Chapter 18: Feats of a Hero |
"You?" Shang Chao Zong was surprised: "What happened?"
Lan Ruo Ting smiled bitterly:
"When the Prince was imprisoned, I realized the situation was worse than ever. Someone was constantly plotting against the Prince, pushing him towards ruin. The individual in the palace feared the former ruler's military authority, and was equally wary of the consequences of the great state's previous power dissolving. Knowing what he feared, I spread rumors that the former ruler had chosen 100,000 souls of loyal soldiers who had fallen in battle, and secretly refined them into the *Crows*."
Shang Chao Zong was astonished, then it dawned on him. He sneered:
"I originally thought they spared my life out of family sentiment. It turned out it was the phantom of the one-hundred-thousand-strong Crows army that kept them from slaying me. And my liberation is most likely also connected to this army. What is the country's situation now?"
Lan Ruo Ting nodded:
"The Prince is wise. To speak plainly, over the past few years, His Majesty has purged the nation of the former sovereign's loyalists, leading to instability within the army. In the north, General Shao Deng Yun, in a fit of rage, opened the city of Xiang and allowed the vast army of the Han Kingdom to invade the northern territories. Consequently, the imperial court had to expend immense resources to expel the Han Kingdom's forces. However, numerous territories were lost in the war with our old enemy. As a result, all the surrounding kingdoms began to cast predatory gazes upon us. That is why His Majesty was forced to send his princesses and relatives to them, hoping to win some over. Only after this did the situation stabilize somewhat. However, during these times of internal unrest, many military commanders gradually expanded their power and began to use their troops at their own discretion. They ceased obeying orders, thereby plunging the country into chaos!"
Boom.
Shang Chao Zong slammed his fist against the carriage, a fierce expression appearing on his face:
Lan Ruo Ting remained silent, unsure how to respond. How could one sow discord among kinsmen, as that person in the palace had done? Shao Deng Yun had been forced to act as he did. He was simply given no choice.
When Shang Chao Zong calmed down, he said with a sigh:
"I understand that I was released because of the country's unstable situation. And with the help of the one-hundred-thousand-strong Crows army, they hope to stabilize the situation. The purpose of my release is to find the general of the Crows. If they don't capture him, they won't let me go!"
Lan Ruo Ting: "Now is not the time to dwell on that. Prince, you must first safely leave the capital. If you do not leave the capital now, you may never get another chance..."
At dawn, the day's clamor began to envelop the capital. Shops and stalls opened, the streets grew livelier, and it was unknown who truly sat within the unassuming carriages traversing the thoroughfares.
As soon as the carriage approached the city's eastern gate, it began to be inspected. People crowded around the carriage. There were those on foot, and those on horseback.
A general, in charge of the guard, approached the rear of the carriage and knocked on it:
"Come out for inspection."
Lan Ruo Ting initially wanted to help support Shang Chao Zong, but the latter refused. He stepped out himself, despite the wounds on his hands and feet.
Both of them looked around. Evidently, they had been deliberately surrounded.
"Oh, so it's Shang Chao Zong — the little prince!" The general in charge of the guard suddenly laughed. Pushing aside the common folk, he approached closer:
"Little prince, why are you dressed in such rags?"
Shang Chao Zong met his gaze with a cold stare. He was of royal blood and had been considered a grand prince, though now he had been demoted to a Junwang. Yet, he was still a grand prince, and this man, by calling him 'little prince,' clearly intended to mock him.
Lan Ruo Ting cupped his hands and said with a smile: "General, please be courteous. The Prince is about to leave the city."
The general sneered:
"We have orders to search everyone leaving! The little prince murdered a common man in broad daylight and still walks about boldly. Compared to the little prince, we humble servants are obligated to uphold the law."
He waved his hand: "Search them!"
A crowd of soldiers approached Shang Chao Zong and began to roughly frisk him. They tore his already tattered clothes even further, almost ripping the fabric from his buttocks.
This was clearly done intentionally to humiliate the prince.
But Shang Chao Zong stood like a crag. He clenched his jaw and allowed himself to be searched.
Lan Ruo Ting merely sighed to himself. It seemed the prince had endured such torture and mockery countless times over the years. No wonder his character had fundamentally changed. Otherwise, would he have killed a man in broad daylight?
The coachman trembled, anger flashing in his eyes. He wanted to stop them, but Lan Ruo Ting blocked his path with a hand and shook his head.
The common folk, hearing the general's words that Shang Chao Zong had killed a common man in broad daylight, did not intercede for him. Many rejoiced at his misfortune and even clapped their hands.
They could not even imagine that the whole affair might have been staged this way. When in reality, everything was entirely different.
On the upper levels of the tower, a figure stood in the shadows, calmly observing the scene. He sensed how the common folk now condemned Shang Chao Zong.
On either side of the window stood a man. He gazed at the scene below. And this was none other than Song Jiu Ming.
The other man was thin, with a head of gray hair and a beard. A jade hairpin was stuck in his hair. He appeared neat, exuded an air of tranquility, and his gaze was serene.
A man who could compel Song Jiu Ming to come here would certainly not be simple. This was Ga Miao Shui. Although his name was a little strange, he was a close confidant of the emperor. (For us, all their names are the same.) Many knew him as Grandpa Shui.
"Is there any point to this?" Song Jiu Ming asked.
Ga Miao Shui calmly replied:
"We can humiliate him a little, so he remembers it well and brings out Shang Jun Bo's trump card sooner."
Song Jiu Ming understood him.
Finally, the humiliating scene ended, and Shang Chao Zong, now impossibly tattered, climbed back into the carriage. They drove out of the city. But they had only gone a short distance when a man rushed out from beyond the gate and shouted:
"Officer, quickly stop them. Stop that carriage! Someone stole my carriage!"
And as if already prepared, the guards outside immediately stopped the carriage.
Someone, cursing vehemently, stood before the carriage, while the pseudo-owner rushed to the carriage, grabbed the reins, and tearfully cried out:
"That's my carriage! That's my carriage! Officer, judge between us!"
The now familiar general, in charge of the guard, rode up and said:
"Come out!"
Sitting in the carriage, Shang Chao Zong sneered:
"It seems they want to strip even a nobleman of his carriage. Do they wish me to walk to my lands? Tao Xing, give the signal!"
The one called Tao Xing was indeed the coachman.
"Wait!" Lan Ruo Ting cupped his hands and said:
"Prince, I beg you, bear with it a little longer!"
Shang Chao Zong stepped out of the carriage and stood on the carriage shaft (a shaft is one of two poles, fastened by their ends to the front axle of a cart, connecting with a yoke and used for harnessing a horse). Though Shang Chao Zong was in tattered clothes, he stood proudly with a straight back.
The general in charge of the guard shouted:
"Little prince. You'd best step down until the circumstances are clarified!"
Shang Chao Zong sternly commanded:
"Sound the horn!"
It was unknown when the coachman Tao Xing produced a horn made from a bull's horn, put it to his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and blew into it.
Ooooh...ooooh...oooooh...! A deep, resonant sound echoed.
The surrounding guard soldiers froze, and the general was surprised. "A signal?!"
Furthermore, the expressions of the sentries on the city walls also changed.
From a distance, a rumble resounded, gradually drawing nearer.
Standing on the upper levels of the tower, Song Jiu Ming and Ga Miao Shui frowned. They fully opened the windows and saw two detachments of troops galloping towards them from the right and left. One detachment was clad in black and white, while the other was in gray. There were not many of them, around 200. But from each of them emanated a powerful Qi.
Song Jiu Ming narrowed his eyes and murmured:
"Yinyang Guard! Wuli Guard!"
The previous emperor had once bestowed upon Shang Jian Bo four detachments—Yin, Yang, Wu, and Li—for his military merits. However, Shang Jian Bo disbanded them and merged them into two guards: the Yinyang Guard and the Wuli Guard.
The 5,000-strong Yinyang Guard and the 5,000-strong Wuli Guard were under Shang Jian Bo's command. They were mighty and courageous soldiers. But once, in a decisive battle, the emperor of that time fell into a trap. Shang Jian Bo then led the two detachments to rescue the emperor. A one-hundred-thousand-strong army of the Han Kingdom had surrounded the emperor. Shang Jian Bo, with the 10,000-strong guard, began to break through the encirclement and rescue the emperor, which he successfully accomplished. It was then that the two guards became renowned throughout the land. Everyone feared these guards.
Now, however, little remained of the two guards. Only a few hundred men.
The two detachments merged into one and rapidly approached, raising clouds of dust. And the guards on the gate walls grew terrified:
"The Yinyang Guard! The Wuli Guard!"
"Little prince, do you truly intend to rebel?" the general standing on the other side turned pale.
But Shang Chao Zong, standing on the carriage shaft, paid him no mind at all. He watched the approaching guard with pride.
The coachman Tao Xing, watching the rapidly approaching cavalry, could no longer restrain himself. His eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face. He began to blow the horn again.
Ooooh...oooooh...ooooh...
At the head rode a girl in light clothing. A conical bamboo hat rested on her head. In her hands, she held a sword, extended forward.
The 500 riders immediately shifted formation, and beneath the bright rays of the sun, a glint of swords appeared. They drew their zhanmadao swords (a zhanmadao is a long-bladed sword designed to cut through horses).
Standing above, Ga Miao Shui frowned, watching the guards. And the garrison troops no longer dared to resist; they retreated in fear.
The man who had blocked the carriage's path had already dropped the reins and was fleeing.
As soon as the 500 riders reached the carriage, they halted instantly. They moved like lightning and stood like a mountain!
"Brother!" The girl spoke in a trembling voice as soon as she rode up to the carriage. This was none other than Shang Chao Zong's younger sister, Shang Shu Qing. She had not expected her brother, with his tiger's back and bear's waist, to have grown so thin. She could imagine how many hardships he must have endured. From which tears could be seen streaming from beneath her bamboo hat.