Volume One: The Southern Commandery Chapter 17: Clash of Ideals

The city gate had only been pushed halfway open when suddenly, five crossbow bolts shot toward the back of the military commander.

Thud! Thud! Thud! The bolts pierced his back, and with a wretched scream, the commander pitched forward.

“Charge!” With a sweep of his hand, Li Chengang gave the order. The soldiers surged forth like a flood, racing across the drawbridge and toward the city gate.

The soldiers opening the gate were momentarily stunned, but someone quickly regained their senses and shouted out.

But it was too late. The Luzhou troops reached the gate in an instant and, swarming together, crashed into the city.

The dozen or so city guards at the gate either fought back or retreated, allowing hundreds of militia clad in coarse cloth to pour into the barbican. Within, the second gate was already open.

“To arms!” The Luzhou soldiers charged straight for the barbican gate. Most of them were not native to Luzhou, so they followed orders dutifully and, more importantly, had not yet faced a desperate defense.

Soon, the Luzhou troops broke through the barbican.

Beyond it, they rushed to the ramp, ascending to seize control of the city’s defenses.

Only about a hundred armored soldiers stood atop the wall. Facing the overwhelming attacking force, many of them cried out, “We’re on the same side! Don’t mistake us for the enemy!” Few resisted.

The Luzhou troops quickly gained control of the wall. Li Chengang entered the city and questioned the prisoners, discovering that the attack on Commander Tong had been a tragic misunderstanding.

It turned out that Commander Tong had already seized Naxi County ahead of time. Most of his garrison was inside, guarding the Zhao family’s private soldiers, and every male of the Zhao clan had been executed.

In other words, Commander Tong had genuinely accepted the plan to cooperate with Wei Fufeng. But, impatient to act, he had wiped out the Zhao family first and came alone to meet Li Chengang—perhaps intending to pay his respects to the Grand Commander.

But Li Chengang misunderstood, suspecting Commander Tong of luring him into a trap in the barbican.

Furthermore, Li Chengang’s order to kill was influenced by Wei Fufeng’s instructions, making Commander Tong’s death especially unjust.

Once he understood what had happened, Li Chengang ordered the army to continue their advance, taking advantage of the garrison’s ignorance to catch them by surprise.

The result: of the eight hundred garrison troops who had seized the city by surprise, over a hundred were killed, and more than six hundred captured—victors who, bewilderingly, became prisoners themselves.

With the capture of the garrison, they also seized thousands of the family soldiers’ weapons. Li Chengang’s confidence soared, and he worked through the night to recruit those willing to surrender.

At dawn, he left three thousand troops to hold the city, then led over ten thousand men toward Hejiang County.

By midday, they reached Hejiang, only to find the situation mirrored Naxi: Commander Li Na had already eliminated the Luo family on his own.

Unlike Commander Tong, however, Li Na voluntarily withdrew from the city when the Luzhou army arrived.

Seeing the garrison leave, Li Chengang sent envoys, claiming the Grand Commander summoned him.

Cautiously, Li Na hesitated, but ultimately left his troops to attend the meeting—only to be ambushed and killed by a volley of crossbow bolts.

After Li Na’s death, Li Chengang surrounded the eight hundred garrison troops. Using the Grand Commander’s name and the intimidation of his ten-thousand-strong army, he forced their surrender.

The captured garrison, stripped of their armor and weapons, was absorbed into the Luzhou army.

...

By midmorning, Wei Fufeng received word that Naxi County had been taken.

Relieved, he ordered the army—having finished breakfast—to turn back. By dusk, they returned to Luzhou.

Upon arrival, the prefect An Ran had become a prisoner, locked in the dungeons with his close associates. Wei Fufeng personally went to visit the powerful Gao clan.

---

At the Gao residence, the grand gate stood tall, white stone steps flanked by stone lions. The Luzhou soldiers standing guard bowed respectfully when Wei Fufeng alighted.

Military commander Zhang Wencheng accompanied Wei Fufeng into the manor.

Zhang Wencheng was from Shouzhou in Huainan, thin and long-faced, with small eyes and unremarkable looks.

Yet Zhang Wencheng was gifted in both civil and military matters, and this time, Wei Fufeng had entrusted him with the crucial task of seizing Luzhou.

As they entered, Wei Fufeng spoke softly, “Wencheng, you have done well this time. You deserve a promotion to Chief Commander.”

“Thank you for your favor, my lord,” Zhang Wencheng replied with a respectful salute.

“You have earned it. But before you are promoted, I need you to complete one more task,” Wei Fufeng said.

“Please instruct me, my lord. I will do my utmost,” Zhang Wencheng replied.

“Go to the county office and retrieve the records. All land belonging to the three great clans is to be distributed among the thirty thousand military households, according to the quotas. How long will you need?” said Wei Fufeng.

“If we allocate solely by the land deeds, I can finish in three days, but I will need clerks from the county office,” Zhang Wencheng replied.

“Very well. If there aren’t enough, you may seize any literate men for the task,” said Wei Fufeng.

“Yes, my lord!” Zhang Wencheng answered. Wei Fufeng added, “Go now.”

With a nod and a salute, Zhang Wencheng left. Soon, an officer came to escort Wei Fufeng further.

Wei Fufeng entered the main hall and ordered the principal males of the Gao clan to be brought before him.

Thirteen men, old and young, were ushered in, their faces pale with terror—some trembling so much their legs shook. Only one, a man in his early forties dressed in a brocade robe, remained cold and dignified, showing true backbone.

“I am Wei Zheng, Military Governor of Southern Sichuan. Are you Gao Yunqi, head of the family?” Wei Fufeng sat alone at the head of the hall, addressing the brocaded man with calm detachment.

“So it is Lord Wei. May I ask, what crime has the Gao clan committed to bring your wrath upon us? We have always acted with a clear conscience,” Gao Yunqi replied coldly.

“Gao Yunqi, let me tell you: the Luo and Zhao families have been wiped out,” Wei Fufeng said with icy calm.

A middle-aged man gasped in horror, quickly lowering his head and covering his mouth.

Gao Yunqi’s face also changed dramatically, though he quickly composed himself. “What do you want?” he asked.

“Your clan may live—provided you cooperate with this army. You claim a clear conscience, but I know your true intentions. You three great clans sought only to wait and see, hoping to use me to carve out your own domain in Southern Sichuan. If I failed, you would remain unscathed; if I succeeded, you would kill me and seize power.” Wei Fufeng’s tone was cold.

“Lord Wei, the Gao clan has no designs against you. We have long hoped for your rule in Luzhou—everyone knows how the Zhao family oppressed us,” Gao Yunqi hurriedly replied, seeing a glimmer of hope.

Wei Fufeng smiled and nodded. “If you’re willing to cooperate, all the better. Let me be clear: the Gao clan may retain only the lands appropriate for a prefect’s rank. Your movable wealth you may keep. You may not possess more than a hundred armed guards. As clan head, you will serve as Luzhou’s new prefect, governing on behalf of this army.”

Gao Yunqi was stunned. The other men looked anxiously at him, but he quickly composed himself, bowed, and said respectfully, “I, Gao Yunqi, am willing to serve, my lord.”

“Good. Prefect Gao will take office tomorrow,” Wei Fufeng said with a smile, rising to leave the hall.

...

That night, Wei Fufeng returned to his residence. Though weary, he was in high spirits as he went to see Lin Qingxue.

Entering the courtyard, he saw lanterns hanging by the small pavilion. There, illuminated, stood Lin Qingxue and Xiaoxue. He quickened his pace.

“Sister,” Wei Fufeng called out warmly as he approached the pavilion, entering without pause.

---

Inside the pavilion, face to face, Wei Fufeng noticed Lin Qingxue’s expression was icy, her beautiful eyes regarding him as if he were an enemy—her demeanor unmistakably hostile.

“Sister, what’s wrong?” Wei Fufeng felt a sudden chill and asked in surprise.

“I heard you slaughtered the Luzhou clans?” Lin Qingxue asked coldly.

Wei Fufeng was taken aback but nodded. “Yes, sister. Why do you ask?”

“The Luzhou clans never opposed you; some even supported your rise. Yet you repaid kindness with murder,” Lin Qingxue reprimanded him icily.

Wei Fufeng frowned unconsciously, then steadied himself and replied gently, “Sister, the Luzhou clans only supported me to use me for their own ambitions in Southern Sichuan. If I failed, they would have stood aside. If I succeeded, they would seize power by killing me.”

“Nonsense. The clans only want peace in their lands. As a governor appointed by the court, they would have respected and coexisted with you,” Lin Qingxue retorted angrily.

Wei Fufeng shook his head. “You’re being naïve, sister. These days, court appointments win no respect locally. Without military power, a governor is nothing but a puppet to be toyed with.”

“So you killed the very clans that supported you, seizing their wealth and power,” Lin Qingxue accused bluntly.

Wei Fufeng was momentarily at a loss for words. After a pause, he said, “Sister, in official circles it is often kill or be killed. In Luzhou, I can only trust you and old Feng. Anyone else might betray me at any moment.”

“Sister, the Luzhou clans have long harbored separatist ambitions. They openly commanded thousands of armored soldiers and secretly kept tens of thousands of tenant serfs. If I managed to secure power, they would kill or imprison me at the first opportunity.”

Lin Qingxue answered coldly, “It is your own cold and ruthless heart that makes you so suspicious and murderous.”

“I am suspicious? Sister, do you really think clans with strong armies would sincerely respect an outsider with only a title? Why would they support me without profit—just an official seal? If the court’s seal were so effective, would the world have descended into chaos?” Wei Fufeng argued.

“You already took their wealth—why slaughter them as well?” Lin Qingxue said, still cold.

“Sister, there can be no leaders without followers. If the clan heads live, Luzhou will be plunged into war. They could rally their private soldiers and peasants to rebel. Once chaos erupts, tens of thousands would die—especially us, when faced with mutiny.” Wei Fufeng explained.

“Innocent children—what crime have they committed? Your actions are monstrous, against all reason and morality,” Lin Qingxue cried, her voice sharp with anger. With that, she turned away and left the pavilion.

Xiaoxue quickly bowed to Wei Fufeng and hurried after her toward the residence.

Wei Fufeng watched the two women leave, a bitter smile on his lips. He understood Lin Qingxue’s hatred.

She came from an official family destroyed by soldiers in wartime.

At the time, Lin Qingxue and her mother had escaped death by hiding in a temple. Later, they sought refuge in another temple, where she became a disciple and trained for six years before setting out to seek vengeance.

Wei Fufeng’s slaughter of the clans mirrored, in some ways, the very acts that had orphaned Lin Qingxue—a naked seizure through bloodshed.

But Wei Fufeng could not afford mercy. If he left any male members of the clans alive, he would never eliminate the threat they posed.

Even a young boy might not wield a sword himself, but could become a rallying symbol for those seeking to avenge their lord.

Leaders of the family retainers could use the existence of a young master to unite followers under the banner of vengeance.

This was precisely why, when Xiang Yu rose in rebellion, he established a puppet King of Chu as a rallying figure.