Chapter 30: Abandoning the Army and Fleeing

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Before long, more than fifty horsemen returned, driving prisoners before them.

By the stream outside the camp, Wei Gu sat upstream, washing himself again and again, yet still unable to rid himself of the stench of blood.

He had long since changed into clean clothes, but whenever he breathed, the nauseating reek filled his nostrils.

Pei Xiu sat beside him on a stone, utterly speechless. Wei Gu had not even needed to take part in the fighting.

When the wounded were executed after the battle, Wei Gu had seized a spear and run it through a Xiongnu warrior. That was perfectly ordinary. But after the heads had been dealt with in camp and the prisoners driven to carry the corpses to the burial hollow at the foot of the mountain, Wei Gu had finally reached his limit.

He had vomited violently, his face waxen and pale.

Not far from the stream, five horses with wounded legs were being slaughtered and butchered.

Farther downstream, Imperial Guards were washing blood from themselves and their clothing along both banks. The area furthest away was reserved for washing the severed heads taken in battle.

Looking weak and spent, Wei Gu watched the Northern Commandery cavalry gradually return to camp.

“A-Xiu, how many did they capture?”

“Some sixty or seventy. I do not know how many heads they took.”

Pei Xiu asked, somewhat curiously, “Brother, you have faced life and death before. Why are you in such a state today?”

“It was Zhao Aji.”

Wei Gu leaned back onto the grass, barely two or three inches high, and narrowed his eyes at the sky.

“They died beneath his sword, like pigs and dogs, like vegetables being chopped. At first I thought nothing of it. Then, whenever I closed my eyes, the scene rose before me. I could never forget it.”

A trace of fear entered his expression. He turned his head toward Pei Xiu.

“A-Xiu, when the Son of Heaven moved east and every Imperial Guard of Hongnong perished in the Eastern Ravine, how terrible must that slaughter have been?”

“Brother, every man must die in the end. We have lived for generations on the Han court’s stipends, and we are in the prime of our lives, with neither households nor wives and children to burden us. We ought to die for the state and fulfill our duty as subjects.”

Pei Xiu’s voice was low. Wei Gu braced himself with both hands and sat up, his face ashen.

“I am not afraid of death. I simply do not wish to die like a beast.”

As he spoke, he turned to look a hundred paces away, where the washed heads of the Xiongnu had been laid out.

The heads would soon be inspected. The name of the man who had taken each one would be written on it, after which the Imperial Guards and the prisoners would be asked to identify them.

There had been no possibility the previous night of someone maliciously taking a comrade’s head and claiming the merit, but the procedure still had to be followed.

County clerks were responsible for all of it. Among those captured or slain were not only Xiongnu warriors, but also commoners who had been carried off. If any of those commoners were recognized, their names had to be entered into the records.

Informing their families was one matter. Pursuing those responsible was another.

For Wei Gu, the only good news was that he was not the commander and therefore did not have to inspect the heads himself.

The man responsible for the inspection, Wang Zhi, had fled as well. He had sent men to Jiangyi to request medicinal supplies, but Jiangyi had refused to open its gates.

Wang Zhi had then personally led men to call at the gates and demand medicine. He had gone and never returned.

The previous night’s victory had clearly frightened him.

Perhaps the more he thought about it after dawn, the more terrified he became, until he finally decided to run.

Could an Imperial Guard force this powerful truly remain under Wang Zhi’s control?

Neither the Xiongnu retaliation nor the White Wave commanders’ infighting was something Wang Zhi could withstand.

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Wei Gu therefore guessed that Wang Zhi had encountered pursuing Xiongnu stragglers on the road and been forced to flee and hide for the time being.

Either that, or he was simply afraid of trouble and had taken the opportunity to leave camp and watch how matters developed.

Once the situation became clear, Wang Zhi would probably return.

Wei Gu was in poor condition and still needed time to recover, so Pei Xiu could only return to camp.

On the way back, riding his horse, Pei Xiu could not help mocking himself.

“To win and still end up like this—I cannot imagine what defeat would look like.”

Wuqiu Xing merely gave a polite laugh. He, too, had never expected Wang Zhi to disappear after breakfast.

The spoils of this battle were far too abundant. Once word spread, unpredictable changes would follow.

The Xiongnu were difficult to foresee, but the White Wave commanders were easy enough to predict. They would certainly act decisively and strike with overwhelming force.

When the danger became great enough, Wang Zhi no longer wished to serve as a Simar of a thousand-bushel rank, while Wei Gu had suffered such a blow to his spirit that he could no longer fulfill his duties as Merit Registrar.

Within the camp, Jia Tong, who had just returned, rode into the Wenxi company’s quarters. He tossed a head to Zhao Ji as the latter emerged.

“Captain Zhao, do you know whose head this is?”

Zhao Ji caught it by the braid and tossed it straight back to Jia Tong.

“Nothing to do with me. I just washed my hands, and I do not want to dirty them again.”

Jia Tong reached out with a bloodstained hand and seized the head firmly. He smiled smugly.

“This is Liu Hedu, the Xiongnu Left Great Chieftain. He is no renowned prince, but he was formidable all the same, with no fewer than a thousand households under his command.”

Only then did Zhao Ji examine it carefully. Sure enough, it belonged to an old man.

Jia Tong finally swung one leg over and dismounted, then held out the head.

“I will not hide the truth from you, Captain Zhao. This head will bring me harm and no benefit. I hope you will accept it.”

The dozen or so sons of Northern Commandery notables who had come with Jia Tong all seemed prepared for this and showed no surprise.

Zhao Ji asked in return, “Brother Wenzhen, do you know how many heads I took last night?”

“I just heard.”

Jia Tong’s smile faded.

“Only if you accept this will we dare believe that you are a man of honor.”

“Very well. I shall accept it, though only with reluctance.”

Zhao Ji held out both hands and took the head, then immediately tossed it to Yang Ji beside him.

“Go wash it clean. I will give you half the gold ornaments from its head.”

“I would not dare. I will go at once.”

Yang Ji held the old man’s head up in both hands and examined it closely, his eyes shining.

“This is the head of a Xiongnu lesser king!”

Seeing his expression, Zhao Ji smiled.

“By this time next year, my head will be worth more than that old man’s.”

Yang Ji did not know how to respond. He bowed to Jia Tong in lieu of a formal salute, then went around several dismounted horsemen and hurried toward the stream outside camp.

The other riders also led their horses back into camp. Jia Tong followed Zhao Ji into the small encampment.

Inside the barracks, Jia Tong removed his helmet. He took the thin rice gruel Zhao Ji brought him and drained it in one gulp. Zhao Ji then carried over the remaining half-pot and set it down before him.

Jia Tong was truly starving. He simply took up the wooden spoon, lifted the earthenware pot, and began gulping down the gruel.

Only after eating nearly all of it did his body finally relax. He rubbed the leather armor bulging over his stomach.

“Wonderful! I took three heads in all, yet I never imagined the captain would have taken ten times as many.”

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After expressing his amazement, Jia Tong said, “While pursuing the routed soldiers, I encountered another band of Xiongnu—apparently Tiefu Xiongnu, no more than a hundred men. They seized a boat and escaped without engaging us.”

The Tiefu Xiongnu, also known as the Son-in-Law Xiongnu, ranked somewhat higher than the mixed-blood Xiongnu.

He continued, “On the way back, I saw thirty or forty Xiongnu horsemen circling around the ridgeline of Purple Gold Mountain. That shows how dangerous last night must have been. Xiangli Bao said that men under his command saw Wang Zhi heading south with his followers. Matters in camp are urgent. Captain Zhao must make a decision soon. Otherwise, the Imperial Guards from the various counties may scatter all at once.”

Zhao Ji frowned.

“Wang Zhi ran?”

“Our newly organized Imperial Guards captured and killed more than four hundred in their first battle. With a hero like you as their captain, his decision to flee may actually prove that he is a man of discernment.”

Jia Tong began to explain his own position.

“If the captain is willing to campaign against the Xiongnu, I can persuade the men of my district to remain and serve. I can also talk over Xiangli Bao and Jing Wenqing. The three companies from the Fen River would then number more than two hundred able-bodied men.”

In truth, he wanted to leave as well. But the ratio of casualties and gains the previous night had been simply too impressive.

If they truly broke apart now, he feared he would regret it later. He also feared returning home only to be rebuked by his father and elder brothers.

There was another reason he could not easily voice: he was afraid of offending Zhao Ji.

This was a man who had once punched a fellow villager to death, and who had slain so many Xiongnu the previous night. It was only a matter of time before he became a powerful lord in his own right.

It was easy enough to make an enemy. It was not difficult for strangers to form a connection. The hardest thing was mending a relationship after making an enemy of someone.

Seeing Zhao Ji lost in thought, Jia Tong leaned against the wall and rested.

At that moment, Pei Xiu and Wuqiu Xing entered. They were visibly startled to see Jia Tong. Pei Xiu then said, “Wang Zhi has disappeared. Wei Zhongjian has sent men to investigate, and the gates of Jiangyi remain sealed.”

“Seventh Brother, Brother Wenzhen says Wang Zhi led his followers south.”

“He abandoned the army and fled?”

Pei Xiu was aghast. He immediately turned to Jia Tong.

“Who else knows?”

Jia Tong smiled.

“Almost every rider who went after the enemy knows by now. It has probably spread throughout the camp already.”

“That treacherous Wang Zhi! How dare he sabotage the court’s great undertaking!”

Pei Xiu was furious. He glared at Jia Tong through clenched teeth, clearly wanting to rebuke him, but when he saw Jia Tong’s languid expression, his anger deflated.

“With the camp on the verge of upheaval, what are we to do?”

Jia Tong said nothing. He merely turned his head and cast a sidelong glance at Zhao Ji’s profile.

Without hesitation, Zhao Ji said, “We have sworn to restore order to the realm. How can one man throw our hearts into confusion and destroy our resolve?”

He immediately continued, “Gather every department. Summon the company commanders, squad officers, and some of the county clerks for a council. I want to see who intends to leave.”

Pei Xiu gradually recovered his confidence. They would hold a meeting first.

As long as they could devise a workable plan, they could hold on for several more days.

With Zhao Ji present, no one would dare overturn the table and walk away.

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