Chapter 110: The Rising Wind (Part Seven)

A young knight-errant, who had ridden posthaste through the night from the county seat, stood covered in dust, gazing up at Du Chong atop the village ramparts.

Du Chong was momentarily stunned, at a loss for words or action. Finally, he stammered a reply: "Han Yue is not in the village. Why are you looking for him?"

Old Master Xu Gan had built this settlement, Xu Family Village, from nothing, taming the Sanggan River Valley with only a bow and a horse. In Shenwu County, he had once maintained friendships with veteran scoundrels like Chen Fengpo, and through his business dealings in the north, he had even formed ties with men like Luo Dun and Wutou. But that had been fifteen or sixteen years ago.

Over the years, Xu Gan had remained confined to Xu Family Village, rarely venturing out. His former reputation had gradually faded with the wind. Moreover, Xu Gan kept such a tight rein on his grandson, Xu Le, that the only person of any reputation among the younger generation in the village was the "Little Gate God," Han Yue.

A year or two ago, when some young knights in Shenwu County were challenged by a powerful outsider, the Little Gate God, Han Yue, stepped forward. Armed only with an iron shield, he single-handedly defeated seven or eight men, truly earning a fierce reputation among the local knights. Furthermore, Han Yue was known for his honest and steadfast character; he was always willing to lend a hand to those in trouble, and he was quite popular in Shenwu County.

When Chen Fengpo’s men found this young knight-errant and heard that there was trouble at Xu Family Village, the young man—who had once met Han Yue—did not hesitate to ride through the night to deliver the warning. Yet, encountering the dim-witted Du Chong, the exhausted and anxious knight was nearly driven to despair.

As it was winter, the villagers did not need to work the fields, and the village gates were kept locked. Du Chong was so frightened that he did not even think to open them.

The young knight looked up at Du Chong, who could only squeeze out the words that Han Yue was not home, without even opening the gate to let him in.

The young knight shook his head with a long sigh, pointed at Du Chong, and said, "I have made this journey, and I have fulfilled my duty to the Little Gate God! Tell the village head: Master Le has offended Prefect Wang, and the Prefect has dispatched his Transcendental Cavalry Battalion to purge Xu Family Village! You should set out at dawn; pack your belongings and flee into the mountains!"

Having shouted this, the young knight yanked his reins and turned around. His mount let out a long whinny and galloped away.

Du Chong stood stiffly before turning to descend from the ramparts. Villagers living near the walls had been stirred by the commotion; they pushed open their doors, peering out to ask, "Oldest Du, what has happened?"

Du Chong did not answer. He walked along the dirt road leading to Old Master Xu’s residence, walking faster and faster until he broke into a trot.

The gate to Old Master Xu’s residence was always open. He had built the entire village himself, and most of the residents were refugees who had come to him for shelter. Having lived together for over a decade, who was there to guard against by locking doors?

Du Chong pushed the gate open and entered.

***

In a rural residence, there is little distinction between inner and outer courtyards. Aside from a stable and a small training ground in the back, the house consisted only of a main hall and east and west wing rooms. Xu Gan lived in the east wing. Han Xiaoliu was in the corridor, brewing medicine with a soot-stained face; he didn't even bother to look up when Du Chong entered.

Mother Han was tidying up in the main hall. Hearing the door open, she stepped out and scolded Du Chong: "Oldest Du, don't you know the Old Master is ill? What has possessed you to come crashing in like this?"

Du Chong looked at Mother Han, his lips trembling, until he finally burst out: "I don't know how Master Le offended Prefect Wang, but the Prefect has sent men to purge our Xu Family Village!"

There was a loud crash as Han Xiaoliu jumped up and kicked over the medicine stove. He stomped his feet, ready to rush out to grab his weapons. Mother Han stood frozen in the doorway of the hall.

From the east wing, Xu Gan’s aged voice drifted out: "Is that you, Oldest Du? What is the matter? Come inside and speak. The sky is not falling yet!"

***

As the sky gradually brightened, the gates of Shenwu County creaked open. Two gate guards, wearing tattered military jackets, stood huddled in the entrance.

Chen Fengpo, having barely slept, rode out first on an old horse, followed by four or five of his men.

Behind Chen Fengpo and his group came the main force of the Transcendental Cavalry Battalion. These elite soldiers, directly under the command of Wang Rengong, had arrived dusty and weary. After resting briefly in Shenwu County, they set out again, still maintaining the disciplined, fierce, and robust appearance of an elite unit.

None of the local officials in Shenwu County dared to show their faces.

Wang Rengong, who controlled Mayi Commandery, poured all his efforts into ruthlessly plundering the region's wealth to build his personal elite force. He cared little for local administration, and his subordinates—the civil officials—had no desire to stay in this borderland; they were all focused on following Wang Rengong south to the prosperous Central Plains to contend for future power.

Furthermore, the administrative system of the Great Sui had already collapsed, and there were no longer any standard promotion or transfer procedures for local civil officials. These officials were either seeking the patronage of powerful clans or simply wasting their days, hoping to survive the chaos.

Since Prefect Wang had sent his own troops and chosen the veteran scoundrel Chen Fengpo to handle the task, bypassing the local officials, it was a blessing for everyone else. Why would anyone stick their neck out now?

Chen Fengpo led the way with a grim face, followed by Shi Zhaozhi and at least two hundred cavalrymen. In the end, Chen Fengpo could not escape; Shi Zhaozhi had personally tapped him as the guide to lead the troops to Xu Family Village.

***

To deal with a single Xu Family Village, these two hundred Transcendental Cavalry soldiers were armed to the teeth, each with a horse and a mule—the horses for the riders, the mules for armor and weapons. Although the Transcendental Cavalry were light horsemen—wearing lamellar armor but no barding for their mounts—these two hundred riders were a formidable force on any battlefield. Yet, Wang Rengong was using them to purge a tiny village under Shenwu's jurisdiction!

It seemed that Master Le had truly offended the Prefect deeply.

As a local "earth-ghost" and veteran scoundrel of Shenwu, Chen Fengpo naturally knew Xu Gan. When Xu Gan first established the village, he had single-handedly dealt with bandits and had even shown some kindness to Chen Fengpo. When Xu Gan was in his prime and visited the city, Chen Fengpo would always pay his respects.

Chen Fengpo had also seen Xu Gan’s grandson, Xu Le. He was a very handsome youth with a gentle, scholarly smile and eight sparkling white teeth. The old man kept him on a very short leash, and although Xu Le would occasionally mingle with the young knights of Shenwu and earn the title "Master Le," Chen Fengpo had never thought of him as a fierce or capable warrior.

How had this Master Le suddenly been recruited by Liu Wuzhou and wounded the Prefect’s men as a token of his defection, causing the Prefect to send troops to wipe out his family?

After spending the night piecing together the rumors, Chen Fengpo could hardly believe his ears. He began to regret sending word to the village.

If it were merely the Prefect’s rage, such feuds between local clans and outside officials were common, and sending a private message was a simple favor. But this was a struggle between two giants: Prefect Wang and Commander Liu. With things reaching the point of an open break, a local veteran scoundrel like him, caught in the middle, could easily be crushed to dust!

But it was too late to recall the messenger now; he could only take things one step at a time.

At this thought, Chen Fengpo could not help but sigh again.

How could he have failed to see back then that this gentle, scholarly Master Le would be capable of stirring up such trouble!