Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 255 Side Story: Cai Xi
The sun rises high above Fusang, and all worldly affairs seem as insignificant as a hair. A rustic man, angered by injustice, sharpens the ancient sword within his heart.

A true knight-errant is always a cynical and misanthropic person.

Cai Xi was no exception.

To prove that he regarded fame and fortune as dirt, when he was fifteen years old, after his father passed away, Cai Xi released all the servants in his house, gave away all his wealth to help those in need, and made a living by blacksmithing.

The furnace fire illuminates heaven and earth, red stars scatter amidst purple smoke. On a moonlit night, a shy young man's song echoes through the cold river. Having shed his former life of luxury and ease, and now earning his own living, Cai Xi finds peace in his heart.

What his father once considered a frivolous hobby became his means of making a living. As for the proceeds from punishing the wicked and thieves, he kept not a single penny and used it all to help the poor and weak.

In these degenerate times, Cai Xi knew that the number of people he could help was quite limited.

But living like this, without conforming to the corrupt world, at least brings peace of mind.

No matter how skilled a person is, there will be times when their strength is insufficient.

When Cai Xi attacked the Black Wind Village in Funiu Mountain, he was seriously injured and fell into a deep valley, almost losing his life.

Since he hadn't died, for Cai Xi, it was simply a matter of bandaging his wounds, brushing off the mud and dust, and getting up.

If your martial arts skills aren't enough, then learn more. If you can't afford a famous master, then learn by stealing their skills.

Cai Xi was quite confident in his agility; even if he was discovered, he could escape and would not be caught and killed.

He was a person of exceptional talent. What his master would take months to teach his apprentice, he could learn in just two or three days by secretly observing from Liangshangping.

As he learned more and more techniques from others, Cai Xi's kung fu skills improved dramatically.

Several times, he caught a glimpse of a young man peeking from the side.

Cai Xi spotted the other person, and the other person spotted him as well.

The two remained silent, as if by unspoken agreement.

Finally, one day, out of curiosity, Cai Xi chased after the other person as they left.

"Shi Xiong of Xuzhou. A military officer under Wang Zhixing, the military governor of Wuning."

The other party introduced themselves and their background.

"So you're from an official family." Cai Xi chuckled. "Wang Zhixing, the military governor of Wuning, is never stingy when it comes to rewarding his subordinates. How come you don't even have the money to learn martial arts from a master?"

"There's so much to learn, how could a little gold and silk be enough?" Shi Xiong smiled quite casually, his expression gentle, but his body concealed unfathomable power.

Cai slapped his hand and said, "So you're just like me, a rare stingy person in the world."

Later, Cai Xi learned that Shi Xiong was truly broke. Every time rewards were distributed, he would only take a bolt of silk back to support his family, and give the rest to his soldiers.

In fact, many top masters in history have had the experience of secretly learning from others. This is because many sects have secret martial arts techniques that outsiders cannot learn even if they have money.

Only those with extraordinary talent and brilliance can, in a short period of time, decipher the secrets of other schools and integrate them into their knowledge.

Cai Xi knew his own strength and was also clear in his mind that although his opponent was only in his early twenties, he was a formidable opponent among the masters of the world.

After the two became acquainted, Shi Xiong invited Cai Xi to join him in the army.

Cai Xi politely declined, saying, "Junior brother, I am a wandering knight-errant and cannot bear such constraints."

The two learned from each other on several occasions and simply called each other fellow disciples.

Shi Xiong did not give up and invited him several more times.

During this period, Commander Wang Zhixing was jealous of Shi Xiong's great achievements and popularity among the troops, and planned to kill him. However, righteous people in the court protected Shi Xiong, and Shi Xiong was transferred to the command of Commander Liu Mian, who was the most famous in the country.

“Junior brother, look, the world isn’t so bad.” Shi Xiong said leisurely, “With your talent and abilities, once you have an official position, you can do more for the people.”

"I don't believe it," Cai Xi said dismissively. "The imperial court is like a vat of soy sauce; the only difference is whether the sauce is thicker or thinner. What's the essential difference?"

"I may not see you for a year or two before I go on this mission."

"I'll go with you to see Commander Liu Mian."

"What, you've changed your mind?"

"I still look down on the imperial court and officialdom, but when it comes to drinking, it's only truly enjoyable with a guy like you."

Shi Xiong revealed a rare, mischievous smile.

Many people were grateful to Cai Xi, a great hero, but he had almost no close friends.

To enjoy a good drink together, Cai Xi put on the official robe that he had previously found vulgar and tacky.

Even when not engaged in military affairs, Cai Xi could not shake his penchant for chivalry and justice.

Finally, one day, he killed a young master from Hebei who had raped and murdered many women.

Cai Xi thought he had handled the body and destroyed all traces flawlessly.

But the Dali Temple dispatched a highly skilled person, who was said to be a descendant of the famous prime minister Di Renjie.

Following the clues, the other party quickly tracked down Cai Xi.

The deceased was the son of the military governor of Zhaoyi Town. The arrogant soldiers of Zhaoyi were furious and went directly to Commander Liu Mian, demanding an explanation.

They set fire to civilian houses within Liu Mian's defense zone as a threat. They even implied that if Cai Xi was not handed over to them, the Zhaoyi Army would make things difficult for the imperial court.

Shi Xiong kowtowed before Commander Liu Mian until his head bled, begging for his official position and even his life in exchange.

Liu Mian looked at his beloved general, whose head was covered in blood, kneeling there, and sighed with regret.

He then wrote a memorial to the court, saying that Cai Xi was a true genius and it would be a pity to kill him. Shi Xiong had military merits and could redeem Cai Xi's life. Both of them were to be flogged one hundred times. Shi Xiong was demoted two ranks, and Cai Xi was demoted to a laborer but kept in the army to serve and atone for his crimes through meritorious service.

Some upright officials also stirred up public opinion, believing that the Zhaoyi Army had gone too far this time. They described Cai Xi's chivalrous deeds as suppressing the arrogance of powerful warlords, and petitioned the Emperor in Chang'an to take this opportunity to organize a punitive expedition to suppress the warlords and wipe out Zhaoyi in one fell swoop.

This incident caused a great uproar, and the soldiers of Zhaoyi were also somewhat afraid. They finally gave up on continuing to cause trouble and accepted Liu Mian's proposal.

For Cai Xi, a hundred strokes of the cane, though it would cause serious injury, would only mean he would be bedridden for ten days to half a month.

After recovering from his injury, he felt very indebted to Shi Xiong and hosted a banquet to thank him.

Shi Xiong patted Cai Xi on the shoulder and sighed, "Do you know why I advised you to join the army?"

"When you walk by the river, you're bound to get your shoes wet. A righteous and upright hero like you has no powerful backing in the court. It's perfect for the emperor to kill you to establish his authority. Throughout history, how many dynasties have missed this opportunity?"

Cai Xiru was stunned on the spot after being electrocuted.

Then tears streamed down his face.

Later, he began to ponder the social niceties he loathed most.

People gradually forgot about Cai Xi, the chivalrous hero who drew his sword in a fit of rage and splattered blood five steps away, and began to praise him, saying, "Shi Xiong is good at fighting, and Cai Xi is resourceful."

In the Battle of Shahu Mountain, Cai Xi risked his life to sneak to the vicinity of the Khan's tent, drew a map of the Uyghur Khanate's army deployment, brought it back, and proposed five ingenious strategies to defeat the enemy.

Shi Xiong's 3,000 men defeated 100,000, and he killed Wujie Khan in battle, shaking the world with his might. Cai Xi also contributed to this victory, but he was too lazy to mention it to others. After the Battle of Shahu Mountain, Shi Xiong told Cai Xi that the newly enthroned emperor was a rare wise ruler who would eventually rebuild the Tang Dynasty's golden age.

A rotten tree cannot be carved, and a declining world cannot be helped. The empire has been mired in problems for a long time, and Cai Xi did not believe that one person's strength could reverse the tide.

But seeing the bright smile on Shi Xiong's face, Cai Xi couldn't bring himself to say a word in rebuttal.

Later, Emperor Wuzong died suddenly from an illness, and Prince Guang launched a coup, killing all of Emperor Wuzong's sons and seizing control of the central government.

Guangwang's cronies, such as Bai Minzhong and Wang Zai, were political enemies of Li Deyu and Shi Xiong.

If Shi Xiong were in Chang'an, he would have instinctively stopped all of this, but at this time he was training troops in Fengxiang, preparing to lead his army westward to recover Longyou and Hexi.

Cai Xi, who hadn't killed anyone with his own hands for many years, suddenly felt the blood in his body boiling again.

Emperor Wuzong had shown Shi Xiong great kindness and recognition, but Cai Xi did not consider Wuzong to be the savior of the world. He believed that even if Wuzong had lived longer, the world would not have been any better.

Cai Xi simply couldn't tolerate a despicable person destroying his senior brother Shi Xiong's dream.

Prince Guang mobilized his forces to hunt down dissidents both inside and outside Chang'an, leaving the imperial palace as the weakest point.

Cai Xi, masked and disguised, picked up the Autumn Water Longsword that had accompanied him for half his life, and like a comet striking the moon, he went straight into the Daming Palace, alone with his sword, and stormed into the Ganlu Hall in the inner court!
Wherever he went, a trail of blood was left behind. He could kill one person every ten steps, and leave no trace for a thousand miles. Cai Xi could not remember how many eunuchs and guards had fallen under his sword.

At its closest, his sword was only three feet from the King of Light's throat.

That despicable scoundrel, who feigned madness and schemed for twenty years to finally ascend to the throne, trembled like a stray dog ​​before the gleaming sword, utterly lacking the majesty befitting an emperor.

If Sima Qian, the Grand Historian, knew of such a delightful story in the afterlife, he would surely have drunk several cups of wine in celebration.

Unfortunately, it all fell short in the end.

Cai Xi had prepared himself for certain death, and had hidden a poison pill in his mouth so he could commit suicide at any time.

Despite being severely wounded, he managed to jump into Taiye Pool amidst a hail of arrows and swim away.

The newly seized power Prince Guang's intelligence network had loopholes. Ultimately, incredibly, despite all the investigations, they couldn't trace it back to Cai Xi.

He could only bury this matter in his heart forever.

Cai Xi became increasingly shrewd and cunning. After his senior fellow apprentice Shi Xiong passed away, his official rank gradually rose along with his seniority. After establishing considerable political achievements and military merits, he was finally appointed as the Protector-General of Annam, becoming a military governor of a region.

At this time, Cai Xi was over fifty years old, and Shi Xiong had been dead for more than ten years.

On his way to his new post, Cai Xi saw a young girl in tattered clothes wrestling with several girls much older than her.

The girl was pretty, but quite fierce. She scratched with her nails and bit with her teeth, and single-handedly beat several girls until they were covered in bruises and looked miserable.

Cai Xi was very curious, so he went up to them and persuaded them to separate, asking her why she was so angry.

The little girl, who called herself "Xingxiang," told Cai Xi that her mother came from a prominent family but was driven out of the house because she insisted on marrying her father. Her father, Zhang Rui, was a minor official in the capital and had no spare money to send back home. The family relied entirely on her mother and aunt doing needlework to make ends meet.

Cai Xi asked, "Did they insult your mother?"

Xingxiang's answer surprised Cai Xi quite a bit.

It turned out that the "aunt" she mentioned was just a loyal maidservant of her mother. Even though her mother was driven out of the house, the poor girls were afraid of retaliation and dared not gossip about the noble lady. They only questioned whether she was able to survive by selling herself to the maidservant.

“My aunt has never abandoned my mother, and in Xingxiang’s eyes, she is no different from a blood relative.” Xingxiang explained the reason for her anger.

Cai Xi suddenly had a feeling.

He stayed for half a month, imparting all his martial arts skills and strategies accumulated throughout his life to this little girl who was not yet ten years old.

He then left two maids with Xingxiang, telling her that although they were nominally his servants, they were essentially his female disciples. He said she could learn martial arts from them if she had any questions. They could also help earn some money for the household by spinning yarn and doing other chores. He only hoped that in a few years, he could find them good families to marry into.

Xingxiang accepted her teacher's gift with great gratitude.

Without anyone staying behind to train her, no matter how talented she was, she couldn't digest what Cai Xi had instilled in her over the past half month.

Xingxiang has her own pride, but she also knows that in this world, without power, there is no way to protect herself.

The scroll Cai Xi left for Xingxiang contained not only his insights into both literary and military affairs throughout his life, but also some disrespectful and rebellious words against the imperial court.

Cai Xi had no idea what the point of doing this was.

Someone like me is only capable of cynicism; I could never succeed in a real rebellion. In the end, my senior brother died, and I could only work aimlessly for the descendants of the Guang bandits.

To expect a little girl to rebel and overthrow the court is even more fanciful.

Cai Xi felt that he saw in the young girl the spirit of his youth, a spirit of not flattering superiors or bullying inferiors.

That's it.

At that time, Jiaozhi had been captured by Nanzhao. Cai Xi commanded the army, fought several battles in a day, fought a bloody road, drove out the Nanzhao people, and recovered Jiaozhou.

The imperial court believed that Nanzhao would not return and transferred reinforcements from other regions. They promised that if the Nanzhao people returned, reinforcements would arrive as soon as possible.

Later, Duan Qiuqian, the chief general of the Nanzhao army, led an even larger army and rode in to attack.

The enemy's banners were like a forest, and their war elephants were like mountains, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Cai Xi led his troops in a bitter battle for several months. He went out into battle with wounds wrapped around his arm and climbed the ramparts with blood on his hands. Only four hundred soldiers remained, and he did not see a single reinforcement.

He's no longer the naive young man he used to be.

He immediately understood that even if you were worldly-wise, never offended anyone, and never caused trouble, your literary and martial talents, your integrity and honesty, your love for the people, and your refusal to associate with evil people would still become reasons for many people to want you dead.

Therefore, Jiaozhou is where he is buried.

The enemy general Duan Qiuqian respected him and sent someone to persuade Cai Xi to surrender.

Cai Xi used his injured finger to write a letter in blood, instructing his personal guards to take advantage of the enemy's relaxed vigilance due to their attempts to persuade him to surrender, and to break out of the city to deliver it to the imperial court.

"A lone minister in this remote land, with a heart full of sorrow and tears, begs the Emperor to quickly dispatch elite troops to save the people of this region. Cai Xi's death is of no consequence; I only wish that the pillar of the Han dynasty will forever guard Jiaozhou!"

He then killed the messenger and threw the body out of the city.

Cai Xi didn't even respect the imperial court, so how could he possibly respect the barbarians of Nanzhao?

He initially joined the army simply because he had a close friend to drink with.

With his confidant gone and Bo Ya having broken his zither, Cai Xi often felt like he was living like a withered piece of wood.

Perhaps he had been waiting for this opportunity to die with a sense of exhilaration for far too long.

On the day the city fell, all four hundred righteous men died for their country. Cai Xi killed more than three hundred people, broke ten longswords, was hit by dozens of arrows, and drowned in the sea.

Just before the seawater engulfed him, Cai Xi revealed a relieved smile.

The salty smell of the sea was like the taste of his own tears falling into the wine after Shi Xiong saved him.

All those long past moments have become eternal in this moment.

(End of this chapter)