Chapter 82: Ten Thousand Cavalry of the Jinwu Guard

Li Linfu’s carriage came to a slow stop in front of Li Qing’an. The curtain was drawn halfway, revealing Li Linfu’s plump nose. With a slight smile, he said, “Seventh Brother, you’ve taken up your post so quickly?”
Li Qing’an bowed and said, “Thank you, Prime Minister, for recommending me!”
“Hehe! No need to thank me. I’ve always wanted to find something for you to do, but never had the chance. This time, when the Emperor proposed inspecting the nine gates, I immediately thought of you. I believe you’re fully capable of handling it.”
“I will not disappoint the Prime Minister’s trust.”
Li Linfu smiled and said, “Don’t think this is an easy task. A slight carelessness could lead to offending people, but if you’re too lenient, the Emperor won’t be satisfied. You must strike the right balance on your own, Seventh Brother. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I understand! In the past, Cao Cao established his authority with a five-colored staff, earning eternal fame. I am willing to follow in Cao Cao’s footsteps and make the powerful in Chang’an tremble at the mention of Qing’an’s name.”
“Well said!”
Li Linfu laughed loudly and said, “The idea is right, but don’t compare yourself to Cao Cao. I’m leaving now. Be careful with what you do!”
With that, Li Linfu waved his hand, and the carriage set off, heading back toward the Daming Palace. Li Qing’an watched it go until it disappeared before turning to his soldiers and saying, “Mount your horses! Let’s head to Pingkang Fang first.”
The sound of hooves thundered as they rushed toward Pingkang Fang.
……
It was the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month. Chang’an was as busy as usual, but many people noticed that since that morning, there was a new cavalry patrol in the city. Each soldier had two horses, long bows on their backs, and silver staffs in their hands. Their uniforms were bright and they carried an imposing presence. Compared to the slick-tongued Jinwu Guard, they inspired even more fear.
Soon, news of the court’s establishment of the Nine Gates Patrol spread throughout Chang’an’s streets and alleys. Many people came out just to see what was going on. Most people in Chang’an welcomed the new patrol, but some were dissatisfied with their arrival—especially the Jinwu Guard. It wasn’t surprising, as street patrols offered plenty of opportunities for profit. After a day of patrolling, they could earn at least a few hundred coins. If lucky enough to encounter crimes and settle them privately, they might even make several or even a dozen guan.
But now, with the arrival of the Nine Gates Patrol, they lost many of these opportunities, which directly threatened their interests.
So, two hours later, Li Qing’an received reports of a clash between the patrol and the Jinwu Guard in the East Market. He immediately led fifty cavalrymen toward the East Market.

The conflict took place at the Jinxiu Colorful Silk Shop in the southwest corner of the East Market. It started when a thief stole thirty pieces of high-quality Shu silk from a silk shop’s warehouse, but was quickly discovered by the shop owner. Thirty soldiers from the Jinguwei guard, responsible for patrolling the East Market, intercepted the thief, and the shop owner also arrived in time. However, the Jinguwei soldiers claimed they had only recovered five pieces of Shu silk, with the rest missing.

The shop owner suffered heavy losses and, knowing his situation was dire, started making a scene in the street. Coincidentally, twenty soldiers from the patrol unit passed by. They captured a lone Jinguwei soldier and found half a piece of Shu silk in his saddle bag.

The situation escalated. Jinguwei soldiers from the East Market rushed to rescue their comrade, leading to a bloody clash in the streets. Li Qing’an led fifty cavalrymen like a gust of wind into the East Market. With the clatter of hooves, they shouted, “Everyone ahead, get out of the way!”

The merchants and pedestrians in the street fled in fear. The cavalry rushed through the street and disappeared around the corner. People in the street discussed what was happening. Many who knew what had occurred rushed excitedly toward the Jinxiu Colorful Silk Shop, knowing there was going to be an exciting show.

On the street in front of the silk shop, over three hundred Jinguwei soldiers surrounded the twenty soldiers from the patrol unit. Armed with iron clubs topped with gold, they looked fierce. The leading officer shouted angrily, “Kneel and beg for mercy! If you promise never to come to the East Market again, we’ll spare you this time. Otherwise, we’ll break your legs!”

Nearly half of the twenty patrol soldiers were injured after the earlier bloody clash. The soldiers remained silent—how could they kneel when ordered?

One of the officers replied, “Captain Ma, it’s clearly you who stole the shop owner’s goods today. Aren’t you afraid of military discipline?”

Captain Ma of the Jinguwei soldiers sneered. He wasn’t afraid. Such things happened often. Which shop owner would dare offend the Jinguwei? The year before last, a reckless butcher went to the military headquarters to accuse soldiers of extortion. Although that soldier was punished with a hundred lashes, the butcher offended the Jinguwei. That very night, his shop was smashed to pieces by unknown attackers. He was severely injured, and his wife was raped. After that incident, no one dared to accuse Jinguwei soldiers again.

Captain Ma pointed at the shop owner beside him and cursed, “You wretched shop owner! How dare you falsely accuse us Jinguwei of stealing your goods?”

The shop owner was terrified and waved his hands frantically. “No! No! Only five pieces of Shu silk were stolen from me, and the soldiers have returned them all. Not a single piece is missing!”

The officer sneered. “I see. Fine! I can’t afford to deal with you. Goodbye!”

He spurred his horse, ready to lead his men away. Eleven soldiers of the Jinguwei were injured, and they certainly wouldn’t let them go. The cavalry commander was furious. “They have the audacity to disregard us! Brothers, attack! Break their legs!”
The 300 Jinguwei soldiers roared in unison, waving their copper clubs as they charged forward. At that critical moment, an arrow shot in like lightning, piercing the cavalry commander’s left shoulder. Another arrow followed, entering through the eye of his warhorse. The horse let out a agonized cry and threw the cavalry commander to the ground.
The sudden incident stunned all the soldiers present. They turned to look and saw a young officer not far away. He was tall and robust, with icy cold eyes. He held a large black bow, drawn taut like a full moon, its sharp arrowhead aimed at them.
“I am Li Qing’an of Anxi. Whoever dares to move will meet the same fate as those on the ground.”
Li Qing’an’s reputation was already well-known. The 300 Jinguwei soldiers stood frozen as if under a spell, not daring to move. Only the cavalry commander on the ground groaned in pain, clutching his shoulder, along with a warhorse that had died instantly, its eyes bleeding blood that covered the ground.
The soldiers patrolling the camp were overjoyed to see their leader arrive. They quickly spurred their horses to hide behind him. At that moment, the other 50 cavalrymen from the Nine Gates also arrived. The fire officer hurriedly reported, “General, 30 Jinguwei soldiers have stolen goods from thieves.”
Li Qing’an sneered. “For stealing goods, I can execute them on the spot. This is my first time patrolling the streets. I’ll give you a chance—hand over the stolen goods, and you can go. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being merciless with my arrows!”
The Jinguwei soldiers stepped back in fear, looking at the cavalry commander on the ground. Suddenly, Li Qing’an shot another arrow at him, piercing his thigh and pinning him to the ground. The cavalry commander screamed in agony and fainted from the pain.
Li Qing’an nocked another arrow and said coldly to the Jinguwei soldiers, “Those who have stolen goods, listen. I’ll count to three. If you still refuse to return the goods, I’ll execute one of you right here.”
“One!”
His bow gradually drew taut, the arrowhead resembling a venomous snake with red fangs, radiating death.
“Two!”
…
“I give up! I give up!”
Finally, someone lost courage. A soldier threw down his club, raised his hands high, and shouted, “The goods are at the camp! I’ll go get them!”
“Hurry up!”

He turned and ran, leading the way, with the others also throwing down their iron rods and rushing toward the camp. In no time, dozens of them retrieved half or a whole piece of Shu brocade, which quickly piled up into a small hill at the shop entrance.
Li Qingan snorted coldly, turned his horse around, and waved his hand, saying, “Let’s go!”
The large group of cavalry sped off and vanished without a trace in moments.