Chapter 924: He Won't Spare You
A few days later, at Gubai Crossing.
As evening fell, the sun dipped below the horizon, shrouding the world in a soft gloom.
Chuǎng Wang needed this very dimness. He didn't want to implicate his relatives, so he dared to meet only under the cloak of shadows.
Chuǎng Wang's army had been left twenty li to the south.
He offered a flimsy pretext to halt his rebel army, then disguised himself. Taking only two of his most trusted personal guards, he secretly slipped out of camp and arrived at the designated meeting point.
The people from Gao Family Village had already received word. Aboard their longboat, they had come to Gubai Crossing and waited for quite some time.
Chuǎng Wang slowly, step by step, approached the large cargo ship by the river.
Before he even reached the vessel, he heard a gruff, simple voice from the deck: “Creeping up on our boat, what are you trying to do?”
The moment Chuǎng Wang heard that voice, a shiver ran through him. “Is that... Chuwu?”
Gao Chuwu turned his head and bellowed towards the vessel: “Uncle Yingxiang is here! Come out, everyone, come out!”
From within the longboat's superstructure, people poured out in a rush.
Gao Yiye rushed out. “Second Uncle!”
As soon as the words left her lips, tears welled up in her eyes.
Gao Yingxiang was overjoyed as well. “Yiye!”
Gao Yiye quickly took two steps forward, intending to leap into his arms, but then she suddenly remembered that she was no longer a child, and such actions weren't appropriate for her age anymore.
She reluctantly stopped in her tracks.
Gao Yingxiang asked, his face beaming, “Where’s your mother?”
Gao Yiye shook her head. “Mother passed away,” she said. “Killed by mountain bandits.”
Gao Yingxiang was stunned.
The Village Chief emerged from behind them. “Alas,” he said, “after you left, the drought worsened day by day. One day, mountain bandits raided the village. Your mother... she then...”
A somber silence fell over the group.
Gao Laba walked over and clapped Gao Yingxiang on the shoulder. “Yingxiang! You’ve done pretty well for yourself, haven’t you? If we hadn’t seen the Gaojia News, we wouldn’t have even known you’d become Chuǎng Wang.”
“News?” Gao Yingxiang looked utterly bewildered.
Gao Yiyi walked up from behind him, silently punched him on the shoulder, then stepped back.
Gao Sanniang followed. She looked Gao Yingxiang up and down, then spoke with a peculiar inflection: “Back then, when you beat the official and ran off, everyone said you were a hero. But who would’ve thought you’d turn to banditry? Alas, you’re not the Yingxiang I once knew.”
Gao Yingxiang was taken aback.
Gao Sanwa sighed, saying nothing.
Gao Yingxiang’s gaze swept across their faces. Each face was utterly familiar, yet after a decade, they also felt faintly strange to him.
“Are you all... well? These past years of chaos and war, I’ve constantly worried about Gao Family Village, but I never expected you’d all be doing so well. Only my sister-in-law...”
“Qingwa also died at the hands of mountain bandits,” the Village Chief said. “Didn’t you notice? Your closest friend, Qingwa, isn’t here.”
Gao Yingxiang reeled.
The Village Chief suddenly grew serious. “We came here today, arranged this meeting with you, because we need to talk about this ‘banditry’ of yours.”
Gao Yingxiang snapped to attention. “Uncle, please speak plainly.”
The Village Chief cut straight to the point: “Stop being a bandit. Give it up.”
“Huh?” Gao Yingxiang blinked.
He truly hadn't expected the Village Chief to start with that.
Gao Yingxiang said, “Uncle! I’m no ordinary bandit now, I’m a king! I’m Chuǎng Wang, renowned throughout the land. I command an army of hundreds of thousands, and I have the power to seize this realm. Once I march into Yanjing, kill that dog-emperor, and become emperor myself, I’ll make you, Uncle, the Imperial Preceptor, Yiye a princess, and Chuwu a grand general...”
“Silence!” the Village Chief roared. “What king? A self-proclaimed king? How are your actions now any different from the mountain bandits who killed your sister-in-law and Qingwa? What you’re doing now is killing other people’s sisters-in-law, killing other people’s closest friends. And you still dare to call yourself a king?”
Gao Yingxiang retorted, “No, I’m not a bandit, I’m leading an uprising, I’m doing what’s righteous. I haven’t intentionally killed anyone’s sister-in-law or closest friend. I... those who died, they were just... just...”
He struggled to articulate his thoughts.
Just then, Li Daoxuan’s voice echoed from among the Gao Family Village crowd: “It’s just that, an uprising isn’t child’s play; there’s bound to be bloodshed and sacrifice, isn’t there? Some collateral damage is unavoidable, right? As long as you’re ultimately in the right, as long as you can establish a brand new nation, then these people died for a worthy cause, didn’t they?”
“Yes, yes, exactly! That’s what I mean!” Gao Yingxiang readily agreed, then suddenly realized something was amiss. “Huh? Who are you? You’re not from Gao Family Village, are you?”
Li Daoxuan replied, “Just passing by, throwing in my two cents. Anyway, don’t mind me, carry on.”
Gao Yingxiang bristled with anger, wanting to lash out, but saw that no one from Gao Family Village, including the Village Chief, seemed to mind Li Daoxuan’s interruption.
He found it difficult to get angry. Ignoring Li Daoxuan, he continued to the Village Chief and Gao Yiye. “Just a few days ago, I utterly routed the imperial army at Huashizhen. Even the Five Provinces’ Supreme Commander, Lu Xiangheng, was no match for me. We also defeated the Guanning Iron Cavalry and severely wounded Cao Wenzhao.”
The more Gao Yingxiang spoke, the more agitated he became. “Uncle! Yiye! Believe me, I am doing something righteous. I am overthrowing those corrupt officials who oppress and torment us. Once I kill all the bad officials, the world will naturally be at peace, and everyone will live a happy life.”
This time, Li Daoxuan remained silent. But Gao Sanwa spoke up. “Uncle Yingxiang, if all the officials are killed, who will govern the land?”
Gao Yingxiang scoffed, “Who needs governing? No one needs to govern! If no one governs, then everyone can live happily without paying taxes.”
Gao Sanwa challenged, “If no one governs, what happens if people murder, steal, rob, or accost innocent young women... who will deal with them?”
Gao Yingxiang paused, slightly taken aback. “This...”
Gao Sanwa pressed, “If no one governs, who will repair broken roads? Who will mend breached river dikes? And who will stand against the Manchu invaders when they come?”
Gao Yingxiang said, “Sanwa, you’ve grown up, and you’ve gotten quite capable. You dare talk back to your uncle now, eh?”
Gao Sanwa stuck out his tongue. “The river shifts course every thirty years, so don’t underestimate a youth in his poverty! Uncle Yingxiang, I’ve grown up, and I understand a lot of things now. You can’t look down on me anymore.”
Gao Yingxiang suddenly realized, with surprise, that it wasn’t just Gao Sanwa; all the people from Gao Family Village had a completely different demeanor.
Before, they had been timid, provincial bumpkins, confined to a small mountain village, ignorant of the world. But now, they were brimming with vitality and spirit. Their faces shone with confidence and poise.
His own experience of nearly a decade wandering the land felt surprisingly insufficient to command authority in front of them.
He wished they hadn’t seen the world, and would just listen to him.
The Village Chief said, “Give it up. Come back with us to Gao Family Village. If you stop now, it’s considered ‘voluntary surrender,’ and you won’t be sentenced to death. But if you continue...”
He pointed a finger at the sky. “He will certainly not spare you.”
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