"Damn it all..." Zhou Fugui cursed, tightening the fur coat around him.
After a whole day of commotion, Zhou Fugui was exhausted. He had planned to get a good night's sleep, but was too restless to do so.
The Yan army had been arresting people for suppressing the rebellion since morning, and continued late into the night. Even now, they were still apprehending "rebels" or "insurgents." The shouting and the neighing of horses had gone on all night, and showed no sign of stopping, disturbing Zhou Fugui's sleep.
"Damn it, will this never end?" Zhou Fugui, unable to sleep, decided to give up on it. Cursing under his breath, he sat up and stared blankly at the starry sky.
"Snort!" A warhorse snorted, stretching its head curiously towards Zhou Fugui, wondering why he was still awake so late.
A stable, of course, was a place for horses. Countless warhorses in the stable were either restless or snorting, their sounds rising and falling in a cacophony. Accompanied by the restless sounds of the horses, the strong smell of manure made Zhou Fugui extremely uncomfortable.
"Hey, I say, Zhou Feng... Commander Zhou Qi, why are you so downcast?" Tu Boyan saw Zhou Fugui looking troubled and spoke to him.
Tu Boyan was originally a nomadic herdsman from the grasslands, and a talkative one at that. In the years since joining the Yan army, he had been stationed or fighting in various parts of the Central Plains and had never returned to the grasslands.
Tu Boyan was very familiar with stables and didn't find anything wrong with his surroundings. However, he also couldn't sleep, not because of the noise, but because of his heartache. He was heartbroken that his merits had been overlooked and that he was confined to this open-air stable.
Several Yan army guards nearby paid them no attention. Tu Boyan, with no one else to talk to, turned to Zhou Fugui, this madman.
"What about me?" Zhou Fugui asked, waving his hand to ward off the horse's head that was reaching towards him.
Zhou Fugui felt somewhat apologetic towards Tu Boyan.
Zhou Fugui and Tu Boyan had no past grievances or recent enmities. Zhou Fugui had ordered his men to seize Tu Boyan's captured "insurgents" to complete his mission. As a result, Tu Boyan had suffered undeserved misfortune and had also been severely beaten by Zhou Fugui for no reason.
Zhou Fugui hated Albu Gu and others, but he did not hate all Xianbei people.
"Alas, Commander Zhou Qi, just listen. How many rebels have been captured? How many cattle and sheep will this be worth?" Tu Boyan sighed.
"Hmph, they are people, not animals. You want to trade them for cattle and sheep?" Zhou Fugui was immediately displeased. The sliver of apology he felt vanished without a trace, and he said coldly.
"Rebels are captured and will surely lose their heads. Since that's the case, what's wrong with trading them for cattle and sheep?" Tu Boyan asked.
"Hmph..." Zhou Fugui couldn't be bothered to argue with him. Talking too much would be inappropriate. One had to bow their head under a roof. He snorted, pulled his fur coat tighter, turned over, and ignored him.
"Hey, Commander Zhou Qi, why are you silent again?"
"Can we stop talking about this? Brother, what's your age?"
"Alas, Brother Zhou, why don't we bury the hatchet? We men of the grasslands are open-minded, unlike you who are petty..."
"..."
And so, amidst Tu Boyan's incessant chatter, Zhou Fugui gradually drifted off to sleep.
.......
"Rustle, rustle!"
Early the next morning, Zhou Fugui was awakened by a flurry of footsteps. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Murong Tengge, the commander of the Han army, arriving at the stable with his men.
"Commander!" the guards saluted. Tu Boyan had already bowed and waited respectfully. Zhou Fugui stretched and then slowly got up.
"Commander Zhou Qi, did you sleep well last night?" Murong Tengge asked, glancing sideways at Zhou Fugui.
"Thanks to the commander's blessings, I slept very well last night. This is the best sleep I've had since coming south," Zhou Fugui replied, knowing Murong Tengge's question was rhetorical.
"Oh, really?" Murong Tengge couldn't help but look around and chuckle. "It seems Commander Zhou Qi has a bond with the stable? Perhaps you should sleep in the stable from now on."
Those around them also chuckled.
*Damn the stable you're talking about, may your whole family sleep in stables from now on,* Zhou Fugui grumbled inwardly, then smiled and said, "Stables are good. One can ignore the outside world and find some peace."
Zhou Fugui had only managed to fall asleep last night amidst Tu Boyan's rambling, the noisy warhorses, and the smell of manure. How could he have slept well?
"You want to find peace?" Murong Tengge shook his head. "You wish! Let's go, someone wants to see you."
"Oh, who?" Zhou Fugui asked.
"You'll know when we get there," Murong Tengge replied.
"Oh, I will obey your command," Zhou Fugui nodded.
"You're just going like this?" Murong Tengge frowned, seeing that Zhou Fugui intended to follow him without any preparation.
"What does the commander mean...?" Zhou Fugui asked in surprise.
"Bathe and change your clothes!" Murong Tengge waved his hand. "Someone, come and attend to Commander Zhou Qi for bathing and changing. Did you sleep in horse dung last night? Why do you smell so bad? You're reeking, you might make someone faint."
.......
"Commander, how many people were captured yesterday?" Zhou Fugui asked halfway along the road after bathing and changing.
Murong Tengge had ordered Zhou Fugui to bathe and change, even producing rare items like soapwort and spices, making Zhou Fugui smell fragrant. This also made Zhou Fugui very puzzled.
Who exactly wanted to see him? Zhou Fugui mused to himself.
After all, the army was not made up of men from the grasslands or Han Chinese men who were rough and uncouth. They were not so particular. Having a bucket of water to wash oneself would be considered quite good.
"Does it have anything to do with you?" Murong Tengge glared at Zhou Fugui, then answered, "About two thousand people."
"So many?" Zhou Fugui was surprised. "Even a demonic monk wouldn't deceive so many people!"
"Demonic monk? Which demonic monk?" Murong Tengge turned his head in confusion and asked Zhou Fugui.
*Damn it, I let it slip,* Zhou Fugui thought, then quickly covered up, "That old bookworm next to the Governor..."
"What old bookworm? He is Tang Qingsi, a Langzhong from the imperial court. Don't talk nonsense," Murong Tengge glared at Zhou Fugui.
"Oh, Langzhong Tang?" Zhou Fugui continued, "Didn't Langzhong Tang say that the Lesser Vehicle Buddhism was rebelling? The Lesser Vehicle Buddhism worships Buddha. What else could those people be if not demonic monks?"
"Indeed, the demonic monks of the Lesser Vehicle Buddhism are rebelling and have misled many," Murong Tengge nodded and looked at Zhou Fugui. "Commander Zhou Qi, I know you are not one to seek credit. You did it to save them, didn't you?"
"I..." Zhou Fugui was both shocked and annoyed. He was shocked that his little scheme had been seen through by Murong Tengge, realizing he had underestimated him. He was annoyed that the Yan army had captured so many people during this suppression. So, Zhou Fugui hardened his resolve and simply nodded. "Precisely. This junior did it to save them. The demonic monks misled many, but do they all deserve to die? To commit a capital offense for listening to a few heretical words, is there any reason for this in the world?"
"A capital offense? Heh heh, Commander Zhou Qi, you even know about capital offenses? You're right, the demonic monks who rebelled against the army all deserve to die! Zhou Fugui, some things are beyond the power of a mere commander like yourself, even for me. I advise you to focus on being a commander and not meddle in other people's affairs!"
.......
"Dun Oqie, the person has been brought. He..." Murong Bole and Zhou Fugui arrived indignantly at a golden tent. Several strong golden-armored guards were already waiting in front of the tent. Murong Bole spoke to one of them.
"Thank you for your trouble, Commander Tengge," the leader of the golden-armored guards, named Dun Oqie, interrupted Murong Bole. "We have the person. Commander Tengge, you may leave!"
Although Dun Oqie's words were polite, they allowed for no refusal. Murong Tengge had no choice but to give Zhou Fugui a meaningful look and then leave the vicinity of the golden tent.
Zhou Fugui was very confused, not knowing what Murong Tengge's meaningful look meant.
"Commander Zhou Qi, please enter!" Dun Oqie then said to Zhou Fugui.
Zhou Fugui nodded, glanced around, and then ducked into the golden tent.
This golden tent was different from other military tents. The interior was furnished luxuriously. There was a beautiful carpet on the ground, on which was placed a low-legged, carved red sandalwood table. On either side of the entrance, instead of horse whips, bows, arrows, or weapons, hung several branches of winter plum blossoms, their faint fragrance refreshing the senses.
Zhou Fugui even smelled a strange fragrance.
Could it be the faint scent from a woman? Zhou Fugui thought to himself.
"Crack! Crack!"
As Zhou Fugui was curiously looking around the golden tent, he suddenly felt a pain in the back of his leg and was kicked to the ground. Then, several large hands pressed down on him, rendering him unable to move.
A burly man brought two ox tendons, and several guards worked together to turn Zhou Fugui's hands behind his back and tie him up tightly.
"What crime have I committed, that you tie me up?" Zhou Fugui, caught off guard, couldn't resist and could only struggle and roar.
"Do you not know what you have done?" The guard leader, Dun Oqie, lifted Zhou Fugui with one hand and threw him in front of the low-legged, carved red sandalwood table, saying coldly.
"Ouch, are you big brutes bullying me, a young man? You've tied me too tight, can you loosen it a bit?" The ox tendon was so tight that it was almost digging into his flesh. Zhou Fugui pretended to beg for mercy, but his eyes darted around, looking for an opportunity to escape.
"To bind a tiger, one must be tight, especially a cunning tiger," a person said softly from outside the tent, turning to enter.