Longzang

Chapter 86 Becoming a Martyr
The ancestral hall was just ahead. Large patches of blood were stained the outer walls of the hall, and several corpses sat slumped against the wall, their chests and abdomens pierced by more than one arrow. The blood beneath their bodies had clung together, and a long intestine was still congealed within it.

All the arrows had white fletching.

The ancestral hall was dark. There seemed to be something extra on the table where the map was placed, and a figure was standing against the wall, motionless.

Wei Yuan slowed his pace, wanting to go into the ancestral hall but hesitant. Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded behind him, and Wei Yuan turned around instantly, his spear already imbued with Dao power.

The one who arrived was none other than Sun Chao'en. This county magistrate was only wearing armor on his lower body; his upper body was bare, wrapped in thick bandages, and blood was still seeping through them. Sun Chao'en's face was pale, and his aura was dim, clearly indicating that he was seriously injured. Sun Chao'en was also holding a man in his arms, who was wearing officer's armor, his helmet was missing, his hair was disheveled, and he was being dragged along by Sun Chao'en, staggering along.

Wei Yuan recognized this man; he was Wang Delu, the captain in charge of the local troops.

Behind Sun Chaoen followed the county magistrate, the registrar, and other civil officials, all of whom were now clad in armor and all bearing wounds. Only Wang Delu appeared disheveled and covered in blood, but in reality, he was almost unharmed.

Sun Chaoen saw Wei Yuan, said nothing, and went into the ancestral hall first. Wei Yuan followed closely behind.

Upon entering the ancestral hall, an extremely strong stench of blood assaults the senses, making one want to vomit!
Blood was everywhere in the dimly lit ancestral hall, as if someone had sprayed blood into every corner. In the empty space inside the hall, layers upon layers of heads were piled up, forming a mound of heads that was wider at the bottom and narrower at the top! The heads of three hundred militiamen were all here!
On the map on the table now lies the body of a small child, no more than two or three years old, whose chest and abdomen have been cut open. A short knife is stuck beside the body. The hilt of the knife is inlaid with several gemstones, making it very ornate; it is the style of a close-fitting short knife commonly used by nobles of the Northern Liao Dynasty.

A man stood against the wall beside the desk, a long sword embedded in his chest, pinning him firmly to the wall. Although his robes were completely stained purplish-black, it was still barely discernible that they were half a scholar's robe.

He was also headless.

Sun Chaoen walked to the corpse, reached out and pressed down, forcing Wang Delu to kneel before it. Wang Delu was startled at first, then immediately kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Mr. Fang! It was my fault for being cowardly! I deserve to die, I am guilty! Please, have mercy on me..."

Upon seeing the headless corpse, Wei Yuan's mind went blank, yet an invisible, inexplicable, and immensely cold sorrow slowly grew and spread within him. He managed to speak with a voice unexpectedly hoarse: "What happened?"

County Magistrate Ren Youwei said in a low, quick voice, "The Liao barbarians launched a surprise attack, bringing a full five hundred cavalry, including one hundred Snow Eagle Cavalry. The Snow Eagle Cavalry are the personal guards of the Agula tribe chief, distinguished by their white helmets and white-feathered arrows. They appeared suddenly without warning. Originally, they intended to attack the county town, but Mr. Fang saw that the town was unprepared and intercepted them. He first shot down a dozen or so riders, then went out of the town and charged in, killing several dozen more."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan was puzzled. How could Fang Hetong have the fighting power to charge through hundreds of Liao cavalry and kill dozens of riders?

Ren Youwei continued, "...The Liao barbarians were furious and sent a force to besiege Shayang Village. Thanks to Mr. Fang's intervention, the county was able to mobilize soldiers and civilians to defend the city, preventing a surprise attack by the Liao barbarians. Seeing no hope of breaching the city, the Liao barbarians became enraged and turned to besiege the three villages of Shayang. According to Liao barbarian tradition, they intended to massacre the entire village!"

"At this time, the army remained stationary. Seeing the critical situation, Lord Sun disregarded everything and led his troops out of the city to provide relief. In the midst of the bloody battle, he was accidentally shot through the chest by an arrow and fell into a coma. After Lord Sun fell, Colonel Wang took over the military command. However, fearing for his life, he led his troops back to the county town and remained holed up, watching helplessly as Mr. Fang died from exhaustion, and the Liao barbarians slaughtered the three villages and built a mound of corpses..."

"After the adults woke up and learned what had happened, they arrested Wang Delu and rushed over."

Wei Yuan listened blankly, then his eyes suddenly caught a glint of light. The short knife stuck next to the little girl's body was radiating obvious magical power. Wei Yuan walked over and pulled out the knife. The blade was almost completely covered in blood, and then a scene appeared before Wei Yuan's eyes.

It was in front of a fortified village, seemingly a village behind Shayang Village. Hundreds of Liao cavalrymen, wielding scimitars, were driving villagers out of the fortified village. In the open space stood a group of knights who were clearly different from the other Liao cavalrymen; they all rode white horses, their warhorses at least two feet taller than ordinary Liao horses. Their scabbards and armor were white, and their arrows were also white.

Among the countless white horses, there stood an exceptionally handsome black horse, its body without a single blemish. Riding it was an extremely tall Liao youth, his sides shaved, the rest braided into dozens of small plaits and tied in a single bun on top of his head. His skin was bronze, with a metallic sheen, and his nose somewhat resembled a human's; by human standards, he was quite handsome. He sat atop his horse, surveying the villagers being led out. The villagers were mostly elderly women and children, with few able-bodied men. They were being driven into the square, where a Liao rider pushed a cartwheel, stopping it in the center of the open space.

This is a Liao ethnic tradition: when massacring enemy villages, anyone taller than a cartwheel is killed, while those shorter are spared. This tradition originates from an ancient nomadic hunting practice, where only adults are hunted from large herds, leaving the young alive so that new herds can be hunted again in a few years.

The cartwheel was found in the village and was slightly shorter than the cartwheels used by the Liao people, so only four or five children were able to survive. If it had been a Liao cartwheel, two more children could have survived.

A woman carrying a child approached the wheel, measured it, and found the wheel was just above the child's head. Overjoyed, she wept and forcefully pushed the child to the other side of the open space. The child, not understanding, cried and wanted to come back, but the woman slapped him hard and pushed him away again.

A moment later, everyone had been checked, and five children were standing on the other side of the open space. Actually, one child was already slightly taller than the wheels of a cart, but the Liao cavalry seemed not to notice this small detail. The mothers on the other side of the open space were no longer afraid and were prepared to face their deaths calmly.

Everything is ready; we are just waiting for the order to strike.

The Liao youth on the black horse dismounted and approached the wheel. He looked at the assembled villagers with a cruel and cunning gaze, like a predator toying with its prey. A sinister smile crept across his lips as he said, "The wheel is misaligned!"

After saying that, he kicked the car wheel over!

"Anyone taller than a cartwheel, kill!"

The Northern Liao cavalrymen swiftly swung their blades, first felling the five children. The villagers on the other side erupted in chaos; several mothers cried out frantically, rushing towards their children lying in pools of blood, but they too were slaughtered. In the blink of an eye, everyone lay dead in pools of blood, and the Liao cavalrymen began to behead them one by one.

In the video, a young Liao man walks towards Wei Yuan, draws a short knife, and sheathes it. That's the same short knife that was stuck in the table.

The video ends here.

This knife was specially left behind by that young Liao man.

Wei Yuan's face remained expressionless, but his hands trembled slightly. He noticed something else in the pool of blood under the table, so he went over, pushed aside a piece of dried-out entrails, and picked up an envelope. Wei Yuan opened the envelope and took out the paper inside. The paper was completely soaked in blood, but the ink was deeper and still barely legible.

The characters are very messy, clearly written in a hurry, but even so, each character exudes a fiery, unrestrained, and indomitable spirit.

"My younger brother Wei Yuan: "
My elder brother is naturally dull-witted, and it took him twenty-seven years to lay the foundation for his spiritual path; he has no hope of making any further progress in this lifetime. My virtuous younger brother, on the other hand, comes from a prestigious family and is exceptionally talented. It is my good fortune to have met you.

My dear brother once spoke of the three immortalities. However, the sages establish virtue with the intention of lasting for eternity, a goal I, your brother, could never hope to achieve even with a lifetime of effort. Therefore, I have only written two pieces: "Establishing Merit" and "Establishing Words." I know these are crude works, but my talent is exhausted here. Now, a powerful and barbarian army has suddenly attacked, and I, your brother, lack the ability and knowledge to repel them. For the sake of the people, for the sake of our nation, I can only sacrifice this frail body and do my utmost.

Fortunately, my foolish brother still has an article titled: "To Die for Oneself."

(End of this chapter)