Chapter 23: The Masterful Pen (7)

A Lun Can’s vest was soaked with cold sweat as he watched in horror as a group of demons slaughtered his own soldiers as if they were in an empty place, taking lives one after another!
A sense of powerlessness surged within him. If it weren’t for maintaining the dignity of a military commander, A Lun Can would likely have collapsed to the ground.
Worst of all, he couldn’t find any way to defeat his enemies. Those Tang soldiers with their halberds were like merciless devils, devouring his forces bit by bit.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
Finally, with the help of his personal guards, A Lun Can made a wise decision.
Yet it seemed too late. Even without his order, the Hu soldiers would have retreated without hesitation.
Who would want to deal with devils who ate flesh without spitting out bones?
Trembling, they scrambled onto their horses, tightly gripping the reins to turn them around and head back toward the valley entrance. They no longer cared about the Tang troops lurking in the valley—escaping those demons, even for a moment, was worth it!
Night was nearly half over, and the cold wind was biting.
Li Kuo held the reins in one hand, staring at the enemy cavalry charging toward them, a barely noticeable smile on his lips.
“Kill!”
Simple and decisive.
Seven thousand cavalry members slaughtering over a thousand remaining enemies—there was no doubt about it, even though his cavalry were just newly trained soldiers from the Jianghuai region.
The clanging of horse hooves echoed clearly in the silent night. Ignoring the cold wind brushing past his temples, Li Kuo took a bow from his guard, drew an arrow, and aimed at one of the enemy soldiers.
“Whoosh!”
The bow was like a full moon; the arrow, like a meteor!
The arrow with its carved feather flew forward and, without a doubt, pierced A Lun Can’s head.
This adopted son of An Lushan, the governor of Tangzhou, didn’t even have time to utter a cry before his body stiffened and he collapsed heavily.
Bang!
The Hu cavalry panicked. A Lun Can’s personal guards stared blankly at their commander’s corpse, not knowing what to do.
“The general is dead! The general is dead!”
Someone shouted, and the Hu cavalry completely collapsed.
“Kill them all! For the Tang Dynasty, for ourselves!”
Li Kuo charged forward on his horse, swinging his black sword to slay the Hu cavalry. In his black helmet and armor, with his bow drawn and hair loose, he resembled a god descending from heaven.
Seven thousand Tang cavalry followed their general into the ranks of the Hu cavalry, raising swords and spears to eliminate all evil before them….
Dawn broke.
Those who had never experienced darkness would never look forward to dawn so much.

Some shame can only be washed away with blood, and some grudges can only be understood in the darkness. But when the darkness fades and dawn breaks, it marks a new beginning. Sitting on the mountain plain, watching the first rays of sunlight pierce through the thick clouds and illuminate the land—what tenderness there must be. Wiping the last traces of blood from the blade with a silk cloth, Li Kuo sheathed his sword. In the battle last night, the sons of the Han clan slaughtered over three thousand enemy riders, sparing none. He kept his promise—a promise as a Tang man! And this was only the first step… In the city of Tangzhou, in the governor’s office, Li Kuo sat at the head of the hall, frowning at the man inside. “Let me go! Let me go! You can’t treat me like this! I’m the chief clerk of Tangzhou, an official appointed by the imperial court!” Dong Zhongfu was tied up like a zongzi but still refused to yield, holding his head high with spittle flying from his mouth. “What a so-called official!” Pu Dachui, unable to stand it any longer, kicked Dong Zhongfu hard in the knees, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to the ground. “Now you admit you’re an official appointed by the court? What were you doing when the rebels entered the city? Were you not scrambling to serve them?” He hated such two-faced, cowardly scoundrels who lacked backbone. If not for the commander’s refusal, he would have beheaded this man right away. “I… I…” Dong Zhongfu was so intimidated by Pu Dachui that he was speechless and fell silent. “Your name is Dong Zhongfu, and you’re the chief clerk of this city of Tangzhou?” Li Kuo asked slowly, tapping the desk. “Yes.” After suffering greatly, Dong Zhongfu simply lowered his head in response, no longer showing his former arrogance. “You’ve been reporting to the rebels and giving them advice?” Li Kuo asked, his expression full of disdain. “Yes.” Dong Zhongfu remained listless, sighing. “Drag him out and execute him!” Li Kuo waved his hand, unwilling to ask further. At that, Dong Zhongfu, like a fish in a net, started thrashing around and shouting, “You can’t kill me! You can’t kill me!” Li Kuo, both angry and amused, said, “Why can’t I kill you?” Dong Zhongfu raised his neck and said, “I’m not a military officer. You have no right to execute me since I’m not working in your army. I’m an official of the Great Tang court, and only the emperor has that right!” Pu Dachui sneered, “How ridiculous. I really wonder how someone like you became a chief clerk. Do you think your crime of surrendering the city to the enemy will save you from the emperor’s wrath?” “Anyway, you have no right to kill me!”

Dong Zhongfu seemed to have grasped a lifeline and insisted firmly.
“In this chaotic times, with a ninth-rank clerk suddenly dying in Tangzhou City, do you think it will disturb the powerful figures in the capital? As far as I know, there are quite a few officials in Tangzhou who have had their heads cut off by the Hu tribesmen.”
Li Sheng found it amusing and also started teasing Dong Zhongfu.
“You, you despicable wretches!”
Not knowing how to retort, Dong Zhongfu cursed.
“Or give me a reason not to kill you.”
Li Kuo’s expression turned cold as he said.
“I… I can’t say…”
After pondering for a moment, Dong Zhongfu shook his head in despair and sighed heavily.
“In that case, take him out and execute him!”
Li Kuo slammed the desk fiercely and ordered resolutely.
“As you command!”
Immediately, two of his trusted men stepped forward, grabbed Dong Zhongfu, and started dragging him away.
“Don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me! Mother, I’ve told you everything—about the rebels’ plans! Please don’t kill me!”
After being tormented repeatedly, Dong Zhongfu was already mentally broken. Seeing that Li Kuo truly intended to execute him, he could hold back no longer and cried and pleaded frantically.