knife

Chapter 10 Survival First, Then We'll Talk About Others

Xiao Changche was a pure martial artist.

Li Dachui was the most powerful bandit leader outside the Great Wall.

Li Dachui seemed very confident that he could save Zhang Ruo's life this time.

These are the three pieces of information that Zhang Qingyun brought back to Zhang Ruo.

After not speaking or paying attention to Li Dachui for several days, Zhang Ruo finally came out of the tent and sat down next to Li Dachui by the fire after thinking for a long time.

The meat was roasted until golden brown.
The wine was warmed just right.

The aroma of wine and meat mingled together, instantly making one's mouth water.

The face next to him was covered in a thick beard, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to Li Dachui, whom he had first encountered.

The previous man was very scholarly, with impeccable manners and polite gestures.
The man in front of me, however, was eating meat and drinking wine with gusto. He would wipe his mouth with his hand, then wipe the greasy hands on his pants, and clap his hands. By all accounts, he was a boisterous and unrefined江湖豪客 (jianghu haoke, a chivalrous and unconventional figure).

The martial arts world is indeed unpredictable and treacherous.

This time, leaving Chang'an, Zhang Ruo witnessed a world completely different from the first half of his life.

"Who exactly asked you to protect me?" Zhang Ruo asked. "Thinking about it carefully, none of my friends have the ability to afford to hire you!"

"Of course not your friends!" Li Dachui stroked his full beard and laughed. "They're probably calculating how much trouble they can stir up, how many political enemies they can take down, and how much they can gain by using your death as a pretext."
What they believed was justice.

"My friends are all truly good people who serve the country and its people!"

"It's hard to judge whether they're good or bad!" Li Dachui said. "But in my opinion, they definitely can't be considered true friends."

"A gentleman's friendship is as pure as water, seeking only those who share the same ideals! Brother Li, my daughter says, can you guarantee my safety?"

"Isn't Master Zhang fearless of death?" Li Dachui looked at the other party with sarcasm.

“Of course I’m not afraid of death, but if I die at the hands of bandits and end up as a tool for someone like Linghu Ye to gain credit, it would be disheartening. Even if I die, I want to die in Zhenwu City.” Zhang Ruo said, “Even if I can’t do anything to Linghu Ye in the end, I think it would be worth it to splatter his blood and make him tainted.”

“You won’t die!” Li Dachui said, “Since I’ve done this business with you, I will naturally ensure you get to Zhenwu City. However, once you get there, it’s hard to say what will happen to you.”

“That’s my problem,” Zhang Ruo said.

“Since you’re so eager to die, I have nothing to say. After all, the person who paid me was asking me to safely deliver you to Zhenwu City!” Li Dachui shook his head and said, “It’s just a pity that Miss Qingyun, such a charming and clever woman, would have to go to her death with you.”

“This is the second thing I want to tell you!” Zhang Ruo said.

Li Dachui raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

“After I arrive in Zhenwu City, you can take her with you!” Zhang Ruo said.

Li Dachui was stunned: "I am a bandit, and you actually entrust your daughter to a bandit? You really have a big heart."

“You’re no ordinary bandit!” Zhang Ruo said. “Although I don’t know you very well yet, I believe my judgment of people is not bad. At least you can keep Qingyun safe.”

"I charge high prices for my services!" Li Dachui picked up his wine glass and said, "What can you give me?"

“I have no power or influence right now. But since you have connections with certain people in Chang’an, I have some people I can introduce to you!” Zhang Ruo said. “Perhaps they will be of help to you someday.”

Li Dachui pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Deal!"

"Now I'd like to hear your analysis of the overall situation outside the Great Wall?"

"Is it still of any use for you to know all this?" Li Dachui asked, somewhat puzzled.

Zhang Ruo smiled and said, "If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die content in the evening. Now it seems that our assessment of the situation outside the Great Wall is completely contrary to the facts. The Black Ice Guard has lost its function, and the court has become blind and deaf outside the Great Wall. Even if what you say is true, and I made a mistake this time, I still need to know where I went wrong."

“Alright, since that’s the case, I’ll tell you all about it in detail, Master Zhang!” Li Dachui said with a smile. “Come, let’s have a drink first. The night is cold and the dew is heavy; you’re not as resilient as us martial artists, Master Zhang.”

Inside the tent, Zhang Qingyun, who had been somewhat worried, saw the two people by the campfire raising their cups and clinking them together before drinking them down in one gulp. A smile appeared on her face as well. She took out a cloak from the tent and walked over.

“Roughly speaking, there are about two million people in the area outside the pass, but I estimate that it should double and then turn another corner!” Li Dachui said, “Five million people is actually quite a lot, more than any prefecture in the Great Qin. It’s just that when spread across this vast land, the population seems small.”

"This land is too barren for the imperial court."

Li Dachui chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.

"The imperial court established a Protectorate outside the Great Wall, centered on Zhenwu City and supported by an army of 100,000. However, it could only effectively control one-third of the area. Moreover, due to heavy taxes and corvée labor, people in this third of the area continued to flee. In recent years, in order to control the population loss, Linghu Ye implemented extremely cruel laws. Once a fugitive was caught, he would be immediately punished as a slave, and even his relatives and friends would suffer the consequences." "The other third was controlled by other forces, led by Tai'an City. These forces had different foundations but each had its own characteristics. For example, Tai'an City was mainly engaged in commerce and had become the center of trade in the entire area outside the Great Wall."

"How many people does Tai'an City control?" Zhang Ruo asked.

“Because Tai’an City has the backing of a master of innate cultivation, everything there can be considered thriving and prosperous. The population under the protection of Tai’an City is about 200,000, of which 50,000 live in Tai’an City and the rest live around Tai’an City. About 100,000 of them are farmers and herders, and the rest are businessmen!” Li Dachui said.

“Over two hundred thousand people—that’s a large county’s population inside the pass!” Zhang Ruo said. “How many people can the remaining castles shelter?”

"The better ones cost 30,000 to 50,000, while the worse ones cost 10,000 to 20,000!" Li Dachui said, "Each town has its own way of surviving, and each has its own backers."

"What about the remaining third?"

"The remaining third is a land devoid of rules, order, and morality—a land of utter chaos!" Li Dachui said. "The strong rule and the weak are prey to each other. Zhang Gong, it's unfair to blame all the chaos outside the pass on Linghu Ye. To be honest, over the years, Linghu Ye has done remarkable work in preventing the Yuan Kingdom from gaining an inch of territory. Although he asked you for a lot of money, it wasn't for nothing; it was to mobilize the entire force outside the pass to deal with the Northern Yuan."

"So, Linghu Ye would actually pay you to fight against the Northern Yuan?"

“Of course!” Li Dachui smiled and said, “I’m very expensive. Similarly, if he wants these respectable forces from beyond the Great Wall to help him fight against the Northern Yuan, he naturally has to pay them. It’s all a business that could cost you your life, who would do it for free!”

"So, Linghu Ye is actually a loyal subject?" Zhang Ruo said sarcastically.

“I didn’t say that!” Li Dachui said, “From what I know, at least four of the top ten forces outside the pass have secretly pledged allegiance to Linghuye. As for how many of those black domains are Gu worms raised by Linghuye, it’s hard to say.”

"So, Linghu Ye was actually waiting for an opportunity!"

"In this world, Linghu Ye isn't the only one waiting for an opportunity!" Li Dachui said. "Even within the pass, are there no one waiting for an opportunity? Yes, there are. Those powerful clans are all tigers that have hidden their fangs and snakes that have withdrawn their tongues. Once an opportunity arises, they will never let it slip by. The current Qin royal family, the Li family, wasn't it also a powerful clan two hundred years ago? Once they gained power, they became emperors and rulers. You can do the first thing, so why can't they do the fifteenth?"

Hearing Li Dachui's unorthodox words, Zhang Ruo remained silent.

He was well-versed in history and knew that what Li Dachui said was true.

"Brother Li, do you know how many people died during the civil war in the Central Plains back then?" Zhang Ruo asked.

"do not know!"

"The Central Plains have lost twenty million people!" Zhang Ruo exhaled a breath of turbid air: "When the Yong dynasty lost its mandate, the whole world chased after it, resulting in fifty years of chaos, until the Li family rose to power, waged wars in the south and north for ten years, and finally established the Great Qin Dynasty. Do you want this world to be in chaos for another sixty years? How many people will be left in the Central Plains then?"

"When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer. It has always been like this!" Li Dachui said. "What is united for a long time will eventually divide, and what is divided for a long time will eventually unite. Zhang Gong, humans write history and read history, but they never learn any lessons from history. Therefore, our history is just a constant cycle. You can't change all of this, and neither can I."

“But I want to delay this process as much as possible, even if it's ten or twenty years. As long as I've done my best, I'll have peace of mind!” Zhang Ruo said, “When I die, I want my epitaph to read these ten words: ‘I have no shame before Heaven and no shame before man!’”

Li Dachui was somewhat moved, but this emotion only flashed through his mind for a moment.

"You can't do it."

"Maybe we can give it a try. I don't believe that the 100,000 troops outside the pass are all Linghu Ye's lackeys. Didn't you say that Xiao Changche was a pure martial artist?"

Li Dachui laughed: "Master Zhang, believe it or not, right now outside the Great Wall, the people who truly hate you are these pure martial artists."

"Because Linghuye said something to them?"

"Of course. In their hearts, you and your friends are people who want to abandon the area beyond the Great Wall and abandon them. A martial artist like Xiao Changche, who was born and raised beyond the Great Wall, is the least tolerant of such people. Therefore, the person who most wants to kill you is him."

“If I can spend time with them day and night, I will surely be able to let them truly understand what kind of person I am,” Zhang Ruo said firmly.

"I can only do my best to get you to Zhenwu City alive!"

"That's enough. The rest is up to me. If I survive, it's luck; if I die, it's fate. There's nothing to complain about!" Zhang Ruo said.

Li Dachui nodded.

"Can you tell me your real identity, your real name?"

"If you can survive and establish yourself in Zhenwu City, then you'll know who I am. If that happens, perhaps we can still cooperate!" Li Dachui laughed as he stood up. "Little Cat!"

Fang Xiaomao appeared in front of Li Dachui in response.

"Go and clean up the area, it's so noisy, I want to get a peaceful night's sleep!"

"Understood!" Fang Xiaomao turned and disappeared into the darkness.

(End of this chapter)