The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 86

Chapter 86

The Huai River converged and flowed toward a bend a hundred miles northwest of Xiao County, where a ten-mile-long dyke named Anle stood, first constructed decades ago.

At that time, though the Han dynasty was declining, the imperial power still remained. The Grand Administrator of Xiao County mobilized civilian laborers and spent three years constructing it. Whenever the Huai River flooded, it was this very dyke that protected the downstream region, including the eight counties and seventy-two villages within Xiao County. To commemorate that Grand Administrator, the local populace named the dyke "Anle," after his honorific title.

Having endured the scouring of the Huai River for decades, the Anle Dyke had now grown old and fallen into disrepair. If the river waters rose violently, minor leaks occurred occasionally, but as a whole, it could still hold its ground.

It was by relying on this dyke that the nearby citizens preserved the peace and safety of their homeland.

Today, however, this dyke named Anle no longer enjoyed its past peace.

Starting yesterday, Xue Tai, the Inspector of Xu Province, feigned a continued siege of the city to deceive Yang Xin, while secretly dispatching two generals under his command, Cao Xu and Zhang Biao. Leading a thousand troops, they quietly detoured to this location and forced a massive number of civilian laborers to dig up the dyke along its back slope.

These civilian laborers were all local citizens, driven here by force. They knew in their hearts that if the dyke were destroyed, the vast, surging waters of the Huai River would pour backward, and their downstream homes and fields would be utterly obliterated. Even more terrifying was that once the required one-mile-long breach was dug open, the Huai River would instantly rush in. How could these two-legged laborers ever escape the engulfment of the raging flood? Consequently, since yesterday, the laborers had been ceaselessly begging for mercy. Yet how could Cao Xu and Zhang Biao possibly listen? Those who refused to comply and argued based on reason were all killed with a single blade and thrown into the Huai River. The remaining laborers swallowed their resentment and grief, daring not to resist, forced to wield their pickaxes to dig up the dyke. Despite the freezing weather, by today, the originally intact dyke had already been carved into a long trench stretching a mile along the back slope. The Huai River could gush through these weak points at any moment, leaving the situation in critical peril.

Near the dyke, a large crowd of villagers who had heard the news gradually gathered. Every single one of them shed tears, kneeling on the ground and begging piteously. Cao Xu and Zhang Biao turned a deaf ear, ordering their soldiers to beat and drive the villagers away while whipping those laborers who dared not dig any deeper and had stopped their pickaxes one after another.

Beneath the Anle Dyke, shouting, cursing, and wailing blended together, and the scene gradually fell into chaos.

Xue Tai had given strict orders to Cao Xu and Zhang Biao: no matter what, they had to dig open the breach before dark today so that their side could ascend to high ground under the cover of night. Seeing the sun gradually tilting toward the west, and noting that these laborers were actually starting to riot while more nearby citizens were gathering, Cao Xu felt anxious. Seeing a grey-haired old man nearby moving sluggishly, he went up and delivered a kick, knocking the old man to the ground, then drew his whip, gritted his teeth, and lashed him brutally several times.

Seeing the nearby laborers stopping one after another and looking over with terrified eyes, Zhang Biao thought to himself that killing a chicken to scare the monkeys would be the most effective method. He drew his sidearm and, amidst the gasps of the crowd, thrust it down toward the old man on the ground.

Just as his arm was about to fall, it was suddenly grabbed from behind by someone with a vise-like grip.

"The general is indeed full of grand prestige, executing such a ruthless hand against an unarmed old man?"

Lei Yan spoke.

Zhang Biao did not recognize Lei Yan. Turning his head, he saw this man blocking him. Although the man wore ordinary clothing, one could tell at a glance that he came from a military background. Furthermore, his own arm strength was by no means small, yet being clamped like this, his blade could no longer strike down. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he said in shame and fury, "Who are you? How dare you interfere and ruin my lord's great matter?"

Lei Yan sneered and said, "After I borrow your head, I will tell you who I am!"

Zhang Biao was furious. He struggled forcefully to break free his clamped arm, brandished his blade, and engaged in a fierce brawl with Lei Yan. The nearby soldiers hurriedly surrounded them to help, but because the two were locked in close-quarters combat, the others could not get a hand in and could only cheer for Zhang Biao from the side.

Unexpectedly, after a few bouts, Zhang Biao let out a sharp cry; one of his arms was actually severed clean off.

Zhang Biao collapsed to the ground, clutching his severed arm and howling in agony. Hearing the commotion, Cao Xu rushed over in shock, hurriedly rallying the nearby soldiers to close the perimeter and surround them.

Lei Yan showed no fear whatsoever. Facing the wind, he unfurled a bright golden Wei family tally from his palm and shouted loudly, "I am Lei Yan, under the banner of the Marquis of Yan of the Wei family of You Province! My lord and marquis is leading troops past this place today. Hearing of Xue Tai's immorality—how for the sake of contesting a tiny piece of land, he utterly disregards the safety of the tens of thousands of elders in the eight counties and seventy-two villages downstream of the Huai River, plotting to break the dyke and induce a backward flood—how could he sit idly by and ignore such an act against heaven? Villagers, do not fear! My lord will handle everything!"

The crowd was immensely astonished and turned their heads one after another to look. They saw a man standing tall atop the crest of a hill not far away. The man rested his hand on his sword, his expression solemn. Behind him stood more than ten armed guards in orderly fashion. At that moment, a howling gale swept over, whipping against the corners of his robes, making the man's grand and imposing physique stand out even more. An aura akin to a sovereign ruling over the world pressed over them.

The Wei family of You Province had not only resisted the Xiongnu for generations, but by this generation, the Marquis of Yan, Wei Shao, had successively swallowed Ji Province and annexed Bing Province, unifying the north with absolute power. In the past two years, his fame had become known to everyone under heaven.

Half a year ago, Xue Tai had formed an alliance with Chen Xiang to attack Yan Province. Unexpectedly, Wei Shao intervened and ruined their plans, not only shattering the alliance treaty but nearly allowing Yang Xin to seize their home base of Xu Province. The enmity between the two families had long been established. It was merely that previously, one was in the north and one was in the south, with no head-on clash between them.

Cao Xu had only just heard the news over the past few days that not long ago, Wei Shao's grand army had claimed victory in the Battle of Shangdang. He never in his wildest dreams expected that at this particular juncture, the man would personally appear here. The opponent's prestige was known throughout the realm, and Lei Yan had just stated that he came leading an army. Cao Xu felt fear born in his heart, secretly thinking that he only had a thousand men here; if a fight truly broke out, he would likely be no match at all. It would be better to retreat first and return as quickly as possible to deliver the news of Wei Shao quietly leading troops south to his lord.

Having made up his mind, Cao Xu slowly backed away. Upon retreating several Zhang out, he suddenly turned around, flipped himself onto his horse's back, and galloped at full speed in the direction of Xiao County.

Wei Shao's expression was composed and cold. He raised his arm to take a massive bow handed over by an attendant, drew the bow and notched an arrow, aiming at that equestrian figure growing more distant by the second. Suddenly releasing the bowstring, a sharp zheng sounded, and an arrow shot forth like chasing the wind and pursuing lightning, embedding itself deeply into the center of Cao Xu's back.

Cao Xu plunged headfirst off his horse's back, hitting the ground dead.

"I am Wei Shao of You Province! Today I lead a grand army here! Xue Tai is immoral, and everyone has the right to punish him! You soldiers, lay down your weapons, and your lives shall be spared!"

Wei Shao gathered his bow, gathering his breath against the wind, sending his voice out word by word.

Among the soldiers in Xue Tai's army, who did not know the name of Wei Shao of the north? Struck with shock to see him suddenly manifest here, looking majestic and imposing with an overwhelming aura, not a single person dared to step forward. Furthermore, in just a brief moment, Zhang Biao was injured and Cao Xu was dead. Having first lost their leaders, their morale then dissolved. Coupled with the fact that many of these soldiers had originally been conscripted by force and were not naturally vicious thugs, they were all terrified by Wei Shao's thunderous, deafening shout. Weapons clattered to the ground as the soldiers turned around one after another and fled in all directions. In the blink of an eye, only the civilian laborers and villagers remained upon the dyke. As the crowd grew denser, someone—though no one knew who started it—suddenly knelt toward Wei Shao in massive waves, crying out praises for the Marquis's grand benevolence, with countless people weeping bitterly all over the place.

Wei Shao descended from the stone platform and instructed the citizens to quicken their pace to fill the excavated earth back in and reinforce it, so as to avoid any disaster.

Reminded of the danger, the crowd all lent a hand under the guidance of the masons and bricklayers. Right at this moment, several laborers came running over with terrified expressions, saying that water was suddenly gushing from the back slope up ahead in a rather large current, likely caused by digging too deeply.

The residents along both banks of the Huai River all knew that once water gushed from the back slope, it indicated that a hollow had appeared beneath the water on the riverbank. If the hollow could not be found and filled in time, under the force of the water, the hollow would grow larger and larger, making a collapse and a subsequent breach highly probable, which was extremely dangerous.

The citizens all lost their color, running over one after another. They saw that on the back slope, turbid yellow muddy water was indeed continuously gushing out, quickly converging into something like a stream. Everyone was anxious, climbing up the dyke one after another to search for the breach, but the river's surface was vast and surging; how could they find the shifting undercurrents beneath the water's surface in short order?

Among Wei Shao's entourage, there was a man from the southern State of Chu named Chen Shao, who was highly proficient in swimming. Seeing this, he immediately stepped forward on his own initiative and said, "My Lord, you can tie a rope around this general's waist and lower me into the water to investigate."

The river current was bone-chillingly cold, and if there was a hollow underneath, the suction force would be immense. Lowering a person down like this, even with a rope tied to their body, would be extremely dangerous if they were sucked into a hidden cavern by the current.

While Wei Shao hesitated, an old voice suddenly spoke from behind him, saying, "This old man has a method! My Lord does not need to lower anyone down to brave the danger!"

Wei Shao turned his head and saw that the speaker was a hemp-robed old man dressed as a traveling physician. Bearing a medicine bag on his back, with hair as white as a crane's plumage and a youthful countenance, his white beard fluttering, he strode toward Wei Shao. Upon reaching his vicinity and seeing Wei Shao watching him, he merely nodded slightly, then immediately ordered people to quickly fetch cloth screens and matting, tie them well with ropes, weigh down the lower edges with heavy objects, and then sink them into the water along the sloping edge of the dyke, pressing them tight against the slope while moving them slowly.

The crowd did as instructed. As they moved the apparatus slowly, they suddenly felt a bout of resistance against their pulling, and the water flow at the outlet on the back slope simultaneously grew smaller. They cheered in unison, knowing that the leak had been found.

Now that the leak was found, the masons had long since brought men to patch it up. Once the leak was repaired, the gushing water on the back slope gradually vanished, and the remaining people went back to continuing to fill in the earthwork. Previously when forced to dig the earth, every single one of them had been utterly helpless. At this moment, however, they vied to be first and feared to be slower than anyone else.

...

The danger was averted. Wei Shao turned his head to look out into the distance toward the direction of Jiuli Mountain. While he was hesitating, he saw that hemp-robed old man striding toward him.

The great wind swept through the old man's white beard, making him look light and airy, bearing a few hints of transcendent, immortal grace.

"This old man offers his respects, greetings to the Marquis," the old man said, stopping before Wei Shao.

Seeing that this old man was extraordinary and faintly possessed the demeanor of a hidden master of the world, Wei Shao dared not put on airs. He performed a bow used for elders toward the old man and said, "I do not know where the venerable elder comes from or where you are heading. Just now, it was entirely thanks to the venerable elder that the disaster to the dyke was averted. I admire you greatly."

The hemp-robed old man looked at Wei Shao, his eyes glowing brightly, and smiled as he said, "This old man is slightly proficient in the medical arts. Thinking that the people of the world suffer much hardship, I wander through the four quarters, which can be considered following fate to aid the world. A few days ago, observing the stars at night, I saw the Four Emblems and Three Enclosures all aligned in the sky above this place. The Ziwei Emperor Star resided in the center, with Taiwei and Tianshi flanking it in protection, the constellations brilliant. This old man considered it an anomalous phenomenon, which is why I sought it out and came here. It just so happened that I heard of an anomaly at the Anle Dyke, so I found my way here, unexpectedly meeting the Marquis. Seeing it with my own eyes, the Marquis indeed possesses both martial prowess and wisdom, and within your heart, there is also benevolence. The common people of the world have hope from this day forward."

While the two of them were speaking, citizens gradually gathered around, straining their ears to listen closely. Listening to the old man's words, they seemed to understand yet not fully understand, but upon hearing "Ziwei Emperor Star," they all seemed to comprehend. They looked at Wei Shao one after another, expressions of reverence appearing on their faces as they whispered in low tones among themselves.

Wei Shao as a person was inherently fierce and brutal by nature, and his disposition lacked compassion; he would even seek revenge for the smallest grievance. Otherwise, when he was a youth, he would not have possessed the moniker of the Little Hegemon.

When the Qin dynasty lost its deer, the whole world chased after it together.

Wei Shao was no exception. Since he occupied his position, he had always harbored such a surging ambition.

To claim hegemony, and even to seize the lands of the world by martial force—this was the grand blueprint and desire he had always been intoxicated by.

Yet over the years, he had also received constant reminders from Lady Xu, and had Sun Gongyang at his side offering counsel. As his age gradually advanced and he ran about the four quarters, seeing much of the hardships of the people's livelihood, while occupying a high position, the suffering of the commoners had gradually become something he placed within his heart, much like a responsibility imposed upon him later in life.

The reason he temporarily altered his route today was, for one, to bestow favor upon Yang Xin, and for another, he was indeed touched by the miserable plight of the villagers he encountered along the road.

Unexpectedly, he ran into such an old man here.

He naturally understood the implied meaning within the old man's words as well. He could not help but be slightly startled.

After the old man finished speaking, he made a Daoist bow toward him, turned around, and strode away just as he had come.

Wei Shao stared at his retreating figure, unable to stop himself from asking, "May I ask the venerable elder's honored surname and great name, and whether we might meet again?"

"This old man has a half-disciple of three months who is currently serving under the Marquis's command. If there is fate on another day, we shall naturally meet again. I hope the Marquis does not fail what this old man has witnessed today; if you bring blessings to the common people in the future, then the world shall be immensely fortunate!"

The old man did not turn his head. His words drifted over within the wind, his hemp-robed large sleeves fluttering, and his figure quickly disappeared into a stretch of wilderness along the banks of the Huai River.