In an instant, Guangyang Avenue fell completely silent.
Whether it was the commoners watching the commotion from afar or the clamoring Xiliang Iron Cavalry, none of them expected that He Xian — the seemingly stubborn young scholar who looked like he only knew how to wag his tongue — would, without the slightest hesitation, stab a Liangzhou soldier clean through with a blade.
Immediately after, when they clearly heard He Xian's following words, they saw something even more horrifying. He Xian gripped the hilt of the knife and gave it a slight twist. The face of the not-yet-dead Liangzhou soldier convulsed violently, and a gurgling groan escaped his mouth.
Then, this smiling young man slowly pulled the knife from the Liangzhou soldier's chest, as if admiring a precious item he had personally completed. Blood gushed out along the slowly withdrawing blade, its metallic stench permeating the air.
At this moment, not only did Guangyang Avenue fall silent, it seemed to have frozen solid.
Killing a person was nothing to these Liangzhou Iron Cavalry veterans who lived by the sword. Just as the Liangzhou leader had said earlier, each of them had dozens of lives on their hands.
However, the stark contrast between He Xian's plain scholar's attire and the cruel, brutal way he had just killed someone was far too jarring, completely subverting these Liangzhou soldiers' understanding.
In their view, killing someone wasn't really difficult. Anyone could rush forward and stab someone if their emotions overrode their reason. But someone like He Xian, who remained calm enough to kill without panic even as a large troop of soldiers charged at him, and even wore a smile — that chilled them to the bone.
After that, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry became even more motionless. Because by then, He Xian had already placed the blood-stained ring-pommel sword against Hua An's neck.
"I believe you people could easily kill the two of us. However, before that happens, I will certainly end this cur's life with one stroke first!" Facing the hesitant Xiliang Iron Cavalry, He Xian gave a slight smile. Although he and the namely warrior were outnumbered and isolated, he seemed to hold all the cards. "You might treat military rules and regulations as mere wind in your ears, but if Hua An dies right before your eyes, I imagine you won't survive either, will you?"
The Han inherited the Qin system, and military law remained relatively strict. In addition to the'Seventeen Prohibitions and Fifty-Four Capital Offenses,' there was also a system of collective responsibility, such as executing an entire 'tun' if its commander died, or an entire 'qu' if its captain died.
Although these Liangzhou soldiers were arrogant and lawless, treating military regulations as nothing, He Xian knew that the more an army disregarded formal military law, the more savage and unreasonable their methods of handling affairs became. If Hua An were truly killed by He Xian right in front of these Liangzhou soldiers, then Hua Xiong would undoubtedly slaughter all two hundred of them to vent his fury.
Sure enough, upon hearing He Xian's threat, the Liangzhou soldiers, who were already hesitant to advance, became even more timid and fearful, their bluster masking cowardice. Their previously arrogant and aggressive demeanor was gradually suppressed by He Xian's cold, ruthless, and cunning tactics.
But Hua An obviously had no intention of submitting because of this.
Although he also relied on his master's influence to act fiercely, as a lower-ranking officer striving to climb upwards, he possessed the same disregard for life and death as most Liangzhou soldiers. Facing He Xian's blood-stained ring-pommel sword, he merely swallowed his saliva before his expression turned vicious again. "You dog thief, if you have the guts to kill him, why not kill me too? Let's all just perish together!"
"Perish together?" He Xian turned, his gaze full of disdain. "Who gave you the confidence to think your dog's life is equal to mine? I don't even need to kill you to ensure you receive the punishment you deserve."
"Pah!" Hua An spat on the ground, clearly dismissing He Xian's words as nonsense.
But He Xian smiled slightly again. He even squatted down, looking at Hua An with interest as he explained, "I know what you're thinking in your heart. But do you know what I'm thinking in mine?"
"No, that question is far too profound for you. You probably don't even understand why I, the mere son of a fallen Former Grand General, after beating the Minister of Works' nephew, not only didn't die but even became an Assistant Army Major?"
Upon hearing this, Hua An's eyes couldn't help but flicker. Although deep down he still refused to take He Xian seriously, he had to admit that this scion of a noble family was different from the pedantic Scholar-officials he usually encountered. From He Xian's effortless killing of a man, his exceptionally fierce subordinate, and his meaningful words, it was clear he was no ordinary person.
"He Xian, stop your bewitching talk! The Minister of Works is from our Liangzhou. We are his direct troops. Provoking us means opposing the Minister of Works himself!" Hua An was somewhat shaken. Under He Xian's sharp gaze, he couldn't help but reveal the trump card in his mind.
But to He Xian, these words were more like a joke. "Dong Huang is not only from Liangzhou, he's also the Minister of Works' nephew! And the result is right there before your very eyes!"
"Let me tell you how things will likely develop from here." Patting Hua An's cheek, He Xian, full of confidence and an air of mystery, said, "It's been quite some time now. The Colonel Director of Retainers, who's in charge of the capital's security, must have heard the commotion and is on his way. When he arrives, I will hand you over to him. Setting aside your Liangzhou soldiers' recent lawless acts, just the fact that over two hundred of your Iron Cavalry have me heavily surrounded and pointing spears at me — as long as the Colonel-Director isn't blind, he'll understand what's happening, right?"
"Thus, what was merely a minor conflict between Liangzhou and Bingzhou troops — a conflict I had already stopped — thanks to your brainless meddling, has escalated into a major incident. Even if your uncle Hua Xiong has connections, it's still a case of you, a subordinate, attempting to murder a superior officer, showing utter contempt for the law. If we take a broader view, it's you attempting to incite a mutiny to kill Bingzhou people, to kill people from the capital region!"
"Once things have reached this point, do you think just being from Liangzhou will be enough for the Minister of Works to spare your miserable life?" He Xian looked coldly at Hua An, feeling a sense of pity for this brainless Liangzhou warrior. "The former Minister of Works was from Liangzhou and would have backed you Liangzhou men. But now he is one of the Three Excellencies of the Han, the Minister of Works, a great minister who wants to rectify this chaotic world and leave his name in history. Do you think a minor captain like you would make him abandon his grand ambitions?"
"Ignorant fool. Here at the feet of the Son of Heaven in Luoyang, a single move can affect the whole situation. Someone like you, who only knows how to rely on brute force, is nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well, destined to fail at accomplishing anything and only succeed at ruining things. How laughable!" After saying this, He Xian suddenly stood up and violently swung his sleeve, striking Hua An's terrified, uncertain face.
"You... you... what do you want by telling me all this?" Hua An's heart beat uncontrollably fast. Although he was stupid, he wasn't stupid to the point of idiocy. He naturally understood that the scenarios He Xian described could become reality. And by that time, forget about him staying alive, even his uncle Hua Xiong would likely be implicated because of this incident.
After all, during this period, Dong Zhuo had indeed issued several stern orders forbidding the Liangzhou troops from causing trouble within Luoyang city. And the conflict between Liangzhou and Bingzhou had long reached Dong Zhuo's ears, giving him a headache. Dong Zhuo had already put out the word that he was looking for a few scapegoats to execute to establish his authority.
"I don't want anything. I just want to seek justice for those innocent commoners you killed!" He Xian kicked Hua An in the face, then pointed furiously at the commoners lying dead on the street, crying out in anguish, "What crime did these commoners commit, to be sent to the Yellow Springs by you beasts! If killing you alone could bring these commoners back to life, I would gladly tear you to pieces!"
"You... you're doing this just to avenge those lowly commoners?" Hearing He Xian's answer, Hua An was momentarily baffled. *Is this guy just bored? Those lowly commoners are dead, so what does it matter?*
Of course, as expected, He Xian rewarded him with another slap. "Say 'lowly commoners' one more time, I dare you?"