Taiheiki

Chapter 206 Escape
"Hmph!" Liu Qu snorted coldly, looking disdainful. "Where did you hear this nonsense? Putting aside the government troops, the Moth Bandits have hundreds of thousands of men in Yuzhang, Jiujiang, and Danyang! Even the imperial court can't do anything about them. These days, whoever has more soldiers is powerful. The Moth Bandits have hundreds of thousands of men, but how many does that bird-like General Crimson Robe have? Why should we give face to that bird-like General Crimson Robe you're talking about?"

"You're unaware of this!" the guest laughed. "This General in Crimson Robes is highly skilled, especially in forging iron into weapons. After killing someone, he fled with his retainers to the deep mountains of Yuzhang County, where they established a stronghold, mined iron, and smelted it. Before their uprising, the Moth Bandits bought many iron weapons from him, which is why they were able to catch the government troops off guard. Because of this relationship, the Moth Bandits' leadership has a good relationship with the General in Crimson Robes and won't clash over trivial matters involving a few petty thieves!"

"Is that so?" Liu Sheng was taken aback. "That fellow is incredibly audacious. Not only did he secretly gather followers to smelt iron in the mountains, but he also dared to sell military equipment on the side? Isn't he afraid that the imperial court will exterminate his entire clan in the future?"

"Hehe, that's a long story!" the guest laughed. "My lord, tell me, who is the number one figure among the Moth Thieves?"

"Of course, he is the great and wise teacher!"

"So who is the second-in-command?"

"This—" Liu Sheng was immediately stumped by the question. He hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's really hard to say. General Pinggong is the eldest disciple of the Great Teacher of Virtue, and he commands an army of 100,000. On the other hand, Fairy Lu not only controls several counties in Jiangdong, but is also said to possess great magical power, combining the strengths of both the Celestial Masters sect and sorcery. It's really hard to say who is the second most important figure among the Moth Bandits! Why are you asking this? What does it have to do with that Crimson-Clad General?"

"Hehe!" A lewd smile appeared on the guest's face: "Of course there is a connection. Let me put it this way! The Crimson-Clad General and Fairy Lu have a very close personal relationship!"

"A very close personal relationship?" Liu Sheng was taken aback, then suddenly realized: "You don't mean to say that the two of them—"

"Hehe!" The guest nodded. "That's right. Let me put it this way: you've heard of Jiao He, haven't you?"

"I've heard of him!" Upon hearing this name, not only Liu Sheng but also Liu Qu, who was standing next to him, was drawn in: "Jiao He from Danyang, who hasn't heard of him? I heard that he and his whole family joined the Moth Bandits and made many contributions. He conquered many places in Wu County and Danyang. Why are you bringing him up again!"

"died!"

"Dead? How did he die? Killed by government troops?" Liu Sheng was shocked.

"What government troops? They were killed by Fairy Lu!" the guest said. "Jiao He intercepted two boats belonging to the Crimson-Clad General and robbed them of their valuables. When the Crimson-Clad General found out, he reported it to Fairy Lu. Without saying a word, Fairy Lu beheaded Jiao He and sent his head over!"

"Really?" Liu Sheng was still somewhat skeptical. The guest laughed and said, "What do you mean 'really' or 'fake'? Later, Fairy Lu even announced this to the entire army, strictly forbidding anyone from violating General Crimson's territory or venturing into his merchant fleet. Anyone who did so would be severely punished. If you don't believe me, you can go and inquire for yourself!"

"That Fairy Lu is ruthless!" Liu Sheng clicked his tongue. "But Jiao He was unlucky enough to snatch something from his superior's lover; no wonder he lost his head. But then again, since this General in Crimson Robes sold weapons to the Moth Bandits and was in love with Fairy Lu of the Celestial Masters Sect, why didn't he just join forces with them to conquer the world? After all, his woman is one of the top two or three figures among the Moth Bandits. If the Moth Bandits win, he certainly won't suffer any losses; if they lose, he'll definitely be implicated!"

"I have no idea about that!" The guest shook his head. "I only know that this general in crimson robes has a mysterious background. Who knows what he's up to!"

"Is this general in crimson robes surnamed Wei and named Cong? Is he from Jizhou?" Liu Qu suddenly interjected.

"This—" The guest was stunned: "It seems so. What? You know him?"

“If it really is that person! I’ve seen more than just him!” Liu Qu sighed. “Come to think of it, I have some connection with him!”

"Really?" Liu Sheng's interest was immediately piqued. "Uncle, you know such an important person, how come you've never mentioned it before?"

"A very important person?" Liu Qu gave a bitter smile. "How should I put it? How could I have known he would be where he is today?"

"Since we have nothing to do at this inn tonight, Uncle, why don't you tell us how you met this person?" Liu Sheng said with a smile.

Liu Qu glanced at the expectant faces around him, a thought struck him, and he smiled, "Alright, it's a long story. It all started more than a year ago. Have you heard of Nie Zheng from Chai Sang? He was a famous hero of Yuzhang County..."

Outside the inn, the sentry looked back enviously at the hazy red light shining from the window and the faint sounds of laughter. It reminded them of the good old days before the war. Truly, those good things were gone, and it seemed they would never return. He sighed, hunched his shoulders, and turned his gaze back into the endless darkness.

"That's it! After dividing up the Nie family's assets, he left by boat!" Having finished telling the whole story, Liu Qu let out a long breath, picked up his cup, and moistened his throat.

"That's it?" Liu Sheng shook his head in disappointment. "To be honest, this guy is pretty boring. I thought he'd end up with that widow surnamed Zhou!"

"You—" Liu Qu laughed upon hearing this, "That's her strength, she's not seduced by women. If it were you, you would have died in the Nie family right then and there!"

"So what if I die? Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman. Even the mighty Overlord had Yu Ji with him, didn't he?" Liu Sheng muttered to himself. Suddenly, a whistle came from outside. His expression changed drastically, and he grabbed the horn bow and quiver beside him: "There are people outside!"

As soon as Liu Sheng and his nephew rushed out of the post station, they saw flickering lights outside, each one a torch. Liu Qu instinctively held his breath and whispered, "Quick, get everyone ready!"

"Who are you people?" Liu Sheng shouted as he strung his horn bow. Compared to his uncle, who was over forty, the hot-blooded young man was not afraid. He would face whatever came his way. He had been strong since childhood and could draw a two-stone bow. He didn't think there was anything in the world to be afraid of.

"The spirit of the Han dynasty has been exhausted; the Huang family shall rise!"

Upon hearing the response from the other side, Liu Qu's expression changed drastically, and he whispered, "Damn it, it's the Moth Bandits!" According to the Five Elements theory that was popular at the time, the Han dynasty was associated with the element of fire and favored the color red, while the earth element followed fire and favored the color yellow. Therefore, the rebels believed that they were associated with the element of earth and favored the color yellow, and they often used such religious terms in their passwords.

"We came from Guangling to escape the war, and we have no ill intentions!" Liu Qu said loudly.

There was no immediate response from the firelight. After a moment, someone shouted, "Shut up! They're clearly spies from the imperial rebels!" Liu Sheng was furious upon hearing this and yelled, "Are you blind? What kind of spies bring women, children, and the elderly?"

"We must search! The Great Teacher has decreed that anyone who aids the traitor Lu Zhi's spies will be punished as an accomplice to the traitor!"

"Don't explain!" Liu Qu said in a low voice, "Asheng, shoot an arrow at the firelight with all your might!"

"Ah—!" Liu Sheng didn't understand what he meant and asked in confusion.

“These thieves aren’t entirely confident either, otherwise they would have just stormed in. This post station doesn’t even have walls!” Liu Qu whispered. “Shoot an arrow to show them what we’re capable of, and maybe they’ll let us go!”

"Understood, watch me!" Liu Sheng understood, picked out a good arrow from his quiver, looked at the firelight, nocked the arrow, pulled the bowstring behind his ear until the tips of the bow were almost touching, and then released the bowstring. There was a sharp sound of the arrow cutting through the air, and then he saw a tremor in the firelight.

"Fellow righteous men!" Liu Qu cried out, "We are indeed refugees who fled from Jiangbei, and we have no spies or agents from the imperial court. Women and children are huddled together, and it's dark, so it's really inconvenient. The one who just shot the arrow is my nephew, a well-known strongman in the area, capable of drawing a two-stone bow. Many of my guests are also skilled warriors. To protect their wives, children, and elderly parents, they will fight to the death. Please, have mercy on us and let us go!"

Hearing Liu Qu's words, which were both soft and firm, and considering Liu Sheng's arrow just now, the firelight remained silent for a moment before gradually dissipating into the distance. Liu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief: "Uncle guessed right! That's wonderful!"

"That's for the best, but we still need to be careful, lest these people go far away and then come back to launch a surprise attack!" Liu Qu said in a deep voice, "How about this, I won't sleep tonight, I'll keep watch all night!"

"Let me do it, Uncle!" Liu Sheng hurriedly said. "I'm still young, I can manage without sleep all night, but you should make the decision!"

The following morning, Liu Qu and his party accepted the guest's advice, abandoned their boat, and headed southwest. Compared to their original route, the presence of the old acquaintance, General Jiangyi, made Liu Qu feel more at ease. Luck seemed to be on their side this time; two days later, just as they reached the mountains, they encountered the legendary patrol.

"Are you General Crimson Robe's men?" Liu Qu asked the men before him respectfully. He couldn't afford to be disrespectful, even though the patrol only had twenty men while his side numbered two hundred. The patrol's iron lamellar armor, helmets, and powerful crossbows were far more convincing. Liu Qu knew very well that on the battlefield, armor and no armor made a world of difference, let alone the iron lamellar armor worn by these patrolmen. A soldier wearing iron lamellar armor could easily take down five or six unarmored ones, not to mention the implications behind this armor and weaponry.

"We are the Alliance's patrol!" The patrol leader was a middle-aged man with a goatee, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, watching Liu Qu's men warily: "General Crimson Robe is the leader of the Alliance!"

"That's right!" Liu Qu breathed a sigh of relief: "I am an old acquaintance of General Jiangyi, and these are my relatives and guests who fled from Guangling across the river!"

"An old acquaintance of the general?" The middle-aged man looked Liu Qu up and down suspiciously. "That's a pity, the general is not in Yuzhang County right now!"

"Not in Yuzhang County?" Liu Qu was stunned. "Then where did he go?"

"He's led his troops to Jiaozhou!" the middle-aged man said.

"Jiaozhou? The one in the south?" Liu Qu asked.

"Not bad!"

The sudden news left Liu Qu speechless for a moment. He held his head and paced back and forth a few times. Liu Sheng looked at his uncle in bewilderment. It was the first time he had seen Liu Qu like this, and he didn't know what to say either.

“If you are truly an old acquaintance of the general, you can write a letter or go to Jiaozhou in person!” the middle-aged man said.

"Write a letter or go to Jiaozhou in person?" Liu Qu stopped and asked in surprise, "Can it be delivered?"

"Of course!" the middle-aged man said proudly. "The imperial court has already appointed my chieftain as the governor of Jiaozhou and the Protector of the Baiyue. How could he not be sent? It's very convenient to go to Jiaozhou now. Just take a boat up the Gan River, get off at Nanye County, and then cross the Five Ridges. That's Jiaozhou. He's in Panyu, where the waterways are clear. Actually, the only part of the journey that requires walking is the section crossing the Five Ridges; the rest can be done by boat!"

"You know so much about it, have you been there?" Liu Sheng asked curiously.

“I’ve never been there, but I have a younger brother who went to Jiaozhou with the general. He wrote it very clearly in a letter he sent back!” The middle-aged man laughed. “Many people from our area went to Jiaozhou with the general back then, and they all did very well there. Many of them received titles and were granted a lot of land and houses!”

Liu Qu and his nephew exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. Jiaozhou was like another world to them, and in the past, they had heard that it was a wild and desolate place full of miasma, and that people who went there rarely returned alive. But from what this middle-aged man said, it sounded like a paradise.

"But I've heard that Jiaozhou is full of miasma, and people who go there will get sick and die!" Liu Qu asked cautiously, "But what you're saying sounds different!"

"It's very hot there, but as for the miasma!" The middle-aged man paused slightly. "My brother said in his letter that it's probably some kind of disease transmitted by flies and rats. Because Jiaozhou has a hot climate and lots of rain, there are many kinds of insects and rats, so it's easy to get sick. As long as you drink boiled water, keep your living area clean, and don't let too many flies and rats get around, you won't easily get sick!"

Seeing the middle-aged man's earnestness, Liu Qu became somewhat skeptical. He recalled his time with Wei Cong, who indeed possessed remarkable abilities, such as the divine crossbow capable of continuous arrow firing. If that was the case, why couldn't he solve the miasma problem? Thinking this, a desire to visit Jiaozhou arose spontaneously within him.

"I see! Then, since our clan fled from Guangling, could you please provide us with a place to stay?" Liu Qu asked cautiously.

“That’s easy!” The middle-aged man was clearly experienced in handling this situation: “You all come with me to a village where we can rest, and then decide what you want to do after that. Whether you want to farm or something else, it’s up to you!”

(End of this chapter)