! I originally wanted this kid to run away alone when he saw that things were hopeless, but, but——!"

Zhao Yannian's smile vanished upon hearing this. He then sensed Wei Cong's grief over the loss of his adopted son. Just as he was thinking about how to offer some words of comfort, he heard Diwu Deng's cry, "Captain, Captain!"

"What happened?" Wei Cong's heart skipped a beat. He remembered that Nie Sheng was fighting on the side of the fifth landing at that time. Could it be that he found the corpse?
"Sir, it's okay!"

"Nothing?" Wei Cong was overjoyed: "Is this true?"

"Of course it's true! He's just a little injured!" Diwu Deng laughed. "The young master was in good armor. After he fell off his horse, he was pinned down and couldn't move. The thieves captured him and wanted to claim the reward, but later my people snatched him back. He just twisted his right foot, so it's inconvenient for him to walk! I'll have someone make a stretcher, but it will take a while!"

"That's good, that's good!" Wei Cong rubbed his hands nervously: "Where is the person? Take me there!"

"Yes!" Diwu Deng responded and was about to lead the way. As soon as Wei Cong got on his horse, he said to Zhao Yannian, "I'll leave everything here to you. Everything will be handled at your convenience!"

"As you wish!" Zhao Yannian responded, looking at Wei Cong's hurried back, thinking to himself: "I didn't expect that my husband would actually have feelings for this cheap adopted son!"

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But when Wei Cong arrived, Nie Sheng was lying on a blanket with the back of his head resting on the saddle. The boot on his right leg had been taken off, and his bare ankle was black and bruised and obviously swollen. The doctor next to him was carefully examining it.

"Doctor, is the bone okay?" Wei Cong asked anxiously.

"Colonel Captain!"

"Godfather!" Nie Sheng was surprised to see Wei Cong and hurriedly tried to turn over and sit up. Wei Cong put his hand on his shoulder and said, "You are injured. Just lie down. Doctor, my son didn't break any bones, did he?"

"My lord, the young master just twisted his leg a little and should not have any broken bones!" the doctor answered carefully.

"That's good, that's good!" Wei Cong let out a long sigh and said to Nie Sheng, "Have you forgotten what I told you before we set out? If something goes wrong by charging into the enemy camp like this, wouldn't you regret it? Never do that next time!"

Nie Sheng laughed and said, "How could a son abandon his father and run away? As for the matter of life and death, the situation was critical at the time, and I didn't think too much about it. I just rushed in without realizing it!"

After hearing Nie Sheng's answer, Wei Cong didn't know what to say for a moment. After a while, he sighed, "God has been very kind to me, having a son like you. When I return from Jingnan this time, I will definitely go to Chaisang again to seek justice for you!"

"Captain! Captain!" A hurried voice interrupted their conversation. Wei Cong turned around and saw Wen Sheng standing in front of him with a nervous look on his face.

"what's up?"

"Many of the surrendered bandits are deserters!"

"Deserter?" Wei Cong frowned. "What do you mean?"

"This is what happened!" Wen Sheng explained. During the earlier battle, the rebel right wing attempted to outflank the Han army's left wing, and it was the first to be attacked from both sides and collapse. The rebel left wing fought until the very end, but its retreat was cut off and squeezed into a narrow strip of land at the edge of the swamp, forcing it to lay down its arms and surrender. It was then that Wen Sheng realized that the enemy before him was not the southern ethnic minorities like the Wuling and Changsha barbarians, but rather Han soldiers. Upon questioning, he discovered that these soldiers were almost entirely deserters, surrenderers, and rebels. The Wuling barbarian leader, Jingfu, had organized these former Han soldiers into a separate unit to serve as his trusted followers. This time, they had sent 800 men to reinforce the siege of Baqiu City. Since they had arrived only the day before, even Wei Cong was unaware of their existence, which was why the battle was so difficult.

"So the bandits total nearly three thousand men?" Wei Cong was surprised. "No wonder the battle was so difficult. This victory was truly a fluke!"

"Yes!" Wen Sheng sighed. "This reinforcement's armor and weapons were all equipped according to the Han army's configuration, far superior to those of other bandits. They were divided into two teams, one on each side, so this time we had such a difficult battle."

"First, confiscate all their armor and weapons, tie them up with ropes, string them together, and keep them under guard!" Wei Cong said.

"Yes!" Wen Sheng responded and turned away. Wei Cong patted his adopted son gently and said to the doctor, "Use a clean cloth dipped in cold water and apply it to the swollen area. It won't be too late to apply medicine and massage after two days!"

"Yes!"

Wei Cong consoled Nie Sheng a few more times, personally helped him onto the stretcher, and then returned to his own banner. He saw Zhao Yannian talking to a serious-looking middle-aged man. When Zhao Yannian saw Wei Cong, he hurriedly introduced him to him, "Captain, this is Luo Hong, the captain of the Luo army. He was the one who led the troops down the mountain to defeat the bandits just now!"

"If it weren't for Luo Du's troops coming to our aid today, the outcome of our army would be unpredictable. I cannot repay such a great favor!" Wei Cong bowed.
"Captain Wei, why do you say that?" Luo Hong quickly reached out to support him. "It was you who led the troops to rescue us. I was just doing my duty!"

After some back-and-forth, the two men sat down as host and guest. Wei Cong inquired and learned that Luo Hong was originally a subordinate of Feng Gun, and that he had led Cai Buyi to aid Baqiu. A thought struck him, and he hurriedly asked, "Lord Cai is an old acquaintance of mine. Is he in the city now?"

"Ah!" Luo Hong sighed. "Captain, you're a few days late. Captain Cai passed away a few days ago and was buried yesterday. Poor him, he didn't even have a coffin, only three feet of plain cloth to wrap his body!"

"No coffin, only three feet of plain cloth to wrap him?" Wei Cong was stunned upon hearing this. Although Cai Buyi later plotted to frame him, he had also saved his life and taken care of him. Hearing of his fate, he felt a surge of grief: "How could this happen? Who is in charge in Baqiu City? How could it have come to this? Not even a thin coffin for him?"

"This..." Luo Hong smiled bitterly: "The county magistrate is dead, and the commander-in-chief Wang Gui is in charge now. In the besieged city, everything is indeed in short supply. But Wang Gui is quite resentful of Commander Cai for his reckless advance to seek a battle, so..." Wei Cong frowned, thinking that Wang Gui was too narrow-minded. Cai Buyi said this because he died while coming to rescue Ba Qiu. How much does a coffin cost? If you can't even give up this little, won't those who came with him be heartbroken? Thinking of this, Wei Cong did not comment on the matter, but asked: "How many guards are there in the city now? How many of these guards were left by Commander Cai!"

"There are still more than a thousand people in the city, including more than two hundred who were originally under the command of Captain Cai!" Luo Hong replied. Obviously, he had excluded his own troops from them.

"I see!" Wei Cong nodded. "Now that the siege has been lifted, we must pay a visit to the local garrison. Brother Luo, please pass on the message for me!"

"Of course!" Luo Hong said with a smile, "A talent like Brother Wei must be very much admired by County Lieutenant Wang!"

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Despite his arrogance and pride, County Lieutenant Wang Gui stood outside Baqiu City to welcome the uninvited guest who had just won a great victory and lifted the siege of Baqiu. The remaining officials in Baqiu City almost filled the city gates, and they looked at Wei Cong with curiosity—this tall, fair-skinned man was a stark contrast to the previous helper.

"Captain Wei really has a good appearance. This really surprises me!" Wang Gui looked Wei Cong up and down and smiled silently: "Compared to you, that Cai Buyi is far inferior!"

"Captain Cai is an old acquaintance of mine!" Wei Cong said without a smile. "I heard about him when I was at the foot of the mountain. He came here to help relieve the siege of Baqiu, but died in battle without even a coffin. How tragic!"

"Too tragic?" Wang Gui shook his head. "That depends on how you look at it. In my opinion, his life wasn't tragic at all. If it weren't for him, how could so many people have died? He didn't even get a coffin, and those people didn't even get a piece of cloth!"

"Alright!" Wei Cong decided to stop arguing. For the first time, he hated the man before him so much. "The remaining troops that followed Captain Cai are still in the city, right? Please hand them all over to me, including Captain Cai's body!"

"The remaining troops of Cai Buyi?" Wang Gui snorted coldly, "I'm afraid that won't work. They are already under my command. I'm sorry I can't obey your orders!"

"When Feng Cheqi recommended me for the position of Rebellion Suppression Captain, he already agreed to place Cai Buyi's troops under my command!" Wei Cong said coldly, "Is County Captain Wang going to disobey orders?"

"Cai Buyi is dead, and his troops have long been incorporated into our army!" Wang Gui said coldly, "Where are the remnants of Cai Buyi's army now? Without them, how can they be under your control?"

"You—" Wei Cong was furious upon hearing this. He turned abruptly and asked Luo Hong, "Captain Luo, I have a question for you. When I sent messengers to contact the city, we agreed to go down the mountain and collect the bandits as soon as the drums were beaten, so why were only your two hundred men who came down the mountain?"

"This..." Luo Hong was stunned by Wei Cong's question. He subconsciously raised his head and looked at Wang Gui. Wei Cong snorted coldly: "Is it because County Lieutenant Wang is afraid of the enemy and dare not leave the city, so only your troops are going to fight?"

"Wei!" Wang Gui raised his voice. "Don't act so arrogantly in front of me. You're just a captain with a minor title, but you really think you're something. Let me tell you, it's true that I didn't want to leave the city at the beginning. But it wasn't because I was afraid of the enemy, but because Baqiu City is my responsibility! Cai Buyi lost his life because he didn't listen to me. Your victory today is just a fluke. How dare you tell me what to do? You are really bold!"

Hearing Wang Gui's words, Wei Cong couldn't help but hear Nie Sheng's words, "How could a son abandon his father and run away?" His heart hardened. He put his right hand on the hilt of his sword and said with a smile, "Wang County Lieutenant, please forgive me. I was in a hurry just now and my words were out of control. Please don't be offended!"

Wei Cong's sudden apology startled Wang Gui, who interpreted it as a plea for mercy. "Well, let's leave it at that for today! Captain Wei, we've got some wine in the city. Please—!" He turned and gestured for help. He felt a gust of wind behind him, and then a sharp pain. His vision went black, and he fell to the ground.

"You bastard!" Wei Cong fiercely pulled out his knife and stabbed Wang Gui again. "You stood on the city wall and watched me fight alone. You killed so many of my soldiers and almost killed my son in the army. Today I will tear you into pieces!"

"Captain, Captain!"

Zhao Yannian, Diwudeng, Wensheng, and Huang Ping were frightened by Wei Cong's sudden attack. After a while, they reacted and rushed forward to hug Wei Cong. Diwudeng snatched the knife from Wei Cong's hand and leaned over to look at Wang Gui. He found that the other party had been stabbed with four or five holes, all of which injured his internal organs. He was bleeding profusely and had already died.

"My dear, he, he is dead!"

"Good death!" Wei Cong was still furious: "Let me go, let me chop him two more times!"

"Captain!" Zhao Yannian cried anxiously, "Are you crazy? This is an official appointed by the imperial court! If you kill him with a single blow, it will be a catastrophic disaster!"

Wei Cong had gradually calmed down by then. He snorted coldly, "Let me go first. There's nothing to be afraid of. You guys take over this city first. I have my own way!"

Zhao Yannian and his men had no choice but to obey his orders. Wei Cong walked over to Wang Gui's body, spat in hatred, and walked up to Luo Hong, bowing and saying, "Brother Luo, I'm sorry for making fun of you just now!"

"Forget it! Today I've witnessed Captain Wei's courage!" Luo Hong had clearly just recovered from his shock. "But what are you going to do next? Submit a letter of apology? Or abandon the army and flee?"

"Submit a letter of apology, abandon the army and flee? Is there no third option?" Wei Cong asked, "For example, making meritorious contributions while serving your sentence?"

"I'm afraid not!" Luo Hong shook his head.

"Do you think my military achievements are not enough?" Wei Cong asked.

"That's not the case!" Luo Hong sighed, "If we only talk about courage, Captain Wei is the best among the people I have ever met. Apart from killing Zhang Bolu, this time you rescued Ba Qiu for the first time alone, right? Two battles and two wins, two to three thousand people killed or captured. If you had a senior official who was one of the Three Dukes, this would be enough to make you a Marquis of Guannei! But now--" He couldn't help but sigh when he said this.

"Marquis of Guannei? That's really a pity!" Wei Cong laughed, but there was no trace of regret on his face.

(End of this chapter)