Jinting Han people

Meng He's return journey involved stealthily traversing the Mangshan Mountains to the north. Through dense forests, he would pass through Shouyang Mountain, Xialing Mountain, and Fenghuang Mountain, descending a small, icy stream before breaking through the Western Army's blockade and returning to Jinyong City.

Mangshan was shrouded in a vast darkness and silence. Thick clouds hung low in the sky; there was no moon or stars, only the faint glow of campfires lit by the western people in the distance, swaying quietly in the north wind. Meng He circled these firelights, feeling his way along the shady side of Mangshan. He could see that the great river to the north was still a frozen block of ice, and the reeds still stretched endlessly, rustling in the wind. Occasionally, the cawing of a crow or two could be heard from the mountains.

Gradually, the dark blue color of the thick clouds appeared, and daylight returned. The frost in the mountains seemed to bloom with countless pear blossoms. Meng He walked through them with his head down. Since he was on the same route he had come from, he walked much faster than last time. By the afternoon of that day, he could almost see the earthen mound of the Western Army. Beyond the mound, he could see scattered settlements all around, which were all refugees who were forced to stay and had nowhere to go.

Meng He didn't rush down the mountain. He first collected fallen leaves and withered branches from the mountain, piled them up, and then ate the dry rations he had brought with him, mixed with snow. When the sun began to set, he took out a tinderbox and lit the pile of withered leaves. After the flames shot up, Meng He immediately crawled to a corner in the distance, watching the pillar of fire slowly rise, thus sending a message to the city that he had returned.

When some Westerners saw the plume of smoke and moved closer, Menghe circled around again and secretly made his way to a refugee settlement. By this time, the refugee settlement had become a living hell. The Western Expeditionary Army only distributed food to those who were able to work, leaving many without food. With no other choice, some began to eat dirt, while others cut off pieces of human flesh to eat. The ground was littered with pale bones, and at night, green will-o'-the-wisps would even appear.

Meng He had a bag of salt in his pocket at this time. He used the salt as a bargaining chip to find someone to guide him, hoping to blend in with the refugees who were working and use the excuse of repairing the earthen hill to escape back to Jinyong City.

Salt was now more precious than gold among the refugees. When Meng He took it out, it also demonstrated his status in the imperial court, and he quickly received help from the refugees. With the help of an old village head, he gathered more than thirty people and headed towards the earthen hill under the pretense of moving building materials.

Unexpectedly, as the group carried the pine logs deeper into the area, they encountered a small patrol of Westerners. Among the patrol were two mounted knights. As one of them brushed past Meng He, he seemed to sense something was amiss. He spurred his horse back, ordered the refugees to stop, and then pointed his whip at Meng He, asking, "Hey, where are you from?"

Soon the others gathered around to see what had happened.

Meng He was extremely nervous, but he still pretended to be a timid peasant and stammered, "I am... I am... a commoner from Dongyinting, and my name is Meng Bogen."

The knight dismounted, scanned Meng He from head to toe, and sneered, "You think you can fool me, Wei Gai? Don't even think about it! Speak! Where did you come from as a spy!"

Another knight, clad in gleaming armor, sat on his horse and slowly said, "If you don't want to suffer, you'd better confess honestly."

As soon as he finished speaking, five or six soldiers approached, ready to capture him. Meng He didn't know where the mistake had gone, but he couldn't wait any longer. He pulled out a dagger from his pocket and thrust it at the knight in the gleaming armor. The man nimbly reined in his horse and dodged to the side. Wei Gai, quick as lightning, rushed up from behind and lashed Meng He's ankle with his whip. Meng He cried out in pain and immediately fell to the ground.

The guards seized the opportunity and rushed forward, quickly binding Meng He and arresting him.

"You idiot! You actually dared to assassinate me! Our laborers have been wearing ropes around their waists for so long that their clothes are marked with welts. Do you think I wouldn't see through your act?" Wei Gai shrugged smugly and turned to ask the knight on the other side, "Uncle, what do we do next?"

Commander Wei Jun did not speak immediately, but glanced at Meng He for a while before asking him, "Speak, who sent you? What are you doing in the city?"

Meng He showed no fear and slowly said, "I am Meng He, son of the Duke of Shanggu of the Great Jin Dynasty, and the gatekeeper of the Grand Commandant's office. I have been ordered to go out of the city to investigate."

When Wei Jun heard that he was Meng Guan's son, he was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Ordered to investigate? Just you alone? Does the Grand Commandant intend to harm you?"

“What’s wrong with being alone? Throughout history, those who accomplish great things have never needed many people.” Meng He straightened up and said seriously, “It was indeed the Grand Commandant who ordered me to leave the city, and I am not lying. I am just familiar with the generals of the reinforcements and was ordered to go and contact the reinforcements outside the city.”

"Oh? You were the one who lit the fire outside just now?" Wei Jun's expression turned serious as he leaned down and pressed him for an answer. He said, "There was also someone lighting a fire on Mangshan the day before yesterday; that must have been you too!"

"it's me."

"So, you've already made contact with reinforcements? When are they preparing for their main attack?"

"What a sharp reaction!" Meng He looked at Wei Jun, and was taken aback, but quickly shook his head and said, "I just went to find out the situation, and I don't know anything about whether it's a main attack or not."

"Impossible!" Wei Jun said decisively, "It's not easy to make a trip like this, how could I not tell you the inside story!"

Wei Gai threatened Meng He from the side, "You'd better tell me, or I'll have no choice but to hand you over to our marshal! Our marshal loves to eat people, and you don't want to become his meal, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Meng He trembled with fear, but still straightened his back and said, "Do you think everyone is like you, a villain who aids and abets evil?"

There wasn't much more to say. Wei Jun and Wei Gai immediately took Meng He to the headquarters of the Western Expeditionary Army and reported the matter to Zhang Fang.

When they arrived at the commander's tent, Zhang Fang, Lü Lang, Ma Zhan and others were discussing strategies to deal with the reinforcements from the east. Upon hearing that Meng Guan's son had been captured, Zhang Fang took a closer look and said, "I met Marshal Meng five years ago, and he does indeed look somewhat like him."

This was the first time Meng He had seen Zhang Fang. He saw that the man was burly and had a pair of extremely shrewd eyes. He didn't seem scary at all, and his words even had a touch of approachability. But when he thought that Zhang Fang was the culprit who destroyed Luoyang, Meng He felt a surge of resentment. However, without a dagger, he couldn't kill him, so he could only remain silent.

Zhang Fang didn't care about Meng He's silence. He first ordered his men to untie him, and then sat cross-legged and said, "For the sake of your father, I won't make things difficult for you. As long as you tell me how many people are coming from the east, when you plan to launch the general attack, and where you plan to attack, I can promote you and give you a title. If you don't listen to me, I will also give you some face and not torture you, but I will send you to be cut in half at the waist."

Meng He lowered his head and remained silent for a while before saying, "I am willing to speak." Then he continued, "Two hundred thousand troops have arrived from the east of the city: eighty thousand from Yanzhou, sixty thousand from Yuzhou, and sixty thousand from Qingzhou. They will attack Shouyang Mountain in ten days."

Zhang Fang burst into laughter upon hearing this. He pointed at Meng He and said to Zhi Fu beside him, "Hahaha, does this kid think I can't tell the difference between truth and falsehood? He just spouts nonsense, 200,000? Hebei can't even afford that many people right now!"

At this point, he tossed Wei a small knife and laughed, "Cut off one of his fingers and teach him a lesson about lying."

Without hesitation, Wei severed Meng He's right little finger with a single stroke. Meng He screamed in agony, kneeling on the ground and clutching his bleeding right hand, repeatedly saying, "I'll talk, I'll talk." He immediately poured out everything he had seen and heard over the past few days, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Zhang Fang was naturally very pleased with himself. He clapped his hands and sighed to his subordinates, "These youngsters nowadays! They think they're so great, they don't know how painful it is to be cut. They always have to get cut before they know what's wrong." He then waved to Wei Jun and said, "In a moment, take him to the city walls and have him shout to the city: 'Liu Tun's attacks have been repeatedly defeated, and he has already withdrawn his troops! The King of Chengdu, having heard of the Western Army's victory, has also sent 100,000 troops to help the Western Army! Now the court is desperate and begs to kill Liu Xian and surrender as soon as possible!' Ha, these people have given up any hope of receiving reinforcements. Let's see how long they can hold out!"

Then he turned to Meng He and said, "If you keep your word, I will report to my king and grant you wealth and honor. But if you try anything funny, it won't just be a matter of one cut! Do you understand?"

Seeing Meng He nodding repeatedly with tears in his eyes, he clutched his stomach and laughed, "Kid, you know how tough it is now!"

So Wei Jun gave Meng He a simple bandage, and the group left the camp, escorting Meng He to the east side of Jinyong City. Wei Gai personally carried a sword, holding Meng He, whose hands were bound behind his back, while Wei Jun and a few others watched from behind. They knew there were sharpshooters inside Jinyong City, so they stood a little further away and deliberately covered their faces with cloths.

Wei gave Meng He a push, reminding him, "Remember the marshal's words, hurry up and say it! Once you're done shouting, we can go back sooner!"

Meng He staggered, nodded, straightened up, cleared his throat, and then raised his head to shout at Jinyong City, "Tonight's garrison commander should be Commandant Zhang! Come and show yourself to hear me. I am Meng He, the gatekeeper under the Grand Commandant, and I have some messages to deliver!" His throat was a little sore, but his voice was still very loud.

Soon, a soldier poked his head out from the city wall and asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's going on? Are you really one of the Grand Commandant's men? Why did you suddenly leave the city? What proof do you have?"

"Summon General Zhang. I am the son of the Duke of Shanggu. There is no official of the seventh rank or above in the city who does not know me!"

After a while, Zhang Shi, who was in charge of this section, arrived. He was wearing a helmet and peered out cautiously for a while. He was also surprised and said, "Isn't this Meng Sanlang? Speak quickly if you have something to say!"

At this moment, Wei Gai stood beside Meng He, hurriedly turning his head to stare at him, the blade in his hand gleaming coldly. Meng He suppressed his fear and physical pain, took a deep breath, and shouted, "General Zhang, the Grand Commander and the Prince of Yuzhang's army have arrived in Yanshi, and the general offensive will begin in four days! Good days are coming! Please don't be discouraged, everyone must do your utmost to defend the city. I..."

At this point, Wei Gai, standing beside Meng He, was both shocked and furious, while Wei Jun, watching from a short distance away, was also taken aback. Before he could finish speaking, Wei Gai grabbed Meng He by the collar and shouted viciously, "You little brat, you dare to play tricks!" He then struck Meng He's mouth with the hilt of his knife, yelling, "You swineherd! Do you believe I'll pull out all your teeth! That'll teach you to talk nonsense!"

Meng He had several teeth knocked out, his mouth was full of blood, and his speech was already very weak, but he still tried his best to shout to the sky intermittently: "Although I was unfortunately captured, I am overjoyed at the thought of being able to sacrifice my life for my country! I will never regret it!" As he spoke, the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth dripped onto the ground, staining the snow beneath him red.

The people on the city wall understood completely. The soldiers were both happy and sad. At first, there was a burst of cheers, but it quickly stopped. Someone choked up and shouted, "Take care, Meng Sanlang! We all understand your feelings!"

Seeing this, Wei Gai realized he had messed up Zhang Fang's job and flew into a rage. He kicked Meng He to the ground and swung his ring-pommel sword, ready to kill him with one blow. Wei Jun, who was behind him, reacted quickly and grabbed Meng He's wrist, saying to the people around him, "This is the Marshal's order. It should be handled by the Marshal. We should not overstep our bounds."

Then the group angrily took Meng He back. Zhang Fang was furious when he learned that Meng He had not come to report as he had planned. He slammed his fist on the table and said, "I happen to be a little hungry right now, so why don't we just cook this guy!"

Wei Jun then spoke up to dissuade him, saying, "Marshal, he is, after all, the son of the Duke of Shanggu. The Duke of Shanggu led his army to quell Qi Wannian back then, and he was a great benefactor to all of us in Guanzhong. There is still a shrine dedicated to him in Guanzhong to this day. If you were to kill him like this today, I'm afraid the morale of the army would be greatly damaged!"

Zhang Fang was used to having absolute authority in the army, so he was quite surprised that someone would actually contradict him today. However, Wei Jun was indeed one of the few talented generals in the army, meticulous in his work, and didn't require much of his attention to complete the task. Zhang Fang thought for a moment, and since this was a prisoner he had captured, he decided to give him face. He then narrowed his eyes and asked, "So, according to your opinion, how should we deal with him?"

"Find a quiet place to kill him, don't let anyone know, leave him with a whole corpse!" Wei Jun was actually a little hesitant, but he still forced himself to say, "Marshal, after this battle, we still have to govern the country! Think more about my king!"

Zhang Fang looked at Wei Jun, seeing that he had brought up Sima Yong as a figurehead, and didn't want to offend him. He quickly thought about it and realized that it made sense. Finally, he nodded and said, "Alright, I'll leave this matter to you!" Then he appointed an envoy and said, "You will supervise the execution."

So the group hurriedly dragged Meng He out again and walked north until they reached a dark place where there was no one around. Wei Jun said, "This is it. I'll personally make this cut."

After drawing his sword, Wei Jun put one foot on Meng He's back and stomped him to the ground, then said, "Boy, you're a man of courage. I admire you. Do you have anything to say before you die?"

Meng He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, gritted his teeth, and said, "Kill me if you want! Why all the talk!"

Having said that, he felt the blade brush against his neck before quickly moving away, followed by an extremely sharp whistling sound. In that instant, Meng He closed his eyes and awaited death, or rather, he felt he was already dead. But to his utter surprise, the scream that followed came from behind him, not from himself.

He opened his eyes in surprise and looked back, only to find that the people behind him were also staring at him with wide eyes, incredulous. No, it was Wei Jun. He saw Wei Jun slash the executioner's neck with a knife. The executioner groaned, clutching his neck in bewilderment, and then collapsed to the ground. Blood flowed uncontrollably from between his fingers onto the ground, and he died quickly.

Wei Jun then untied Meng He's ropes and said to him, "Meng Jun is truly a righteous man! Even if Heaven knew, it probably wouldn't harm him, so how could I kill him!"

Meng He hadn't yet recovered from the shock of experiencing such extreme joy and sorrow. Looking at Wei Jun, she mumbled, "You...you..."

Wei Jun sheathed his sword and said with emotion, "These days I have been aiding and abetting evil, and I have been uneasy seeing Zhang Fang harm so many people. Now that Liu Gong and Meng Jun are both in the court, they are willing to sacrifice their lives for righteousness. I am deeply moved. With such righteous men on both sides, does it matter who wins or loses? Right and wrong are already clear."

He then took out his official seal from his bosom and handed it to Meng He, saying, "I no longer want to be an official in this Western Expeditionary Army. With my seal, Lord Meng, you can pass through all the checkpoints. Hurry up and go into the city to report the news."

"Then what are you going to do?" This sudden turn of events almost made Meng He unable to believe it, but after he calmed down, he felt a sense of gratitude, so much so that he forgot that the other party had cut off his little finger and knocked out several teeth, and instead asked him with concern as if he were a close friend.

"I plan to take my trusted clansmen and live in seclusion in the Zhongnan Mountains. Zhang Fang and the King of Hejian are so tyrannical, their days are numbered. When a wise ruler comes, I will return to serve as an official."

Wei Jun sighed, then smiled and encouraged Meng He, "Take care, Meng Jun. Perhaps we'll meet again in Guanzhong someday!"

Having said this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, said "Take care," and then forcefully pulled along his bewildered confidants, including Wei Gai, and rode off into the shadows to the west. (End of Chapter)