Chen Rui’s mind was filled with thoughts of Xiao Qiao. After descending from the city walls, he rushed straight to the Governor’s mansion. He ordered the preparation of the wedding hall, intending to marry Xiao Qiao immediately.
Given his nature, when he set his eyes on a woman, especially one who had fallen into his hands, she was like a lamb in a tiger’s mouth, at his mercy. Normally, he wouldn’t have the patience to be considerate. However, this time, for some unknown reason, he couldn’t bring himself to be cruel to her. He thought, at most, he’d wait one more day. After the wedding ceremony, whether she was willing or not, she would become his. Then he could assert his masculinity, and once she experienced his skills in the bedchamber, she would surely submit to him.
That day, after arranging the city’s defenses and appointing his confidants to important positions such as Guard Commander and Colonel, he ignored all other matters. He hovered around Xiao Qiao, constantly sending jewels and silks to her, trying to win her favor in every way possible.
Finally, by the next evening, everything was prepared. The bridal chamber was properly decorated, and Chen Rui waited for the auspicious hour. He ordered his men to forcibly bring Xiao Qiao out for the wedding ceremony. Just then, an urgent report arrived: scouts had discovered an army approaching the city from thirty li away, seemingly Wei Shao’s forces, and they would soon be at the city gates.
Surprised by Wei Shao’s swift march, Chen Rui had no choice but to postpone the wedding. He sent scouts out again, who returned reporting that the army was now less than ten li away.
Chen Rui cursed Wei Shao for ruining his plans. He quickly shed his ceremonial robes and donned his armor, complete with a chain mail and heart-protecting mirror. He grabbed his painted halberd, ready to lead his troops out to face the enemy. Suddenly, he hesitated, turned back, and hurried to Xiao Qiao’s room. Pushing open the door, he said to her, “My beauty, Wei Shao has come seeking his death. How dare he ruin our wedding! Just watch, I’ll go out and kill him on the battlefield. When I return victorious, we’ll have our ceremony. Wait for me.” He then took out some rope and quickly bound her hands and feet. He laid her on the bed, trying to comfort her, “Forgive me for being rough again, my beauty. I’m just worried about you. I fear that in my absence, you might do something rash. If anything happened to you, I’d regret it forever! Please bear with it, I’ll be back soon.” He lowered the bed curtains, turned to leave, and instructed the maidservants to guard the door carefully before hurrying to the city gate.
There, he selected his troops, mounted his horse, raised his banner, and led his army out of the city. They formed ranks in the field, an impressive sight, waiting for Wei Shao’s arrival.
As Wei Shao approached with his army, scouts had been frequently reporting back. He learned that Chen Pang had been subdued by Chen Rui, the city’s defenses had new leadership, and Chen Rui had led troops out to face him, boasting of deciding the victor between them. Wei Shao marched directly towards the city. When they were a few li away and the city came into view, the two armies encountered each other.
Wei Shao observed the opposing force from afar. At the front of their formation, Chen Rui sat high on his horse, holding his painted halberd. Four strong generals flanked him, and behind him stood a tall banner over ten feet high, with the character “Chen” embroidered in large text, fluttering in the wind, an impressive sight. Chen Rui rode out, loudly challenging Wei Shao, his demeanor extremely arrogant.
Wei Shao seemed to ignore him, instead taking his double-mechanism tiger-hunting iron bow from his attendants. He aimed carefully, drew the bowstring to its full strength, and released a three-arrow volley towards Chen Rui.
The arrow tips whistled through the air, flying straight as a taut snake towards Chen Rui over a hundred paces away. Caught off guard, Chen Rui was startled. Seeing the arrows approaching at lightning speed, he didn’t even have time to deflect them with his halberd. Disregarding appearances, he quickly pressed himself flat against his horse’s back, barely dodging the arrows. He felt the wind of their passing over his head, followed by three dull thuds behind him. Looking back, he saw the three arrows deeply embedded in his banner pole. Despite the distance, they had enough force to penetrate the arm-thick poplar wood. The arrow tails quivered, wood splinters flew, and with another gust of wind, the banner pole snapped in two with a crisp sound, the large flag falling to the ground.
Wei Shao’s grandfather, Wei Lun, had served as a Captain of the Imperial Guard in Luoyang in his youth. Although the Wei family was of noble lineage and had held important positions as governors for generations, Wei Lun’s handsome appearance initially led people to doubt his abilities. One day, the Han Emperor held a banquet where archery was the entertainment. The Emperor mentioned hearing that in ancient times, skilled archers could pierce five layers of armor with one arrow, and he wished to see this feat. Many skilled archers at the banquet tried but failed to penetrate even five layers. As the Emperor was expressing his disappointment, Wei Lun stepped forward and requested to attempt seven layers. Surprised, the Emperor had seven layers of finely woven armor stacked. Wei Lun’s arrow pierced through all seven. The Emperor was astonished, and all present were amazed. This event made Wei Lun famous, and the Emperor bestowed upon him the title of “General of the Strong Crossbow,” commanding him to lead troops against the Xiongnu. It was also because of this that the future Imperial Princess, Lady Xu, who would become Wei Shao’s grandmother, fell in love with Wei Lun and later married him, giving birth to Wei Shao’s father, Wei Jing. Wei Jing was also renowned for his archery skills.
Unexpectedly, decades later, Wei Shao lived up to his ancestors’ reputation as a master of the strong crossbow with such an extraordinary shot!
Both armies fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, Wei Shao’s side erupted in a unified “tiger roar,” with soldiers striking their shields against the ground, creating a thunderous rumble that shook the earth. On Chen Rui’s side, the soldiers looked at each other in confusion, utterly silent. Before the battle had even begun, they had already lost a significant advantage in morale.
Chen Rui broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that with his banner fallen and morale already low, he was at a disadvantage. Embarrassed and enraged, he sat up straight, spurred his horse forward, and loudly challenged Wei Shao to a duel.
Wei Shao slowly put away his bow and arrows, his face cold and expressionless, ignoring Chen Rui’s challenge. Wei Liang had already ridden out to meet Chen Rui, shouting, “You little brat Chen Rui, defeat me first before talking about anything else!” One of Chen Rui’s deputies, Zhang Gong, rode out to meet him, but he was no match for Wei Liang. After just a few exchanges, he was cut down from his horse. Another deputy, Liu Xiang, came forward but was also no match, retreating with severe injuries.
These deputies led by Chen Rui were all Chen Pang’s men. In the short span of two days since Chen Pang had been stripped of power, Chen Rui’s arrogance and refusal to listen to advice, coupled with his constant threats of military law, had left the officers uncertain and hesitant. Now, facing the enemy, they had first been intimidated by Wei Shao’s impressive archery display and the fall of their banner, losing morale. With Zhang Gong dead and Liu Xiang severely wounded, the remaining men were reluctant to step forward, their faces showing doubt.
In terms of one-on-one combat, Wei Liang had rarely been defeated in his life. This time, having lost his newly-wed wife due to his carelessness, he viewed it as a great shame and was desperate to charge into the city to reclaim her. Seeing no one from the opposing side willing to fight, he let out an angry roar and charged alone towards Chen Rui. The crowd was shocked by his ferocity and retreated. Chen Rui had no choice but to meet him. As they clashed on horseback, Wei Liang’s great sword came down with tremendous force. Chen Rui’s arm went numb, and he barely managed to deflect the blow and escape. Terrified by Wei Liang’s strength, he regretted underestimating his opponent and realized he wouldn’t fare well in a prolonged fight.
Quick-witted, Chen Rui engaged for a moment longer before feinting and turning his horse back towards the city. He ordered a retreat to defend from within the walls. Seeing him flee, his troops fell into disarray, abandoning formation and rushing towards the city. Wei Shao ordered the drums beaten and gave chase, pursuing them to the very foot of the city walls. Chen Rui commanded the gates to be closed quickly, leaving some slower soldiers stranded outside, who were swiftly surrounded and eliminated by Wei Shao’s forces.
Wei Shao, standing beneath his banner, ordered an all-out assault on the city. Chen Rui, having regained his composure, personally climbed the walls to direct the defense. Soon, the air was filled with the thunderous beating of drums and battle cries. Arrows and stones rained down from the walls like a storm, while fireballs flew through the air. It was as if heaven and earth were collapsing, mountains crumbling.
The walls of Stone City were tall, and the defending soldiers were Chen Pang’s old guard, well-trained. Having retreated into the city with Chen Rui, they knew there was no turning back and fought with all their might to protect the city. Despite Wei Shao’s fierce assault, they managed to hold their ground for a time.
The two armies had encountered each other as dusk was falling, and the fierce battle continued into the night, with casualties on both sides. However, Wei Shao’s attacks not only didn’t weaken but grew increasingly ferocious. Seeing Wei Shao personally leading the charge up the siege ladders, his soldiers fought with reckless abandon, willing to sacrifice their lives. The attacks came in continuous waves, like an endless tide. The defenders of Stone City had never faced such a relentless assault and gradually began to falter. Seeing the situation deteriorating, Chen Rui refused to admit defeat and executed two retreating soldiers on the spot, forcing the rest to continue fighting to the death. Suddenly, a great commotion arose behind him. Turning around, he saw that Chen Pang had reappeared on the walls. It turned out that Chen Pang’s loyal followers had taken advantage of the chaos to free him and asked him to lead the defense once more to boost morale. Although Chen Pang was furious at how his nephew had treated him, the fate of the city was at stake, and he had no time to settle scores with Chen Rui. He hurriedly donned his armor, seized the commander’s flag, ordered his men to bind Chen Rui, killed several of Chen Rui’s confidants with a sword, and took command of the defense himself.
The defenders of Stone City, whose morale had been wavering, were reinvigorated by Chen Pang’s appearance. With renewed spirit, they managed to repel another of Wei Shao’s attacks. However, Wei Shao’s assault was truly formidable, and Chen Pang gradually found himself unable to hold out. Knowing that if this continued, the fall of the city would be inevitable, he suddenly thought of the Qiao girl in his desperation. He immediately ordered her to be brought to the walls, intending to use her to threaten Wei Shao into retreating. However, Chen Rui had already managed to break free from his bonds and was secretly trying to escape and take Xiao Qiao with him. When he heard Chen Pang’s order to bring Xiao Qiao to the walls, he cursed Chen Pang as an old fool, killed his guard with a sword, and fled toward the lower part of the city. Chen Pang enraged, ordered his men to pursue and stop Chen Rui. Suddenly, he noticed a great fire blazing behind him in the city, coming from the direction of the Governor’s mansion.
Near the Governor’s mansion was the granary. Chen Pang had managed it for many years, and all the city’s reserves were stored there, enough to sustain the entire city for a year. Normally, fire safety was strictly enforced, so it was unclear why a fire had broken out at such a critical moment. Fanned by the wind, the flames spread rapidly, illuminating half the night sky. Chaos erupted throughout the city.
Chen Pang was shocked and wanted to save the granary, but the assault on the city walls was at its fiercest. He could only grit his teeth and continue to defend. The soldiers at the city gate were distracted by the fire and terrified by Wei Shao’s relentless attacks. Even with Chen Pang in command, they couldn’t manage both fronts. Suddenly, a loud boom came from the city gate – the wooden door had been smashed open by a battering ram. With a great cry, the attackers poured in, and both sides engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat.
Let’s set aside the brutality of the close-quarters fighting and turn to Chen Rui, who had escaped in the chaos. Despite his sorry state, he couldn’t stop thinking about his “beauty.” He rushed to the Governor’s mansion, only to see that the fire was coming from where he had confined her. He paced back and forth twice, then gritted his teeth and charged in. Inside, he found the entire building engulfed in flames, with roof beams constantly collapsing. Standing in the courtyard, he felt the scorching heat on his face, forcing him to step back.
Realizing that his “beauty” must have perished in the fire, Chen Rui felt both pain and regret. He cried out, “It’s killing me!” In a surge of emotion, he turned to seek out Wei Shao for a fight to the death. As he left the Governor’s mansion and walked a few steps, he heard a commotion of shouts ahead. In the light of the fire behind him, he could make out Wei Shao’s troops entering the city and coming in his direction. Panicking once again, he stamped his foot and hurriedly returned to the Governor’s mansion, fearing pursuit. In his haste, he ran to the back courtyard and eventually escaped by climbing over the wall of the latrine.
……
The fierce battle finally ended in the dead of night. Chen Pang was wounded and captured, half of Stone City’s defenders were dead, and the rest had surrendered. Although Wei Shao’s officers and soldiers were exhausted and many were injured, the capture of Stone City excited the troops, and cheers could be heard everywhere.
Deputy Commander Li Chong was handling the aftermath, counting the dead and wounded and arranging for their care. Gongsun Yang was organizing men to put out the fires. Wei Shao strode towards the Governor’s mansion. Halfway there, Gongsun Yang and a military officer hurried towards him. Upon seeing Wei Shao, the officer ran up and knelt on one knee to report that men had been sent to pursue the fleeing Chen Rui, but they had not found the young lady.
According to the servants at the Governor’s mansion, the young lady had been confined in the newly prepared bridal chamber, which was also the source of the fire. At the time, the maidservant assigned by Chen Rui to guard her saw the fire start inside the room. When she opened the door to check, the smoke and flames were so intense that she couldn’t see clearly. She hurriedly called for help to put out the fire, but it spread too quickly and soon engulfed the entire building.
The officer had already sent men to search the surrounding area but found no trace of the young lady. It was feared that she had likely perished in the fire.
After giving his report, the officer looked at Wei Shao, his expression uneasy.
Wei Shao stood still, tilting his head slightly to gaze at the still-raging inferno not far away.
His face and body were covered in blood stains, and his armor reflected the flames, giving him a somewhat fierce and murderous appearance.
At first, he seemed slightly lost in thought, and it was unclear what was going through his mind.
“Relay my order: Execute Chen Pang, exterminate his entire household, turn the women into camp prostitutes, and bury the surrendered soldiers alive. Leave no one,” he said, word by word, his tone surprisingly calm and even.
Gongsun Yang was shocked and looked at him. Seeing Wei Shao’s eyes bloodshot and filled with killing intent, he hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade him. Before he could speak, Wei Shao said, “Master, there’s no need for words. My mind is made up.” His voice was cold.
As Gong Sun Yang hesitated, another soldier came running from behind, a joyful expression on his face. From a distance, he shouted, “Jun Hou! We found the Lady! We found the Lady! She’s hiding in the empty stable upwind!”
Gong Sun Yang was elated and rushed to meet him, eager to learn more. The soldier reported that the Lady was safe but had suffered burns on her wrists, which appeared serious. She had already been moved to a secure location.
Turning to Wei Shao, Gong Sun Yang urged, “My Lord! Chen Pang must not be killed; he could serve another purpose. The remaining defenders of Shiyi have also surrendered to you. Executing them would bring ill fortune. I hope you will reconsider.”
After his advice, seeing that Wei Shao did not nod but also did not object, Gong Sun Yang let out a quiet sigh of relief. He continued, “It’s good that the Lady is unharmed. However, after all this turmoil, she must have been quite frightened. Why not go and check on her? I can handle the remaining matters in the city.”
“Please have a physician attend to her wounds and ensure she is well-guarded, so nothing else goes awry. I have other matters to attend to first,” Wei Shao replied tersely before turning to leave.
Gong Sun Yang watched his retreating figure and shook his head, then issued his orders.