Chapter 202: The Embargo

Shanhai Pass, also known as Yuguan, had long been called the lock and key of the two capitals. The fortress city spread out like a great roc in flight, tightly gripping the throat of the road leading from Liaodong to the capital. The main city wall, over four zhang in height, was thick and solid, crouching upon the earth like a beast of the night.

The winding city wall stretched eastward into the sea. A formidable defensive system of seven castles, ten major passes, thirty enemy watchtowers, sixty-two wall platforms, eighteen beacon towers, and sixteen signal mounds along the Great Wall made the Jianzhou barbarians beyond the pass sigh in frustration at the sight of it.

The majestic arrow tower stood atop the tall gate. Within its three stories, the silhouettes of sentry soldiers could be seen through several arrow windows. The broad horse road atop the wall could accommodate several warhorses galloping abreast, and every crenellation of the parapet was guarded by soldiers bearing spears and bows.

A long merchant caravan arriving from the south was passing through the city, heading toward the gate. The train of over a hundred horse-drawn carts stretched for several li. The residents and merchants within the pass were long accustomed to such sights; pedestrians went about their business with composed expressions, and no one stopped to gawk.

When the front of the caravan reached the gate, a squad of soldiers on sentry duty blocked its path.

As the caravan halted, someone within it hurried toward the rear. Before long, a middle-aged man wearing a blue straight-robed gown and a six-in-one unified cap came rushing forward from the back, followed by several servants in attendant's dress.

The man came to a stop before the soldiers blocking the road. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he addressed the Platoon Leader in charge with an arrogant expression: "Why do you block the road? Do you know whose caravan this is? Make way at once—don't delay my master's important business!"

The Platoon Leader leading the squad was just past twenty years of age, named Zhou Wei, a native of Liaodong whose family had all perished at the hands of the Jianzhou barbarians. In the fifth year of Chongzhen, he had drifted to the capital with fellow villagers fleeing disaster and had been recruited into the Yongwei Camp.

Today he led his squad on gate duty. Seeing such a massive caravan approaching in a long line, he ordered the carts halted for a routine inspection.

Zhou Wei felt anger rise in his chest at the man's overbearing rudeness. He did not answer the man's question, but instead gave cold, stern orders: "Zhang Wu, Liu Jun! Take your men and inspect what the carts are carrying! Seize any contraband goods! Bind anyone who dares to obstruct you!"

"Orders received!" The Squad Leaders named Zhang Wu and Liu Jun acknowledged the command and each led their ten soldiers at a trot toward the long caravan.

Seeing that Zhou Wei paid him no heed whatsoever and instead sent men to inspect the cargo, a nameless fury kindled in the man's heart. He raised his hand and pointed at Zhou Wei's nose, cursing: "What do you think you are? You dare block my master's path! Let me tell you—this is Marshal Zu's caravan, and I am the steward of Marshal Zu's household! Who under heaven would dare search and block the way? Do you want to die?"

Zhou Wei lowered his head and unhooked the long saber hanging from his belt. Raising the scabbard, he lashed it diagonally across the arm pointing at his face. A faint crack sounded, and the man claiming to be the steward of Zu Dashou's household let out a shrill cry as his right arm went limp and dropped—Zhou Wei had shattered it with a single blow of saber and scabbard together.

The steward crouched on the ground clutching his arm in pain, his forehead beaded with sweat the size of soybeans. Yet the man was tough; after that initial cry he made no further sound, merely squatting there, his body trembling slightly, staring at Zhou Wei with venomous eyes as if trying to etch that face into his memory.

The several servants who had followed saw what had happened, and one by one their faces turned savage. Some stepped forward to help the steward up and carry him to the rear, while the others showed no fear whatsoever of the armed government soldiers. Instead they drew short knives from within their robes and squared off against the troops.

The Zu family had dominated Liaodong for generations. Whether masters or servants, they were all accustomed to arrogance and high-handedness. In all these years, no outsider had ever dared lay a hand on a member of the Zu household—how could this lot swallow such an insult?

"Cut them down!" A low, forceful voice came from behind Zhou Wei. He and the others turned to look. A party was descending the steps of the pass fortress—at its head was Huang Zhen, the Assistant Regional Commander of the Yongwei Camp charged with defending the stretch from Linlu Tower to Zhenyuan Tower, followed by over ten personal guards in full armor.

Huang Zhen, tall and lean, clad in fine iron mail, had just been inspecting the arrow tower. Seeing the massive caravan arriving from the south, he had descended from the topmost story of the tower to question the matter personally. As he reached the steps leading down from the wall, he happened to witness Zhou Wei shattering a man's arm with his scabbard, whereupon the other party had drawn short blades and squared off against the government troops.

"Cut them down!" Huang Zhen strode forward, his expression calm as he repeated the order.

Zhou Wei turned, drew his saber from its sheath, stepped forward with his left foot, and put his waist and arm into a diagonal downward slash. One man opposite had no time to react before the keen blade opened his neck. Blood gushed forth like a fountain, and he collapsed silently to the ground, dead.

Zhou Wei's right foot followed through as he swept the saber upward in a rising arc. Another man took the blade to the throat. His short knife clattered to the ground, both hands clutching his neck, he pitched forward with gurgling sounds as bright red blood snaked out from beneath him.

The remaining two men threw down their knives and turned to flee. Bowstrings twanged, and several three-edged arrows struck each of them in the back and neck. Their bodies pitched forward and they fell dead.

All of this happened in the span of a single instant—in less than ten breaths' time, all four of the Zu family's servants lay dead.

Zhou Wei sheathed his saber, turned, and dropped to one knee, reporting loudly: "Report to the General! Just now someone claimed this caravan belongs to the Zu family of Jinzhou. This officer humbly reports the matter to the General!"

Huang Zhen's bright gaze fixed upon Zhou Wei as he barked: "Seize him! Punish him with ten strokes of the military rod!"

Several personal guards surged forward, pressed Zhou Wei to the ground, and stripped off his cotton armor and battle skirt, exposing his pale buttocks. One guard snatched a spear from a nearby soldier, reversed it, and lashed Zhou Wei's backside viciously with the shaft.

Huang Zhen spoke slowly: "Our Yongwei Camp is the Son of Heaven's own army. Apart from His Majesty and the imperial house, any who dares to face me with a blade in hand shall die! Today I will teach you a lesson you will remember!"

Before long the ten strokes were finished, and Zhou Wei's buttocks were a bloody mess. Huang Zhen waved his hand, and several guards hoisted Zhou Wei up and carried him straight to the arrow tower atop the wall, while others went to the camp in the city to summon the army physician to treat Zhou Wei. Because Zhou Wei was on duty today, even after taking the rod he had to remain at his post on the wall until the shift change.

Huang Zhen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, awaiting the report from the soldiers inspecting the caravan.

Before long, Squad Leader Zhang Wu came running back from several hundred paces away. Seeing Huang Zhen, he faltered for a moment, then swiftly dropped to one knee in a military salute and reported loudly: "Report to the General! This officer led the men to inspect several dozen carts—they are all loaded with cotton cloth, medicinal herbs, iron materials, salt packs, saltpeter, and the like! How to proceed, please instruct, General!"

Huang Zhen said in a deep voice: "Rise! Someone—go into the city and report this matter to Vice Regional Commander Zhang! Sound the horn and muster the troops! Clear all idle persons from the road, and see that not a single person from the caravan escapes!"

By the time Zhang Kui, the Vice Regional Commander of the Yongwei Camp, received the report and hurried over from the Regional Commander's residence, the pedestrians on the road had all vanished. The Zu family's caravan was tightly surrounded in place by Huang Zhen's soldiers, with the cart drivers all squatting beside their vehicles. The Zu family's steward had also been dragged out of a nearby medicine shop by the soldiers, though his broken right arm had already been set by a physician and was suspended before his chest in a cotton cloth sling.

Zhang Kui walked up to Huang Zhen, grinning broadly: "Old Huang, you really have the guts to do it—you even dare to seize the Zu family's caravan! But I've got to give you full credit! Well seized! Now we've shown our faces before His Majesty! Hahaha!"

Huang Zhen clasped his fists in salute and said: "The Zu family takes the Great Ming's goods to give to the Jianzhou barbarians. Our Yongwei Camp is merely taking them back on behalf of His Majesty! Such traitorous villains who collude with the barbarians are the enemies of our Yongwei Camp!"

Zhang Kui nodded: "Well said! Old Huang, have your men drive all the carts to an open area and park them there. I'll send a fast rider to the capital at once to report to His Majesty. As for how to dispose of these supplies, we need only await His Majesty's decree! Also, free up a few carts and send the Zu family's steward back to Jinzhou to deliver the message!"