Chapter 1648: Entering the City
Chapter 1648: Chapter 1648: Entering the City
Duan Changling’s sarcastic remarks angered the Eagle Food Gang cohorts; they drew their knives and cursed him, saying: "Duan Changling, you turtle’s son, how dare you talk about our Lord Ying? Do you want your whole family to die?"
Duan Changling was horrified, just now recalling the ferocious nature of the Eagle Food Gang; they had raided Yongtai Prefecture, killing the entire family of the former Prefecture Deputy Magistrate.
He also remembered the warning from Mr. Chi, who said if he dared disobey, he’d slaughter his whole family.
Luo Ying laughed and said: "The Duan family is too far away, people with the surname Duan like courting death if left unattended for three days. First, let’s slice his beautiful concubine beside him to let him taste the pain before anything else."
Duan Changling was terrified and quickly said: "General Luo has misunderstood. I do not intend to drive you away; it’s just your identity that puts everyone in a difficult position. To avoid unnecessary slaughter, it’s best if General Luo leaves first."
He added: "Don’t worry, General Luo; your leading the Eagle Food Gang to rescue Xing’an Prefecture and helping repel the Rong people will surely be reported to the court, and your achievements will not be stolen."
Ha, a court criminal; even if he achieves merit, when the Emperor has time, he will still butcher the Luo family!
But now he must say these soft words, simply because he does not want to be assassinated by the Eagle Food Gang.
Luo Ying laughed, a sinister smile under the flickering light of the fire, making Duan Changling shiver and curse inwardly: Damn, can’t you smile a bit more humanly? This way, are you a ghost?
"Achievements? Do I, Luo Ying, covet the dog Emperor’s recognition? The Eagle Food Gang came to rescue Xing’an Prefecture simply not wanting to see our ancestors’ land taken by the Rong bandits." Luo Ying was very dismissive of Emperor Jingyuan; back in the day, because of their fathers’ close ties with the royal family, they called Emperor Jingyuan uncle, but now it’s disgusting to think about.
Someone they treated wholeheartedly, but once he ascended the throne, he couldn’t wait to raise his butcher knife against their families!
Duan Changling was shocked; Luo Ying, this madman, dared to insult even the Emperor, simply seeking his own death.
"Luo Ying, don’t go too far; insulting the Emperor is a capital crime!" He had no choice; as the Emperor’s subject, upon hearing someone insult the Emperor, he had to retaliate in kind; otherwise, if the Emperor found out, he’d be done for.
The Eagle Food Gang cohorts replied with curses: "What’s wrong with insulting the dog Emperor? Look what mess he’s made of the territory? And our Lord Ying got injured defending Xing’an Prefecture; why shouldn’t we curse the dog Emperor a few times?!"
Luo Ying continued with a smile: "Emperor Jingwu once decreed not to slight those with high righteousness, even if they were bandits or criminals; as long as they helped Great Chu during major battles, they could enjoy three days of impunity."
Gazing at Duan Changling’s dark face, he cheerfully added: "So for these three days, I’m a meritorious man. Not only can I enter the city; you’ll have to entertain me. Dare to slight or harm me, and you’re defying Emperor Jingwu’s decree—off with your heads!"
Ha ha, I come from a pampered background, learned all sorts of things growing up, and this kind of decree I know by heart. Want me to leave? Dream on!
When Duan Changling heard this, his face turned shades of purple-red in anger; yet knowing he’d better not provoke this gang of fierce bandits, he suppressed his fury and shouted towards the city: "General Liang, quickly open the gate to welcome us in!"
Once General Liang came out, he’d dump the trouble that was Luo Ying on General Liang, not wanting to handle it himself.
After calling at the gate, Duan Changling also had his soldiers beat the gongs and shout. After a spell, someone from the city wall replied: "Are you the Kangrong Relief Army from Central State? Please put the Token and Military Flag in the basket; we’ll hoist it up for General inspection!"
Fearing they might upset Duan Changling, the soldiers atop the city wall shouted: "Forgive us; it’s not that we don’t trust the General, but with Rong soldiers attacking the city tonight, we must be cautious!"
The city wall was high, and they deliberately chose soldiers with loud voices and sufficient stamina to shout, but these words angered Duan Changling considerably.
If it weren’t for him being the first to knock on the door as a relief general, Xing’an Prefecture’s military and civilians, beset by Rong soldiers for half a month, should have welcomed him joyfully upon his arrival.
Who would have thought Xing’an Prefecture’s soldiers, scared witless by Rong soldiers, would demand verifying his identity.
Infuriating!
No choice, Duan Changling could only put the Token and Military Flag into the basket.
"Thank you!" shouted the soldiers atop the city wall, hoisting the basket up, inspecting it for 30 minutes before lowering it back down, now containing an extra note: Please hoist up the appointment letter and the official seal of the Commander Vice Magistrate; both the General and Magistrate Hao still need to inspect.
Inspect again?
Damn, are you going to keep inspecting until the end of time? Want to see me bring down your lousy gate with my soldiers?!
Duan Changling wouldn’t smash the gate in, nor would he crawl through; he returned victorious and must have Xing’an Prefecture’s gates open wide in welcome.
Entering like this would make him a hero; if he crawled through, what was the difference between him and a dog?
No way; he could only place the letter appointing him to the Kangrong mission and his official seal into the basket, leaving it to General Liang to inspect further.
This time, the inspection took even longer, a full 45 minutes; after urging twice, the city gate finally opened.
General Liang led the soldiers, Magistrate Hao led the government officials, and Ms. Gao Lei came out.
"Vice Magistrate Duan is truly a hero of our time; we thank Vice Magistrate Duan for rescuing Xing’an Prefecture from peril," Magistrate Hao, a civil servant, naturally voiced such flattering words, as General Liang couldn’t say them; after all, he watched from the city wall, clearly seeing that the surname Duan was here to claim credit.
Upon hearing these words, Duan Changling felt somewhat comforted yet still dissatisfied, grumbling: "I am the Central State Deputy Commander Vice Magistrate, with a prominent Military Flag; can you not see? Why require verification twice?"
Magistrate Hao replied: "Vice Magistrate Duan, do not be angry; making you wait was indeed undue, but unavoidable. After all, Rong people disguised themselves as our soldiers, luring us to open the gate before capturing the city such incidents have happened."
In fact, they deliberately demanded twice verification and took excessive time.
General Liang was deeply moved by the noble deeds of the Eagle Food Gang, learned that Luo Ying was injured, and heard Luo Ying discussing Emperor Jingwu’s decree, which made his mind turn, going to Ms. Gao Lei to see if they could use this decree to aid Luo Ying.
A serious battle injury, without two days of rest, feared it would doom him.
But General Liang, as an Imperial Military General, could not have ties with a court criminal, bandit leader.
Magistrate Hao spoke soundly and logically, even wiping away tears of old age, appearing genuinely distressed, which left Duan Changling unable to fault them, using the chance to say: "Rong bandits are indeed fierce as ghosts; I risked my life in battle to drive them off."
"Ha ha ha!" Luo Ying heard this and burst into laughter, but the strain on his wound made him grimace; after enduring the acute pain, he looked at Duan Changling and remarked: "As a man, you can be thick-skinned, but not shameless! General Liang and the others have no vision problem; they can see clearly from the city wall, so stop bragging. The more you boast, the more you embarrass yourself!"