Chapter 071: Man Boning, Who Hates Evil as One Would an Enemy

Langling County, the Magistrate’s Office.

Cheng Yao seemed to have gone mad, overturning the desk to the floor.

The once tidy study was now in utter disarray. Bamboo scrolls were scattered everywhere, furniture toppled and battered.

“I swear to kill that villain! I swear to kill that villain!” Cheng Yao roared in fury, his once handsome features twisted into something savage.

Cheng Moyan’s corpse lay atop the steps of the magistrate’s hall. Outside in the courtyard, Cheng Yao’s wife wailed, cursing and weeping, pounding the ground in despair. A strange, oppressive air hung over the entire magistrate’s office; the servants and constables were cowed into silence, terrified.

Yet for all his rage, Cheng Yao remained a calculating man.

Cheng Moyan was his beloved son, but not his only one. The pain of loss was sharp, but to let grief override reason would spell his ruin.

“Cheng Zheng!” After venting his wrath for a time, Cheng Yao forced himself to calm, stepping from his study. The wailing of women still echoed in his ears, threatening to shatter his composure again. A sudden, violent urge welled up inside him—he rushed to the woman, kicked her to the ground, then beat her with fists and feet, cursing, “Cry! All you do is cry! I’m sick of your wailing—make another sound and I’ll kill you too, send you to join your son!”

Moyan’s mother fell silent at once, crouched nearby, staring at Cheng Yao in terror.

“All of you, quiet!” Cheng Yao drew a deep breath to steady himself. Straightening his robes, he beckoned an old servant. “Cheng Zheng, come here.”

This old servant, Cheng Zheng, had served Cheng Yao for many years. He had accompanied Cheng Moyan in his pursuit of Dian Wei, but when Moyan was killed, Cheng Zheng was the first to flee—now his heart quaked with unease. Having just witnessed Cheng Yao beating his wife, Cheng Zheng’s face was ashen.

Still, fear or no, he dared not ignore the summons.

Leaving the rest of the household in fearful silence, Cheng Zheng composed himself and entered the study.

He knew well his master’s fastidiousness about attire. Though Cheng Yao was not born to a noble house, he imitated their manners in every gesture, aspiring to the bearing of the great clans—and he demanded the same discipline from his household.

As Cheng Zheng entered, he saw the prized bronze incense burner, carved with a coiled beast, shattered on the floor. A box of costly Western spices was strewn everywhere. Clearly, Cheng Yao’s rage was unbounded, so Cheng Zheng hurried to kneel before him.

“Tell me about that group,” Cheng Yao ordered.

“Ah?”

Seated calmly on his couch, Cheng Yao said, “To act so brazenly, to kill without fleeing—those men must have powerful backing. I have already made one mistake—I cannot afford another. They are no mere fugitives.”

“Master, your insight is profound!”

“Enough flattery. Speak!”

Relieved that Cheng Yao did not blame him, Cheng Zheng recounted all he had witnessed. At last, he added cautiously, “Had you not pointed it out, Master, I would not have thought it. But now, I agree—those people are not simple. They’re ruthless, used to killing, and their weapons are not those of common brigands. Among them, a burly black-bearded man seemed their leader. He didn’t act, but his presence was overwhelming.”

“What did this black-bearded man look like?”

“Tall, broad, fierce—so much so that one dared not meet his gaze…”

Though Cheng Zheng spoke truthfully, it amounted to little. Cheng Yao frowned, pondering, then said, “Such bearing and arms are the mark of wealth or nobility. Could he be a scion of some great house?”

Cheng Zheng thought, then exclaimed, “I remember now! There was a youth beside that black-bearded man. They stood as equals, and the others seemed to protect the boy. Master, it is said that at the checkpoint, it was that youth who struck first.”

“Arrogant, quick to kill—just like the sons of the great families,” Cheng Zheng said, unwittingly leading Cheng Yao down a blind alley. The more Cheng Yao considered, the more he believed Dian Wei and his party must be from a noble house of Yuzhou. Perhaps the constables had provoked them at the checkpoint, prompting their ruthless response. Yuzhou was home to many such powerful clans.

Runan, in particular, was filled with noble families. Many had ties with the Yuan clan, and when Cao Cao seized Runan, they resisted. Only after Cao Cao dispatched Man Chong and sacked over twenty fortified villages did the Runan clans submit.

Adjacent to Runan was Yingchuan, another stronghold of the nobility. These clans were deeply entwined with Cao Cao—think of the Xun family, from which Xun Yu and Xun You hailed, and others such as the Zhong and Chen families. Counting them, Yingchuan alone boasted dozens of great houses, all holding sway under Cao Cao.

If these men were indeed of such lineage, vengeance would be difficult.

“Master, should we send someone to seek General Cao’s help?”

Cheng Yao considered. “If they are sons of Yingchuan’s nobility, even General Cao may be powerless to help us.”

“Then what can we do? Will the young master’s death go unavenged?”

“Fool!” Cheng Yao’s eyes flashed, then he sneered, “Even if they’re noble sons, so what? If General Cao cannot touch them, others might. Here is what you’ll do: go to General Cao and say that the sons of Yingchuan have wronged us, and beg his assistance. Meanwhile, I will submit a report to Pingyu, to inform Man Baining. He is a man of unyielding justice.”

“Prefect Man?”

Cheng Yao smiled. “Rest assured, Man Baining will show no mercy!”

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Man Chong, styled Baining, aged thirty-two, hailed from Changyi in Shanyang, Yanzhou. At eighteen, he became Inspector of Shanyang, a region rife with powerful families and private militias. Among them, a man named Li Shuo was especially arrogant, terrorizing the countryside. The Prefect of Shanyang dispatched Man Chong to investigate. Upon hearing this, Li Shuo and his ilk hurried to beg forgiveness, promising to cease their crimes—thus was Man Chong’s integrity and resolve evident.

At twenty, Man Chong was appointed Magistrate of Gaoping. The Inspector, Zhang Bao, was corrupt and incompetent. Upon hearing of this, Man Chong promptly arrested him, inflicted severe punishment, and Zhang Bao died under torture. For this, Man Chong lost his office, but his reputation for severity became known throughout Yanzhou.

When Cao Cao arrived in Yanzhou, he recruited Man Chong as an assistant. In the first year of Jian’an, when Cao Cao moved the Emperor to Xuxian (now Xudu), Man Chong became Magistrate of Xuxian. At that time, the relatives and retainers of the Censor-in-Chief repeatedly broke the law in Xudu. Man Chong arrested them without heeding Cao Hong’s pleas and executed them before Cao Cao’s pardon arrived. His sternness became renowned in Xudu, and all feared him.

Later, the notable Yang Biao was imprisoned. Man Chong, ignoring the intercessions of Xun Yu and Kong Rong, subjected him to harsh interrogation. Although Yang Biao did not confess and was eventually released by Cao Cao, Man Chong thus offended the noble houses of Yingchuan.

Yang Biao was of the illustrious Yang clan of Hongnong, a leading family in Guanzhong. To use torture on such a figure was shocking in that era, and it deeply shamed the local aristocracy. Seeing this, Cao Cao knew Man Chong could not remain in Xuxian. When Cao Cao campaigned against Yang Feng, Runan remained unsettled. Runan, home to Yuan Shao, was filled with his former followers, who resisted with arms. Yuan Shao, dominant in Hebei, secretly supported them.

Cao Cao thus appointed Man Chong as Prefect of Runan. Upon arrival, Man Chong recruited five hundred men and, in ten days, stormed over twenty fortified villages, executing a dozen leaders by ruse, thus pacifying Runan.

Cao Cao said, “With Man Baining, brave and cunning, I need not fear disorder in my administration.”

Dian Wei intended to seek out Man Chong and report the matter of Langling County. Unexpectedly, before he could find Man Chong, Man Chong himself arrived with five hundred retainers.

After killing Cheng Moyan, Dian Wei felt unburdened.

“Corrupt officials such as this deserve death,” he said.

But Deng Ji frowned slightly and replied softly, “The Magistrate of Langling did deserve death, but I fear the matter isn’t so simple.”

“Uncle Sun, what do you mean?” Dian Wei asked.

Deng Ji smiled, rubbing his cheek. “Langling may be a minor county, but it guards the southwestern approaches to Runan—a place of great strategic importance. For a mere county magistrate to set up an illegal checkpoint, no matter how bold, is strange. I suspect someone powerful stands behind him. Otherwise, would he dare act with such impunity in defiance of Cao Cao’s strict laws? Would he not fear for his life?”

“You mean…” Dian Wei instantly grasped Deng Ji’s implication.

Indeed, how could a petty magistrate act so boldly? Someone must have emboldened him—someone not to be underestimated.

Yet, who was there for Dian Wei to fear?

He laughed aloud. “No matter who it is, if they break the law, no plea will avail them. I’ve heard that when our lord was North District Commander in Luoyang, he wielded the five-colored staff and dared to flog even the uncle of the powerful eunuch Jian Shuo. Now that he governs the realm, he will surely show no mercy to wrongdoers.”

Cao Cao, as North District Commander in Luoyang, had once flogged Jian Shuo’s uncle to death, bringing order to the city. Deng Ji had certainly heard of this, and at the time, had even idolized Cao Cao. But times had changed. In the past, Cao Cao dared to slay the kin of powerful eunuchs; now, with his new stature, could he still act with such integrity?

These thoughts, however, Deng Ji kept to himself.

“Big Brother, government troops block the road ahead!” As they walked, one of the Tufu Mountain heroes galloped back and halted before Wang Meng.

Although Wang Meng meant to join Cao Cao, and Dian Wei’s reputation was the greatest, to the men of Tufu Mountain, Wang Meng was ever their chief.

Dian Wei, hearing the road was blocked, flew into a rage. He had thought that upon returning to his own territory, things would be easy, only to be met with trouble at every turn.

“I’d like to see which fool dares bar my way!” he thundered, then spurred his horse ahead.

On the main road, a troop had taken position across the center.

At their head, astride a warhorse, sat a scholar—yet though dressed as a man of letters, his bearing was martial. In his every movement, however, grace and refinement shone through.

Behind him, a squad of grim-faced soldiers stood in tight formation.

As Dian Wei charged forth, the scholar gazed intently at him—and suddenly, joy flashed across his face. Spurring his horse from his ranks, he galloped forward, calling out, “Is Dian Junming among you? Is Dian Junming still here? Man Chong of Shanyang is here!”