Chapter 5, Lu Family of Zhuo County

  Twenty riders turned around and chased in the direction of the Huns' rout on the right flank.

  As he passed by the place where the Hu people were defeated, Zu Chao saw a long weapon similar to a cavalry spear inserted obliquely on the ground. He bent down and picked it up with one hand, as there were only a few arrows left in his quiver, having an extra long weapon in hand would be better than nothing.

  Right in front, the right wing of the Huns was scattered and disorganized, they fled desperately to the northeast, during which a seriously injured Hun fell off his horse due to physical exhaustion. In the more forward position, the left wing that had been defeated at first almost merged with the vanguard escorting the prisoners, and the leading Huns were reorganizing their troops. However, witnessing the right wing's even more severe defeat and rout, it further solidified in everyone's mind the psychological shadow of this invincible Han cavalry.

  Although the Huns still have a numerical advantage and are slightly superior in terms of geography, and the continuous riding and shooting has left the Han people's quivers empty, there is still a possibility of counterattacking. However, no matter how much the leading Huns shout and scold, the rest of the herdsmen cannot muster up any enthusiasm to continue fighting, and even the thirty or so able-bodied men who are responsible for guarding the prisoners are only thinking about retreating quickly to divide the spoils of war.

  Zu Zhao and his group, approaching from a distance, saw the fleeing Huma gradually gathering on a low hill. Everyone's heart was tense to varying degrees. Zu Zhao gripped the horse spear in his hand tightly, knowing that at this moment, morale was everything, and as long as they could surpass these Huma in spirit, even if the Huma had more people, they would lose their will to fight.

  "Charge at the Hu people, and when you get close, shoot all your remaining arrows." When they were about 150 paces away, Zu Zhaohui raised his horse spear and ordered his attendants on both sides.

  Everyone on the left and right took a deep breath, with no one not having a firm expression, quickly preparing their longbows. Even those who were injured were gritting their teeth, turning their pain into anger.

  Although Zu Chao did not let the crowd erupt in cheers, at this time with a team of only over 20 people, fearlessly charging forward to the Huma crowd that was still three times larger, an invisible bravery had silently triumphed. They seemed to have no intention of using their momentum to scare away the Huma, but instead took on the attitude of relying on strength to bully the weak and were eager for a head-on battle, just like hunters who did not want to startle their prey.

  Under the leadership of Hu Ren, who was furious and thunderous, more than 40 people gradually got ready to fight back. However, it was unfortunate that more than a dozen people who were wounded by arrows in the previous battle had no intention of fighting again, and they retreated to the rear one after another. Among them, several people took advantage of the time when others were reorganizing to start secretly dividing and looting property, so that they could escape quickly when things didn't go well. Immediately, someone in the crowd who was reorganizing became dissatisfied, fearing that those people would grab more, and a dispute broke out and turned into chaos.

  The leader of the Hu people, seeing this, had no way to deal with it. When Zu Zhao's troops approached and started shooting arrows, he was the first to turn around and flee. The others were flustered and didn't even care about the hostages they had taken earlier, but only grabbed some easily portable valuables and scattered in all directions. The hostages who were left behind did not dare to move at first, until the Hu people had completely disappeared, before they regained a little consciousness, gathered together in twos and threes, trembling with fear, either comforting each other or covering their faces and crying.

  Zu Zhao led the crowd to hurry here, roughly scanning these regained free compatriots, he leaned over and instructed: "You stay to take care of them. Zu Ji, give me an arrow, quickly."

  Zu Qi quickly handed over the last arrow from his quiver and asked cautiously, "Young Master, what are you going to do?"

  Before his words had fallen, Zu Chao slapped the horse's buttocks and galloped off in pursuit, chasing after the fleeing Hu people.

  Zu Qi and the other attendants were all shocked, thinking that they had successfully rescued the hostages, which was a great victory worth celebrating. But unexpectedly, the young master seemed unsatisfied and exaggeratedly boasted that he would single-handedly pursue the defeated enemy. The previously wise and powerful image was suddenly shrouded in a layer of shadow, making people even more puzzled and worried, fearing that if the Hu people were desperate and counterattacked, what would happen to the young master?

  Including those hostages, everyone was at a loss.

  Just as Zu Qi was about to urge his horse to chase after them, he saw that Zu Zhao hadn't gone too far. When he approached the Huren troops about a hundred steps away, he first inserted the spear in his hand into the side of the saddle, stepped on the stirrups with both legs and stood up straight; then took out the longbow and placed the last arrow on it, drawing the bowstring to its limit, the bow arm making a slight humming sound due to the immense tension. Gathering all his strength, he let out a loud roar, the arrow bursting forth from the bowstring, flying towards the nearest Huren with a sharp whistling sound.

  An arrow shot straight into a Huren's shoulder, the Huren's figure shook violently, but he didn't fall off his horse.

  Zuo Zhaole reined in his horse and shot the rider off his mount. He didn't think of shooting another person down at this last moment, but instead hoped that the Hu people would flee with their own arrows, which would have a more deterrent effect.

  Whether riding or shooting, it was a laborious physical activity. The continuous galloping and drawing of the bow made Zu Zhao's sweat beads roll down, and both layers of his inner and outer clothes were already soaked through. Under the scorching sun hanging high in the sky, he suddenly felt a bit greasy. At this moment, he didn't hurry to ride back, his eyes still tightly fixed on the north like an eagle, the last dozen or so Huren's figures slowly disappearing behind the horizon. A strong desire surged in his chest, with boiling hot blood simmering out an extremely strong desire.

  He suddenly picked up the captured spear, pointing straight at the northern horizon, and with a fierce burning energy, let out a loud roar: "If only the Flying General of Dragon City were here, I would not allow the barbarian horses to cross the Yin Mountains."

  The sound was like a mighty bell, swiftly sweeping across this vast and broad plain, and even faintly echoing in the distant mountain foothills.

  After shouting this, Zu Zhao finally released the remaining heat in his heart and felt extremely refreshing. It had to be admitted that fighting and killing were the most stimulating to one's nerves, and once they got too excited, it wasn't easy to calm down.

  The crowd of followers in the back secretly let out a sigh of relief, they were deeply convinced by the young master's heartfelt roar, the two majestic lines of poetry had an aura that could swallow mountains and rivers, striking directly at the hottest part of everyone's heart.

  Ler turned the reins, and Zuozhao let his horse take small steps back to where the entourage and hostages were gathered. Although he had previously instructed the entourage to take care of the hostages, everyone was worried about his safety and focused on him instead, even when they came to their senses, they only surrounded him, cheering and rejoicing.

  "General Fei is indeed the greatest hero of our time!"

  "But if Longcheng Flying General is here, he will not allow barbarian horses to cross Yinshan Mountain. This will become a heroic statement passed down for thousands of years."

  "It is extreme, it is extreme."

  Under such a warm atmosphere, even the reborn hostages were deeply moved. Several men hurried to Zu Chao's side, bowed and saluted him, repeatedly expressing their gratitude: "Thank you, young master, for saving our lives, thank you, sir, for saving our lives."

  Zu Zhao glanced at these people, and they were all wearing narrow-sleeved cloth clothes. Only the one in the middle was wearing a deep-colored wide-sleeved straight skirt, about thirty years old, with a gentle and refined appearance like an accountant. He asked calmly: "You have encountered misfortune, and now you are lucky to be rescued, is everyone present?"

  The gentleman with a bitter face and a slightly trembling voice replied, "There were twenty-seven of us in the caravan, including servants. When the bandits attacked, five of our men fought back bravely, but unfortunately, they were outnumbered and killed on the spot. In the chaos, many people scattered, and the remaining eighteen of us were taken captive by the bandits. We are extremely fortunate to have been rescued by you, young hero, otherwise, we might never have returned to Han territory again."

  Zu Zhao met a middle-aged wounded man in the forest and four survivors hiding near the horse team, who briefly told him about it.

  After hearing this, the accountant let out a long sigh of relief and said with joy: "If there is no mistake, the person you met in the forest must be our family's steward Hu Bo. Fortunately, he was able to meet you in time, not only did he turn his own bad luck into good fortune, but also saved my family's young lady's life." As he spoke, he turned his head and glanced at the womenfolk who were huddled together not far behind him.

  Zu Zhao followed the other's gaze and took a look, not far away there were five women, all dressed in white clothes, at first glance it was impossible to tell who was the mistress and who was the maid. However, he did notice that these women had a few points of beauty, with slender figures and three or two points of classical temperament. Now was not the time to look at beauties, he quickly withdrew his gaze and continued to ask: "Where are you from, and where do you plan to go?"

  The accountant's face flashed a hint of hesitation, looked around for a while, before responding: "I am originally from Chang Lei County, but due to family difficulties, I plan to go to Zhuo County to pay respects to my relatives. My elder sister is the niece of Lu Zigang, the current imperial advisor, and this trip is precisely to visit Lu's hometown."

  "The three words 'Lu Zigang' caught Zu Zhao's attention, and he couldn't help but take another look at the women. His originally stern face gradually softened, and a smile appeared as he said: 'It turns out to be a relative of Master Lu, what a wonderful coincidence! I once studied with Master Lu for six years, learning about the classics, but unfortunately had to give it up halfway due to fear of being implicated in the party purge. To this day, I still regret it deeply.'"

  He was referring to Master Lu, who is none other than the great Confucian scholar Lu Zhi. Zigang is Lu Zhi's courtesy name. The Lu family and the Zu family are both prominent families that originated from the north after Emperor Wu's migration. The two families have a long history of interactions, which is why six years ago he was able to become a disciple of Master Lu.

  It happened that Cao Yun, the governor of Yongchang, submitted a memorial to Emperor Ling of Han, which led to the dismissal and lifelong banishment of officials who were related to or had connections with the Party. This event triggered the second "Disaster of the Partisan Prohibitions" in history. The Zu and Lu families found themselves at the center of the storm and had no choice but to sever their ties to avoid suspicion.

  Although he was somewhat associated with the reputation of Lu Zhi's students, during that period of study he did not meet two prominent figures from Lu Zhi's school, Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei.

  Mr. Zang heard Zu Zhao's words, the hesitation on his face disappeared, and he said with joy: "It turns out that the young master has such a deep connection with Lu Yilang, what a coincidence, what a coincidence."

  Zu Zhao smiled and said, "My home is just over twenty miles south in Xuwu County. You gentlemen may move your steps to set up a temporary shelter below, take a rest. After resting, you can continue on the road again."

  Having just suffered a disaster, these travelers were naturally eager to find a place to settle down. Since the elegant young man in front of them was also a student of Lu Zhi, he would take care of them to some extent. However, it was clear that Mr. Accountant was humble and soft-spoken, his face showed a hint of joy, but still apologized for the inconvenience, then turned around and came to where the women were, asking "Big Sister" for instructions on whether to stay or leave.

  Taking this opportunity, Zu Zhao finally saw the true face of that "young lady", who was one of the girls among those female servants. She was only a little over thirteen years old, with some material on her white dress and face, and her clear and tender big eyes still had a few tears. Compared to the servant girls by her side, this young lady couldn't be considered particularly beautiful, but she had an inexplicable aura about her. Although the previous disaster had left her with a terrified expression, behind that terror was hidden an unyielding hatred, which not only differed from other young girls who had suffered similarly, but also didn't match her thirteen or fourteen years of age.

  The young lady, after listening to the accountant's request, looked down and glanced at Zu Zhao on horseback. Coincidentally, she met Zu Zhao's gaze, so she quickly shifted her eyes to avoid him, then replied in a low voice.

  The accountant hurried back to Zu Chao's side, saying with a smile: "Young master is too kind, I am grateful for your kindness, my family's young lady will also remember your favor, then I'd better obey your orders."

  Zu Zhao nodded and said, "I'm afraid some of you may not be convenient to walk, so I'll have someone find some mounts for you." After finishing speaking, he turned around and instructed Zu Ji, who was examining the corpses of several Hu people in the back, to bring two men back to the place where they had previously fought and drive over all the horses that the Hu people had been riding when they were shot.

  Zu Qi didn't slack off and after calling for two people, he quickly mounted his horse and left.

  During the wait, Zu Zhao had his attendants divide half of their water bags among the Lu family members. He dismounted and took a short rest, chatting with the accountant, Mr. Lu Kuai, who was originally the manager of the Lu family's merchant caravan but had to stay at home doing odd jobs after the family business declined and the caravan disbanded. This time, the Lu family from Changli turned to the Gong surname clan in Zhuo County also because their family fortune was not prosperous. Mr. Lu Kuai's master is still in Changli dealing with the aftermath, first letting his family members move to Zhuo County in batches.

  After resting for about two quarters, Zu Qi led the five Hu horses back. He jumped off his horse and quickly came to Zu Zhao's front, saying: "I only caught these few, the others all ran away without a trace."

  Zu Zhao nodded slightly and said: "Let's make do with it. Let the women and the wounded get on their horses first."

  Zu Ji responded with a sound and immediately allocated five Hu horses with Lu Wei to the female relatives and several injured subordinates.

  Lu Wei naturally took a horse and came to the front of the eldest sister, asking her to mount first. But unexpectedly, the eldest sister walked to the side of the horse and stopped there, not moving anymore, just staring blankly at the horse in front of her. Lu Wei thought that the horse was too tall and big for the eldest sister to get on, so he hastily called over several sturdy servants and maids to help lift the eldest sister onto the horse. However, when everyone gathered around, the eldest sister still stood there unmoving, not saying a word.

  Zu Zhao looked at Zu Ji arranging the remaining horses, walked back to his own mount, and nimbly jumped onto the horse. Just as he was about to lead the team to set off, he saw that Lu Wei was still surrounded by seven or eight people. He lightly kicked his horse's belly and walked over, asking in a loud voice: "Lu Guan Shi, what's going on?"

  Lu Wan's face turned awkward as he looked at Zu Zhao and then at the young lady who was in a bad mood.

  Zu Zhao raised an eyebrow and glanced at the girl. The girl's face, which had been set in determination, suddenly changed to one of panic, and she quickly lowered her head to avoid eye contact, a faint blush flashing across her delicate cheeks. Zu Zhao asked calmly, "Is there something troubling you?"

  The girl still lowered her head, gradually showing a faint smile, and for a moment there was nothing to say.

  Zu Chao waited for a while, feeling slightly impatient in his heart, but he also sensed that the girl didn't seem to be throwing a "princess tantrum", so he tried his best to maintain his patience. Just as he was about to speak again, the girl suddenly opened her mouth: "I...can't...ride a horse." Her voice was weak like a spider's silk, as if it could be blown away by a gentle breeze.

  Zu Zhao raised an eyebrow, vaguely guessing some inside information. Lu Wei hurried over and bowed to apologize: "Young master, please don't be offended. The Changbai border has never been peaceful, often plagued by Hu people and Goguryeo people. Three years ago, my wife unfortunately died in a disaster caused by a Hu people's raid, so my elder sister has always deeply hated foreigners. Please forgive me."

  After listening to this explanation, Zu Zhao finally felt relieved and didn't think that a little girl would have such a knot in her heart. It seems that the other party is just shy by nature and not good at speaking, can only use actions to express their voice, thinking so there is no great excess. He nodded, got off his horse again, handed the reins to Lu Wei's hand, and said: "I understand, so ride my horse first."

  Lu Wan was overjoyed and hastily led the horse before the eldest sister, urging everyone to help her mount.

  The little sister's delicate face flushed even more as she mounted her horse, and just at that moment, something suddenly fell from her hand.

  Zu Zhaohua was just tidying up the reins of his horse on one side when he saw that the girl had dropped something - a silver hairpin. Without thinking, he bent down to pick it up and suddenly discovered that there was a smudge of blood on the pinhead that hadn't dried yet. He looked up at the girl again and immediately noticed a small patch of blood seeping from her left sleeve.

  At the same time, the girl also looked over, her eyes fluttering and tense, not daring to look directly at Zu Chao but having to retrieve the silver hairpin. After a moment of urgency and anxiety, she stammered: "G-give... give it back to me..."

  Zu Chao never intended to keep the silver hairpin for himself, and without a word, he handed it back. Just as the girl retrieved the hairpin and held it close to her chest, he suddenly had an epiphany: could it be that from the moment she was captured, she had been hiding the hairpin, waiting for an opportunity to die defending her chastity?

  The girl turned away, with a look of anxiety between her eyebrows that couldn't be shaken off.

  Zu Zhaohua took a deep breath, thought for a moment and didn't say much more. He turned around, mounted his horse, and called out to the troops to set off.

  "Recently playing 'Freestyle Basketball', it's indeed more fun than the previous one. Haha! By the way, looking for a cover!"