1069 Something I Had To Do (2/2)

After a long while he woke up and opened his eyes. Looking at the familiar yard where he had lived in for many years, he reached out his hand in the air as he used to do. But unfortunately no one handed him tea.

When he raised his face no one placed a warm bowl on it. When he said he felt hot no one put her cold and fair feet into his arms. When he said he was hungry there was no noodle soup with fried egg served.

The City of Wei was still there, and so were the restaurant, the courtyard, and the adobe sleeping platform. The wooden case was still there facing the platform. The walls were there. The hunting knife was there. Even the bank notes were still in his hands.

But the person was gone. Everyone was gone. And so was her.

Ning Que lay on the bamboo sling chair, looked at the azure sky, and recalled a lot.

Before he left Wei, he told General Ma to stay young, stay alive, and wait for him. He also told the fellows that he would never return unless he was established. Now he was very well renowned as the most powerful figure in the world. He finally had the guts to come back. But it was too late.

The war between the Golden Tribe Royal Court and the Tang Empire would definitely turn the situation in the human world. But for him it had nothing to do with the world. It was just for the City of Wei.

He wanted the get Wei back and seek revenge. In the meanwhile he was looking for someone.

Time flew while he lay on the bamboo sling chair. It was a few days later.

Some clops and conversations were heard by the brook next to the courtyard.

Situ Yilan slightly nodded to the soldiers who saluted to her. She came to a barrack facing the courtyard, handed her horse to a guard, looked at the yard and asked, ”What's up?”

An assistant commander shook his head and answered, ”He insisted.”

Situ Yilan said after a pause, ”How many?”

The assistant commander replied, ”There are some minor confrontations around the Seven Strongholds but nothing to be worried about. We are in control. There should be over forty thousands including slaves, women and children…”

Situ Yilan slightly frowned and asked again, ”He still insisted no matter what?”

The assistant commander said nothing further. It seemed he was not against the order from the person inside the courtyard.

Situ Yilan stared at the courtyard nearby, and walked toward it after a moment of silence.

”It is a massacre,” she said calmly to Ning Que who was lying on the bamboo chair. Her voice was somewhat trembling.

Ning Que opened his eyes and said, ”You've served in the army for years. Haven't you ever seen a massacre?”

Situ Yilan kept quiet for a long while then said, ”By rights we should not kill the women and children… Even the most brutal tribe from the grassland would never do so.”

”This was the place where I lived together with her for quite some while many years ago.” Ning Que stood up from the bamboo chair and pointed at the courtyard. Then he led her out of the yard, came to the street and started introducing everything inside the City of Wei in details.

”I knew everyone in this city. They all died in that war. The grassland people broke in and occupied the city. They raised their machetes and killed whoever they saw. Did they let go any women or children by then?”

Coming out of the city, he stood on the meadow and stared at the distinctive weeds on the adobe walls. He shook his head and said, ”I was not trying to convince myself by recalling these facts, not to convince you or anyone else. I'm just telling you why I am so resolute. No one could ever stop me from the revenge.”

Situ Yilan followed his sight and looked at the City of Wei. She felt struggling when recalling the fellow soldiers and people died throughout the years. But she still hesitated, ”This is not what the Academy taught us.”

”I've told you. No one could stop me from the revenge, even if the Headmaster were to come back.” Ning Que looked toward the moon rising from behind the evening glow, and replied after a long pause.

He pointed to the weeds on the adobe walls of Wei and said, ”It might be sinful, but I don't care. I just know that we have to cut the weeds and dig out the roots. Otherwise we would be in trouble sooner or later.”

...

...

In the following days, the blood of the grassland people flooded the entire grassland. After this battle, the winning Tang soldiers conducted Ning Que's order like they did outside Guhe. They left no captives, or future troubles. They kept slaughtering until their sabers became blunt.

Ning Que and Situ Yilan came to the meadow outside of Wei again.

The Tang army assembled on the fields and looked at the two of them on the meadow with complicated feelings.

There was fanatical worship as well as chilling awe.

Being experienced elite soldiers, the tens of thousands of cavalrymen outside the City of Wei had went through killing and brutal slaughtering on the grassland. But they had never executed such a massacre.

The entire grassland seemed to have been irrigated with blood. It smelled bloody and pungent. Flies and mosquitoes were buzzing annoyingly.

The Tang army could not have stationed here without the arrays set by the masters.

The arrays could keep the flies and mosquitoes away and reduce the bloody smell. But they could not block the sight.

A dozens of miles to the north of Wei on a flat field, a small hill was formed a while ago. People could not see it clearly due to the distance. But it shone in the morning glow.

Everyone in the Tang army knew what it was. And they could not help feeling chilled whenever they looked at the hill. It was a pile of chopped heads of the grassland people.

Ning Que stood on the meadow and looked at the pile of human heads afar calmly. He felt no fear, no awe, or any abnormal mania. For him it was just something he had to do.

”They used to call me the the Woodchopper of Shubi Lake.” He stared at the vast grassland and said slowly, ”Everyone, from the thieves to the cavalrymen of the Royal Court, was scared of my cavalrymen. Because … we were indeed good at killing.”

Situ Yilan said nothing. She could barely feel anything after these days.

Ning Que continued, ”I've told people in Chang'an that the world did not witness me killing in the past. But they will do frequently in the future.”

Situ Yilan looked at the side of his face and said, ”I hope it won't happen ever again.”

Ning Que paused and said, ”I hope so too. But it depends on whether the world will be on my side.”