Chapter Twenty-Five: Refugees or Spies

Now they had horses, but another problem confronted them. How could they possibly stop this squad of fifty-odd cavalry? Even if they tried to explain everything clearly, the soldiers would only be more inclined to believe their comrades rather than these two strangers. Worse still, they might be accused of being enemy spies, and a bloody battle would be unavoidable. Even if the two managed to fight their way out, how could the refugees, who could barely walk, hope to escape?

It felt like an impossible deadlock.

Gu Jun reproached himself, saying, "It’s all my fault. You warned me at the time, but I still couldn’t hold back."

"Those damned corrupt officials and soldiers—rather than bravely fighting on the front lines, they butcher the very people they’re supposed to protect. Despicable!"

Jiang Chen, after a moment’s contemplation, said, "Time is short. We can’t worry about everything right now. I’ll ride ahead and try to stop them. Brother Gu, you’d best not show yourself for now."

"Why?"

Gu Jun, a man who always took responsibility for his actions, found it hard to accept Jiang Chen’s suggestion to stay hidden, especially since he was the cause of the trouble.

But Jiang Chen’s next words immediately enlightened him.

"Those deserters saw you kill their comrades with their own eyes. If you show up again, it will only provoke them to seek revenge, making things even more complicated."

"Besides, only if I put on these clothes will I truly look the part."

Gu Jun understood the first point clearly—if they wanted to stop the soldiers from harming the refugees, it was indeed best for him not to appear. But the second point left him puzzled until Jiang Chen stripped the fallen soldier of his clothes and put them on. Then Gu Jun realized what Jiang Chen intended.

"What about this fellow?" Gu Jun pointed at the prone young soldier. If he woke up, he’d be trouble.

Jiang Chen sighed. "I don’t think everyone in the Great Qian army is as vicious as wolves. Besides, this boy is so young—he probably hasn’t yet been corrupted by the military’s rotten ways."

"And besides, we’re trying to resolve conflict, not create new enmity. Let’s spare his life."

With that, Jiang Chen mounted his horse and rode away, whip raised. Gu Jun watched his departing figure, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"There can be no mistake. That decisive posture and skilled horsemanship—only a warrior who has fought on the battlefield for years possesses such a bearing! It’s a quality forged through countless brushes with death, not something gained overnight."

"Jiang Chen, just what kind of person are you?"

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen pressed forward at full speed, determined to catch up with the cavalry as quickly as possible. Soon, he reached the fork in the road where he had earlier parted ways with the refugees.

There, in the distance, he saw seven or eight riders heading toward the refugees’ path. From afar, he couldn’t tell who they were, but their attire didn’t resemble that of the soldiers he’d seen before. The sound of their horses’ hooves also carried a certain lawless air, reminiscent of bandits.

The Great Qian court was weak and frail; though it maintained a façade of grandeur in the capital, its grip on the provinces grew weaker by the day. This emboldened bandits, mountain thieves, and river pirates, who became ever more audacious—growing wild like wolves and tigers.

Especially in the rugged southern mountains, bandits roamed unchecked. Whenever they descended to pillage, they would tie a copper bell around their horses’ necks. The sound of the bell announced their arrival; wherever it rang, it meant the place had caught their eye.

The impoverished peasants, upon hearing the bell, would instinctively hand over whatever meager money and grain they had left to appease the bandits, lest they invite disaster.

Jiang Chen surmised that these bandits had their sights set on the refugee caravan of several hundred people, hoping to plunder them thoroughly. Yet this presented him with a perfect opportunity to stir up chaos—just in time.

He hurried along the shortcut, overtaking the bandits without their notice.

Not long after, he finally caught sight of the menacing cavalry, who had stopped the winding line of refugees in the middle of the road. From their posture, they seemed to be searching for Gu Jun.

“Well, did you find the murderer?” The general’s tiger-like eyes scanned the trembling faces of the refugees.

The six deserters went back and forth among the refugees, bullying them as they searched—naturally finding nothing, since Gu Jun was nowhere among them.

Someone, after searching for a long time, replied helplessly, "General, the murderer must be hiding. I think these refugees are sheltering him, guilty of harboring a criminal!"

"We don’t know if there are enemy spies among them. We can’t let them proceed any further!"

The general stroked his chin, pondering: Not far ahead was Ziyang, his own domain. If he let these refugees enter the city unchecked, trouble might ensue. It was best to keep them here; whether enemy spies were among them was not his concern, as long as no trouble arose on his turf.

With that in mind, he ordered, "All refugees, stand up straight! No one is to move. I have questions to ask—answer honestly, and you’ll be safe!"

The refugees hung their heads, and standing upright was already a torment for them. Some were so hungry their vision blurred, unable even to stand for long.

Yet the general continued, "Just now, among you, someone killed a soldier of Great Qian. Is this true?"

"If none of you speak, I’ll have to pull you out one by one and use my methods to make you talk!"

As he spoke, he drew a whip from his belt and lashed it fiercely at one refugee, who was so weak he coughed up blood and collapsed.

"Do you know who I am?"

"I am Di Hong, the commander of Ziyang. You lot can forget about entering the city, but if you tell the truth, I might let you go elsewhere to seek a living."

"If not..."

"General! General, that murderous scoundrel ran off ages ago; he’s not among us!"

The one who suddenly spoke up loudly was the wife from the landlord’s family—the only family with enough strength to speak so boldly.

She crawled to Di Hong’s horse, flattering him, "General, that bastard deserved to die for killing your men! He parted ways with us back at the fork in the road—he’s truly not here."

"Please, General, have mercy and let our family enter the city. Here are some silver coins for your pleasure!"