Taiheiki

Chapter 238 Brothers
"Women and children would never be here alone at a time like this; their family members might be nearby!" Nie Sheng immediately realized and shouted, "Quickly order an intensified search in all directions, on the condition that there are thieves!"

"Yes, sir!" The officer's face was full of gratified smiles. This adopted son of Marquis Wei was able to learn by analogy; he was truly a good candidate for a dangerous job.

------------------

In the reeds, Zhou Yi held his breath and peered at the lake shore not far away. After telling the others to stay as far away as possible, he himself secretly approached the group of uninvited guests.

The water was filled with boats of all sizes, which glided across the surface like water birds. The long, narrow hulls, the upward-curving bows, and the neatly arranged oars on either side—even though Zhou Yi had grown up in the Jianghuai region, this was the first time he had ever seen such nimble and swift vessels. Then came the ranks of soldiers disembarking, fully equipped with bows, crossbows, and armor, standing in orderly formation. Once ashore, they moved freely under the command of their officers, like a giant just awakened stretching its limbs.

Are they the Moth Bandits or the government troops? Zhou Yi thought about it and felt that neither seemed to be the case. Although the Moth Bandits were better equipped than ordinary thieves and rebels, they were still quite different from the group in front of him. As for the government troops, Zhou Yi had heard that the Moth Bandits' army had already reached Wancheng. If that was the case, the government troops would be too busy defending Wancheng to send such an elite force to Juchao.

Zhou Yi looked around and decided to get as close as possible so he could see more clearly. Faced with this situation, he indeed had to abandon some to save the rest. But at least he could figure out where this group came from, and perhaps then he could find a way to ransom the prisoners. He was a decisive man, so he lowered his body and slid silently through the reeds, as quiet as a shadow. Every few steps, he stopped to listen intently or peek through the gaps. On the third time, he heard the neighing of horses and human voices, so close he could even hear what was being said. He stopped and cautiously looked outside.

------------------

“Zhou Jin!” Nie Sheng said, “These women and children say they are also from the Zhou family of Lujiang. Go and ask them to see if it’s true or not!”

Zhou Jin responded and went over to inquire. He quickly returned: "General, the Zhou family of Lujiang has been settled in the area for generations, and their descendants have multiplied greatly. They not only reside in Shuxian County, the seat of Lujiang Prefecture, but also have branches in neighboring prefectures. This group of people are a collateral branch of the Zhou family, so it wouldn't be wrong to say they belong to the Lujiang Zhou family!"

"I see!" Nie Sheng nodded. "Since we share the same surname, then you should treat us well and take good care of us. By the way, take twenty men to Juchao County to scout things out. No matter what happens, they must be back before dark tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhou Jin replied, bowed to Nie Sheng, and then turned to receive the order.

Hidden in the bushes, Zhou Yi recognized Zhou Jin. Their great-grandfathers were half-brothers, though by this generation they had long been estranged, only occasionally recognizing each other during festival visits. Zhou Yi had no idea how this distant cousin had escaped the annihilation and returned with troops. This was certainly good news for the family, but Zhou Yi wasn't foolish enough to jump out and acknowledge him. Instead, he carefully crawled backward until he was far enough away that no one would notice him, then turned and ran towards where his clansmen were hiding.

"I ran into an acquaintance among this group!" Zhou Yi said in a deep voice, "It's the fifth son of our clan, named Zhou Jin! It seems he's a minor leader among them!"

"Really? That's wonderful!" someone in the crowd exclaimed excitedly. "There's finally hope! Did you go out and reunite with him?"

“We haven’t even figured out the details of that group yet, how can we act rashly?” Zhou Yi snorted coldly. “I’ll go see him alone later. You all wait here and don’t run around. If I don’t come back, the fourth brother will be in charge from now on. Do you all understand?” As he said this, Zhou Yi’s gaze fell on a young man of about twenty-three or twenty-four, who was his cousin Zhou Wu, the fourth son in the clan.

"Brother, let me go!" Zhou Wu said urgently.

“No, I’ve met Zhou Jin twice before, so we’re fairly familiar. You probably haven’t met him before, so it’s better if I go!” Zhou Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, we’re from the same family, so he shouldn’t hurt me!”

Time was of the essence, so Zhou Yi quickly gave a few instructions and ran towards the official road not far away. Fortunately, he was very familiar with the terrain and did not miss Zhou Jin and his group.

"Young master, stop! Young master, stop!" Zhou Yi saw a group of people coming along the official road, and the one in the lead was vaguely Zhou Jin. He rushed onto the road in three strides, opened his arms and shouted loudly. A person suddenly rushed out of the official road, which startled Zhou Jin. He almost fell off his horse. He barely managed to control his mount and cursed, "Where did this dog thief come from? Doesn't he have eyes?"

"Is this the eldest son, Wu Lang? I am Zhou Yi from the third son! We even shared a drink and had a good time together when we went to Shuxian to pay respects to our ancestors two years ago!"

"Zhou Yi from the third branch? Ancestral worship?" Zhou Jin, having been called by his place in the family, immediately believed him to some extent. He jumped off his horse, carefully examined Zhou Yi's face for a while, and finally recognized him. Overjoyed, he exclaimed, "It really is you! What are you doing here? Are you alone? Where are the others?"

When Zhou Jin questioned him, Zhou Yi recalled his family's ordeal and couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with sorrow, tears welling up in his eyes: "The Moth Bandits were too powerful, and we couldn't resist them. We had no choice but to abandon our ancestral tombs and flee with our families. The suffering we endured is beyond words!"

Seeing Zhou Yi's appearance, Zhou Jin felt a pang of sympathy and sighed, "Yes, the Moth Bandits are powerful, and countless lives have been lost. We are fortunate to have survived. Brother, please don't grieve, lest you harm your health."

Zhou Yi cried for a while, releasing most of the pent-up emotions in his heart, and felt much better: "Thank you for your comforting words, brother. I'm much better now. You seem to be doing quite well! I wonder where you're working!"

"Me?" Zhou Jin laughed, "I'm currently serving under the adopted son of Marquis Wei, the governor of Jiaozhou. The group of clansmen who followed me to protect the young lady have also established themselves in Lingnan and escaped this disaster. It's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune!" As he spoke, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: "Brother, those women and children just now said they were from the Zhou family. Could they be related to you?"

“Indeed, they are all my people. I originally planned to escape by boat, but I didn’t expect that when I finally reached the lake, I would run into your army’s boat docking. In the chaos, some women and children were scattered and fell into the hands of others. I beg you, brother, to help rescue them.”

"So that's how it is!" Zhou Jin patted his chest with a smile. "That's easy to say. Let alone your family, even if they were unrelated, I would still lend a hand just because of the name 'Zhou.' Don't worry, when we get back, I'll talk to the young general, and he will definitely ensure your family is reunited!"

"Then thank you, brother!" Zhou Yi quickly thanked Zhou Jin, then looked around and said, "Seeing how hurried you are, brother, you must have military orders to carry out!"

“That’s right!” Zhou Jin didn’t hide anything. After all, Zhou Yi had been fleeing all the way here, so he definitely knew more about the local situation than he, who had come from afar. He went straight to the point and said, “The young general asked me to go and check on the situation in Juchao City. Did you pass through there on your way here?”

“It is true!” Zhou Yi nodded. “But you don’t need to go. It’s in ruins, a den of thieves!” He then recounted what he had seen and heard on his way there. Zhou Jin was overjoyed. “Good! I’ll take you to see the young general right away. This time, Marquis Wei will be waging war against Lujiang County. People like you who know the local customs are highly valued by the higher-ups. This is our chance to restore our honor!”

"Then I'll have to trouble you, brother!" Zhou Yi bowed and said.

The two hurriedly turned back to the landing site and asked someone to announce their arrival. A moment later, they were brought before Nie Sheng. Nie Sheng was furious: "Zhou Jin, I sent you to Juchao County to scout ahead, why are you back so soon? This is blatant disobedience!"

"General, please forgive me!" Zhou Jin hurriedly bowed. "It's not that I've neglected military orders, but I just encountered a brother from my clan on the road. He came from Juchao City, so I rushed back to report to you, General!" As he spoke, he pointed to Zhou Yi behind him: "This is my brother from my clan, named Zhou Yi!"

"What a coincidence!" Nie Sheng looked at Zhou Yi in surprise.

“It’s not a coincidence!” Zhou Yi said, “Just now, when your ship docked, my people and I were fishing and gathering reeds in the reeds by the water. Fearing to offend your might, we had to hide in the reeds. In the rush, we lost a few women and children, who were taken in by you. I can never repay this great kindness!” After saying this, he knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

"So that's how it is! Those women and children are your people!" Nie Sheng laughed. "I was wondering how a few women and children could survive in a time like this without any men! Well then, I'll return them to you later!"

"Thank you, General!" Zhou Yi breathed a sigh of relief and said in a deep voice, "My group passed through Juchao City a couple of days ago. Although there were Han banners in the city, the damaged parts of the city walls and gates had not been repaired, and the area outside the city was already a barren wasteland. In my opinion, although it still looks like a city on the surface, it is actually a den of bandits, luring the fleeing civilians into the city to harm them!"

"Damn it, how could such a thing happen?" Nie Sheng was furious upon hearing this: "The people are suffering so much, yet someone still takes advantage of the situation to harm them!"

“General, you are unaware of this!” Zhou Yi said, “In this world, good people suffer greatly, but for evil people who kill and plunder, it is the best world imaginable. As long as they have knives, fine wine, silk, women, and food, and as long as they gather a hundred or so strong men, they can have as much as they want, since the government will not bother them anymore.”

"I understand!" Nie Shengqiang suppressed his anger: "Gu Gu!"

“Yes!” a dark-skinned, wiry warrior replied.

"You will lead two hundred men and accompany this young master Zhou to Juchao County! Cleanse the city of all the villains!"

"Yes, sir!" Gu Gu responded and turned to leave. Nie Sheng said to Zhou Yi, "I came here on my adoptive father's orders to cleanse Lujiang of its corruption and restore order! You lead the way, and leave the killing of the traitors to my men!"

----------------------

“These guys don’t seem to be Han Chinese!” Zhou Yi looked warily at the soldiers who were lining up. Although their armor was neat, judging from their skin color and hair, most of these soldiers should not be Han Chinese.

"Keep your voice down!" Zhou Jin subtly pulled Zhou Yi aside before whispering, "See that ancient valley? That's their leader! That's the prince of Lin Yi Kingdom!"

"Linyi Kingdom? Where is that?" Zhou Yi asked, puzzled.

"Have you heard of Rinan County?"

"I've heard of it, a prefecture in Jiaozhou. What's wrong with it?"

"Rinan Commandery is the southernmost commandery in Jiaozhou, and also the southernmost commandery in the Han Dynasty. The Kingdom of Linyi is located south of Rinan Commandery. Its ruler attempted to invade Jiaozhou, gathering a hundred war elephants and an army of fifty thousand men. However, it was defeated by the Marquis of Wei's army, and the king and his royal family were sent to Luoyang as prisoners!"

"Then why wasn't this ancient valley sent there?"

"I heard he defected at a crucial moment! He served the Han Dynasty, so he stayed to serve under Marquis Wei!" Zhou Jin whispered. "His soldiers were all handpicked from the Lin-yi army, especially skilled with poisoned crossbows, and they fought very bravely in battle!"

"My men are ready. How much longer until we set off?" Gu Gu's Mandarin accent was still quite heavy, but communication was no longer a problem.

Zhou Yi turned around, trying his best not to show any unusual expression: "I'm ready too, we can leave immediately!"

“Very good!” Furuya nodded. “I’ll wait for you there!” He pointed to a large tree not far away, then turned and left.

"Tell my men not to worry!" Zhou Yiqiang suppressed his panic. Fighting a group of complete strangers gave him an unusual feeling he had never experienced before.

“I will!” Zhou Jin nodded. “Don’t worry, Gu Gu has a nickname, Tiger. You’ll find that the nickname is just right!”

————————————————————

"Right there!" Zhou Yi pointed to Juchao County in the distance. The county town looked much the same as when he passed by a few days ago: the banners of the Han Dynasty still flew on the city walls, but the area outside the city was now barren. There were several collapsed sections in the city walls, and the city gates were gone, replaced by wooden fences. If there was any difference, it was that there were two more places where the city walls had collapsed.

"Very well, leave the rest to me!" Gu Gu nodded to Zhou Yi, then gave orders to his subordinates in a language Zhou Yi had never heard before. A few minutes later, the soldiers dispersed, sat down to rest, eat, and drink. Gu Gu removed his armor and weapons, leaving only a short sword and light clothing.

(End of this chapter)