Chapter Ninety-Three: Rebellion

“Lord Feng, let me offer you a cup,” He Wenxing said with a smile, lifting the wine cup from the table and looking toward Feng Qinian.

“He Wenxing! You eat the wages of the Liang Empire and wear Liang robes and crowns, yet you conspire with those Qiang bandits in this act of betraying your ancestors and rebelling against your lord. Do you still have any conscience at all?” Feng Qinian struck the cup from He Wenxing’s hand and pointed at his nose, cursing him in fury.

The cup shattered on the floor with a clear ring. He Wenxing paused slightly, as though he had long expected such a reaction from Feng Qinian.

He was not angered by the words. Instead, he grinned.

“Lord Feng, you have been my superior for many years. I have never forgotten the kindness of your guidance and promotion,” He Wenxing said, taking up another cup and filling it to the brim.

“You... why?” Feng Qinian’s voice trembled. It was plain to see how deeply disappointed he was in the choice He Wenxing had made.

“Lord Feng, after all these years, you still do not understand me...” He Wenxing sighed and picked up a pair of chopsticks to place a bite of food into Feng Qinian’s bowl. “I have held this post for so many years, living off a meager monthly salary of four taels to support a household of more than a dozen mouths. I have no land, no house, no network, no skill at maneuvering like you...”

“So it is only because of four taels of silver that you would do something so monstrous? By doing this now, you are handing Anqiang over to the Qiang bandits! If you become a dog for the Qiang, will your family of more than a dozen really live any better?” Feng Qinian surged to his feet, snatched the wine cup from the table, and splashed the wine full into He Wenxing’s face.

He Wenxing wiped the wine from his face, a flash of hatred and resentment flickering in his eyes.

“Lord Feng, I did not want this either, but I had no choice! It has already been done. If I accept this crime, I will never have a way back!” He Wenxing slammed the table and rose, staring into Feng Qinian’s eyes as he said each word distinctly, “You say I am a dog for the Qiang, but have you yourself not been the dog of the Emperor of Liang?”

“The other side has already agreed to it. As long as I help them hand over Anqiang City, they will make me a thousand-man commander, and after that I can even become a chief guard! What is this little post of overall captain worth?” As he spoke, a crazed look began to creep onto He Wenxing’s face. He seized Feng Qinian’s sleeve and said in a low voice, “My lord, things have come to this. Why not throw in with the Qiang king together with me? In that case, whatever you want, you can have. Once we take Ding'an Prefecture, you can be the prefect! I will still serve under you...”

“Get out!” Feng Qinian shoved He Wenxing away, his face reddening with fury. His finger trembled as he pointed at him. “I... I have never seen such a shameless wretch! Bah! You are not fit to be my dog!”

Qi Jun had never seen Feng Qinian so beside himself. From the two men’s exchange, he could roughly understand what had happened.

It seemed that He Wenxing had learned of Meng Wanhé and the others being exposed, and had also realized that his own crime of taking silver and standing idle while silently allowing the bandits to attack Panlong Ridge without sending aid could no longer be concealed.

There was another layer to He Wenxing’s thoughts as well.

Sun Jiu’s county patrol squad and the bandit-suppression force led by Qi Jun had joined hands to seize Panlong Ridge and win the chief merit. They had made a name for themselves even in front of the commandant of the prefecture.

Whereas he, as the overall captain, had only picked up a few scraps. It would be impossible to say he did not resent that in his heart.

So he had secretly begun to think of eliminating Qi Jun and Sun Jiu. Conveniently, the Black-ax Leopard feared that the county patrol would cut off his retreat when attacking Panlong Ridge, and so instructed Meng Wanhé to bribe He Wenxing into not sending troops to reinforce the battle.

He Wenxing considered it and happily accepted, thinking that this would both put money in his pocket and allow him to use the bandits’ hands to eliminate Qi Jun and the others. How could he not take such a bargain? He even fantasized about taking this chance to replace Song Xi and seize control of Panlong Ridge.

Unfortunately, he never imagined that so many of the bandits assaulting the mountain would be blocked and wiped out by Qi Jun and the others.

That afternoon, after Qi Jun and Sun Jiu had come to the county patrol camp to see him, He Wenxing had already keenly sensed the danger that might befall him, and in secret he sent men to keep watch near Meng Wanhé’s residence.

Once he learned that Qi Jun and Sun Jiu had gone to see Meng Wanhé, he made up his mind to rebel.

After the second patrol squad returned, he gathered more than two hundred county patrolmen from the second and third squads, surrounded Meng’s residence, and had all of Sun Jiu’s first squad seized and imprisoned at sword point.

Then he closed the city gates and sent his confidants out of the city toward the west to conspire with the Qiang about surrendering the city.

By then, Qi Jun and Ah Xin had already left the city by carriage for the prefectural capital, one after the other, just missing the county patrol’s search.

“This He fellow has been hiding his fangs deep enough. What a scheme he had,” Qi Jun thought, and could not help breaking into a cold sweat at the scale of He Wenxing’s plan.

Had he been delayed by even a single step that day and fallen into He Wenxing’s hands, who knew whether the Qiang might already have overrun the garrison of Anqiang County and the prefectural capital. If the Qiang troops then used Anqiang City as a springboard to strike Ding'an Prefecture, even the Western Pacification Army stationed nearby might not be able to withstand the sudden appearance of such a large enemy force.

And judging from the conversation he had overheard at the county constable’s office gate, a great mass of Qiang soldiers was likely already on the road to Anqiang City.

If Anqiang were taken by the Qiang, who knew how many innocent civilians would perish at their hands. Thinking of the scene he had personally witnessed, of the Qiang soldiers’ cruel execution of the prefectural office warriors, Qi Jun’s heart sank heavily.

Such a tragedy must never be allowed to happen in Anqiang, and even less in Dongling Village!

At that thought, Qi Jun could no longer restrain the fury in his heart. He sprang up and kicked the door open, striding inside.

“Qi Jun! You... how...” He Wenxing, still lost in his own pleasant dream of victory, was startled by Qi Jun’s sudden appearance and stumbled back several steps, pointing at him in a daze.

When Feng Qinian saw Qi Jun, he was stunned at first, then his rage gave way to joy. He pointed at He Wenxing and said, “You still do not know? This is the newly appointed county magistrate of Anqiang. He has already brought reinforcements from the prefectural capital! Your scheme has long been exposed, you villain! Kneel at once and surrender yourself!”

Qi Jun glared at He Wenxing, his eyes nearly spitting fire. Taking advantage of the moment when He Wenxing was flustered and off balance, he stepped forward and kicked him hard in the belly. As He Wenxing doubled over in pain, Qi Jun followed with a heavy punch to the face, and blood burst from his nose.

Qi Jun was just about to step forward and finish off the dog thief when he heard the sound of weapons and armor clashing in a rush of footsteps outside in the courtyard. Then more than a dozen county patrolmen, hearing the commotion, charged into the study and drew their blades, pointing them at Qi Jun.

“Hahaha...” Seeing this, He Wenxing wiped the blood from his face and burst into wild laughter. He rose and pointed at Qi Jun, lifting his brows. “You think I have no one under me anymore? Let me tell you, if you kill me, not a single soul in the Feng household will survive! I will have them all buried with me!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than cries of fear and distress erupted from the courtyard.

When Feng Qinian heard this, he was horrified. He hurriedly opened the window to look out and saw that his wife and concubines, his daughter Feng Qing, his son Feng Bo, and every servant in the household had all been forced by He Wenxing’s men to kneel in several rows outside the study, each with a blade pressed to their backs.

“He Wenxing! You beast! You... you mean to rebel, but what have they done to deserve it!” Feng Qinian’s face went deathly pale at once. Weakly, he sank from the chair to the floor and looked at He Wenxing with pleading, supplicant eyes.