Chapter 1156

Hu Xiaotian said, "So precious?" He thought to himself, such a precious thing, you brothers already have three of them.

Xia Zhangming said, "The three Snow Eagles my senior brother and I have were given to us by our master; to make a Snow Eagle obedient, one must raise it from a young age, my lord, surely you have heard the story of taming a hawk?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded; he had heard of taming a hawk, one method of training a hunting hawk. It is to not let the hawk sleep, to wear it out, making it exhausted, because hawks are ferocious by nature; after just catching one, if you don't let it sleep for several days, its wildness is worn down. Taming a hawk is not so easy; it is a contest of will and endurance between the two parties.

Xia Zhangming said, "Compared to ordinary birds, Snow Eagles are more stubborn and untamed, thus requiring many times the willpower; but once tamed successfully, they will be utterly loyal to their master, willing to follow even unto death."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Could it be that only Snow Eagles can be ridden? Are there no other bird species?" He realized that this era had many novel species; perhaps there were even larger birds.

Xia Zhangming said, "Yes, there is a kind of flying owl, twice the size of a Snow Eagle, with a wingspan of about four zhang, fierce in temperament, even harder to tame, and its numbers are extremely scarce, surviving on small islands at sea; I have never seen one myself, but my master told me that when he was young he once had the fortune to see one, though the flying owl should now be extinct."

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said, "This is the result of not paying attention to protecting animals."

Xia Zhangming blinked slightly, then immediately laughed. He said to Hu Xiaotian, "My lord, if you are interested, I can accompany you to soar through the heavens."

Hu Xiaotian was greatly interested and was about to give it a try when Zuo Xingjian arrived.

In fact, Hu Xiaotian had already learned the latest situation of Baiquan City from Gao Yuan's pigeon letters; Xia Zhangming's arrival gave Hu Xiaotian the feeling of adding wings to a tiger, not only enriching his aerial attack power but also strengthening their intelligence network. Xia Zhangming merely made a slight adjustment to Gao Yuan, and now he can freely communicate between the two places via pigeon post, with efficiency greatly improved.

Zuo Xingjian did not know that Hu Xiaotian already knew everything that had happened in Baiquan City as well as the lines on his palm; after leaving Baiquan City, he rushed here nonstop, all the way thinking about how to deal with Hu Xiaotian. He also understood that Hu Xiaotian was not easy to deal with; upon seeing Hu Xiaotian, Zuo Xingjian bowed deeply and said, "Your humble servant Zuo Xingjian pays his respects to Sir Hu!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "Sir Zuo, no need for such great ceremony, please take a seat quickly!"

Zuo Xingjian, skilled at reading expressions and tones, saw that Hu Xiaotian's expression was somewhat pleasant, and only then did he slightly relax in his heart, respectfully saying, "As one guilty, I dare not sit."

Hu Xiaotian, hearing him say that, did not bring up the matter of letting him sit, and said softly, "Sir Zuo, what crime have you committed?"

Zuo Xingjian said, "Your humble servant, as the Baiquan City Guard Commander, watched helplessly as the imperial grain was looted, unable to do anything, thereby allowing the traitor Jiang Zhengyang's plot to succeed; after this incident, your humble servant ought to have come earlier to explain things to Lord Hu. If it were not for Lord Hu sending Mr. Zhu to Baiquan City to explain the righteousness to your humble servant, your humble servant would still not understand Lord Hu's intentions."

Hu Xiaotian rudely interrupted him, saying: "What are you thinking?"

Zuo Xingjian was left speechless: "Um... Sir, you worry for the country and the people, loyal to the sovereign and patriotic, Sir..."

Hu Xiaotian burst out laughing. Zuo Xingjian felt a bit dazed by his laughter; he had come this time just to flatter Hu Xiaotian and express his loyalty. But the situation seemed off.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I should count as worrying for the country and the people, but as for loyalty to the sovereign and patriotism..." He shook his head: "Though I am loyal to the sovereign, the Emperor may not believe my loyalty; Sir Zuo, what do you think I should do?"

Zuo Xingjian felt his scalp tighten. This Hu Xiaotian is too bold, daring to say such treasonous words to my face; but then I thought, why would he avoid me? In Hu Xiaotian's eyes, I'm just an insignificant nobody.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I heard you sent a memorial to the court."

Zuo Xingjian replied cautiously: "Indeed it is true!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Is everything written in that memorial true?"

"Every word is true, not a single falsehood."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Lying before the Emperor gets you beheaded." He paused, then gave Zuo Xingjian a meaningful look and said: "Lying to me is worse than losing your head."

Zuo Xingjian felt a chill run from his tailbone up to his neck. What did Hu Xiaotian mean by that? Had he already known everything? He whispered: "Your humble servant would never dare utter half a lie before Sir Hu."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Then tell me, what exactly happened in Yunze?"

Zuo Xingjian trembled: "Your humble servant... isn't entirely clear..."

"Hmm?" Hu Xiaotian's tone was stern without anger.

Zuo Xingjian shuddered from deep within, steadied his emotions, then said: "It is said that Jiang Zhengyang colluded with the Yunze water bandits, embezzled a hundred thousand shi of grain while guarding it; after the grain was transported away, the bandits tried to keep it all for themselves, so the two sides clashed on the lake, resulting in mutual loss."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You weren't there, how do you know so clearly?"

Zuo Xingjian's heart pounded; could Hu Xiaotian have learned the truth of this matter, which under no circumstances could be admitted? He respectfully said: "I captured a deserter and got the information from him."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir Zuo, what did I just tell you?"

Zuo Xingjian froze, then realized Hu Xiaotian had just said that lying to him was worse than losing one's head; he feigned ignorance, shaking his head, and began to regret this trip to Wuxing Commandery.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Come here!"

Four sturdy warriors entered from outside; Zuo Xingjian saw the scene and his face drained of color, stammering: "Sir Hu... this is..."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Drag Sir Zuo out to feed the dogs!" He said it casually, as if it weren't a cruel act at all.

Zuo Xingjian fell to his knees with a thump before Hu Xiaotian; the four warriors seized his limbs and dragged him out, wailing: "Sir Hu, spare me! Sir Hu, spare me! Your humble servant shouldn't have lied to you... Your humble servant will say anything... Your humble servant will say anything..."

Hu Xiaotian gave a glance; the four warriors threw Zuo Xingjian to the ground and then withdrew.

Zuo Xingjian, in a sorry state, crawled up from the ground, trembling all over, his voice shaking: "Your humble servant... wrong... wrong..."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Where did you go wrong?"

Zuo Xingjian said: "Your humble servant... shouldn't... shouldn't have been... been duped by Jiang Zhengyang..." By now he dared not deceive Hu Xiaotian any further.

Hu Xiaotian shook his head with a smile: "This isn't really a mistake; a wise bird chooses its perch. You thought Jiang Zhengyang could help you out of your predicament, so making that choice is understandable."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Xingjian suddenly understood, fell to his knees and kowtowed repeatedly: "Sir Hu... no... my lord! Your humble servant vows to die loyal to my lord; from now on, in my heart there is only my lord, and whoever dares disrespect my lord is my enemy."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What if it's the Emperor?"

"The Emperor?" Zuo Xingjian pressed his lips, then gritted his teeth: "If that foolish ruler dares to disrespect my lord, I would stake my life to fight for my lord's honor."

Hu Xiaotian truly admired this fellow's shamelessness, yet even such a shameless petty man has some use; he said: "Sir Zuo, rise!" Then he called out: "Bring the tea!"

Zuo Xingjian rose, still shaken; only when the tea was brought in did he realize his display of loyalty must have moved Hu Xiaotian, who finally withdrew his intention to kill him. He sat to Hu Xiaotian's side, took the chazan brought by the servant, and because his arm trembled, the chazan clinked in its saucer.

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "If you can't hold it, just set it on the table."

Only then did Zuo Xingjian set down the chazan and say to Hu Xiaotian: "Your humble servant is useless, blind as a mole, has made many mistakes; I hope Sir Hu will reprimand me."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You need only be sincere with me, and I will be open with you, Sir Zuo! I know exactly what your memorial says."

Zuo Xingjian, frightened, knelt again and slapped himself twice: "Your humble servant is guilty; I only wanted to shift blame onto myself, so I spouted nonsense."

Hu Xiaotian said: "That memorial was well written; please rise."

Zuo Xingjian looked at Hu Xiaotian half-believing, half-doubting, until he was sure Hu Xiaotian was genuinely praising him, then he rose again.

Hu Xiaotian said: "From now on, do you know how to speak to the court?"

Zuo Xingjian nodded firmly: "Your humble servant understands: speak truth to my lord, lies to the court."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "This Lao hulí is plenty cunning; no wonder he escaped that melee." He said: "I have had twenty thousand catties of grain prepared for you, plus some winter clothing; take your men and return to White Spring City tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Xingjian could hardly contain his excitement; in this situation, calling Hu Xiaotian my lord is nothing—calling him father would be fine: "Thank you, my lord!"

"You need not thank me; just remember what you ought to do. As for White Spring City, I will assign an additional three thousand troops to garrison there; any objections?"

Zuo Xingjian understood that Hu Xiaotian was trying to take away his military authority, but given Hu Xiaotian's current power, wiping him out would be a matter of minutes; the fact that they didn't kill him was already a great favor. Zuo Xingjian said: "Your humble servant will obey my lord's orders."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The water bandits of Cloud Marsh Verdant Heart Mountain are audacious to the extreme; they actually dared to seize imperial grain and wipe out our official troops. Even if the Emperor does not investigate this, I cannot tolerate them. After you return, immediately help me gather intelligence on the Black Water Stronghold on Cloud Marsh Verdant Heart Mountain, so as to fully prepare for our suppression of bandits!"

"Yes!"

Hu Xiaotian also said: "Jiang Zhengyang is already dead; we shouldn't pursue his subordinates; those soldiers are after all innocent." (To be continued~^~)