Chapter 335: Not Yet Numb

"He—he's the village head! He violated my daughter-in-law, killed my daughter! I'm going to kill him!"

On the drill ground north of Lüshun city, a man with a queue suddenly threw himself onto the person beside him, biting and hitting in a frenzy. The man on the ground dared not fight back, only crying and trying to block the blows. The surrounding bondservants watched numbly. Only after a long while did two of them jump up to kick and beat the man on the ground.

Zhao Xuan, standing in the center of the circle, waved his hand. Two garrison soldiers came in from outside, pulled the three apart, pinned down the village head on the ground, tied his queue into a knot, then bound him with rope and forced him to kneel. Two bureau-level instruction officers walked over to the bondservants and verified the village head's evil deeds with them.

Zhao Xuan pulled up the bondservant who had been the first to strike the village head, pointed at him, and said to the circle of bondservants: "This brother was stranded in Liaodong for ten years, endured countless hardships to get here, and today still has such bloody spirit — that is the true manner of a Han man. Rest assured, this village head who served as the tiger's pawn will be severely punished. If among those captured true barbarians there are evildoers you recognize, perhaps you will be allowed to execute them yourself. Do you dare?"

That bondservant's face flushed bright red. "This slave wants... this humble man dares. As long as my lord gives me a blade, this sla— this humble man dares to cut the Jianzhou bandits' heads off."

The other bondservants shrank back, heads ducking, though some began to stir restlessly. But the Tatars' accumulated authority of many years still held sway — even though over a hundred true barbarians were now tied to wooden posts on both sides of the drill ground, they dared not even look them straight in the eye, let alone strike or curse them.

Zhao Xuan clapped that bondservant on the shoulder and, still addressing the other bondservants, said loudly: "That's the way. You are all suffering people of Liaodong, oppressed for too long. This is our Han land. You are not slaves, not bondservants. If today you still dare not step forward to identify those who oppressed you, then you have not a shred of humanity left. Is it truly your fate to be bondservants? Are you willing to be bondservants your whole lives?"

The entire group of bondservants kept their heads lowered. This Ming soldier before them was not the least bit fierce — his face was even quite kindly, and he did not strike or curse anyone — but hearing his words, none of them dared raise their heads to look at this government soldier.

Zhao Xuan walked slowly along the circle. "Your parents gave birth to you as human beings, not to be slaves to those savage Tatars. Your clinging to life is forgivable, but today you still look every bit the slave. Touch that pig's tail — do you still look like a human being?"

Low sobbing began to rise from the field. Zhao Xuan continued: "Think of the kin you've lost. Think of your lives in Liaodong, worse than pigs and dogs. Do you feel no shame in your hearts? You've clung to life all this time, but the day of your death will come. When you meet your dead wives, children, and ancestors, and they ask whether you avenged them — what will you say to them?"

"Waa!" The first Later Jin bondservant burst into loud wailing. Soon, weeping rose from all across the field. Years of suppressed suffering erupted in that moment. All the bondservants wept until their voices were hoarse, crying out the names of their kin as they wept. Among the Liao people who had survived in Liaodong, nearly every one had friends or family who had died at the hands of the Jianzhou bandits. Under the oppressive weight of high-pressure violence, they had often chosen to forget, gradually growing numb, as if those events were long past. But today, under Zhao Xuan's guidance, the hatred and shame buried deep in their hearts surged up together into their numbed minds.

Zhao Xuan let out a breath. It was good that some were crying — at least they still had feelings, were not truly numb. At the same time, he felt fortunate for them.

Two days earlier, Huang Side had rushed over from Dengzhou to deploy a series of propaganda efforts across southern Liaoning, aiming to use this great victory to boost morale in southern Liaoning and Dengzhou. He had specifically transferred Zhao Xuan from Jinzhou and assigned him the task of dividing the bondservants. He had given special instructions: if the bondservants proved truly beyond saving, they were to be shipped to various places in Denglai for public display first, and then their heads would be taken and sent to the capital — at least they could be exchanged for some silver. So Zhao Xuan had been worrying about these people all along.

Now that the emotional floodgates of these people had been opened, the screening that followed would go smoothly. As long as they could show hope of being saved, most of them would survive and, after reformation, be integrated into the Dengzhou system.

"Your enemies are right over there. We've secured a true Tatar barbarian for you, handed over for your disposal. The time for revenge has come." Zhao Xuan pointed at a Jianzhou bandit tied to the nearest wooden post and shouted. The bondservants wailing on the ground let out a collective cry and swarmed over, punching and kicking that true barbarian. Some even threw themselves onto the Jianzhou man and bit wildly, fresh blood bursting between their teeth. That Later Jin surplus soldier screamed in agony — it was as if he were being executed by lingchi with teeth.

The frenzied bondservants engulfed that surplus soldier. Amid the mad shouting, shreds of the surplus soldier's clothing and flesh flew through the air above the crowd. Even the Dengzhou soldiers on guard duty at the drill ground watched with fear and trepidation.

"Bodhisattva preserve me, I didn't make them this crazed — it's the Jianzhou bandits' own sins..." The timid Zhao Xuan dared not look directly and turned his head away. Right across from him were two garrison soldiers, and not wanting to appear too useless, he lowered his head and walked slowly, putting on the air of someone deep in thought.

After a long while, the wailing and shouting over there finally subsided somewhat. Two garrison soldiers went to make the bondservants form ranks, preparing to have them identify evildoers among the bondservants. After screening, the Intelligence Division and military judges would conduct another round of verification.

Zhao Xuan let out a long breath. He stopped walking and just as he raised his head, a person stood right in front of him, smiling as he watched him. Zhao Xuan jumped in fright, then looked closely and saw it was Zhong Lao Si. He curled his lip at Zhong Lao Si and said, "Squad Commander Zhong, I hear you may be promoted to Company Commander this time. In the future, leading over a thousand men, you'll need to set a good example for the soldiers. Best not to play these kinds of tricks."

Zhong Lao Si laughed heartily. He had come to Lüshun to visit the wounded soldiers of the Second Division of the Long Qibing. Those wounded soldiers had been transported via the Fuzhou River to Beixinkou that day, then carried back to Lüshun by large ships. Some with light wounds were already able to return to their units.

Eighty percent of the lightly wounded soldiers under Zhong Lao Si had survived, including that Guan Dadi. This far exceeded his expectations, so Zhong Lao Si was in excellent spirits. He had been on his way to the military camp outside the city to find Zhou Shao'er of the First Company Command of the Guard Battalion to catch up when he saw many settlement households gathered around the drill ground watching the excitement. He had come over to see the spectacle and spotted this Zhao Xuan.

He had a fairly good impression of Zhao Xuan. The man had no ill intentions, just a bit of a coward. Although Zhao Xuan had been to the battlefield so many times, he still could not adapt whenever he saw those bloody scenes — he even dared not go to clean up the battlefield. Teasing this timid instruction officer was one of his great pleasures.

Zhong Lao Si said carelessly, "Who knows about promotion? One word from a military judge and it could all go to hell for me. And you — if you don't co-sign the merit report, I won't get promoted either."

Zhao Xuan said irritably, "With that conduct of yours at the ferry crossing, wanting to sortie without authorization, even if the military judge doesn't pass you, I don't think it would be wrong. Our Dengzhou garrison values military discipline above all. That he didn't punish you afterward is already generous. At that time, we were supposed to hold the ferry crossing securely — how could you just..."

Zhong Lao Si spat fiercely on the ground. "Bah, he already reported it to the Deputy Chief Military Judge and even sent a copy to Zhu Guobin. Why do you think I said he's going to screw me over? He doesn't understand the situation at that ferry crossing at all. If we'd fought the way I wanted, we'd have killed at least a few hundred more Han traitors."

"Squad Commander Zhong!" Zhao Xuan suddenly raised his voice. "Even now, you still haven't recognized the importance of military law. If everyone did as you please, if every man could fight however he fancied, what kind of battle would we be fighting? Even if you killed a few hundred more Han traitors, who would take responsibility if the ferry crossing was lost!"

"There were still two companies at the ferry crossing — how could it be lost? The Plain Blue Banner cavalry were several li away, and they couldn't break through two companies in square formation anyway..."

Zhao Xuan raised a hand to cut him off. "And you wasted ammunition on the battlefield. When you could have used a blade, you used your short gun to blast a head to pulp. Those heads couldn't even be verified for merit. I've already recommended to Lord Zhu and the battalion quartermaster that your monthly pay be docked."

"Docked again, damn it! I..." Zhong Lao Si was furious. He had already had his monthly pay docked for half a year in Dengzhou, and it had only just been restored this month. With Zhao Xuan stirring things up again, who knew how much longer it would last. But he swallowed his curse halfway through. He had taken enough beatings to finally adjust his temper a bit, especially since Zhao Xuan still held the hurdle of co-signing his promotion report.

Zhao Xuan glared at Zhong Lao Si, only to see him suddenly put on a smiling face and say, "The instruction officer is right. From now on, I will never sortie without authorization."

Only then did Zhao Xuan's expression ease. He said to Zhong Lao Si, "Squad Commander Zhong, it's not that I want to lecture you, but you really should rein in that temper. You're a fine hand at fighting and leading troops — why can't you ever get promoted? It's this temper of yours causing the trouble."

Zhong Lao Si felt his anger rising again as he listened. He rolled his eyes, then suddenly pointed behind Zhao Xuan. "From now on, I'll kill them all like that. Instruction officer, see if that suits you."

Zhao Xuan, still in the middle of speaking, turned his head without thinking. He saw the ground covered in blood, gore, and chunks of flesh. That Jianzhou bandit's entire body had been bitten to shreds, white bone exposed in many places.

A wave of nausea surged up in Zhao Xuan. He quickly turned back and shut his eyes. Seeing this, Zhong Lao Si tried to drag Zhao Xuan over to look at the corpse. Zhao Xuan struggled desperately. Zhong Lao Si clapped Zhao Xuan on the back and laughed heartily. "I think you should train with my division for a few months, pick up a long spear, and fight a battle against the Tatars. That'll build up your courage."

"Really? This... I was born unable to stomach such things. I can't even watch a pig being slaughtered..." Zhao Xuan gasped a few breaths and asked.

Zhong Lao Si said smugly, "Instruction officer, it's not that I want to lecture you, but you really should work on your courage. Your eloquence as an instruction officer is top-notch — why can't you ever make it to battalion instruction officer? It's this temperament of yours causing the trouble. You need to change, and start by slaughtering livestock."

Zhao Xuan made a firm resolution. "I'll change. When I get back, I'll hunt rabbits and kill them myself. Many thanks for the reminder, Squad Commander Zhong."

"Instruction Officer Zhao, I have matters to attend to. What I just told you — think it over carefully yourself. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me when you're back in Jinzhou." Zhong Lao Si finished speaking and strode off with a swagger.

Zhao Xuan thought for a long while, then suddenly looked up at Zhong Lao Si's retreating figure. "Huh? Clearly, I was supposed to be lecturing him."...

Shuangdao — a tiny island northwest of Lüshun, only a few short li from the nearest coast of the Lüshun Peninsula. To its east lay the vast Shuangdao Bay, also a sheltered, excellent harbor. Along the shores of Shuangdao Bay stretched large expanses of flatland, where many settlement households labored in the fields, preparing for the autumn harvest. This was one of the areas around Lüshun suitable for farming. Though the yields were not high, the advantage was that the area was fairly large.

A line of riders traveled along the main road through the waves of wheat, heading toward Shuangdao Bay to the northwest. At their head was Chen Xin. This stretch of coast was over thirty li from the southern city of Lüshun. Chen Xin had traveled to and from Lüshun many times, but this was his first visit to this small island.

In Lüshun, Chen Xin had prioritized visiting the wounded soldiers. The honey used by the medical rescue teams had proven remarkably effective — even Chen Xin, who had spearheaded the initiative, had not anticipated such results. In fact, honey contains large amounts of amino acids and ketone compounds that disrupt the biochemical cycles of microorganisms. The reason honey preserves food is that it inherently kills bacteria. Honey is also a concentrated solution that isolates wounds from contact with air, making it easier for wounds to scab over. Most miraculously, it can dehydrate infectious microorganisms, turning water into hydrogen peroxide through oxidation, which disinfects and sterilizes. It can be considered one of the best biological antibiotics for treating wounds.

Afterward, he inspected the defensive positions at Lüshun's Huangjin Shan and Xiguan Shan. Following this Fuzhou raid, the likelihood of the Jianzhou bandits attacking Jinzhou and Lüshun had increased, and he needed to be prepared. In addition to defensive fortifications, various weapons suited for defense were being shipped over from Dengzhou in succession — the most numerous being iron caltrops and thunderclap bombs. All kinds of ingenious defensive ideas were being continuously summarized and put through various tests.

The southern city of Lüshun was being expanded once again, with an outer city added to the west. The height and thickness of the city walls had been greatly enhanced. Lüshun was drawing ever closer to the characteristics of a fortress.

When Chen Xin reached the shore of Shuangdao Bay, two flat-bottomed sand ships were already waiting there. The entire party boarded them.

The sand ships soon docked at the island's pier. Chen Xin stepped onto Shuangdao and looked around. The island's vegetation was sparse, with only a little green remaining in late autumn. There were very few buildings on the island. Near the pier stood a row of houses — the temporary camp of the naval squadron stationed there. Not far from the pier, on the island's hill, stood several newly built temple-like structures.

Chen Xin looked at that hilltop and asked, "That would be Regional Commander Mao's cenotaph, I presume?"

The director of the Foreign Affairs Division accompanying him replied in a low voice, "Exactly. Three years ago, the Criminal Viceroy beheaded Regional Commander Mao on this very hill."

Chen Xin sighed. Shuangdao remained the same, but the two towering figures who had stood here three years ago were now gone — both having met violent, unnatural deaths.

Silently following the newly built stone steps up the hill, Chen Xin soon reached the summit of the island hill. The hilltop was quite broad. To the west, the vast gray sea stretched boundlessly; to the east, the rolling mountains of the Jinzhou isthmus were visible. He suddenly felt that if Mao Wenlong were truly buried here, it might suit this military man's life and temperament better than the shores of West Lake.

On the western slope of the hill were several courtyards, meant as resting places for those who came to pay respects. Some merchants temporarily seeking shelter from the wind could also rest there. Shang Kexi and his companions were staying there, but Chen Xin was in no hurry to see them. Instead, he walked toward the cenotaph. He had left these two men waiting for several days — there was actually no urgent military business to handle; it was merely a negotiating tactic.

The main gate of the cenotaph was quite imposing. Inside was a large courtyard, and passing through another gate was Mao Wenlong's cenotaph itself. On either side were the east and west corridors, housing the spirit tablets of fallen Dongjiang generals such as Chen Jisheng and Zhang Pan. On the left side, he also saw the spirit tablet of Shang Xueli. He could not help but greatly admire Huang Side's meticulous attention to detail.

In front of Mao Wenlong's tomb, several people were just then offering incense. Hearing footsteps, they all turned their heads in unison to look. Each of them had a fierce, ruthless countenance, and they regarded people with a kind of cold indifference.

The director of the Foreign Affairs Division, seeing these men, quickly said, "Vice Regional Commander Mao, Vice Regional Commander Shang, this is the Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, Regional Commander of Dengzhou Garrison, Lord Chen."

"Lord Chen?!" The rough-featured, burly man in the middle, draped in a red cape, froze for a moment, then dropped to his knees with a thud before Chen Xin and kowtowed repeatedly. "Your subordinate, Vice Regional Commander of Dongjiang Garrison Shang Kexi, pays respects to Lord Chen. On behalf of Regional Commander Mao and my late father, your subordinate thanks my lord for his lofty righteousness."

(To be continued)