Taiheiki

Chapter 290 The Fugitive

"What do you mean?"

"Send an assassin to kill him!"

"Huh?" Shi Xie was stunned: "An assassin?"

“That’s right! Poisoned wine, a cold arrow, a dagger, falling off a horse—anything will do as long as this guy dies quickly!” Wei Cong drew a line across his neck with his right hand, making a beheading gesture: “As long as we don’t have to send troops to conquer him, that’s too difficult and too expensive!”

"Then why not arrange a marriage alliance?" Shi Xie asked. "Wouldn't that be better?"

"A marriage alliance?" Wei Cong laughed. "Let me ask you, do you know who Tan Shihuai's father is?"

Shi Xie's face immediately flushed with shame: "General, please forgive me, I am incompetent!"

“I don’t mean to blame you. It’s normal not to know. I didn’t know either until yesterday. This morning I called an old official from the Imperial Archives to check the records and found out. It seems to be a chieftain of a small tribe named Touluhou. However, Tanshihuai’s father must have died a long time ago, because he grew up in his maternal grandfather’s tribe!” Wei Cong smiled. “So you understand now? Every Xiongnu Chanyu comes from the Luandi clan, and their fathers were also Chanyu. Their lineage has continued for hundreds of years, and the Xiongnu people have long been accustomed to accepting the descendants of the Luandi clan as their Chanyu. But Tanshihuai is different. His ancestors were not any great figures, nor did they leave him much wealth or followers; on the contrary, he lost his father at a very young age, a fact that even Pu…” "He's not even as good as a commoner. The Xiongnu Chanyu, by accepting a marriage alliance with the Han Dynasty, could obtain vast amounts of wealth from the Han emperor that the grasslands couldn't produce, without risking war—this was advantageous. Tanshihuai, however, had no ancestral virtues to rely on. The Xianbei people remained fragmented, with numerous tribes, unlike the Xiongnu who were accustomed to ruling under a single family. Therefore, Tanshihuai had to lead the Xianbei in constant conquest and plunder, ensuring their continued support; but if he accepted a marriage alliance, the Xianbei could no longer raid southwards, and they wouldn't support him. Tanshihuai understood this perfectly, so he wouldn't accept the marriage alliance. Even if he did, the Xianbei's plundering of the northern border regions wouldn't cease!"

"If that's the case, why not attack him?" Shi Xie asked.

"Tan Shihuai inherited nothing from his ancestors; his achievements today are entirely due to his own bravery and talent. Such a person is terrifying! Besides his extraordinary talent, he has also endured countless hardships and difficulties, forging himself into a steely being. But if we use an assassin to kill him, it will be difficult for the Xianbei people to find another outstanding figure like Tan Shihuai to reunite them in a short time. They will most likely fragment again into many small, hostile tribes, making it much easier to deal with them!"

"The General is right!" Shi Xie said with heartfelt admiration, "Your distinction between the Xianbei and the Xiongnu is something I have never heard anyone say before. It is truly a revelation that no one has made before!"

"Actually, it's nothing. Anyone who has dealt with barbarians for years will understand that there are significant differences between barbarians. Take the Xiongnu, for example. Although they are barbarians, they have fought, made peace through marriage, submitted to, and rebelled against our Han Dynasty for hundreds of years. They have long since developed their own official system, royal titles, and distinctions between superiors and inferiors. Only with such barbarians is it possible to make peace through marriage. As for the Xianbei, their tribes are scattered and there is no distinction between superiors and inferiors. You wouldn't even know who to make peace with. It would be more convenient to use assassins to kill a powerful figure like Tan Shihuai and then divide and rule them!"

"The General is right!"

"Alright, I'll leave the assassination of Tan Shihuai to you!" Wei Cong smiled. "I'll give you six months to prepare, five hundred taels of gold, and it must be completed by next autumn. How about that?"

“Yes!” Shi Xie bowed his head and said.

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Hanoi, where hunting dogs gather.

They rested briefly in the bushes next to the mountain path. Yuan Shu gathered dry branches, while the horses drank from the stream. He bent down and picked up a broken branch, examining it: "Can this thing be used to start a fire? I've never done this before; it's always the servants!"

"Start a fire?" Wu Jing sneered, "Gonglu, are you in such a hurry to die? Have you forgotten where you are? The fire will attract bandits from miles around. Wei Cong is offering a hefty bounty for your head!"

"So what do you plan to do?" Yuan Shu threw the firewood on the ground. Upon learning of the attack on Lugu Manor, he immediately abandoned everything and fled Luoyang. He originally intended to flee to Runan, but Wei Cong had anticipated this and deployed heavy troops to guard and blockade several key passes and routes from Luoyang to Runan. Forced to change course, Yuan Shu had to head towards Hanoi. Knowing that Wei Cong had offered a high reward, Yuan Shu feared betrayal by his servants, so he fled overnight with only Wu Jing. Without anyone to care for him, he felt aches and pains throughout his life.

"Me?" Wu Jing thought for a moment before replying, "Wei Cong has already joined forces with the Dou family, and no one in the court can stand against him. All we can do is find a place to hide incognito and wait for the situation to change!"

"Yes!" Yuan Shu sighed. "I really didn't expect that Wei Cong, a mere military man, could actually gain a foothold in Luoyang, and that Feng Kun and Zhang Huan would be so obedient. Even Ji Province and Bing Province are so compliant! It's truly unbelievable!"

"Because you underestimate Wei Cong!" Wu Jing sneered. "You think he's just a martial artist, but in my opinion, he's not. He's quite adept at political maneuvering!"

"What do you mean?" Yuan Shu asked.

"Take Zhang Huan and Feng Kun for example. If it weren't for Wei Cong, do you think either of them could have become one of the Three Dukes in the imperial court?"

"The Three Dukes?" Yuan Shu laughed. "How could that be? Judging from how they treated the Moth Thieves, it would be good enough if they could escape unscathed afterward."

"Then the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households is even more impossible!" Wu Jing clapped his hands. "But they both got it from Wei Cong, so why didn't they stand with him? And the Dou family—Wei Cong besieged Luoyang, forcing the Dou family into such a state, but when the Dou family had a daughter, Wei Cong immediately sided with them. The Dou family had a righteous cause, and he had the power; he could immediately suppress everyone else in the court. And Bingzhou and Hebei—they've been plundered by the Xianbei for years. Even if someone wanted to do something, they didn't have the ability; they could only watch this guy seize power in Luoyang. So, it seems that Wei Cong is not only not a warrior, but also a treacherous villain!"

“You’re right, I did underestimate him!” Yuan Shu nodded. “But even so, he can’t stay in Luoyang for long. At most five years, at least three, something will inevitably happen!”

“Of course, the world is not at peace these days!” Wu Jing said. “But we must first avoid this storm! Where do you think we should go next?”

"If possible, I'd better go back to Runan!" Yuan Shu sighed. "If I get there, I won't be afraid of that scoundrel Wei Cong at all. Raising ten thousand men will be a piece of cake!"

“Well, then we can only continue eastward!” Wu Jing drew a line on the ground with his finger: “First go to Xiuwu, then to Jixian. Once we get there, we’ll find a way to cross the Yellow River to the south, which will take us to Yanzhou. Once we’re there, we won’t have to worry about Wei Cong’s power!”

“Yes, this is the only way!” Yuan Shu nodded. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Yanzhou was another famous gathering place for scholars, besides Ruzhou and Yingzhou. The local gentry were very powerful, and with their reputation and status, it would be easy to find someone willing to protect them. Having made their decision, they ate some dry rations and huddled in a sheltered spot, wrapped in cloaks. But as darkness fell, the temperature dropped rapidly. Left with no other choice, they lit a fire and warmed themselves. After playing rock-paper-scissors, Yuan Shu was to guard the second half of the night. So he wrapped his cloak tighter, lay down on the uneven ground, and, due to extreme exhaustion, quickly fell asleep.

"Highway, highway, wake up! Wake up!"

Wu Jing's warning was low and urgent, and Yuan Shu immediately woke up. The campfire had almost burned out, and the light was dim, but he could still sense someone approaching. Yuan Shu drew his sword, gripped the dagger at his waist with his other hand, and knelt on one knee, back to back with Wu Jing. Was this the end? he wondered to himself.

Moonlight shone on the weapons in Yuan and Wu's hands, making them gleam with a metallic sheen. The shadowy figures around them stopped, and someone shouted, "Who are you? Bandits?"

"Passersby!" Wu Jing said in a deep voice, "Spend the night here!"

"Staying up here in the middle of nowhere?" someone sneered from the woods. "Clearly thieves!"

“Whether you’re a thief or a passerby, we all have weapons. If we fight, you’ll all lose men!” Yuan Shu interjected. “Why bother? Wouldn’t it be better to just go back and live in peace?”

"What a joke!" the man in the woods laughed. "There are only two of you, but we have twenty. If we start fighting, not a single hair on our heads will be lost!"

"Is that so?" Yuan Shu laughed. "Then why don't you rush up and capture them?"

There was a brief silence outside, followed by a shout: "Go! These two must have a lot of valuables on them. Take the lion's share of the spoils!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several footsteps came from the surrounding darkness. Yuan Shu aimed at the lower half of the first figure who rushed out and shot an arrow. With a shrill scream, a poor man holding a wooden stick fell to the ground with an arrow stuck in his thigh.

"Don't move, the next arrow will be in the head!" Yuan Shu nocked a second arrow, drew the bowstring taut, and the creaking sound of the taut bowstring was particularly noticeable in the night. The crowd stopped in their tracks, staring in horror at the figure holding the bow by the fire.

"What are you afraid of? They only have one bow!" someone shouted from the woods.

"There was only one bow, but I shot the person in front. Also, why wasn't the one who was speaking standing in front, but hiding in the woods?"

"Because I can command better from the woods?"

"Hehehe!" Yuan Shu laughed: "What can you command from hiding in the woods, all in the dark? You're clearly afraid of my arrows. I've seen bandits before, but I've never seen such a cowardly bandit as you. You call yourself a leader!"

Yuan Shu's taunts resonated with the bandits, who retreated into the woods, cursing their cowardly leader. Despite his tirade and orders to his men not to retreat, no one paid him any attention. Only the man shot in the thigh lay on the ground, screaming in agony and begging his companions to take him away, but no one paid him any heed. Wu Jing snorted coldly, rose, dragged the wounded bandit to the fire, examined the injury, and laughed, "Shot right through! This guy's lucky; he won't have to suffer the pain of pulling out the arrowhead!"

"That's true!" Yuan Shu laughed. "He's certainly a lucky fellow!"

So Wu Jing pinned the thief to the ground and stuffed a wooden peg into his mouth, forcing him to bite down. Then Yuan Shu first cut the arrow shaft with his dagger, then used the heated blade to slightly open the wound, before forcefully pulling out the shaft and wrapping the bleeding wound with cloth. He said to the thief, "Alright, whether you can survive this depends on yourself!"

"Thank you both, gentlemen!" The thief, already exhausted from the pain, leaned against the fire, half-dead. Yuan Shu asked a few questions about his origins; it turned out he was a group of refugees living in the mountains who had come to plunder after seeing the firelight, but hadn't expected to run into such a tough opponent.

"Let's leave as soon as it gets light," Wu Jing sighed. "But to be honest, this is Hanoi, only two or three hundred li from Luoyang, which is already considered part of the capital region. There are already bandits living in the mountains. If a peasant uprising breaks out, I'm afraid it won't be much worse than the Moth Bandits!"

"That's none of our business!" Yuan Shu yawned and said lazily, "Wei Cong is in charge of the court, let him worry about it!"

“Gonglu, you didn’t understand what I meant!” Wu Jing smiled. “What I meant was, if another moth-bandit uprising were to occur in the Kinki region, don’t you think it would be a good thing?”

"These cowardly rats?" Yuan Shu sneered, "Wei Cong could wipe them all out with a flick of his little finger!"

"That's not necessarily true!" Wu Jing laughed. "Gathering troops for open field battles on the plains is one thing, but fighting in the mountains is quite another. Besides, Wei Cong was able to take control of Luoyang only because the court had to suppress the Emei bandits, which forced him to grant him military power, giving him the opportunity. If this happens again in the north, wouldn't we be—"

"That's true!" Yuan Shu immediately understood. "Yes, that's a good idea. When we were in power, the Moth Rebels were certainly no good, but now that Wei Cong is in power, it's different. At least we can allow the surrounding prefectures and counties to recruit heroes and raise troops for self-defense!"

Thinking of this, the two were filled with excitement and no longer felt the bitter cold of the mountains. At dawn, they mounted their horses and headed towards Xiuwu.

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Heyang, Mengjin.

As the Yellow River flows down, it splits into two tributaries within the territory of Heyang, with a sandbar in between, which the local people call Zhongtan Island.

(End of this chapter)