Taiheiki

Chapter 340 Escape
"It wasn't the Han Chinese who set the fire, it was the Ju-ting people who set the fire! You can see for yourselves if you don't believe me!"

The group snapped out of their daze and looked outside the camp. In the darkness beyond, they saw tiny sparks of fire rising, flickering and dancing in the wind. But soon, fueled by the wind, the flames exploded, transforming into fiery serpents that surged and spread wildly through the grass, bushes, and trees, weaving together to create a magnificent spectacle.

"Quickly, put out the fire! Put out the fire!"

Without the officers giving orders, everyone sprang into action. Anyone with half a brain knew that such a fierce fire couldn't have happened naturally; it must have been arson. The wind was blowing in their direction, and it would spread into the camp in a very short time, at which point everything would be over.

But human strength has its limits. With the fierce night wind, raindrops of sparks flew over trenches, ramparts, and fences, landing in the Funan camp. In a very short time, countless huts and supplies were ablaze, flames shooting into the sky, illuminating the entire night sky as if day had returned. Columns of smoke rose into the air, obscuring the stars, causing everyone to pale in fear.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

A piercing scream shattered the tranquility of the Prince of Funan's residence. He angrily climbed off a palace maid and roared, "Who, who dares to disturb my meditation!"

"Your Majesty, please come out quickly! Fire! There's a huge fire!"

The curtain was thrown back, and the Prince of Funan, wearing only a cloth around his waist, stormed to the doorway in a rage, only to freeze in shock. Everywhere he looked was a crimson red. The shadows of trees twisted and crackled in the flames before collapsing with a deafening roar. Bamboo rafts were rolled up and swallowed like pieces of paper, soldiers were scalded to a burning heat, and banners turned to ashes. The sounds of wind, fire, crackling wood, the terrified cries of war elephants, and the frantic running of soldiers—all blended together, creating a symphony of destruction.

"What, what, what's going on?" The Prince of Funan stared blankly, muttering to himself.

"Your Majesty, run! This must have been set on fire by those despicable mountain bandits!"

The Funan people were thrown into complete chaos. From the King of Funan down to the lowest soldier, no one knew what to do. The firelight severed communication within the camp, the command system was completely paralyzed, and the Funan people trampled, pushed, and even drew their swords against each other in their struggle for survival. Countless people died in the flames.

————————————————————

Yu Wen stood motionless on a tree stump, like a stone statue. Hundreds of meters away, across a stream, flames raged everywhere. Half of the Funan camp was already ablaze. The kiss of the flames turned the military camp into a funeral pyre, turning people into living torches. The air was filled with smoke, stench, and screams.

The Funan people across the stream, from the king to the lowest soldier, watched helplessly as the fire engulfed them. Some frantically waved branches and tore down tents, trying to stop the flames, but it was all in vain. The fire had already taken hold, and the night wind made their cloaks flutter loudly. The fire would not stop until everything was burned to the ground.

There were a dozen or so campfires in the Han army camp, but they paled in comparison to the raging inferno before them, like candles burning in a house. The fire in the Funan camp even stained the low-lying clouds red; the terrifying fire clouds enveloped the entire sky, breathtakingly beautiful, yet utterly terrifying. More than a thousand years ago, when Di Xin stood on the Deer Terrace and set himself on fire, did he feel the same way you do now?

The hot wind whipped Yu Wen's cloak, stinging his bare face, but he didn't flinch. He seemed to hear sighs from the soldiers behind him. Avoiding the Ju-ting people's fire attack was a success, but it wasn't enough; they had to get the King of Funan out of there safely as well.

A dozen or so Funan people escaped the fire and collapsed by the stream, drinking deeply. They were lucky to have survived the flames, but also unlucky, for the Gou-ting people would undoubtedly attack at dawn, and what would they use to defend themselves then? King of Funan! Do you see? Your men are being burned and roasted like a bunch of beasts. All this is not only due to the Gou-ting people's scheme, but also to your own foolish arrogance. Yu Wen knew that if the King of Funan had escaped, he would most likely have also collapsed by the stream, drinking deeply; any mortal would be utterly unable to resist the allure of the cool water.

"Xu Wen!" Yu Wen beckoned to his deputy: "I'm going to the shore to board the ship now. You take a hundred men and wait by the stream. If you find the King of Funan, bring them here. I need them, do you understand?"

"Understood. In the midst of the defeat, whoever controls the King of Funan can use him to rally the Funan people and control their land!"

"Good, you understand!" Yu Wen nodded in satisfaction. "Remember, I will wait for you there until 9:00 AM tomorrow. You must return before then so we can take a boat back to the capital of Funan together. We won't wait for you if you're late!"

"Tomorrow at 9 AM? A little while longer?"

“Yes!” Yu Wen patiently explained, “The situation is clear: the Funan people have been defeated by fire. Tomorrow at dawn, the Gou-ting people will launch their attack. If you haven’t found the Funan king by then, there are only three possibilities: he died in the fire, he escaped through another route we don’t know, or he was captured by the Gou-ting people. In any case, we don’t need to stay here any longer. We should return to the Funan capital as soon as possible and choose a prince to support. Although he’s not as useful as the Funan king, he’s better than nothing!”

"Understood, Your Excellency!" The deputy envoy nodded, then hesitated for a moment: "However, with only four hundred men, even if we return to the capital of Funan unscathed, I'm afraid it won't be enough to deter the barbarians, will it?"

"I already sent out carrier pigeons when I left the capital of Funan to go on the expedition," Yu Wen said with a smile. "If everything goes smoothly, Chief Secretary Duan's army is already on its way!" As he said this, Yu Wen saw another group of dark figures by the stream. It was time for him to leave. After all, he was still carrying those cute golden toys with him, and he couldn't afford to let anything happen to them.

"It's time. I must leave. You too should go to the stream to find that lovely King!"

The prime minister stumbled and collapsed beside the stream. Forgetting all decorum and restraint, he plunged his head into the water and began to drink deeply. Because he drank too fast and too quickly, he immediately began to cough violently, but he still felt an unparalleled sense of relief. He had never tasted water so sweet and delicious in his life, especially after running wildly out of the fire.

"Master, Master!" The servants, thinking their master was in trouble, hurriedly helped him up. Then they heard the prime minister laugh loudly. Thinking the prime minister was having an episode, the servants quickly asked, "Master, are you alright?"

"It's alright, it's alright!" The prime minister gasped for breath, then looked at the worried servants beside him. "Do you think I've gone mad? Haha, just now, while I was in the fire, I thought that if I could have a sip of water, I would be willing to die right away. I never expected to have such sweet water to drink so soon. Naturally, I feel extremely happy! Shouldn't I be happy and laughing?"

"But, but sir, we just suffered a crushing defeat!" a servant asked timidly.

"You must understand that human destiny is determined by God, and God's will is always unpredictable. Take you and me, for example. I was born into a prime minister's family, and even if I grow up, I will at least become a subject of the king, traveling in elephants and sedan chairs, having multiple wives, and living in a grand and magnificent house; while you were born into a family of servants, and will grow up to serve nobles as servants. But this does not mean that I will be carefree forever, while you will be sorrowful all day long. If I anger His Majesty the King, I will be punished, exiled, or even executed, and then I will be sorrowful and painful; but if you serve me well, you will also receive my rewards, promotions, or even be freed from your servitude and become minor officials, and you will be happy and joyful because of this. So whether a person is sorrowful or happy depends on their own circumstances. Although we have just suffered a defeat, we have all escaped alive, with all our limbs intact and water to quench our thirst. Compared to those who perished in the fire, aren't we a thousand times better off? Shouldn't we be happy and joyful?"

Upon hearing the prime minister's words, the servants couldn't help but admire him: "Master, your wisdom is truly unmatched. Hearing your words has made us much happier, and we feel much stronger!"

The prime minister rallied his servants and said with a smile, "Then everyone, quickly drink some water and wash yourselves. We'll walk downstream along this stream and we'll surely reach the main river. Once we get there, as long as we can find a boat, we can travel back to the capital by water!"

"You're right, sir!" The servants quickly drank water to quench their thirst, then washed themselves, feeling much better. They then escorted the prime minister downstream along the stream. After walking only a hundred paces, they were blocked. The prime minister stepped forward and shouted, "Who are you? I am Sangba, the Grand Prime Minister of Funan! Get out of my way! I will pray before the gods to forgive your sins! Otherwise, you will commit a grave offense against the Brahmins, and not only will you be severely punished in this life, but you will also be reborn as pigs and dogs after death, only to be reborn a hundred times!"

After the prime minister uttered these words, he expected the group to disperse and give way. At that time, the entire kingdom of Funan revered Hinduism, and had a hierarchical system similar to the Hindu caste system. The Samba, naturally a first-rank Brahmin, held the power of sacrifice. Ordinary lower-caste people didn't even need to lift a finger; a few shouts were enough to instill fear in them, forcing them to kneel in submission.

But when the group heard Samba's harsh rebuke, they didn't kneel down to beg for mercy; instead, they surrounded him with weapons. Samba inwardly groaned. Had he encountered a group of rabid thugs who disrespected the gods and had no regard for the law? That would be terrible.

"Who are you? Do you know the whereabouts of the King of Funan?" someone on the other side asked loudly.

The prime minister was overjoyed upon hearing this. Since the other party asked such a question, they were probably not some kind of villainous madman. He quickly shouted, "I am Prime Minister Samba! Who are you?"

"So it's you, Prime Minister! I am Xu Wen, the Deputy Envoy of the Han Dynasty!" came the reply from the other side. By this time, they had gotten closer, and the Prime Minister could see that they were all dressed as Han soldiers, and the one in the middle was indeed the Han deputy envoy. He was overjoyed: "So it's Deputy Envoy Xu. What good luck! Where is your esteemed envoy? Were you injured in the fire?"

"Our camp is on high ground across the stream, so we were unharmed by the fire!" Xu Wen pointed. "Governor Yu saw that the fire was too big and estimated that it would be difficult to withstand the enemy's attack tomorrow, so he went to the riverbank to board a boat and prepared to return to the capital for further discussion. As for this humble general, he was ordered by the chief envoy to find your king by this stream and escort him back to the capital!"

"Lord Yu is indeed insightful!" Prime Minister Sangba sighed. "Yes, we have certainly been defeated by those bandits this time. However, our Funan Kingdom has a history of hundreds of years and many vassal states. Even if we are defeated this time, we will still have a chance to rise again as long as we return to the capital. If we can safely send His Majesty back to the capital, we will be grateful for your kindness!"

Xu Wen gave a few perfunctory words, and then the prime minister found a place to sit by the stream. He dispatched soldiers to search for the King of Funan along the riverbank. However, as time passed, although more and more Funan soldiers fled to the stream, the King of Funan was nowhere to be found. As dawn approached, the fire on the mountain grew larger and larger, gradually spreading towards the stream. They were forced to confront a terrible possibility—could the King of Funan have already been burned to death?

"Prime Minister!" Xu Wen carefully considered his words before speaking cautiously, "You see, the sky is getting brighter and brighter. The Ju-ting people will definitely make a move after daybreak. We are outnumbered, and if something happens, it will be very bad!"

Samba guessed Xu Wen's meaning and asked, "So what do you mean?"

"Envoy Yu left a message before he left: the ship will not arrive until 11:00 AM today at the latest. If we haven't arrived by then, he will raise the sails and leave. To be honest, 11:00 AM is already a bit late. After all, we only have four hundred people. If we get entangled with the Ju-ting people, then everything will be over!"

"I understand!" Samba had made up his mind: "We'll wait another half an hour. If the King doesn't appear by then, we'll leave!"

On the makeshift dock by the river, Yu Wen paced anxiously back and forth. The distant wildfires hadn't subsided, the sun was already high in the sky, and time was ticking away. The Ju-ting people could appear at any moment, but there was still no sign of Xu Wen and his party. Indeed, his most important mission on this mission was to monitor the battle situation—a task he had already completed. After confirming that the King of Funan was about to set out, he had sent out a carrier pigeon. But in Yu Wen's view, this was merely a "passing grade," meaning not bad. He had learned this term from General Wei.

(End of this chapter)