xymnovel Chapter 25 Transfer Order
Chapter 25 Transfer Order
No one from the Cui family came.
It was as if that night had never happened. No one came to ask, no one came to look for them, not even a word was sent.
Shen Bai didn't ask.
He was just waiting.
He didn't sit idle while waiting.
Days passed by, and a month went by in the blink of an eye.
During this month, Shen Bai led his men to wipe out all the bandit strongholds around Jiankang.
Not a single one was left.
The first bandit gang, a dozen or so men, was entrenched in an abandoned temple in a southwestern mountain valley.
When Shen Bai led his men up there, it was still dark.
They didn't light torches or carry flags; they walked by moonlight, very slowly, yet their steps were remarkably synchronized.
There was a sentry at the temple gate, dozing off against the wall.
Shen Bai raised his hand, and a pebble flew out. The man went limp without even uttering a sound.
From entering the temple to leaving, the entire process takes less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
When they came out, two of Shen Bai's men had been injured, but they were just minor cuts and nothing serious.
The bandit leader's head was cut off, hung on the saddle, and taken back to report his victory.
The bandit leader was still drinking before he died, his face flushed red, and he didn't even have time to draw his knife.
The second den of thieves was a proper bandit stronghold, located on the main peak of Niutou Mountain.
The place is in a dangerous location, with a cliff on one side and steep slopes on the other three sides, and there is only one road leading up to it.
It is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
The county government had sent people to attack twice before, but they failed to capture it.
Shen Bai didn't take that road when he went there.
He had someone squat at the foot of the mountain all night, and at dawn, he selected three of the best climbers and went up himself.
Vines grew on the cliff face, some thick and some thin, together providing a meager foothold. The four of them climbed up the cliff face, but halfway up, one of their hands slipped, and luckily they grabbed a vine to avoid falling.
Shen Bai was at the front and reached the top of the cliff first.
The guards at the top of the village never dreamed that someone would climb up the cliff. Seven or eight guards were sunbathing in front of the village gate, some gambling, some picking their toes.
Shen Bai stood alone at the entrance of the village, his sword still sheathed.
He stood there, like an iron stake growing out of the stone.
The guards were stunned. Before they could react, a flash of light appeared, and the man at the front had fallen, blood splattering everywhere.
Those behind him realized what was happening and reached for their knives, but Shen Bai had already rushed into the crowd.
The knife was as fast as a silver thread, skimming across one person's neck and across another's face like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Fifteen minutes later, the gate to the village was opened from the inside.
When the government troops rushed up the mountain, they only saw a pile of corpses and a man standing in a pool of blood wiping his knife.
In that battle, Shen Bai himself was also stabbed; someone slashed his left arm in the chaos.
There was a lot of bleeding, but not deep.
He didn't utter a sound when Shen Anning stitched him up.
Seven needles, and not a single one made a sound.
The third hideout was in the east, consisting of several scattered bandit gangs, totaling about twenty people. They didn't have a proper hideout; they would move on after each hit.
This time, Shen Bai didn't have to go himself.
He sent his subordinate Lao Zhao with men.
The bandits hid in a reed bed, thinking they could get away with it unnoticed.
Zhou Yuan led his men to surround the area from three directions and set fire to the reeds.
As soon as the fire started, the group scattered like startled wild ducks.
The one that darted out ran right into the encirclement.
Of the twenty-odd people, not one escaped.
One month.
Three dens of bandits, two bandit strongholds, and six scattered robbery gangs.
Everything's been cleared out.
The area around Jiankang was so clean it looked as if it had been combed with a fine-toothed comb.
The news spread to several surrounding counties, who sent people to express their gratitude, and some even presented banners and plaques.
The plaque bears the four large characters "除暴安良" (Cure Violence and Protect the People), which are gilded and dazzling.
Shen Bai had his men put the plaque into the storeroom, but he kept the banner—the fabric was sturdy and could be cut up for other uses.
The Cui family remained silent.
Such a big event had already spread throughout Jiankang City.
Everyone in the streets and alleys was talking about Shen Bai leading his men to suppress the bandits, praising his bravery and extraordinary abilities, describing it in a very fantastical way.
But the Cui family acted as if they had never heard of it at all.
No one came to visit, no one came to express concern, and no one even asked a single question.
It was as if Shen Bai had nothing to do with them.
It was as if what happened that night was just a dream.
Every time Shen Bai entered Jiankang City, he felt that someone was watching him from the shadows.
Looking back, there was no one there.
But he knew they hadn't forgotten.
Just waiting.
Some of Shen Bai's men were talking amongst themselves, saying that the Cui family was probably afraid of him and dared not come again.
Some people say that the Cui family is such a powerful family that they would not be afraid of a mere seventh-rank official, and they probably just don't want to bother with him.
Some people say that the Cui family is observing and waiting to see what Shen Bai's next move will be.
Shen Bai heard this but didn't reply.
He simply ordered his men to continue training and drills, as if nothing had happened.
Every night, he would stand outside the tent for a long time, looking at the stars in the sky, lost in thought.
Not long after the report on the bandit suppression was submitted, the commendation came down.
It arrived faster than Shen Bai had anticipated.
The document arrived by fast horse. Upon opening it, one could see that the imperial court had approved Shen Bai's military merits and promoted him one rank—from the eighth rank to the seventh rank.
A middling official.
To put it bluntly, a seventh-rank official is nothing more than a nobody, and there are plenty of them in the capital.
Although he was not a high-ranking official, he was still a proper court official with rank and salary, and wherever he went, people would call him "Lord Shen".
After reading the document, Shen Bai had his subordinates put it away, showing no particular expression.
The transfer order arrived along with the commendation document.
On the same day, by the same messenger, they arrived together.
The contents of the transfer order are clearly stated:
First, report to the Ministry of War in Jiankang, then await assignment. The destination is the border between Southern Liang and Nanzhao.
The border between the Southern Liang and the Nanzhao Kingdom.
Shen Bai knew exactly what kind of place it was.
The Southern Liang was located in the south, with a vast territory, but its people were weak and uncivilized; the Nanzhao was even further south, with heavy miasma and deep forests, a land beyond the reach of civilization.
Friction between the two sides is constant, and conflicts occur from time to time.
In the past two years, conflicts have become more frequent and show a strong trend of escalation.
The court sent him there either because they thought he had rendered meritorious service in suppressing bandits and was of useful use, or because they felt it didn't matter where he went and they might as well throw him to the ends of the earth.
It could be for other reasons.
For example, someone might try to get him away from home.
The transfer order did not specify who nominated him or who approved it.
Only one line of cold, lifeless text:
"Shen Bai is to rise immediately, without delay."
Chen Qingzhi stood at the tent entrance, staring at the transfer order in Shen Bai's hand, and remained silent for a long time.
After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice very soft:
"Nanzhao".
He said.
"The Cui family's influence can't reach there. But they don't need to."
Why?
"Because no one ever comes back alive from there."
Shen Bai read the transfer order twice, folded it, and put it in his pocket.
As he approached the entrance to the camp, he gazed at the distant mountains.
The sky is very blue, and the clouds are very white.
South.
he thinks.
It's not in the north.
The Cui family.
He thought to himself.
This score will be settled when we reach Nanzhao.
His personal guards came over and asked him if it was time to prepare for departure.
Shen Bai nodded and said, "Pack your things, we'll be leaving in a couple of days."
The guard acknowledged and withdrew.
The transfer order was in his arms, pressed against his chest.
heavy.
Shen Anning was standing at the tent entrance, looking at him, without him noticing.
She didn't say anything.
There was something in her eyes, but she didn't let it show.
(End of Chapter 25)