When the new day arrived, it was a bright, clear day.
Galloping on horseback across the wilderness, the winter sun shining on them felt almost warm.
The person in the lead unwrapped the scarf covering his head and face, gently stroked his goatee, and squinted at the path ahead.
“Sir,” the attendant beside him said in a low voice, “better to be cautious and not expose your identity.”
The goateed man’s expression showed some displeasure as he looked at the attendant: “How would I expose my identity? Am I any different from the people here?”
The attendant hurried to placate him with a fawning smile: “I’m not saying you look different from Great Xia people. I mean that since it’s wartime after all, your manner is too leisurely.”
The goateed man smiled faintly: “Although I’m from Great Liang, although it’s wartime, walking within Great Xia’s borders I can still be leisurely and at ease. Unlike Great Xia people, who at this moment are already startled birds, anxious and uneasy—”
As his words fell, he saw ox carts approaching across the wilderness. Three oxen pulled three carts, each cart carrying three or four people—elderly men with white beards, handsome young men, and pretty young women.
Accompanying them were melodious music and women’s singing.
These people riding ox carts weren’t fleeing as refugees with their families, but rather playing instruments and singing.
The goateed man froze, stroking his beard as he stared.
“What are you doing?” he couldn’t help asking.
The music and singing didn’t stop. Among them, an elder responsible for recitation looked at him and said with a smile: “After days of overcast skies and cold wind, today we finally welcome the winter sun’s warmth. Naturally we should celebrate with an outing in the wilderness.”
What nonsense was a celebratory wilderness outing? And what was this about winter sun’s warmth? The goateed man was even more bewildered.
That elder laughed heartily: “Sir, don’t be offended. This is just us scholars playing with our pedantic ways.”
At his self-deprecating words, the others showed no displeasure and joined in the laughter.
“Wangshan Sir, you’re the most pedantic of all. Just now you were reciting your own poetry again while falsely attributing it to the ancients.”
“Come, come, listen to my tuneless playing.”
The people on the ox carts made merry.
The goateed man only felt his ears buzzing, with hidden irritation rising. Were they mocking him as a barbarian?
He raised his voice to interrupt them: “Naturally I understand all this you speak of. I often engage in such amusements myself.”
The people on the ox carts looked at him, neither denying nor questioning this point, but simply nodded with smiles.
Their smiles made the goateed man even more uncomfortable.
“But now, Great—no, Xi Liang has already gone to war with Great Xia,” the goateed man stammered, then said in a heavy voice, “The war situation is tense, the circumstances critical. How can you still have the mood for wilderness outings? Shouldn’t you be hiding in the city at home?”
As his words fell, the men on the ox carts laughed, and even the three women among them showed no fear.
“Sir, the war is happening at the border commandery. There’s no need for everyone to be terrified,” the elder said with a smile. “Moreover, Yunzhong Commandery has General Chu Ling. When the general guards a pass, ten thousand cannot break through. What’s there to panic about from small Xi Liang?”
Having said this, his hand fell to stroke the zither. The ancient instrument rang out sharply as a battle-breaking melody rose, cold and clear.
Following his zither music, flute sounds and singing arose in harmony. The ox carts slowly passed by the goateed man’s group and continued into the wilderness.
The goateed man sat on his horse in place, watching, his face covered with dark clouds.
“With Chu Ling, one man guards the pass and ten thousand cannot break through,” he said slowly, his eyes filled with deep hatred. “Over a decade has passed, Chu Ling is about to die, yet these people still trust him so much.”
The attendant said in a low voice beside him: “Although over a decade has passed, General Chu Ling’s military achievements are too deeply rooted in people’s hearts.”
“Those achievements were all forged with our flesh and blood,” the goateed man said through gritted teeth.
It wasn’t that he didn’t understand these common people’s trust in Chu Ling. Even in Great Liang now, hearing Chu Ling’s name—or even without mentioning his name, just the three words “General Chu”—could make many people’s hearts fill with fear.
He even suspected that the Great Xia Emperor deliberately didn’t grant Chu Ling higher rank and noble title, purposely keeping him with the title of General Chu, because this title was a nightmare for Great Liang people.
Although the Great King had been preparing for war for many years, if not for Prince Zhongshan sending a private letter saying Chu Ling was about to die, he wouldn’t dare do battle with Chu Ling at this time.
Add to that the fact that emperor had also died, and now the one sitting as emperor was a six-year-old child—this was the Great Liang King’s best opportunity, his only opportunity. The messenger from Prince Zhongshan had said with a smile that seemed like selling out the country to invite the wolf in, but also seemed like a threat:
Once Chu Ling dies and the emperor’s throne changes hands again, won’t the Great Liang King lose even the chance to do battle with Great Xia?
The goateed man twisted his beard and squinted. The ox cart with the wilderness-outing scholars had already disappeared from his line of sight, but their laughter and singing still echoed in his ears.
“Times are different now from the past,” he said. “We should give everyone a reminder.”
The attendant guessed his thoughts and hesitated slightly: “Prince Zhongshan letting us in was a secret matter. If we make a move here, won’t it expose him?”
The goateed man smiled: “No need to worry. Since Prince Zhongshan dared to let us in, he has ways to avoid exposing himself.” Then he looked toward the wilderness where the outing scholars could no longer be seen, his smile turning fierce as he raised his hand and waved.
He didn’t understand the elegance of scholars going on wilderness outings to play music and sing because the sun came out, but there was one elegant matter he did know: dying beneath peony flowers, even as a ghost one is romantic.
……
……
Blazing flames burned across the wilderness. Standing on the city wall, one could see many common people fleeing.
“Quickly, quickly!” The county magistrate stood on the city wall, stamping his feet anxiously.
Faster, faster—run into the city before the bandits arrive.
But stamping feet couldn’t shrink the distance. Soon, behind these running people, a mounted group appeared in swift pursuit. They wore no armor, held crossbows in their hands, carried long swords on their backs, had scarves wrapped around their heads and faces, and made strange howling cries like wild wolves.
Seeing this scene, people on the city wall cried out in alarm: “They’re coming!”
The common people who had already run close to the city gate immediately surged toward the city even more frantically, while overhead came shouts of “Quickly close the city gate!”