Chapter 4, The Massacre

Yan An's lips twitched slightly, displaying an expression of "as expected". He immediately replied, "My lord is also eager to see Lord Pei one last time—please follow me."

... ...

Then the barbarian curled his lips and said, "The princes have surrendered, what use is that?" He then waved his hand and said, "Bind them all up, and gag their mouths as well, I do not want to hear their cries"

... ...

A considerable number of Hu people lined up and then simultaneously halted, removing the horse bows from their shoulders—Pei should understand that this was to annihilate the Jin people, leaving "not a single person to escape"

He immediately changed into clean clothes and continued to kneel and sit in a serious manner, waiting. It did not take long before the sound of boots could be heard, and the man with a yellow beard and mustache bent down to enter the tent. Pei Gai suddenly thought that this person had actually treated him quite well, providing him with water and bread, and even sending a set of clean clothes. Even if all of this was at the command of Shi Le, this person was merely an executor. However, having received such kindness, he should at least... Well, forget it, there is no need to thank the Hu people. I might as well ask for his name. After all, it could be this person who ultimately carries out the execution, and it would be good to know whose hands he would die by.

"Pei Lang, do you have any final requests before you pass away?"

Pei licked his cracked lips, probably due to extreme thirst, which caused his throat to swell and made his voice slightly off-pitch as he said: "Water ... ... "

Since it is said that "a gentleman dies without removing his cap," one should tidy up one's appearance a bit more neatly. Although in death, whether one is clean or dirty makes no difference, in order to demonstrate to the Hu people that one does not fear death, one must still maintain a certain demeanor. ... However, after just a few strokes, he felt dizzy and lightheaded, and he ended up leaning against the edge of the bucket, dozing off in a daze ...

Pei opened his eyes and glanced sideways, first seeing a pool of blood, then countless corpses lying on the ground, their bodies pierced with quivering arrow feathers... Among the pile of corpses, the yellow-bearded man was facing Wang Yan and several vassal kings, a triumphant smile on his face

In the end, that Hu general blinked first and then averted his gaze. It was unclear what action he took—Pei Gai's head was indeed a bit dizzy, and his observational skills had sharply declined—when two Hu soldiers approached, one on the left and one on the right, and seized Pei Gai's arms. Pei Gai was utterly powerless to resist, and having knelt for too long, his legs had already stiffened, making it very difficult to even straighten them. Thus, he was forcibly dragged by the two Hu soldiers into a tent not far away.

Wang Yan, who had always been given to verbal disputes, could hardly speak at this moment. After much effort and trembling for quite a while, he barely managed to utter a few words: "Lord Shi... do not kill... I am willing to surrender..."

As the officer Hu stepped into the tent and had just straightened his back, he heard Pei's inquiry and couldn't help but be taken aback. He then slightly curled the corner of his mouth and replied with a smile: "I am the General of the Central Army, Xuan An, a Xiongnu man"

However, it is not only he who is concerned about the movements of the Hu people; many officials from Jin, upon witnessing the situation, could not help but feel alarmed. Yet, they had long been frightened to the core, only daring to shrink against the walls, not daring to resist in the slightest, nor even to raise their voices in protest. Pei noticed that these executing Hu people had a leader, a man with a thick yellow beard under his jaw, who seemed to be the same person who had, during the day, placed a whip across his shoulder and inquired about names, and then reported to Shi Le.

Pei Gaixin said it was about to begin, and they were going to "execute Wang Yan and the others by walling them in," effectively burying them alive. But have you all forgotten something? Alas, there is still a living person here! Could it be that Shi Le, out of respect for Pei Wei, also wants to grant his son a favor, allowing him to have a complete corpse? ... However, I am not concerned about whether the corpse is complete or not; I only hope for a swift death.

Pei was filled with confusion, yet he could not afford to think too much about it. He directly lunged forward, pouring water from the bucket with great vigor, and then grabbed a flatbread, stuffing it into his mouth in a few bites. After alleviating some of his hunger and thirst, he then scooped up the remaining water with both hands, and in the dim light of the torch outside the tent, he hastily wiped his face.

It has begun. I hope these fellows can shoot accurately and spare themselves any further suffering. Pei simply closed his eyes and deliberately chose not to listen to the screams—though they are all worthless, it does not necessarily mean that every worthless person deserves to die. For instance, the two young officials he encountered last night... Their death poems are unlikely to be passed down through the ages, and my own half-plagiarized version of Du Fu's "Spring View," no matter how sorrowful or exquisite, will also never be transmitted, because none of the Han people here will be left; they will all perish, completely wiped out... Just like the two young officials he met last night... Their death poems are unlikely to be passed down through the ages, and my own half-plagiarized version of Du Fu's "Spring View," no matter how sorrowful or exquisite, will also never be transmitted, because none of the Han people here will be left; they will all perish, completely wiped out...

Then he straightened his neck and said: "Who are you? What is your surname and given name?"

Pei Gai followed Su An out of the tent and walked towards the central command tent—Shi Le still had his main tent set up outside the ruins of Ningping and had not moved it into the city. Along the way, there were tents and soldiers everywhere; almost all the Hu soldiers would bow and pay their respects upon seeing Su An, then cast rather unfriendly glances at Pei Gai—clearly, Su An held a significant position within Shi Le's army.

Pei was probably so hungry and thirsty that he fainted, which is why he instinctively responded this way. However, the other party laughed on the spot and even said, "If you're dead, you won't be thirsty anymore." Pei felt both ashamed and angry, and without thinking, he blurted out, "A gentleman dies, but does not... does not remove his cap... I want to wash my face..."

Yan An raised her eyebrows, seemingly about to become angry, but ultimately restrained herself and retorted, "In the eyes of the Jin people, the Xiongnu are barbarians, and the Qie and Qiang tribes are also barbarians; what difference does it make?" Then, she pressed her hand against the dagger at her waist and said, "Pei Lang need not continue to boast with words; now that your face is clean and your clothes are tidy, it is time to set off, isn't it?"

Only that fellow did not draw his bow, yet suddenly drew a knife from his waist and raised it high. The setting sun's afterglow perfectly illuminated the gleaming blade, the reflection stinging Pei Gai's eyes, causing him to involuntarily squint. Immediately, a series of dense sounds of bowstrings being released reached his ears, and about half a second later, piercing and desperate screams began to echo behind him.

Upon hearing the words "on the road," Pei's eyelids involuntarily twitched—whether one dies on the left or the right, whether one dies neatly dressed, or whether one dies after having eaten well and slept enough, what difference does it make? Scholars truly place too much emphasis on form over substance. However, suddenly, he slightly furrowed his brows and glanced at that An: "I wish to see General Shi once more"

One reason is that his face was smeared with both blood and dirt, which had been there all day and was truly uncomfortable; the second reason is that to demonstrate his unwavering spirit, he could not help but recall the words spoken by a young official last night—"As the ancient saying goes: 'A gentleman dies without removing his cap.'" He casually used this as justification.

Two soldiers gently shoved, and Pei immediately rolled into the tent. Looking around, he found nothing but an old felt mat that was half worn out on the ground. While he was in a daze, he suddenly heard a sound behind him. Turning his head, he saw a Hu man bringing in a wooden bucket of water and placing it beside him. Additionally, he took out two coarse wheat cakes from his bosom and set them down next to the water bucket.

Pei let out a cold laugh: "The Xiongnu are kin to the Han, yet you are willing to submit to the mixed barbarians..."

Pei had already cursed the Sima family for several generations in his heart. When he finally raised his head again, he had arrived before the main tent. Yan An entered the tent first to announce his arrival, and shortly after, he was summoned to enter. Pei adjusted his attire once more, then held his head high and strode in. Upon seeing Shi Le, he did not offer any formal greeting but directly knelt down and sat before him.

Shi Le looked him up and down a few times, smiling slightly: "After grooming, Young Master Pei's demeanor is even more impressive." He then immediately adopted a serious expression: "I have already killed all the Jin soldiers, and Wang He, Tu, and Shu Yan have also been buried under the wall. Now, only you, Young Master Pei, remain. I will ask you one more question: Are you willing to surrender?" After a pause, he added: "I will establish a gentleman's camp, with Zhang Mengsun from Zhao County as the leader, to gather the scholars of the Central Plains. Young Master Pei may also join the camp as the deputy supervisor."

Pei coldly laughed and said: "When Liu Yuan was in power, he ordered the generals to join forces with Liu Yao, Wang Mi, and others to attack Luoyang, but for several years they could not capture it. Now, with a single battle, the general has destroyed Wang Yan, causing the main force of Jin to be completely lost, and the hastily assembled troops from all directions to aid the emperor are difficult to unite. Luoyang is like a city built of sand, and the Jin emperor is like a fish trapped at the bottom of a pot, facing imminent destruction..."

As the man with the beard stepped outside, the voice of the yellow-bearded general rang out from beyond the tent: "Clear water is offered, if Lord Pei wishes to adjust his cap, then let him do so"

Upon hearing this, the officer Hu's expression darkened, and he unexpectedly revealed a hint of respect. While staring into Pei Gai's eyes, he slowly retracted the long knife in his hand and sheathed it. Pei Gai also exerted all his effort to widen his eyes and maintain eye contact with him—come on, whoever blinks first loses.

Is this to change into clean clothes before dying? Pei thought about it and looked down at himself; his chest was covered in congealed blood. No matter how clean his face was washed or how properly his hat was worn, it was truly impossible to face anyone in such attire. He then pulled over a set of clean clothes, shook them out, and took a rough look; there were no bloodstains, no tears, and they did not appear to have been stripped from a corpse. Perhaps they were replacement clothes belonging to some deceased noble, rummaged out by the Hu people from a box.

When Shi Le heard that Pei Gai was coming to see him, he initially thought that Pei Gai was coming to surrender. However, upon hearing the tone of the other party, which showed no respect for the Han rulers, and even directly referring to the former Han Emperor Liu Yuanhai by name, he felt somewhat displeased. But then he heard Pei Gai refer to the Jin Dynasty Emperor Sima Chi not as "Son of Heaven," "Your Majesty," or "State," but instead called him "Jin Lord," and described this fellow as now being like a "fish swimming under the pot"—this clearly indicated a betrayal of the Jin, and he couldn't help but brighten his eyes and feel secretly pleased.

However, Hu Bing seemed to have gone to bind Wang Yan and the others, leaving only a yellow-bearded Hu man holding a knife, who slowly approached Pei Gai. Just as Pei Gai blinked, the gleaming blade was already pressed against his neck—this gesture was not much different from the way he wielded the whip during the day.

Donghai Wang Sima Yue was the last vassal king involved in the "Eight Kings' Rebellion." In the internal strife, he could barely be considered the one who laughed last, but the world had long been thrown into chaos by the useless princes of the Sima family, making the victor the greatest loser. However, although Sima Yue was known for his usurpation of power and notorious for his cruelty, at least in terms of military strategy and warfare, he was far superior to the likes of Wang Yan and Sima Fan. It is likely that if he had not died of illness due to his grievances, Shi Le would not have been able to achieve victory so easily.

In a night devoid of dreams, Pei was ultimately awakened by the piercing sound of the Huqiao. Groggily lifting his head to glance outside the tent, he noticed the faint morning light; the day had indeed brightened—he would have to endure another day. He casually scooped up some water from the basin to wash his face again, and then suddenly discovered a complete set of official attire from the Jin dynasty laid out beside him.

However, all that remains are various abrasions and bruises from the previous night, as well as stomach pain caused by hunger and throat pain caused by thirst, yet there is never the sharp pain of an arrow piercing flesh—what is the reason for this? Is it because I am sitting too far away from everyone else, so no one aimed at this spot during the first round? Do I have to wait for the second round?

In the distance, a thick plume of black smoke rose into the sky. Yan An noticed where Pei Gai was looking and casually explained: "The lord has ordered the coffin of Sima Yue to be opened and his body to be burned, in order to avenge the people of the world."

A few awkward Chinese phrases reached my ears: "The prince has been startled. Rest assured, my family’s general has ordered that the prince will not bleed to death."

Shi Le furrowed his brows and said, "What does Lord Pei mean by this?"

Pei curled the corner of his mouth: "The general seems to have great ambitions... However, disaster is right before us. Instead of considering his own safety, he is instead exhausting his efforts to recruit me, Pei. Is he not afraid of losing everything for the sake of a small gain?"