Chapter 771: The Quelling

The night deepened, the summer breeze losing its heat as it swept over the low hills, rustling the grass and trees on the slopes. In the Han cavalry camp, apart from the necessary sentries and patrols, the soldiers were all asleep—armor still on, weapons at hand. The entire camp was quiet, punctuated only by the rising and falling of the soldiers' snores.

However, a scout riding at full speed shattered the stillness. Murong Chengtai and Ma Renyu were awakened and emerged from their tents almost simultaneously, meeting to inquire about the situation.

"What's going on—have the rebel troops made a move?" Murong Chengtai asked.

"General, the rebel army has poured out of Xuelu Town and is fleeing north!" the scout answered rapidly.

"North? How many men?" Murong Chengtai pressed.

"Too dark to see clearly, but the number is certainly not small!" the scout replied.

He instinctively exchanged a glance with Ma Renyu, then looked up at the sky. A pale sliver of moon, sparse starlight, a night as black as ink—all around was pitch darkness, visibility severely limited.

Ma Renyu said, "It seems that bandit chief Wang Shun has a keen nose—he's sensed the danger and wants to flee! With the moon dark and the wind high, visibility blurred, the rebels picked a fine time. There's no time to waste—we should muster the troops and strike immediately to annihilate them. If we let these violent brigands escape, the harm will be endless!"

This sortie had Murong Chengtai as the lead general. Without much hesitation, he ordered the horn sounded to assemble the troops in formation, preparing to move out. Then he looked at Ma Renyu, a hint of hesitation in his voice: "General Ma, the enemy situation is unclear—we should deliberate a bit more!"

"You think the rebels are up to a trick?" On the battlefield, Ma Renyu seemed to possess an innate instinct.

"Hard to say!" Murong Chengtai said. "Night fighting carries too much risk, and the enemy's situation is unknown. Let's split our forces—you take the eight hundred cavalry of the left and front battalions to pursue the rebels heading north. I'll lead the rest straight to Xuelu Town to check the situation and confirm their movements!"

"Good!" Ma Renyu wasted no words, acknowledged the order, and immediately went to muster the troops himself.

Gazing toward Xuelu Town, Murong Chengtai rubbed his face hard, replacing his expression with one of murderous intent, muttering coldly: "You won't let me get a good night's sleep—then I'll send you all down to the Yellow Springs!"

"Someone!" After a brief deliberation, Murong Chengtai summoned a man and instructed: "Go at once to Xingping and notify Chief General Zhao—tell him to come and suppress the rebels."

"The enemy situation has changed—this is no longer about turning the tables on the host..."

North of Xuelu Town, the earthen roads of the countryside were filled with clamor and chaos. In the dim night, more than two thousand "rebel troops" fled northward with abandon. Behind them, Han cavalry that had been shadowing them began pursuit, though cautiously.

Herd mentality may exist, but circumstances matter. After running a few li, some noticed that the Shu bandits who had been watching and coercing them had dwindled, and there was no longer a "main force" driving them from behind.

Thus, the rebels fleeing north scattered. Some ran headlong, seizing whatever road they could; some melted into the fields and forests; some stopped by the roadside, waiting to surrender; and the clever ones outright rallied others to kill or bind the Shu bandits.

So by the time Ma Renyu caught up with his men, the situation to the north was already quite clear. A crowd of docile "rebels" forcibly compelled him to sheathe the war blade he had drawn.

Torchlight fell upon Ma Renyu, his face cold and hard, as he loudly interrogated a middle-aged man brought before him: "You bold traitors—speak! What's going on?"

The middle-aged man looked at Ma Renyu as if seeing a savior, kneeling and wailing bitterly: "Reporting to the General, we are all Han commoners! Our homes were destroyed by those Shu bandits, and we were forcibly swept up into rebellion. We beg for mercy, please spare our lives..."

"Where are those Shu bandits?" Ma Renyu asked impatiently, his voice sharp.

"This humble one doesn't know either! Only at dusk did we receive orders to break out north tonight to survive!" the middle-aged man answered. But seeing Ma Renyu's somewhat fearsome expression, he hastily added: "This humble one gathered the villagers and captured a few Shu bandits—perhaps they know!"

Hearing this, Ma Renyu immediately questioned them, but was destined for disappointment. The answers from the Shu ringleaders were all much the same—clearly they too had been cast aside as pawns.

Making a judgment in short order, Ma Renyu left one battalion behind to hunt down the scattered rebels, gather the Han commoners, and sort through the Shu captives, while he led another battalion back to Xuelu Town to rendezvous with Murong Chengtai.

As for Murong Chengtai, he had already begun the pursuit of the rebels. The Shu bandits fleeing south were far more resolute and faster, but even though the Han cavalry spent some time ascertaining the situation, the advantage of four legs was enough to make up for lost time.

On the Wei River plain, the light cavalry under Murong Chengtai carried out a brutal pursuit of those rebels. The dim night offered some measure of cover, but not enough to save their lives. During the chase, Murong Chengtai ordered that all rebels be killed without exception.

Pursuit and bloodshed all the way—once past the initial chaos, the Han cavalry under Murong Chengtai's command grew increasingly composed, operating with ease, like a hunt. They continuously split forces to encircle and capture, driving them, harrying them, exhausting them, devouring them bit by bit, killing them unit by unit—all the way to the banks of the Wei River.

At dawn, soft morning light spread across both shores of the Wei River. The air was fresh, the summer heat not yet arrived, the river waters rolling eastward. It should have been a peaceful, harmonious scene—but it was ruthlessly shattered by blades and slaughter.

Murong Chengtai and Ma Renyu, leading over thirteen hundred Han cavalry, had cornered the southbound rebel army on the north bank of the Wei River. After half a night of pursuit, both men and horses were exhausted, and they were resting and regrouping.

The trapped Shu captives and rebels, now reduced to just over two hundred, faced water before them and pursuers behind. On their grimy faces, beyond the weariness they could not hide, was deep despair. Weeping and shouting vied with the sound of the Wei River's waters.

As the sky brightened further, an army bearing a banner with the character "Zhao" approached slowly from the west. It was Zhao Hongyin, Chief General of Guanzhong, leading the troops in person—though he had not brought many men, only a thousand or so, fewer than the Han cavalry to the southwest.

Murong Chengtai and Ma Renyu went forward to meet him. The three exchanged greetings, and the situation was briefly explained.

Zhao Hongyin wore heavy armor, his face pale, seemingly from fatigue. His bearing suggested weariness—or perhaps something else. Hearing the account, he looked at the rebels cornered for slaughter on the north bank of the Wei, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief, and said: "My thanks to both generals! The rebellion was swiftly extinguished, and Jingzhao restored to peace—your contributions are by no means small!"

Murong Chengtai and Ma Renyu immediately expressed humility, repeatedly disclaiming any credit.

"And that traitor Wang Shun?" Zhao Hongyin asked.

"This is the main body of the rebel army—we never lost track of them. He should be among them!" Murong Chengtai said, looking at Zhao Hongyin with a light smile: "The two of us were ordered to come assist in the suppression. Chief General, give the order—let us wipe out these rebels together!"

Hearing this, Zhao Hongyin sighed, somewhat listless: "This old man has no face left, nor any desire to contend for merit. Since the largest rebel force in Jingzhao has already been pacified by you two, I'll leave it entirely in your hands!"

Zhao Hongyin exuded an air of decline and despondency, and his demeanor took Murong Chengtai and Ma Renyu somewhat by surprise. But taking him at his word, they did not stand on ceremony and soon issued the final order to attack—and slaughter.

They did not kill every last one, however—here and there, some prisoners were taken. But after interrogation, there was no word of the rebel leader Wang Shun; he seemed to have escaped. Moreover, upon subsequent inventory and inspection, the count of Shu captives did not add up.

It was not until the next day that word came from Zhouzhi County, south of the Wei: the County Defender Gao Qiong had mustered yamen runners and militia and ambushed and killed the traitor Wang Shun at Qingping Town within the county. Wang Shun's head was taken, and over two hundred of his followers were captured or killed.

And so, the "Wang Shun Uprising," which had lasted more than half a month, finally came to an end. Yet although the disturbance had not lasted long, its consequences were severe—especially in the western counties of Jingzhao, where the people's lives, property, and homes had suffered enormous destruction. The number of victims reached tens of thousands, and the impact on all of Guanzhong was extremely damaging.

As for Emperor Liu Chengyou, upon receiving the report of victory, he needed to consider not only rewards for those who had rendered meritorious service in pacifying the rebellion and the post-rebellion recovery and reconstruction, but also the assignment of responsibility.