Trois canards mandarins et une paire et demie

Chapitre 9

Xiao Xuan had never seen anything like it before. Holding her rake, she broke out in a cold sweat. The leader of the Liao soldiers, who were stripping off their clothes, moved with undiminished speed, already completely naked, and pounced on the woman. The poor woman, her hands tightly gripped from behind by another soldier, was unable to move. She watched helplessly as the Liao soldier pounced on her.

"I'll fight you to the death!" Seeing the Liao soldiers continue to insult the woman, Xiao Xuan disregarded her surroundings, grabbed a knife to slash at the Liao soldiers, and ran towards the Liao soldiers who were humiliating the woman, holding a rake in both hands.

Liao soldiers were already slashing at Xiao Xuan with their swords. A scream of "Ah!" rang out, and everyone was stunned. The scream didn't come from the young cook, but from a Liao soldier wielding a sword. Looking closer, they saw an arrow piercing the Liao soldier's wrist.

"Ah!" The Liao soldier clutched his wrist, screaming in agony as he lay on the ground. Seeing their comrade wounded, all the Liao soldiers looked toward the spot where the arrow had been fired, where stood a man who appeared to be a general—Yelü Xiuge!

"General Yelü!" the Liao soldiers cried out in alarm. They had no idea how this young general, who was already famous throughout the Liao Dynasty, could be here.

Yelü Xiuge rode his horse up to the crowd and roared at the soldier who was holding the woman's arms, "Let her go!" Then he roared at the soldier who was about to rape the woman, "Put your clothes back on."

The Liao soldiers dared not disobey and quickly retreated to one side.

Xiao Xuan threw down the rake in her hand and came to the woman, saying, "Are you alright? Are you okay...?" She could only say these two sentences before she couldn't continue. Her husband and child had been killed right before her eyes. How could she be okay with this?

The woman stood there, frantically using her hands to cover her body again with the torn clothes.

"Wait here for me. I have money and gold. I'll go get them for you."

"Get out! Get far away! I don't care about your gold!" The woman cried and cursed at Xiaoxuan, "What use is it if you give me more things? My husband and my children are gone, what's the point of my life?" After saying that, the woman plunged the hand holding the hairpin into her own throat.

The splattered blood dripped onto her clothes, and she slowly collapsed. Xiao Xuan rushed forward to catch her falling body, crying, "Why, why did you do this? Why were you so foolish? Couldn't you just live a normal life?"

The woman grasped Xiaoxuan's hand with trembling hands and gently placed it on her abdomen. Xiaoxuan shuddered and roared, "Why did you do this!"

The woman looked at Xiaoxuan, her lips trembling as she slowly opened them, and said, "You don't understand, you don't understand. When you have nothing, you have no choice but to die." Seeing Xiaoxuan's tears streaming down her face, the woman softly asked again, "Why did you come all this way here?"

“Someone wants to beat you Han people, we’re here to help you,” Xiaoxuan replied, crying.

"Help us, help us..." the woman said as she pulled the hairpin that had pierced her throat. Blood flowed continuously from the small hole. She stared blankly at the sky, her face bearing that mocking smile until she breathed her last.

Xiao Xuan's arms could no longer support the heavy body, and with all her might, she laid the woman down on the ground. Looking at the three corpses lying on the ground, she felt a moment of disorientation.

"Let's go back," Xiu said as he dismounted and approached Xiaoxuan.

Xiao Xuan slowly raised her head, looked at Xiu Ge, and suddenly slapped him across the face.

The Liao soldiers stared wide-eyed. He, a mere cook, dared to strike General Yelü! General Yelü was also puzzled. Despite being slapped, he didn't get angry or lose his temper; he just stared speechlessly at the cook!

Xiao Xuan glanced at Xiu Ge, then walked to his horse, took down the wine bag hanging on his saddle, opened it, and took a sip.

So spicy!

Xiao Xuan bit her lip, took the wine bag and walked up to the Liao soldier who had killed the father and son, saying, "I'll treat you to a drink." After saying that, she poured all the wine on the Liao soldier.

Seeing that General Yelü had not spoken, the Liao soldiers dared not move. They stood there, motionless.

Seeing Xiao Xuan spill wine on the leader, the leader could only frown and dare not say anything. Only after the cook threw the empty wine bag on the ground did he raise his head and look at the cook with surprise. He saw the cook reaching for something on his person—a tinderbox! Xiao Xuan pulled a tinderbox from her bosom. The Liao soldier seemed to understand something, yet couldn't believe it. He stared wide-eyed at Xiao Xuan, who then lit the tinderbox and threw it at him.

His clothes burst into flames instantly, leaving Yelü Xiuge and the Liao soldiers stunned by the sudden turn of events. By the time they reacted and tried to save the Liao soldier, he was already engulfed in flames.

"One life for four lives, you got off easy." Xiao Xuan said coldly, looking at the "fire man" rolling on the ground and screaming incessantly.

Hugh shuddered; he hadn't expected her to do this. Four lives? How could it be four lives? Recalling the scene from moments before, he seemed to understand something.

Xiao Xuan turned and walked towards Achi, mounted her horse, and ignored the corpses on the ground and the "fire man." She slowly rode back the way she came. Tears were still flowing, and all she could hear were the Liao soldiers' pitiful cries for help. Her heart felt empty, as if it had been hollowed out.

The woman's voice rang in my ears.

Why did you come all this way here?

"We're here to help you," she replied. "We're here to help you"—how ridiculous. Who's really helping whom? If it weren't for this war, this family would be perfectly fine.

Watching her leave, Xiu Ge shouted to the Liao soldiers who were carrying supplies to put out the fire, "Clean this place up! Bury the corpses! Once everything is settled, return to your post immediately! If you dare to go out and disturb the people again, you will not be spared!" With that, he spurred his horse and chased after Xiao Xuan. He couldn't kill her now. His mind was clear; with a formidable enemy at hand, he couldn't let trivial matters disrupt the morale of his troops. As a general of Liao, he understood that if he killed these soldiers who had gone out to gather fodder, word would spread throughout the army, affecting morale and potentially causing a drop in spirit. These soldiers couldn't be dealt with now; they had to wait until after the battle and back in Liao.

Looking at the vast land, Xiao Xuan reined in Achi. Further on was Xin County, and then they would be back at their camp. After that brush with death, she was utterly disillusioned with the Liao Kingdom.

I want to go back, back to the Great Song Dynasty. This is now Han Chinese territory, the land of the Han people. The Great Song is attacking the Han capital. If I can reach Taiyuan, I can see the Song army and return to the Great Song with them. Yes, to Taiyuan!

Thinking of this, Xiao Xuan spurred her horse and galloped off in the direction the main force had planned. Behind her, Xiu Ge, who was catching up, saw that she had turned her horse around and was not returning to the camp, but instead galloping off in another direction. He couldn't help but feel anxious and chased after her.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter Sixteen: Sophistry

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:57 Word Count: 3523

In Xin County, Yelü Talie welcomed Liu Jiye, the Han general and commander of the Imperial Guards, and his subordinates to his lodgings.

Liu Jiye nodded slightly to Yelü Talie and said, "Entrusted by the Han Emperor, General Liu Jiye has brought beef, mutton, and fine wine to Xinxian to welcome General Yelü." Liu Jiye had never had much affection for the Khitans; in his heart, there was only one king, and that was Emperor Liu Jun of Han. Now, with Liu Jun deceased and the young Emperor Liu Chengen newly enthroned, the Han Dynasty was internally unstable and its people demoralized. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Song army launched a major attack on Han, which was exhausted and had no strength to resist. Therefore, following the young emperor's wishes, they sent envoys to Liao to seek aid. Although these were reinforcements, Liu Jiye felt somewhat displeased looking at these barbarians from the grasslands. Therefore, knowing that Yelü Talie was the Southern King of Liao, he deliberately omitted the title of "King" and addressed him as "General."

Yelü Talie sized up the man before him. He was a magnanimous man and never cared much about how others addressed him. However, this particular Han general piqued his interest. His eyes were deep, his body strong, his movements swift, his speech concise, and his demeanor exuded a decisive and efficient air—clearly a talented general. Behind him followed two other generals, the younger of whom was particularly dashing and spirited.

"General Liu, Taiyuan is besieged. Our Great Liao has received the letter from the Han Emperor and should naturally relieve the siege of Taiyuan. Now is the time for Taiyuan to hold out. Why is the General not holding out in the city, but instead going against the grain and coming here to welcome our Great Liao? Isn't the General afraid that Taiyuan might be lost or something?"

Upon hearing Yelü Talie's accusations, Liu Jiye's heart stirred slightly. Although the Khitan man's words were somewhat arrogant, they were not insincere; though accusatory, they were quite reasonable. Liu Jiye replied without changing his expression, "The Song army, upon hearing that Liao reinforcements had arrived, suddenly withdrew today. Fearing a trap, the Han emperor, after discussing with his ministers, ordered us to come and inform the general first, lest we fall into the Song army's scheme."

"Oh?" Yelü Talie's brow furrowed, and he said, "Is this a trap?"

"That's what my Han general thought too. We've already sent scouts to investigate, but the reports seem to indicate a genuine retreat; their troops haven't shown any signs of returning yet," Liu Jiye said.

"Has General Liu sent anyone else to investigate?" Yelü Talie pressed.

"Thank you for your concern, General Yelü. Our scouts have been following the Song army closely and will send news back to Taiyuan at any time. If the Song army does indeed use a trick, then we can turn the tables on them and catch them off guard."

Hearing Liu Jiye say this, Yelü Talie nodded slightly.

Inside the house, as they were discussing military matters, a commotion arose outside. Yelü Talie and Liu Jiye both felt a slight chill, wondering: Had the war situation taken a new turn? "What's all this noise?" Yelü Talie called out to the outside.

"We beg Your Majesty to grant us justice!" a soldier shouted from outside.

A soldier ran into the room, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, it seems there has been some minor trouble in the camp. A few soldiers have come here and disturbed Your Majesty."

"Let them in!" Ta Lie roared. With a Han general here, how could these soldiers be so blind, causing trouble at this crucial moment? They're truly disgracing our Great Liao.

Tali was secretly angry when he saw several soldiers carrying a man whose body was charred black into the house. The man knelt on the ground and cried out loudly, "Your Majesty, please do justice for us!"

The charred man lay on the wooden frame, barely alive, seemingly still somewhat conscious, groaning softly in pain. His injuries sent chills down the spines of Yelü Talie, Liu Jiye, and the two generals behind them, who had no idea what had happened to him.

"What's going on?" Yelü Talie asked sternly.

"Your Majesty, the cooks have violated the rules by secretly taking a new recruit with them on the journey. That recruit has even burned the capital to this state. We beg Your Majesty to do justice for us."

Yelü Talie walked up to Hudu, glanced at his injuries, and frowned. He didn't want to lash out with Han officials present, but those three officials showed no intention of backing down. Yelü Talie had no choice but to steel himself and roar, "Bring the new recruits up to me!"

"Your Majesty, the new recruit is not in the city. We have brought the head cook, Yigu, here. Your Majesty can ask him any questions."

The soldiers who had gone to gather hay returned with the nearly dead Hudu. The more they thought about it, the angrier and more frightened they became. Yelü Xiuge was a cold-blooded man; if he discovered their hay gathering, they wondered if they would be severely punished. After much deliberation, they conspired to frame Xiaoxuan, pinning all the blame on her. Without hesitation, the soldiers went to the cooks' camp to seek revenge on Xiaoxuan, only to find she hadn't returned. Enraged, they beat the cooks severely. One of the cooks, fearing further beatings, claimed that the new recruit had nothing to do with them; they didn't know where he came from, only that they had been paid to let him hide with them. Hearing this, the soldiers believed they had found some crucial evidence, and they carried Hudu and Yigu Da to Yelü Talie's camp.

“Bring the ancient one.”

The unlucky man's legs were sore and weak that he was carried into the house by two soldiers and collapsed on the ground.

When Ta Lie saw him like this, he became even angrier. He had brought his troops to help the Han army fight, but what kind of morale was this? They had no spirit at all and were all limp. It was a disgrace to the Great Liao. So he shouted angrily, "What exactly is going on? You better explain yourself clearly!"

"Your Majesty, spare my life! It was all my greed. On the eve of our departure from Xijing, a young man came, saying he was also going to fight the Song soldiers and begged us to take him along. I originally refused to make an exception, but he..."

When Gu Da stopped there, he dared not continue. A soldier who knew the situation spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, they took that man's gold, which is why they dared to harbor such a stranger in the ranks. That man seemed to know nothing about what was going on in our ranks, asking questions back and forth. At first, we didn't pay any attention, but now that we think about it, we are increasingly convinced that he is a spy who has infiltrated our ranks."

Hearing the soldiers' words, Ta Lie, Liu Jiye, and the others felt a chill run down their spines. Could it be that enemy spies had really infiltrated their ranks? If so, wouldn't their military intelligence have been leaked? They hadn't even engaged the enemy yet, and their intelligence had already been almost completely gathered. How could they possibly fight this battle?

These are all despicable guys, each one of them is insanely greedy!

As a general leading troops and the Southern King of the Liao Dynasty, Yelü Talie was a seasoned and insightful man. This time, it wasn't that he was out of his mind and failed to guess that the new recruit was Xiao Chuo. Rather, looking at the soldier in front of him who had been burned so badly, he simply couldn't equate the ruthless murderer with the gentle and beautiful Xiao Chuo he had seen.

"Where is he?" Ta Lie pressed.

"General Yelü went to pursue them."

Ta Lie's brow relaxed slightly. Did Hugh go after him? Then there shouldn't be any problem.

The soldiers were secretly pleased to hear Ta Lie's words, knowing that their words had had some effect. They exchanged glances, and one or two of them even showed a hint of smugness on their faces.

This slight change did not escape the eyes of Han general Liu Jiye. Looking at the cunning expressions on the faces of these Liao soldiers, he thought to himself: There must be something more to this.

After glancing at the burned soldier, Yelü Talie asked again, "Why did the new recruit do this to him?"

"After the king ordered us to rest, we decided to rest as well. Then we saw some wild birds outside the city, and we said we'd hunt them and cook them. So we took our bows and arrows and went out to hunt birds. Unexpectedly, we actually shot a wild goose and chased it into a house. But the man in that house was tyrannical; not only did he want to keep the goose, but he was also angry that we had entered his house. He picked up a hoe and started hitting us. We tried to explain, but the newcomer was incredibly fast; he rushed forward and killed the man and child. The old woman went mad and attacked the newcomer..." Ding lunged forward, but we brothers, considering him one of our own and fearing for his safety, stopped the woman. Suddenly, General Yelü appeared, and without warning, shot an arrow at us, striking one of our brothers in the wrist. Seeing General Yelü help him, the new recruit, on a whim, poured wine on Hudu and set him on fire. Poor Hudu, with his family, was burned beyond recognition. While we were all busy saving Hudu, the new recruit seized the opportunity to escape, and the general gave chase. Their whereabouts are still unknown.

With a thud, Yelü Talie slammed his fist on the table.

His face was ashen, and he was in a terrible mood.

Sitting to the side, Liu Jiye and his two generals behind him paled. The young general was Liu Jiye's son, Liu Yanyu. The Liu family had never had any goodwill towards the Liao, and hearing them say that Liao soldiers were killing people in Han territory only fueled their rage. Young General Liu Yanyu clenched his fists so tightly they cracked.

"Let me go! Let me go!" The people inside the house remained silent, but shouts came from outside.

Yelü Talie couldn't guess who had done this, or why they were so ruthless! But when he heard the shout, a thought struck him, and he thought to himself: Oh no, could it be her? I never expected her to have such vicious methods? Just as he was pondering this, he saw Xiu Ge carrying someone into the house. The person being carried on his shoulder was none other than Xiao Chuo!

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter Seventeen: Expulsion

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:57 Word Count: 3672

"Please, Your Majesty, do us justice!" The Liao soldiers shouted, seeing Xiu Ge carrying Xiao Xuan back, fearing that Xiao Xuan and Xiu Ge would expose them.

Xiu put Xiaoxuan down and looked at the people in the room shouting "Make a decision!" He was puzzled. Then he looked at the soldiers kneeling on the ground who had left the camp to forage for grain without permission, and he immediately understood what was going on.

Ta Lie gritted his teeth and looked at Xiao Xuan, who was dressed as a cook.

We cannot expose her identity yet, but one thing is certain: she is not a spy for the Song people.

"Brother Xiu, who is he?" Yelü Talie asked deliberately, his face stern.