The atmosphere within the domain seemed to have shifted overnight, though a few places remained just as they had always been, entirely cut off from the outside world.
The military camp holding the defeated soldiers and prisoners was one such place.
Roughly three thousand men were confined within the stockade. It had already been expanded twice just to keep it from overflowing. Held here were private troops of the Xu family, Yue Qilin's former subordinates, Xu Li's direct command, and a scattering of captured imperial soldiers.
Divided by their origins, the captives naturally coalesced into small cliques. The Xu family's private retainers and the various government soldiers looked down on each other; though dwelling on the same side of the camp, they kept a strict boundary between themselves.
Most of the Xu family's troops and Yue Qilin's old subordinates had already surrendered to Wei Yuan. The ones remaining here were those who stubbornly clung to righteous duty and legitimate titles, every one of them proud and haughty. Yet nothing could change the fact that the majority of their comrades had capitulated, earning them the contempt of the other imperial soldiers.
Beneath these tangled relationships lay another stark factional divide.
At the far end of the camp were several hundred men of every background. These were all individuals who had already voiced their surrender. In the past, prisoners who surrendered were escorted away immediately, but for some reason, several days had passed without any movement after they had pledged their submission.
Those who refused to yield naturally viewed these turncoats as a thorn in their side, longing to beat them black and blue. The guards, of course, would permit no such thing. Whenever a clash broke out, the guards sided unconditionally with the turncoats, refusing to hear a single word from the diehards.
Furthermore, the prime ground with good air and clean water had been given to the turncoats. The four to five hundred of them enjoyed more space than the remaining three thousand combined.
The diehards were furious beyond measure. Whenever they encountered the turncoats, they met them with sneers, mockery, and endless curses. When boiled down, their vitriol always came to the same thing: once the imperial court's grand army arrived, these bandit lackeys would meet a miserable end.
On this day, the two groups crossed paths in the middle of the grounds. Several dozen diehards let loose another stream of foul insults. The turncoats grew enraged and shouted right back. Shoving began, and a full brawl was on the verge of erupting.
Suddenly, hooves thundered outside. Several dozen mounted cavalry charged straight into the center of the camp. Without a word of explanation, the lead rider lashed his whip, driving the diehards apart.
Every diehard in the stockade emerged from their tents, clustering together to glare at the cavalry with venomous, murderous eyes.
A mutiny was brewing!
The lead rider showed no fear whatsoever, treating them as if they did not exist. He ordered all the surrendered men gathered in the camp's center and lined up in formation.
He paced before the assembled crowd and projected his voice: "You fellows sure have good luck—new clothes to wear right after yielding! From now on, you're all under my command. Anyone who dares humiliate me gets the whip! Men, distribute the uniforms!"
Both the diehards and the turncoats were utterly bewildered, unable to fathom what was happening.
Several cavalrymen opened the trunks they had brought and began handing sets of crisp, brand-new military uniforms to the turncoats. The lead rider's nose twitched, and he instructed, "Take these men for a thorough wash in a bit. Don't go stinking up brand-new uniforms."
At that moment, a furious bellow rang out from the side: "Halt!"
The rider turned to look. A burly man standing seven feet tall stepped forward from the diehards, looking fierce and formidable. Pointing at the uniforms, he shouted sharply, "Aren't those the uniforms of our Great Jin's imperial army?! Are you truly rebelling?! Have you no fear of having your nine clans exterminated?!"
The rider sneered. "The King of Jin has already appointed our Domain Lord as the Military Commissioner of Dingxi, a senior second-rank regional commander! We are now official troops registered with the imperial court—and frontier forces at that! What else would we wear if not military uniforms? On the contrary, you lot have repeatedly opposed the Military Commissioner—that is rebellion! Have you no fear of having your nine clans exterminated?!"
The burly man stood dumbstruck. All he could stammer was, "You're lying... Th-that's impossible!"
Just then, someone broke away from the diehards, dropped to his knees with a thud, and babbled, "We have always been utterly loyal to the court! We are willing to surrender! Ah, no—we wish to serve Lord Commissioner!"
The rider looked down on him with utter disdain. "His Lordship's ranks have a limited quota right now. We don't take just anyone! You think of surrendering only now? Too late!"
He spat, swept his gaze over the crowd, and sneered, "A pack of useless trash. You wouldn't even catch shit while it was warm."
Cradling their new uniforms, the turncoats strutted like roosters displaying their feathers.
***
At the edge of the Shattered Lands.
A merchant caravan appeared, trundling slowly along a faint, broken road. The dozen-odd wagons were laden with heavy cargo, wheels frequently sinking into the mud and requiring drivers and guards to heave together to push them free.
The wagons looked thoroughly ordinary, their built-in weight-reduction formations negligible at best.
A checkpoint appeared ahead of the caravan, flanked by tents housing over a hundred imperial soldiers. Seeing the caravan from afar, the soldiers waved their weapons, signaling for them to halt for inspection.
The caravan's manager, a middle-aged man, walked up to the commanding officer and slipped a purse of coins into his hand.
The officer weighed the purse, tucked it away, and said, "Don't you know the Commandery Governor has issued an order forbidding all merchant caravans from traveling north?"
"Yet I heard the trade route had already opened..." The middle-aged man slipped another purse over.
The officer's expression softened slightly. "Passing through is fine, but you must pay the transit tax."
The manager's heart sank. "How much is the tax?"
"Just leave half the cargo on your wagons."
The manager went pale with shock. "Officer, that cannot be! This is my very life's fortune..."
The officer's face darkened. "Don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! If you don't hand it over, I'll cut down every last one of you and dump your corpses in the wilderness. We'll say horse bandits did it. Who would ever know?"
The manager trembled with rage, but looking at the predatory soldiers, he could not find words. His breath caught in his throat, and he collapsed backward.
His men rushed to catch him, scrambling frantically to tend to him, barely managing to revive him.
Right then, the ground began to tremble. A troop of cavalry in bright, polished armor appeared, heading straight for the checkpoint. At the sight of them, the officer's face changed drastically, and he drew his sidearm with a sharp hiss!
A hundred cavalry halted before the checkpoint. One rider looked down at the officer from his saddle, sneering, "Daring to draw a blade before my Heaven-Battling Gang, are you—"
*Clang!*
The cavalry leader raised his spear and rapped the rider smartly on the head for his slip of the tongue.
Wincing in pain, the rider caught himself and hastily corrected, "We are the Mountain-Shaking Iron Cavalry under the Military Commissioner of Dingxi! Drawing a blade before us—have you grown tired of living?"
He turned to his leader with righteous indignation. "Commander, these government soldiers look suspicious! How about we drag them back for interrogation first?"
The cavalry leader nodded. "Many horse bandits disguise themselves as imperial soldiers these days. These fellows' martial skills are slack and pathetic, completely brittle. They might very well be bandits in disguise!"
Swallowing his rage, the officer sheathed his blade and forced a flattering smile. "We were ordered by Lord Yuan to set up this checkpoint to inspect unlawful elements. We are no bandits!"
The cavalry leader said coldly, "Where is your proof?"
Enduring the humiliation, the officer produced his official dispatches and waist token, presenting them upward.
The cavalry leader gave them a glance and tossed them back. "Who authorized you to establish a checkpoint here?"
"Lord Yuan's orders, of course."
"Without an order from the Military Commissioner, no one may establish a checkpoint!" the cavalry leader barked with severe authority.
The officer replied tremulously, "B-but... this is not within the Military Commissioner's territory!"
The cavalry leader paused. "Is that so?"
A rider beside him pulled out a map, checked it, and said, "It really isn't."
Just as the officer breathed a sigh of relief, the cavalry leader pointed at the caravan. "That caravan looks suspicious. I'd say they look like Zhao spies! Men, confiscate the cargo and take every last person back to the domain for a thorough interrogation!"
The officer was stunned. "Commander, we stopped this caravan first!"
The cavalry leader's face hardened. "I saw them first!"
A short while later, the caravan passed through the checkpoint, escorted by the cavalry until the post vanished from sight.
The cavalry leader reined in his horse and said, "Follow this road straight ahead. In about three days, you will reach the domain."
The caravan manager stared in astonishment. "Aren't you taking us back under arrest?"
The cavalry leader chuckled. "In our Military Commissioner's territory, there are no checkpoints, and no one can levy arbitrary taxes or seize your goods. On your way, hurry!"
The manager offered profuse thanks, repeatedly attempting to press silver upon them to no avail before finally taking his leave in wonder.
The cavalry leader watched them depart, then took out a mask and slipped it over his face. "Come. Let's go demolish that checkpoint."
"What about those government soldiers?"
"Drag them along as well. I hear Lord Yuan lives in poverty—this gives him an excuse to collect a few more phantom stipends."
***
Quliu Town.
A few imperial soldiers guarding the town entrance yawned listlessly. The sky here was a murky yellow and the air heavy with dampness; sickness ran rampant, making life miserable for anyone stationed here.
It was said that if the northern domain expanded, the weather here would improve. Deep down, these soldiers secretly hoped the domain would swallow them up sooner rather than later.
The ground began to rumble once more. Already startled birds, the soldiers reflexively assumed fleeing stances before peering into the distance.
At the far end of the road, a massive host of cavalry appeared—formidable men upon mighty steeds, banners like a forest, their presence towering and fierce!
The guards rubbed their eyes, wondering if their vision was playing tricks on them. The riders wore no masks; every one was clad in the military uniform of Western Jin.
Over a thousand fierce cavalrymen thundered into town. This time the guards did not run, but neither did they dare block the way, keeping their distance and peeking from afar.
The host marched directly before the gates of the Commandery Governor's manor before Wei Yuan emerged from the ranks.
The onlookers gasped. The new Military Commissioner was conducting an inspection in person!
Wei Yuan raised a hand. Before he could even knock, the gates swung open. Several officials of various ranks from the commandery yamun had already formed two orderly lines behind the threshold.
Wei Yuan removed his gloves, handed them and his crop to an attendant, and surveyed the fawning faces of the officials. He gave a nod. "At least you have some sense."
The officials beamed, looking as if they had received the highest honor.
Surrounded by his battle-hardened commanders radiating killing intent, Wei Yuan strode through the main entrance into the Commandery Governor's manor.
A moment later, in the reception hall, Wei Yuan sat in the seat of honor.
To his left were Cui Yu, Xu Yi, Wang Yu, and other noble scions. Cui Yu now served as Brigade General at the senior fifth rank, equal in standing to Yuan Qingyan. Wang Yu was a Deputy Brigade General, while Xu Yi oversaw civil administration for the Commissioner's Office; both held the junior fifth rank, only half a step below Yuan Qingyan but far above any other official in the room.
Yuan Qingyan sat at the head of the right side, his expression as sour as could be. Beneath him, the gathered officials trembled with anxiety.
Wei Yuan lifted his teacup, used the lid to skim the leaves aside, and took a leisurely sip. Only then did he turn to fix his gaze on Yuan Qingyan, a warm, amiable smile curving at his lips as he said:
"Little Yuan, this is our first meeting. How is your family doing?"
Chapter 308