Chapter 63: Found

On the way to Henan, inside the carriage.

The little girl had just been washed and groomed by Liu Ju's personal palace maid; she was pure white and clean, very cute, but due to long-term hunger she was slightly thin and weak, and moreover the harsh winter cold had invaded, leaving chilblains on her hands and face that still showed a bright red.

He timidly nibbled at the snacks and fruits on the table, occasionally glancing furtively at Liu Ju, his gaze not daring to meet strangers' eyes.

Liu Ju looked at the old man who had simply washed up and asked, "Old sir, may I know your esteemed surname?"

The old man hastily bowed and replied, "Sir, I am surnamed Zhang; you may call me Zhang Siwu."

"I wonder, how is this year's harvest?" Liu Ju continued to ask with concern.

The old man hesitated a moment, sighed, and said, "We commoners have a hard life; during the previous emperor's reign, most of the grain we collected was handed over, barely enough to get by. Now the new emperor has ascended the throne and waived taxes, but..."

Zhang Siwu said, choking up, "Poor my children, they've all starved to death; only a little granddaughter barely survives, and she probably won't make it through this winter either—I, an old man, don't even want to live."

Liu Ju's eyes narrowed slightly; he glanced at Sang Hongyang, who immediately fell silent like a cicada in winter, hesitating, "Your Majesty, sir, this year we indeed have not collected any grain from the people, especially in Shuofang City, where we dare not lightly provoke public resentment."

Liu Ju's gaze grew colder, then he asked Zhang Wusi, "Old sir, as far as I know, the court indeed has not levied any taxes this year."

Zhang Wusi shook his head, continually lamenting.

"Big brother, there are many bad people!"

At this moment, the little girl who was eating snacks spoke up in a crisp voice.

"Bad people?"

Liu Ju turned, stroked the little girl's head, and spoke gently, "Tell big brother, which bad people are there?"

"Riding horses..."

The little girl scratched her head, having thought for a long time but still unable to find words to describe those bad people.

Zhang Wusi said, "They are Xiongnu people, and also that... what's his name, the Prince of Dai; not long ago they found the village, looted all the grain, and also took away a lot of coal. We commoners had hoped things would improve a bit this year, but who would have thought..."

"Prince of Dai?"

Liu Ju rose to his full height, his eyes like frost, and said in a deep voice, "Prince of Dai, weren't you supposed to have fled beyond the frontier? How dare you collude with the Xiongnu and invade Han lands again? It seems the Prince of Qi is also involved."

Sang Hongyang also exclaimed angrily, "Sir, these Han traitors deserve death!"

Liu Ju pressed his thin lips, his gaze icy cold, and ordered the attendants guarding him, "They will surely come back for revenge; we must advance quickly, lest our Han people be bullied by foreign tribes."

Sang Hongyang hurriedly said, "Sir, the road ahead is perilous; you should not risk yourself. Better to return to Shuofang first and then make plans."

Liu Ju shook his head, saying, "The Prince of Dai and the Xiongnu are nothing to fear; I worry that if the people run out of food, they will be left to slaughter."

Seeing Sang Hongyang still wanting to advise, he continued, "My mind is made up; let's set out."

Liu Ju knew well that the Prince of Dai and the Prince of Qi had colluded with the Xiongnu; this seizure of grain and coal was no accident. To fully protect the people, he decided to personally go to the looted village and organize defenses.

But when Liu Ju arrived with his entourage at the village, the sight before him filled him with anguish.

All I saw were villagers in tattered clothes, sallow and thin, shivering in the cold wind. The children huddled in corners, their eyes full of fear and helplessness.

"Sir, we have no grain left!"

When the villagers saw Liu Ju's troop, they thought it was the army of the Prince of Dai and the Xiongnu, and all showed looks of despair.

When an old man stumbled forward and fell to his knees with a thud, he said, "Sir, there really is no surplus grain left in the village; please spare our lives."

Liu Ju hurriedly helped the old man up, his eyes full of concern, and said, "Old sir, please rise; you have mistaken us—we are the imperial army."

"The imperial court?" the old man wondered.

At this moment, Zhang Wusi, carrying his granddaughter down from the carriage, shouted loudly, "Brother, this sir is a good person; he really was sent by the court and will not seize our grain."

The old man hastily knelt and said, "Commoner Zhang Ersan pays his respects to the great and benevolent magistrate."

Liu Ju quickly helped the old man up and said, "Old sir, let's not waste words; let's go into the village and discuss how to deal with the Xiongnu."

Immediately, Liu Ju gathered the villagers to discuss defense strategies. He inquired in detail about the village's terrain and the previous invasion routes of the Xiongnu and rebel forces, gradually forming a plan in his mind.

Soon, he ordered the Feather Forest Guard to set up obstacles in the valleys and mountain passes, dig pits, and prepare rolling stones, arrows, ammunition, and thunderclap bombs.

At the same time, he organized the villagers into a self-defense militia to assist the soldiers in their defense.

At the village entrance, the Feather Forest Guard built layered simple fortifications.

Sang Hongyang sent people to distribute winter cotton clothing and grain to the villagers.

Liu Ju, meanwhile, led by Zhang Ersan, ventured into the deep mountains behind the village; after half an hour's march, he saw yellow smoke drifting from a mountain hollow ahead, accompanied by waves of a pungent odor.

"That's the smell."

Beside him, Sang Hongyang excitedly told Liu Ju, "Sir, we have found it."

Liu Ju's face also lit up with excitement, and his steps quickened involuntarily.

When Liu Ju and his party arrived at the mountain hollow and saw a group of people surrounding a dark opening that continuously belched thick smoke, they could not help but shout excitedly.

"Sir, this really is coal."

"This winter, we will finally get by."

"Sir, wise..."

The accompanying Ministry of Works personnel shouted excitedly.

Liu Ju took a few steps to the opening, picked up a lump of black "stone coal", and exclaimed excitedly, "Exactly, that's it."

Immediately he turned to Sang Hongyang and said, "Hurry up with the mining; request whatever you need."

Sang Hongyang respectfully accepted the order.

"Report, sir, the Xiongnu have arrived!"

At this moment, the Feather Forest Guard came rushing to report.

"Soldiers, follow me and charge!"

Liu Ju gave a cold laugh and mounted his horse first.

The Prince of Dai rode a tall, sturdy, well-fed horse, surrounded by layers of Xiongnu cavalry like wolves and tigers, swaggering arrogantly as he approached the village outskirts.

His greedy gaze swept over the Feather Forest Guard stationed at the village entrance and the villagers holding crude weapons, and a smirk of ill intent involuntarily curled at the corner of his mouth.

"A bunch of clueless wretches!"

The Prince of Dai strained his voice, hoarse and exhausted, shouting madly: "How dare you still call for outside aid? Those who are sensible should quickly hand over the grain and weapons obediently; otherwise, when I storm in, I'll leave not a chicken or dog alive—none of you will survive!"

Zhao Chongguo stood tall at the front of the ranks, his visage stern as frost, his eyes revealing unyielding fearlessness, and he replied loudly, unafraid:

"Prince of Dai, you have betrayed your country and defected to the enemy, forsaking your ancestors and homeland, and now you dare shamelessly to invade our Han village, slaughter our Han people—your crimes are monstrous and unforgivable! Today is your day of death!"

The Feather Forest Guard and villagers beside him also stood ready, and though the Prince of Dai's troops outnumbered them many times over, they remained unafraid.

Hearing this, the Prince of Dai exploded in rage, his face muscles twisting with fury.

"Since the imperial court has sent reinforcements, their grain, weapons, and even the coal for heating are ours to seize—confiscate it all. As for these people, I order them killed, not a single one spared!"

He waved his hand fiercely, and the Xiongnu cavalry behind him instantly, like wolves scenting blood, stirred restlessly, drawing their gleaming long swords one after another.

At the Prince of Dai's command, his guards and the Xiongnu warriors surged forward, instantly reaching the newly erected fence, quickly breaking the first line of defense as the Xiongnu flooded into the village like fiends.

The Prince of Dai, under the escort of his personal guards, rushed to the base of the fence.

Casualties began to appear among the Feather Forest Guard and villagers at the village gate, for they had not expected the Prince of Dai to arrive so swiftly, leaving them no time to prepare.

The Prince of Dai also urged his soldiers and the Xiongnu warriors to press harder, for now the Wusun great army is trapped outside Shuofang City and cannot break free.

The Xiongnu Chanyu Wuyan had just escaped Huo Qubing's pursuit, morale low, and with the onset of winter, provisions and heating supplies scarce, the coal they had painstakingly found—the very coal prevalent in Chang'an—how could they not be tempted?

Therefore, upon learning of the coal mine here, the Prince of Dai hurried back at once, determined to seize it no matter what; otherwise, this winter neither he nor the Xiongnu Chanyu Wuyan would have an easy time.

The Prince of Dai, charging at the Feather Forest Guard and villagers like a man injected with adrenaline, pressed his assault fiercely, undaunted even by the short-gun's volley.

Soon, dozens of the Feather Forest Guard were locked in deadly combat, and Zhao Chongguo suffered wounds that bled incessantly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

As Zhao Chongguo-led Feather Forest Guard and the Prince of Dai's side became locked in melee, suddenly the sound of gunfire—bang, bang, bang—rang out from afar.

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

Zhao Chongguo shouted loudly, and the Feather Forest Guard and villagers' morale surged at once.