novelraw Chapter 317 Facing Death
Chapter 317 Facing Death
Chapter 317 Facing Death (Part 1)
Even after the first month of the lunar calendar and the beginning of the new spring, the north is still cold and frigid, with only sparse, withered branches and pale moonlight visible on the high slopes.
There was no response, only the rustling of the wind sweeping through the withered branches and bushes.
Xiao Po harbored a deep fear: Was Xue Xiao still alive?
Their mission was to intercept a carriage traveling from Shanhaiguan to the capital; they knew nothing else.
Team leader Xue Xiao should know the inside story, but he has never uttered a single word about it.
They disguised themselves and took shortcuts through the mountains, lying in ambush at the Yanshan Pass outside Shanhaiguan. They meticulously checked the carriages that had left the pass in the ten days prior and later, but unexpectedly encountered bandits halfway through their journey, numbering about a hundred. The area outside the pass was in constant turmoil, and the people had no land to cultivate, so they had no means of obtaining household goods or food. After becoming bandits, they stayed on the north side of the Yanshan Mountains, roaming and plundering.
This band of bandits, caught between the Northern Frontier Army's and Yuzhou Prefecture's jurisdictions, charged bribes from passing merchant caravans.
The six people they selected for this trip were all top talents from Tianbao Temple, skilled in both literature and martial arts. After the downfall of the Grand Princess Jing'an, rewards were given according to merit. Two of them stayed in the Censorate, one followed Xue Xiao to the Xishan Camp, and the other three were scattered in the Ministry of Revenue, the North City Barracks, and the Ministry of Personnel.
Logically speaking, it might be difficult for these six men to defeat the entire motley crew of bandits, but it should be easy for them to escape unnoticed.
Who would have thought that things would turn out so badly? Xue Xiao, who was riding at the very front, was shot off the cliff by an arrow from a bandit.
It is now the second night, and no one knows where Xue Xiao is, or whether he is dead or alive.
Yue Qiubai, who had caught up from behind, rode up and asked in a tense voice, "Didn't find it?"
Xiao Po's eyes froze, and he shook his head slightly, a hint of ruthlessness flashing across his delicate face: "Qiu Bai and Bao Cheng stay here and search this mountain thoroughly. The other three, come with me up the mountain to slaughter the bandits."
It doesn't matter if someone dies.
Those who come from Tianbao Temple all do dangerous, risky things and dirty work.
If you want to make a name for yourself on this path, you have to be prepared to die halfway through.
So what if he's dead? It doesn't matter.
But if someone dies, their body must be seen.
If Xue Xiao were captured by the bandits, or if his body were taken to the mountains by the bandits and his identity was exposed, then things would be extremely bad.
Xiao Po made a quick decision, immediately picked up the reins and turned to head north of Yanshan Mountain.
If he turned around at that moment and spared a glance, he would see a tall and slender figure taking advantage of the night, bending down to lift the reins and galloping northward.
******
Shanhaiguan Pass, like a natural chasm, sharply separates war and peace, separating the area inside from the area outside. Outside the pass is a well-ordered military fortress guarded by the Northern Frontier Army, where battles raged constantly, while inside is a gentle land where etiquette and music were passed down and cooking smoke rose gently from chimneys.
The Yanshan Mountains are the very line that cuts through this clear divide.
This band of outlaws has been entrenched in the northern part of Yanshan for a long time and has become quite powerful. If they act rashly, they will surely perish halfway.
After spending a night lying in ambush in the north of the mountain and thoroughly figuring out the number of bandits, Xiao Po took the plaque from the Censorate and went to Yuzhou Prefecture to find the commander of the town. Together with two other officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, he ordered the fifth-rank military officer to organize the troops and suppress the bandits in the north of the mountain.
The commander of Yuzhou Prefecture, surnamed Qin, was a seasoned veteran over forty years old. Upon seeing the people from the capital, his first reaction was to make excuses: Didn't he know there were bandits in his territory? Why wasn't he going to suppress them? Was it because he didn't like it?
Before Commander Qin could even utter a word of excuse, the accountant pulled him aside and whispered in his ear, "Think about Jiangnan last year."
Qin Qianhu's face turned pale instantly—the Censorate was leading the way, followed by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, just like last year when the Censorate was ordered to go south of the Yangtze River to regulate river transport!
He didn't know how well those local bullies guarded that piece of land in Jiangnan; but he knew they were damn well better guarded than he was—after all, those pedantic scholars in Jiangnan had genuinely passed the imperial examinations; his official position, on the other hand, was merely bought from his brother-in-law, who commanded troops in the Northern Frontier Army, for 468 taels and 7 qian.
Qin Qianhu quickly gathered two hundred men, wagging his tail with a fawning smile, and handed them over to Xiao Po.
That night, Xiao Po launched a surprise attack, and the flames burned through the bandit camp. Yue Xi, the Minister of Revenue, covered in blood, grabbed a bandit leader with one hand, whose nose was broken and half of his face was swollen and shiny. He threw him in front of Xiao Po with a "bang," spat out blood from his mouth, and said with a fierce look in his eyes: "Still being stubborn! Saying you've never seen Lord Xue! And you've never captured an official from the capital!"
Xiao Po knelt on one knee, lifted the man's chin, and spat blood-tinged, foamy saliva onto the back of his hand. He used his index finger to pry open the man's swollen upper lip, and with a forceful pull of his index finger and thumb, the man's front teeth fell to the ground. "Tell me. If you have ever captured a Beijing official, whether he is alive or dead, I will leave you a whole corpse." Xiao Po's expression was reflected in the firelight: "If you lie, I will first break your teeth one by one, then force-feed you ginseng soup, pull open your eyelids, and let you watch as pieces of your flesh are cut off and fed to the dogs."
The bandit leader, jolted awake by the pain, trembled all over: "Sir...Sir, I didn't know! I really didn't know! I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"
Xiao Po stared at him for a few moments, then suddenly stood up, his eyelids drooping: "Throw it to Commander Qin and let him identify whether you've had any dealings with Commander Qin regarding gold or silver? Whether you've had any dealings with court officials?"
Yue Xi nodded, and after a moment said, "Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Isn't this just forcing Commander Qin to assassinate us?"
Xiao Po's expression was calm: "We, if alive, are spies of the capital; if dead, we are evidence of the Northern Frontier's crimes—the capital can take this opportunity to punish the Northern Frontier."
Otherwise, if they come all this way and fail to accomplish their mission, and their superior disappears, what face will they have left to live? They might as well risk their five lives and stir up trouble in the northern frontier.
They needed to wait for the fire to be extinguished before checking the bandit camp. Xiao Po and his five men set up camp on the spot. In the middle of the night, a gust of wind swept past outside the tent. Xiao Po jumped up, lifted the curtain, and chased after them into the woods.
A dark figure landed beneath the tree, its eyebrows slightly raised, its eyes and brows exposed to the moonlight.
"His book!" Xiao Po exclaimed in surprise, "Where have you gone!"
Xue Xiao shook his head slightly, pressed down with his left hand to signal him to be quiet, and said in a very low voice: "Qin Qianhu is in cahoots with the bandits of Yanshan. Eighty percent of the wealth that the bandits rob is offered as tribute to the officials of Yuzhou Prefecture. If we investigate along this route, we can uproot all the officials of the three prefectures in the north and south of Yanshan."
Xiao Po remained silent, frowning as he looked at Xue Xiao.
After four days of absence, Xue Xiao exuded a strong stench of blood. His right hand remained behind his back, and for a moment, it was unclear whether his right hand was still there.
Xiao Po asked again, "And you? Aren't you staying to investigate with us?"
Xue Xiao shook his head slightly: "My mission is not this."
"What is your mission?" Xiao Po asked immediately, this was the third time he had asked what the goal of this trip was.
This is the third time Xue Xiao has avoided this question.
Xue Xiao looked at him silently. After a moment, the powerful minister, whose life had been filled with misfortune, looked away, raised the corners of his lips and smiled. His voice was as soft as the wind that was eager to break through the northern forest: "After spring, the misty rain in Jiangnan is very beautiful. If you return to the capital, you can contact Wu Laohei and help your sister-in-law and Shuiguang go south to Songjiang Prefecture. I have already bought 170 acres of land north and south of Qiucan Mountain in Hetou Village. Wu Laohei will help them with the household registration and registration certificate."
Xiao Po narrowed his eyes sharply: "What are you going to do?!"
Xue Xiao reached out and patted Xiao Po on the shoulder: "The news of my death will reach the capital in the next two days. The brothers of Tianbao Temple can continue to serve or study. There is no need to let this news delay your journey. You don't need to plot with Qiu Bai, Bao Cheng, Yue Xi and others to become suicide soldiers - I will send you back the same way I brought you here."
Xue Xiao's expression remained as calm as ever, but the smell of blood was carried by the wind, both fishy and sweet: "Just investigate as I said. The garrison commander of Jingcheng Prefecture south of Yuzhou Prefecture was once under my uncle's command. I have already sent a letter, so you will definitely not be alone and helpless."
Xiao Po frowned, raised his eyes, and murmured, "Why won't you tell us the purpose of this trip?"
In a flash, he felt the answer was on the tip of his tongue: "Knowing the answer will lead to death? Right?"
Xue Xiao paused, then mounted his horse, its hooves clattering back and forth. He lifted the reins, turned his head, and lowered his eyes, saying, "Swear to me that you will never inquire about this matter again, and that you will also restrain the people of Tianbao Temple from asking about it!"
Xiao Po clenched his molars.
"You owe me two lives! Xiao Po, I want you to swear an oath!" Xue Xiao pressed.
Xiao Po turned his head and tacitly agreed.
"You too must risk your life to ensure your sister-in-law's peaceful end!" Xue Xiao shouted.
Xiao Po's voice was hoarse: "Of course."
"Alright!" Xue Xiao lifted the reins with one hand, no longer pulling on them. His resolute voice fell after the sound of hooves, and he galloped off to the southeast without looking back!
Xue Xiao's figure gradually faded, finally disappearing into the dark starlight, like a fearless traveler or a warrior going to his death.