Chapter 64: Kidnapping

Liu Laosi and the others, seeing Wang Xuanji start selling official favors again, all shouted, "You son of a bitch, you get promoted to Chiliarch and suddenly you're different — learned to put on bureaucratic airs, huh? Whatever orders His Majesty gave, spit it out."

Wang Xuanji saw that everyone was getting impatient, so he stopped selling favors and said directly, "Before I left, His Majesty ordered me to bring the arch-traitor Fan Wencheng back for punishment."

Liu Laosi heard this, let out a "Tch—" and said, "Thought it was something serious. I figured you were gonna have us brothers go assassinate Hong Taiji. One measly Fan Wencheng — tomorrow I'll bring you his head in my hand."

Wang Xuanji glared at Liu Laosi and said, "If it were just killing him, why would I make such a big fuss over it? His Majesty wants him alive! Try bringing back just his head — Regional Commander Xu would skin you alive, no question."

Liu Laosi, hearing this, pulled his neck in and said sheepishly, "Well, you never said he had to be alive before, did you?"

The men in the room fell silent for a moment. A dead Fan Wencheng would be easy enough — a single squad could ambush and hack him to pieces. Alive, and brought back to the Great Ming — that would not be so easily done.

Kidnapping Fan Wencheng was simple: wait until he came out of the Jianzhou barbarians' false palace, knock him out, and take him away. But how to get him out of Shenyang became the problem — the Jianzhou barbarians would certainly seal the city gates.

Liu Laosi, uncharacteristically solemn, said, "Old Wang, it's not that we brothers are afraid to die, but how do we get this dog out? If we fail to carry out the Son of Heaven's command, what face do we have left to call ourselves the Son of Heaven's own troops?"

Wang Xuanji laughed coldly. "Why else do you think I called you all here?"

Another Centurion, who had stayed silent the whole time, spoke up at this point. "It's not entirely impossible."

Seeing everyone's eyes turn to him, his face — honest and simple as an old farmer's — was full of cunning. The Centurion said, "If we simply kidnap Fan Wencheng, we would need to lie low for a while and wait until the barbarians relax before we can move him out. Otherwise, we risk exposure.

But if, after we take Fan Wencheng, someone were to set massive fires all across Shenyang city, I'm afraid these dog barbarians wouldn't have the time to worry about that dog Fan Wencheng anymore, would they?"

Wang Xuanji, hearing this, slammed the table. "Look at that — all of you put together still can't match Old Chen the Honest here on his own. All right, that's how we'll do it. Let's go over the details carefully — we must take down that dog traitor Fan Wencheng in one move!"

Fan Wencheng, the subject of all this discussion, had of course no idea that people were scheming against him. Even when he sneezed several times in a row, he merely assumed the new concubine he had just taken was thinking of him.

In truth, Fan Wencheng was very happy today. Hong Taiji had specifically summoned Dodo and given him a thorough scolding, strictly ordering Dodo not to harass Fan Wencheng's wives and concubines any further.

As for Hooge, the other one who often visited Fan Wencheng's home to amuse himself with his wives and concubines — he no longer needed scolding: Chongzhen had already had him sliced to death in the Ming capital.

Although Fan Wencheng served his master with all his heart and soul — since everything he had belonged to his master, his wives and concubines naturally counted for little — still, even for a slave, having a lush green steppe sprouting atop his head would leave him somewhat uncomfortable in his heart.

And Fan Wencheng's head bore more than just one.

So as not to appear discourteous before his master, Fan Wencheng had taken his leave early today. Since Dodo had been scolded, at the very least he would not be coming to his home for a while. Without Dodo backing her, wouldn't that newly taken concubine be his to discipline as he pleased?

At this thought, Fan Wencheng's heart burned with heat, and even his little bird, somewhat useless of late, showed signs of lifting its head. Climbing into his carriage, Fan Wencheng urged the driver repeatedly, "Quick, quick — get me home."

The driver said, "Master, just leave it to me."

But when they reached the small alley they always took, a series of thuds rang out, and the carriage creaked to a halt.

Fan Wencheng was about to get out and see what had happened when the carriage curtain was yanked open, and a long blade gleaming with dazzling cold light was pointed at his throat.

The wielder of the blade was tall and powerfully built, dressed entirely in black close-fitting attire, with only his eyes exposed — even his eyebrows were wrapped under the headscarf.

Fan Wencheng, seeing this, quickly said in a low voice, "Good sir! Good sir! Might I ask whether you good sir seeks wealth or something else? This humble one's home has some money and valuables — I would be willing to present them to you, good sir. What do you say?"

The man in the black disguise said, "Get out! Let's have a proper talk — how much silver can you put up to buy your life?

We brothers seek only wealth, not lives. After all, you're a registered man among those dog Jianzhou barbarians — we brothers don't want to end up with a fight where the fish dies and the net tears."

Fan Wencheng, hearing this, took them for mere bandits after money and got out of the carriage with relief.

But the moment he stepped down, someone struck him hard on the back of the head, and without a sound he crumpled limply to the ground.

Seeing Fan Wencheng unconscious, the man who had held the blade to him said, "Old Chen, tell the brothers to move. Today we're giving the Jianzhou barbarians a grand gift here in Shenyang city. I'm taking this dog traitor and leaving."

The man who had knocked Fan Wencheng out was dressed in the same outfit. Hearing this, he nodded and said, "Rest easy.

I'll notify the brothers to act according to plan — after setting the fires, they'll go to ground. But you, you son of a bitch, be extra careful.

The Jianzhou barbarians probably won't let Fan Wencheng be taken so easily."

As it turned out, the man who had held the blade to Fan Wencheng was none other than Wang Xuanji, and the one called Old Chen was precisely Chen the Honest.

Wang Xuanji, hearing this, said nothing more — he merely nodded, hoisted Fan Wencheng onto his shoulder, and vanished into the small alley with the other Embroidered Uniform Guard men.

Once Wang Xuanji had left, Chen the Honest went to notify the hidden Embroidered Uniform Guard operatives to set fires at various locations, so as to throw the Jianzhou barbarians into confusion.

Wang Xuanji and his men force-fed Fan Wencheng another dose of knockout drug and hid him inside a night-soil cart to push him out through the city gate.

The Jianzhou barbarian soldiers guarding the city gate saw a few peasants pushing a night-soil cart out of the city, assumed they were heading out to fertilize the fields with manure water, and made no trouble — merely extorting a few copper coins.

Once Wang Xuanji and his men were outside the city, things inside the city began to liven up.

Chen the Honest and his men splashed oil and set fires everywhere in the city. The Jianzhou barbarians put out one fire but could not handle two — besides, the locations Chen the Honest and his men set ablaze were quite far apart.

The twenty-odd Embroidered Uniform Guard men simply poured oil, lit fires, and immediately went into hiding; some even blended into the crowds and joined the firefighting.

Just as the Jianzhou barbarians' General of Shengjing was racking his brains over so many fires breaking out across the city, the barbarian chieftain Hong Taiji also received word.

Looking at the report on his desk about multiple fires in the city, along with another report that Fan Wencheng's carriage had been found and his attendants all lay dead by the roadside, Hong Taiji instinctively sensed that these matters must be connected.

Gazing in the direction of the Great Ming capital, Hong Taiji murmured to himself, "Dog Emperor — you arranged this too, didn't you?"

But no matter how Hong Taiji guessed or what arrangements he made, by this time Wang Xuanji and his men had already left Shenyang city, the Embroidered Uniform Guard operatives inside the city had long since gone to ground, and that dog slave Fan Wencheng was likely beyond saving.

First update posted. One more update coming shortly. Will try to make up yesterday's missed chapter today.

(End of chapter)