Chapter Thirty-Three: Nameless

Gao Changsheng had originally intended to keep this group of death-sworn soldiers. He viewed them as leverage against Princes Gao Changwen and Gao Changfei, potentially useful for toppling the two royals in the future. The plan was sound, but deciding how to house over a hundred such men gave Gao Changsheng a headache. He could not trust them in the slightest; after all, they were subordinates of the two princes. Who could guarantee that there were no loyalists among them? If one were to strike from the shadows, he would not even have the chance to regret it.

Keeping them in the military camp was not an option either, as unauthorized recruitment was a grave crime. General Dou Yuan was currently loath to offend Emperor Shenwu, and Gao Changsheng could not bear to burden him with such a predicament. Ultimately, he decided to have the men leave the camp and hide in an uninhabited area. Since these men feared neither life nor death, surely they would not mind spending a few years in the deep wilderness. Thus, Gao Changsheng personally sent them away and joined Dou Yuan in concealing the fact that the camp had been raided.

"Dealing with the assassinations in Fengxi County is the priority right now," Gao Changsheng noted. "Offending Gao Changwen and Gao Changfei at this moment would be unwise. If you are uneasy, General, we can behead their leader and send the head to the Prince’s Mansion. It will serve as a warning to the two princes and hopefully force them to restrain themselves."

Inside the command tent, the two continued their discussion. "But in whose name should we send this gift?" Dou Yuan hesitated. "Mine, or yours, Your Highness?" Since the princes had intended to assassinate Gao Changsheng, it stood to reason that sending the gift in his name would be the most appropriate course of action.

"The General does not naively believe that the two princes will stop so easily, does he?" Miaofa interjected with a faint smile.

"What do you mean?" Dou Yuan asked, bewildered.

"It is quite simple," Miaofa explained. "The Empress and the two princes are targeting my master because they clearly perceive him as a serious threat. Otherwise, why would they not have targeted the spineless prince of Jinyong City back in the day? If we send this gift in my master's name, firstly, they will believe my master is more capable than they imagined. Secondly, they will mistake it for a provocation from him. This will only cause the princes to intensify their attacks. My concern is that Fengxi County is already fraught with danger; if we add the machinations of the Empress’s faction to the mix, the situation will become even more complex."

It was rare for Miaofa to be so serious, which showed how much importance he placed on the assassinations in Fengxi County.

"So that is how it is!" Dou Yuan realized. Despite his years on the battlefield and countless struggles against enemies, he had little experience in the subtle art of manipulating human hearts. Over the two days he had spent with Miaofa, his admiration for this monk had only grown, though he also wondered how a man’s mind could be so labyrinthine.

"General, you need not worry about your relationship with the Prince’s Mansion," Miaofa continued. "After all, given the gravity of a night raid on the camp, the two princes never consulted you. When you send your men to deliver the gift, have them intentionally express your deep anger over the incident. That should be enough to make them wary, which is all we need."

"Very well! I shall make the arrangements," Dou Yuan said, rising and exiting the tent.

***

Meanwhile, three hundred miles away from Longling Mountain, the group of over a hundred men stopped in a small mountain hollow. The area was desolate, with the village of Longling being the only settlement within a five-hundred-mile radius. It was hardly an ideal place to settle.

"We shall stay here for the time being," one said. They were exhausted from a night of traveling and were relieved to finally find a place to rest.

"This is indeed a place with good feng shui," a voice sneered. "Since you all like it so much, why only stay for a while? Wouldn't it be better to remain here in eternal sleep?"

More figures, dressed in fine silk and wielding weapons, appeared at the only exit of the hollow. A group of such size, numbering in the thousands and dressed in such attire, could not be mere bandits. They had clearly been tracking the death-sworn soldiers all along.

"Who are you?" one of the soldiers shouted.

"Heh, there is no harm in telling you," the leader replied coldly. "We are the Qingwu Guards!"

The Qingwu Guards—the Emperor of Dayong’s direct intelligence, capture, and assassination agency, which answered only to the monarch himself.

"So be it," the soldiers sighed, offering no resistance. "We committed a capital crime; we only lived this long to protect our families. Since the Emperor knows of the raid, he will eventually suspect our master. We only pray that His Majesty does not implicate our kin."

"You are mistaken," the guard replied with a cold huff. "Your raid is indeed a capital crime, but that is for the Ministry of Justice to judge; it has nothing to do with us. You must die because as long as you live, you will inevitably implicate the two princes. This concerns the very foundation of the state!"

With that, thousands of Qingwu Guards drew their blades and prepared to charge.

"Ha! 'The foundation of the state,' indeed," the soldiers cried out in fury, their will to fight reignited despite their lack of weapons. "Royal affairs are the 'foundation,' yet the lives of commoners are like blades of grass. We refuse to accept this!"

"Kill!" the guard ordered. The sea of men surged into the hollow. The screams of the dying echoed through the valley, and the scent of blood filled the air, sending the local beasts into a frenzy. By the time the sun had set, silence had returned to the hollow.

The guard sheathed his blood-stained blade and turned to leave, only to feel his robe being gripped tightly by one of the fallen soldiers. "Still alive?" he muttered with a frown of annoyance. The man had only a final breath left.

"What happened today will never be known to the outside world," the guard said emotionlessly. "To the two princes, you remain mere deserters. Because of that, they will not touch your families. You can rest now."

Hearing this, a look of relief washed over the soldier’s face. As his hand fell away from the guard’s robe, his life came to an end.