Chapter 263: Surrendering the City

Chen Ji held his fist and asked, "May I ask what matter General Hu seeks with me?"

The border army soldier shook his head. "Young Master Chen has no need to ask me. I am also just following orders and do not know the situation."

Chen Ji seemed to be contemplating. "What if I don't go then?"

The border army soldier's hand rested on the hilt of his waist knife. "The General has entrusted the matter to this subordinate. This subordinate will not ask for reasons, only exert full force. If you are unwilling to go, then this subordinate will have to tie you up."

Chen Wenzong stepped forward, his face cold and stern. "Gu Yuan is not a place outside the law. You want to tie someone up without reason?"

The border army soldier said sternly, "Try it and you'll know."

Zhang Xia looked towards Li Xuan. "Lord Li, Chen Ji is the Right Si Wei of the East Palace. If he is taken away just like this, it might also cause His Highness to lose face. Is it not unreasonable for the Yulin Army to sit by and watch?"

Li Xuan calmly said, "Second Miss Zhang speaks too heavily. Our Yulin Army will naturally not sit by and watch regardless."

The border army soldier heard this and let out a cold laugh. "Come, men, take Young Master Chen!"

With a whoosh, dozens of border army soldiers outside the door drew their knives and tore open the door curtain, letting the cold wind pour into the inn's main hall. They held plain knives and confronted the Yulin Army, actually forcing them back three steps with fierce and flourishing momentum.

Li Xuan angrily shouted, "Draw your swords, protect the Right Si Wei!"

A fight was about to break out between the two sides. Qi Quanlüe said with a sinister laugh, "I see you border army are just looking for trouble. Seeking Chen Ji is false; seeking a reason to fall out with the Yulin Army is true!"

The cold wind was piercing. Everyone's palms were sweating. If they really fought with the border army today, the Yulin Army might have no place to stay in Gu Yuan.

In the standoff, Chen Ji suddenly smiled and said, "What are you all doing? There's no need to hurt harmony over this small matter. I'll go for a trip."

Li Xuan hurriedly said, "You can't! The border army doesn't have good intentions. Perhaps it's because you ruined their plan earlier, and this is deliberate revenge!"

Chen Ji turned his head to look at Li Xuan. "Lord Li, rest assured, I have my own plans."

Having said that, he placed Wuyun in Zhang Xia's arms and softly instructed, "You all stay inside the room and don't go anywhere. Close the door and windows well."

Zhang Xia hummed in affirmation. "Don't worry."

Chen Ji went to the stable and led out Za Zao. Surrounded by border army soldiers, he left the inn. More than ten border army soldiers flanked him. Za Zao was restless and uneasy, snorting. He just kept stroking its back to soothe it.

Chen Ji sized up the soldiers on his left and right, secretly thinking: He and Hu Junxian had only met twice. The first time, the other was high on the city wall looking down. The second time was on Shache Street, with swords drawn and bows pulled.

They had no relationship, yet he didn't know what the other wanted with him.

Perhaps he wanted to capture him for Old Wu's revenge? Or...

Hu Junxian knew he had grain in his hands and wanted to requisition the grain?

Several thoughts flashed through Chen Ji's mind for a while, and then he negated these thoughts one by one.

Just after turning out of Guizi Street, the border army soldier smiled slightly and said, "Young Master Chen, there were many offenses in the previous words. I hope you don't mind."

Chen Ji was puzzled. "What are you all doing?"

The border army soldier explained, "Before coming, my general said that there is a gap between the Yulin Army and the border army. He told us not to show closeness with you in front of the Yulin Army and the Crown Prince, otherwise you would not be able to position yourself well by the Crown Prince's side."

Chen Ji was slightly startled. "Exactly what matter does General Hu seek with me?"

The border army soldier shook his head. "This, we truly do not know."

At this time, Gu Yuan was a mess. The shop door boards on the streetside were all torn down and scattered on the street.

Inside the shops, it was unbearably chaotic. Shopkeepers, wives and children, and assistants were tidying things with ashen faces. Some people simply sat inside their shops, crying uncontrollably.

Along the street, there were corpses lying on the ground at intervals, blood mixed with yellow soil frozen into ice.

The border army soldiers seemed accustomed to it, spurring their horses over the corpses without a second glance.

Everything was desolate.

Chen Ji looked towards the border army soldiers and said doubtfully, "Could it be that the border army doesn't manage those local bullies who plunder common people?"

The border army soldier sighed. "Young Master Chen is wrong to blame us. It's not that we don't restrain them, but they're too fierce, and we can't manage them all. Most of the corpses lying on the ground are killed by our border army. Look, that corpse ten zhang away, he robbed someone's child last night, and I personally stabbed him to death."

Chen Ji remained silent.

The border army soldier sighed again. "Young Master Chen was born in a prosperous place and perhaps hasn't seen such a harsh scene. In the twenty-fifth year of Jianing, the Jing Dynasty's Tiance Army besieged Gu Yuan for two months. That was truly tragic. The elm trees on the street were all peeled for their bark and ground into flour. The elm leaves were also picked clean. Trading children to eat, trading concubines to eat was a common occurrence.

Another border army soldier said, "A local specialty of Gu Yuan is oil-splashed chili elm tree flour, and also cold-mixed elm leaves. Outside merchants passing by this place all say they want to taste something fresh, but the result is they can't swallow it. Now the elm tree bark inside the city is still there, which proves that everyone is not yet desperate with hunger."

Chen Ji sized up the border army soldiers beside him, noticing that their cheeks were deeply sunken and their eyes held no ripple.

At this moment, a cry for help came from the distance. The leading border army soldier signaled to his subordinates with his eyes, and five border army soldiers immediately drew their knives and moved towards the sound of shouting.

After a while, there was a man's wailing and pleading from that side. The five border army soldiers returned, cursing and wiping their knife blades with their sleeves before sheathing their knives.

One border army soldier complained, "In just two days, the city is like this. Big men flip walls to bully the orphan and widow mother next door. They're seeking death!"

Chen Ji said, "Perhaps sending people to guard the streets will improve things greatly."

The border army soldier looked at him. "Young Master Chen, you'll know when you ascend the city wall in a while. Our border army needs to guard a more important place."

A group of people entered the border army camp. On both sides of the road, the ground was full of border army soldiers sitting in the open air, wearing armor and sleeping. There were also border army soldiers squatting by the roadside with listless eyes, holding a bowl of hot water in their hands, drinking it in small sips.

When Chen Ji walked closer, he saw that there were actually several grains of rice at the bottom of the bowl.

Upon reaching the city wall, Chen Ji dismounted and followed a border army soldier up the city wall. His gaze suddenly widened.

He saw that outside the city, the vast mountains and fields were all burnt black ground. At the horizon, there were endless rows of camp houses emitting cooking smoke. That kind of majestic army formation, Chen Ji had never seen even in movies and television works in his previous life. It was boundless, as if it stretched all the way to the end of the world!

"Young Master Chen, this way please. The General is still waiting."

The border army soldier led Chen Ji into the city gate tower. Inside the tower, a huge sand table of Gu Yuan was prominently displayed, with various colored flags inserted all over it. A burly back stood beside the sand table, holding a bowl in his right hand, drinking water in small sips.

Hu Junxian.

Hearing footsteps, Hu Junxian turned around, sizing up Chen Ji like a fierce beast from head to toe. His thick, knotted beard was like a lion's mane.

Chen Ji lowered his head and held his fist, saying, "General Hu."

Hu Junxian grunted in acknowledgment.

Chen Ji raised his head and asked, "May I know what matter General Hu has summoned me for?"

Hu Junxian handed the pottery bowl to his personal soldier and casually asked, "The Jing Dynasty spy on Shache Street, was it you who found him?"

Chen Ji answered truthfully, "Yes."

Hu Junxian asked again, "The owner of the Yang family fur shop, was he also killed by you?"

Chen Ji continued to answer, "Yes."

Hu Junxian was silent for a moment. "What did Old Wu say before he died?"

Chen Ji's heart was on alert, and he did not answer.

Hu Junxian said calmly, "Rest assured, I have no intention of finding trouble with you."

Chen Ji thought carefully and softly said, "Old Wu said before he died, 'Gu Yuan, ah Gu Yuan...'"

Hu Junxian was slightly startled, and with a mixture of love and hate, he repeated dismally, "Gu Yuan, ah Gu Yuan..."

Chen Ji did not speak, waiting for Hu Junxian to speak.

After a long time, Hu Junxian raised his head to look at the night outside the city. "I heard about you earlier. Just the day before you arrived in Gu Yuan, your teacher Wang Daosheng's letter arrived first. It is clear that he values you greatly."

"Mister Wang..." Chen Ji knew that their camel team traveled slowly, so their speed was naturally not comparable to that of a fast horse carrying a letter. He just hadn't expected Wang Daosheng to actually write a letter specifically for him.

He asked curiously, "What did Mister's letter say?"

Hu Junxian said calmly, "He said that you have pulled back crises multiple times in Luo City, yet you have never sought credit or been arrogant. He used eight words to praise you: 'Bright but not dazzling, still water flows deep.'"

Chen Ji said humbly, "This student is not yet worthy of such praise from the teacher."

Hu Junxian's expression was solemn as he walked out of the city gate tower, resting his hand on the mottled battlements. "What happened that day on Shache Street, I saw it all with my own eyes. I believe Wang Daosheng. Wang Daosheng said you should not take the imperial examination route, but he has no connection to the military department now and has no way to promote you. So he asked me to find a way to keep you in Gu Yuan... are you willing?"

"Stay in Gu Yuan?" Chen Ji was startled.

Hu Junxian stated his offer. "Join my Gu Yuan border army. You only need to guard the border for twenty years. I guarantee you will become the Vice Commander-in-Chief of Gu Yuan, an official position of positive third rank. How about it?"

Chen Ji shook his head. "Many thanks for the General's kind intentions, but my ambition is not here."

Hu Junxian grunted and said nothing more.

Chen Ji was puzzled. Since he intended to recruit him, shouldn't he say more?

Hu Junxian glanced at his puzzled expression, seemingly guessing his thoughts, and said expressionlessly, "Saying I would recruit you was to fulfill Wang Daosheng's entrustment. Not continuing to recruit you is because I fear you will be wasted in this border like us. Good man, who would come to this godforsaken place? Your teacher didn't have good intentions. It's fine if you don't acknowledge him."

Chen Ji: "..."

Just at this moment, horse hoof sounds came from the black night outside the city.

However, the night curtain hung low, and the torches on the city wall could only illuminate a small area. It was fundamentally impossible to see clearly outside. Only when the Jing Dynasty cavalry rode closer could they borrow a bit of light to see their position clearly.

The Jing Dynasty cavalry rode down, took down their iron-backed bows, bent their bows, and set their arrows.

Chen Ji shouted in a low voice, "General, be careful!"

With a whoosh, the sound of a sharp windbreak came. Hu Junxian slightly turned his head. That feathered arrow actually brushed his cheek and was nailed obliquely onto the city gate tower.

A piece of white silk cloth was tied to the feathered arrow, fluttering in the wind.

Chen Ji looked towards the city outside again, only to see that the Jing Dynasty divine archer had already turned his horse and ridden back into the night.

A border army soldier took down that feathered arrow and untied the silk cloth. On it was written in blood: "Within three days, open the city gates and offer the city. If not, we will make your bones cover the fields and the ground turn red for a thousand li!"