Thousand Verdant Mountains – Chapter 82 Part 3
Chapter 82 Part 3
“Pei Er!”
The distance was quite far and he couldn’t see clearly, but Chengping still recognized the person at a glance. He reacted with ecstasy and shouted his name in response.
Pei Xiaoyuan inserted the fire stick into a crack in the valley wall behind him. Then, he removed a jade-tipped horn bow slung across his back with one hand while drawing an arrow from the quiver at his waist with the other. The arrow’s tip was wrapped in oilcloth, and he lit it on the fire stick. Pulling the bowstring taut, he aimed, his eyes reflecting the burning flame of the arrowhead, as though embers danced in his pupils.
After quickly looking around the valley from his high position, he shot the first arrow in a direction ahead of him.
The flaming arrow shot through the dark night like a blazing comet, streaking across the valley’s expanse in a high arc. It finally landed, igniting at a spot over a hundred paces away, where the troops were less concentrated.
“Soldiers of Zuowu Guard, listen up! Regroup at position!”
After firing the first fire arrow that pointed the way, he took a deep breath and shouted again. The shout was carried by the strong night wind that blew across the valley and reached everyone’s ears.
The Zuowu Guards led by Chengping immediately had a direction, and they all followed it, gathering towards the position where the fire arrow had just pointed.
The second fire arrow was fired immediately afterwards and hit the opposite point several dozen steps away.
“Soldiers of Longwu Guard, listen up! Regroup at position!” His voice rose again.
Yuwen Zhi had already recovered from the shock and quickly ordered his men to march in formation following the guidance of the fire arrow.
Although it still caused a collision and chaos, unlike the situation a moment ago when everyone was in the dark and could not tell the direction, the guards had clear guidance this time. The two guards slowly but clearly interspersed with each other, each moving in different directions. The originally chaotic and anxious situation changed completely in an instant. Although the lighting in the valley was still seriously insufficient, order had begun to be restored.
The turmoil at the end of Jingsheng dynasty gave rise to countless ambitious people, and Chen Sida was one of them.
He was just planning to take advantage of the chaos to escape from the capital, planning to contact his old friends and make a comeback in the future, but he never expected that Pei Xiaoyuan would suddenly appear out of nowhere, take command, and be in control of the overall situation. He was so angry that his eyes turned red, and he hurriedly ordered arrows to be shot at him, making sure to shoot him down.
Arrows formed a dense net like rain, whizzing towards Pei Xiaoyuan who was still standing high.
By this time, he had already fired the third fire arrow and guided Hedu’s Wei Guard to move to Zhen position on the east side of the valley, and ordered the remaining Xiao Guard to stand in place.
“Young Master! Be careful of the arrows!”
At this time, He Jin rushed in with two of his followers. Riding on Jinwuzhui, holding a long spear, he struck left and right. The two followers also held long spears, followed closely behind. The trio’s unstoppable momentum broke into the formation of archers and crossbowmen, scattering them into disarray and finally weakening their barrage of arrows.
From his high position, Pei Xiaoyuan put away his bow and drew his sword to block several incoming arrows. Then, taking advantage of the opening created by He Jin and his followers, he pulled out his fire stick, used the vines and protruding rocks growing on the valley wall as footholds, and moved with the agility of an ape. In mere moments, he descended from his vantage point, leaping and maneuvering nimbly, until he landed before an enemy soldier in the rebel ranks.
This man was one of the archers who had just shot arrows at him. At this moment, he was still sitting on horseback, stunned. Before he could react, Pei Xiaoyuan struck him off the horse’s back with his sword. Then he jumped on the horse himself, pulled the reins, turned the horse’s head, and rode sideways. Together with He Jin and others who were quickly retreating towards his side, they blocked the retreat route of Chen Sida and his group.
At this time, the four guards had nearly reorganized their ranks. Once the lighting was restored and they were under unified command, they would line up to surround the enemy, then Chen Sida and his group would surely die without a burial place. However, Pei Xiaoyuan stood there imperiously, blocking their path. His imposing presence struck fear into the hearts of the rebels, rendering them momentarily hesitant to charge forward.
Chen Sida’s face turned pale. Beside him, a deputy general brandished his blade, roaring at the top of his lungs, “All of you, charge! Kill this man, and the Great General will reward you handsomely—”
The Shenwu Army was in an uproar, and just as they were about to charge, a sharp arrow flew out and pierced the deputy general’s throat, piercing his neck.
The person who shot the arrow was none other than He Jin.
“Chen Sida! You shameless dog, how dare you mention the name of Shenhu Army just now? Do you still recognize who I am?”
“It’s you!”
Chen Sida quickly recognized his former comrade and his expression became even uglier.
He Jin laughed loudly for a while, then pointed at Chen Sida and shouted to his troops: “This Chen Sida you are following was just a traitor to his master! How is he different from a guard dog with a broken spine? Today, this dog is not honest again, and dares to rebels once more, truly rampant!”
His gaze turned back to Chen Sida’s face.
“Chen Sida! In the past, you were deeply indebted to the Great General of Shenhu Army. Now the great general’s son is here! Now that you have seen the young master, why don’t you dismount and kneel down?”
He kept calling Chen Sida by his name, and his tone was full of ridicule and contempt.
Chen Sida’s face alternate between red and white, he gritted his teeth and ordered his men to charge forward.
He Jin held his spear horizontally, put himself in front of Pei Xiaoyuan, and shouted: “This old man fought my way out of a pile of dead bodies in Beiyuan! I’ll see if any of you bastards dare to move!”
He looked extremely fierce and ferocious. Everyone was shocked and hesitated. At this time, the four guards had finished their reorganization. They learned the lesson, and under Chengping’s command, they were surrounding this side.
Seeing this, the remaining confidants of Chen Sida panicked and hurriedly ordered their men to push all the hostages and the most important one among them, the prince of Anguo, to a high place. They yelled at Chengping and others, threatening to kill them.
If anything happens to these envoys of vassal states tonight, their joy would turn into a mourning, and the court would have a hard time explaining itself afterwards.
Cheng Ping and others naturally knew the stakes, and were afraid to move forward, so they did not dare to approach any further, and a stalemate suddenly broke out on both sides.
“Help! Chief Pei, save my life!”
When the Anguo prince saw Pei Xiaoyuan, he kept shouting for help in a hoarse voice.
“Uncle He, please get out of the way.” Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly spoke.
He Jin glanced back at him, reminded him to be careful and slowly make way.
Pei Xiaoyuan rode on a horse, under the gaze of countless eyes around him, he took a fire stick, held it up high, and lighted his own way as he walked towards Chen Sida opposite.
Soon, he entered the opposite side’s position and did not stop, but continued to move forward, forcing the soldiers to give way and make way for him.
“Stop! Don’t come further!”
When there were still more a few meters of distance between the two of them, Chen Sida shouted loudly.
Pei Xiaoyuan stopped, looked at Chen Sida, and said, “Release the prince and the others, and I promise that I can let you leave this place safely.”
Chen Sida’s eyes were gloomy: “Pei Xiaoyuan, do you think I’m a child? Why should I trust you?”
“Because my father is the Great General Pei Gu of the Shenhu Army, because he led eight warriors to die in battle outside the Beiyuan Pass, and because I followed my mother outside the palace to appeal for justice for the soldiers of the Shenhu Army when I was eight years old!”
Pei Xiaoyuan’s clear voice was neither fast nor slow, like the sound of gold and jade colliding, echoing in the valley and clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.
“Chen Sida, there are people like you who forget their principles for the sake of profit, but there are also people who keep their promises and stand by their word. If you believe me, follow as I say. To reassure you, I can also exchange myself with the envoy prince and the others.
“If you let them go, I will follow you until you leave Chang’an safely.”
“Master! No!” He Jin was shocked and hurriedly shouted to stop him.
The words were also carried by the wind to the ears of Chengping, Yuwen Zhi and others. The whole audience was silent for a moment, and everyone had different expressions.
Chen Sida lowered his head, as if pondering for a moment, and suddenly smiled and said, “Master Pei has such courage and vision, I admire you very much. Okay, I will believe you this time!” After that, he ordered to let Anguo prince and others go.
These people could be said to be struck by an unexpected disaster tonight. They had just returned from the banquet and fell asleep, when suddenly people put a knife to their necks and took them hostage inside their tent. Enduring until this moment, they were already scared witless, and now that they were free, they stumbled towards Pei Xiaoyuan.
Chen Sida stared closely until Pei Xiaoyuan did as he promised, dismounted from his horse, threw away the sword and bow he was carrying, and even untied the small knife tied to the belt around his waist, indicating that he was not carrying any weapons. Chen Sida then sent meaningful glace at the people around him.
His confidants understood what he meant and immediately rushed forward with his men, surrounding Pei Xiaoyuan and the Anguo prince who had not gone far.
Amid the exclamations and curses from He Jin and the Anguo prince who had been captured again, Chen Sida laughed wildly towards the sky.
“Pei Xiaoyuan! You are still too naive! This old man truthfully tells you. Today I not only want a hostage, I also want to kill you! It’s you who courting death! Do you think I don’t know that you have always wanted to kill me!
“Don’t blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame your father for being too ignorant of the times and blocking people’s path to success! Besides, it wasn’t me, Chen Sida, who prevented them from returning to Chang’an, but the current emperor—”
Pei Xiaoyuan had been standing quietly with a fire stick in his hand, but his eyes suddenly turned fierce. He raised his arm and the burning fire stick in his hand flew towards Chen Sida opposite him. With a bang, the fireball hit Chen Sida’s face and eyes heavily.
Instantly, sparks flew everywhere, and the fire stick burned his face instantly, causing blisters to form on his skin and a sharp, searing pain in his eyes.
With a pained cry, the sword in his hand fell to the ground as he clutched his face with both hands, teetering unsteadily on horseback.
The suddenness of the scene left everyone around stunned. Before they could react, Pei Xiaoyuan had already pressed the Anguo prince to the ground with one hand, snatched the sword of the guard who detained the prince, and leaped forward. Like a hawk diving on its prey, he launched himself toward Chen Sida, raising his arm and twisting his wrist mid-flight.
Accompanied by a flash of cold sword light that cut through the air, with a dull “puff” sound, Chen Sida’s head was separated from his neck in an instant and flew high into the air.
Amidst a rain of blood spurting out from broken necks, the half of Chen Sida’s body sitting on the horse tilted and fell to the ground with a thud.
Almost at the same time, his head and two severed palms covering his eyes also fell from the air, and landed on the ground with a few “pa” sounds.
After a moment, the people nearby finally reacted and cried out in surprise.
He Jin rode his horse and rushed in like a fly. He picked up Chen Sida’s bloody head from the ground with a long spear and hung it high on top of his spear. He swung it in all directions and shouted in the wind: “The rebel leader Chen Sida has been beheaded by Master Pei! Here is his head! Who among you still dare to resist?”
Pei Xiaoyuan leaped onto a nearby high ground and shouted, “Everyone, you are all soldiers of the Shenwu Army, and you are paid by His Majesty. You are different from Chen Sida! Now he has been executed. As long as you surrender, His Majesty will not investigate deeply!”
The ordinary soldiers who followed Chen Sida in the rebellion had been stunned by the beheading scene. Now, hearing Pei Xiaoyuan speak with such authority and seeing him illuminated by the firelight, they perceived him as a figure of divine power. Awe and respect welled up in their hearts. For a moment, they exchanged hesitant glances, uncertain of what to do. Suddenly, someone took the lead—raising their sword and slashing at the closest of Chen Sida’s loyal confidant. This act set off a chain reaction; soon, those trusted aides were either killed or gravely injured. Then they dropped their swords and knelt down to Pei Xiaoyuan, begging for their lives.
When Pei Xiaoyuan returned to the camp with the hostages and the one to two thousan Shenwu soldiers, it was almost dawn. The fire that had been burning in the camp in the second half of the night was gradually extinguished.
After the riot last night, at the insistence of Han Kerang and Xuyu, the emperor climbed a ridge on the back mountain of the camp, where he took temporary shelter for the night.
At this moment, he was sitting on a makeshift mat accompanied by Xuyu.
In the gradually brightening daylight, the emperor quietly looked down at the camp below the mountain where black smoke was still rising. He stood still, listening to the complaints and discussions of the officials who were returning to the camp one after another, which were faintly carried up the mountain from time to time by the wind.
Han Kerang came up to the mountain and reported to the emperor what had happened in suppressing the rebellion last night.
The emperor closed his eyes and did not move.
“Your Majesty, Pei Er performed a remarkable feat last night. Saving the hostages from Anguo and beheading Chen Sida were secondary. If it weren’t for his timely intervention, the Four Guards would have suffered heavy losses.”
The emperor still closed his eyes, as if he heard nothing.
“Where is he now?”
Xuyu glanced at her father emperor’s expression and asked.
“Back to the Princess, he promised to be the guarantor for the soldiers of the Shenwu Guard. He is now waiting at the foot of the mountain with his men, hoping to see Your Majesty.”
“Tell him to come up.”
Seeing that her father still didn’t respond, Xuyu spoke again.
“Yes.”
Han Kerang ordered people to inform him.
After a while, Xuyu saw a familiar figure.
Pei Xiaoyuan walked on the mountain path shrouded in morning mist and dim sunlight, climbed the steps, and came before the emperor and her.
After he arrived, Han Kerang and the others retreated to the mountain steps.
He dressed in regular clothes with a copper-buckled belt tied around his waist. It was obvious that he had carefully groomed himself before coming here. But on his temples and a patch of skin on the side of his neck, Xuyu still saw some dried blood that had not been wiped clean.
He was still his usual calm and familiar self. After arriving, he bowed as required and then repeated what Han Kerang had just said, which was that he had promised last night to apologize to the emperor for the sins of those soldiers who followed Chen Sida, and hoped that His Majesty the Emperor would be magnanimous and forgive the sins of those one to two thousand people.
“Give Zhen a reason to spare them.”
The emperor said.
“This minister once heard a saying that it’s better to use people who have made mistakes than use people who have made achievement.”
The emperor’s eyes fell on the face of the young man opposite him. He looked at him for a long time before finally said, “Go ahead.”
“On their behalf, this minister would like to thank Your Majesty for your deep grace.” Pei Xiaoyuan kowtowed.
“Young man, you made a great contribution last night. Have you thought about how Zhen should reward you?”
The emperor looked at him, and suddenly asked again in a low voice.
“Everything this minister has done is out of duty, and this minister dare not take credit for it.”
When Pei Xiaoyuan said this, his tone was calm and he never looked up.
The emperor stared at him for a long while, then turned to Xuyu beside him and looked at her for a long while. In the end, he said nothing. A trace of deep fatigue appeared on his pale face. He slowly stood up and said in a low voice: “Hao’er, go with Father…”
Before he could finish his words, he felt dizzy and his body suddenly shook.
Xuyu was startled, quickly reached out her hand, and tried her best to hold her father. Feeling that his palms were cold, she panicked. She looked up and was about to call Zhao Zhongfang, Yang Zai’en and others to go down the mountain to carry the sedan chair, when she suddenly saw Pei Xiaoyuan got up from the ground, rushed in front of her in one big stride, and reached out to help her hold her father firmly.
At the moment their eyes met and stared at each other, she heard him said in a low voice, “I will carry His Majesty down the mountain. Hurry up and call the imperial physician.”
After saying this, he turned and slightly bent his knees, lowering himself to lift the emperor, who was weak with his eyes half-closed, onto his broad back. Then, with steady steps, he began to walk down the mountain, carrying the emperor securely on his back.