Taiheiki

Chapter 205 Luck
Although April in Panyu was already quite hot, Qu An still felt a chill run down his spine. Even though he didn't have eyes in the back of his head, Qu An could still sense the murderous intent hidden in Wei Cong's words. For a prince of a fallen kingdom, talent was hardly a good reputation. He seemed to hear the faint clinking of blades against scabbards behind him; that burly, mountain-like man was standing behind him. With just a flick of Wei Cong's finger, his head would be on the ground.

"I survived thanks to the kindness of those two Taoist priests, not because of my talent!" Qu An said with a bitter smile. "If it weren't for them, my bones would have been chewed up by wild wolves long ago!"

The courtyard fell silent. Yu Wen stared blankly at Wei Cong's face, unsure whether to rebuke Qu An for his rudeness or remain silent. Qu An closed his eyes, surrendering his life to fate. A few minutes later, he heard Wei Cong's laughter: "You're right, we should all be grateful to those who have helped us, shouldn't we, Lord Wang?" His last words were addressed to Wang Shou.

"Your destiny is ordained by Heaven; it was merely through my own hands!" Wang Shou hurriedly replied, "How dare I claim credit!"

"A divinely ordained gift?" Wei Cong looked up at the sky, smiled dismissively, and turned his gaze to Qu An kneeling on the ground: "Zhu Da is a bandit who has ravaged Jiuzhen and Rinan counties for many years. I once offered a reward of one million coins for his head, and you have contributed to that. But when I destroyed Linyi, you were the only surviving son of the King of Linyi, and you are quite talented. Therefore... should I honor the reward and give you a large sum of money, or should I kill you to eliminate future troubles?" As he said this, he gave Qu An a mocking smile.

Qu An raised his head and observed the man before him with the boldness of someone about to die. He was tall, fair-skinned, with a round face and a short beard, gentle eyes, and his black hair was tied in a bun with only a white jade hairpin. He wore a wide robe, with a dagger and an official seal hanging at his waist. From his appearance, Wei Cong did not look like a general who had just killed tens of thousands of people and conquered the Lin Yi Kingdom, but rather like a gentle and refined scholar.

“You can pay the bounty first, and then kill me to eliminate any future trouble!” Qu An replied.

Yu Wen, standing to the side, widened his eyes. He had guessed that Qu An would kowtow and beg, curse, or even make a last-ditch effort, but he had not expected the other party to respond in this way.

"Well said, a perfect answer!" Wei Cong clapped his hands and laughed, "But if you die, those reward money will be useless to you. Dead people can't spend money, right?"

"No!" Qu An shook his head: "Before you execute me, I can do a lot with this money, such as repaying the two Taoists who saved my life, and repaying my mother's family, after all, she gave me life and raised me!"

Wei Cong extended his right hand, and the burly guard handed him his sword. He walked up to Qu An and asked, "Is this your last wish?" "Yes!" Qu An gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and accepted his fate.

“Even on your deathbed, you still remember to repay your benefactors and your mother’s love; you are truly a filial and righteous person. Killing someone like you is an ominous act and will be punished by Heaven!” Wei Cong paused slightly at this point: “However, I cannot forget the danger that your identity brings. Here’s what we’ll do: you can no longer use the surname of the King of Linyi; change your name!”

"Thank you for sparing my life!" Qu An bowed, then thought for a moment and replied, "My brother died because of me. His name was Gu Gu, and I will use that name from now on!"

“Alright!” Wei Cong nodded. “However, this name doesn’t sound like a Han Chinese name. You can take the ancient character ‘Gu’ as your surname and the character ‘Gu’ as your given name, and change your name to Gu Gu!”

"Thank you for bestowing this name upon me, Governor!" Qu An bowed and said, "From this day forward, there will be no more Qu An in this world, only Gu Gu!"

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"Mengde, are you really going to spare this person?" Wang Shou asked cautiously, glancing at the closed courtyard gate.

"That's right!" Wei Cong laughed. "I just gave the order, and you heard it!"

“But this person is very dangerous!” Wang Shou whispered, “You should be able to sense it, Mengde!”

“He is indeed very talented, but talented people are always dangerous!” Wei Cong sighed. “Compared to the lands I’ve conquered, I have very few men at my disposal. If something happens again in Linyi and Funan, I need someone who understands the local situation and has military experience. But my generals are all Han Chinese; they know nothing about the local customs and traditions. It’s very dangerous to let such people lead the army. At least one local should be my deputy. Killing someone is easy, but finding someone like that is extremely difficult!”

"Alright!" Wang Shou sighed, "What you said makes sense, but to be honest, I still don't trust him!"

“I’m worried too!” Wei Cong laughed. “He knows we don’t trust him, so at least for now he won’t do anything stupid. Besides, it’s obvious he cares a lot about his mother’s family. As long as we keep them under control, we don’t have to worry about anything!”

"That's true!" Wang Shou breathed a sigh of relief. "Indeed, he remembered to leave a large sum of money to his mother's family even on his deathbed, so he must have cared a lot about it. You're very thoughtful! By the way, I heard that Yuan Shao is urging you to go north and attack the Mohe rebels from both sides. Are you really going to do that?"

"Let's wait until Yuan Shao returns to Luoyang and announces the rewards for this southern expedition!" Wei Cong smiled. "After resolving the Lin-yi Kingdom and taking control of Jiaozhi Commandery, I have no more worries. Now, it's not us who are anxious, but the imperial court, right?"

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The turquoise sea was calm, with only the rhythmic sound of waves lapping against the breakwater and the cries of seagulls. Heavy tow ropes were taut, and at their ends, the massive sailboat was ready, with oarsmen and soldiers climbing onto the deck via gangplanks.

"This is our farewell. Our next meeting will be in Jingzhou or Yangzhou!" Yuan Shao raised his wine cup and smiled at Wei Cong.

"Be careful on your journey, Yuan Shao!" Wei Cong did not answer directly. He raised his wine cup and clinked it with Yuan Shao's: "After arriving in Luoyang, I will send my regards to Cao Cao and your uncle!"

Not getting the answer he expected, Yuan Shao's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He drank a cup of wine and said, "That's easy to say, but there must be a deadline for sending troops!"

"What a fool!" Wei Cong thought to himself. Words are like the wind; how can such matters be trusted with words? He smiled and said, "Alright, let's wait until autumn!"

"After autumn, it's a deal!" Yuan Shao finally smiled. "Then we'll advance from both the north and south, wipe out the Moth Rebels in one fell swoop, and revive the Han Dynasty!"

"Good!" Wei Cong smiled slightly, though he was already a little annoyed. Seemingly sensing his master's mood, Bafa stepped forward and said, "Lord Wei, the wind is just right now. With this wind, the ship can easily sail out and reach the open sea before dark!" "Very good! Then let's not delay!" Wei Cong laughed, "Benchu, please board the ship!"

As the last tow rope was untied, the massive sailboat slowly sank into the sea, pulled by the sampans. Wei Cong turned around, his smile gone: "The court officials have left. We can begin our work now!"

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Yangzhou, Danyang Prefecture, Qu'a County.

Liu Sheng was the first to spot the post station ahead. The main building was situated on the south bank of the river, with a vegetable garden in the backyard extending all the way to the water. The ground floor of the post station was constructed of pebbles and rammed red earth, while the upper floor used wood coated with tung oil, and the roof was paved with stone slabs, making it look quite impressive from a distance. "There's no smoke from the chimney," he pointed out as they approached, "and there's no light from the windows either."

"It would be enough if the old and weak could get ashore to rest! We've been on the boat for five or six days already. The young and strong are alright, but the old and weak are exhausted!" The leader of this group was Liu Sheng's uncle, Liu Qu. Like most Yangzhou scholars at the time, he was less a well-versed Confucian scholar and more a resolute and courageous local strongman who valued strength and martial arts. Because the government troops and the bandits were locked in a protracted stalemate in the Guangling area, he, who had a high reputation in his hometown, led his clansmen and guests who relied on him across the river to Qu'a, intending to seek refuge with his relatives and friends and avoid the war.

Liu Qu glanced at the post station in the distance and sighed, "I've been here a few times in previous years. The mulberry wine here is quite good. It would be great if there were still a few jars left in the cellar!"

"I'm afraid that's unlikely!" Liu Sheng shook his head: "Although this place is better than Guangling, the county soldiers still frequently appear. The people inside are either dead or have gone into hiding!"

"Alright!" Liu Qu shook his head: "Go and check it out first. If there's no wine, some wild sunflowers in the vegetable garden in the backyard will do!"

Liu Sheng nodded, jumped off a small sampan, and rowed towards the somewhat rotten wooden pier. The bow had barely touched the pier before it came to a complete stop when Liu Sheng nimbly leaped aboard. He cautiously looked around before securing the rope.

At the end of the pier, a wooden sign hung on a bare tree, depicting a strong man carrying the head of an old man. On the ground lay a richly dressed, headless corpse, covered in blood. Liu Sheng couldn't help but laugh out loud after seeing it: "This post station is really interesting!"

"What's wrong?" a guest behind them asked curiously.

"The one lying on the ground with his head cut off is King Liu Bi of Wu!" Liu Sheng laughed. "Back during the Rebellion of the Seven States, this old man raised an army and joined forces with other vassal states to rebel. After his defeat, he fled and was killed on the way! I think this sign means that he died here! Both were fleeing, which is really a bit unlucky!"

Just then, a noise came from inside the inn. Someone was there! Liu Sheng reacted immediately. He rushed down the dock, leaned his shoulder against the inn's door, and shoved it hard...

Inside the room, two children, around seven or eight years old, were searching for something on the floor. Startled by the sudden noise, they huddled together. Liu Sheng, having confirmed with the other guests that no one else was in the inn, breathed a sigh of relief, sheathed his sword, and asked, "Little brats, where are your parents?"

The children's dirty faces were filled with terror. They shook their heads, and Liu Sheng sighed: "Do you have any other relatives?"

“The village caught fire at night, and Mom told us to run away quickly. Then we were the only ones left!” the younger child whispered.

"This damned world!" Liu Sheng reached out and ruffled the child's messy hair, wanting to curse, but not knowing what to say. He turned around and shouted, "Tell the boat that there are two children here, and have the women get some soup and water!"

A few minutes later, the following boats docked, and people flocked onto the pier. Liu Sheng stood on the pier, occasionally reaching out to help those who, having sat on the boat for so long, had weak legs and fell into the water. People poured into the inn, preparing firewood for cooking, while others went to the vegetable garden behind the inn and the surrounding area to forage for wild vegetables for dinner. After a five-day voyage, being able to sleep under a roof again brought a sense of relief to everyone's faces.

The stove was already lit, and Liu Sheng chose a nearby spot to sit down, stretching out his legs which had been curled up for so long. The warmth from the stove made him let out a satisfied sigh. In the iron pot on the stove, the porridge was emitting an enticing aroma. He squinted his eyes, intending to rest for a while.

"Ah Sheng, wake up! Let's discuss where to go next!"

Liu Sheng muttered something, but still opened his eyes. Liu Qu picked up a piece of dry firewood whose end had been charred and drew several lines on the ground: "Prefect Lu is currently in the lead, but the Moth Bandits have held several crossing points, and the two armies have clashed many times!" He drew several crosses on the line representing the Yangtze River to represent the crossing points.

"Hey, what you're saying is useless. There's fighting everywhere, not just between bandits and government troops!" Liu Sheng said. "There's nowhere to hide; it's all down to luck!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Liu Qu asked, somewhat angrily.

"With this! And this!" Liu Sheng patted the hilt of his sword and the bow quiver beside him: "Those guys only dare to rob unarmed weaklings, they don't dare to touch righteous people like us who are fully armed!"

“You’re right, but only half of the people here have weapons; the rest are elderly people, children, and women!” Liu Qu said coldly. “You should understand that two fists can’t fight four hands!”

"We can abandon the ship!" someone nearby replied. "We'll head southwest for two days and then enter the mountains. After turning west for three days, we'll enter General Jiangyi's territory. I've heard that neither government troops, bandits, nor thieves dare to cause trouble there!"

"The Crimson-Clad General?" Liu Qu frowned.

“That’s right!” the subordinate laughed. “His men are very disciplined. Anyone willing to join his ranks will be protected. There are patrols in his territory. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will either be hanged from a tree or taken back to mine. So while other places are in chaos, his territory is peaceful!”

(End of this chapter)