Chapter 314

The night was deep and quiet.

On the spacious official road outside the city, let alone pedestrians, not even a tiny spark could be seen.

On the city wall, two elderly soldiers gripped their long spears, eyes fixed on the chicken beside the fire ahead, their mouths and throats twitching from time to time.

The chicken had only just been roasted, its color still unchanged.

This was a chicken that lived inside the city; although the city was under curfew, this chicken boldly strutted around the base of the wall, and was unintentionally spotted by the two soldiers.

For such a chicken that flouted the court's law, the two soldiers naturally wouldn't let it go easily; they seized it and executed it on the spot, letting the chicken taste the strict law of Da Yu.

"Lao Gu, what do you plan to do about what the brigade commander said earlier today?" one soldier suddenly asked.

The soldier called Lao Gu drew a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, took a careful sip, smacked his lips twice, then carefully returned it, saying, "What can I do about this? I'll do whatever my superiors order. Their thighs are so thick, I, an old fool, don't deserve to speak. What else can I do? No room to talk, I can't run away—aside from obedient compliance, what else is there?"

The other soldier sniffed the faint alcohol in the air, his gaze fixed on Lao Gu's pocket, and said, "Give me a sip too."

"You say you're a bachelor with no family to support, you eat your fill and no one goes hungry; if you cut back on your sneaky drinks, you'd have plenty of wine. Why bother with my little bit? I can only scrape together two liang of liquor a month, and I hate to even take a sip." Lao Gu muttered, yet he still produced the small porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed it over with a pained expression.

The other soldier chuckled, "That's indispensable; if you give up women, life loses its flavor. We're both old, I won't be able to do it many more times. When I can't manage anymore, I'll treat you to drink—guaranteed we'll have liquor every meal."

He didn't dare drink more, just like Lao Gu, merely wetting his lips a little, then smacking his lips loudly to savor the taste.

Lao Gu carefully put the small porcelain bottle away, saying, "Luo San, you're a thoughtful person, but I advise you not to waste so much thought on these matters—it's pointless."

"I'm still useful," Luo San retorted, sticking out his neck. "Those women all say I'm vigorous as a dragon and tiger, far surpassing those young lads; one even charged me ten wen less for that reason."

"Pah, you old fool, I'm talking about this!" Lao Gu cursed.

Luo San chuckled, "I know, compared to bragging with you, as one grows old, some things must be remembered firmly; in old age, one relies on such trinkets to get by. Otherwise, facing the sun and earth walls every day, there would be nothing to yearn for."

"Actually, I don't want to overthink what the brigade commander ordered today either; getting involved just brings trouble, so going along is fine. But this time it's different—if I don't act, I'll die."

Lao Gu lifted his drooping, wrinkled eyelids sharply and asked, "Is it really that serious?"

Luo San's face suddenly darkened with hostility; he spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto the wall and, gritting his teeth, said, "That bastard Liang Renjie must have had his brains knocked out when his mother gave birth to him—setting a Hongmen banquet to ambush Chen Wuji, isn't that just asking for death?"

"Although Chen Wuji was once just a hunter, it was the magistrate who lifted him up, and he still commands those tough fighters from Tianchi Pass. If Chen Wuji dies, can Liang Renjie survive? He even dreams of taking the commandant's seat—utter fantasy; the magistrate would surely have him hacked to pieces."

Lao Gu grasped his disheveled beard, hesitated, and said, "But the magistrate killed three commandants, the provincial troops are in turmoil, nobody obeys, and those kids keep shouting for vengeance on the commandant."

"Vengeance..." Luo San scoffed, "They're not that loyal to the commandant; they're not shouting loyalty but demanding silver and benefits."

"But that damned Liang Renjie actually believes it; as long as the magistrate is willing to fork out money, those who shout the loudest will surely shut up at once, then turn and slash their knives at his head, and at his wife and children."

Lao Gu fell silent upon hearing that.

After a good while, he suddenly asked, "Are these ideas all something you thought up while lying with a woman?"

Luo San chuckled, "When my mother gave birth to me, she didn't drop my brains."

Lao Gu glanced at him with disdain, not wanting to pick up Luo San's boring vulgar joke.

"Lao Gu, hear me out: this time we really can't follow that damned Liang Renjie in his mischief. If we just hold out two more years, we'll be free of this lousy duty; there's no point losing our lives at this juncture." Luo San grew serious, his tone stern, his aura shifting in an instant.

Lao Gu's face was full of worry, "But what can we do?"

"Spread the word!" Luo San said in a low voice.

"Besides, I have some shocking news: it's said that Chen Wuji already commands thousands of Bīngmǎ, mostly his clansmen, and they've already fought a battle with the Qiang people in the mountains, winning big!"

Lao Gu jerked upright, "When did all this happen?"

"Just the day before yesterday." Luo San said, "A relative of mine is a hunter from HuaiShuCun, often wandering the area; he personally saw Chen Wuji's subordinates driving herds of cattle and sheep down from the mountains."

"According to him, he knows folks from Xishan Village; they say Chen Wuji likely killed tens of thousands in that battle. This old fellow never served as a soldier, so that number is surely exaggerated, but it's certain that Chen Wuji already has thousands of troops and has won a battle."

"Lao Gu, it's not as simple as the magistrate just propping him up; in my view, our magistrate may well have to rely on this young man surnamed Chen."

Lao Gu frowned like a dead knot, "I know Xishan Village, but how could there be so many Chens?"

"Xishan Village doesn't have that many; who allows them to have no other land? Your few sons are scattered east and west." Luo San waved his hand and flipped the chicken meat beside the fire.

"You, quit nitpicking; the fact is they have troops and have indeed won a battle—it's just that the news hasn't fully spread yet."

"Put bluntly, to become commandant they don't need us at all; even if they hacked us all down, their commandant would still be secure. That damned Liang Renjie still wants to strut around—he's seeking death, and I, old man, won't join him; at dawn I'll find a chance to go to Xishan Village."

"One sentence—will you come with me or not?"

"Lao Gu, I won't harm you; if you're scared, hide at home these days. If you're still uneasy, I'll cut you a wound so you can stay home and heal."

Before Lao Gu could decide, a sudden clatter of horse hooves rang out on the dark official road.