Chapter 100: Luring the Tiger from the Mountain

By the time Heifu and the others rushed to the township stable, they found it already ablaze with soaring flames — it had become a searing sea of fire.

The stable manager, still in his black work clothes, hadn't even had time to put on his cap; hair disheveled, he was leading the men in fighting the fire and subduing the cattle and horses that had caught fire and were running wild in all directions, neighing shrilly.

Clerk Anpu and Scribe Yue stared at the scene before them, momentarily stunned. Heifu spotted a familiar figure carrying a water bucket and went over to lend a hand.

"Steward Ju! Are you all right?"

Ju was precisely the minor functionary who worked at the stable — otherwise he couldn't have raised such fine horses to give to Heifu.

Heifu took the bucket and dashed the water onto the stable pens engulfed in flames, only to realize this was a mere drop in the bucket, utterly useless.

Just then a gust of wind blew, and the fire grew even fiercer. Heifu hastily pulled Ju back from the edge and asked him what on earth had happened.

Ju's face was covered in ash. "Before the morning meal, several men came to the stable, claiming to be conscript laborers on rotation duty. They said they'd been ordered by the township officials to repair the stable fences. The stable manager wanted to check their travel permits, but who could have guessed the gaunt man leading them would pull a short blade and restrain him? The other seven swarmed in too, pinning the grooms and herdsmen who feed the livestock to the ground!"

"They tied us up by the well, led over ten horses out of the stable, and then set the pens on fire with one torch... Luckily a few herdboys hiding inside the building kept silent. Once the bandits had gone, they ran out and untied our ropes."

The more Heifu listened, the darker his expression grew.

Qin's ancestors had, after all, built their fortunes on animal husbandry, so they placed great importance on cattle and horses. They specially established a "Stable Overseer" in every county to manage them — the equivalent of a county transportation bureau. Every township also had a stable, equivalent to a state-run ranch, managed by the stable manager. Almost all the horses used by the township government offices were raised and trained here, and requisitioning them required a written application.

Without a doubt, those eight men were the hired farmhands who had vanished. Dissatisfied with their days in Qin, they had long plotted to flee back to Chu — and today they had finally struck!

But had Ao led those men to attack and burn the stable merely to seize horses for transport, to make their escape easier?

And another thing — could those Chu people really all ride horses? Heifu, who had started from zero and spent a full month just learning to ride, didn't believe it for a moment. He had no faith that the quality of Chu refugees was that high.

Heifu immediately asked, "Steward Ju, what are the stable's losses? How many cattle and horses were saved?"

Ju replied, "Our stable isn't large — we only kept over thirty saddle horses and over twenty plow oxen. The bandit leader opened the ox pens but tied up all the horses. After the fire, the oxen ran out on their own, but nearly all the horses that weren't led away were burned to death. Those that survived are so badly frightened and burned, I'm afraid they'll never be of use again..."

"Just as I thought!"

Heifu couldn't help cursing inwardly. "Ao, what deep cunning. You deliberately burned those saddle horses so the township wouldn't have enough mounts to pursue you!"

But why had he deliberately spared the plow oxen? Was he afraid Qin's farmers wouldn't be able to plant crops the coming year? And he hadn't killed a single person on the scene either.

Ruthless and merciless when killing the hamlet gatekeeper and his lover, yet suddenly showing mercy at a critical moment; meticulous in planning and fond of stratagems, yet leaving unnecessary flaws in so many places.

A contradiction — too much of a contradiction. The more Heifu pondered, the more baffled he became. This Ao was truly no simple man.

Ju, still shaken, watched the stable fire grow larger and the livestock carcasses charred to a stench in the fierce flames, and lamented, "The stable manager loved horses the most. He always admonished us, saying the statutes decree: if improper handling injures a saddle horse, for one cun of broken skin, the fine is one shield; for two cun, two shields; for more than two cun, one suit of armor. So everyone in the stable couldn't bear to even strike the horses. Now over ten have died in an instant — truly..."

In other words, because of this fire, Anlu County had effectively suffered a loss of a hundred thousand cash.

According to the principles of Qin law, if saddle horses or plow oxen raised in the stable were lost or died due to circumstances, the grooms and herdsmen bore responsibility first, and the stable manager was also subject to collective punishment.

Casualties on such a massive scale were enough to cost the stable manager his post, strip him of his rank, and ruin him financially with compensation. No wonder he was so despairing and dejected.

At that moment, the township Overseer and the Constable Shuwu also arrived. The stable manager, who had been slumped on the ground in a stupor, immediately leapt up, seized Shuwu by the lapels, and cursed furiously: "Shuwu! Where are the five township station soldiers normally stationed beside the stable? Why was only one old station attendant left? After we freed ourselves, we beat the drum for aid — why did the township delay in sending troops? Are you deaf or blind? Ah!"

Anlu County had not seen such brazen bandits in many years. Shuwu dared not accept this blame and hastily pushed the stable manager away, defending himself:

"These past few days the county sent the Clerk, the Scribe, and this Station Chief Heifu here to the township to handle a case and arrest murder suspects. The station chiefs and soldiers were all requisitioned by them to search every hamlet — how could there be any left? This very morning, the Clerk even asked me for the last ten men and dispatched them to a certain hamlet east of the township, saying they were to pursue several hired farmhands suspected of murder. I was merely following orders. If you want to assign blame, take it up with them!"

Clerk Anpu had not expected Shuwu to dare shift the blame onto him. Greatly alarmed, he quickly retorted, "Constable, assisting us in handling cases and protecting the township and stable — these are all your duties. Your own poor allocation of resources is to blame — don't go pinning it on us!"

"Indeed! This matter has nothing to do with us!"

The responsibilities and interests of the case-solving team were aligned, so Scribe Yue hastily echoed the sentiment. However, since the fugitives they were pursuing had committed yet another crime, it would be hard for the three of them to escape blame entirely.

Seeing how the Qin officials on the scene, having fallen for Ao's scheme of luring the tiger from the mountain, had now begun shifting responsibility and quarreling among themselves, Heifu stepped forward to stop them.

"Gentlemen, please hear a word from me!"

The township Overseer, the Constable, the stable manager, the Clerk, and the Scribe — all five turned to look at the minor station chief, the lowest in rank and title present.

"The stable is destroyed, the saddle horses are all dead — this is already irreversible. This incident will surely shock the county court. According to Qin law's system of accountability, even if you all shift the blame cleanly here, you will inevitably face punishment when the time comes..."

Heifu's words were sound, and everyone understood: no matter how they passed the buck, each and every one of them would still be unable to escape.

"To do nothing is to simply await punishment. The only course now, if you wish to keep your posts and ranks, is to find a way to capture those murderers and horse thieves — those gang robbers — and bring them to justice!"

"Right!"

Scribe Yue's eyes lit up. "Station Chief Heifu speaks truly. More than five men constitutes a gang of robbers. Those bandits are, without question, gang robbers now! Capturing or killing gang robbers doubles the reward. If we can seize those eight men, not only can we atone for our faults with merit, we might even earn a reward!"

Although those hired farmhands had fled famine from Chu, since they had already been entered into Qin's household registers, they were legally regarded as Qin people.

The Qin officials, shaken to trembling by the disaster before them, finally found a sliver of hope. They set aside personal grievances and began actively deliberating.

To catch up with men on horseback, they naturally still needed to ride horses themselves. But now the government's public saddle horses had all been burned to death. Those slow, inferior draft horses used for pulling heavy loads were unfit to ride. They could only turn to private horses.

The red horse Heifu had named "Redheart" had been ridden here by him — that counted as one. Among the Qin officials present, Clerk Anpu and Constable Shuwu had also come on horseback. The township Overseer even contributed the two horses that pulled his cart.

They hastily scraped together five horses. Heifu, Anpu, and Shuwu were martial officials and naturally had to go. Adding the township station chief and one station soldier made exactly five.

However, the stable manager — a man in his forties, hair completely disheveled — forcibly pulled the station soldier down, flipped himself onto the horse's back in one motion, and declared through gritted teeth:

"I too once served as a cavalryman in the commandery. It was my familiarity with horses that earned me this post. Who could have imagined that years of toil would be destroyed in a single day! Though my thighs have grown fleshy from disuse, I can still ride at a gallop. I am determined to go with you, to capture that bandit leader and wash away this disgrace!"

Heifu said nothing more, merely nodding. "There is no time to lose. The later we pursue, the slimmer the hope of catching the bandits. May I suggest that the township Overseer continue requisitioning private horses in the township and send station soldiers who can ride to support us, while the Scribe goes to the county to report this matter? What say you?"

Although Heifu's rank and title were the lowest, it was as if he were the one giving orders. The others nodded in agreement. Even Shuwu, who disliked him, kept his mouth shut like a闷葫芦 — it seemed the fellow had finally learned some sense.

Only Yue wore a pained expression, saying Heifu had handed him the job of getting scolded. But he still clasped his hands to the group, wishing them a swift return with the bandits captured.

"Our posts and ranks now rest entirely on you gentlemen! I entreat you!"

The great fire at the stable had nearly burned itself out. Heifu and the others, five riders on five horses, set off under the bright sun, heading east along the main road...

Among the five riders, it was actually the stable manager — who claimed to have been a cavalryman in the commandery — who rode the fastest, though of course his burning desire for vengeance might explain it; he sped like the wind and raced like lightning.

Next came Constable Shuwu and the township station chief, riding steadily and surely ahead. Heifu and Clerk Anpu, on the other hand, had fallen to the rear.

Anpu spurred his horse faster while turning back to shout at Heifu, whose riding skills were the worst: "Since the bandits seized horses for transport, they can only take the main roads — they can't cut through the woods. East of the township, there are three more station posts in total..."

Heifu opened his mouth to answer, but fierce wind and dust immediately rushed in. He could only shut his mouth and think to himself, "I reckon that among those Chu men, at most half can ride. Perhaps they're riding two to a horse, so their speed certainly isn't fast. With luck, they'll be stopped at a station post by station soldiers bearing weapons!"

But that was hard to say — it all depended on whether those station posts were as diligent as Huyang Station, with someone watching the road at all times and sentries who didn't doze off...

Heifu's conjecture was soon put to the test. After galloping for just under half a shichen, they reached the first station post.

Sure enough, the station soldiers here merely said that half a shichen ago, they had heard the sound of horses galloping past. By the time they ran out, they only saw dust receding into the distance...

Anpu and the stable manager gave the men at this station a thorough tongue-lashing, while Heifu crouched on the ground, studying the dense hoofprints with a thoughtful expression.

East of Anlu County lie the tail ranges of the Dabie Mountains and Tongbai Mountains. The terrain rises steadily higher, settlements grow sparser and sparser, and the woods on both sides of the road grow denser and denser. Unless the bandits abandon their horses, they cannot leave the road.

As long as they are still on the road, there is a chance to catch up!

"Keep pursuing!"

The five men mounted again and galloped on. The second relay station was farther away; they rode for a full half-shichen before reaching this barrier-post situated between two earthen mounds.

This was a large post with a strong military character. Five or six post soldiers, weapons in hand, were gathered around several horse carcasses and one human corpse, anxiously peering out at the road. When they saw Heifu and the others racing toward them, two bows and one crossbow were instantly trained on them!

"Clerk of the Commandant, Patrolman, in pursuit of bandits — we have arrived!"

The Stable Master shouted out loudly. After reining in his horse, he immediately went to inspect the horse carcasses. Two well-fed, robust horses lay dead in the middle of the road, each struck by several arrows. Another had been shot in the leg and lay to one side in agony.

The Stable Master stroked the sole surviving horse, heartbroken, and burst out cursing: "You lot have some nerve, daring to kill the horses I raised!"

The post soldiers stammered. The local post chief recognized Patrolman Shuwu and hurriedly cupped his hands in salute: "I venture to report to my superiors: two ke ago, two bandits came charging through on horseback, bamboo whips in hand, driving seven or eight horses before them. We could not stop them in time and only managed to loose a volley of arrows at them…"

Clerk of the Commandant Anpu also dismounted. Hearing this, he was greatly alarmed and pulled the post chief aside to press him: "Say that again — how many men?"

"Two men. This is one of them, shot down by the volley. The other was highly skilled at riding and evaded by clinging to the horse's flank."

The corpse was about the same height as Heifu, and did not much resemble the seven-chi-tall "Ao" described in the stone-mouth account.

"There were clearly eight men, yet only two have come this far on horseback. What is the meaning of this? Where have the others gone?" Patrolman Shuwu and the township-post chief looked at each other in bewilderment.

Only Heifu reacted at once and cursed: "We've been tricked again!"

PS: requesting recommendation votes.

(End of chapter)