Chapter 180: Individual Actions And Collective Honor
Cao Kun burst into laughter upon hearing this. He laughed so fiercely that he choked and spat saliva flying everywhere, taking half a day to calm down.
“Good, no need to say more, it’s all on me. Whether the gold is lost or not, consider it taken by me. The woman, consider her slept with by me. Name a number to compensate you.”
Sun Jin from Helong Prefecture stepped forward with a sigh and said: “Brother Cao, I have no envy for your harvest at Danwang Mountain, nor did I bring up this matter to disgust you at your most joyful time.
My maid was knocked unconscious by someone. Before passing out, she saw that the person who struck was Zhang Lang.
I told you when I came that I brought a thousand taels of gold, originally planning to purchase three or five Fire Tribe slaves from Brother Cao. Now, the gold is gone.
Since Brother Cao is taking this matter upon himself, I have nothing more to say. Just pretend this never happened.”
The other dandies, seeing someone speak up, shut their mouths and waited for Cao Kun to give them an explanation.
Cao Kun nodded and said: “You’re not wrong. Zhang Lang is missing, my maid is missing, and there’s one less horse carriage in the camp.
The gold I brought to bribe Huo Minggong is gone, and much grain is missing too.
Everything looks like Zhang Lang and my maid had an affair, then feared discovery by me, so while we were away from the camp, they swept away everyone’s money and fled.”
1 Cao Kun said this, then suddenly raised his voice: “But I tell you, Zhang Lang couldn’t have run off with the money, let alone my money.
1 I can now confidently tell you that Zhang Lang is dead. Yes, definitely dead.”
1 Cao Kun muttered to himself, said half of it, then looked up at the crowd of dandies in the tent: “Don’t you think this feels very familiar?”
1 Sun Jin asked in surprise: “How is it familiar?”
1 Cao Kun frowned: “You’ve never used such a handy method before?”
1 Sun Jin coughed dryly: “Brother Cao doesn’t think we did this ourselves, does he?”
1 Cao Kun sighed too: “From the moment I heard my subordinate report, I felt this was done by someone among us.
1 Probably some brother among us who slapped his head on the spot and decided to do it. If it were arranged by family elders or done by experienced subordinates, things wouldn’t look this half-baked.
1 Getting seen in the face before knocking someone out?
1 And seen multiple times?
2 If Zhang Lang only had that much skill, I would’ve kicked him out long ago to be a laborer.”
2 “So, brothers, whoever did it, step forward now, return the gold to everyone, hand over the person who killed Zhang Lang, chop off his head in front of everyone, and we’ll all laugh it off as good brothers.”
2 Hearing Cao Kun’s words, the dandies fell silent at once. When they looked at each other again, the anger in their eyes was gone, replaced by a bit of suspicion.
2 Seeing everyone silent, Cao Kun smiled and waved: “Oh, damn, I forgot brothers all care about face. These two days, I’ll order my subordinates not to patrol the camp. Brothers joking with me just need to toss the gold and the killer’s corpse somewhere unseen.
2 Remember to chop up the killer’s face. Don’t let petty brothers recognize him…”
2 Cao Kun spoke amusingly and downplayed a major incident, but these words carried a million jin of weight among the dandies.
2 Speaking of it, everyone came to Danwang Mountain this time just to see how the Cao Clan would defy the world to seize it from the Fire Tribe. Before coming, each prepared two plans: if the Cao Clan smoothly took Danwang Mountain, they’d see if there was an opportunity to get a share.
2 If the Fire Tribe won, they’d exchange their gold for some weapons and such with the Fire Tribe to curry favor.
2 Now, the Cao Clan has won. With Huo Minggong, the Fire Tribe’s Great Elder, here, the Fire Tribe still exists. Even if Clan Leader Huo Mingda died, it’s the Fire Tribe’s internal struggle, unrelated to the Cao Clan.
2 Throughout the whole matter, the Cao Clan handled it flawlessly.
3 No one doubted Cao Kun’s words. The incident itself seemed just like something a dandy would slap his head and do. After all, the disappearance of one woman and some gold wasn’t even a blow to the current Cao Clan. It could only be said that the one who did it was a bungler who spoiled things.
3 Seeing these guys bearing the dandy name start suspecting each other, Cao Kun felt Zhang Lang’s death was extremely timely.
3 He had been thinking how to monopolize Danwang Mountain alone, but now, didn’t he have an excuse?
3 Best if that gold thief never shows his face. He wouldn’t allow that guy to secretly toss out the gold and end the matter either.
3 He wanted a thorn forever lodged in their hearts, making them guard against each other, stay wary, and finally leave him opportunities to defeat them one by one.
3 Looking at the tent full of wastes, Cao Kun couldn’t help sighing deeply. If Yun Ce could come this time and play Cao Ling’s role, perhaps in the first wave of attack, the Cao Clan could have broken into Danwang Mountain.
3 That way, Huo Mingda wouldn’t have had a chance to move things from the storehouse or let his son escape through the secret passage. Then, things would have been truly perfect.
3 According to Huo Minggong, the things Huo Mingda deliberately hid can’t be found by anyone. After all, his martial art is poor, but in mechanisms and hidden messages, among the Fire Tribe’s thousand years, Huo Mingda ranks top three.
3 The things must be in Danwang Mountain, but alas, their location is unknown.
3 While Cao Kun was disintegrating, dividing, and sowing discord among the dandy disciples, dawn was just breaking, and Yun Ce woke from deep sleep.
4 He restored the wooden house to its original state, then jumped onto the trees, hopping away to rendezvous with the red date horse on the other side of the forest.
4 With his family starving, he had gotten money to buy grain and didn’t want to linger a moment. Though spending such a large sum short-term wasn’t feasible, grain wasn’t very precious cargo. Buying it with a small sum was reasonable.
4 Strike successfully, then flee a thousand li away.
4 This is the consensus of those who’ve been thieves, especially after a big deal.
4 The red date horse entering the mountain forest was no longer a mount but a beast. When Yun Ce arrived, it immediately ended its entanglement with local beasts, trotted lightly to Yun Ce’s side, then fled far away.
4 Yun Ce didn’t rush back to Yun Clan Villa but went to Yujin Pass, jointly controlled by the Cao Clan and East Sea Lang Clan. Yujin Pass was the wealthiest pass on the Great Wall Defense Line.
4 Every spring, Yujin flowers outside the Great Wall bloom brilliantly fiery red, like clusters of flames, so Yujin Pass is also called Spring Fire Pass.
4 Yujin Pass in the Deep Winter Month naturally lacked spring’s scenery. Yun Ce had no mood to sightsee; his mind was full of how to buy more grain.
4 So after arriving at Yujin Pass, he went straight to the Yujin Pass General’s Mansion, took out the waist token from Cao Kun, handed it to the guard, and requested to see the Cao Clan’s person-in-charge at Yujin Pass.
4 In moments, Yun Ce met that kindly-faced old butler—Zheng Tianshou.
5 “I heard Yun Clan Villa lacks grain. This old man prepared twenty carts of grain long ago, originally to send over these two days. Since young nephew is here, take them back quickly to tide over the emergency.”
5 Upon meeting, Zheng Tianshou acted more anxious than Yun Ce. Not only did he prepare twenty carts of grain, he also urged him to take them back soon, portraying a kindly, generous elder perfectly.
5 But such behavior completely blocked Yun Ce’s path to buying grain.
5 Yun Ce hadn’t eaten or slept well lately, worried about grain, looking somewhat haggard.
5 He first thanked Zheng Tianshou for the timely aid in the snow, then said no more about buying grain with gold. Facing this old fox, gold truly wasn’t in his eyes.
5 Yun Ce drank some clear water to moisten his parched throat, then said in a slightly hoarse voice: “I won’t say much about the benefits of the farming technique. Yun Clan has little to offer now. For senior’s great kindness, Yun Clan has nothing to repay except the farming technique.
5 I wonder if senior is interested in farming technique north of the Great Wall?”
5 Zheng Tianshou smiled: “Alas, the farming technique is said to be Yun Clan’s closely guarded secret. With your grand mindset to restore Yun Clan’s glory, you must never give it away lightly.”
5 Yun Ce shook his head with difficulty: “To be honest with senior, Yun Clan Villa is truly at the end of its rope now. It’s laughable, but even my wife gets only a bowl of porridge and one pancake daily. Such straitened days are fine for a while, but prolonged, they’ll wear down the body.
5 Even if we survive this Deep Winter Month, when spring comes, the people’s bodies won’t suffice for the heavy spring farming.”
6 Seeing Yun Ce complain, Zheng Tianshou gritted his teeth: “In that case, this old man will squeeze out ten more carts of grain for young nephew. But any more will take some days.”
6 Yun Ce ignored Zheng Tianshou’s words and continued: “This junior is willing to share the farming technique with the Cao Clan!”
6 Zheng Tianshou’s face remained calm as still water, unmoved by Yun Ce, and asked gravely: “This old man has one puzzle; please enlighten me, young master.”
6 Yun Ce smiled: “Senior, ask away. This junior will answer everything I know.”
6 Zheng Tianshou solemnly said: “A few days ago, our Eldest Son learned of Yun Clan’s grain shortage and found a grain supply route for Yun Clan. I wonder why young master refused it?”
6 Yun Ce sighed: “The army has its own dignity and must nurture Righteous Qi.”
6 Zheng Tianshou solemnly asked: “What is Righteous Qi?”
6 Yun Ce said: “Mindset embracing the world, tasked with protecting the myriad people. An upright army: knows victory without arrogance, faces defeat without chaos, forgets death at the drum’s sound, grows stronger against the strong, unflinching in desperate straits, unyielding in certain death.”
6 The other two chapters are being revised and will be sent soon.
