CH 47: The Pursuit

Baima County was located next to the Princedom of Qi, and had a flat geography. It had not been peaceful for the past few months. First, Prince Qi had sent his men there on a conscription mission, and the County Magistrate chose to wall himself within the county’s capital city. After fearfully enduring until Prince Qi’s defeat, it had to defend itself against bandits entering its borders. And before things could stabilize, the Imperial Court sent a bunch of clerks, swollen with pride, to arrest traitors. These minor clerks were unimportant in the Capital, but were all-powerful in Baima County.

The County Magistrate was left in a sorry plight, and he was quite dissatisfied. He felt that being able to protect the county capital city was great meritorious service. It was one thing not being rewarded, yet another thing being interrogated by these pencil-pushers, as though he had committed a grave crime. He really wished to shout back and ask, “Where were you when the Qi army was running amok?”

But the Magistrate did not dare open his mouth. Even thinking such thoughts could only be done in the dead of night. And this day, it was all the more important for him to put on a smiling face when he greeted a special guest. That guest was not an official, but a eunuch.

Just past noon, an entourage of men and horses could be seen on the roads. Around twenty to thirty men, with no banners or musicians paving the way for the procession. The group moved quickly, and seemed less like an entourage of imperial envoys and more like lowly soldiers rushing to send a message. But looking at their dress, they were indeed a group of eunuchs, with maybe a few imperial guards amongst them. The Magistrate who seldom went to the Capital could not tell the difference.

“So soon?” The Magistrate walked out of the tentage recently set up by the roadside. He was rather shocked. He had only received the official notice of this visit this morning, and had thought that he had moved quickly to make arrangements. It was unexpected that these imperial envoys would arrive shortly after he had made preparations. It was fortuitous that he had arrived early, otherwise it would be a grave mistake.

The Magistrate quickly tidied up his official robes, and ordered his subordinates to get into columns. He gestured for his assistants to clear away the tea in the tent. He absolutely could not let the imperial envoy think that he was here just to have tea.

The imperial envoy procession arrived, and tens of horses came to a sudden halt, as the dust and dirt they kicked up gradually diffused and settled. The Magistrate did not dare avoid the dirt as he led everyone in kneeling amongst the cloud of dust. “Baima County welcomes the Imperial Envoy.”

“Rise.” The voice coming from atop the horse was cold and aloof. Which was what would be expected of an imperial envoy.

Yang Feng did not remember how many places he had visited. These past days, he had run about in the wind and dust. In order to move quickly, he had brought only twenty-odd men with him.

He was in pursuit of a person. To Yang Feng, this man was of paramount importance, even more important than Prince Qi.

To pursue this outlaw, Yang Feng had no choice but to temporarily abandon the Emperor. But he also had a thought: he wished to see whether the Emperor could be independently gain a footing in the palace, which would indicate whether the Emperor was worthy of greater investment of time and effort.

“Are the bowmen ready?” Yang Feng asked from atop his horse. He did not have the time to dally with local officials, so he needed to display the full pomp of his position in order to expedite matters.

The Magistrate was confused about this request, but he did not dare ask questions. He immediately replied, “Yes, they are ready and awaiting orders.”

Yang Feng saw them and got his horse to trot forward. His followers followed him, with only one eunuch remaining behind, dismounting to show the official documentation to the Magistrate, getting him to sign and seal the document, thereby quickly completing all necessary procedures. The Magistrate was flustered. He had already arranged for a feast and gifts, but those were within the city itself. He did not think that the imperial envoy would be in such a rush. The Magistrate’s official seal was not with him, so he could only order his assistant to retrieve it. He realized that this imperial envoy was not here to seek gratuitous enjoyment, and surely had an important task to perform.

The hundred-odd county soldiers stood in rank, but they were irregular and ununiformed. Many of them were no different from common farmers, with no armor in sight. At least they each had a bow in hand, as well as seven to eight arrows in their quiver.

Yang Feng was not surprised. Wherever he went, the local militia were largely like this. Any presentable soldier would already have been conscripted into Grand Tutor Cui’s army, for the war with the Xiongnu in the north.

The County Captain rushed forward. He had been with the County Magistrate, and he did not have a horse, so he had fallen behind the entourage. He breathlessly said to the imperial envoy atop the horse, “My lord… *cough cough*… these are… *cough*… bowmen recruited from various villages. There are more who will arrive by tonight…”

“These men are enough.” Yang Feng’s priority was speed. He spoke loudly to the soldiers. “Later, each of you shall fire three arrows. Anyone who can consistently and steadily fire up to eighty paces will be rewarded with five taels of silver.”

The soldiers who were initially lost and distracted suddenly became excited. They shouted and cheered, while the County Captain gestured with a red face, ordering the soldiers to shut up and maintain a proper demeanor before the imperial envoy.

Yang Feng did not care. He was used to ill-discipline and casualness in the local regions, and Baima County was already not bad. A few of his followers started to set up archery targets. Yang Feng asked the County Captain, “Are you familiar with local conditions and customs?”

The County Captain nodded profusely. “Yes. I was born in the county and have been a clerk[1] for more than twenty years. I am familiar with the local gentry.”

Yang Feng rode a distance away to give room for the soldiers to fire at the targets. After that, he paused and said to the County Captain, “The person I am seeking is not of the gentry, but a pugilist.”

“Pugilist… Whom?”

“Zhao You.”

“Zhao You?” The County Captain looked confused.

“Zhao You, known as Jade Worth a Thousand Gold.”

“Oh, that Zhao You. Of course, I know him. Why does Your Lordship seek…”

Yang Feng astutely noticed a gleam of panic in the Captain’s eyes. This was why he wanted to act expeditiously. The local clerks and officials had strong ties with local pugilists. If he was too slow, information would surely be leaked.

“Zhao You is guilty of harboring outlaws. I am under the Emperor’s orders to arrest him. Anyone who resists will have their clan exterminated, and anyone who leaks information will be put to death.”

The Captain’s face grew pale. “The people of Baima County are simple and honest. Nobody would conspire with imperial outlaws… I will arrange for more troops.”

“There is no need. These men are enough.” Yang Feng looked at the soldiers taking turns to fire their arrows. Under the promise of handsome reward, there were a fair number who shot both far and straight. Whether they could actually hit the target was not something he cared too much about.

The Captain’s face flushed red and green. Finally, he mustered his courage and said, “My lord, you may not know this, but Zhao You’s nickname Jade Worth a Thousand Gold is a reference to his arms being able to bear a thousand pounds.[2] It was only to seem cultured that he used such a nickname.”

“I have heard of that.” Yang Feng had already thoroughly investigated Zhao You.

The Captain seemed even more panicked. “Not only is Zhao You strong, he also has a band of brothers who are well-armed. They… they… would not be easy to deal with.”

“Just a bunch of pugilists, they are nothing to be feared. You just need to obey orders.”

“Of course, I would not dare disobey orders.”

Yang Feng grunted cooly. After a while, he said, “If we manage to capture the outlaw that Zhao You is harboring, it would be a great meritorious service, with a reward of at least a thousand taels of silver. If we capture the mastermind, it would be ten thousand taels, with promotions of up to several ranks.”

The Captain immediately smiled. He was initially hesitant, but now, he would arrest his own brother if necessary.

The archery test was soon over, and sixty passable soldiers were gathered. The eunuchs immediately distributed the rewards to them, five taels of silver each. Those who passed the test stood tall with pride, while those who did not were bent with dejection.

Yang Feng’s entourage had a total of twenty six men, but they had forty horses. One horse was given to the Captain, and he was ordered to lead the way to arrest local pugilist Zhao You. But they did not tell the soldiers where they were headed.

Watching the imperial envoy lead the soldiers away, the Magistrate stood by the roadside, confused. He was not sure what was going on, nor did he dare leave, so he had no choice but to stay where he was until his assistant brought his seal of office.

Zhao You’s home was a manor around eight li outside the city. The Captain was familiar with the roads, and went directly to the manor without any detours. When the manor was in sight, Yang Feng stopped and waited for the soldiers to catch up.

The Captain said, “We have too few men, so we cannot surround the manor. I could enter alone and persuade Zhao You to surrender and handover the outlaw. That would save us some hassle.”

“There is no need. Get the men into formation at the front door, and await my orders to fire together in a volley. You don’t need to care about anything else.”

Yang Feng gestured with his head, and most of his followers dismounted and set out in batches, keeping watch around the manor. Only six remained to protect Yang Feng.

The Captain did not dare interrupt. He had the sense that this imperial envoy was different from the others. Even though he was a eunuch from the palace, he seemed to be familiar with matters of the pugilist world.

The county soldiers caught up, formed two rows in front of the manor, and nocked their bows. By now, those in the manor had realized that something was going on. The door was kept shut, but occasionally someone would peep over the walls before quickly withdrawing.

The Captain was anxious to render meritorious service. After getting the imperial envoy’s approval, he rode forward and shouted, “Zhao You, you are a wanted man! Surrender quickly and handover the outlaw, and your life may be spared. Otherwise… Ouch!”

A shadow flashed on the walls of the manor, and the Captain rode back quickly while clutching his head. His hand was pressed against his face as blood flowed from within the gaps. “Those scum used hidden weapons.”

Not only did they use hidden weapons, but now, the doors of the manor opened wide. More than ten men rushed out brandishing blades and spears, jeering and shouting. They were lead by a muscular man around thirty years hold. He was topless and had a dragon tattooed on his arms. Both his hands wielded a large iron mace. He shouted angrily, “Those in my way shall die!”

Zhao You was famous within Baima County. Even the Captain was a little afraid of him. Seeing Zhao You charge out of the manor, he felt fear in his heart.

Yang Feng did not care. He had come here after thorough investigation, so he knew that the manor did not hold many people. He also did not wish to enter into a melee with these reckless men. He quickly ordered, “Draw!”

Under the supervision of an imperial envoy, and having just received taels of silver, the county soldiers did not dare retreat even if they felt fearful. They quickly drew their bows and awaited orders to fire.

Yang Feng watched as Zhao You and his men rushed froward. Even when they were within eighty paces, he did not give the order to fire.

One soldier was too nervous. His hand relaxed and an arrow was fired. It was inaccurate and flew above the heads of the enemy.

Yang Feng shouted, “Steady! Hold!”

The ten pugilists were getting closer. One of them flung his arms, sending out throwing knives. Those aimed at Yang Feng were blocked by his guards, but the soldiers did not have such good treatment. Two of them were hit, and they fell to the ground screaming.

Yang Feng still did not give the order to fire, while the Captain grew pale with fear.  

When the pugilists were forty paces away, Zhao You’s dragon tattoo could be seen clearly. Yang Feng finally shouted, “Fire!”

Fifty-odd arrows flew by. At this time, accuracy was not important. With so many arrows, seven to eight men were hit immediately. The remaining six men were momentarily stunned, and five of them turned around to flee. However, Zhao You swung his two-handed mace around more quickly, and continued to charge.

“Draw! Fire!” Yang Feng’s second round of orders came quickly and the soldiers could barely keep up. Only thirty of them fired in time, but that was enough. Zhao You was hit by several arrows, and fell to the ground. Those who fled were also hit, and they did not run far before encountering the imperial guards hidden in ambush. They were all killed.

The entire process lasted not more than half an hour. Only the Captain and two soldiers were injured.

The guards Yang Feng had brought had long climbed the walls and entered the manor. Before long, they dragged a man out at sword-point.

The Captain was curious what kind of person would be pursued by an imperial envoy. Looking at that person, he wore loose robes with wide sleeves. He did not seem like a ruffian, nor did he seem like a local.

Yang Feng dismounted and stared at the outlaw. He said, “You are not Chunyu Qiong.”

The outlaw guffawed. “My teacher’s magics are all-powerful! You shall never catch him!”

Yang Feng was very disappointed. A guard swung his blade and the outlaw was beheaded.

The Captain was shocked again. He was just about to order a search of the manor, when one of the pugilists shot by an arrow yelled, “I know where Chunyu Qiong is! Save me!”

Yang Feng walked over and looked down at this terrified face. “Where?”

“Save me…”

“Speak and your life shall be spared.”

“I… I overheard them speaking. Chunyu Qiong has already sneaked into the Capital. He said… he said that he sensed the aura of a new Emperor.”

Yang Feng felt a jolt in his heart. He suddenly realized that he had been fooled.

[1] In Imperial China, officials can generally be divided into officials and clerks. Officials are of a higher status and would be appointed directly by the Imperial Court. In certain dynasties, they would need to pass a civil examination to be appointed. Clerks are those who assist officials in their day-to-day business. Oftentimes, the Imperial Court would appoint Magistrates or Prefects to local regions, while the local clerkship positions would be filled by locals who are more familiar with local conditions. Officials may be promoted to higher positions within the imperial hierarchy and leave the county or prefecture in a few years, while local clerks tend to stay in their local clerkship positions for their entire lives.

[2] This is a pun based on similar sounding Chinese words. The word “jade” sounds like “arms”, and the word “gold” sounds like “pounds”. So the nickname would also sound like Arms that Lift a Thousand Pounds.