Chapter 84
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Xue Yuan, the literati, had been sneezing a few times on the road these past few days.
Although it was late, there was still some lingering light in the sky in the northern region. After the soldiers finished their dinner, they set off again, following the remaining light.
Xue Yuan pinched his nose, and the deputy general asked with concern, “Sir, are you okay?”
Xue Yuan shook his head and continued to lead the troops forward expressionlessly.
The deputy general looked at his cold and indifferent appearance and glanced at the refugees on both sides of the road. He sighed inwardly.
After the army arrived in the disaster area, they would occasionally encounter large numbers of refugees.
These refugees were emaciated from hunger, and their eyes looked weak and panicked when they saw this marching army. But when they saw the grain and forage, their eyes turned into fiery greed.
The grain and forage seemed to be piled up like mountains. The soldiers guarding them were strong and powerful, while the refugees by the roadside were pitiful, some even including children and elderly people on the verge of starvation.
The soldiers of Great Heng, who were well-fed and well-dressed thanks to the Emperor, many of them saw such a miserable scene for the first time. They felt sorry and wanted to give away some of their own rations to these refugees when they first saw them. However, after seeing these refugees on the same day, Xue Yuan issued an order, forbidding anyone to give a single grain to the refugees.
“Anyone who dares to give them food,” Xue Yuan held up a big blade that day, his expression chillingly indifferent, “will be dealt with according to military regulations, with their heads rolling.”
With this statement, it immediately suppressed all those who felt pity.
But at the same time, the ruthless and cold-heartedness of the commander also aroused resentment among many soldiers. Finally, two days ago, several soldiers couldn’t bear it anymore and secretly took out some of their own rations to relieve a group of refugees who were about to starve to death. However, that night, when the army was preparing to camp, they were surrounded by hundreds of desperate refugees. Ignoring the soldiers’ warnings, they crazily rushed towards the food carts. Because the soldiers yielded to them, these refugees even wielded stones and sharp farm tools, killing several soldiers of Great Heng.
Such chaos didn’t subside until Xue Yuan led his men to kill all the surrounding refugees.
After the turmoil subsided, the soldiers guarding the grain were panting heavily as they looked at the corpses of the refugees on the ground. The image of these refugees rushing towards them as if they didn’t care about their lives was still imprinted in their minds. The soldiers were still in a daze, unable to come back to their senses.
After killing those people, Xue Yuan’s face was splattered with the blood of the refugees, and the big blade turned into a dark red color. He turned around, lifted the blade expressionlessly, and pointed at the soldiers, asking, “Who gave them the food?”
Three or five soldiers who had distributed their own rations walked out from the crowd.
In an instant, Xue Yuan’s expressionless face turned ferocious. He inserted the big blade into the ground, walked over with big strides, getting faster and faster, and finally punched them, beating them fiercely. He grabbed their collars and roared angrily, “They were killed because of you! Do you understand?”
His fists fell one after another, and the soldiers around him glared, but remained silent, not knowing what to say.
The deputy general’s heart felt sour as the beaten soldiers silently endured the beatings. The fresh blood of the victims mingled with their own tears and dust, while vultures in the sky were drawn by the scent of blood, circling continuously around the bodies of the victims.
“What did I say before?” Xue Yuan’s neck veins bulged as he grabbed the collars of the soldiers. “We cannot give them food!”
“Do you think you’re heroes?” Xue Yuan’s expression was terrifying. “We are here to transport food. What does this mean? This food is for the border soldiers. Do you think this amount of food is a lot? How many victims are there in the entire disaster area?”
“Even a single stalk of wheat, they will rush up to grab without caring about your army, regardless of whether you are imperial soldiers or not. How many hundreds of people can you kill, thousands of people, tens of thousands of people? Along the way to the northern frontier, because of the food you provided, they can follow you all the way and seize opportunities to plunder,” Xue Yuan suddenly dragged a soldier by the collar and stumbled towards a soldier who had been attacked by the victims, pointing to the wounds on their heads. “See this? Open your eyes and see clearly, this is the consequence of your kindness.”
The injured soldiers looked up silently, exchanging glances with each other. The soldiers who had used their own rations to help the victims gritted their teeth tightly, muscles trembling on their faces.
Xue Yuan then led them to see the bodies of several unfortunate soldiers who, unexpectedly, were killed by the victims when they didn’t intend to harm them.
Tears welled up in the eyes of these people, and they knelt down, crying in pain. Xue Yuan released them, pulled out his knife from the mud, and resumed his expressionless demeanor. “Disregarding military regulations, they shall be executed according to the law.”
“Sir—”
“General!!!”
Many people stopped Xue Yuan, persuading him to spare these few soldiers this time. They believed that after this incident, no one would dare to disobey military orders again. If there were any, it wouldn’t be too late to execute them next time.
Xue Yuan gave these officers who kept pleading for the soldiers a face and spared their lives. But from two days ago until today, Xue Yuan has been maintaining an extremely cold and ruthless demeanor.
No one knows if he is angry for the suffering soldiers or angry for being forced to kill those hundreds of civilians.
The deputy general had a vague feeling in his heart. He always felt that Lord Xue didn’t really intend to kill those few soldiers, and in the end, he might have just been using it as a way to appease the soldiers.
Not only that, even though Lord Xue’s expression had become increasingly indifferent over these days, visibly lacking emotion, the soldiers’ trust and reliance on him had increased. When they encountered refugees again, even if they felt reluctant, the soldiers could still maintain a stern face and continue marching day and night without looking sideways.
The more rational the commander, the more he considered the overall situation, the more the soldiers feared him, and the stricter the military discipline.
The deputy general sighed and pondered.
Lord Xue was only twenty-four years old, but how could he maintain such a clear and ruthless demeanor when faced with the suffering refugees who evoked pity in everyone’s hearts?
Or perhaps, were the experiences Lord Xue had endured in the past even more cruel than what was happening now?
As the deputy general was lost in thought, Xue Yuan looked up at the sky and succinctly said, “Inform the army to rest here tonight.”
The command was passed down, and the voices from the rear became noisy. Today, they finally found a clean river. The water they had prepared earlier had run out, so Xue Yuan arranged for people to go to the river to replenish the water supply. The scattered sentinels rushed over. “General, the number of refugees following behind is increasing.”
Xue Yuan said, “Let them follow.”
Whatever the commander said, they would obey. Not only did the deputy general admire Xue Yuan, but these sentinels also obeyed him obediently. They responded crisply and mounted their horses to continue investigating the surroundings.
Fortunately, these refugees were afraid of the mighty soldiers, so they only dared to follow from a distance behind and didn’t dare to provoke them.
The closer they got to the northern border, the fewer words Xue Yuan spoke. His expression was heavy, and he only occasionally showed a hint of gentleness, but it vanished in an instant. Before the longing in his eyes could rise, it was already dispersed by the desolate disaster-stricken area.
The deputy general said, “Sir, shall we wash up together?”
Xue Yuan clapped his hands. “Let’s go.”
The deputy general looked back and saw the refugees resting in the distance. Due to the incident of providing relief to the refugees earlier, the soldiers had become wary of them. Even from such a distance, these soldiers remained vigilant. They had voluntarily stationed themselves by the food carts, silently guarding the provisions.
Xue Yuan glanced at them and remained silent. The deputy general smiled bitterly. “Sir, I understand your intentions. We are not authorized to handle these provisions, only General Xue has the authority to use them to help the refugees. If they can really hold on and follow us to the northern border, it might be a glimmer of hope for them.”
After speaking, the deputy general felt somewhat worried. “Although our provisions are sufficient, I still worry. Shouldn’t we reduce the soldiers’ rations a bit and make plans after reaching the northern border?”
While they were talking, the two of them had already reached the riverside. They washed their faces downstream. Xue Yuan said, “No need, let’s keep it as it is.”
After years of marching, Xue Yuan, who rarely had a full meal, never expected himself to say such words one day. He couldn’t help but laugh, and the water droplets from his face fell along his sharp jaw. “With the Emperor behind us, the provisions will surely be sufficient.”
This was no longer a few years ago. Gu Yuanbai, Xue Yuan believed in Gu Yuanbai.
***
Without the knowledge of the frontline commanders, a hundred thousand ducks were on their way to the northern border.
Not only ducks, but also a portion of this year’s harvest of rice and grain. In order to show their gratitude to the Emperor and their loyalty to him, these wealthy landowners acted on their own initiative. Some of them even spent a fortune, producing a jaw-dropping quantity of provisions.
When this news reached Gu Yuanbai’s ears, he sighed with emotion. He personally picked up a brush and wrote several scrolls of “For the Country and the People,” rewarding these selfless landowners.
To receive recognition from the Emperor, what an honor it was. Those wealthy landowners who received rewards felt secretly delighted and walked with a swagger, causing envy wherever they went. Not only that, those wealthy landowners who contributed to the relief efforts during this northern locust disaster would also receive copper, silver, and gold medals distributed by the court according to their contributions. Their names and origins would be recorded by the government, and after the locust disaster passed, their names would be engraved on stone tablets for the people to admire.
Such actions caused both big and small merchants to become restless.
The Ministry of Revenue had been busy for several days in a row. When they finally came to their senses, the envoys who had come to congratulate the Emperor’s birthday had already left, leaving behind only one envoy from Xixia who had a request for Great Heng.
After the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Tang, finished reporting all the important matters to Gu Yuanbai one by one, he also mentioned the matter of the Xixia trading post. “Your Majesty, it has been three months since the mutual trade with Xixia stopped. The Xixia envoys are becoming anxious and have already sent gifts to the homes of my subordinates and officials in the Ministry of Revenue.”
“Is that so?” Gu Yuanbai said, “The prince of Xixia seem quite relaxed.”
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue was speechless but had to admit that what the Emperor said made sense.
“Let’s wait a bit longer and see what else Xixia can offer,” Gu Yuanbai smiled meaningfully, “I don’t have time to deal with them now. If they send gifts, you can accept them. It’s a good opportunity to see what these Xixia envoys have brought to Great Heng.”
With that, he shook his head. “They sent me such a generous gift, and yet they still have money to spend lavishly in Great Heng and send things to your homes… Xixia is really wealthy.”
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue had not considered this before, but now he understood what the Emperor meant. He thought for a moment and couldn’t help but sigh, “Indeed, Xixia is indeed very wealthy.”
After the two of them sighed for a while, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue left. Gu Yuanbai glanced at the sky outside and suddenly said, “General Xue has been away for three months now, and even Xue Yuan has been gone for more than a month.”
Tian Fusheng calculated the time and respectfully replied, “Indeed, it is so.”
Gu Yuanbai sighed, “The generals. The wives, daughters, and elderly mothers of the Xue Mansion must be extremely lonely in their hearts.”
Tian Fusheng advised, “Your Majesty, on ordinary days, you have taken care to look after the Xue Mansion. You have also granted honors to the Old Madam Xue and Madam Xue. The city’s magistrate often sends troops to patrol in front of the Xue Mansion. Although it’s full of women, no one dares to insult them.”
Gu Yuanbai nodded, glancing at the two wolves lying beside the table. He pressed his forehead and said, “Arrange it. Tomorrow, I will personally visit the Xue Mansion to check on them. Let the Shangshu of the Ministry of War and the Grand Chancellor accompany me, and select two or three officials who have good relations with General Xue to accompany us.”
Tian Fusheng said, “Yes.”
***
The next day, the Emperor personally arrived at the Xue Mansion with his officials.
Both the Xue Mansion and some military officers breathed a sigh of relief because of this.
Gu Yuanbai arranged for Xue Yuan to go and deliver supplies, firstly because it was appropriate, and secondly because Gu Yuanbai wanted to tell General Xue that even though he was sending his son to deliver troops and supplies, it meant that he believed in him and was his strong backing.
However, there were always some people who would speculate about this move as the Emperor being wary of the Xue Mansion, thus wanting to take the opportunity to eliminate both father and son.
These people underestimated Gu Yuanbai’s tolerance and breadth of mind, and they also underestimated how much they had thought of Gu Yuanbai. Now that the Emperor personally brought high-ranking officials to comfort the Xue Mansion, these people finally realized that the Emperor had no such intention.
Old Madam Xue, who was comforted by the Emperor, couldn’t stop her tears. “Being able to do things for the Emperor is worth dying for. It’s the fate of father and son.”
Gu Yuanbai chuckled and shook his head. “Old Madam Xue, your words are too serious. This battle is not difficult. General Xue and his son will surely bring me a great victory.”
His tone was light, but such a tone made him seem even more confident, extremely convincing.
After comforting the Xue Mansion’s family members, Gu Yuanbai was invited to take a stroll around the Xue Mansion. After a while, he suddenly remembered, “Where is Xue Jiuyao’s room?”
Chang Yuyan once said that there were more books in Xue Yuan’s room than in his entire study, which made Gu Yuanbai quite curious.
The Xue Mansion’s servant quickly led the way, guiding Gu Yuanbai to Xue Yuan’s room. Everyone stayed outside, and Gu Yuanbai went in alone. Upon entering the room, he saw many neatly arranged books.
He raised an eyebrow and walked forward to casually pick up a book to flip through. Inside, the pages were clean and neat, without any signs of having been opened before.
Gu Yuanbai put the book back and pulled out several military books one after another, but the results were the same. Not only were there no annotations or handwriting indicating that they had been read, but these books also still had the fresh ink scent typical of newly printed books.
Was this the so-called intellectual?
Gu Yuanbai sat down at the desk and casually flipped through a few pages of the book in his hand, thinking, with so many books on the wall, could it be that Xue Yuan hadn’t read a single one?
Upon careful recollection, it seemed that Xue Yuan had personally told Gu Yuanbai that he was a rough person and hadn’t read many books.
But according to Chang Yuyan’s words, Xue Yuan seemed to have become an unrecognizable figure, showing no expression on his face but actually hiding a lot.
Which statement was true?
Gu Yuanbai flipped through a few pages and was about to put the book back when his toe kicked something. He looked down and saw a roughly made swallow kite under the table.
It was the one that Xue Yuan had shown him before.
Gu Yuanbai didn’t have the conscientiousness to avoid disregarding privacy. He bent down to pick up the swallow kite, turned it over, and saw a row of bold and vigorous characters written on it.
“If there’s no thunder from the sky, then the Emperor is in my arms.”
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