Chapter 91

When the fierce battle in the State of Taiyuan was raging, Shangdang remained peaceful throughout.

After Liu Jing was defeated and fled by the newly appointed Governor of Bingzhou, Liu Kun, the entire Shangdang Commandery temporarily became a power vacuum. However, Shangdang's geographical location, situated between Taiyuan, Hedong, and Wei Commanderies, with its deep valleys and narrow roads, made it strategically crucial. Therefore, to protect the flank of Jinyang, Lord Yue Shi sent General Long Jimeng with three thousand troops to reoccupy Shangdang a month ago. The process was almost bloodless, except for the execution of a few bandits.

Huguan County was the seat of the Shangdang Commandery, where the army of the former Governor of Dongyi, Sima Teng, once held its position. Therefore, it was only captured once last year by the army of the Xiongnu Left Valley King, Liu Cong, and thus suffered relatively less from the war. Although many households fled with the Governor of Dongyi to Yecheng, many residents who had fled to the mountains gradually returned. As a result, the city had somewhat recovered its vitality and seemed even more prosperous than Jinyang.

General Long Jimeng had about four thousand troops to defend Shangdang. Among them, a thousand were his old subordinates from Yanmen Commandery; another thousand were troops dispatched from Jinyang by Lord Yue Shi. These two groups were the main forces under Long Jimeng's command, stationed in Huguan.

The remaining two thousand or so were conscripts recruited by Long Jimeng after reclaiming Shangdang and various local militias that were gradually incorporated. They were stationed in various fortresses and strategic points throughout the Shangdang Commandery.

Gao Xiang, after leaving Lu Yao and joining Long Jimeng's forces, felt very comfortable. Long Jimeng's style of command was very different from Lu Yao's; he never demanded strict military discipline and did not care about the soldiers' misconduct. Therefore, Gao Xiang, who disliked being constrained, found himself in his element.

He was a famous brave general under Sima Teng and was thus highly trusted by Long Jimeng, who appointed him as a military commander responsible for leading the thousand troops dispatched from Jinyang. Gao Xiang was indeed capable; not only was he exceptionally brave, but his rough and generous personality also won him the hearts of the soldiers. In just over a month, he had the troops under his command well-disciplined.

The military camp of this unit was set up in the south of the city, and they were also responsible for guarding the southern gate of Huguan. With the continuous warfare in the State of Taiyuan, the garrisons in Shangdang were on high alert, not daring to be negligent. The number of guards at the city gates was doubled, with a banner commander assigned to each gate, and four squad leaders taking turns to keep watch at night.

The banner commander of the southern gate changed every five days, and it was Zhu Yunzhi's turn these few days.

Zhu Yunzhi was one of the few loyal subordinates who insisted on following Gao Xiang when he left Lu Yao's forces. Although he was not particularly brave, his character was meticulous. With Gao Xiang's promotion, he also became a banner commander in charge of several hundred men.

At that moment, Zhu Yunzhi was pacing back and forth on the city wall. Occasionally, he glanced outside the city, only to see the night as dark as ink, with the distant mountains faintly visible under the dim starlight. Although it was spring, it was still quite cold at night. He pulled his cloak tighter and muttered a few curses, not knowing who he was complaining about.

Footsteps sounded below the city, and the soldiers on guard asked alertly, "Who's there?"

Someone laughed and said, "Who's on duty up there? I am the Right Marshal Yu Xi, sent by General Long to bring food and drink to reward the soldiers."

Yu Xi was a trusted aide of Long Jimeng, ranking even higher than Gao Xiang. Zhu Yunzhi had met Yu Xi several times when accompanying Gao Xiang to General Long's residence, so he recognized his voice immediately. Zhu Yunzhi did not dare to be disrespectful and hurriedly came down the steps, saying, "To trouble you, Right Marshal Yu, is truly an honor! I am deeply grateful!"

Yu Xi was waiting at the base of the wall with a dozen men, and several large baskets were placed beside him. He laughed and said, "Commander Zhu, don't thank me. The soldiers have been working hard guarding the city, and General Long specially arranged for food and drink to let everyone have a hot meal. Come, which two of you can help carry these up to the city?"

Zhu Yunzhi looked at the baskets, which contained steaming hot baked cakes and meat. The beef and flour had been repeatedly baked in the Hu bing oven, emitting a tempting aroma; the extremely fatty and tender lamb legs made his mouth water. Zhu Yunzhi swallowed hard, and such delicious food made him overjoyed. He quickly called a few soldiers to help carry the baskets.

The soldiers on the city tower were both tired and hungry. Seeing this, they cheered and gathered to eat.

Yu Xi came to Zhu Yunzhi's side, took out a wine flask, and gently shook it, whispering affectionately, "This is the best wine General Long specially sent me to bring! Old Zhu, find a place, and let's have a few drinks, shall we?"

After the Han and Wei dynasties, many people enjoyed drinking. For example, Cao Cao, the Wu Emperor of Wei, once wrote a poem: "When drinking, sing, how long is life?" In contemporary times, there were even more people who loved to drink. For instance, the famous scholar Liu Ling, "Heaven-born Liu Ling, known for his love of wine, drinking a hu at a time, five dou to sober up." Or like Ruan Ji, who was drunk for over sixty days.

Zhu Yunzhi was also a lover of alcohol, but unfortunately, the military had its own rules, and he could not indulge in drinking. Moreover, Bingzhou had suffered from famine for years, and there was no grain to make wine. Therefore, he could only drink some bland rice wine to satisfy his craving. Now, seeing the good wine, his eyes lit up, and he repeatedly said, "Good! Good!"

He looked around and found a sheltered platform on the city wall: "Right Marshal Yu, how about that place?"

Yu Xi nodded slightly.

Zhu Yunzhi said eagerly, "Good! Good! Follow me!"

He led the way, but after a few steps, he suddenly noticed that the dozen men who had come with Yu Xi were still waiting at the base of the wall. They were wrapped in large cloaks, their faces obscured, and they had not spoken a word from the beginning, which seemed quite strange. He hesitated and pointed at them, asking Yu Xi, "Right Marshal Yu, these brothers..."

Yu Xi said casually, "It's fine, they are all my household troops. Let them wait here."

"Ha ha, then I'll trouble these brothers..." Zhu Yunzhi said politely, then hurriedly walked towards the platform. Thinking of the aroma of the wine, he almost felt a sense of bliss.

Yu Xi closely followed Zhu Yunzhi, his eyes quickly scanning the inside and outside of Huguan. Inside the city, the dark night showed nothing special. However, Yu Xi knew that a similar scene was playing out at every place where Gao Xiang's troops were stationed, with people placed in key positions for various reasons.

As for outside the city... Yu Xi almost heard the footsteps of bloodthirsty beasts lurking and approaching.

Zhu Yunzhi, guarding the city gate, was content with the good food and drink. His three colleagues, the other three banner commanders under Gao Xiang, were even more at ease.

Spring Wind Tower.

This place was the rear tower of the former Governor of Bingzhou, Sima Teng, and the most luxurious building in the entire Huguan. Now, it had a different use, becoming a place where the famous courtesan, Zuo Ming, entertained guests.

Zuo Ming was the top courtesan of the Red Sleeve Brothel in Yecheng, famous for her beauty. Although she was a slave, she was skilled and charming, attracting many high-ranking officials and nobles. Her name "Zuo Ming" had a significant origin, derived from the idea of reading history to accompany wine and having a beauty to accompany life. This name was given by the great scholar Cui Ji of Wei Commandery. As for why a great scholar would give a name to a courtesan, it was not something outsiders could understand. Perhaps he wanted to emulate the Han scholar Ma Rong, who had female musicians behind a red silk screen, which helped him advance his studies.

Unfortunately, beauty fades, and Zuo Ming, now past her prime, could no longer compete with the younger courtesans in Yecheng. So, she used a connection to a patron to buy her freedom and moved elsewhere to operate, becoming a private courtesan. Despite her age, she was still highly sought after in Shangdang, with a thriving business.

Though beauty fades, a mature woman has a different charm. On this day, a wealthy patron had paid a thousand gold to have Zuo Ming.

"Sir... gently... Zuo Ming can't take it... ah... no more..." At this moment, Zuo Ming, who prided herself on her skills, was almost collapsing. She lay on the bed, too weak to lift a finger, her eyes glazed over as she moaned. Perhaps from crying and screaming too much, her voice was hoarse.

However, the man behind her had no mercy. He panted heavily, his strong hands gripping her trembling waist, thrusting wildly, the force increasing, as if trying to crush her.

Another voice laughed lewdly, "Brother Feixiang is truly skilled, almost killing Zuo Ming. I, Xiangsheng, will join in."

As he spoke, he grabbed Zuo Ming's long hair and pulled it up. Zuo Ming groaned, barely lifting her face, and something was forced into her mouth, preventing her from speaking.

A third voice said, "If you two do this, won't you leave me, Dake, out? Come, come, do this and that..."

He directed the other two men to lift Zuo Ming up.

Zuo Ming finally caught her breath and exclaimed, "No... no... Sirs... please spare me..."

The three patrons, in the heat of the moment, ignored her. They held her up and continued their assault.

Even a seasoned courtesan like Zuo Ming felt her consciousness fading, as if her soul was about to leave her body. In a short time, she had experienced death and rebirth several times.

Faintly, she heard someone outside the window say menacingly, "The time is almost here. Watch these three lechers closely. Also, keep an eye on their personal guards!"

Zuo Ming was startled, but when she tried to listen again, she heard nothing. Just then, the three men resumed their assault, and she felt an indescribable sensation deep inside. Dake, the brute, was really going to kill her, she thought dazedly, rolling her eyes and fainting again.

******

On May 8, 2013, at around 15:00, "Fufeng Song" received 213 red tickets, far exceeding the support I had imagined. I am deeply moved and bow in gratitude.

This number is only 5 less than "The Most Elegant of the Three Kingdoms." Zhao Zizhao is an author I admire very much, and I have read "The Ant Bandit" no less than ten times... So at this exciting moment, I must shout "Long live Prince Deng of Yan"!

Additionally, I'm a bit worried this chapter might be criticized. Sigh. The courtesan Zuo Ming and the three patrons, Feixiang, Dake, and Xiangsheng, are all played by members of the Wei-Jin-Southern and Northern Dynasties Cultural Circle (154652699). Four of you, are you satisfied?

Finally, thank you, Mayor of Daliushu, and everyone for your continued support. I will continue to work hard and not let you down.

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