Chapter 24: Thunderous Strings Stir the Night (Part 2)

"Then, what do you think this is?" Pointing the steel-tipped triangular arrow at the bailiff whose face had turned pale, Han Gang did not say much more. With a flick of his finger, another arrow was shot, piercing the bailiff's chest. The arrow, shot from a crossbow with a force of over three stones, sank into the body like a venomous snake, emerging from the back, trembling within the body, and turning the heart and lungs into a mess.

"The second one." Han Gang proudly showed the crossbow he had just used to Liu San, counting his kills. It was said that one would often feel nauseous and want to vomit the first time they killed someone, but Han Gang felt no discomfort at all, only a clear mind and a sense of relief. It seemed those rumors were just made up.

"You... you..." Liu San was completely stunned, as if trapped in a nightmare. This was supposed to be an easy task, requiring no effort at all, but how did it turn into this?

"You... you... you dare to kill an official and rebel! You will be exterminated with your entire clan!"

"An official? Do you even deserve to be called one?" Han Gang switched to another well-strung crossbow, the cold moonlight reflecting off the steel arrowhead pointing at Liu San's mouth. "Try to raise your voice a bit more, and see if my finger will tremble!"

The half-moon, just rising over the eaves, shone from behind Han Gang, casting Liu San's face into darkness. The only thing Liu San could see was the six-inch wooden-feathered short arrow on the heavy crossbow pointing at his nose, shimmering in the moonlight. Han Gang's six-foot-tall figure cast a huge shadow, completely enveloping the small and thin Liu San. In Liu San's eyes, it was as if a demon had descended. With the arrow pointing at his nose, Liu San was terrified, his legs giving out, and he collapsed to the ground. He wanted to speak, but his teeth chattered uncontrollably. He never imagined that a sickly scholar could be so ruthless!

Han Gang, standing above Liu San, glared at him. "Was it Huang Dayou or Chen Ju?"

"It's Chen..."

As soon as Liu San spoke, Han Gang's finger moved, and with a smile, he pulled the trigger. The crossbow body shook violently, the bowstring hummed, and the power of the close-range shot was no less than that of a pistol. The arrow pierced Liu San's nose and emerged from his chin, pinning his dying scream in his throat. Liu San writhed on the ground a few times and then stopped moving. His eyes were wide open, unblinking. Just a moment ago, Han Gang was still questioning the mastermind, but who would have thought he would turn and act so quickly?

"The third one!"

Han Gang kicked Liu San's body to confirm his death. He put down the crossbow with the string removed, slightly out of breath. The feeling of controlling someone's life excited him. Looking down at the three bodies, he still felt no discomfort.

In a short time, three people had bled to death in the courtyard. Even in Qin Prefecture, a case involving human lives was no small matter. This time, things had really escalated. Han Gang silently looked at the three bodies scattered in the courtyard for a moment, then raised his head to stare at the gatehouse thirty steps away, finally breaking into a cold smile, "I'm afraid the matter won't be big enough!"

Leaving the three bodies behind, Han Gang returned to the room, picked up another well-strung crossbow, and grabbed a small cloth bag from the table. He quickly came out of the small room. He looked at the gate, but there was still no movement, indicating that Wang Wu and Wang Jiu had not been alerted yet.

The three people Han Gang had just shot had not even managed to let out a single cry before they died. This could be considered Han Gang's luck, but it was also the luck of the two guards. Otherwise, they would have met the same fate as Liu San. Killing three people was the same as killing five; with his life on the line, Han Gang would not show any mercy.

Han Gang calmly returned to the bodies of the three men, opened the small cloth bag, and took out a set of flint and steel and tinder. He looked at the three small objects in his palm, his smile growing colder. Han Gang squatted down and reached into Liu San's chest. Suddenly, his face changed, and he paused. When he pulled his hand out, he held a fire starter!

The fire starter was made from special sweet potato vines. Once lit and blown out, the embers continued to smolder inside. When needed, it could be relit by simply waving it in the wind. This special fire starter could keep a flame for a whole day. Why would Liu San carry such a thing? Fire starters were not cheap! Han Gang felt something was amiss and quickly searched the other two bailiffs. Sure enough, he found two more fire starters.

The moonlight was like water, the courtyard bright and clear. Han Gang could clearly see that the three men had large gourds tied to their waists. He touched one, feeling a slippery, sticky substance, which turned out to be the smell of vegetable oil when he sniffed it.

Carrying fire starters and oil, the intentions of Liu San and the others were clear.

"Could it be that great minds think alike?"

Han Gang felt he had encountered the most absurd thing in the world today, and he wanted to laugh out loud. Both sides were trying to frame the other, but they had the same idea. What crime could be worse than burning down the military arsenal? He and Huang Dayou had the same thought!

'No, it can't be Huang Dayou.'

Huang Dayou lacked the courage and the need. He had a reason to kill him, but not the ability to use such extreme methods. If it was just to burn something unimportant to frame him, a fire starter would have been enough. Three gourds of oil, weighing four or five pounds, would have set the entire arsenal ablaze. It couldn't be Chen Ju either. With Chen Ju's influence, why would he need to use an arsenal to bury a poor scholar? A word would have been enough to make Han Gang's death look like an accident.

What did Liu San mean by 'Chen' before he died? Who else could it be?

Han Gang's mind raced, and a flash of insight came to him. What if he wasn't the real target?

The mastermind must be Chen Ju, there was no doubt about that. No one else had the courage or the ability. But targeting him was just a side effect. Chen Ju's real target was the arsenal. The reason for burning the arsenal, Han Gang could guess with a high degree of certainty. Such examples were not uncommon in stories, in reality, and in his memory. Moreover, hadn't the Chengji County government office burned down three times in the past thirty years?

Arson in government offices and arsenals was not a shocking or rare event. Not to mention clerks setting fires to destroy evidence, according to Han Gang's knowledge, even a prefect had set a fire before!

A prefect set a fire to destroy evidence, a fact known to Han Gang and not a secret in Guanxi. The main character was Teng Zongliang, a friend of Fan Zhongyan, the builder of the Yueyang Tower. Fan Zhongyan's "Yueyang Tower Inscription" is famous for its line, "Worry before the world worries, and enjoy after the world enjoys." Teng Zongliang, who ordered the construction of the Yueyang Tower, was also well-known in Guanxi. During his tenure as the prefect of Jing Prefecture, he spent a large amount of public funds. When the matter was exposed, and the imperial censor was sent to investigate his accounts, he simply burned the account books to ashes.

'You want the account books? Here, this pile of ash is it.'

Fortunately, the imperial court always treated scholars well, and Emperor Renzong was especially lenient. Despite his actions, Teng Zongliang not only kept his life but continued to serve as a prefect, just in a different place, Yue Prefecture. The famous line "Worry before the world worries, and enjoy after the world enjoys" appeared in history precisely because of his fire.

In addition to Teng Zongliang, there was another more significant incident. During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, the servant of the Eighth Prince, Zhao Yuanyan (known as the Eighth Virtuous Prince in folklore), named Han, stole a few ounces of gold. To avoid being caught, she set a fire that burned down the Rongwang Palace, and the fire spread to the Left Treasury, Chao Yuan Gate, Chongwen Academy, and the Secretariat, destroying them all.

The Chongwen Academy and the Secretariat housed rare and valuable books from the Tang and Five Dynasties periods, as well as important historical documents and imperial edicts, essentially a royal library and archive. The Left Treasury, directly under the emperor, contained the savings of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, amounting to tens of millions of strings of cash. All of this was reduced to ashes because of a few ounces of gold.

As for clerks setting fires, there were many more cases, too numerous to count. To cover up crimes, burning evidence was a common practice. Most buildings in the Song Dynasty were made of earth and wood, and a single fire could reduce them to ashes, leaving nothing but a clean slate. At most, they would find a scapegoat to take the blame.

Thinking this through, everything made sense. As the designated scapegoat, Han Gang couldn't help but mutter, "Damn, what a coincidence."

Understanding everything, Han Gang's mind raced, and he quickly formed a plan. He returned to the room, took a horn from the wall—this was the alarm to be blown only when the arsenal was in trouble—and still holding the heavy crossbow, he went out the door. But he stopped in his tracks as soon as he stepped out.

In front of Han Gang, a lantern floated over from the gate, and behind it were the gate guards, Wang Wu and Wang Jiu.

Wang Wu and Wang Jiu were supposed to keep watch for Liu San and his men. According to the Household Department's Liu, even if the arsenal burned down, Chen Ju could still protect them. By framing the unfortunate Han Scholar, they would spend at most half a month in prison, and the reward would be enough to live comfortably for two or three years. Both were reluctant but dared not disobey Chen Ju. Tonight, Wang Wu and Wang Jiu followed orders, but after Liu San went in and there was no sound, they became increasingly anxious and came to check.

But what they saw terrified them. The lantern and the moonlight illuminated the three bodies on the ground. The fear on Liu San's face was inexplicably transmitted to Wang Jiu and Wang Wu. Han Gang, clearly the murderer, stood calmly at the door of the small house, looking at them.

Han Gang's tall figure stood straight like a strong pine, still calm and composed as in the daytime, but standing next to the three bodies, how could he still look the same?

"Han San, what have you done?" Wang Jiu shouted, but the chill in his heart could not be dispelled. Wang Wu's hand holding the lantern trembled uncontrollably.

Han Gang sneered and did not answer, just bringing the horn to his lips. In the horrified gazes of the two men, he took a deep breath and blew the alarm. Unlike in the inland cities, after the evening drum sounded, Qin Prefecture imposed a curfew. The silent night was shattered by the sharp alarm, waking many people from their sleep. Patrol riders stopped, and the night-duty officials in the government office rushed out. Many people perked up their ears to determine the source of the alarm.

The horn sounded three times before gradually fading, leaving a lingering echo in the cold autumn night.

Wang Jiu shivered uncontrollably, the heat in his body dissipated by the alarm, and he could hardly speak. "Han San, do you know what you've done?"

"Can't you see? These three men entered the arsenal at night, intending to set it on fire. I... killed them!" Han Gang spoke slowly, emphasizing the last two words. The heavy crossbow in his hand added to the weight of his words. The two guards felt a thick, chilling aura from Han Gang, as if they were in an ice cave.

"Lies, they... they..." Wang Wu stammered, finally remembering Liu San's words before he entered, "They came to invite you for a drink!"

Han Gang sneered, not even bothering to refute. "Anyone who enters someone's home at night without cause can be killed without question. How much more so for entering the arsenal at night without cause? Did these three have a military order? Did they have a pass? And they carried fire starters and oil, what do you think they were planning to do?" His smile grew colder, "It's a pity for the two of you, Wang brothers, to be buried with them!"

"This... this has nothing to do with us!" Wang Jiu stammered.

"Liu San and the others entered through the gate, so you two can't escape being accomplices. Entering the arsenal in a group, it's either theft or arson. And they all carried fire starters and oil, what else could they be planning?"

Han Gang stepped forward lightly, his feet making no sound, but it felt like a heavy drumbeat, scaring the two men into retreating several steps. Han Gang did not look at them, walking around the bodies of Liu San and the others, his steps measured and deliberate, as if reciting a poem. But the words that came from his mouth were sharp and cutting:

"Think about it, if the arsenal catches fire, can you really escape blame?

I will definitely die, but what about you?

Chen Ju may be powerful, but he can't surpass the law. Can a small county official protect you two?

He may have told you that you would only get a few lashes and spend two months in prison. But can you really trust his words? You might be dead from illness after just one night!

Is Chen Ju incapable of killing to silence you, or did he just not think of it?"

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