Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 105 The Second Use of Flattery

"You were brought here by the Longtai Guard, so your identity is naturally a mystery."

"No, you have to help me. If you don't, I'll report you, and we'll all die together."

Clearly, Zhang Min panicked. Although she knew that this self-compiled booklet would be of no use to the people of Longtaiwei, she was still in a panic once she was listed in the booklet.

To the people in the Royal Hunting Grounds, Longtaiwei was like an alien, because they simply ignored the people there; as long as they didn't run away, they were completely unrelated.

Yun Ce personally prepared the best roast suckling pig, the most delicious braised pork, steamed fish, stuffed baby beans, steamed white rice with a little bit of crispy rice, and a big pot of delicious spring vegetable soup, and sent the six most beautiful women that Lao Cao could find to deliver them.

As a result, before they even got close, the most beautiful woman's hair was shaved off with a single stroke. As for the delicacies and the gold utensils used to serve them, they didn't even bother to look at them.

Although they failed, Yun Ce, Lao Cao, Lao Zhao and the others were all laughing happily, feeling that the fact that the group hadn't killed the beauty was a victory in itself.

"Hehehe, I saw him swallow his saliva. No one can be indifferent to the food I make myself."

"Hahaha, he shaved off the top of Miki's head, but just as Miki fell to the ground in fright, there was a moment of reluctance in his eyes."

"Hehehe, although there are many things in this world that are more precious than gold, gold is still the most deceptive. When the gold artifact landed, that guy seemed to only then realize it was gold."

"What's the next step?"

"The officials of Longtaiwei are honest and upright, and not tempted by worldly things. Old Liu, you can continue to deliver your delicacies, but this time there will be no beauties or gold jewelry. Send a few clean and tidy servants instead."

"Even with a beautiful woman and gold, no one wants her... this..."

"Old Liu, although you are a good candidate for an official, you are still young. You see, if they don't eat this time, next time we will have to send them dry rations."

It would take at least two months for the 30,000 troops from the state to get here. I don’t believe they can survive on their own rations for two months.
I've also heard that those who become members of the Longtai Guard are all sons of noble families, living a life of luxury before joining. Judging from their current aloof and unapproachable demeanor, their superiors probably never treated them like human beings during training. What we need to do is gradually awaken their memories of their privileged upbringing.”

Yun Ce nodded repeatedly, agreeing with what Lao Cao said.

"How dare you scheme against Longtai Guard?" Zhang Min shouted, but she seemed utterly devastated.

“How could we have schemed against Longtaiwei? They are all soldiers of the Han Dynasty, protecting their country every day. Look at what they have been doing lately, clearing out traitors, searching for villains everywhere, and even catching dog skins to feed so many people. You don’t feel sorry for them, but we do.”

Old Zhao scolded Zhang Min. This guy was already a bit old, and his hair and beard had turned white prematurely. He was also a dignified man. Even Zhang Min felt that she might have misunderstood Yun Ce and the others after hearing these words from him.

The Longtai Guards still did not accept the food that Yun Ce had sent to Lao Chou and the other older men.

So, Eji and Anji lit a fire in front of Longtaiwei. Eji tore the dough from the Yishu tree into the shape of flatbreads and threw them onto the charcoal fire to roast. In a short while, the flatbreads puffed up a lot. While the flatbreads were still hot, she threw them to Anji. By this time, Anji had already chopped the braised pork into minced meat, added garlic herbs, and split the flatbreads open. She then sandwiched the minced meat and garlic herbs inside the flatbreads.

Then, four girls were sent to deliver the food to the people of Longtaiwei, carrying baskets.

As they watched a young Longtai guard take a pancake from the basket the little girl was carrying, Yun Ce and Lao Cao clapped their hands and turned to attend to other matters.

Neither Yun Ce nor Lao Cao expected to establish a connection with Longtai Guard; the risk was too great. The biggest victory was simply that these people didn't dislike the people here.

A group of people had previously discussed this and all agreed that the Han Dynasty could not possibly kill all the people in a province, even if it was a previously controlled province. Doing so would shake the entire world and make everyone feel insecure.

Since some people from Chuyun Prefecture will live and others will die, what this group needs to do now is to try their best to leave a good impression on the people of Longtai Guard and try to leave the hope of survival to the people from the Royal Hunting Grounds.

As for the real attack, it will come from the state army. If the people in the Royal Hunting Grounds are also on the death list, Yun Ce and Lao Cao will try to find a way to survive from the state army.

As long as Longtai Guard has rules, and as long as they abide by those rules, they cannot be invincible.

Yun Ce distributed a lot of soap to the people who fled to the Royal Hunting Grounds. Both men and women bathed, washed clothes, and groomed their hair. Even if they couldn't dress smartly, they had to be presentable and clean.

People who kill for fun know that killing a homeless person who can't distinguish between humans and animals is a completely different experience from killing a clean-dressed person. With the former, there is almost no guilt in the heart, while with the latter, one will feel as if they have just killed someone.

Those who survived in Izumo City were basically either wealthy families or powerful clans, or at the very least, families of officials. After being cleaned up, they all looked respectable, making it hard to kill them, as one always felt that these people were still useful.

After accepting the food from Eji and the others, Yun Ce and Lao Cao, along with several officials, delivered the newly revised roster to the people of Longtai Guard.

Not uttering a single unnecessary word, each of them stood with their hands clasped over their stomachs, respectfully awaiting instructions. After reviewing a scroll of rosters, the head of the Longtai Guard hesitated for a moment before asking Old Cao, the leader of the guards, "Is it true that the Shehuo (a type of folk performance) in Chuyun Prefecture has not been extinguished?"

Old Cao looked thoughtful, and after a moment he said, "On the morning of the tenth day of the winter month, when the officials of Chuyun Prefecture were to hold a grand ceremony, Wu Bushi, the Grand Secretary, presided over the sacrifice. An hour later, we paid homage to the Shehuo (a local deity) and prayed for the ancestral fire to bless the prosperity of Chuyun Prefecture's descendants and all industries."

At that time, I personally witnessed the vibrant folk performance.

The middle-aged Longtaiwei then asked, "Has anyone seen the Shehuo (a traditional folk performance) since the nineteenth day of the eleventh lunar month?"

The elderly Zhao stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "On the 21st day of the winter month, my son had a nighttime seizure and cried incessantly. On the morning of the 22nd day of the winter month, I took my son to the local temple hoping that the fire would scorch him and drive away the evil spirits from his body."

As a result, the university closed the temple, and unauthorized personnel were not allowed to enter. I saw the child convulsing and, in my haste, tried to enter the temple, but was driven out by the governor's household guards.

Old Zhao's account was detailed and convincing, suggesting he had seen it with many people. Such information was easily verifiable. The middle-aged Longtai guard asked, "To your knowledge, who else has seen the Shehuo performance since that day?"

Old Cao stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Pang Bei, Governor Han De."

The middle-aged Longtai Guard said coldly, "Why are you so sure?"

Old Cao said with a pained expression, "Since that day, Chuyun City has been in great chaos. I always thought it was the result of the failure to pay the 100 million tribute on time, a struggle between the people and the government. But I found out that the source of the chaos was actually the city lord Pang Bei and the governor Han De."

The most vehement accusations came from the city lord Pompey and the governor Han De.

At the height of his excitement, Old Cao knelt down with a thud and bowed to the middle-aged Longtai Guard, saying, "These two thieves are the main culprits behind the chaotic brawl in Chuyun City."

This must also be related to the Shehuo case you are investigating, sir. I urge you to arrest this scoundrel as soon as possible and bring justice to the tens of thousands of innocent people who died unjustly in Izumo City.”

The middle-aged Longtai guard did not help Lao Cao up, but looked at him coldly and said, "City Lord Pang Bei died in the City Lord's Mansion, Governor Han De was beheaded on a rainy night, and the Shehuo (a type of folk performance) has disappeared without a trace."

Upon hearing Longtaiwei's words, not only was Lao Cao filled with fear, but Yun Ce and the others also paled. Yun Ce quickly stepped forward and said, "Shehuo has taken root in the land. I have never heard of anyone being able to move Shehuo."

The middle-aged Longtai Weidao said, "The first rain of the Flower Festival falls, which is the only day of the year when the branch troupe can send fire on a long journey."

Old Cao hurriedly said, "Chuyun Prefecture has been abandoned by the Han Dynasty, so the ancestral fire will inevitably abandon the Shehuo (folk performance) of Chuyun Prefecture. With His Majesty's decree, Chuyun Prefecture will be removed from the list of the three hundred military prefectures and two hundred tributary prefectures of the Han Dynasty, and the Shehuo will inevitably be extinguished. This is an immutable truth throughout the ages. Your Excellency is now searching for the Shehuo, isn't that..."

"shut up!"

The middle-aged Longtai Guard shouted, and Old Cao immediately shut up, but the look of confusion on his face made people feel sorry for him.

After leaving Longtaiwei, Yun Ce looked at Lao Cao and the others and said, "Brothers, we are all in this together now. Is there anything I don't know?"

Old Cao shook his head and said, "You'd better not know, it's not a good thing."

Upon hearing this, Yun Ce nodded without asking any further questions. He then returned to the Hunting Palace with Lao Cao and the others to discuss how to proceed so that the Dragon Platform Guards would be certain that they were all a group of people unaware of the situation.

“You are the worst people in the world. You have no morals whatsoever. A group of people deceive Longtaiwei, and you pretend to be ignorant to deceive those people. Meanwhile, the people of Longtaiwei are deceiving all of you. Tell me, in this big cycle, is there ever a single good person?”

Once things quieted down, Gouzi began to mentally insult Yun Ce and the others for their behavior.

Yun Ce sighed and reassured Gouzi in his mind, "We're just a group of people trying to survive. You shouldn't look down on us."

As human beings, we want to strive to live, and there's nothing wrong with that.

"You care about life that much?"

"Yes, life is priceless."

"If you know that life is precious, why are you killing people in droves in Izumo City? Are those people's lives worthless?"

"Get lost! Listen carefully, it's our own lives that are precious."

(End of this chapter)