Chapter 36: The Wisdom of Survival

In the Beixiang settlement, the interior of a hut was filled with sobbing.

Li Le’s body trembled, and suddenly feeling a sense of tedium, he raised his hand and struck out: "Get out!"

Lacking energy and feeling increasingly annoyed, he grew even more enraged when he saw one of the women daring to look back at him: "Get out, now!"

After fastening his belt, Li Le walked out of the hut to the campfire, where two guards on duty stood up to greet him: "General."

At that moment, the sounds of the women who had just left crying out could be heard, as they were playfully dragged away by other guards.

Li Le noticed these two guards were roasting locusts to eat; while others feared the locusts, they did not. When fighting against Li Jue and Guo Si, their food supplies had been cut off, and not wishing to starve to death, they had basically caught and eaten whatever they could find.

Li Le picked up a skewer, plucked one with his fingers, spat out the wings and serrated legs with practiced ease, and crunched down. Still not satisfied, he ate several more, spat out the remnants, picked his teeth with a finger, and asked: "Where is Li Feng?"

"Over there."

A guard pointed toward a straw stack in the corner. Li Le’s anger still lingered, but he understood that at times like these, one should respect the physiological needs of one's soldiers and clansmen.

Before long, Li Feng, the scout captain, finished his business. He kicked his legs as he walked, fastened his leather belt, and arrived at the campfire, cupping his hands in salute: "General."

"How is it in the north?"

"Inside the camp are the banners of the Huben. Just as we were about to approach, a swarm of locusts suddenly rose, frightening the horses. Fearing that the cavalry in the camp might ambush us, we retreated along the original path."

Li Feng sat down and reached for a skewer of stone-roasted locusts. "Wang Guo and the others inquired at the nearby villages; they say that Jiangyi has closed its gates, and the garrison under Ma Zhi has had no dealings with the Huben. Xu Huang’s troops are still on the northern bank and have not crossed the river to join the battle."

Li Le merely nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Rest well. Tomorrow, we shall go and test the true strength of the Huben."

"Does the General mean that the Huben repelled the Xiongnu last night?"

"Hm. They are, after all, the sons of good families from various counties; they should not be underestimated."

Li Le looked at the other two guards, who were distracted and absent-minded. "If you want to go, go quickly, but don't kill anyone."

These women were not spoils of war; they had been brought here through the local village elders. As long as no one died, a few pecks of grain would be enough to convince them to come and volunteer again next time. They were all widows from the nearby towns and villages. If the soldiers provided a little grain, it would save face for the village elders, who would then naturally distribute the task, telling the wives and daughters to go and persuade them, bringing them over when darkness fell. If someone were to die, the elders would lose face, and they would not be so cooperative in the future.

"Thank you, General!"

The two guards hastily saluted and scrambled toward the straw stack, vying to be the first to arrive.

Li Le looked at Li Feng again: "You rest first. After midnight, take some men to relieve Wang Guo."

***

"Understood!"

Wang Guo’s squad remained on Mount Zijin, cutting wood to pile up for signal fires. If the Huben camp showed any signs of an incoming attack, they would light the fires to sound the alarm.

At that moment on Mount Zijin, a small fire was burning in the lee of the wind, and Wang Guo was dozing off, wrapped in a worn, thin felt blanket.

A guard walked up, bowing: "The Huben camp has sent out troops, heading southeast."

Wang Guo woke up, squinting his sleepy eyes: "They aren't coming toward the mountain pass on the main road?"

"No, it looks like they are heading for the Hou family estate."

"Leave them be; neither you nor I bear the surname Li."

After saying this, Wang Guo tucked his chin under his felt cloak. Only by smelling his own scent could he feel at ease enough to continue sleeping. Although Mount Zijin was not as tall or vast as Mount Jishan to the west, it was not easily crossed. The larger an army’s march, the more it relied on roads.

The guard who had come to report saw this, then looked at his two companions lying horizontally by the campfire, and had no choice but to turn back to join the other guard who was keeping watch. Wang Guo did not want to ruin a good sleep, and they did not want to keep tossing and turning through the night. It was enough to simply stay here; worrying too much and being overly diligent brought no benefits.

The world had fallen into such chaos, and the reason they were still alive was not because of their ruthless methods, but because they avoided trouble. It was better to have one less thing to worry about; the more involved they were, the faster they would die.

Near the foot of the mountain, by the time Zhao Ji arrived, the cavalry led by Wei Xing had already joined forces with Wei Gu and Xiangli Bao. The torches in the area were sparse, and there was no sign of supply wagons.

Zhao Ji leaped off his horse and hurried forward, cupping his hands to Wei Gu: "Is my elder brother well?"

"Fortunately, Zi'ang arrived in time."

Wei Gu took a half-step forward to support Zhao Ji. Standing beside him, he suddenly felt a great sense of security. "Seeing the Hou family send people to pursue us, we immediately smashed the wheel hubs and retreated with the horses." He took the waterskin Zhao Ji handed him, drank a mouthful, and passed it to the others. "They have to repair the carts and summon oxen and horses to haul them; they should be gathered two or three miles away by now."

He then asked: "A-Ji, what do A-Xiu and Liangdao have to say?"

"Elder brother, the locusts arrived in the third month; the plague in midsummer will certainly be severe." Zhao Ji reined in his emotions. Wei Gu was not a man swayed by sentiment. In fact, if one showed strong emotion, it would only provoke him, causing him to change his original stance just to spite you. Perhaps Wei Gu needed to assert his status this way, or perhaps he simply had the temperament of a donkey that had to be stroked in the right direction.

Zhao Ji stated calmly: "Seventh Brother believes that the Hou family’s daring to seize the Huben’s supplies is tantamount to treason; he also worries that while our main force is attacking the Hou family, Li Le might launch a night raid."

"He just has too many ideas. Wang Zhi is in the camp; even if Li Le comes, he wouldn't dare harm the lives of the Huben." Wei Gu was concise. "If we really let Li Le take the camp tonight, we can feign obedience when we return tomorrow, then launch a sudden surprise attack—it would not be hard to wipe them out. What is Liangdao’s opinion?"

"Brother Liangdao believes that with the great locust plague this year, the only way to preserve our lives is to strike at the Xiongnu with all our might and seize their herds; only then can our parents and brothers survive the famine."

Seeing Zhao Ji relay this faithfully, Wei Gu placed a hand on his shoulder. The reflection of the torches in his eyes shone like stars. "A-Ji, I also believe that Liangdao and A-Xiu speak the truth. It was the Xiongnu’s harassment of Emperor Yao that caused heaven and man to respond, bringing down this disaster! Since that is the case, tonight we shall pacify the Hou family rebels and seize their equipment and craftsmen to help us drive out the Xiongnu!"

Although the presence of the Xiongnu had scattered the common people, forcing them to rely on the powerful gentry and making business easier for the great clans of Hedong, the gentry of Xihe Commandery served as a cautionary tale. Over the last thirty years, the gentry of Xihe had withered away, leaving only the Xiangli and Wang clans. If they drove the Xiongnu to Xihe Commandery and left the Pingyang region as a buffer, the area around Anyi would be sufficiently safe.

Seeing that Wei Gu agreed to the plan, Zhao Ji relaxed. "Later, the second battalion will carry more torches to act as a diversion. Elder brother, you join forces with Wang Fu and bring up the rear. I will lead the cavalry and the wagon train to launch an immediate assault; we cannot let the Hou family’s private troops retreat into the manor."

"Very well, we shall follow your lead, A-Ji."

Wei Gu was easily swayed, and he relaxed as well, laughing: "The Hou brothers have mocked me quite a bit today; do not show them any mercy."

"Rest assured, elder brother. I will cut off the heads of the three Hou brothers for you to kick around like a ball!"

"Hahaha, A-Ji is truly heroic!"

Wei Gu was in high spirits. After laughing, he cautioned: "Though the Hou brothers are traitors, their womenfolk are innocent; do not offend them."

"Understood. I will not touch a single woman."

Zhao Ji agreed in a loud voice. The Hou brothers relied on iron smelting and the horse trade, with businesses reaching as far as Xuzhou. They had made a fortune in recent years, and all three brothers had married the daughters of other great clans.

Beside them, Wei Xing and Xiangli Bao exchanged a look. Wei Xing revealed a sinister smile, and Xiangli Bao’s eyes were equally devoid of mercy. With such a vast estate belonging to the Hou family, just let the women go? What about the children who held the right of inheritance? Since they had set the crime as treason and were attacking the Hou brothers on those grounds, they had to carry it through to the end! Never mind the three brothers; not a single male of the close-knit three branches could be spared! If they killed the husbands and sons of the great clans' daughters, did they really expect them not to seek revenge?

In any case, Zhao Ji had promised clearly not to touch a woman. Wei Gu’s request was simple: do not offend them. How should one put it—that was not a difficult condition to meet.