Chapter 1625: The Pursuit

In the height of summer in the twentieth year of Kaibao, the isolated and backward Xi Prefecture rarely welcomed a group of "travelers," and these outsiders were somewhat unusual.

There were not many of them—five in total—dressed in black round-collar garments embroidered with patterns of oxen and horses, red silk sashes tied at their waists, and light gauze futou hats on their heads. This was the attire of local constables of the Great Han.

The leader was a burly man with a curly beard, his bearing resolute, his gaze sharp and unwavering, his weathered face etched with stories. On the wild mountain path, there was nothing but solitude; all around was a sea of yellow. Aside from overlapping ridges and densely packed ravines, almost nothing else could be seen—this was clearly a place rarely trodden by man.

These constables appeared quite bedraggled, every one of them wearing exhaustion on their faces, their bodies covered in dust. They were constables from the prefectural seat of Xiangzhou, having set out from Anyang and trekked over eight hundred li, all for the sake of pursuing two fugitives.

Handling a case across prefectural lines was always troublesome, and a pursuit of a thousand li was even more grueling. They had followed the trail all the way here, suffering no small amount of hardship—especially after entering the western Shanxi highlands, where every step was fraught with danger. Eight men had set out, and three had already been lost: two had been left behind in local areas to recover from injuries, and one had lost his life to a wild beast attack.

The summer sun wantonly released its radiance, enveloping the mountains of western Shanxi. Fortunately, they were in the shade of the mountain, which spared them some of the heat. Still, looking around at the barren hills, sheer cliffs, and ravines, one could not help but feel disheartened.

"Rest, eat, drink water!" Seeing his subordinates utterly exhausted, the leading constable halted his steps and gave the order.

The moment he spoke, the remaining four let out a great sigh of relief. Without a word, they leaned against or stood by the rocks, taking out their dried rations and water skins to rest on the spot.

"Chief Zhang, want a swig?" A young constable, seeing that the chief was still observing the terrain and studying the traces left along the mountain path, walked up and offered a water skin.

"Thanks!" The chief replied gruffly, but as soon as he took it, his nose twitched slightly and his brow furrowed: "This is wine? Where did you get this?"

The young constable smiled ingratiatingly: "When we passed through Linfen, I bought a bit and kept it on hand. The shopkeeper who sold it said it was authentic Fen wine—whether that's true or not, I can't say. But this is Hedong, so I'd think it wouldn't be fake. Chief Zhang, you're a connoisseur of wine—why don't you give it a taste..."

Chief Zhang smiled and scolded him good-naturedly: "You little rascal, always clever."

With that, he took it and had a sip, letting out a light breath. He looked at the other subordinates, patted the young man on the shoulder, and instructed: "If you've got something good, don't hoard it—let the brothers have a taste too! Out here in these barren mountains, getting a mouthful of wine is a rare treat!"

"Yes!"

Chief Zhang's name was Zhang Yuan, and he was now the chief constable of the Xiangzhou prefectural seat. Though it was a rank outside the official hierarchy, he was still a figure of some standing in Anyang's local law enforcement system.

Judging by his manner, he was clearly a veteran of the military. He had once served in Yulin Circuit, holding a low-ranking officer position in a scout battalion. During the great nationwide military reduction, he had been discharged, and upon returning to his hometown, he had entered government service as a constable.

Thanks to his remarkably keen sense of smell and his capable handling of affairs, he was valued by the Prefectural Administrator, and within just two years, he had become one of the chief constables of the prefectural seat. This time, he was personally leading the pursuit across a thousand li and across prefectural lines—the case involved was naturally no ordinary matter.

The fugitive being pursued was a scion of the Lady Li of Anyang—Li Jiqian, son of Li Guangyan, the former Defense Commissioner of Yin Prefecture. Without a doubt, this Lady Li of Anyang was the Tangut Tuoba Lady Li. Back when the Dingnan Army had been dismantled, in order to further eliminate the Lady Li's influence and shake the foundation of the Dingnan Army, the court had relocated the entire Lady Li eastward, settling them in Anyang, Xiangzhou. Now, nearly twenty years had passed.

Over all these years, living in the heartland of the Great Han, the Li clan had remained fairly law-abiding. The current clan head, Li Jipeng, had inherited the title of Marquis of Yongping, and the Li clan had become one of the great families of Anyang.

As for Li Jiqian, he was not yet twenty years old, a promising young talent of the Li clan who had made something of a name for himself locally. The reason he had become a fugitive, wanted by the Xiangzhou authorities, was that he had committed the grave crime of murder.

In truth, given the Lady Li's influence in Anyang, even a killing could have been smoothed over by various means—especially since the victim had no background to speak of, being nothing more than a commoner as cheap as grass. However, Li Jiqian had made too big a scene of it: he had wiped out an entire family of seven.

A grave case of this magnitude was difficult to conceal, and moreover, they were Tangut people. Crimes committed by these minority peoples within the Great Han were never treated leniently.

Thus, Li Jiqian had decisively fled, and Zhang Yuan had been ordered by the prefectural office to lead men in pursuit. The chase had carried them over a thousand mountains and rivers—crossing the Taihang Mountains with his men, and now they had nearly traversed all of Hedong.

After resting a while, the young constable walked over to Zhang Yuan's side, sat down with his legs stretched out, and could not help complaining: "Chief Zhang, we're going deeper and deeper into the wilderness. That villain Li Jiqian is too cunning, leading us into these mountain gullies. With all these mountains and forests, and hardly a soul around, how are we supposed to track him? If it weren't for your skill at tracking, Chief Zhang, we'd have lost him long ago!"

"What, can't take it anymore?" Hearing this, Zhang Yuan shot him a glance.

The constable said: "It's not that I'm complaining, sir, but if we keep chasing like this, who knows how many more of our brothers we'll lose. Ma Tao already lost his life!"

At this, Zhang Yuan's expression turned stern, and he said: "The prefectural office's orders, personally directed by the Prefectural Administrator—alive, we must see the man; dead, we must see the corpse. If we come back empty-handed without a result, how am I supposed to answer to the prefectural office? If this task is botched, none of us will get off easy!"

The constable was taken aback—clearly, the main issue was that Chief Zhang would have difficulty answering for it. But that was not something he could say outright, so the constable continued: "What angers me is the Hedong authorities along the way. All the way west, there were checkpoints upon checkpoints—how could they let Li Jiqian pass through so easily? Didn't the prefectural office send out cooperation warrants? Hedong simply didn't put in any real effort!"

At this mention, Zhang Yuan fell silent for a moment, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face: "This is, after all, Hedong, not Hebei, and certainly not Xiangzhou. Xiangzhou's arrest warrants don't carry much weight here in Hedong. Besides, can you really expect Hedong to seal off all its passes and barriers for the sake of one Li Jiqian?

All along the way, the local authorities have been fairly cooperative—it's already rare enough that they didn't put obstacles in our way, let alone that they provided considerable help. Moreover, as you said yourself, Li Jiqian is cunning; capturing him is no easy task."

"It's just so frustrating—we're being led around by the nose by that Li Jiqian, dragged through these wilds like a dog..." The constable grumbled: "That Li Jiqian—once we catch him, I'll kill him with my own hands!"

Seeing him speak so boldly, Zhang Yuan could not help but laugh: "You little rascal, have you ever killed a man?"

Somewhat embarrassed, the constable said: "Once we find that villain, I'll get my first taste of blood..."

"Get some good rest, recover your strength, and build up your energy—who knows how much longer this pursuit will last!" Zhang Yuan sighed: "I know all you brothers have worked hard. Once this business is done and we're back in Anyang, I'll treat you all to a proper drinking bout!"

"Then we'll thank Chief Zhang in advance!"

There was another moment of silence. Seeing Zhang Yuan studying a Hedong map with unclear markings, the constable could not help but speak up again: "Chief Zhang, this map only shows the main roads and post roads. This place is deep in the wilderness—no village ahead, no inn behind. What can you possibly make out from it?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yuan thought seriously for a moment, then took out a charcoal pencil from his bosom and made a mark on the map, saying: "At the very least, it lets us determine our approximate position, so we don't get lost!"

With that, he pointed ahead: "Hear that? Ahead should be the Pu River, to the north is the Xin River, further west is the Yellow River, and to the north is Daming County..."

"So what do we do next? Head north, or west?" The constable perked up a bit and asked: "Should we find a village to ask around?"

Hesitating for a moment, Zhang Yuan furrowed his brow in thought, then, as if making up his mind, said: "No more chasing like this!"

The constable brightened slightly: "Back to Anyang?"

Zhang Yuan immediately scolded: "You little rascal, always looking to slack off!"

After pondering briefly, Zhang Yuan said firmly: "We're going to Yulin—first cross the river to Yanzhou, then on to Yin Prefecture!"

The constable's eyes went wide with surprise: "Chief Zhang, going to Yin Prefecture means another several hundred li, doesn't it? Could Li Jiqian really have run that far?"

"Aren't you all tired of being led around by the nose with no destination in sight? Then I'll give you a target!" Zhang Yuan said seriously: "Don't forget, this Li Jiqian is a Tangut, and his father was the former Defense Commissioner of Yin Prefecture—that's his homeland. Seeing how he's been fleeing west all along, I'd guess his destination is Yin and Xia. We can take that gamble! To be honest, never mind you lot—I'm sick of this kind of pursuit myself!"

Hearing his analysis, the constable actually relaxed a bit. Compared to physical exhaustion, the mental strain was far greater—precisely because of the aimlessness and the constant running.

"But what if Li Jiqian doesn't go to Yin Prefecture?"

"Then we've done our best. If there's still no result, we'll go back to Anyang to report and plead for punishment..."