Chapter Sixty Interrogation

  What a great blessing, it's all nonsense. I carefully opened the inner lining and saw that the nylon fabric inside had broken into many small holes. The black lining inside was covered with countless white dots from intense friction. This thing from the former Soviet military aircraft is really something else, its toughness saved my life, but the impact was severe enough to make me suffer. Even a slight touch hurts badly. I feel a salty taste in my mouth and a tight pain in my chest, fearing that some capillaries have burst. My heart aches a little, this is the only memory of me and that world. They just said that I wore soft armor inside and escaped unharmed, but they didn't know the details.

  Tonight's scares were enough, it was like a dream, the lightness of kung fu, hidden weapons, and internal strength that made people spit blood in movies and TV shows. The swordsmanship that shone brightly is now nothing to be surprised about, even if a cow flew in front of me. In comparison, modern martial arts I've seen are just empty names, like flower racks with no substance. No wonder they're called "flower fists and embroidered legs". They lack the vigorous power and the spirit of fearless combat, losing the essence of practicality and actual combat, leaving only dazzling moves and superficial performances for show.

  Surrounded by a circle, I'm afraid all the imperial physicians who followed are here, as well as several officials including Wei Tuo and others, and his old man Wei Jian's close ministers. In the midst of various gazes, they heard them speaking in unison to offer congratulations and praise, but it was my story of blocking the sword for the old emperor that was exaggerated into a model of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism.

  But then a familiar voice said, "My dear, are you awake?" The room fell silent as everyone turned to the door. The old emperor strode in with a strong and dignified spirit, his demeanor calm and composed, showing no signs of having just gone through a life-or-death crisis. He took a few steps forward and pressed down on me, who was about to get up and apologize, saying warmly, "No need for formalities, your loyalty is well understood by me... In times of danger, one's true character is revealed... Just don't take risks with your own safety again, if something were to happen to you, I would be deeply grieved and the court would lose a great talent... Take care of yourself, the court still needs your service." His gentle words were like warm spring sunshine, making it impossible not to feel moved. The only response was silent tears.

  If at this time there are still people who say that I am of unknown origin, suspicious circumstances and so on, I'm afraid the old emperor will not hesitate to take me out and behead me to rectify the hearts of the people. At the critical moment of life and death, it's not something that anyone can bear, although this is an unexpected event that I do not wish for.

  It's just that this situation is really too dangerous, I've been in this job for less than a month and I've already had two close calls with death, either being chased by people running all over the mountains or blocking assassins' swords. Now I know why those YY who ran to ancient times all like to write about pigs becoming all-around supermen, special elite ultra-humans.

  Of course, for me. This life-and-death situation where one careless move could turn my name into a nostalgic memory or an inscription on a cold tombstone is best avoided. Without powerful martial arts to protect myself, it's really not possible, at least not with skills like those of my deputy general Wei Laosan. So I need a bodyguard with sufficient weight, as a reward for risking my life to save the old emperor, I request a guard.

  It seems that the old emperor was pleased with my performance, and said it was reasonable. He ordered Gao Lishi to bring them over, and on the spot, he let me choose one of them as a bodyguard. I chose the guy who used the "Mahabodhi hand".

  "Hold the stone, from now on you will serve beside Liang Qing, everything is as it should be, and you have nothing to do with the royal family anymore." The old emperor spoke thus, he nodded in acceptance of the order, said "I bid farewell to my master" and quietly stood by my side, already beginning to fulfill his duties.

  After comforting the crying children, I finally managed to calm them down and used my sleeves as a makeshift handkerchief. Once everything was settled, I brought in new guards and ascended to my tent. The generals reported on the situation, and only then did I learn that there had been another major incident during the night. A scout who had been following the Sword Pavilion Army returned with news that made everyone exclaim in joy, saying that I was indeed a lucky general.

  It turned out that the scout who was following the Sword Pavilion Army had discovered that in the direction of the Great Scatter Pass, there were flames and smoke on the horizon, and intermittent shouts and killings continued throughout the night. It wasn't until dawn that the results became clear: a large number of bandits had secretly entered the pass under the cover of darkness, using their agility to climb up the city walls and set fires to create chaos. The defending army was caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties, almost blowing open the gate of the pass. Fortunately, they coincidentally ran into the Sword Pavilion Army who were rushing to reinforce them, and after a fierce battle, they managed to suppress this strange bandit force with their absolute numerical superiority.

  Another force took advantage of the situation and attacked from the east, destroying the government office and breaking through the city gate. The enemy army swarmed in, almost breaching half of the city, but just as all seemed lost, Wei Boyu, a deputy commander of the garrison troops, made a quick decision to rush to the top of the city wall and ordered his soldiers to push down the small arrow tower, blocking the entrance with a loud crash. They then poured down cannonballs, rocks, wooden beams, and hot oil, causing heavy casualties among the enemy troops who had gathered at the foot of the city wall under cover of night, unaware of the danger. The relief army joined forces with the garrison troops and annihilated the enemy within the city. They also managed to pin down the enemy troops who had been reinforced later, keeping them trapped at the foot of the city wall for a whole night before they retreated. By dawn, the area inside and outside the pass was littered with corpses. Fortunately, although the pass was located in a remote area and had not seen battle for some time, its defenses were somewhat neglected, but the equipment and supplies used for defense were unexpectedly well-prepared, only covered in thick dust. When the enemy army regrouped at dawn to launch another attack, they found that the defenders were prepared and retreated slowly after realizing their siege equipment was insufficient. The situation was perilous and intense, but only a few words can describe it.

  There were assassins in front and pursuers behind, responding to each other. Under the circumstances, it was no longer doubtful who was behind it all. In comparison, the subsequent interrogation of prisoners was not so pleasant. Originally, this kind of thing should have been handed over to others, but for some reason, the old emperor specified that I had to be present in person. So I had to frown, listening from behind a screen fan to the loud and shrill cries that didn't sound human.

  Because those assassins were so tough, they could be surrounded and fight hard without retreating, just to cover the final blow. In the end, there was no one left alive. The only remaining eunuch who failed to assassinate was extremely stubborn. Although he found a familiar official in the county to assist him, the result was not satisfactory. They interrogated him all night, using various tortures, but only got one sentence repeated over and over again.

  "The dog emperor killed my people, destroyed my home, and mutilated my flesh and blood. How can you live by devouring human flesh?" Under the torture of this eunuch, with his last dying breath, his face twisted in a bloody mess, he managed to utter only one sentence, which could not conceal the resentment and hatred that made everyone's hair stand on end.

  Although those prison guards appeared very professional, it was not their first time doing this kind of thing. They removed his lower jaw and knocked out all his teeth before putting them back in place to prevent him from biting off his tongue to commit suicide. All the joints in his four limbs were dislocated, making it impossible for him to knock against a wall. However, he still managed to find a way to tear open his wound and make his injury worse so that he could die.

  He had long been determined to die, and it turned out that he was a foreigner who had been hiding his hatred for many years. He had already put life and death aside, and if he hadn't cooperated with the assassin's attack, he might have hidden even longer. However, since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there has never been a stop to its expansion. Many countries and tribes have been destroyed, and even according to his age when he entered the palace, it was during the time of Emperor Xuanzong's prosperity and vigor, when he was ambitious and eager to expand. Under the holy edict, which of the Tubo, Turks, Khitans, Anxi, and Western Regions had not been attacked? Many tribes that were sandwiched in between were also eliminated, and it is difficult to investigate his origins.

  Upon examining the corpses of those assassins, there were as many as one hundred and thirty-seven men. This does not include those who were killed while rioting outside the city walls. Such a large-scale operation would obviously require massive backing and organization.

  When asked to investigate the results of the autopsy, however, those soldiers returned with shame on their faces and reported "Your subordinate is incompetent, all the knives, guns, bows, and horses we inspected were from our own army, and nothing else was gained." They apologized to me.

  I shook my head and sighed. "A group of fools, these guys have made up their minds to assassinate, they must have been prepared to die, how could they leave behind obvious clues about their identities. This is not your fault."

  Then I covered my nose and personally went out to let people do some disgusting things such as turning over corpses and stripping clothes, after checking them out, I had an idea, and by the way, I used the amateur common sense of Sherlock Holmes, Jiangchuan, and Kinta series to give a good lesson to the generals present.

  "Look closely, they have discarded the objects that could prove their identity," I said with a sudden turn of phrase. "However, some habits and marks formed over years of living in certain regions cannot be easily erased." I pointed to one of the corpses. "Observe, although their weapons and the objects left on their bodies are all ordinary goods that cannot be identified as coming from any specific place, if you pay attention to their hands, feet, and faces, you can find differences from people in our region." I used my sword to point to a particular spot. "If you have ever paid attention to the customs and people of regions outside our borders..."

  For example, the long-term wear of a fur hat in this bitter cold land has left an impression on his forehead. His face and neck are rough and darkened by years of exposure to wind and sand. The scalp has a clear demarcation line due to prolonged sun exposure caused by a special hairstyle. His fingers have thick, powerful joints and calluses from frequently using certain weapons. There are also marks on the palms of his hands from expertly controlling reins and shooting arrows. Furthermore, there is a faint smell of mutton and beef that cannot be washed away no matter how many baths he takes, which can reveal his identity after careful examination. All these details can make it possible for people familiar with the northwestern regions to identify him at a glance. As a predecessor from our dynasty once said, "Under certain conditions, even a dead person can be made to speak if one has the heart." This grand reasoning left them all stunned and amazed, like chickens flying about and dogs jumping up. Even the officials present couldn't help but exclaim, "Your Excellency is indeed knowledgeable and insightful, we are deeply impressed!"

  "I don't know what the adults are talking about, how should we address that predecessor?" Someone asked cautiously. "Of course, it's that generation of judicial experts, Di Renjie." Then some anecdotes were mentioned, and everyone was shocked and revered. I didn't think that I had watched too many episodes of the Judge Dee series and spoke out of habit.

  Just as they were speaking, someone came to report that outside the city walls, a group of militiamen had captured two suspects. It was said that last night, some people were inciting unrest among the refugees when they were discovered by the refugee leaders, who reported them to the authorities. The officials surrounded and killed several people, but two of them escaped by throwing hidden weapons and were trampled by cavalry. Bystanders took advantage of the situation and used spears to pin down their limbs, capturing them alive. Considering the matter to be of great importance, they did not dare to take matters into their own hands and instead sent them over.

  I waited until I had dealt with the matter, then went to the temporary prison to see the result. However, I heard Cheng Shili and Lü Xi discussing how their superior was cannibalistic, especially fond of a certain part of robust men's bodies. "Scoundrels!" I pushed open the door, startling them into hastily paying respects. "How can you, who have received imperial favor, do such things?" They repeatedly acknowledged my words, not daring to speak out against me. I saw that one prisoner looked haggard, while another was expressionless and a third was bewildered. A plan began to form in my mind.

  "I said sternly, 'How can you do such a bloody and barbaric thing?' This remark made the other person's eyes flicker involuntarily, and then was struck by my next words into the abyss. 'Eating raw is also too unsanitary, and not conducive to nutrient absorption. At least it should be washed clean, and quickly cut into the most tender parts while still alive to preserve freshness.' The stunned him with a scattered gaze, and even the originally resolute and hard-faced one couldn't hide a flash of fear. I thought to myself, this is going to be fun."

  But he suddenly spat a mouthful of blood far away. "You dog official, who are you trying to scare? We've come and we don't plan on going back, so go ahead and use whatever means you have." But this startled the person beside him awake, and I couldn't help but sigh and shake my head, saying to Cheng Shiliu and the others, "Do you know that there's a famous dish in Jiangnan called 'ants climbing a tree'?" They all shook their heads in confusion, and carefully asked, "Could it be that the boss wants to teach us underlings how to cook?"

  "It's settled" I slapped him on the head, "Go get a jar of syrup and find an anthill". Pointing to the toughest guy, "Brush that syrup all over his body carefully, don't miss a single wound. Drag him out and put him next to the anthill. Today we'll make a dish of 'ants climbing a tree'".

  The soldiers, who were excited by the words "got it", rushed up and pressed down the guy whose face had changed greatly, scolding him loudly like a dead dog, and dragged him out to deal with him according to the rules.

  As for the last guy who was left, his performance was much worse. When I just told him about Comrade Wei Xiaobao's "story of human sticks", listing the detailed process of mercury peeling and iron plate burning, before I even finished speaking, a strange smell came out, this guy was so scared that he shat and urinated at the same time, then fainted several times after hearing the detailed introduction. After waking up, things became very simple. He completely collapsed and confessed everything, including how his wife had an affair with someone else.

  Another guy used my method and, after an afternoon of intermittent wailing and howling, a pale-faced Lv Xiuyun who looked like he had vomited multiple times came to report that the guy was also recruited.