Chapter 2261: Fratricide
"He cannot hear you, nor can he speak." Zhan Zhekun clasped his hands behind his back, his tone leisurely. "Don't waste your breath."
Realization struck Feng Haijiao like lightning. "It's you!"
Zhan Zhekun nodded, seemingly indifferent to the thunderous pounding outside. When Xin Laonan had renovated this temple, he'd designed it as a last refuge. The walls were thick and solid, the doors and windows fashioned from hardwood sheathed in iron, reinforced with heavy bolts and crossbars. No matter how many men raged outside, flesh and blood armed with mere swords and spears could never break through.
"Zhan Zhekun! I advise you to be sensible—I brought several hundred brothers up this mountain..."
Zhan Zhekun couldn't be bothered to argue. He turned to an attendant. "Has the smoke been released?"
"Yes, Master. League Chief Xie has already sent confirmation."
"Take him down. Tie him securely."
Attendants seized Feng Haijiao and bound him tightly. At first, he remained unafraid—after all, thirty or forty of his brothers waited outside the temple, and his men still controlled the three stockade gates. The fight wasn't over yet.
But soon, the sounds of battle erupted from all directions. Shouts, screams, pleas for mercy, and the clash of steel rose and fell in waves. The fighting surged several times before gradually subsiding. Feng Haijiao's expression shifted between hope and despair. As the noise faded, someone slipped inside to whisper in Zhan Zhekun's ear. The treacherous advisor's brow smoothed instantly. Feng Haijiao's heart sank. "Finished," he thought, and slumped in defeat.
Zhan Zhekun ordered the temple doors opened. A scene of carnage greeted him: blood and mangled flesh stretched from the entrance to beyond the temple walls. Thirty or forty corpses lay scattered in disarray while more than ten captives knelt off to one side, utterly broken. The stench of the battlefield filled the air.
Zhan Zhekun smiled faintly, watching Xie Wendong direct the cleanup. "How heavy are our casualties?"
"Only three dead, seven or eight wounded." Xie Wendong bowed. "The Advisor's plan was truly brilliant."
In truth, the "brilliant plan" was nothing extraordinary. The secret lay in the herbal tea at the mountain's base. Though it contained no harsh drugs like rhubarb or croton, the cooling herbs had been doubled. After a long, sweaty trek, drinking ice-cold tea wreaked havoc on the men's stomachs. Some couldn't even make it to the summit before desperately seeking relief. Most managed to hold on, but the cramping in their guts robbed them of their fighting strength—especially when Xie Wendong's force outnumbered them more than two to one. Swarming from behind the temple, they overwhelmed Feng Haijiao's debilitated soldiers in moments.
"What about the stockade gates?"
"The main gate has been taken—all eliminated." Xie Wendong said. "The soldiers below still don't know what's happened."
"Have Feng Haijiao's command arrow and seal been secured?"
"Both obtained."
"Good. Send someone immediately with his command arrow to the main gate. I'll be there shortly."
"Understood!"
Mo Chong's hundred soldiers had rested for two hours before slowly ascending. By the time they passed the second stockade gate, every one of them was doubled over with stomach cramps, groaning with complaint. Mo Chong used this as an excuse to halt at the second gate. When he spotted smoke rising from the summit, he knew the operation had succeeded—he had secretly defected to Bi Xuansheng's side long ago.
Following the prearranged plan, he urged his men forward. At the main gate, troops awaited inside. The moment they entered, they were surrounded. These soldiers had mostly joined Feng Haijiao recently and owed him little loyalty. Wracked with stomach pains and swayed by Mo Chong's persuasion, they laid down their weapons and surrendered. The cramping proved unbearable for some, resulting in an unavoidable mess that filled the air with a foul stench. Fortunately, the stockade had prepared warming medicinal soup. Once the surrendered men drank it, their symptoms gradually subsided.
Though their stomachs had settled, they now sat unarmed on the ground, facing drawn swords and spears, surrounded by corpses and severed heads. The soldiers were terrified, fearing for their lives.
Then Zhan Zhekun ordered trays of silver brought forth. The soldiers' eyes lit up instantly.
"Brothers!" He surveyed the men seated on the ground. "Feng Haijiao received amnesty and owed a debt of gratitude higher than heaven and deeper than earth. Rather than repaying the Emperor's grace and benefiting the common people, he acted perversely, colluded with rebels, and brought disaster upon his homeland! The Viceroy of Two Guangs, Lord Xiong, has ordered his execution. His head will be displayed throughout the three Lianyang counties as a warning to others!"
This murderous official pronouncement chilled the soldiers, who feared being labeled as rebel partisans themselves.
"However, Lord Xiong is merciful. Only the ringleaders will be punished; those who were coerced and show repentance will be spared. Not only spared—they may continue to serve the Imperial Court."
He clapped his hands. Servants brought forth trays heaped with gleaming silver.
"Those willing to serve the Imperial Court will not only have their death sentences waived but will receive generous rewards." Zhan Zhekun scanned the crowd. "Who will help eliminate the remnants of Feng Haijiao's forces?"
Mo Chong was first to his feet. "I will!" He knew this was his chance to prove his loyalty. Fighting former brothers was regrettable, but the promised silver and one of Feng Haijiao's concubines made it worthwhile. Besides, they would be fighting with superior numbers from higher ground—practically no risk at all.
"Excellent! Brother Mo forsakes darkness for light—most refreshing!" Zhan Zhekun waved his hand. "Bring wine! And reward him fifty taels of silver!"
A gleaming silver ingot and a cup of wine were brought to Mo Chong. He knew the next move depended on how well he played his part. He drained the wine in one gulp, picked up his sword, and turned to address the soldiers: "Who's willing to come with me and deal with those bastards?!"
Feng Haijiao had expanded his forces rapidly, but his poor management had created deep rifts between new and old recruits. Provoked by Zhan Zhekun's words and stimulated by the promise of "generous rewards," the soldiers' eyes reddened with greed. They rose as one, declaring their willingness to fight. Led by Xie Wendong and Mo Chong, over a hundred men charged down the mountain.
The second gate and the Great West Gate were both one-way fortifications, designed only to repel attackers from below—they offered no defense against enemies descending from above. Mo Chong led "friendly forces" bearing Feng Haijiao's command arrow. The defenders were caught completely off guard. The second gate fell instantly. The "new brothers" had long harbored resentment toward the "old brothers." Once blood was drawn, they needed no urging, charging down the mountain road with murderous fury. Feng Haijiao's men at the Great West Gate were slaughtered without mercy.
Xie Wendong's group rushed down the mountain to encounter the family members, property, and porters led by Bi Xuansheng. By now, the soldiers' bloodlust was fully unleashed. They charged in, slaughtering and assaulting without restraint. Even Xie Wendong couldn't stop them. In the chaos, Bi Xuansheng nearly lost his life. Fortunately, Zhan Zhekun had anticipated this and followed with reinforcements, managing to restore order. But by then, the area outside the Great West Gate had become a field of horror.
Though casualties were heavy, most of the dead were Feng Haijiao's men. The porters who perished were dispensable. Feng Haijiao's accumulated wealth and his unit's families were all captured. Combined with the absorbed troops and the boats and grain seized at Hu Bay, Yang Juren had made a handsome profit.
Orders were issued in rapid succession:
"Behead Feng Haijiao and his main leaders—alive or dead. Preserve the heads in lime."
"Execute all captured Feng soldiers in the temple and stockade gates."
"Surrendered soldiers and porters may choose to stay or leave. Those departing will receive ten days' grain rations."
"Captured family members without masters are to be distributed among the brothers."
"Every man in the stockade, regardless of rank or seniority, receives four taels of silver."
"Reward Mo Chong one hundred taels, Xie Wendong three hundred..."
Zhan Zhekun managed the aftermath with efficient precision. When everything was in order, he summoned Bi Xuansheng.
"I have a difficult task for you."
"What kind of task?" Bi Xuansheng asked eagerly. He had earned great merit this time. Yang Juren and Zhan Zhekun had praised him highly, rewarding him with a substantial sum of silver and two of Feng Haijiao's concubines. His spirits soared, his head filled with fantasies of serving the Imperial Court and saving the three Lianyang counties. Zhan Zhekun was clearly taking advantage of his enthusiasm.
"Make a trip to Yangshan County seat."
Even in his excitement, Bi Xuansheng felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head. Yangshan County seat was under Taiping control. He had been Feng Haijiao's advisor—going there would be walking into a trap. Moreover, the new female magistrate of Yangshan County was notoriously ruthless. Since taking office, she had executed hundreds of bandits and their families.
Recalling the rumors of how Sun Dabiao's gang had been tortured to death after capture, Bi Xuansheng felt cold terror crawling up from his feet. His body began to tremble. Could Advisor Zhan be planning to eliminate him too? Was he preparing to move against Yang Juren?
"Don't be afraid." Zhan Zhekun noted his fear with some disappointment and softened his tone. "Though you were Feng Haijiao's advisor, his men have been largely eliminated. Few of Sun Dabiao's surviving people would recognize you. With a false name and altered appearance, you won't be discovered."
Bi Xuansheng rallied slightly. "The Master is right. What would you have me do in Yangshan?"
"Deliver a gift."
"A gift?" Bi Xuansheng was bewildered. "To whom?"
"To the female magistrate in the county, of course."
Bi Xuansheng's jaw dropped. Nearly a full minute passed before he could stammer out: "Which... which Magistrate do you mean?"
"The Taiping's Li barbarian female magistrate of Yangshan County, naturally." Zhan Zhekun spoke as though discussing the weather.
Next Update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Part 465 (End of Chapter)