Chapter 95: Digging for Survival

About seven or eight li south of Luancheng, Yang Ye led his men and a group of conscripted laborers, searching through the broken camp walls. In this area, many had died as well, and judging by the clothing on the corpses, most were officials of the former Jin state who had been forcibly taken north.

His helmet tucked under his arm, fatigue lingering on his face, he stood at the side, directing. In last night's battle, Yang Ye had personally cut down several Khitan officers, shot and killed the Khitan general Yelu Balide, and fought with exceptional ferocity.

Yang Ye's task was to find those high ministers of the Later Jin. Liu Chengyou had overlooked these people at first; it was only when he unexpectedly came across some surviving Later Jin officials in the camp that he realized the matter and immediately ordered a search and rescue.

At his side followed an official, Wei Renpu.

Wei Renpu wore coarse old cloth garments, his appearance unkempt, his hair bun in disarray, yet his brow still carried an air of composure and magnanimity.

An extraordinary man naturally does extraordinary things. In the chaos of last night, he had not panicked like ordinary men, but calmly analyzed the situation, seized the opportunity to rouse the able-bodied laborers, and together they struck at the Khitan. His memory was excellent; he had long since discerned the disposition of the Liao guards around them, and by exploiting the situation, he routed a group of Khitan without much effort. After dawn, it was also he who organized the people, calmed their fears, and led the crowd to surrender themselves.

When Wei Renpu led his group to submit, Liu Chengyou received him personally upon hearing his account. Though they did not speak at length, in just a few exchanges he could sense the man's extraordinary quality, and being very satisfied with his organizational ability, immediately put him to work.

His gaze swept the area, taking in the miserable scene, and Yang Ye turned his head to say to Wei Renpu, who followed at his side: "Master Wei, it seems these Jin court retainers have been all but wiped out in the chaos of the mutiny. Perhaps those chancellors have already lost their lives..."

"I hear the Liao sovereign places considerable value on Chancellor Feng and the others; they have soldiers protecting them, so surely it cannot have come to that!" Wei Renpu replied.

Yang Ye shook his head: "Given the situation last night, with that kind of mad slaughter, men could barely save themselves. Why would the Khitan risk their lives to protect Han ministers?"

Hearing this, Wei Renpu sighed and pointed north: "If I remember correctly, these several camps were all where the high-ranking Jin officials were housed. Let us search along the way."

"It must be so. His Highness has given the order; there must be a result, even if we must turn over every pile of corpses."

He called his men together and continued the search. After some time, they found results.

Sunlight shone down, the wind continued to blow, and the smell of blood on the battlefield seemed to dissipate considerably. In a camp on the river flats, Yang Ye and Wei Renpu watched several high ministers of the Shi Jin clamber out of pits, and could not help but stare in astonishment.

On the flat riverbank, red smartweed grew thick, wild grass flourished, dead branches and rotting leaves soaked in the sandy mud, and traces of the war's devastation remained everywhere.

In the camp, several pits had been dug. The holes were not large but were deep enough, just fitting one or two people, and those ministers were pulled out from these pits.

When the fighting broke out last night, Feng Dao and the other Jin ministers had been terrified and uneasy. Though most of them had experienced the chaos of dynastic transitions, mutinies within a marching camp were something they had rarely encountered. Their sense of security was too low; their lives were threatened at every moment.

Afterwards, the disturbance they secretly hoped would be suppressed was not put down. When the cries of "Kill the barbarian slaves!" filled their ears, the Khitan soldiers protecting them could no longer spare any thought for these Jin ministers, scattering to save their own lives. In fact, Feng Dao and the others thanked heaven for its blessing that those Khitan guards had not taken the opportunity to slaughter them...

The group gathered around Feng Dao, waiting for him to decide how to take refuge. While the killing spread throughout the Liao camp and the chaos grew ever worse, it was Feng Dao who remained calm enough not to run about in panic like ordinary men—that would only have meant a faster death.

Instead, he gathered the loyal servants around the various ministers and had them dig deep pits in the camp, hiding inside, covering the top with a layer of wooden boards, wild grass, and dead branches, then sprinkling sand and mud over it.

This performance of digging for survival was bizarre, yet unexpectedly effective. The servants were eventually scattered by the mutinous soldiers, but they themselves survived safe and sound. It was not until Yang Ye led his men past that they cried out for help and were saved. However, a few unlucky ones—their servants were probably too loyal and covered them too tightly—were suffocated directly in the pits.

Still, those who lived could not help weeping for joy, excitedly thanking heaven and earth, paying no mind at all to the dignity and bearing expected of high ministers. Truly, only those who have brushed against the edge of life and death know how precious life is.

In comparison, old Feng Dao, though excited, remained fairly composed. His body and face were covered in mud; after lightly cleaning the mud stuck to his white beard, he walked unsteadily before Yang Ye.

After all, he was advanced in years, and after a night of fright and ordeal, Feng Dao's body could hardly bear it. Wei Renpu saw this and immediately stepped forward to support the old man: "Take care, Chancellor."

"You know this old man?" Feng Dao looked at him with some surprise.

Wei Renpu had someone hand over a water skin and said to him: "I am Wei Renpu, formerly a minor clerk in the Bureau of Military Affairs. I was fortunate enough to have seen the Chancellor's true countenance."

"So you are Wei Renpu? This old man has heard of you in the central government." After sizing Wei Renpu up for a few moments, Feng Dao showed a tired smile and said this. Whether he had truly heard of him, however, was anyone's guess.

Taking a small sip of water, Feng Dao then clasped his hands to Yang Ye: "Thank you, General, for saving our lives."

"No need to thank me. If you must thank someone, thank His Highness!" Yang Ye returned the salute and said: "Had His Highness not ordered the search, I fear you gentlemen would have lain here in eternal sleep."

"His Highness?" Feng Dao opened his aged eyes wide and asked urgently: "May I ask, General, are you of the Longqi Army, under the command of the Second Prince of Hedong!"

Though phrased as a question, Feng Dao's tone was certain. When he received Yang Ye's affirmative reply, the old man directly shook off Wei Renpu's support. Not knowing which direction Liu Chengyou was in, he simply bowed deeply toward the west, in the direction of Taiyuan, to express his gratitude.

The other Jin ministers, upon learning that Liu Chengyou had saved their lives, followed suit. After recovering somewhat, they too voiced their thanks, their mouths full of praise for Liu Chengyou before the assembled soldiers and laborers.

Whether it came from the heart was another matter, for after all, it was Liu Chengyou who had launched this attack that caused them a night of terror and suffering. Otherwise, in the Liao camp, with their status and position, they could have lived quite comfortably.

Of course, there was some gratitude after all. Given the present situation, at least they would not have to go north into barbarian lands, become subjects of the Khitan, and later be ghosts in a foreign realm. Moreover, with their status and seniority, they were certain to be treated well by Liu Zhiyuan. Through several dynastic transitions, this had always been the treatment for former court officials. And this time, it was not even a "usurpation" of the realm.

In the future, under Liu Zhiyuan's new dynasty, they would surely gain some benefits. Even if they received no substantive posts, they would still have some honors and titles. Once the court stabilized, becoming ministers or generals was not impossible. As for those who had died, they could only blame their bad luck. In such chaotic times, having bad luck was itself a crime.

Besides those rescued by Yang Ye, many other Jin ministers had survived.

Feng Dao, Li Song, Zhao Ying, Feng Yu, Li Huan, He Ning, Xu Taifu, Tao Gu... This was a list of Jin ministers submitted to Liu Chengyou, and the number was considerable, for they represented nearly the entire Shi Jin court.

However, apart from Feng Dao, Liu Chengyou had basically never heard of any of them. That Tao Gu seemed to ring a faint bell.

As for these Jin ministers, Liu Chengyou did not receive them for the time being, only ordering that they be properly settled. It was not that he did not value them, but that he was simply too exhausted. After handing all matters over to Zhang Yanwei, Guo Rong, and Xiang Xun, he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.