BSI Chapter 23, 8 is 8
Chapter 23, 8 is 8
"If I remember correctly, the Prefect of Yongchang should be Lü Kai, not you, Yong Kai."
Zhang Yi was not surprised by Yong Kai's fully armed appearance, but instead rebuked him sternly.
"Liu Shan is a child without virtue or talent, and he cannot recognize my ability to govern the world. How could Lü Kai, a mere scholar, possibly command the military and political power of a prefecture?"
Although Yong Kai came from a prestigious family and had considerable influence in the region, he did not hold real power.
"How dare you, Yong Kai, insult His Majesty and bestow official titles without authorization! Aren't you afraid of the wrath of Heaven?"
"Prefect Zhang, you should be concerned about your own safety now, instead of spouting nonsense on behalf of that brat Liu Shan."
Zhang Yi looked around and estimated that Yong Kai had brought over a hundred people with him.
Besides the soldiers wielding halberds who surrounded him, there were also archers with their bows fully drawn on the outer perimeter.
These people were just waiting for Yong Kai's order so they could swarm forward and execute them on the spot.
"Yong Kai, you instigated a rebellion and killed the prefect. Protector Li Yan sent me to deliver a letter to you, explaining the consequences. Do you not even respect Protector Li?"
Zhang Yi knew that the new emperor Liu Shan had low prestige among the ethnic minorities in the south, so he brought up Li Yan to intimidate Yong Kai.
"Li Yan?"
Yong Kai took the letter out of his pocket and tossed it aside.
"As the ancients said, 'A good bird chooses a good tree to roost in.' I have already submitted to Eastern Wu, and the Marquis of Wu has appointed me as the Prefect of Yongchang. Now I will capture you and bind you to Eastern Wu."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi flew into a rage and shouted, "Yong Kai, your ancestors were personally enfeoffed as the Marquis of Shifang by Emperor Gaozu, and your family has enjoyed the Han dynasty's bounty for generations. Now, instead of serving your country, you want to submit to Eastern Wu. Such a rebellious act is intolerable to Heaven."
Yong Kai's cold laugh revealed a hint of murderous intent as he said, "Everyone says that Lord Zhang is like a gourd, outwardly refined but inwardly coarse, and ignorant of the times. Now the world is divided into three, and the Han Dynasty has long existed in name only. Liu Bei was defeated at Xiaoting, and the fate of the Han Dynasty was sealed. I am merely going with the flow."
"Further words are useless. I will capture you alive and hand you over to Lord Wu."
Knowing that he was doomed in this battle, Zhang Yi, though a scholar, stepped forward and drew his sword.
"Yong Kai, even if you kill me, Prime Minister Zhuge will not spare you."
"When I and Lord Wu attack from both inside and outside, not to mention Zhuge Liang, even that brat Liu Shan will be easy to capture."
Whoosh!
Just as Yong Kai was about to give the order, an arrow flew through the air and headed straight for his face.
Yong Kai was shocked and quickly leaned back to avoid it.
"oops!"
After a scream, Yong Kai gripped the arrow shaft, staring at the arrowhead in lingering fear.
A sharp pain shot through his teeth throughout his body, and a metallic sweetness instantly filled his mouth, as if something hard was about to fall out.
Yong Kai spat the contents into his left palm, where his white teeth were visible in the pool of blood.
"My teeth!"
Yong Kai roared.
Although he narrowly escaped a fatal blow, his front teeth were broken off by an oncoming arrow.
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
Before his orders arrived, there was the deafening sound of horses' hooves and shouts of battle.
A lightly armored cavalry unit suddenly joined the battle with lightning speed.
The two leading generals, clad in gleaming silver armor with white plumes fluttering in the wind, were imposing and awe-inspiring.
This is what a regular army looks like.
Upon seeing this, Yong Kai was greatly alarmed and immediately shouted, "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
But he had only run a few steps when he discovered that the cavalry had already outflanked them from both sides, cutting off their retreat.
"Spare Yong Kai's life, and shoot the rest on the spot."
Under the command of the leading general, the cavalry drew their bows and arrows, raining down on Yong Kai's men.
"Protect Prefect Zhang; anyone who resists will be killed without mercy."
Another general led the infantry following closely behind to protect Zhang Yi and his entourage. He thrust his silver spear like a venomous snake at Yong Kai's halberd soldiers.
In an instant, Yong Kai's rabble was swept away like autumn leaves in the wind, with countless dead and wounded.
Standing on the carriage, Zhang Yi witnessed such swift and decisive action. Even though he had remained unfazed by Yong Kai's threats earlier, his palms were now sweating.
In less than a quarter of an hour, all of Yong Kai's troops were wiped out, leaving only the bound Yong Kai, who was brought before Zhang Yi.
"Are you the Imperial Guard?"
The imperial guards of Shu Han were divided into Zhao Yun's Imperial Guards and Chen Dao's White Feather Soldiers.
Although they were all marked with white bird feathers and animal hair, the Imperial Guard's helmet feathers were a single tuft, located at the very center of the top of the helmet.
The White Feather Soldiers' helmet feathers are double-tied, located on both sides of the helmet.
Zhang Yi learned their identities from the helmet feathers.
"Chen Hu and Zheng Chuo have come to escort Prefect Zhang to his new post on His Majesty's orders."
Zhang Yi was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "So it is you two generals. Please accept my bow for your kindness in saving me."
Chen Hu and Zheng Chuo held very low positions in the army and were little known in the court.
However, they had previously led troops to quell Huang Yuan's rebellion, which made them famous.
"We are merely acting on His Majesty's orders and do not deserve such a grand ceremony from the Prefect."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi knelt and bowed towards Chengdu, saying, "Your Majesty's grace in restoring our lives will be repaid by my own death."
After cleaning up the battlefield, Zhang Yi looked at the bound Yong Kai and sneered, "Yong Kai, you have committed treason, a heinous crime. Fortunately, His Majesty had the foresight to secretly send Generals Chen Hu and Zheng Chuo to assist you. If you hadn't risked leaving the city to ambush him, you probably wouldn't have ended up like this."
Yong Kai was filled with shame and indignation upon hearing this.
With his influence in Yizhou County, as long as he was inside the city, a mere few hundred guards really couldn't do anything to him.
However, in order to capture Zhang Yi, he personally led his troops out of the city to set up an ambush, but in the end, he fell into the ambush himself.
"Hmph, even if you capture me now, what can you do to me?"
Yong Kai, confident in his local power, has now joined forces with Zhu Bao and Gao Ding to launch a rebellion, and is secretly courting Meng Huo. He is certain that the weak Shu Han court will not dare to take action against him.
At most, they would offer kind words of advice, make him admit his mistakes, and quell the rebellion.
Zhang Yi knew that the current situation was better for cooperation than war, but now that he had finally captured Yong Kai, releasing him now would inevitably lead to future troubles.
"Generals, does His Majesty have any further instructions?"
Chen Hu and Zheng Chuo exchanged a glance, and the former took out a brocade pouch from his bosom.
"His Majesty instructed us to open the brocade pouch after capturing Yong Kai, and then proceed according to the plan."
Zhang Yi was overjoyed upon hearing this. He was worried about how to deal with Yong Kai, so he ordered Chen Hu to open the brocade pouch.
Chen Hu's expression changed slightly after he opened it.
"Why does Your Majesty say that?" Zhang Yi asked anxiously.
Chen Hu handed the brocade pouch to Zheng Zhuo and said, "His Majesty has ordered us to lead eight hundred Imperial Guards to capture Yong Kai and then head straight for Yuexi County to persuade Gao Ding to surrender at all costs."
What?
Zhang Yi was taken aback and hurriedly took the brocade pouch.
Eight hundred guards were about to persuade Gao Ding to surrender?
Yong Kai burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Gao Ding is the leader of the Yi people in Yuexi County. He has strong soldiers and brave generals under his command, and he also has the troops of Yuexi County. How can your mere eight hundred men be his match?"
Chen Hu and Zheng Chuo were well aware of the fighting prowess of the southern barbarians, but given the emperor's orders, they had no choice but to obey.
Zheng Chuo waved his hand and said loudly, "His Majesty has shown us great kindness and favor. Now is a time of national crisis, and we should repay our country with our lives."
"That's right!" Chen Hu echoed.
Just as the two were about to set off, Zhang Yi suddenly stopped them.
"Generals, please wait. This is like throwing an egg against a rock; we must not act rashly."
Chen Hu remained calm and said, "Yong Kai has been captured. The prefect only needs to take over the troops of Yizhou County. There is no need to worry about anything else."
Zhang Yi said, "The two generals saved my life, how could I let them die in vain?"
"The Emperor's grace is boundless, and military orders are as firm as mountains. We can only repay our country with our lives."
"No, in my opinion, the two generals did not understand His Majesty's meaning."
"Oh?"
"His Majesty's edict states that the two generals should persuade Gao Ding to surrender at all costs, rather than fighting him by force. This is a battle of wits, not a battle of courage."
When it comes to fighting and charging into battle, Chen Hu and Zheng Chuo were the bravest in the army.
But when it comes to using strategy, he knows absolutely nothing.
"Please enlighten me, Prefect Zhang."
"I will give the two generals two gifts, which will surely persuade Gao Ding to surrender," Zhang Yi said confidently.
"Haha, that's just wishful thinking."
Although Yong Kai's mouth was bleeding from the pain, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Gao Ding commands a large army and has the city walls to rely on. What do you have to offer to persuade him to surrender?"
Zhang Yi ignored Yong Kai and instead took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Chen Hu.
"This is a letter of persuasion written by Li Yan to Yong Kai. I ordered someone to make a copy and send it to Yizhou Prefecture. I kept the original with me."
Yong Kai sneered, "A mere letter—the news of my public rejection of Li Yan's letter has already spread throughout the South. How could Gao Ding not know?"
Zhang Yi smiled and said, "Gao Ding was defeated by General Li Yan in the past. He will definitely be wary upon seeing this letter. Please keep it safe, both generals."
After putting the letter away, Chen Hu asked, "What's the other thing?"
Zhang Yi looked at Yong Kai kneeling on the ground and sneered, "Of course, it's this traitor's head."
All three were startled upon hearing this.
Although Yong Kai had committed treason, his fate still depended on the imperial court's orders; he could not be beheaded arbitrarily.
"Zhang Yi, you've used your position to settle personal scores; you'll die a horrible death."
Yong Kai roared.
He was captured during the battle between the two armies, and it is entirely possible that he could have been said to have died in the chaos of battle.
But Chen Hu and Zheng Zhuo still hesitated.
"His Majesty made it very clear in the secret document that no price should be spared, including Yong Kai's head."
Chen Hu and Zheng Zhuo looked at each other, then turned to look at Yong Kai kneeling on the ground.
At this moment, Yong Kai's face turned pale; he was truly panicked this time.
His previous arrogant and domineering attitude was completely gone, replaced by a roar for survival.
"You cannot kill me. My ancestor was personally granted the title of Marquis of Shifang by Emperor Gaozu. My title is hereditary, and you have no right to kill me..."
"I can help you persuade Gao Ding to surrender, and I can also persuade other rebels to surrender. Please don't kill me..."
"ah!!!!"
A cold slash flashed by, and Yong Kai felt a chill on his neck before his head fell to the ground.
Zheng Chuo shook the blood off the knife in his hand and calmly returned it to its sheath.
"Brother, you acted too fast!" Chen Hu complained.
Zheng Chuo said, "His Majesty often says that our swords are no faster than those of Cao Wei."
Zhang Yi had someone pack Yong Kai's head and hand it over.
"Zhang Yi would like to first congratulate the two generals on their outstanding achievements."
Although the two killed Yong Kai, they did not know whether they could persuade Gao Ding to surrender.
"Never mind, eight hundred it is. Brothers, follow me to pacify Yuexi."