The shooting range in Xiaotong Guan had been filled with gunfire all morning.
Qiao Song looked at Duan Yelin, who had been firing non-stop for several hours, and wanted to go forward to dissuade him, but he didn’t know how to start. He watched helplessly as more and more bullet shells piled up at his feet and the gun targets rotted like a hornet’s nest.
After firing the last bullet, he reported back, “Commander, all the pensions have been sent, and the bandits and soldiers have been buried.”
“En.” Duan Yelin responded in a low voice, unloaded the pistol, and Qiao Song saw that his palms were red.
“Commander, is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Where is Cong Lin?”
“I’m afraid he’s been locked up in the Military Control Commissioner’s private prison. He’s been ill these past few days—hasn’t gone out or seen anyone—but his mansion is heavily guarded on all sides. It’s a clear case of trying to cover up his own wrongdoing!”
All the bandits were dead, and there was no witness left. No matter how suspicious the bandit suppression was, it was useless. Without evidence, it was just empty talk. Yuan Sen’s move was cruel and ruthless.
His purpose in taking Cong Lin away was to make him a scapegoat. Duan Yelin had already submitted the testimony signed by the bandits. Although it was not very effective, it was an accusation after all, and someone had to take the blame. Although Cong Lin wasn’t entirely innocent, it was still tragic for him to take the fall for someone like that.
Duan Yelin thought for a moment and said, “We found a lot of gold from the bandit’s den. It was all given to them by Yuan Sen. You should organize it and hand it over to the cabinet as our proceeds from the bandit suppression.”
Qiao Song saluted: “Yes! I will definitely complete it secretly!”
“No, I don’t need you to complete it secretly. I want you to do it as big as possible and make sure Yuan Sen knows.”
“Yes… huh?” Qiao Song was stunned.
What’s the logic here? Isn’t the Commander against Yuan Sen?
“Yuan Sen lost most of his property in the previous engineering accident, and this ambush cost him a lot more. He must be stretched to the limit now.” Xu Hang heard their conversation outside the door and pushed the door open to explain to Qiao Song, “So, if he knew that the large amount of gold he spent was confiscated for nothing, what do you think he would do?”
It was a trap.
The cabinet had been squandering money in the past two years, and the treasury had been in a tight spot due to years of war. Now that Duan Yelin has reported such a large sum of money for emergency relief, they will be extremely happy.
Anyone who dares to take advantage of this money will surely suffer.
Qiao Song suddenly realized what was going on and hurried out.
“You always see things more clearly.” Duan Yelin looked at Xu Hang with some admiration. He had been busy with the funerals of hundreds of people these days and had not slept for several nights. The dark circle under his eyes was heartbreaking.
Xu Hang walked forward, raised his hand, and covered Duan Yelin’s eyes: “Since you have already made a plan, just wait slowly. Some things can’t be rushed.”
Duan Yelin felt the warmth above his eyelids, and the gloom of the past few days dissipated slightly. He took Xu Hang’s hand, put him on his knees, and buried his head in his shoulder.
He sighed.
“Shaotang, yesterday an old lady came to claim her son’s body… she had been a widow for many years and only had this one son. She fainted from crying on the spot, regretting that she had let him join the army. When she saw me, she only said one sentence…” Duan Yelin paused before continuing, “She said, ‘Why wasn’t it you who died?’”
Xu Hang’s neck froze and his throat choked.
Duan Yelin added, “I know she didn’t really want me to die, she just felt so heartbroken. I remember her son. He had just been here for a year. He was like a fool on the first day of the army. He said his dream was to fight with me for the rest of his life. If he had died on the battlefield, maybe it would have been better, but he didn’t die a good death.”
“Shaotang, I know you hate warlords, and sometimes you hate me too. I am dedicated to serving my country and only want to drive the Japanese out of China, but over the years, most of my energy has been wasted on the conspiracies and calculations of my own people.”
“The world can’t be changed by just one or two people—I’ve understood that for a long time. I no longer dare to dream of protecting the entire country, but I do hope to keep the small city of Hezhou safe. No matter who it is, I won’t allow anyone to harm my people.”
He spoke softly and slowly, and Xu Hang could hear a lot of fatigue in his voice. This seemed to be the first time he saw Duan Yelin showing such weakness.
It turned out that even this man, who drank blood to quench his thirst, could feel sorrow. His seemingly broad shoulders bore burdens far too heavy for any one person—and perhaps, they were never meant for him to carry alone.
Unable to resist, Xu Hang stretched out his hand and stroked his back again and again, as if he was comforting a giant sheepdog.
“Don’t worry… justice will come back, and those who deserve to die will not be able to escape.” Xu Hang’s eyes were a little empty, and his words were cold.
Perhaps because he spoke too softly, Duan Yelin didn’t hear clearly and raised his head to ask, “What?”
“Nothing.” Xu Hang changed the subject, “By the way… didn’t Duan Zhanzhou make a scene?”
This name obviously gave Duan Yelin a headache. He rubbed his temples and said, “Come on, he ran to the Military Control Commissioner’s mansion with a gun. Fortunately, I tied him back in time.”
So impatient? Xu Hang was a little surprised, but he also understood it after thinking about it.
Duan Zhanzhou is also someone who understands the reality of the situation. Given the current circumstances, if Cong Lin ends up in Yuan Sen’s hands, it will almost certainly mean certain death.
What a pity, Cong Lin has no way to be saved now.
————
Over at Xiaotong Guan, Duan Zhanzhou was placed under strict orders by Duan Yelin—he was to surrender his weapons, stay exactly where he was, and ensure that no soldiers followed his commands. It was a precaution to stop him from acting on impulse or recklessly.
Duan Zhanzhou paced back and forth in the room, his anxiety evident in every step. He knew he had been reckless—foolish enough to charge into the Military Control Commissioner’s mansion without thinking things through.
But that guy was not under his watch and was seriously injured. He didn’t know whether he was alive or dead. He couldn’t sit still for even a moment.
A cleaning servant came out of Cong Lin’s room, holding a small box, and smiled flatteringly: “Military Commander, this is the traitor’s stuff. How about I throw it away for you to save you the trouble?”
This man is very good at currying favor with the powerful. Duan Zhanzhou, the military commander of the army, will soon be promoted to the governor of Chengdu. When he heard about Cong Lin’s betrayal, he rushed to curry favor with him.
Unexpectedly, Duan Zhanzhou stared at him fiercely, stood up, and slapped him in the face, shouting angrily, “Who gave you permission to touch his things? You really have a death wish, acting on your own without orders!”
The servant was hit so badly that he didn’t know which way to go. He fell to the ground, his ears were ringing, and he covered his face with grievance.
“I… I…”
“Put down the things and get out of here!”
“Yes, yes, yes…” The servant fled in a hurry.
After venting his anger, Duan Zhanzhou drank a big mouthful of cold water. The water slid down his throat, and the coolness spread from his internal organs, which barely suppressed his anger.
His gaze couldn’t help but linger on the small box. It was about the size of a baby, old and battered, clearly unable to hold much. Was this really all a person’s belongings could amount to? So little, as if he could vanish from the world at any moment, without a trace.
He had always thought that this person was omnipresent, constantly around him. But when he vanished, he realized just how few traces he had left behind.
After thinking for a while, Duan Zhanzhou walked to the door, beckoned a soldier in, and whispered in his ear, “Go to the Military Control Commissioner’s mansion and tell him that I will use the position of the governor to exchange for that one person’s life.”
Originally, the Military Control Commissioner also wanted to have one of his own people sit in this position. It all depends on his decision as to which is more important.
The soldier hesitated for a moment and said, “Military Commander, it’s not worth it for a traitor. He will die anyway.”
“What do you know!” Duan Zhanzhou’s face turned red, and he even looked a little unnatural. He hesitated for a moment and said, “This person, this person, he’s connected to the Chief of Staff. If he dies, it will be hard to explain when the Chief of Staff comes asking about it… in the future.”
However, this explanation was so far-fetched that even the soldier frowned. Duan Zhanzhou had no choice but to frown and say, “You won’t understand even if I tell you. Just do it!”
The ignorant soldier nodded hurriedly and went to do what he was told.
Duan Zhanzhou, who was lying back on the sofa, sighed deeply, slowly closed his eyes, and waited for the soldier to come back and tell him the result.
It turns out that waiting feels so hollow. Time loses its meaning in this moment, like the foot-binding cloth of a woman with bound feet—long, suffocating, and unbearable.
He had never experienced such a miserable feeling in his life. The fatigue of the past few days made his eyelids heavy unconsciously. In a daze, half asleep and half awake, he vaguely saw Cong Lin.
The scene was like countless nights before when he came home drunk. No matter what time it was, he would see Cong Lin squatting at the door, wearing a thin singlet, hugging his knees, waiting for him to come back, raising his head to meet his contempt, scolding, and humiliation, with his mouth slightly open, wanting to say something but no sound coming out.
Is his mood the same as his current one?
If he could speak, what would he want to say?
In his scattered thoughts, Duan Zhanzhou almost heard words slipping out of that mouth, but he was awakened by a rapid knock on the door!
He shuddered all over, cold sweat broke out on his body, he wiped his forehead, stood up hurriedly, and opened the door. The soldier outside the door had obviously just run back from the Military Control Commissioner’s mansion, and he was holding his breath. When he opened his mouth, it was like a bolt from the blue.
“The Military Control Commissioner said… you should keep the position of the governor for yourself. The verdict has been issued, he will be executed by shooting!”
