Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 532 The Weak

Xiao Feng stared intently at the baby in his arms. If that was his younger self, then who was he?
Corpses were scattered all over the ground, most of them still in the fighting postures they had been in before they died, their empty, lifeless eyes staring at the sky, silently questioning something, but no one knew what their questions were, and no one could answer them.

Xiao Feng looked back and saw the corpses of the men and horses on both sides still lying in the autumn wind in the setting sun.

These people were complete strangers, most of whom had never met each other before today. Yet they had gathered here for a ridiculous reason to engage in a meaningless fight, as if they were sworn enemies from several lifetimes ago.

As the setting sun cast its slanting rays, a few homeless crows cried mournfully as they circled above the corpse.

Looking at the fallen Khitan guards, Xiao Feng thought: These people died protecting my parents and family. I cannot watch them lie dead in the wilderness, their bodies desecrated by wild beasts and birds.

So Xiao Feng casually picked up a shovel from the corpses of the dead Song Dynasty experts and quickly dug a large pit, placing the bodies of the Khitan warriors in it to bury them. He then stuck a knife into the grave mound as a tombstone.

He then looked at the pile of corpses of the Central Plains martial artists, his expression complex. After a long while, he let out a long sigh, dug another pit, put all the corpses in it, and found a wooden board, on which he wrote a few large characters: "Tomb of the Delusional Man".

Xiao Feng stood alone in the sunset for a long time until the baby's cries woke him up. Only then did he realize that it was getting late and he needed to find a place to stay.

Xiao Feng stared blankly at the south, then at the north. South of Yanmen Pass lay the Song Dynasty, where he had lived for decades. But having witnessed his parents murdered by the Song people, how could Xiao Feng ever return? To the north lay the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun of the Liao Dynasty, the Central Plains of Han China a century ago, now the Liao Dynasty's most important tax-generating region.

Looking into the distance, the Great Wall appears and disappears among the vast mountains. Ironically, the Great Wall, which the Han people spent hundreds of years building to defend against the invasion of nomadic tribes from the north, became a dispensable and abandoned wall within the territory of the Liao Dynasty during the Song Dynasty.

For a thousand years, it has witnessed the rise, decline, and demise of generations of nomadic peoples in the northern frontier, just like the wind on the grassland, which has never stopped.

From the moment it was built, generation after generation of nomadic peoples—the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Rouran, Tujue, Khitan—wielding their sabers, swept southward like a torrent, only to be stopped before this wall. The beacon fires signaling an emergency at the border stained the armor of the soldiers red and shattered the sweet dreams of children the previous night. Generation after generation of nomadic peoples crossed this wall, conquering the Central Plains, only to then defend themselves against new nomadic tribes on horseback.

It had witnessed Jing Ke by the Yi River, a hero who went forth never to return. It had witnessed the devastating defeat at Canhepo, where Murong Chui faced the setting sun, his corpses piled high like mountains, burning out his last vestige of life. After his death, the empire he had painstakingly revived collapsed once more.

It witnessed Li Mu, the Marquis of Wu'an, biding his time and decisively defeating the Xiongnu, beheading 100,000 and establishing great military achievements. It also witnessed Meng Tian's 300,000-strong army marching north to recover the Hetao region and expand the territory by 700 li.

It witnessed Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, advancing recklessly with light equipment, only to be besieged at Baideng Mountain. In his later years, this commoner emperor returned to his hometown, still sadly singing the Song of the Great Wind, hoping that brave warriors would come to guard the four directions for him.

Emperor Yang of Sui was once besieged by the Turkic army at Yanmen Pass, not far away. The closest arrow even landed at the tyrant's feet. This tyrant, who had once launched three campaigns against Goguryeo, causing countless families to be destroyed, was now facing death. At this critical moment, this arrogant and ambitious tyrant embraced his young son and wailed, revealing his weak nature.

Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Li Jing—generations of renowned generals set out from here, establishing unparalleled achievements. The inscription on Yanran Mountain commemorates their pursuit of the vanquished, as they bravely return in triumph.

Whenever the Central Plains were in chaos, countless refugees from the Central Plains would leave from here hoping to find a way to survive the next day.

At that moment, Xiao Feng felt that the wall was both incredibly majestic and incredibly ugly.

Xiao Feng sighed and muttered to himself, "Is this wall really necessary?"

The baby in his arms started crying again, so Xiao Feng quickened his pace, preparing to enter the nearest city, Yunzhou, before it got completely dark, to find something for the baby to eat.

Just then, they suddenly heard the faint sound of horses' hooves coming from the northeast corner, galloping southward. Judging from the sound, there were more than twenty riders.

Xiao Feng picked up the child, quickly walked around the hillside, and looked in the direction from which the sound of horses' hooves came.

From his vantage point, he could see that the twenty or so riders, all dressed in identical yellow robes and armor, were Song Dynasty soldiers, lined up in a row, rushing down the mountain path on the high slope below.

Xiao Feng recognized the newcomer but paid it no mind. This was a crucial border crossing between the Song and Liao dynasties, frequently frequented by small groups of cavalry from both sides, used for reconnaissance, harassment, and probing. Since the Battle of Chanyuan, there had been no major battles between the Song and Liao. Military campaigns like Emperor Taizong's Yongxi Northern Expedition, the drifting donkey carts on the Gaoliang River, and Empress Dowager Xiao's 200,000-strong Liao army's southward march to drink from the Yellow River were no longer possible.

However, both sides had been watching each other closely. A few years ago, Li Yuanhao launched a major battle on the northwestern border of the Song Dynasty. The Song army suffered consecutive defeats at Sanchuankou and Haoshuichuan. The Liao army then deployed troops on the border, showing signs of a major southward invasion. Later, it was Prime Minister Fu Bi who went to the Liao Dynasty to argue his case. Only then did the Liao and Song Dynasties reach a new peace agreement on the condition that the Song Dynasty increase its annual tribute by 500,000 taels of silver.

Xiao Feng, not wanting to cause any more trouble, hid behind a large rock. The twenty-odd cavalrymen, not seeing Xiao Feng, rode straight up the ridge.

As Xiao Feng waited for the Song army to pass, he suddenly heard two children crying. Startled, he exclaimed as if in a dream, "Why are there children crying again?" Looking at the baby in his arms, he saw the infant fast asleep. Xiao Feng peered out and saw the Song soldiers. Each soldier had abducted a woman, and all the women and children were dressed in the attire of Khitan herdsmen.

Several Song soldiers reached out and groped the Khitan women, their actions obscene, vile, and utterly disgusting. Some women resisted, only to be met with shouts and beatings from the soldiers. Xiao Feng watched, his brow furrowed, his heart burning with an inexplicable rage.

More than thirty soldiers and officers arrived on the ridge, leading hundreds of cattle and sheep, more than ten Khitan women, and more than a dozen Khitan elders and children.

An officer said, "The harvest from this grazing trip wasn't very good. Will the commander-in-chief be angry?"

Another officer said, "Although the Liao dogs didn't steal many cattle and sheep, they did manage to capture two or three women who were quite beautiful. They kept the commander-in-chief entertained, and that made him more patient."

The first officer said, "Thirty-odd women aren't enough for everyone. Let's work hard for another day tomorrow and go rob some more."

One soldier laughed and said, "The Liao dogs heard the news and have already fled. We'll have to wait another two or three months to raid them again."

As this group of soldiers passed by, more than ten soldiers came rushing in.

These Song soldiers were also on horseback, holding long spears high in their hands. Most of the spears had a bloody, mangled head pierced through them. Five Khitan men were tied to the back of their horses with long ropes.

The Khitans were dressed like ordinary herdsmen; two of them had gray hair and were quite old, while the other three were boys of about fifteen or sixteen.

The Song army went out to plunder. The able-bodied Khitan herdsmen escaped, but they captured the women, children, and the elderly. The incompetent Song army could not defeat the enemy on the battlefield, but they were ruthless towards the unarmed, defenseless elderly, women, and children. The strong were enraged and drew their swords against the stronger, and the weak were enraged and drew their swords against the weaker. This is the nature of the so-called weak.

A Song army officer laughed and said, "We have beheaded fourteen people and captured five Liao dogs alive. The merit is neither great nor small. We will be promoted and rewarded with one hundred taels of silver."

Another man said, "Old Gao, there's a Khitan market fifty li to the west of here. Do you dare to go and raid there?"

The man said, "What's there to be afraid of? Do you think I'm new here? Who are you trying to scare?"

As they spoke, the group arrived at the large rock.

Suddenly, a baby in the arms of a Khitan woman began to cry loudly. The Khitan woman pushed away the hand of a Song army officer and turned to comfort the crying child.

The officer flew into a rage, grabbed the child, threw him to the ground, and then spurred his horse forward. His hooves trampled the child, turning him into a bloody pulp. The Khitan woman, seeing her child's gruesome death, went mad with terror. She charged at the Song officer who had trampled her child to death, like a crazed she-wolf, frantically scratching at the murderer with her teeth and nails.

The Song soldiers around them laughed heartily at their comrade's disheveled state, enjoying the spectacle as if it were just a minor incident during their raid.

The Khitan woman angrily bit the murderer's finger, refusing to let go no matter how much the officer punched and kicked her. Enraged, the officer drew his sword and slashed at the woman's neck.

"stop!"

A loud shout, like a thunderclap in dry land, came as a powerful palm strike struck the officer before he could even strike with his sword. The officer's head exploded like a rotten watermelon.

Xiao Feng was furious. His parents had died tragically, and he had witnessed the atrocities committed by the Song army. His anger was like a raging fire, burning his blood.

Dozens of Song soldiers were horrified to see their comrades die tragically. Then they saw a huge man carrying an infant stride toward the Song army, roaring loudly, his hair and beard bristling, looking like a wrathful Vajra.

The Song army officer drew his sword and rode up, shouting to avenge his comrade. Xiao Feng did not answer. Holding the baby in one arm, he slashed and kicked, his tall body becoming the scythe of death. With each strike, a Song soldier was killed, like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep.

The Song soldiers were so frightened by this man who looked like a demon descended to earth that they trembled and could not even hold their swords steady.

The Song army, which had just been swaggering and boasting about their achievements in killing women and children, suddenly became lambs to the slaughter. Dozens of Song soldiers were killed by Xiao Feng in an instant, and none of them escaped.