Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 108, Section 107: Sordid Morality
Where are your men?

Yun Ce tied the handkerchief to his face and looked around.

Pei Chuan waved his hand, and dozens of armored strong men came from the hillside. They quickly helped Yun Ce clean up the corpses of the men and horses on the road.

"It seems I acted too early. If I had acted any later, you would have killed this governor too."

Pei Chuan slumped onto a rock and roared at Yun Ce, "Give me one more day, and I can storm into Daizhou, and my child won't die."

Yun Ce looked at the girl in red and said, "So you knew about the Shehuo event even earlier than I did. No wonder you didn't attack Chuyun City when I told you not to. You were already planning to attack Daizhou when you left the Royal Hunting Grounds."

Hong Guniang said, "When the Great Han Dynasty eliminates Chuyun Prefecture, the Shehuo (a type of folk performance) in Chuyun Prefecture will surely be extinguished. However, we waited for a long time and found that Chuyun Prefecture did not have the same celestial phenomenon as when Haikun Prefecture was destroyed. We thought it would always be like this. Unfortunately, when we learned that Han De, the governor of Chuyun Prefecture, had been killed and the Shehuo had disappeared, we began to plan the conquest of Dai Prefecture. In the end, we were still a day too late."

"Now, the Longmen Bridge is situated in a strategically important location, making it difficult to seize..."

Yun Ce didn't respond, but Hong Guniang's words implied that she wanted to use him to take over the Longmen Bridge.

Even if she saw him kill someone, Yun Ce was unwilling to help them attack Longmen Bridge. In any case, he hoped that after E Ji and the others crossed the bridge, Hong Guniang and the others would go and plot against Daizhou.

"Although Izumo Prefecture no longer has Shehuo (a type of folk performance), its land, population, and resources are still there. Why do you have to go on a distant expedition to Dai Prefecture? Even if you conquer it, the ancestral fire in Chang'an will extinguish the Shehuo in Dai Prefecture. Are you going to continue your offensive all the way, and not stop until you take Chang'an?"

"That's not how it works. The Shehuo of Jimi Prefecture originally divided the ancestral fire into two hundred parts. Even if the Shehuo of Chuyun Prefecture is extinguished, the power of the remaining one hundred and ninety-nine Shehuo will be strengthened."

Therefore, losing a few tributary states is nothing at all.

The Shehuo (a type of folk performance) in Daizhou is different. It is the foundation of the three hundred military prefectures of the Han Dynasty. If the ancestral fire is extinguished, the Daizhou Shehuo will be completely lost. After the power of the ancestral fire is weakened to a certain extent, a more powerful Shehuo will automatically become the new ancestral fire.

"Taking Daizhou will mean we'll have our own Shehuo (a traditional folk performance)."

Hong Guniang had just suffered a miscarriage and was still very weak, but her spirit seemed very strong. The scene of her watching the dark clouds looming over her with her hands behind her back was unforgettable for Yun Ce.

Dark clouds from Izumo Prefecture gradually rolled in, bringing with them torrential rain and a long convoy of vehicles.

Hong Guniang didn't mention the Dragon Gate Bridge, and Yun Ce didn't want to ask either. Once they reached the Dragon Gate Bridge, Lao Pan and the others would naturally have a way to enter Daizhou.

When the heavy rain started falling from above, it was already quite dark; only the horizon near Daizhou still showed a hint of dawn.

A fiery dragon raced through the darkness. Yun Ce stood on high and watched the dragon. The number of cars in the convoy had decreased by 30% since the start of the journey.

"You can change horses here, and then head straight to Longmen Bridge. Three days later, after my main force arrives, I will attack Longmen Bridge. Remember, you only have three days."

As soon as the girl in the red tarpaulin finished speaking, Pei Chuan carried her away from the high slope. Below the slope, a flock of sheep pulling a cart were grazing in the rain, each bite a gentle morsel of grass. These extremely mild-mannered animals never cared about the future.

Yun Ce saw E Ji. The woman deliberately showed her face, as if she knew Yun Ce was watching her and knew how to reassure him.

When Lao Pan saw the herd of horses, he immediately ordered the caravan to stop. The horses had already been running for more than two hundred miles and were no longer able to keep going.

Watching the convoy busily changing horses, Yun Ce once again rode his chestnut horse straight to Longmen Bridge.

As dawn broke, Yun Ce finally arrived at Longmen Bridge.

With the Longmen Bridge, there is naturally a Long River flowing beneath it. The Long River originates from Cangshan Mountain in Daizhou, and its water volume is very abundant after it flows out of Cangshan Mountain.

When Huo Qubing established the 300 military prefectures of the Han Dynasty, he used the Long River as the boundary. Inside the Long River was the Han Dynasty, and outside the Long River were the barbarians that could be conquered.

Ever since killing those four red-armored cavalrymen, Yun Ce always felt that the cavalry of Daizhou was inferior to those of Chuyunzhou. It was one thing if they were not as good as Zhou Chengming of the Tiger Legion, but even the subordinates of Zhao Ling, the Commandant of the Imperial Guard, seemed to be far inferior.

For a cavalryman like this to rise to the position of guarding the governor, he must undoubtedly be the elite of Daizhou. But can such a person really be considered elite?
Yun Ce changed into a set of dry clothes, which were kept in a waterproof saddlebag. The food was also prepared by E Ji. Although it hadn't been soaked by the rain, it was as hard as a rock after being left overnight. The Yi Shu cakes should be eaten while they're hot.

Behind them, Izumo Prefecture was shrouded in dark clouds, with lightning and thunder like a demonic realm, while before them, Dai Prefecture was bathed in sunshine under a clear blue sky, with birds singing and flowers blooming like a fairyland.

Clearly, the people at the Longmen Bridge are unaware that a large number of people from Chuyun Prefecture will soon cross this bridge into the heart of the Han Dynasty.

Old Huang was the inspector of the Longmen Bridge Patrol Office. Following Old Cao's instructions, Yun Ce found an inspector named Zhang Yi as soon as he entered the Longmen Bridge Post Station.

After mentioning Lao Huang, the man didn't seem to care. He just smiled and looked at Yun Ce, and had already put one hand under the table.

The gold ingot that Chen Lin, the governor of Daizhou, refused to accept, became Zhang Yi's in a second, and this was even considered a gift when they first met.

The man was a good person. Seeing that Yun Ce was exhausted, he treated him to a meal of stewed meat. Yun Ce no longer asked where the meat came from. Since he was going to live, work, make revolution, and rebel in the Han Dynasty, he had to adapt to life here.

The stewed meat was surprisingly delicious, especially the golden broth. One sip instantly revitalized Yun Ce's already withered stomach. "One thousand taels of gold, and your older brother will grant you half an hour of leniency."

"How can this be allowed?" Yun Ce exclaimed in shock.

Zhang Yi's face, which had been beaming like a gold ingot, suddenly darkened, and he said softly, "This price already includes Old Huang's reputation."

Yun Ce took Zhang Yi's hand and whispered, "It's not too much, it's too little."

"How to say?"

“This thousand taels of gold was meant for Brother Zhang, but he took it all. What will your men take? And what about Brother Zhang’s superiors? Do they want some too?”

Brother Zhang, our goal is to get things done efficiently. Think about it, what's the situation in Chuyun Prefecture now? Is it still a place where living people can stay?

This time, we finally received His Majesty's decree, which gave us a way out. As long as we can live, who cares about money?

Zhang Yi swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and said, "Five thousand five hundred taels of gold, and I'll lift your ban for one hour."

Yun Ce shook his head and said, "What we're doing now is not something that ordinary people can do. If it gets out, we'll lose our heads."

Before we do anything, we must think through all the relationships involved, from beginning to end, left to right, and so on. We must ensure that no one knows, only you and I are aware.

Zhang Yi looked at Yun Ce with a puzzled expression and said, "I really can't figure it out."

Yun Ce said in a low voice, "How do we resolve the identities of those who come in? Some are going to Chang'an, some to Luoyang, and the furthest to go is Hongzhou."

Although they were all descendants of convicts, once they entered the Han Dynasty, how could they possibly be willing to continue to be looked down upon by the Han people while still bearing the identity of a convict?
Brother Zhang, think about it. Don't trouble two people with the same matter.

Zhang Yi finally understood. All he wanted was a legitimate identity, a true Han Chinese identity. He himself was a Han Chinese. This thing was useless in ordinary times. The Han people who were supposed to be well-fed were already fat and bloated, while those who were supposed to be starving were starving.

Just because you are a Han Chinese doesn't mean you'll have no worries about food and clothing.

Zhang Yi slammed his fist on the table and said, "Two thousand taels, I'll take care of it for you."

Yun Ce laughed and said, "Three thousand taels is a price befitting Brother Zhang's status."

Zhang Yi was not surprised when he heard the figure of three thousand taels. He simply tapped Yun Ce's chest twice with his finger and said, "Here are five hundred blank identity tokens for you to fill in yourself."

Yun Ce repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting, agreeing with Zhang Yi that they could pass through the checkpoint immediately once the convoy arrived.

It would be at least evening before Eji reached Longmen Bridge, giving Yun Ce plenty of time to discuss the matter of killing and silencing the witnesses with Hong Guniang and Pei Chuan.

As for the three thousand taels of gold, Yun Ce will definitely pay Zhang Yi the full amount, but this amount will require several parties to pool their resources.

Yun Ce thought it was great; the matter was resolved, and in the end, the gold became his own, creating a perfect closed loop.

Hong Guniang looked down on Yun Ce's cautious manner. She felt that a true man should walk the world with his head held high and declare his innocence to the world. She would not stoop to living like Yun Ce.

Yun Ce was no match for a major rebel. As more and more of Hong Guniang's men gathered, Yun Ce anxiously looked back at the road they had come from.

He was really worried that once Hong Guniang and her group took action, he would have a hard time finding Longmen Bridge again, a government organization that could meet all his requirements.

Fortunately, just as fiery clouds appeared on the horizon, the convoy finally arrived. Old Cao's eyes were as red as burning charcoal, and upon seeing Yun Ce, he asked, "Is everything settled?"

Yun Ce said, "I didn't want to enter Daizhou as a refugee from Chuyun Prefecture, so I spent more money."

Old Cao turned to look at the crowd that had gathered around him and said, "I think this money was well spent."

After saying that, he looked at Yun Ce again and said, "It can be done for no more than four thousand taels of gold."

Yun Ce shook his head and said, "They want three thousand taels. If you give them the money, the people and carriage will pass through immediately."

Old Cao punched Yun Ce in the chest and said, "Well done."

Yun Ce said, "Take the gold and we'll pass."

(End of this chapter)