Taiheiki

Chapter 189 Chaos
"Alright!" Yuan Shao sighed. "You are the Governor of Jiaozhou, the Protector of the Baiyue, and the commander-in-chief of this war. How you deploy and command your troops is entirely within your authority. As long as you can win, I have nothing to say. But you must remember that the court has only given you the power to protect Jiaozhou, not the power to send troops to conquer. This is the emperor's power. If you overstep your bounds, that won't do!"

"How could that be? We're still within the borders of Jiuzhen County!" Wei Cong laughed loudly. Although Yuan Shao's tone was tough, Wei Cong could easily sense the weakness beneath. Indeed, according to the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, rites, music, and military campaigns all originated from the emperor! Theoretically, all power stemmed from the emperor. If a war was to be waged, the emperor would appoint a general, entrust him with the corresponding army, and order him to go on the expedition. After the war, the general would return home, relinquish his post, and hand over military power. This was the normal political logic of the Han Dynasty.

Local officials like prefects and governors, while possessing military authority, were primarily responsible for maintaining order—specifically, suppressing internal bandits and repelling invasions by barbarians—rather than actively launching attacks to expand territory. Wei Cong's repelling of the Lin-yi king's invasion was within his authority; besieging the Lin-yi king's capital without imperial decree was overstepping his bounds, and continuing external conquests after capturing the capital was certainly exceeding his authority. However, Yuan Shao forgot that the saying "rites, music, and military expeditions all originate from the emperor" is preceded by the phrase "when the world is governed by the Way." The Han Dynasty was no longer in an era of such a Way; otherwise, he wouldn't have become an Embroidered-Robe Envoy at such a young age.

Wei Cong brushed Yuan Shao off and immediately summoned Shi Wu. As soon as Shi Wu arrived, Wei Cong abruptly said, "Get ready, I have an important matter for you to handle!"

"The governor has given an order; how dare I disobey?" Shi Wu hurriedly bowed and accepted the order. The glorious victory he had just witnessed had swept away any hesitation or concerns he might have had. Just as Wei Cong had said, this victory had brought at least a hundred years of security to Jiaozhou. No matter how loyal Shi Wu was to the Han Dynasty, the Shi family was ultimately rooted in Jiaozhou, defending against the invasion of the barbarians and even leading them to expand their territory and gain greater benefits. This was the fundamental interest of the powerful clans and gentry of Jiaozhou. Everything else was trivial and could be ignored.

“Select one hundred high-ranking officials and nobles from the captured Lin-yi Kingdom, along with ten elephants and a band of musicians, and escort them back to Longbian. Make a big show of it along the way so that everyone knows we have won this great battle! Once we arrive in Longbian, select four thousand able-bodied men from the already recruited men to bring with you. Do you understand?”

"Rest assured, my lord, I will make sure everyone in Jiaozhi knows you've won a great victory, so no one will cause trouble behind your back!" Shi Wu replied knowingly. Clearly, Wei Cong didn't trust the local powerful families in Jiaozhi, and his rush to send news of the victory back was to appease them. Ultimately, winning a battle was the best way to resolve ideological issues. As for needing another four thousand able-bodied men, it was because he likely planned to advance rapidly and wipe out the bandits' stronghold. His current forces were insufficient, hence the need for reinforcements. Shi Wu would certainly fulfill this request for Wei Cong; otherwise, how could he demonstrate the value of the Guangxin Shi family?
"Good that you understand! Go ahead! Be careful on the road!" Wei Cong nodded in satisfaction. His men were good at fighting, but when it came to conscripting manpower, supplies, and money, they were no match for local strongmen like Shiwu. In the past, he had only fought quick and decisive battles, which were fine. But if it turned into a war of attrition or a protracted war, it would definitely not work without the support of local strongmen.

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As the sun rose above the horizon, Baffa blew the conch shell to signal the anchor. Ships in the bay hoisted their sails and, carried by the sea breeze, rounded the headland and began sailing south along the coastline. Every person on board looked worried, anxious about their future.

"From here to the capital of Lin-yi Kingdom, passing through Wild Rock Cape, Whale Horn Beach, and Black Pine Cape, if all goes well, we will arrive in three days!" Baffa's finger slid across the nautical chart. This was a very profound subject at the time, but Baffa knew that Wei Cong had a more complex and ingenious navigation method. His ships could sail into the deep sea where land was not visible, relying on the position of the sun and stars to determine their true location, so they did not have to worry about their ships being blown to pieces by the wind and crashing into the reefs on the shore.

"What will we do after we reach the capital?" a Cham captain asked anxiously.

“When we get there, let’s part ways!” Baffa replied with a bitter smile. “The Han army should arrive soon. The king has been captured, and his army has been annihilated. I am not a Champa, so I don’t want to stay and be buried with him!”

The captains of the Zhan people at the table exchanged glances. The oldest one coughed and said, "Actually, we don't want to stay any longer. If possible, could you take us in?"

"Yes, me too. Could you take me in?"

"Me too. I have four ships with over two hundred sailors and their wives and children. If you're willing, we can all serve you!"

"I don't ask for much. I just want to stay away from the Han Chinese army and have a piece of land. My people and I can farm and make a living!"

Everyone in the cabin spoke eagerly, clearly having already reached a tacit understanding: without their king and his army, the fall of Lin-yi was only a matter of time. Rather than remain as slaves of the Han Chinese, it was better to escape by ship and find a new world. After all, the entire Southeast Asia at that time had a population of less than ten million, and there were plenty of empty places for them to flee to. Unlike Papha, they had no experience in ocean navigation, so they could only beg for their refuge.

"I didn't expect you to try to escape too!" Baffa shook his head and sighed. "Alright, I can agree to your request, but let me make this clear from the start: since you want me to take you in, you must obey my orders. Otherwise, disobeying orders at sea will cause serious trouble. Once we reach Pizong Kingdom, you can go wherever you want, how about that?"

The Cham people were overjoyed upon hearing this and bowed to Baffa in gratitude, swearing that they would absolutely respect him as their master and obey his every command. They vowed that anyone who disobeyed would have their entire family killed by a thousand cuts. After they finished speaking, Baffa said, "The matter of our escape must be kept secret, otherwise the generals left behind in the capital might detain the ships. Therefore, after we arrive in the capital, I plan to moor the ships at the nearby beach and send one person from each ship ashore to contact their families. What do you think?"

"Not bad!"

"That's exactly right, you've thought of everything so thoroughly!"

After everyone had made their decision, they headed towards the capital of Lin Yi. That night, when they docked to rest, Baffa summoned a trusted confidant, gave him some instructions, and sent him away. The next day, they set sail as usual.

After traveling for two more days, the fleet arrived near the capital of Lin-yi. Baffa directed the fleet to anchor at a secluded beach he was familiar with. He first sent men to the capital to scout the situation, and they returned half a day later, reporting that the city was in chaos. The prince appointed by the king before his departure was trying his best to control the situation, ordering the city gates to be closed and prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving. However, the people in the city were trying to escape by various means. Some escaped by lowering ropes from the city walls at night, while others bribed the guards at the city gates. In order to intimidate those who wanted to escape, the prince ordered that all those caught trying to escape be executed and their heads displayed at the city gates to frighten the citizens.

"How could this happen?" Baffa's expression turned to horror. "How could they kill their own people indiscriminately at a time like this? Wouldn't the city descend into chaos?"

“Who says otherwise?” the messenger said with a bitter smile. “The day before I arrived, one of His Majesty’s cousins, along with several ministers, attempted to assassinate Prince Qu Ke, who was left in charge, but they failed. Prince Qu Ke then arrested all the family members involved in the assassination attempt and beheaded them one by one in front of the Temple of Indra, making the entire city watch. Blood flowed across the square. I heard from those present that thunder suddenly struck during the execution, and everyone said that this was Indra’s anger. Having lost the favor of the gods, the fate of the Kingdom of Lin Yi had come to an end!”

Baffa sighed. Even though he was mentally prepared, hearing it in person was a different story. He turned to the captains and asked, "Given the current situation, what do you all think we should do?"

"Of course we must escape as soon as possible!" a captain exclaimed urgently. "The Han army hasn't even arrived yet, and people in the city are already killing each other. How can we possibly hold out? If we don't escape, we'll only perish together with them!"

"That's right, time is of the essence. We must find a way to get our families out of the city. Does anyone have any good ideas?"

"What other way is there? Of course, we'll bribe them with money. Everyone should chip in and ask the guards to be lenient at night. We can't be stingy at a time like this!" "That's right. Let's not hold back anymore. I'll give you my number: I can contribute 30,000 coins, 50 bolts of silk, and some gold and silver jewelry!"

"I don't have as much as you, I only have a little over ten thousand coins and some silk cloth!"

One by one, everyone reported the valuables they could offer. Baffa sat silently to the side, which didn't seem strange to the others. After all, Baffa had no family in the city and naturally didn't need to worry about such things. Once everyone had gathered their valuables, they elected two shrewd and capable individuals to persuade the gatekeeper to open the gate and let them out the following night.

That night, the group arrived at the west gate of Xiangpu City at the agreed time. The west gate was the closest to the sea; once outside, it was only a little over a mile to board a boat and escape. The leader raised a torch and drew three circles on the city wall, then imitated the call of a partridge, but there was no response from the city wall.

"What's going on? Didn't we agree on this?" someone asked anxiously.

"Don't panic, we haven't paid yet. If those people don't keep their promise, they won't benefit from it! Maybe they didn't hear us. Go and call them a few more times!"

The others had no choice but to imitate the call of a partridge a few more times. Only then did the city wall stir, and a few partridge calls were heard, followed by the flickering of torches.

"Great! I finally heard you! Quick, bring over the prepared valuables!"

The group moved their valuables to the vicinity of the city gate. They heard creaking sounds from inside the gate, and the heavy gate opened, revealing a crack just wide enough for one person to pass through. Light shone through, indicating that someone was inside.

"Look, all the valuables are here! Quickly open the door and let our families out!" the leading Cham captain hurriedly said.

"Hmm!" The person inside, seeing the valuables piled up beside them, beamed with joy and said to those behind them, "Quickly, be quick, open the door and let them out quickly, or our lives will be in danger if the higher-ups find out!"

As they were speaking, the city gate slowly opened, and a man emerged, asking abruptly, "Where is the valuables?"

"You may inspect here!"

"Hmm!" The man inspected the boxes, confirming they contained the agreed-upon valuables. He turned and whistled, at which point the city gate was fully opened. Six or seven men rushed out and began to move the valuables. The people outside the city hurriedly asked, "Where are our families?"

"They're inside. We'll move in, and then they'll come out!"

"That won't do!" the man outside the city exclaimed anxiously. "The people are still inside the city, so the money can't be touched!"

The man had no choice but to turn back and shout into the city, "Money is no problem, release them!" Then he turned back to the crowd and said, "Is this enough? You're all too stingy!"

Seeing their families escape from the city, the Cham captains forgot all their bickering and rushed to meet them, helping the old and carrying the young. The men who had come out to unload their valuables curled their lip, about to make another sarcastic remark, when they suddenly realized something was amiss. There seemed to be far too many people pouring into the city gate, and many of them were armed and had murderous expressions on their faces. This didn't seem like they were welcoming their own relatives; it looked more like a night raid.

"Stop! Stop!" he shouted urgently. "What are you doing? Be careful in the city, thieves are attacking at night—"

He had barely uttered his first cry when a slash from the side cut him off, the sharp blade severing his neck, blood splattering everywhere, and the headless corpse collapsed to the ground.

"What's going on? What's happening!" the Cham captains exclaimed, stunned by the sudden slaughter. Just as they were at a loss, they discovered that Baffa had appeared out of nowhere, surrounded by armored soldiers clad in black.

"Master Bapah, what's wrong with you—" someone asked in a low voice, but was immediately covered by someone else's mouth. Even if they didn't know the reason, anyone who wasn't a fool would understand that Master Bapah was different from usual.

"Light the torch! Enter the city!" Baffa ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir!" With his command, the black-clad soldiers surged into the city gate. The captains heard brief but urgent screams coming from inside the city, indicating that most of the gatekeepers who had agreed to open the city gates and release the people were no longer there.

“Lord Baffa, our family—” someone could no longer contain himself and asked in a low voice.

“Don’t worry!” Baffa smiled. “As long as you don’t move around, I guarantee your families will be fine!”

(End of this chapter)