Chapter 62: The Execution of the Rebel Ma

Upon arriving at the central army camp, Zhao Ji noticed that campfires were already being lit.

The troop leader was Gao Chong, an officer selected by Zhao Yan from his personal retinue, who had originally served under Xu Huang.

Seeing Zhao Ji approach with a dozen armored imperial guards, Gao Chong sensed something amiss, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in greeting, "Commander Zhao."

"I went to Xu Gongming's camp just now, and the officers on either side said Gongming came to the central camp for a council?"

"Indeed. Lord Xu was invited to come, and Commandant Ma is here as well."

"I see. Please announce my presence, Supervisor Gao."

"After you, Commander."

Leaving his second-in-command to watch the gates of the central camp, Gao Chong strode ahead to make the announcement.

As Zhao Ji drew closer, he saw several of Ma Shizhi's guards chatting in low voices around a pile of campfires.

Catching sight of Zhao Ji, they too cupped their hands. "Commander Zhao."

"Mm."

Zhao Ji returned the greeting. At that moment, Gao Chong emerged from the doorway. "Commander, Lord Zhao invites you in."

"Thank you for the trouble."

Giving Tang Xian a glance, Zhao Ji bypassed Gao Chong and stepped through the doorway with his head bowed.

Inside the room, Zhao Yan sat at the head of the table, while Ma Shizhi and Xu Huang occupied the lower seats. Catching Zhao Ji's entry, Xu Huang exchanged a brief glance with him, instantly guessing the situation, and remained silent.

Zhao Yan inquired, "A-Ji, what brings you here?"

"I come regarding tomorrow's expedition."

Zhao Ji replied, then cast another glance at Ma Shizhi and asked with a puzzled frown, "What is being discussed here, Lord Zhao?"

Ma Shizhi gave a light cough and explained, "We were discussing the matters of Li Bocheng and Hou Wenze. Those two have already marshaled their forces and will march south shortly. Even if Liang Wenmao does not come, combining these two armies with those of my kinsmen will give us three thousand seasoned troops. The gentry and brave men of Jiangyi rising together will muster no fewer than two thousand more. By merging the county troops and the imperial guards, our military might will be formidable, and the various White Waves generals will weigh the odds and retreat of their own accord."

"So you are saying we do not march tomorrow?"

Zhao Ji frowned, uncomprehending. "Where does that leave the safety of the Emperor?"

Ma Shizhi looked displeased. "The White Waves generals are not like the scoundrels Li and Guo. If they harbored ill intentions, why would they wait until now to act? If we rashly raise our forces and march south, pressing them too hard, we will only ruin everything. Our military actions should be deliberate and unhurried, leaving them a way out. Only then will the Emperor truly be secure."

"And so ever since the Emperor moved to Hedong, suffering indignities at the hands of the White Waves generals, you have simply turned a blind eye, waiting quietly for a favorable turn of events?"

Zhao Ji slowly rested his right hand on the hilt of his sword. "Is this your way of showing loyalty to the sovereign and serving the state?"

"You arrogant brat! A mere imperial guard styling himself a commander, relying on brute force and lawlessness—how dare you speak so presumptuously on military and state affairs!"

Ma Shizhi sprang to his feet, drew his sword, pointed it at Zhao Ji, and barked, "Senior officials of the court are holding a council here—withdraw at once!"

Zhao Ji looked toward Zhao Yan, who merely raised a hand to cover his eyes.

Zhao Ji then looked at Xu Huang, who adopted an attitude of complete detachment.

Thus, Zhao Ji slowly nodded. "I understand now. You knew about the Xiongnu invasion and deliberately concealed it, and after the battle you shut yourself away and refused to move. Could it be that you are in league with the Xiongnu and fear my investigation?"

"Guards! Drag this brat out!"

Ma Shizhi shouted toward the doorway, but the guards he had brought remained motionless. Instead, Gao Chong, the household supervisor under Zhao Yan, stood firmly at the entrance like a wooden door panel.

Backing up two steps until his back pressed against a pillar, Ma Shizhi hastily turned his head toward Zhao Yan and cried out, "Lord Zhao, this subordinate harbors absolute loyalty!"

Zhao Yan remained silent. As Zhao Ji drew his sword, Ma Shizhi lunged forward with his blade raised to strike.

With a flash of brilliant white light as Zhao Ji drew his weapon from its scabbard, Xu Huang gave a startled gasp and instinctively leaped backward.

When he looked again, he saw Zhao Ji wiping a drop of blood from the tip of his blade before slowly sliding it back into its scabbard. More than half of Ma Shizhi's neck had been severed, yet his body, driven by muscle memory, was still stepping forward to execute a slash. A crimson mist erupted from his severed neck, enveloping the area around Zhao Ji.

"Thud."

Ma Shizhi tripped over a low vacant table. Zhao Ji raised a hand to wipe the blood from his face. "Lord Zhao, you have been startled."

"It is nothing."

Zhao Yan covered his face with his sleeve. "This makes it difficult to answer to the gentry of Jiangyi."

"They harbor ill intentions; it is they who should consider how to answer to Lord Zhao."

Zhao Ji let out a long breath. "I have tolerated him for far too long. How can one speak of restoring the imperial court when sharing ranks with such a greedy and self-serving wretch?"

At that moment, Gao Chong entered and silently dragged away Ma Shizhi's still-twitching body.

Gao Chong soon returned, bringing a basin of water for Zhao Ji. Just then, Zhao Yan declared, "Ma Shizhi colluded with the Xiongnu, deliberately delayed the imperial guards from punishing rebellious officials, and disregarded the safety of the Emperor. His crimes are grave indeed, and he has now met his just execution. Take his head and display it to all the camps, and order all county troop captains and above to assemble in the central camp for a council."

"Understood!"

Gao Chong answered crisply, turned, and strode away.

Two personal guards entered, covering the bloodstains on the floor with wood ash.

Meanwhile, Zhao Ji had already taken a seat—the very seat previously occupied by Ma Shizhi.

Xu Huang resumed his seat as well. Seeming entirely accustomed to such spectacles, he even offered a word of praise: "Commander Zhao's swordsmanship is truly peerless in this era."

"Brother Gongming flatters me. When I was practicing martial arts in Jishan, thanks to the kind indulgence of my neighbors on either side, I was hailed as the Sword God of Jishan."

Zhao Ji replied with a smile. He had three good neighbors: one named Big Yellow, one named Second Yellow, and one named Third Yellow.

When a wicked neighbor, a wild boar, destroyed their vegetable garden, Second Yellow fell in battle defending its home.

Seeing Zhao Ji calmly wiping his face, Zhao Yan could not help thinking of his four grandsons who had perished in battle. He had more than just those four grandsons, but only those four were of a suitable age to accompany him in Guanzhong.

His other grandsons had been left behind in Luoyang or had thrown in their lot with Zhao Yu, and were now essentially lost.

If any of those grandsons possessed Zhao Ji's martial prowess, even a more unruly and hot-tempered disposition would have been acceptable to him.

Xu Huang raised his wine cup and took a small sip. "The Commander well deserves the title of Sword God. If your neighbors could recognize your exceptional swordsmanship, they must surely have been heroes of this era as well."

"Indeed, I miss them quite a bit."

Zhao Ji picked up Ma Shizhi's wine cup, swirled the remaining liquor, splashed it onto the ground, refilled the cup, and asked Zhao Yan, "Did Lord Zhao never wish to kill him?"

"I had such intentions, but I was concerned that Li Kan, Hou Xuan, Ma Wan, and the others would learn of it and instigate an uprising, thereby ruining our grand endeavor."

Zhao Yan countered with a question of his own. "How is the imperial guard camp?"

"Everything has been arranged. If the county troops attempt a mutiny, they will be suppressed."

Zhao Ji turned his gaze to Xu Huang. "And Brother Gongming's camp?"

"Precautionary measures have been taken."

Xu Huang had intended to raise his wine cup to mask his emotions, but as he gripped it, he paused in deep thought. "During today's banquet, I sensed that the Commander intended to eliminate Ma Zhi, though the matter of the archery competition delayed it. I had expected the Commander to strike down Ma Zhi after nightfall, but I did not anticipate that Ma Zhi would invite Lord Zhao and myself to a council. I originally had no wish to come, but since Lord Zhao sent an envoy to invite me, I had no choice."

Only as he spoke did Xu Huang's agitation gradually subside.

Zhao Ji was, after all, an imperial guard representing the Emperor. Especially after the slaying of Li Guo, the legitimacy of the imperial guards had been restored, making them feel like true imperial guards once more.

Hedong was only so large; with just a little thought, anyone could realize that offending Zhao Ji would lead to a grim fate.

Everyone had family and friends. Even someone like Xu Huang, whose household had been shattered, still carried the burden of his clan's ancestral tombs.

As long as Zhao Ji lived, remained unmaimed, and suffered no military defeat, Hedong's military officers and armed chieftains had to carefully weigh the risks and costs of betraying or double-crossing him.

While the righteousness of the imperial court was certainly a heavy burden, it was not one that could crush a man instantly.

The decisiveness, ruthlessness, and martial prowess Zhao Ji had displayed were already enough to compel most people to follow his commands.

Xu Huang truly had not expected Central Commandant Ma Zhi to die so suddenly and haphazardly.

Yet it was hardly surprising. During the Emperor's eastward migration, future pillars of the court had been dying in droves; compared to them, Ma Zhi was completely insignificant.

Xu Huang's words also made his stance clear: he had held no regard for Ma Shizhi either and had come solely at Zhao Yan's behest.

Hearing this, Zhao Ji raised his cup in a toast. "I apologize for startling Brother Gongming. My original plan was to capture him outside and hand him over to Lord Zhao for trial and sentencing. I truly did not expect that, knowing my abilities, he would still dare to draw his sword and attempt to harm me in Lord Zhao's presence."

"It is nothing. When dealing with such treacherous sycophants, thunderous methods are entirely appropriate!"

Xu Huang also raised his cup, then turned to look at Zhao Yan. "Lord Zhao, this subordinate considers himself possessed of some valor. Such rough work is entirely within my capability."

"It was merely my own indecisiveness; it is not that I was unwilling to employ Gongming."

Zhao Yan raised his cup as well. "Now that the rebel Ma has been executed, there is no one left to obstruct us. Tomorrow, we shall break camp on schedule and march against the rebellious officials."

"Understood!"

Inside the hall, the heavy scent of Ma Shizhi's blood still hung in the air.

The three men raised their cups, threw their heads back, and drank deep.

Even Xu Huang, amidst lingering palpitations, felt a surge of exhilaration.