Chapter 7: Qin's Deputy Commander-in-Chief

  These several military officers were looking for this big man. The big man's surname was Qin, and his name was Wei. He was originally the deputy commander of the Qin Feng Road in Shaanxi Province, and his martial arts skills were exceptional. He had led the army to fight against the Western Xia many times, and his bravery was unmatched, making the enemy fear him. People called him General Wuwu. However, the imperial court valued civil officials over military ones and sent a new commander named Hu Yong, who advocated for peace talks. Qin Wei often disagreed with Hu Yong's views on battle strategy. The two men did not get along well, but since Hu Yong was the superior officer, Qin Wei had to obey his orders and defend without fighting. Hu Yong had a concubine named Hua Yun, originally a courtesan who was renowned for her beauty and charm in the capital city. She won Hu's heart and was redeemed as his concubine. After entering the Hu household, Hua Yun received great favor and trust from Hu Yong. His original wife was weak-willed and often ill, so she didn't manage the household affairs. When Hu Yong received the order to move, he thought of bringing Hua Yun with him first.

  Due to the Western Xia army's repeated offenses, they launched a surprise attack and surrounded the Song Dynasty army defending the outer perimeter. The general in charge fought hard for several days but could not break through the siege. As a result, Qin Wei, accompanied by his deputy general Zhou Ke, came to ask Hu Yong for instructions several times, but Hu Yong always prioritized peace talks and refused to send troops. However, the Western Xia army was closing in step by step, and Qin Wei, unable to bear it any longer, asked to lead his troops himself. Since many of his soldiers listened to Qin Wei's orders, Hu Yong did not dare to stop him but harbored resentment in his heart. Later, both armies suffered heavy losses and retreated to defend their positions. The Pacification Commissioner Han Qi sent someone to ask about the situation, and Hu Yong reported that Qin Wei disobeyed orders and led his troops out privately. After investigating, the messenger reported back to Han Qi, who had originally thought he could punish Qin Wei severely but did not expect Han Qi to reward him instead. Han Qi also criticized Hu Yong for not understanding the situation, as the Western Xia army was already at their doorstep, yet he still wanted to negotiate peace. However, Han Qi was also concerned about the discord between Qin Wei and Hu Yong, so he sent someone to mediate between them.

  Upon arriving at Hu Yong's residence, Yu Xin explained the purpose of his visit. Originally, Hu Yong had been scolded by his superior and was feeling quite displeased, but he didn't dare to disobey. So, he set up a banquet at home and invited Qin Wei himself, both to congratulate him on repelling the Western Xia army's invasion and to put aside past grievances. With Yu Xin's mediation, as they were all serving the imperial court, the two men drank wine and made amends.

  Not mentioning the three people chatting at the dinner table, let's talk about Hua Yun alone. She was originally a courtesan who had risen to become Hu Yong's concubine due to his favoritism. One would think she should be content, but her status was lowly, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't rise to the position of legitimate wife. Moreover, she worried that one day she would grow old and lose her beauty, and wouldn't receive Hu Yong's affection anymore. This man wasn't someone who could be relied upon for a lifetime.

  That day, when she heard that Hu Yong was hosting a guest at home, and it was the famous General Qin Wei, deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, she curiously peeked through the curtains to take a look. Not looking would have been fine, but after taking one glance, her evil intentions were stirred up. Hua Yun thought to herself that if she could follow such a heroic figure, it wouldn't be a waste of her life. The more she thought about it, the more her face flushed with excitement and her heart filled with joy.

  The wine is finished, and everyone disperses. Qin Wei happens to see Hua Yun when he passes by the garden on his way out. Hu Yong introduces her as his wife, and Qin Wei hastily pays his respects. With a few cups of wine in him, Qin Wei appears even more majestic in Hua Yun's eyes. As her husband is beside her, she doesn't say much, just exchanges greetings before moving to one side. Qin Wei leaves.

  Recently, Song Jun and Xixia had just fought a battle, although they retreated, the relationship was very tense. The Song army did not dare to slack off in their strict search of the city, fearing that spies would infiltrate. On this day, Zhou Ke was leading his men on patrol outside when they walked near the Welcome Inn, where a merchant-dressed man was standing under the tavern signboard with no goods by his side, occasionally glancing around nervously. This immediately caught the attention of sharp-eyed Zhou Ke. He instructed his men to walk past as usual, while he secretly hid aside to observe. Sure enough, when the man saw the soldiers approaching, he pretended to enter the tavern for a drink, but after they left, he returned to pacing back and forth under the signboard. Clearly, he was waiting for someone.

  After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, the man became increasingly anxious. Just then, a young servant appeared from afar, whom Zhou Ke recognized as a servant from the wealthy Ma Haiqing's household in the city. Ma Haiqing was a renowned philanthropist and patriot, who had donated countless times to support the war efforts against Western Xia and was well-acquainted with Hu Yong and Qin Wei. The young servant, nicknamed Xiao Mozi, had previously visited the camp to deliver goods and was familiar with Zhou Ke. Upon seeing Xiao Mozi, the anxious man's tense emotions seemed to ease slightly. Xiao Mozi glanced around casually and exchanged greetings with him in a nonchalant manner. As Zhou Ke watched the two men converse, he noticed that Xiao Mozi appeared to be reproaching the merchant, but then they both entered the wine tower together. Zhou Ke thought to himself: "Perhaps I'm just being paranoid; maybe this merchant is having some business difficulties and wants to borrow some money from Ma Haiqing, but can't find a way to meet him, so he's seeking out Xiao Mozi to act as an intermediary?" With that thought, he decided to leave.

  Just then, a woman shouted "Catch the thief!" near Zhou Ke. A man was running quickly towards this side, and it turned out that Zhou Ke was hiding in a dark place, and the thief did not see the soldiers here. While running, he was suddenly tripped by a bamboo pole and fell to the ground. When he wanted to get up, he was kicked down again, and when he wanted to get up again, a knife that could be drawn at any time was already placed on his neck. The thief shouted "Grandfather spare my life! Military grandfather spare my life!" The woman also stumbled over from behind, Zhou Ke gestured to the thief, and the thief had no choice but to take out the silver he had just snatched from the woman's waist. He thought that everything was over. Zhou Ke returned the silver to the woman, and the woman thanked him repeatedly. Just as they were about to take the thief to the government office, they suddenly saw the merchant who was standing under the wine sign earlier come out of the wine building, look around, and hurry away. Xiao Mozi also walked out of the wine building slowly after a while, looked around vigilantly, and left. At this time, Zhou Ke had already taken the thief to the side of the wall, so Xiao Mozi did not see him. Zhou Ke was suspicious in his heart, how could drinking or discussing things be done in such a short time? His curiosity prompted him to decide to follow and take a look, but he also had a robber on hand, and he couldn't split himself.

  Just as he was hesitating, a patrol of officers and soldiers happened to pass by. Zhou immediately handed over the thief with a simple explanation and chased after the merchant in the direction they had gone. As a result, what entered his line of sight were rows of wine shops, beautifully dressed girls, and people coming and going to buy and sell goods. However, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find any trace of the merchant he had seen earlier.

  Zhou returned with a sullen expression, and after meeting Qin Wei in the camp, he reported on the patrol situation in detail, but deliberately omitted the encounter with the merchant and Xiaomo. Zhou thought to himself that he had indeed been overly cautious. After listening to the report, Qin Wei still instructed him to be vigilant and take precautions against any possible eventuality.

  At this time, a soldier came to report that Lord Hu Yong had invited Qin Xingying to his mansion for a chat in the evening. Qin Wei asked, "Did he say what it was about?" "No, sir!" "Military matters are urgent, why didn't he say so at once? What does he mean by inviting me to his mansion in the evening?"

  Zhou Ke interjected, "Since it's a favor from the commander of the mobile army, General, you should still go. The other day, Commander Yu had just cleared up past misunderstandings with two cups of wine. If you don't attend his invitation today, wouldn't that be rude to him? How can we work together in the future?"

  "Well said. I'll go to the appointment tonight, and you keep a close eye on things in the camp. The Western Xia army has just been defeated, so they probably won't make any big moves, but it's always better to be cautious."

  "Yes, don't worry, sir!"