Chapter 178: Chapter Ten: Heading North to the Jing and Wei Rivers

Wu Jie was no fool. At thirty-seven, he had already served in the military for seventeen years. Having studied books in his youth and then spent over a decade scrambling and fighting in the army, he could see through certain matters at a glance. He knew full well that he had stumbled into this mess and then been saddled with it by these people.

But knowing was one thing, understanding another. The problem now was that the man in the prison was a genuine Imperial Censor-in-Chief, a true envoy of the Son of Heaven, a proper high-ranking official representing the central government. Moreover, the severity of the matter was plain to see, and his old superior Qu Duan had indeed done something utterly baffling.

Therefore, no matter how foul and stinking this affair was, since he had gotten involved and been backed into a corner, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and see it through.

As for how to do it, although Commander Wu put on a look of ignorance, having muddled through the Western Army for seventeen years, how could he not know the procedures for certain matters?

In fact, if he truly set his mind to it, with Commander Wu's expertise in military strategy and his thunderous style of attack, he could act with swift decisiveness and a momentum of capturing the ringleader first.

This day was the first of the fifth month.

Wu Jie left the prison without a moment's pause. He first had that Commander Xue thrown into jail, stuffing him into the cell opposite Censor Hu and the others, and then immediately presided over the merger of Xue's troops.

At the same time, he wrote a confidential private letter and had his younger brother, who was also like a son to him, Wu Gong, personally deliver it to his blood brother Wu Lin on the opposite bank of the river.

Two days later, after having waited on the various lords in the prison for two days and calculating the right time, Wu Jie then wrote over a dozen letters and sent them separately to familiar generals along the Jingyuan Circuit.

Now, the military system of the Song Dynasty was complex. The circuits west of the Pass, being border circuits, had special military institutions from the start, almost like military districts. Thus, they did not commonly see titles like Commander or Chief Controller as in the Central Plains. Instead, military officers were divided according to the regional unit of the "Circuit."

For example, before becoming a Commander, Wu Jie had successively served as the Tenth Regular General and then the Second Deputy General of the Jingyuan Circuit. Qu Duan's steps to consolidate military power west of the Pass also began by first seizing control of the Jingyuan Circuit's troops for his own use, then using the Jingyuan Circuit's forces as capital to attempt to annex troops from other areas through warfare.

Therefore, these letters were naturally sent to Qu Duan's core followers, who were also Wu Jie's old acquaintances, the generals of the Jingyuan Circuit now concentrated around the border of Yan'an Prefecture and Fuzhou. However, the content was nothing major—just some slightly suggestive reassurances and reminders, not something he truly relied upon. Or rather, a soldier naturally had his own methods of operation; how could he rely on letters to form connections?

In fact, no sooner had these letters been sent than Commander Wu received news that General Qu Duan had already arrived on the opposite bank of the river, escorted by his own younger brother.

This day was the fourth of the fifth month. Wu Jie dared not be negligent. He immediately led a hundred of his Personal Guards out of the city northward to the floating bridge over Linhua Pool to welcome him.

Qu Duan, around forty years old, was in the prime of a general's life. He was tall and sturdy, with a slightly ruddy complexion, clad in dazzling armor, and riding an exceptionally large steed—none other than the famous divine horse "Iron Elephant" renowned west of the Pass. A hundred Personal Guards flanked him in two wings from behind, while Wu Lin led over a hundred riders to follow and escort from the rear. Nearly two hundred iron cavalry galloped in from the north, carrying an imposing presence. Moreover, the Commander-in-Chief's banner fluttered in the summer breeze, matching General Qu's recent triumphant state—truly majestic and spectacular.

However, no matter how spectacular, one still had to follow basic rules. When Qu Duan reached the floating bridge and saw Wu Jie leading a hundred riders dismounted and respectfully waiting on the opposite bank, he smiled smugly, dismounted, and led Iron Elephant forward, taking the lead.

The other guards also dismounted one by one and carefully stepped onto the bridge.

When Qu Duan at the front had crossed the floating bridge, he went directly to the roadside, mounted his horse, and prepared to continue onward. But today, Wu Jie behaved with exceptional deference. As a military officer second only to Qu Duan in the Jingyuan Circuit, he stepped forward to personally hold Qu Duan's reins, stopping anyone else from following. Only when they reached a shaded spot under a tree a few dozen paces away did he stop, so the two could speak privately.

Qu Duan, throughout the whole process, acted openly and calmly, not mentioning a word. When they reached the shade, he did not dismount but instead looked down from atop Iron Elephant and asked:

"Big Wu, you say Minister Yuwen has sent another envoy, and that fellow Xue Feng beat him up and threw him in jail?"

"Yes!" Wu Jie glanced at the opposite bank, raised his head, and replied calmly and seriously.

"How did you handle it?" Qu Duan frowned.

"I was in Luojiao City at the time. Upon receiving a letter from County Magistrate Huang here, I came and arrested Xue Feng, intending to rescue Minister Yuwen's envoy. But for some reason, the envoy insisted that you, Commander-in-Chief, had set this up—deliberately having Xue Feng give him a beating to establish authority, then letting me play the good guy. Instead, he refused to leave the prison."

Hearing this, Qu Duan frowned even more deeply. Yet, surprisingly, he did not get angry. Instead, he sneered: "If I were setting up a beating to establish authority, why would I use one of Wang Xie's old subordinates instead of one of our own Jingyuan veterans?"

Wu Jie also sighed: "That's the logic. Others may not know, but how could I not know that this was Xue Feng acting foolishly, unrelated to you, Commander-in-Chief? But for some reason, the envoy was convinced it was your arrangement. Not only that, after County Magistrate Huang had a private chat with the envoy, he also went into the prison... and told me directly that unless you, Commander-in-Chief, came in person, he would never come out. And I thought, Minister Yuwen, after all..."

"Enough talk." Qu Duan finally grew impatient and waved his hand from his horse. "It's always these high-ranking court officials being so self-righteous, repeatedly ruining the frontline situation. I thought Minister Yuwen was a sensible man, sitting comfortably in Chang'an, willing to delegate power to me. Who would have thought he'd make such a fuss over nothing... Besides, you sent word so urgently, didn't I come right away?"

Wu Jie watched the knights crossing the river from the floating bridge, dismounting and remounting in single file, and nodded repeatedly in agreement, continuing calmly: "That's exactly it. No matter what, Commander-in-Chief, you should explain the matter of Grand Coordinator Wang to the Imperial Envoy. Otherwise, wouldn't all twenty-plus officers up and down the Jingyuan Circuit be implicated by you and uniformly branded as rebels by the court? I come from a respectable family and have worked hard for seventeen years; I never thought of rebelling."

Qu Duan, riding on Iron Elephant, was momentarily stunned, then his face suddenly changed. Just as he was about to speak, he followed the other's gaze and abruptly looked toward the bridgehead.

Only then did Qu Duan notice that Wu Lin, who should have turned back directly on the opposite bank, had somehow followed over. Not only that, but while he and Wu Jie had been talking, Wu Lin's guards and his own guards had crossed the river intermingled. At this moment, just over a hundred had crossed—half from Wu Lin's unit, half from his own guard.

In other words, only a few dozen of his personal guards had made it to this side of the river, and they were now surrounded and intermingled by more than three times as many of the Wu brothers' guards.

"Those on the opposite side, stop crossing!"

At that moment, Wu Lin at the bridgehead also mounted his horse and called out to those on the bridge: "The Commander-in-Chief is a general stationed outside the capital. He is going into the city to meet the Emperor's envoy. According to regulations, he cannot bring too many guards... The number is sufficient. The rest wait on the opposite bank; food will be sent to you later."

Complaints immediately arose from the opposite bank, with some questioning why such formalities were necessary when Wu Jie's troops were already stationed in this city.

However, soon a few guard officers familiar with Wu Lin on the south bank stepped in to defuse the situation, saying things like, "If the Imperial Envoy gives rewards, will they be shared?" and "Will there be wine and meat later?" and so on.

Once these words were spoken, the opposite bank burst into laughter, and no one paid attention to the earlier complaints.

Qu Duan turned back and stared coldly: "Big Wu, what are you and your brother up to?"

"It's not what we're up to. It's that the Imperial Envoy is clever. He pointed out that your advice to kill Grand Coordinator Wang was proof you were rebelling, and he's pinned it on me." Wu Jie replied frankly. "I was backed into a corner and didn't want to be wronged, so I used this method to invite you, Commander-in-Chief, to meet the Imperial Envoy face to face!"

"Bullshit Imperial Envoy!" Qu Duan snapped back to reality with a cold laugh. "It's probably Yuwen Xuzhong getting a few eunuch clerks from Dongjing and pretending to be a big shot. You've been a soldier for seventeen or eighteen years, a Circuit Commander, my top general—how did he manage to twist you up like this?"

"They're not eunuch clerks. The chief envoy is the Imperial Censor-in-Chief, and the deputy is a staff officer from the Bureau of Military Affairs." Wu Jie continued calmly. "Both of them fled Nanyang City with His Majesty early this year and accompanied him to Yanling for that battle. They are His Majesty's trusted men—this is His Majesty's own intention!"

"Just because Xue Feng beat them, they say I'm rebelling?" Qu Duan was taken aback by the introduction of their identities, but then grew indignant.

"Commander-in-Chief, there's no use talking more now. Why not go into the city and meet the Imperial Censor-in-Chief face to face to clear things up?" Wu Jie also grew impatient.

Qu Duan stood silent, stunned.

"You don't think I, Wu Jie, would harm you, do you?" Wu Jie grew even more impatient. "If so, go ahead and order a fight at the floating bridge. But if you do, the whole world will know you're rebelling."

"I'm no match for you lowlifes, you brothers!" Qu Duan finally let out a cold laugh, then spurred his horse toward Zhiluo City.

Wu Jie's face darkened. He mounted his horse and led the knights from the north side of the bridge in swift pursuit.

After traveling two or three li, they reached the city. Qu Duan, on his fast horse, arrived early at the city gate but did not enter, clearly wary, waiting for the few dozen guards who had followed him to enter first.

However, upon reaching the city, before Qu Duan could speak, Wu Jie simply turned back and ordered: "Half of those who came with the Commander-in-Chief stay behind; only half may enter!"

Qu Duan flew into a rage, turning on his horse and pointing his whip: "Wu Jie, are you really going to rebel against me?"

At this point, Wu Jie could no longer be bothered to pretend. He raised his head and lifted his whip in return: "Commander Qu, inside the city is the Imperial Censor-in-Chief, bearing His Majesty's decree, with the status of a half-Premier. If you disobey orders, are you really going to rebel against the Great Song?!"

The surrounding guards were already stunned, but since both sides were originally one family, they all looked at each other in panic.

Qu Duan, furious and helpless, could only sneer repeatedly. He urged Iron Elephant into the city. The remaining guards exchanged glances and, under Wu Lin's intimidating stare, indeed left half behind, with only about twenty riders following into the city.

But that wasn't all. Once inside the city, Commander Qu had ridden barely a hundred paces when he encountered an armed blockade at the first intersection.

Qu Duan turned back and saw Wu Jie leading a hundred riders following him. He was utterly enraged: "Big Wu! Today you're not rebelling against me—you want to kill me, don't you? How pitiful that I, Qu Duan, have roamed west of the Pass for twenty years, only to be killed by a subordinate in the army?"

"So the Commander-in-Chief knows that a subordinate shouldn't threaten his superior?!" Wu Jie reined in his horse and came before him, unafraid. "Qu Da! Think carefully. What I did to you today—how is it any different from what you did to Grand Coordinator Wang back at the Diaoyin Mountain camp? Didn't he come to see you, his subordinate, just like this, losing half his guards at each checkpoint? If you, Qu Da, didn't have the intention to kill your superior and rebel, how could I, Big Wu, have such an intention? What I did today was only to make you see clearly!"

Qu Duan was stunned, speechless. Then, in silence, he spurred his horse through this intersection checkpoint.

And then, just as Wu Jie had said, Qu Duan encountered the same treatment he had given Wang Shu in his camp that day. At every street corner and gate checkpoint, he left half his guards. By the time he reached the county prison gate, only a single rider remained with him.

Seeing that last guard also forcibly stopped by Wu Jie's soldiers, Qu Da dismounted and walked forward. But the moment he stepped into the prison, he suddenly felt a chill throughout his body, unable to contain himself. He stopped, looked up at the sky, and let out a long sigh.

"We're here now. What do you intend, Commander-in-Chief?" Wu Jie followed behind, speaking coldly.

"I'm just sorry for Iron Elephant. This fine horse can travel four hundred li a day—the finest steed west of the Pass." Qu Duan looked up at the sky. "I'll give him to you someday. It won't be an insult to him."

This time it was Wu Jie's turn to be furious: "Qu Da! No one wants to kill you! You're just here to defend yourself! If that Imperial Censor-in-Chief wants to kill you without evidence, I'll risk my life to let you go!"

Qu Duan shook his head slightly, offering no defense, and finally strode proudly into the prison.