CHAPTER 501: CHAPTER 495: TORTURE

Fu Tinghan’s face remained expressionless, "When has he ever disrespected me?"

"Last time, you reported him to the Lady for torturing prisoners, which got him demoted. Since then, he’s been disrespectful to you, and just now I even saw him spit at you!"

Fu Tinghan, seeing his anger, couldn’t help but smile, "These are personal matters, not worth mentioning. Your sharp observation shows you’ve made progress. Come and help me with the abacus later."

Fu An, seeing he didn’t take it to heart, muttered under his breath, "You’ve always helped the Lady manage logistics and made so much money for her. You’ve worked just as hard as others, but you don’t hold any official position. It’s unfair to you."

Fu Tinghan, feeling helpless, tapped his head and said, "Fool, having no official position is the greatest position. Haven’t you noticed that Mr. Ji doesn’t hold any position either? Yet he can command all three armies on Hanzhang’s behalf."

Fu An said, "But that’s Mr. Ji. Can you do the same, my lord?"

Fu Tinghan said, "I can, but I hope that day never comes."

Fu Tinghan was always with Zhao Hanzhang, and if the day came when he needed to command the three armies, it would mean Zhao Hanzhang was in trouble.

Fu Tinghan advised Fu An, "There’s no need for you to compete with him over such matters. Focus on doing your job well."

Fu An reluctantly agreed with a sound.

It was nighttime, but few in the army were asleep. The soldiers waited to have a full meal before resting, while Zhao Hanzhang was busy with Ji Yuan, Beigong Chun, and Xie Shi, counting the troops and devising a rescue plan.

With the screams from outside still echoing, Zhao Hanzhang remained unfazed, but Zhao Erlang’s face turned pale, and he couldn’t help but repeatedly glance outside.

Zhao Hanzhang noticed and called him over, "Ting He, bring two wads of cloth here."

Ting He took two wads of cloth from her pouch and handed them over.

Zhao Hanzhang stuffed them into Zhao Erlang’s ears and had someone bring a blanket to spread on the mat where they sat, "Come, lie down and sleep. Don’t think about the noises outside."

Zhao Erlang sat by Zhao Hanzhang’s feet, and as the sound from outside seemed to diminish, he couldn’t help but ask, "Sister, why are they screaming so miserably, worse than our own soldiers wounded in battle?"

Zhao Hanzhang replied, "Pain makes one unable to hold back screams; this is torture. You’re going to be a Great General in the future, following the righteous path. You don’t need to know these means, much less use them, understood?"

Zhao Erlang nodded blankly.

Zhao Hanzhang instructed him to lie down and sleep.

Zhao Erlang lay down next to his sister’s knee and soon fell into a deep sleep.

A boy just over ten years old, falling asleep without hesitation.

Zhao Hanzhang saw this, smiled slightly, and took off her cloak to cover him, then turned to Beigong Chun, "The General is suited for open-field battles; if fighting within the city, leave it to me."

Beigong Chun nodded, "I’ll be outside. You can trust your back to me."

Ji Yuan sighed, "But there are twenty thousand enemy troops at the palace gate; fighting in the city is challenging. How can we bypass them to rescue the emperor?"

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Let’s wait for Yuan Li’s confession."

As soldiers brought up the dishes, Yuan Li returned with a confession, reeking of blood as he reported to the tent.

Even hardened as Ji Yuan was, he couldn’t quite adapt to the blood stench emanating from him.

Zhao Hanzhang and Beigong Chun, however, were unfazed, holding their bowls as they ate, and asked, "Have they confessed?"

"Yes, both have confessed."

To ensure Zhao Hanzhang clearly understood, Yuan Li had the two scouts dragged forward.

Fu Tinghan happened to enter the tent and, seeing the two bloodied figures on the ground, averted his eyes.

Zhao Hanzhang quickly stood up, "Have you eaten?"

"No," Fu Tinghan stepped around the two on the ground and went to the table, "They said the meals are set in the main tent."

Zhao Hanzhang discreetly glared at Ting He, who hadn’t expected the timing. She only wanted to let the Lady and the Master have more time together.

Ting He lowered her head, hesitating whether to bring a meal to Fu Tinghan outside.

Fu Tinghan had already sat down beside Zhao Hanzhang, and she hurriedly served him a meal.

Fu Tinghan took the bowl and chopsticks, telling Zhao Hanzhang, "The food’s getting cold; let’s eat and talk."

Zhao Hanzhang sat down but didn’t pick up her bowl or chopsticks, wanting to resolve things swiftly. She asked, "Who’s leading the troops in the city?"

Scout A, in a hoarse voice: "It’s General Wang Mi and General Liu Cong."

Zhao Hanzhang: "Are they combining their forces?"

"No, they are separate," the scout paused, noticing the cold glint in Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes, he spoke more, "Our general and Liu Cong are not on good terms, so they won’t join forces. They’re competing to be the first to storm the Imperial Palace."

Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Who was the first to enter Luoyang?"

"Our general," said Scout A, "Luoyang City was empty; it only took us two days to breach it."

Zhao Hanzhang: "Did you massacre the city?"

"No, the East, West, and North cities were spared, but our general gathered provisions from the city," Scout A said.

Zhao Hanzhang was unsatisfied, looking at Yuan Li, "Is this what you call a confession?"

Yuan Li’s face turned iron blue; he stepped forward and ground his foot into Scout A’s wounded hand, causing a scream. Yuan Li didn’t stop, motioning for him to be dragged away, and then moved to the trembling Scout B, "You speak. Think carefully before you open your mouth, don’t be like him."

Scout B, pale-faced, said, "Our general led by two hours ahead of General Liu Cong into the city, immediately commanded us to massacre and loot whatever we could."

"When General Liu Cong arrived, he was furious and forbade the massacre. For this, the two forces clashed in the South City, with nearly a thousand casualties. In the end, because the Imperial City hadn’t fallen, they temporarily ceased hostilities," Scout B trembled, "Afterwards, Liu Cong had people guard the streets, not allowing civilians outside nor our general’s men to cross, leading to continuous conflicts. Now Liu Cong mostly ignores it, allowing our general to seize property but not kill wantonly."

No wonder their scouts found wounds from opposing weapons on the Xiongnu corpses; they had been fighting amongst themselves.

Zhao Hanzhang lowered her gaze and asked, "Does your general know I’ve arrived?"

"He doesn’t know, but our general suspected that Gou Xi might come to aid the king, so he had us watch for any outside movements. We were captured while scouting, and the news hasn’t yet been relayed back."

"How many scout teams do you have outside?"

Scout B hesitated, seeing Yuan Li crouch beside him, quickly said, "Five teams, two in the South City, one each in the other three directions, mainly fearing Gou Xi’s army’s flanking attack."

Zhao Hanzhang leaned forward, asking, "Where’s Liu Cong’s remaining ten thousand troops?"

Scout B swallowed, finally shivering as he said, "At Mao’er Mountain, just outside the East City."

Fu Tinghan said, "If Gou Xi deploys, and doesn’t come from the South City, he’s likely to come from the East City."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, asking, "Then where are Wang Mi’s twenty thousand troops?"