Night Journey to Hongnong
I was able to leave Chang’an alongside the Emperor’s pilgrimage.
On the road to Hongnong I rode as the driver of the carriage, taking the reins myself.
Inside the carriage, as expected, were the Cai sisters—Cai Yan and Cai Lin.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were bringing us along on His Majesty’s pilgrimage route?”
“Jeonghui, no one is permitted to speak of His Majesty’s movements.”
“Hehe—so does that mean we might get to see his imperial face while we’re here?”
This was no pleasure outing. My true duty was to secure the Emperor’s safety and escort him all the way to Yan Province. Still, I supposed it wasn’t impossible.
Cai Lin—also known as Cai Jeonghui—chattered away with endless questions, while her older sister, Cai Yan, remained calm and trusting, content to follow my lead.
They had packed only the lightest luggage from home and now traveled in plain clothes without any adornment. Even so, both women looked strikingly beautiful.
Having enjoyed the sight of their lovely faces, I felt newly motivated and cracked the whip, urging the horses faster.
By the time deep night fell we made camp. The Emperor naturally took residence in the local county office, and only then did I finally catch my first glimpse of his face.
“Your Majesty, please rest here for the night.”
“Ah… I understand.”
The boy who slowly stepped down from the carriage looked frail at first glance. He had been placed on the throne as a puppet by Dong Zhuo at a tender age and was now only fourteen or fifteen.
There was no empress. Several concubines had been forced upon him from the families of powerful men; one of their fathers was none other than Dong Cheng.
The Emperor kept glancing around nervously before entering the office. His escort troops formed a perimeter, but Zhang Ji’s soldiers in turn encircled the entire county, watching them like hawks.
“Make preparations without the slightest gap! I will inspect everything myself at any time!”
Zhang Ji’s appearance was somewhat more composed than that of Li Jue or Guo Si, yet he remained the sort of man who could flip without warning. Come to think of it, I wondered how his nephew and wife were getting along these days.
“For now, rest here tonight.”
I arranged for the Cai sisters to stay at an inn belonging to the Wei trading company.
“If anything happens, come out at once and find me.”
“Thank you.”
Cai Yan bowed politely and quietly entered her room. I had already given firm instructions to Jeong Yun.
“Those two young ladies must reach Yan Province without so much as a hair on their heads being harmed.”
“I understand perfectly, young master.”
There was no longer any need for disguise, so I washed my face and decided to patrol the night roads. That was when I sensed someone trailing me.
“Who’s there?”
…
The one who stepped into view was a man of average height carrying a large spear across his back. Only military officers were permitted to bear weapons other than swords, so he had to be an officer.
“Are you the one they call Jo Ga from Yan Province?”
“Are you asking me? Then yes, that’s correct.”
“The Jo Ga who led a merchant caravan all the way from Yan Province to Chang’an?”
“The same.”
He wore a hood and kept a neat mustache. His face was rather handsome, yet his eyes burned with killing intent. My hand instinctively moved to the hilt of my sword.
“Then you must die here.”
“!”
A ringing clang split the night as the man drew the massive weapon from his back and charged.
It was an axe-spear more than eight cheok long, its sharp spearhead joined to a heavy axe blade. Wielded from horseback it would be devastating.
“Who the hell are you?”
I knocked aside the sudden strike and demanded an answer, but he simply swung the axe again.
“Hmph!”
I parried with my sword, gained distance, then closed in at once. Against a longer weapon, the only way to win with a sword was to slip inside its reach. He clearly understood this; gripping the shaft with both hands, he blocked my thrust. The movements of a thoroughly trained officer.
The instant my first attack was stopped I kicked off the ground and thrust again.
Clang—clang—clang.
Swish—
“Hng!”
He blocked three exchanges, then countered. I twisted my body to evade. I had no intention of suffering the same lesson Lu Bu had taught me at Puyang. Thanks to that bastard, I had learned through pain exactly how to dodge close-range shaft attacks.
“Not bad.”
The mysterious man kicked off the ground and charged again, lifting his weapon high. The axe blade glinted in the moonlight. The moment he brought it down I slipped sideways.
The ground exploded with a thunderous boom. Shattered stone sprayed in every direction. I seized the opening and drove my foot forward.
Thud.
“Kh!”
The man ignored the kick to his ribs and wrenched his embedded weapon free. I didn’t let the moment pass. Twisting my body, I swung my sword. In the same heartbeat he raised the shaft and barely blocked.
“Urrgh!”
“You’ve got strength, I’ll give you that.”
He held firm against my downward strike. I poured power into my arms and pressed harder. Suddenly he snapped his head back, aiming a headbutt.
Before his skull could connect I hooked his leg. He staggered, balance lost. I followed with another kick straight to his face.
The man rolled across the ground and rose again, spitting sand from his mouth.
“Ptooey—”
“Who are you? Why are you after me?”
“Have you already forgotten the deeds you committed on the way here?”
“Ha, what exactly did I do?”
“The moment you crossed from Siju into Guanzhong, did you not carry out countless massacres?”
“!!!!”
Memories flashed through my mind at once.
The bandits we had captured in the mountains were no ordinary thieves—they moved like trained assassins. Their corpses needed careful examination. When we reached Hongnong, those with purpose would gather. Many heroes were already waiting.
Everything that had felt off, every cryptic remark, suddenly made sense.
“Those men were from the Black Mountain bandits… no, the White Wave Bandits, weren’t they?”
“Cease your insults against my elder brother’s private soldiers.”
“Now I understand. You belong to the same pack that attacked our caravan while we crossed the mountains.”
“How dare you call us bandits!”
His fury at the word “bandit” told me everything I needed to know.
Clang!
He used the weapon’s long reach to strike from afar, yet I deflected it once more. Against a long weapon the trick was to knock the head aside, then close the distance and thrust.
“Now I know exactly who you are.”
“?”
I deliberately swung my sword wide. As he parried, I spoke while retreating.
“Your name is Xu Huang, courtesy name Gongming.”
“!?”
“Your elder brother is Yang Feng, leader of the White Wave Valley in the Zhongnan Mountains, correct?”
“How could you possibly—!”
What an incredible coincidence. To think I had just traded blows with Xu Huang himself. A surge of satisfaction rose within me, but the fight was already over.
Footsteps were rushing toward us from every direction.
“What is the meaning of this outrage!”
Dong Cheng arrived with several officers, shouting loudly. I sheathed my sword and offered him a quiet bow.
“What are you doing in the vicinity of His Majesty’s carriage?”
“We were simply measuring one another’s skill in the dead of night.”
“What? With live blades?”
“No assassins were involved. Look at this officer’s clothes and body. You will find only footprints, no blade wounds. The same goes for me.”
“Hmmm!”
Dong Cheng looked back and forth between us, then withdrew with a displeased expression.
“I strictly forbid any further disturbances! Do not forget that this is His Majesty’s imperial procession!”
“Yeees~ Understood. Loyalty!”
I gave him a playful salute. He grumbled, clearly not understanding the gesture, and left.
“If I had truly intended to kill you, the fight would have ended in only a few exchanges.”
I refused to yield to Xu Huang’s words.
“Save such talk until after you’ve left even a fingernail-sized wound. Besides, shouldn’t you wipe that shoe print off your face?”
I had deliberately kicked his chin instead of stabbing it when the chance appeared. The fact that he could still swing his heavy weapon without staggering proved he possessed monstrous endurance.
“If you have anything more to say, I’ll wash up and meet you behind the inn where the Wei trading company is staying. I’ll be waiting.”
“Hmph.”
Xu Huang turned and left. It was one of history’s ironies that such a talented general served under the bandit leader Yang Feng. Had he met a proper, loyal lord, there was no telling what achievements he might have earned. Or had he already been recruited by someone?
After washing I stepped out the inn’s back gate. Sure enough, Xu Huang was approaching. Just in case he wanted to finish our unfinished duel, I had brought my sword.
“You’ve come.”
“Take it.”
What he tossed me was a bamboo tube filled with wine.
“Ha, so after trading blows we trade drinks? You really are a man’s man.”
I gladly drank from the tube and tossed it back. Xu Huang caught it, leaned against the wall, and stood in silence. It seemed he was waiting for me to speak, so I began.
“First, the men we encountered before crossing Tong Pass had to die. They openly targeted our caravan’s goods and drew blades on us.”
“There are no longer any such men among the White Wave.”
“Then a few of them must have harbored foolish ideas, thinking they were raising military funds… It’s entirely possible.”
“It cannot be. If that is true, then Brother Yang lied to me again.”
“Why do you follow a man like Yang Feng, leader of the White Wave?”
“Watch your tongue. That is not a name for you to speak so lightly.”
“No, I am genuinely curious. Weren’t you originally a proper Han military officer rather than a White Wave bandit?”
Xu Huang opened the wine jar, drank deeply, then spoke.
“Because he took me in when I had nowhere else to go.”
“If the man who took you in begins doing evil, will you still follow him? Even if he continues robbing caravans for military funds, just as I described?”
“That’s enough.”
I shrugged and told him, “If my uncle had known of a talent like you, he would have valued you even more highly for the sake of the realm.”
“Hng!”
Xu Huang closed his eyes and kept drinking until the jar was empty. He tossed it aside and walked away without another word. Watching his retreating back, I made a silent vow.
“You too will become my uncle Mengde’s man. Look forward to it. No matter what it takes, I will recruit you and bring you with me.”