The Prisoner of Beauty

Chen Rui was completely consumed by thoughts of Xiao Qiao. After leaving the city, he headed straight for the governor's mansion, instructing his subordinates to immediately prepare the wedding hall for his marriage to Xiao Qiao.

Given his nature, once he set his sights on a woman, especially one who had fallen into his hands, he would treat her like a lamb in a tiger's den, ready to be slaughtered. There was no way he would patiently indulge her whims. However, for some reason this time, he found himself unable to be harsh with her. He thought to himself that he could wait just one more day; after the wedding hall was completed, regardless of her willingness, she would become his. At that time, he would muster his masculine vigor and charm, and once she experienced his skills in pleasing women, he was confident she would submit to him.

On that day, after arranging the city's defenses and assigning important positions to his trusted subordinates, Chen Rui paid no mind to other matters and lingered around Xiao Qiao, ordering people to continuously present her with jewels and silks, trying to win her favor. Finally, the next evening, everything was ready, and the new house was beautifully decorated. Chen Rui was earnestly waiting for the auspicious hour when he commanded his men to forcibly bring Xiao Qiao out for the wedding ceremony. Just then, an urgent report arrived, stating that scouts had discovered troops approaching the city from thirty miles away, seemingly from Wei Shao's forces, and they would soon be at the city gates.

Unexpectedly, Wei Shao's army was advancing so quickly that Chen Rui had no choice but to suspend the wedding ceremony. He ordered scouts to investigate further, and they returned with the news that the enemy was now less than ten miles away.

Chen Rui cursed Wei Shao for ruining his plans, tore off his ceremonial robe, and commanded his men to bring him a chainmail vest and breastplate. He donned his armor, took up his halberd, and was about to lead his troops out to confront the enemy when he suddenly remembered something. Hesitating for a moment, he hurried back into the room, burst through the door, and said to Xiao Qiao, "My beauty, Wei Shao has come to seek his own death. How dare he ruin our good fortune! Just watch, I will go out and slay him on the battlefield. When I return victorious, we will hold our wedding ceremony. Wait for me."

As he spoke, he took out some ropes and quickly bound her hands and feet, then laid her down on the bed, comforting her, "My beauty, don't blame me for being rough. I truly cannot trust you. I fear that if I'm not here, you might do something foolish, and then it would be too late for me to regret it! Just bear with it; I will be back soon." After saying this, he lowered the curtain and rushed out, instructing the maid to guard the door well. He then hurried to the city gate, selected his soldiers, mounted his horse, raised the flag, and led his troops out of the city, arraying them in the field, exuding an imposing presence as he awaited Wei Shao's arrival.

As Wei Shao marched forward, scouts had already been reporting frequently along the way. He learned that Chen Pang had been captured by Chen Rui, the city defense commander had been replaced, and Chen Rui had also arrayed his troops outside the city, declaring that he would settle the score with Wei Shao. Thus, he headed straight for the city. When he was a few miles away and caught sight of the city, the two armies encountered each other.

Wei Shao looked across at the opposing side and saw Chen Rui sitting high on his horse, holding his halberd horizontally, flanked by four strong generals. Behind him stood a large banner over ten feet tall, embroidered with a giant character for "Chen," fluttering in the wind, exuding an overwhelming aura. Chen Rui rode out, boldly challenging Wei Shao with a loud voice, his demeanor incredibly arrogant.

Wei Shao seemed not to hear him at all. Instead, he took his double crossbows from his sides, aimed carefully, and with full strength, fired a three-shot burst at Chen Rui.The arrowheads, with a faint, sharp whistle that tore through the air, flew in a straight line like a taut, swift serpent, aiming directly at Chen Rui, who was over a hundred paces away. Caught off guard, Chen Rui was greatly startled. In the blink of an eye, the arrows were upon him, leaving him no time to raise his halberd to block them. Without caring about appearances, he quickly leaned down onto his horse's back, narrowly avoiding the arrows. A gust of wind brushed over his head, followed by three dull thuds behind him. Turning to look, he saw three arrowheads deeply embedded in the flagpole. Even from a hundred paces away, the force was enough to pierce through the wrist-thick poplar wood, causing the arrow shafts to vibrate and wood chips to scatter. Another gust of wind swept by, and with a slight crack, the flagpole snapped in two, bringing the large flag down to the ground.

Wei Shao's grandfather, Wei Lun, was summoned to Luoyang in his youth and served as a commander of the Imperial Guards for a time. Although the Wei family was an established clan with ancestors who had held important positions as prefects, Wei Lun's handsome appearance initially led many to doubt his abilities. One day, during a banquet hosted by the Han Emperor, archery was proposed as a game. The Emperor mentioned that he had heard of ancient archers who could pierce five layers of armor with a single arrow and expressed his desire to witness such a feat. Many skilled archers at the banquet stepped forward to attempt it, but none could pierce through five layers. Just as the Emperor was about to express his disappointment, Wei Lun stepped forward and requested to try seven layers. The Emperor, though surprised, ordered seven layers of fine chainmail to be stacked. With a single shot, Wei Lun pierced through all seven layers. The Emperor was astonished, and the entire banquet hall was in awe. Wei Lun's fame spread, and the Emperor bestowed upon him the title of "Strong Crossbow General," commanding him to lead troops against the Xiongnu. It was during this time that Wei Shao's grandmother, Madam Xu, who was then a princess, fell in love with Wei Lun and later married him, giving birth to Wei Shao's father, Wei Jing, who was also renowned for his archery skills.

Decades later, it was unexpected that Wei Shao would live up to his ancestor's legacy, demonstrating such extraordinary skill with the crossbow!

After a moment of silence from both armies, Wei Shao's side suddenly erupted in a unified roar of "Tiger's Might!" The soldiers pounded their shields on the ground, creating a thunderous rumble that shook the earth. On Chen Rui's side, the soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, and an eerie silence fell over them. Before the battle had even begun, their morale had already taken a significant blow.

Chen Rui broke out in a cold sweat on his back. Seeing the flag fall and his side's morale plummet, he was both embarrassed and furious. He straightened up, urged his horse forward, and loudly challenged Wei Shao.

Wei Shao slowly put away his bow and crossbow, his expression cold and indifferent, paying no heed to the challenge. Wei Liang, however, spurred his horse forward to meet Chen Rui, shouting, "Chen Rui, you brat! Defeat me first before you talk about anything else!" Before Chen Rui could respond, his deputy, Zhang Gong, charged forward to engage Wei Liang. But Zhang Gong was no match for Wei Liang and was swiftly struck down after just a few exchanges. Another deputy, Liu Xiang, stepped forward but was also quickly defeated, retreating with severe injuries.

The deputies under Chen Rui's command were all loyal to Chen Pang. In just two days, Chen Pang had been stripped of his power, and Chen Rui, arrogant and self-important, refused to listen to any advice, often threatening his subordinates with military discipline. The generals were already unsettled, and now, with Wei Shao's powerful crossbow shot intimidating both armies, the flag falling, and Zhang Gong and Liu Xiang—one dead and the other severely wounded—the remaining officers had no heart for battle. They exchanged hesitant glances, and no one dared to step forward again.When it came to one-on-one combat, Wei Liang had rarely suffered defeat in his life. This time, however, he had stumbled at a critical moment and lost the newlywed lady under his watch, which he considered a great humiliation. Burning with the desire to immediately storm the city and reclaim her, he let out a furious roar when he saw that no one from the opposing side was stepping forward to challenge him. To everyone's astonishment, he charged alone toward Chen Rui. The sheer force of his momentum caused the crowd to retreat in fear. Left with no choice, Chen Rui stepped forward to meet him. The two clashed on horseback, and with a single mighty swing of his broadsword, Wei Liang struck with the force of a thousand pounds. Chen Rui's arm grew heavy, and he barely managed to parry the blow and escape. Stunned by Wei Liang's immense strength, Chen Rui began to regret his earlier underestimation of his opponent, realizing that a prolonged fight would likely not end in his favor.

Chen Rui's mind worked quickly. After a few more exchanges, he feinted, then turned his horse and led the charge back toward the city, ordering a retreat to fortify the defenses. Seeing their leader turn and gallop toward the city, the soldiers panicked, abandoning their formations and rushing to follow him inside. Wei Shao ordered the drums to beat, signaling a pursuit, and they chased the enemy all the way to the city walls. Chen Rui commanded the gates to be shut immediately, but some of the slower soldiers were still outside and were quickly surrounded and annihilated by Wei Shao's forces.

Wei Shao stood beneath the banner gate and ordered a full-scale assault on the city. Chen Rui, having steadied his nerves, personally ascended the walls to direct the defense. The air was filled with the thunderous roar of war drums and the deafening shouts of soldiers. Arrows and stones rained down like a storm, and fireballs flew in all directions, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, and the mountains were shaking.

The walls of Shiyi were high, and the defending soldiers were all seasoned veterans from Chen Pang's old troops, well-trained and disciplined. After retreating into the city with Chen Rui, they knew there was no way out and steeled themselves to defend the city with all their might. Despite Wei Shao's fierce assault, the city held firm for the time being.

The two sides clashed as dusk approached, and the brutal battle continued into the night, with casualties on both sides. However, Wei Shao's offensive showed no signs of weakening; instead, it grew even more ferocious. Seeing Wei Shao leading the charge up the scaling ladders, his soldiers fought with reckless abandon, launching wave after wave of relentless attacks. The defenders of Shiyi had never faced such a savage assault and were gradually overwhelmed. Sensing the dire situation, Chen Rui refused to admit defeat and executed two retreating soldiers on the spot to intimidate the rest into holding their ground. Suddenly, a loud battle cry erupted from behind him. Turning around, he saw Chen Pang reappearing on the city walls. Chen Pang's trusted aides had seized the opportunity to free him and urged him to return to the walls to lead the defense and boost morale. Although Chen Pang was furious with his nephew for the way he had been treated, the fate of the city was at stake, and he had no time to settle scores with Chen Rui. Hastily donning his armor, he seized the command flag, ordered Chen Rui to be bound, and executed several of his trusted followers on the spot. Then, he took charge of the defense on the walls.The defenders of Shiyi, who had already been demoralized, suddenly saw Chen Pang appear and were greatly encouraged, their morale rekindled. They managed to withstand another wave of attacks from Wei Shao. However, Wei Shao's assault was too fierce, and Chen Pang gradually found it difficult to hold on. Realizing that the city's fall was inevitable if this continued, he grew anxious and suddenly thought of Xiao Qiao. He immediately ordered her to be brought to the city wall, threatening Wei Shao to retreat. Unexpectedly, Chen Rui had already freed himself from the ropes unnoticed and was about to sneak away with Xiao Qiao when he heard Chen Pang's order to bring her to the wall. Enraged, he cursed Chen Pang as an old fool, seized a knife, killed the nearby guard, and fled down the city wall. Chen Pang, furious, ordered his men to chase and stop him when he suddenly saw a massive fire erupting in the city behind him. Upon closer inspection, the flames were coming from the direction of the prefect's residence.

Next to the prefect's residence was the granary. Chen Pang had managed it for years, and all the reserves were stored there, enough to sustain the city's defense for a year. Normally, fire was strictly controlled, but for some reason, at this critical moment, a fire broke out. Fanned by the wind, the flames spread fiercely, almost lighting up half the night sky. The city was thrown into chaos.

Chen Pang was shocked and wanted to save the granary, but the fierce attack from below forced him to grit his teeth and continue defending. However, the soldiers at the city gate were distracted by the fire and terrified by Wei Shao's relentless assault. Even with Chen Pang in command, they were overwhelmed. Suddenly, a loud "boom" was heard at the city gate, and the gate was smashed open by a massive log. Amid the shouts, the enemy forces poured in, and the two sides engaged in a final brutal melee.

Amid the chaos, Chen Rui managed to escape, but even in his disheveled state, he couldn't forget the beauty. He rushed to the prefect's residence and saw that the fire was coming from the place where she was held. After pacing around for a moment, he gritted his teeth and charged in, only to find the entire building engulfed in flames, the beams collapsing one after another. Standing outside the courtyard, he felt the scorching heat and was forced to retreat a few steps.

Chen Rui knew that the beauty must have perished in the fire. Overcome with grief and regret, he cried out, "This is unbearable!" Filled with rage, he turned to seek out Wei Shao for a fight to the death. But as he left the prefect's residence and took a few steps, he heard commotion and shouts ahead. By the light of the fire behind him, he recognized that Wei Shao's army had breached the city and was heading his way. Terrified, he stomped his foot, turned around, and hurried back into the prefect's residence, fearing pursuit. In his panic, he ran to the backyard and finally escaped by climbing over the wall of the outhouse.

……

The fierce battle finally ended late at night. Chen Pang was captured wounded, and most of Shiyi's defenders were either dead or injured, with the rest surrendering. Although Wei Shao's troops were exhausted and many were wounded, they were exhilarated by the capture of Shiyi, and cheers echoed everywhere.

Deputy General Li Chong handled the aftermath, dealing with the casualties and arranging for the wounded. Gongsun Yang organized men to extinguish the fires. Wei Shao strode toward the prefect's residence, but halfway there, Gongsun Yang and a military officer hurried toward him. The officer, upon seeing Wei Shao, ran up and knelt on one knee, reporting that they had sent men to pursue the fleeing Chen Rui but had not found the lady.According to the servants of the prefect's residence, the lady was confined in the newly prepared bridal chamber, and the source of the fire was indeed that very room. At the time, the maidservant assigned by Chen Rui to guard her saw flames erupting inside and opened the door to investigate. However, the smoke and fire were so intense that it blinded her vision. She hastily called for help to extinguish the flames, but the fire had already grown too large and quickly engulfed the entire building.

The sergeant had already sent people to search the surrounding areas, but there was no trace of the lady. It was highly likely that she had perished in the fire.

After reporting this, the sergeant looked at Wei Shao with a somewhat uneasy expression.

Wei Shao stood still, slightly tilting his head as he gazed at the towering flames still raging in the distance.

His face and body were still stained with large patches of blood, and his armor reflected the firelight, giving his expression a fierce and murderous edge.

At first, he seemed slightly distracted, as if lost in thought.

"Pass down my order: kill Chen Pang, exterminate all the males in his household, consign the women to the military brothels, and bury the surrendered soldiers alive. Leave none alive."

After a moment, he spoke word by word, his tone surprisingly calm and devoid of any fluctuation.

Gongsun Yang was startled and glanced at him. Seeing that Wei Shao's eyes were also bloodshot, filled with a heavy killing intent, he hurried forward to dissuade him. But before he could speak, Wei Shao said coldly, "There's no need for you to speak, sir. My decision is final."

As Gongsun Yang hesitated, another sergeant came running from behind, his face filled with joy. From afar, he shouted, "Lord! We’ve found the lady! We’ve found the lady! She was hiding in an empty stable upwind!"

Gongsun Yang was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to inquire further. The sergeant reported that the lady was unharmed, though her wrists had been burned by the fire, and the injuries seemed severe. She had already been taken to a safe place.

Gongsun Yang turned to relay this to Wei Shao, observing his expression as he advised, "My lord, Chen Pang should not be killed. He could still be of use. The remaining defenders of Shiyi have also surrendered to you. Massacring them would bring ill fortune. I urge you to reconsider."

After offering his advice, Gongsun Yang noticed that Wei Shao neither nodded nor spoke, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment of thought, he added, "It’s good that the lady is safe. However, she must have been greatly frightened by this ordeal. Why don’t you go and see her, my lord? I can handle the remaining affairs in the city."

"Please arrange for a military physician to treat her injuries and ensure she is well guarded. Let there be no further mishaps. I have other matters to attend to and will take my leave now!"

With that, Wei Shao turned and left.

Gongsun Yang watched his retreating figure, shook his head, and then issued the necessary orders.