Chapter 432: No One to Steal Credit
Chapter 427 of "The Great Ming in the Box" opens with: When Old Zhang Fei saw the man before him, he knew it would be tough.Damn... See what unfolds next!
When Old Zhang Fei saw the man before him, he knew it would be tough.Damn it, this was absolutely a commander among the officers and men, no mistake about it. Just look at this regulation Mountain-patterned Armor, the textbook horsemanship honed through long training, those elegant spear maneuversâŚ
âDamn it, the officers are disguised as salt smugglers to ambush me!â Old Zhang Fei channeled his rage into battle prowess. With a jerk, he drew his weaponâan eight-foot serpent spearâand spurred his horse, charging straight at Old Nan Feng.
Old Nan Feng took one look at the weapon and chuckled: A serpent spear? Why donât you go perform in an opera? Serpent spears are inventions of storytellers! The real Zhang Fei never used one. What good is this thing except looking fancy? Bandits sure are troublemakers. Did you deliberately have this forged to match your name?
Both men were mounted, closing the distance fast.
As the horses converged, Old Zhang Feiâs spearâbeing an eight-footerâthrust out with imposing might, while Old Nan Fengâs ordinary six-foot spear was at a clear length disadvantage.
But with a deft flick and pull of his spear, Old Nan Feng deflected the serpent spear aside.
In that brief exchange, the horses swept past each other, bringing the two riders perilously close. Old Nan Fengâs free hand snapped out, drawing his waist knife, and plunged it deep into Old Zhang Feiâs bellyâŚ
He didnât pull the knife back. Instead, he released the hilt and let the horses bolt forward. Galloping several yards away, he reined his horse, turned, and saw Old Zhang Feiâs body tilt and slowly slide off the saddle, landing with a âthudâ on the ground.
âTch! Weakling. Daring to name yourself Zhang Fei?â Old Nan Feng scoffed and jeered: âWith skills like these, you shouldâve called yourself Old Jin Xuan!â
With the chieftain dead, the rest fell into chaos.
The bandits scattered even faster, fleeing in every direction.
If this had happened within Li Daoxuanâs field of vision, he would have intervened, stopping the fleeing men with giant hands and tossing them all into a labor camp.
But all was happening in Shanxi, beyond Li Daoxuanâs reach. The militia there also had limited manpower. Capturing so many prisoners was impossible. They could only let the desperate bandits retreat.
Old Nan Feng returned triumphant to the stockade.
Victory had already solidified at the stockade. The moment the warships appeared, the banditsâ fighting spirit collapsed. The stockade walls quickly stabilized. All bandits who had breached the stockade were wiped out. Those outside gave up scaling the walls and fled instead. Gao Chuwu ordered the gates opened to welcome back the cavalry.
Returning to the stockade, Old Nan Feng marched proudly, Old Zhang Feiâs ear skewered on his spear tip. He laughed heartily to the sky: âSee? The bandit chiefâs ear! I killed the bastard myself! Not asking for triple promotionâjust want a transfer back to civilized lands. No more frontier duty for me!â
âEw, that earâs disgusting. Throw it away!â Gao Chuwu was sweating: âAll bloodyâdonât bring it back to camp!â
Old Nan Feng retorted: âItâs proof of my merit! Disgusting? Itâs beautiful.â
Gao Chuwu shook his head: âJust record the achievement. No need to prove it with an ear.â
Old Nan Feng thought: Thatâs because you donât know officialdomâs corruption. When a small man earns merit, the Great General above him immediately tries to steal it⌠Remember those history books, claiming Emperor Zhengde personally hacked an enemy soldier to death? Who knows whose merit that emperor claimed?
As this thought struck him, Old Nan Feng realized he should act wisely. He quickly leaned close to Gao Chuwuâs ear and whispered: âGeneral Gao, when we report this, letâs say you and I killed Old Zhang Fei together. What dâya say?â
Gao Chuwu was utterly bewildered: âWouldnât that be lying? You killed him alone.â
Old Nan Feng insisted: âWouldnât do to report that. It must be a joint kill!â
âNo, no.â Gao Chuwu gave a silly grin: âHe was so weak, I could beat three like him with one punch. If we report a joint kill, wouldnât it make us both look weak? Ha ha ha! Your kill is yours! I donât want credit.â
Old Nan Feng pondered silently: Heâs not splitting credit with his subordinate? Tsk! This man⌠is he truly foolish, or is this just not the Gaojia Village way?
He couldnât quite understand: Why doesnât Gaojia Village operate this way?
Suddenly, a phrase leaped into his mind: âThere are deities above us, three feet above our heads.â
Old Nan Feng abruptly understood: Above Gaojia Village, celestial beings watched. Whoâd dare lie and steal othersâ military merit? The Divine would surely know!
In Gaojia Village, one was one; two was two. The sleazy practices common in past military life were absolutely forbidden. If they offended the Deityâmore terrifying than upsetting any emperorâit would be disastrous.
This realization brought immediate relief. His entire body felt lighter.
If meritorious deeds were earned by skill? Who exactly was he supposed to fear?
He plucked the ear off his spear tip. Proof wasnât needed anymore. No one would dare deny, in bad faith, that it was he who had killed Old Zhang Fei. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the ear into the surging Yellow River.
A monstrous fish leaped from the river, gulping down the ear before vanishing into the depthsâŚ
Old Nan Feng laughed heartily at the river.
Mid-laughter, the warships floated back. The captain waved at him despondently: âGeneral Nan Feng, I only got one barrage out before the bandit army collapsed. It wasnât fun at all!â
Old Nan Feng guffawed: âDonât worry. Soon enough, youâll fight the imperial navy. Westerners sailing massive ships from across the sea will come for you to blast. Youâll have plenty of fun then!â
Li Daoxuan was gnawing on a âGreat Desert Sand Chicken,â smacking his lips in delight at its rich flavor.
His focus was currently locked on Qiachuan Port, the busiest place recently. Not only was it handling logistics for the âShanxi Expeditionary Force,â but it was also constructing vast blacksmith workshops.
The workshops were already over half-built.
Squads of blue hats and yellow hats worked together. The cement workshop held a gray, geometrically imposing beauty.
Truth be told, cement buildings clashed with Eastern sensibilities!
Easterners of the time prized ârefinement.â Eastern architecture emphasized carved pillars, painted eaves, intricate anglesâbeauty in meticulous artistry.
Cement buildings couldnât replicate that. They offered âgeometric beautyââa Western aesthetic.
Li Daoxuan, a modern man appreciating beauty from north, south, east, and west, didnât mind. But the ancients saw a giant cement house, muttered âbig and sturdy,â then shook their heads with âugly and clumsy.â
Bai Yuan was already complaining!
In fluttering white robe, he stood splendidly by the riverbank, fan waving: âThis workshop⌠is a bit unsightly.â
Mid-boast, boat shadows appeared on the river. The warships were returning.
Rushing with pride, Bai Yuan perked up: âNews from Shanxi is back!â