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Zhang Lu crouched atop the estate wall, peeking out cautiously before retreating with a grim expression. He descended and returned to the hall, only to freeze in surprise. "Father, their camp is practically at our doorstep, and you're still in the mood to read? Uh… Father, your book… it's upside down…"
Zhang Han hurriedly righted the book, snapping, "Fool! In times of crisis, one must remain calm! Look at your flustered state—what a disgrace! The book isn't important; what matters is a steady mindset!"
"Yes, Father, I understand!" Zhang Lu clasped his hands, grabbed a book, and tried to mimic his father's composure.
But he couldn't hold back. After flipping a few pages, he blurted, "Father, do you think something will happen? They won't really attack, will they?"
"Hmph! They're just posturing! Would they dare fight? Even if they do, their camp is full of fresh recruits—how much skill could they have to storm an estate? Besides, the Wei family said they'd step in if needed. No need to worry!" Zhang Han's words seemed to reassure both his son and himself.
Relieved, Zhang Lu exhaled and began to focus on his book.
But they hadn't turned many pages when a guard rushed in, reporting that the soldiers outside had left their camp, forming ranks as if preparing to attack the estate!
"What?!" Zhang Han could no longer feign calm. He tossed the book aside, stood, and headed to the wall with Zhang Lu.
"Open the gates and surrender within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, or our army will come in full force, and you'll face no mercy!" From beyond bowshot range, several loud-voiced soldiers shouted, a lit incense stick planted before them, its smoke curling upward.
Zhang Han assessed the situation. Roughly a thousand soldiers stood before them—not enough to easily overrun his estate. The walls were high, the moat deep, with a drawbridge and battlements, comparable to a small county town. But war would bring heavy losses to his guards. Better to avoid fighting if possible.
With this in mind, Zhang Han ordered his own loud-voiced guards to shout, inviting the enemy's leader to negotiate. Courtesy before force was worth a try.
"Open your gates and surrender at once, or our army will crush your puny estate with ease! The Zhang family will regret it too late!" But his call went ignored, the opposing soldiers continuing their arrogant shouts.
Seeing no room for talk, Zhang Han grew furious. "They dare underestimate our Zhang family? With those flimsy ladders and so few men, they think they can breach our estate? What a delusion! Zhang family men, prepare for battle!"
The Zhang guards echoed Zhang Han's cry, their shout brimming with momentum.
The incense stick burned out quickly. Outside the estate, war drums thundered as Huang Xu led his troops forward, nearing bowshot range. A battle seemed imminent.
"Stop! Everyone, stop!"
At this critical moment, several horses galloped from a bend in the road. Leading them was Lu Chang, shouting as he charged toward the front of the army.
Huang Xu raised a hand, and his soldiers gradually halted, standing just within bowshot of the estate.
"Where's your commander? Come out and meet me!" Lu Chang dismounted, standing between the soldiers and the estate wall, calling out loudly.
Jia Qu parted the ranks, stepping forward to the estate's front, clasping his hands to Lu Chang. "Lord Lu, what brings you here?"
"It's you, Jia? You ask why I'm here? If I hadn't come, you'd have started fighting! Tell me, what's this all about?" Lu Chang said, feigning distress.
Jia Qu briefly explained, then said indignantly, "Everything was settled, the contract signed, yet they reneged. How can this stand?"
"What's the big deal? It's just about a bit more profit, nothing major!" Lu Chang urged. "Fighting over a few coins—how unseemly! If word spreads, people will mock us Hedong folk for lacking grace!"
"Nothing major?" Jia Qu retorted, sounding like a young man frustrated at being undermined. "Lord Fei entrusted me with this, my first task, and the Zhang family ruined it. How am I to explain this to him?!"
Lu Chang glanced up at Zhang Han. "Lord Zhang surely didn't mean it. Jia, rest assured, we're all neighbors. Nothing can't be discussed. Right, Lord Zhang?"
Zhang Han, sensing Lu Chang was here to mediate, nodded eagerly. "Jia, I didn't know you were in charge. My actions were rash—please forgive me! Everything can be negotiated!"
"See? Lord Zhang says so!" Lu Chang said loudly. "Jia, listen to me. We're all neighbors. It's just about money, not a big deal. Can't we sit down and talk? Why resort to weapons and ruin harmony? Disperse, disperse!"
Jia Qu hesitated for a long moment before heeding Lu Chang, waving to disband the formation.
"Lord Zhang, this isn't a place for discussion. Surely you can spare a cup of tea?" Lu Chang teased, looking up at Zhang Han.
"Yes, yes! I've been a poor host! Open the main gate and welcome our guests!" Seeing Lu Chang mediate and Jia Qu disband his troops, Zhang Han felt the crisis had passed. Talking out here was improper, so he ordered the gate opened to invite Lu Chang and Jia Qu inside.
What seemed a tense standoff dissolved into a gentle breeze. The Zhang guards sighed in relief, lowering their weapons. Several hurried to turn the winch, lowering the drawbridge and opening the gate.
Zhang Han saw only Lu Chang, Jia Qu, and Huang Xu with a dozen men waiting outside, while most soldiers had dispersed, some even resting on the ground. Reassured, he invited Lu Chang and Jia Qu in.
"Lord Zhang, after you!" Lu Chang chuckled, eyes crinkling, hands tucked in his sleeves, gesturing courteously.
Zhang Han laughed, stroked his beard, and without further ado, led the way through the gate, guiding Lu Chang and the others into the estate.
Huang Xu trailed behind, hand on his ring-handled saber, face expressionless and dark, walking slowly.
Seemingly by chance, some soldiers following Huang Xu lingered at key doorways and corridors. Outside, soldiers who had dispersed began rising in twos and threes, edging toward the gate…
"Lord Lu, Jia, why not enter the hall?" Zhang Han, standing at the hall's entrance, turned to see Lu Chang and Jia Qu pause, a flicker of unease rising in his heart.
Lu Chang and Jia Qu exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.
"Seize the Zhang father and son!" Jia Qu shouted. Instantly, several soldiers rushed forward, binding Zhang Han and Zhang Lu with ropes.
At the signal, Huang Xu led his men, already positioned at strategic points, charging through the corridors. Soldiers outside swarmed in, and the clash of weapons erupted. Caught off guard, the Zhang guards, with their leaders captured and no one to command, couldn't resist and were quickly overwhelmed…
As screams spread toward the rear courtyard, Zhang Han, suppressing his panic, demanded, "Jia, Lord Lu, what is this?!"
Lu Chang and Jia Qu stood silently, saying nothing.
In about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Huang Xu returned, his bloodstained saber in hand, escorting the Zhang family—old and young—along with surrendered guards into the courtyard.
Lu Chang, hands tucked in his sleeves, wore a genial smile, but his words were cold. "Last night, bandits set fire to Lord Fei's camp, destroying grain and equipment. Investigation revealed the Anyi Zhang family, under the pretext of dissatisfaction with prices, colluded with Qiang and Hu, bribed soldiers, and plotted to sabotage the reclamation of Shangjun. By law, they must be executed!"
Jia Qu glanced at Lu Chang, surprised. That morning, they'd only discussed fabricating evidence to deal with the Zhang family—not exterminating them entirely!
"No! We didn't do it! The Zhang family had nothing to do with this!" Zhang Lu struggled, roaring.
"Silence!" Zhang Han cut off his son's protests, knowing empty denials were useless in this situation…
Zhang Han stepped forward, knelt, and kowtowed repeatedly, his voice trembling. "I've offended Lord Fei and am willing to redeem my life with my wealth, per Han law! I only beg to preserve a spark of the Zhang family, someone to maintain our ancestral rites!"
His pitiful words, mixed with the cries of Zhang children, stirred some sympathy.
Jia Qu watched the white-haired Zhang Han kowtow, his forehead bleeding onto the bricks, and hesitated, glancing at Lu Chang.
Lu Chang, hands still in his sleeves, smiled warmly and stepped to Zhang Han's side, extending a hand to help him up.
Overjoyed, Zhang Han, face bloodied, smiled. "I'll never forget the mercy of Lord Lu and Jia!"
Lu Chang smiled, saying nothing to Zhang Han. Instead, he turned to Jia Qu. "Nephew, you helped me earlier. Now let me help you. Sometimes, a drawn bow must be fully drawn, and a task must be completed thoroughly. Leaving loose ends is never good…"
Before his words faded, Zhang Han felt a chill in his chest. Looking down, he saw Lu Chang sidestep the gushing blood, withdrawing a knife and casually wiping it on Zhang Han's clothes, leaving two stark bloodstains…
Zhang Han managed half a roar before collapsing, blood pooling as his strength faded.
Zhang Lu screamed, somehow breaking free from the soldiers. He rushed to his father, trying to stem the blood with his bound arms, using his shoulders and body to press against the wound…
Zhang Han looked at his son, struggling to speak. "My son… I often called you… foolish… but today… I see… I'm the most… foolish…"
With that, he fell back, lifeless.
Lu Chang tucked his hands back into his sleeves, strolled back, and smiled at Jia Qu, as if deaf to Zhang Lu's anguished cries over his father's body.
Jia Qu's face flickered with uncertainty as he watched the blood from Zhang Han's corpse spread across the courtyard. Finally, he nodded silently to Huang Xu.
Huang Xu, barely containing himself, waved his hand. The courtyard erupted in screams as heads rolled like overripe melons, thudding onto the bricks, colliding, piling up higher and higher.
Thick blood pooled, overflowing the courtyard, seeping past thresholds and steps, spilling outward. The dark, viscous blood, mixed with bubbles, looked like porridge boiled over with cinnabar…
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Hedong Records: "In the second month of Chuping, the Anyi Zhang family secretly colluded with Qiang and Hu, burned grain, and caused chaos. The county troops quelled it."