Chapter 111: Neat and Tidy

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The county seat was too tall and heavily fortified. Lu Fang led his men past, took one look, and abandoned any thought of attacking.

Though his followers were exhausted, most still had their horses with them — even if the animals were as gaunt and weak as their masters.

The bandits turned and headed straight north. Along the way they passed the towering fortified manor of the Zhang family, which rivaled the county seat itself. The able-bodied men and armored troops on its walls were even better equipped than the county soldiers and Diwu Camp. Old Master Zhang was a man who understood things clearly: instead of merely hoarding grain and coin, he had poured everything into building a powerful private army. Whether it was officials, bandits, or barbarians who came calling, anyone who set their sights on his household would first have to smash their head bloody against it.

From a distance, Zhang Chun spotted Lu Fang's red banner with its Han character. A surge of contempt rose in him, mingled with a private nostalgia for his own family's glory days under the former dynasty. He summoned his son Zhang Fen and, pointing at Lu Fang and his ilk, said:

"My son, remember this: everything is relative. In the past, during the Cheng and Ai reigns of the Han, the whole realm thought the Han dynasty was bad in this way and bad in that. The scholars spent their days submitting memorials denouncing your grandfather, treating him as a treacherous sycophant, pointing fingers at court politics — this must change, that must change. Yet now, with the world sliding toward chaos, people's hearts are beginning to feel that the Han times were better than the present. In the days ahead, many will rise up flying the Han banner. You must learn to tell which are fish eyes and which are true pearls."

"If you judge wrongly, it means the extermination of our line!"

Lu Fang did not linger outside the Zhang family estate either. Seeing that the surrounding area had been stripped bare as if for a scorched-earth defense, he continued north.

He had only one objective: the ford!

Lu Fang had only dared to come after sending scouts to confirm that the main force of Diwu Camp had crossed the river. He planned to seize the moment while Diwu Lun was tied up fighting Xiongnu roving riders, strike and take the eastern-bank ford in one blow, set a fire, and throw Diwu Lun's army into chaos so the Xiongnu could defeat him. Even if it failed, Lu Fang and his men could still escape downstream by boat.

What awaited Lu Fang at the ford, however, was not merely a mass of panicked, feeble refugees.

There were also the auxiliary troops of Diwu Camp — timid yet still gripping their spears, armored and standing firm without flinching. And from the east, a cavalry detachment revealed itself, every man wearing a yellow headwrap and dressed in Xin army fashion to disguise their identity as "hemp bandits." Their leader was none other than Ma Yuan!

Ma Yuan narrowed his eyes and pointed at the enemy wearing a black fur cloak. "Lu Fang, you have brought men here of your own accord. Do you come to surrender, or to offer up your head?"

By nightfall, word that over half of the four hundred-odd Xiongnu whom Diwu Lun had driven into the irrigation channel and slaughtered during the day had already reached the Jülin King. He ordered his subordinates not to cross the channel again and began using Lian County as a center to gather the various bands that had scattered into disarray after their great plundering victory.

But the Xiongnu, whose discipline was even worse than the Xin army's, had long since spread all across the plain. In groups of three or five hundred, they had overrun a number of hamlets. The docile, loyal deference they had shown before the Han Son of Heaven for the past sixty years vanished. The slaughter and savagery that had always remained in their blood was magnified as they committed atrocities en masse, and they gave themselves over to unbridled revelry.

Behind the broken walls of a hamlet stood a locust tree. The hamlet chief was bound tightly to it. From where he was, looking into the courtyard, he could see his elderly father's motionless feet. His father lay fallen in the courtyard, his head smashed against the stone slab where he had died. The blood had flowed along the cracks, all the way to the hamlet chief's feet.

The hamlet chief shifted his feet, unwilling to let the blood touch him. He had cursed all day long — cursed the barbarians' ancestors, cursed the worthless Xin army, cursed himself for clinging to luck, holding the walls, and not fleeing with his family the moment he could. He cursed until his strength gave out, until his tears ran dry. In the end, he could only beg, beg the barbarians to give him one stroke of the blade, to grant him a swift end.

But the Xiongnu refused. Their laughter from inside the house was utterly unrestrained. The unending sound of his wife and daughter weeping tore at him until he could do nothing but throw back his head and howl.

It was mid-month. The moon was huge and perfectly round. Heaven looked down upon the mortal world — but do not count on it to punish evil and reward good.

Outside the hamlet, the two barbarians standing watch collapsed one after another with muffled thuds, not even able to cry a warning. A squad of men in black uniforms entered the settlement, splitting into groups and heading for each household the barbarians had seized.

A few of them felt their way to the courtyard entrance. The hamlet chief stopped howling and simply stared at them, dumbstruck. A young man came to his side, cut the ropes with his blade, then pressed the knife handle into the hamlet chief's hand. In the local accent, he said: "Go!"

Eyes bloodshot, the hamlet chief led the charge into the courtyard. He stabbed straight through the barbarian who stood pissing beside his father's corpse, then drew the blade and stormed into the house. This time, it was the Xiongnu whose howls and wails rose one after another!

The hamlet chief emerged drenched in blood. A moment later, beside his father's body in the courtyard, several dripping heads of barbarian captives were laid out. With his wife and daughter, who had miraculously survived, the hamlet chief kowtowed to Meng Ze again and again, thanking him for saving their lives.

"We are soldiers of Diwu Camp! Our thanks to Major Boyu!"

Meng Ze was brimming with pride — even though he had held the rank of "Centurion" for less than half a day.

This was Diwu Lun's plan. After nightfall, the main barbarian force dared not blunder about. He had handpicked a hundred brave men from the troops, and Meng Ze had summoned over a hundred locals who knew every path and field — together they formed this unit.

"The Swallow-the-Hu General likely won't be coming back. West of the Beiyi Mountains is barbarian territory — desert and grassland, where soldiers lose their way. But east of the Beiyi Mountains is our home ground, the terrain we know best. Here, the barbarians are deaf and blind! Let them taste how sharp the blades of New Qin men can be!"

Similar scenes played out in every hamlet along the river. In a single night, this unit brought back over a hundred heads and more than a thousand refugees.

And Wan Xiu, who had already led his men back and forth several times, brought Diwu Lun an even greater surprise just as the sky began to lighten.

A man with his hair in a mallet-shaped topknot but dressed in barbarian clothes was tied to Wan Xiu's horse, hoisted up, and thrown to the ground before Diwu Lun.

"Following the Major's orders, we were sweeping the riverbank for barbarian captives when we discovered a group of men thirty li to the south trying to cross to the eastern bank on sheepskin rafts. At first we took them for scattered refugees fleeing, but when we got closer we realized something was off, so we seized them."

The man in barbarian dress who led them would not say a word. The others were Xiongnu, and even less could be gotten out of them.

Diwu Lun had Brother Biao apply torture on the spot. Only after the first finger was broken did the man open his mouth — but he spoke only evasive nonsense, claiming he was just an innocent commoner forced to guide the barbarians, begging to be let go.

What a joke. The Great Xin imperial army did not even spare the truly innocent, let alone someone this suspicious.

His words could not fool a dialect master like Diwu Lun. "Your accent doesn't sound local. It sounds more like Sanshui. Could it be you're one of Lu Fang's men?"

The man shut his mouth again. It was only after they found someone who spoke the Xiongnu tongue and interrogated the accompanying barbarians that they learned the man truly came from Anding — he was Lu Fang's elder brother, Lu Qin!

As it turned out, Lu Qin had been sent by the Jülin King to slip across to the eastern bank, make contact with Lu Fang and coordinate with him, or at the very least bring him back to return together to the Xiongnu. He never imagined that just as he reached the river, he would be captured by Wan Xiu.

Diwu Biao snapped another of Lu Qin's fingers and cursed: "Your younger brother claims the surname Liu. Why are you surnamed Lu? Is he a bastard, or are you?"

At that moment, a burst of cheering rose from the opposite bank. Diwu Lun and the others, not knowing what it meant, left Wan Xiu to guard the wagon barricade by the channel while he himself went to the ford to look. A boat was crossing from the far shore — and it carried not people, but a full boatload of heads!

"We are honored to have fulfilled our mission."

Ma Yuan merely cupped his hands toward Diwu Lun. "Lu Fang did indeed harbor hopes of success. He tried to lead his men in a raid on the ford, but when he saw our strength and hesitated, he withdrew. As he retreated, he ran into Company Commander Xuan and the county troops coming from the county seat. The Zhang family also sent their retainers to help. With over a thousand men surrounding a few hundred, we killed three hundred on the spot. Only a hundred or so escaped under cover of darkness. We are hunting them down with all effort."

Ma Yuan pulled out that red banner with its Han character and presented it to Diwu Lun, then pointed at the heads in the boat. "Under Lu Fang, we have his Provincial Governor, Inspector, Commandery Governor... and some Imperial Counselor, Grand Minister of War, and so on. Good heavens — five of the Three Excellencies, and a dozen and more of the Nine Ministers."

"The entire civil and military court, all neat and tidy, right here."

Diwu Lun laughed heartily. "Worthy of Wenyuan indeed — repelling the enemy like butchering dogs. And Lu Fang himself?"

Ma Yuan held up a hideous, contorted head. "The prisoners all said Lu Fang was the one under the banner wearing the black fur cloak. I personally pursued and cut him down. Most of those prisoners are now dead. Among the survivors, some say this is him, some say it is not."

"No matter. Lu Fang's elder brother has been captured. Let him identify it and we'll know."

Diwu Lun had Lu Qin dragged over and, by torchlight, made him identify "Lu Fang's head."

Lu Qin took one look, and secret joy surged in his heart — but he only lowered his head, prostrated himself on the ground, and wailed: "My younger brother! You had yet to accomplish your great cause, and now you have perished at the hands of petty villains..."

"Enough of this play-acting!"

Diwu Biao stomped him to the ground with one foot. On Diwu Lun's orders, he broke all ten of Lu Qin's fingers, one by one. After each snap, he demanded: "Is this Lu Fang or not?"

"It is!"

Blood seeped through the gaps in Lu Qin's teeth. Each time, he gritted his teeth and answered yes, until finally the pain knocked him unconscious.

Diwu Lun still harbored some doubt. He simply had "Lu Fang's head" put away. In any case, once the Anding Dependent State rushed to claim it first and the court acknowledged it, even if this really was Lu Fang, it would no longer be convenient to present it for merit.

Lu Qin, however, could be presented — along with the long-dead third brother, Lu Cheng. A family ought to be neat and tidy, after all.

Once all the commoners at the ford had been ferried across the river, Diwu Lun also made a trip to the eastern bank.

Several thousand refugees from the three western-bank counties had been temporarily settled there. Xuan Biao had already led men to help them build lean-tos, lit bonfires for warmth, and organized patrols to prevent thieves and criminals from preying on them. This allowed the commoners to settle down.

Now, hearing the accounts of fellow villagers who had been rescued from the barbarians' atrocities, and seeing Diwu Lun return, their attitude was utterly different from the wariness of that morning. The elders and senior men all came forward, kowtowing to Diwu Lun again and again, thanking him profusely.

Diwu Lun had Meng Ze and the others who had repeatedly sortied the night before come forward. "Over a hundred young men from your home villages have also volunteered to join my command. With them standing guard for you, you can rest at ease!"

At these words, the commoners were overjoyed. It was true — though Diwu Camp was different from the ordinary Xin army, they still trusted the young men of their own home villages and clans more.

Diwu Lun also had several captured Xiongnu prisoners shoved forward, letting the people who had been driven from their homes beat them to death to vent their rage. Once the crowd had tired themselves out and released their fury, he further promised that tomorrow grain would be brought from the camp to set up porridge tents.

Diwu Lun had assumed that after his side wiped out so many scattered Hu raiders, the Xiongnu main force would surely fly into a rage and send troops to attack. But the next day, the wagon-fort by the canal waited all morning without a single Hu raider appearing.

Wan Xiu, who had been sent out to scout and gather intelligence, came back to report that the Xiongnu were withdrawing in succession, had already left Lian County, and their main force was now at the foot of the Helan Mountains, several dozen li from here.

At that distance, Diwu Lun could only gaze west and sigh.

As for the reason for the withdrawal, aside from the Hu having already plundered enough spoils, it was also because a new army several thousand strong was advancing from north to south and would reach beneath the walls of Shanghe City by afternoon. Wan Xiu had made contact with its vanguard scouts.

"Who is coming?"

"Colonel Dou Rong."

"Dou Rong?" Diwu Lun racked his brain. It seemed he was the elder brother-in-law of Grand Minister of Works Wang Yi — probably someone who rose through the ranks by nepotism.

"Dou the Duke of Zhou is a man of Pingling and has met me before. I must keep out of sight for a while." Ma Yuan immediately prepared to slip away.

And just at that moment, a famous scene that Diwu Lun would never be able to forget unfolded.

The gates of Shanghe City, which had been tightly shut for days and refused to open even when the common people begged for help, suddenly swung wide. Colonel Liangqiu Ci led two thousand soldiers charging out, marching with great effort in the direction the Xiongnu had departed, as if in pursuit of an enemy already long vanished beyond the horizon.

For a time, banners swayed, spears and halberds thrust toward the sky, and the trained crossbowmen even kept halting their steps to aim and shoot into the utterly empty wilderness!

This royal army advanced north with a fearsome show of force, and half a shichen later returned strutting with insufferable arrogance, cheering: "A great victory! The Hu raiders have been completely driven off by Colonel Liangqiu! The Xiongnu lesser king fled in utter disarray!"

"Lost territory — all recovered!"

Diwu Lun was dumbstruck. At least Liangqiu Ci was not rotten to the core — had it been some other allied force, they might well have slaughtered the common folk of a few hamlets and carefully braided their victims' heads into queues to claim credit.

He had, however, set his sights on Diwu Lun's side, sending a man to invite Major Boyu into Shanghe City for a meeting.

When the common people were pounding on the gates begging for help, when the Hu raiders were running rampant and committing atrocities, when our troops crossed the river to fight to the death — where the hell were you back then?

Diwu Lun immediately ordered all the Hu heads transported to the east bank, not giving a single one to Liangqiu Ci. He only agreed to share some with the County Magistrate and County Commandant of Tewu, so that Tewu County would keep a unified story. At the same time, he gave Wan Xiu the order to go and make contact with Dou Rong's army once more.

The Hu had withdrawn very quickly. The bloody battle on the field was over; now it was time for the fight across the writing desk.

In the past, Diwu Lun would have been quite happy to provide cover for Liangqiu Ci. But now, his wings had grown strong, and that itch to stab an ally or a superior in the back was acting up again.

It was time to tear off the mask: "Wouldn't it be sweet to have Liangqiu Ci punished and kicked out, and for me to take his place, assuming command of the entire defense of the four counties and two forts in New Qinzhong?"

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PS: Chapter 2 at 18:00.

Something came up at noon; the extra update is moved to tomorrow.