Rebirth of a Star General 115
The Ruthless Man
Explain? How can this be explained?
The situation at that time was critical – He Yan was locked in the prison, speculating that the other party would be probably making a move. So she asked Song Taotao to find a pen and paper to write a letter to Shen Han.
In the letter, she drew a map of Liangzhou Guard. He Yan had been in Liangzhou Guard for more than half a year, so the map drawn was detailed. She guessed that the other party would come from the Wulu River. That’s why she suggested that Shen Han should send hundreds to a thousand archers to hide in the dense forest so that once the opponent’s soldiers crossed the river to come to the guard station, they would be caught in an ambush.
“At that time, I was falsely accused for murder and sent to the prison.” He Yan thought for a while, and then explained, “Although the others didn’t believe me, I always felt that the other party’s plans were not something minor. General, you were also not here, in the worst case, Liangzhou Guard would be in danger. So I drew such a map and asked Miss Song to give it to Instructor Shen for me. However, I was not sure at the time that Instructor Shen would really do what I said. I was just gambling on chances.”
Although Shen Han refused to believe the matter, he was still cautious after all. So according to what He Yan said, he arranged for people to stand in ambush deep in the forest leading to Liangzhou Guard. It was only when Ridamuzy’s men tried to come to the martial arena that they were ambushed and they were already at a disadvantage by the shore, so their morale was hit.
Xiao Jue raised his eyes, “Why the shore?”
“Strategy to trap a team of foe. If you want to catch a thief, you must close the door, not for fear of his escape, but for him to lure troops.”
He laughed, “You learned the Art of War well, but what about the granary?”
“Behind the Liangzhou Guard is Baiyue Mountain, and it is close to the Wulu River. One path is the way from where the General goes in and out, and further ahead is the way towards the city. I guess the other party’s plans were not simple, and only the guard station may not be enough. If we think from our opponent’s position, the first thing to do would be to burn the granary. Then the recruits of Liangzhou Guard would have no supplies and would not be able to hold on for long. They would either be trapped here, or enter the city. Once the city gate is opened, the enemy troops would enter after them and remove the defence in the Liangzhou City. So I told Instructor Shen in the letter to arrange for people to hide in the dark and guard the granary to prevent anyone from setting fire.”
In fact, Ridamuzy did send someone to set the fire, but it was taken down by Liangzhou recruits who had been prepared for a long time.
“You guessed it right.” Xiao Jue spoke slowly, leaned forward, approached her, and stared into her eyes, “You have got a good head on your shoulders, little girl.”
His pupils were deep and quiet, as clear as autumn water, He Yan looked a little uncomfortable, and she couldn’t answer those words. The reason why she could count on the last resort was because she has learned countless times about the behaviour of the Qiangs, who burn the granary when they come up. As long as the other party was a Qiang, it was natural to know what they would do next.
But she couldn’t say this to Xiao Jue.
“You know a lot. Did your father teach you the Art of War at home?” He asked with hooked lips.
He Yan knew that this person had become suspicious, and simply said nonsense, “That’s not true. I learned it all by myself. Doesn’t the General think I’m a born general?”
He sneered, “The liar is lying again, isn’t it?”
“The General always suspects me of being a liar, at least show me some evidence.” He Yan became more bold, “You suspected Lei Hou, so you put him in the Forward Battalion, and finally let Lei Hou reveal his fault. You suspect that there is something wrong with me, so you have also put me around you. My room is separated by a wall from the General’s. It stands to reason that if there is something wrong with me, the General will find it easily. But until now, except for the fact that I am a woman, nothing has happened. That’s why it is quite unreasonable for the General to say such things.”
Xiao Jue smiled angrily at her. “I’m unreasonable?”
“The General has kept me by your side for so long, besides discovering my loyalty, agility, bravery, and wisdom, what else did you discover? Nothing.” He Yan spread her hands, “As a leader, you should know when to reward and when to punish clearly. I also solved the crisis of Liangzhou Guard and made a merit. Shouldn’t the General reward me?”
“Reward?” He asked slowly, “What reward do you want?”
He Yan sat up straighter and leaned closer to him while staring at him with bright eyes and said, “Can I join the Nine Banners Battalion?”
“No.”
He Yan, “Why?”
“The Nine Banners Battalion does not accept liars who are full of lies.” He replied indifferently.
“I’m not lying!”
“Miss He,” his beautiful eyes stared at her, and suddenly his lips hooked, “Although I don’t know what you are hiding,” he paused before saying, “One day, your secret will be revealed.”
He Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and she forgot to answer.
He stood up and walked out. He Yan hurriedly said, “Then, what about Hu Yuanzhong?”
Xiao Jue didn’t stop, just left the word “dead” and went out the door.
He Yan was startled, dead?
…
When Xiao Jue went out, Lin Shuanghe had already disappeared. Only Fei Nu stayed outside, Xiao Jue asked, “Where did Lin Shuanghe go?”
“Dr. Lin said he’s going to Miss Shen’s place to help dispense some medicine.” Fei Nu replied, “The recruits who died in the battle of Liangzhou Guard have been settled.”
The recruits who died in battle will be buried at the foot of Baiyue Mountain. Before these young lives could experience a real fight, they were slaughtered under the knife in the dark.
Xiao Jue pinched his forehead.
After receiving the news from Zhangtai, he immediately set off for Zhangtai, but only halfway through, he realised that something was wrong. He secretly contacted the battalion commander of the Nine Banners Battalion and learned that Zhangtai was indeed harassed by the Utohs, but it was not as serious as the letter said. In the middle of the journey, he turned his horse’s head and sent over some of the Southern soldiers stationed in Qingnan to come here.
The other party must have come to Liangzhou Guard or rather, to him.
Now that he has just taken over the Liangzhou Guard, if the Liangzhou Guard went wrong in Xiao Jue’s hands, His Majesty would certainly have a reasonable reason to take back the military power. He would fall into the trap of those ministers in the court who are dissatisfied with him, and he, as a commander, wouldn’t be able to hold his position for long.
“Those Western Qiangs…”
“They’re not from Western Qiang,” Xiao Jue interrupted Fei Nu, “They’re from Utoh.”
Fei Nu was stunned.
“Except for Ridamuzy and his cronies, who are Qiangs, the others were from Utoh.”
Fei Nu asked, “Murder with a borrowed Knife?” {t/n: make use of someone to get rid of an adversary}
“Just to kill me.” He chuckled, turned around and said, “Let Shen Han and all the instructors come to my room.”
………
He Yan rested for a while after Xiao Jue left. Then, Song Taotao, Cheng Lisu and Shen Muxue arrived.
The two children each brought a large basket of food. Because the Qiangs had just attacked earlier, the Liangzhou Guard was heavily guarded, and no one could not enter the city. Therefore, there was no good meal from the restaurant. But there was some fish soup and steamed pork available. Song Taotao ran to He Yan and asked her, “Are you feeling better?”
“Not bad.” He Yan smiled and said, “Thank you for relaying my message to Instructor Shen.”
The little girl rarely felt a hint of embarrassment, and she was coy for a while, “It’s nothing, you were in prison at the time. And… you also saved me, so we are even now.”
“When did my eldest brother save you?” Cheng Lisu asked suspiciously, not knowing that Song Taotao had been kidnapped by Sun Ling in Liangzhou City.
“It’s a secret, why should I tell you?” Song Taotao didn’t look good when she treated Cheng Lisu.
“That’s my elder brother! Of course I have the right to know, why are you hiding it from me?”
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Shen Muxue shook her head helplessly, and only said to He Yan, “Brother He, I was the one who blamed you earlier.”
She was talking about Hu Yuanzhong.
“It’s nothing,” He Yan said, “They even hid it from the instructors. It’s normal to conceal it from you. And Miss Shen was so eager to save people at the time, you couldn’t think so much. By the way,” she thought of something, “I heard from General Xiao that Hu Yuanzhong is dead?”
Shen Muxue nodded, “That Hu Yuanzhong wanted to kidnap me when Ridamuzy appeared. Later, the General came back, and his guard fought against him. This man died under the guard’s hands.”
“I knew he was going to die. Why bother to save him and waste the medicinal resources.” Cheng Lisu muttered.
He Yan thought to herself that Hu Yuanzhong really coveted Shen Muxue’s beauty. The thief’s heart was not dead, the two armies were fighting, and he still wanted to take advantage of the chaos to kidnap people, his heart really deserved to be punished.
“Brother He,” Shen Muxue looked at her and asked earnestly, “I’ve always wondered, why did you suspect that there was something wrong with Hu Yuanzhong at that time?”
And every suspicion was accurate. After all, Hu Yuanzhong was keeping his guard in Liangzhou Guard at that time. Even though Mak and the others got He Yan’s orders, they stared at Hu Yuanzhong every day, but they didn’t see anything wrong with Hu Yuanzhong.
He Yan couldn’t say that it was because of the rash on Hu Yuanzhong’s hand as it would seem like she is very familiar with the Qiangs. So she was silent for a moment before she said, “It’s the paper with love poem written on it.”
“Paper?” Shen Muxue was taken aback for a moment, “A memory left to him by Hu Yuanzhong’s deceased wife?”
“Not bad.” He Yan said, “You were all moved by his deep love, but such an affectionate person would never look at you with that kind of eyes.”
“What kind of eyes?” Shen Muxue was puzzled.
He Yan scratched her head, “It’s the kind of a gaze of a man to a woman.”
She thought, Shen Muxue is a girl after all, thin skinned if she said “drooling”, it would inevitably embarrass her. It was better to put it in a roundabout way.
But this Miss Shen was not an ordinary girl – she did not shy away from the words and just asked curiously, “And how did you notice it?”
“Me?” This question made He Yan a little embarrassed. She said, “I’ve been paying attention to Miss Shen.”
Shen Muxue frowned. Seeing that the situation was not good, Song Taotao on the side hurriedly stepped forward to block He Yan’s gaze at Shen Muxue, and casually picked up the water cup beside her and handed it to He Yan, “Brother He, drink water.”
He Yan, “…Thank you.”
As they were talking, she heard the laughter of people outside, and when she looked back, it was Lin Shuanghe who had gone and returned. He waved his folding fan in the winter, approached gracefully, and said with a gentle smile, “I was wondering why it’s so lively, so you all are here.”
“Uncle Lin.” Cheng Lisu shouted
Lin Shuanghe and Xiao Jue are about the same age, Cheng Lisu and Lin Shuanghe also are not that far apart, but because he calls Xiao Jue ”uncle”, he also called Lin Shuanghe “uncle”. However, Lin Shuanghe was probably not satisfied with the title, and his smile choked, not as smooth as before.
Shen Muxue got up, “Young Master Lin.”
“Miss Shen, I just came from the medical room. Several recruits woke up and were screaming that their wounds hurt. Do you want to go and have a look?”
Shen Muxue was startled, “Really?” Then she looked at He Yan and said, “Brother He, I’ll go to the medical room to take a look, do you feel any discomfort now?”
“No, no.” Before He Yan could answer, Song Taotao spoke first. She glanced at Shen Muxue as if facing an enemy, “If he wants anything, Young Master Lin can help him here.”
“Doesn’t Uncle Lin only heal women?” Cheng Lisu asked curiously.
“Cough,” Lin Shuanghe closed his fan, “Occasionally, exceptions can be made.”
“In that case, then I’ll go first.” Shen Muxue bowed to the crowd and turned to leave the room.
Song Taotao breathed a sigh of relief.
He Yan, “…”
She had a headache, as she didn’t know what to do. Lin Shuanghe was a good person, so he probably saw her embarrassment and said to Song Taotao and Cheng Lisu, “I’m going to look at the wound for your Brother He now, and after the check up, he needs to rest. You two, it’s better not to disturb him.”
“Resting again?” Cheng Lisu asked, “We just met him, and it’s not even a cup of tea time. I still have something to say to Brother He.”
“Then you will have to wait for your Brother He to recover.” Lin Shuanghe supported him by the shoulders and pushed him out the door, “Do you want to watch him linger on the sickbed and not get well?”
Song Taotao looked back at He Yan, who was making a gesture of holding her head, so she bit her lip, and pulled Cheng Lisu out, “In that case, don’t disturb him, let him rest more, we will come back tomorrow. “
Cheng Lisu said, “Hey, what are you pulling me for?”
Song Taotao, “Do you think I really want to touch you?”
The two children walked away noisily, and Lin Shuanghe closed the door.
He Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Shuanghe was really good. After so many years, his ability to observe words and expressions was still top-notch. No wonder he was very popular when he was in Xianchang Pavilion. He Yan couldn’t help but thank him in the bottom of her heart for being able to think about what people think and worry about people’s worries.
“Sister, you are really amazing,” Lin Shuanghe shook his fan and walked over with a smile, “It’s all worth it, and even at this point, you can still make the girls fight over you and get jealous. It’s remarkable!”
He Yan said weakly, “You’re flattering.”
She was not a fool, of course she understood Song Taotao’s thoughts. But the little girl’s mind is ever-changing, and after a period of time it’ll be all good.
“Dr. Lin came, is there anything to check with me?”
“Nothing,” Lin Shuanghe sighed, “There is still blood everywhere in Liangzhou Guard. The corpses of the Qiangs are piled up, and I have a headache. Even though I’m a doctor, I don’t like to see that much blood. It’s annoying so I came here to hide.”
Lin Shuanghe was also a pampered young master, and he was very uncomfortable with the bitter cold weather in Liangzhou Guard. He Yan was using Cheng Lisu’s room, which was spacious and comfortable. Perhaps because of her injury, there was charcoal ignited to maintain fire, which was extremely warm. In comparison, it was more suitable to be lazy here than wandering outside.
“Why don’t you go to General Xiao’s?” He Yan asked, “His room is much more comfortable than mine.”
“I would like to,” Lin Shuanghe shrugged. “I ran into him when I came over. He was going to the prison with someone. Maybe something happened. I’ll find him when he gets back.”
“Prison?” He Yan was stunned.
“Why? Do you want to go?”
Lei Hou was alone in the dungeon. Xiao Jue went to the dungeon to interrogate Lei Hou. She had played against Lei Hou before, so there might be something she could help with.
He Yan said, “I want to go. Can Young Master Lin help?”
“It wasn’t possible in the first place.” Lin Shuanghe shook his fan reservedly, “but because it was a request from a beautiful girl, it is fine.” He stood up, “Let’s go, I’ll hold you with a stick. “
……
At the door of the prison, Xiao Jue and Shen Han were heading in.
The number of guards at the door doubled, and there were still people watching, for fear that Lei Hou would commit suicide in prison. The wind took Xiao Jue’s cloak, and he said as he walked, “Where’s Du Mao?”
“According to your instructions, they were locked up.” Shen Han hesitated, but finally said, “But about Lei Hou, he might really not know.”
“With me, there is no possibility. Rules are rules.” The young man looked indifferent, “If you are wrong, you will be punished.”
Shen Han didn’t dare to speak.
When the guards in the dungeon saw Xiao Jue, they all gave way. Xiao Jue took off the cloak and handed it to Fei Nu and looked at the person in the prison.
When He Yan fought with Lei Hou, she fed Lei Hou with sleeping drugs and tied him with Song Taotao’s belt. So much so that when Xiao Jue’s people came over, Lei Hou still hadn’t woken up.
But the Lei Hou at this moment was much worse than the Lei Hou when he fought against He Yan. His hands and feet were all tied to wooden shackles, he couldn’t move, not even his neck. He had no strength and he couldn’t commit suicide by biting his tongue. Once a person loses the chance to dominate his own life and death, he is like a fish on a pallet, and can only be slaughtered by others.
“Open the door.” Xiao Jue said.
The guard got up and opened the door.
Even with the door open, Lei Hou couldn’t move his entire body except for his mouth. He looked at the person in front of him. The young man’s brows and eyes were unbelievably beautiful under the light, but his gaze was as cold as a cold pool.
“Don’t waste your efforts.” Lei Hou forced a smile, “I won’t say anything.”
The guard brought the chair over, and Xiao Jue sat down on the chair. He lowered his eyes and looked at Lei Hou. His voice was calm, “A few months ago, you were defeated by He Yan’s men in the battle for the flag on Baiyue Mountain, but I still ordered you to enter the Forward Battalion. Do you know why?”
Lei Hou’s smile froze, staring at Xiao Jue in disbelief.
Xiao Jue raised his eyebrows, “Guessed it?”
“You did it on purpose?” For a moment, Lei Hou’s voice was extremely hoarse.
“A recruit, silent during daily training, and astonishing when fighting for the flag. What is he? A genius?” Xiao Jue mocked, “Are you such a genius?”
Lei Hou was speechless.
He was deliberate and thoughtful, digging his way into Liangzhou Guard, and he tried every means step by step, for fear of being exposed. Even at this stage, he still had the fearlessness that he was not afraid of sacrifice, but Xiao Jue broke his line of defence with just one sentence.
People have known from the beginning.
So everything he did was like a clown jumping on the beam, being led by the nose and still gloating.
“So what?” Lei Hou insisted, “Anyway, it’s only death, might as well as die for what it’s worth. It might end up adding a thorn to your heart.”
“I did one thing when I ordered you to enter the Forward Camp.” Xiao Jue waved his hand indifferently, Fei Nu bent down, took out something from his arms and handed it to Xiao Jue, it was a sachet and a longevity lock. Xiao Jue threw the sachet in front of Lei Hou, wrapped the longevity lock around his fingertips, and looked at Lei Hou with a half-smile, “Look, do you still recognize it?”
Lei Hou was struck by lightning.
The embroidery of the sachet was very familiar. It was made by his wife. The longevity lock was made by the craftsman before Lei Hou set off and put it on his son.
“Xiao Huaijin,” he gritted his teeth and said, “It has nothing to do with my wife and children…”
“Wife and children?” Xiao Jue played with the longevity lock in his hand and said sarcastically, “When you came to do this, did you remember that you had a wife and children?”
Lei Hou gritted his teeth and said nothing.
“When you did this, you are tying the lives of your wife and children to you. If you succeed, live together, or if you lose, why do you think that you would be the only one paying the price?”
“Xiao Huaijin!” Lei Hou shouted loudly. He wanted to struggle, but was tied by the wooden shackles, and there was nothing he could do. At this moment, his eyes were red and his eyes were splitting, as he shouted, “What on earth are you trying to do?”
The young general looked at him with a mocking smile, “You can talk about everything you know.”
“Impossible!” Lei Hou said.
“What a loyal dog.” Xiao Jue put the longevity lock in front of him, observed carefully, and said indifferently, “Guess you are dead, your wife and children are dead, the master you worked for, will he seek revenge for you?”
“I did it alone.” Lei Hou pleaded desperately, “They don’t know anything. Let them go. Can you let them go? It doesn’t matter what you do with me, it doesn’t matter if you kill me. I beg you…”
“Before you came, you should have thought about the consequences.” Xiao Jue said, “How can you be lucky if you are a dead man? Or, you should have hidden them a little deeper.”
Lei Hou was stunned to the ground.
This young killer of Great Wei was as hard-hearted as iron, and no matter how humble others’ prayers are, it was impossible for him to be soft-hearted. He was an emotionless monster, ruthless, like a clay sculpture and woodcarving. He treated his biological father and mother like this. How could one expect him to have feelings?
“What do you want?” he asked weakly. But he knew that he was no match for Xiao Jue, and it was impossible for him to turn a blind eye to the lives of his wife and children.
But if he did, his master would retaliate. This was a road that had no turning back. If you succeed, you will live. If you fail, you will die.
At this moment, Lei Hou regretted it.
“I said, tell me everything you know.” Xiao Jue said slowly, “I have a lot of time, don’t worry, you can finish one by one.”
“What if I don’t say it?”
The young man paused to play with the longevity lock, and the next moment, with a slight “creak”, the longevity lock shattered into powder in his hands. He actually crushed the longevity lock.
“You can try,” he said calmly, even mildly, and said, “But I promise, the next parcel will be just the items of two dead people.”
Lei Hou closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, his expression was miserable. He looked at Xiao Jue, and said with a sneer, “As expected of General Feng Yun, as expected of the Commander of the Right Army. This kind of heart and tactics, Lei Hou has learned.”
He Yan was holding a stick and followed Lin Shuanghe to and from the dungeon. As soon as she walked to the door, he heard this sentence.
“It’s no wonder that you fought for military power in the last days of Xiao Zhongwu and his wife instead of mourning. No wonder you didn’t change your face when you drowned 60,000 people in the first battle of Guocheng Valley. In terms of ruthlessness, who in the Great Wei can compare to Xiao Huaijin?”
