"Kebi Neng?" Man Chong frowned and looked at Jiang Wei: "What does he want to see me for?"
Jiang Wei bowed his head and reported: "I asked the Chanyu, and he just said that his troops were making a fuss and were difficult to control. He wanted to ask the general for mercy and to award the reward to the two thousand men in his army in advance. He is already kneeling outside the camp gate."
Man Chong's face became more fierce, and he snorted heavily: "A mere barbarian is playing these tricks in front of me. Bo Yue, can you see what Ke Bineng's intention is?"
Jiang Wei thought for a few moments and said, "I think the beginning of this matter may be a reward. General Duan supervised the Wuhuan in Youzhou in Youbeiping, and General Tian supervised the Xianbei and Wuhuan in Bingzhou as they went west. These people all received rewards."
"Ke Bineng's 2,000 light cavalry were selected from the 5,000 soldiers to march south, and they have to go to Yecheng to receive their rewards. It is possible that they are stirring up trouble in the army. Ke Bineng's prestige has decreased since he left his hometown and was under the control of the court. He wants to use his power as a general to suppress some of the pressure."
"This way, when Kebi returns to the army, he can give these barbarians an explanation."
"Your Majesty often says that Bo Yue is a man of talent and virtue. His ability to judge people is not inferior to that of Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen." Man Chong smiled and looked at Jiang Wei, "Bo Yue, pass on my order. I have already issued a military order in Tuyin, allowing Kebineng's troops to go to Yecheng before receiving rewards. Now he has violated the military order and come to ask for rewards. Although he is the Chanyu, he is still under my command."
"Right before the gate, give him twenty lashes!"
Jiang Wei was slightly surprised when he heard this, and he bowed and asked, "Excuse me, General, do you really want me to whip you twenty times?"
Man Chong waved his hand and threw a token into Jiang Wei's hand: "It's just for show, Bo Yue can do it yourself."
Jiang Wei didn't ask any more questions. He just bowed and walked out of the tent and went straight to Kebineng who was kneeling outside the gate.
"Don't kneel anymore, Chanyu. Stand up."
Ke Bineng sighed and said, "May I ask General Jiang if the former general has approved my request?"
Jiang Wei didn't say much, he put his hands under Kebi Neng's armpits, bent his waist slightly, and easily lifted Kebi Neng up without much effort. Kebi Neng was a little dazed after he stood up. This General Jiang looked gentle, how could he be so strong?
Jiang Wei said in a gentle voice: "The general has heard what the Chanyu requested. The military order has been issued before. The Chanyu violated the order this time and shall be flogged twenty times."
"Left and right," Jiang Wei raised the token in his hand and waved it at the soldiers at the gate, "The general has an order. The Xianbei Chanyu has violated the military order and will be flogged twenty times! Military law will be enforced immediately!"
Ke Bineng looked at Jiang Wei silently without saying a word, and was carried up obediently.
The whip whistled as it struck Kebi Neng's back, one whip after another, until Jiang Wei had whipped him twenty times himself. He then signaled the guards to let Kebi Neng go, and Jiang Wei personally stepped forward to comfort him:
"Quanzhou is only 1,200 miles away from Yecheng. The army can arrive there in more than 20 days. The Chanyu should be able to give the army an explanation for the reward."
Jiang Wei had a reason to be so gentle. When he whipped Ke Bineng twenty times, he didn't even ask him to take off his leather armor. The biggest physical impact of the twenty whips on Ke Bineng was probably the noise from the whipping.
Ke Bineng lowered his head slightly, sighed deeply, and said with a cupped hand: "Thank you very much, General Jiang, for your kindness. I hope General Jiang will thank the former general on my behalf. I will take my leave now."
"Have slow progress, Chanyu." Jiang Wei also bowed in return.
Since they were marching on their own land, setting up camp became more casual.
Man Chong commanded the five colonel camps and Jiang Wei's Yulin Left Army as the central army, Wen Qin led the rest of the cavalry in the front, the Liaodong soldiers in the back, and Kebi Neng and the Xiongnu's 5,000 light cavalry in the end.
And if Kebineng wanted to return to the camp at this time, he had to bypass the Liaodong army's camp before he could return to his own camp.
Kebi Neng returned from the camp gate with an elderly Xianbei nobleman named He Lian, each holding a horse and a torch in their hands, and walked slowly northward in the night.
Ke Bineng asked casually, "He Lian, did you see when General Jiang whipped me twenty strokes just now?"
"I saw it." He Lian smiled and said, "Although General Jiang is young, he is so sensible. He didn't even take off his leather armor, and the whip was like scratching an itch. What's the big deal?"
The light of the torch flickered. Ke Bineng turned his head and glanced at He Lian's face. He sighed slightly and said, "He Lian, do you still remember what I said to you in Yanmen?"
"Yanmen? I remember the Chanyu talked to me, Saili and Heshi, saying that Yanmen had no choice but to apply. If the Chanyu did not agree, I am afraid that the tribe would suffer a disaster."
Ke Bineng nodded: "Yes, that's what I said. Do you still think I was right today?" "Well, Shanyu is of course right." He Lian grinned and said, "Leading troops to the emperor in Luoyang, receiving a salary from the court, and having someone in the clan take care of me, how can it not be a good thing?"
With a thud, Ke Bineng's heel hit the ground hard and stopped immediately. He Lian took two more steps forward due to inertia, and only turned around when he noticed something unusual:
"What happened to the Chanyu?"
Ke Bineng remained silent and brought the torch close to his face. The flames kept dancing in his pupils and his face became gradually more ferocious.
"You can't trust what the Han people say!"
He Lian was startled and looked around quickly. After finding no one, he walked up to Kebi Neng and said, "What's wrong with Chanyu? Didn't we agree to go to Luoyang to lead the army and enjoy wealth and luxury?"
Ke Bineng's eyes were wide open, and his teeth were gritting. "Did you see that? Although I am the Chanyu of Xianbei, a Wei general can whip me 20 times in public in front of the camp gate. How am I any different from a dog or horse in a cage? Today a general can whip me. When we get to Luoyang tomorrow, can two soldiers enter my house and arrest me, take me to prison, and behead me?"
"Chanyu..." He Lian was completely confused: "What happened to Chanyu today?"
"Call me King, don't call me Chanyu anymore!" Kebineng let go of the reins, pulled out the whip from his waist with his right hand, whistled it a few times in the air, and then suddenly whipped himself in the face.
A long bloody whip mark stretched from the left corner of the forehead to the right chin.
"My king!" He Lian was shocked and immediately knelt down and asked in a crying voice: "My king, what's wrong? Didn't we agree before we came? Why are you beating yourself?"
Ke Bineng said sternly, "When I was in Pingcheng, I was afraid that the emperor would lead an army to attack me, and I was worried about my tribe, so I was summoned to Yanmen to accompany him. From Yanmen to Changping, then to Liaodong, and then back to Youbeiping, the Wei Kingdom tried to seize my power time and time again, but I took the overall interests of the Xianbei tribe into consideration and temporarily endured it. But today I came to ask Man Chong for questions, even if Man Chong scolded me personally, I could tolerate it in the name of my tribe. But Man Chong not only did not come, but only sent a deputy to whip me!"
"This is Quanzhou, still within Youzhou, so we still have a chance of survival. If we really reach Yecheng, and if Wei changes its mind and wants to kill me, it will be as easy as killing an ox or a horse!"
When Kebi was able to speak, the whip marks on his face began to bleed, and the blood gathered into streams, becoming even more terrifying under the light of the fire: "He Lian, you are the person I trust the most. Are you willing to return north with me? Let's go at night!"
The amount of information contained in these words made He Lian a little difficult to accept for a while: "Didn't the king worry about the tribe before? If you and I escape today, how can the Western Xianbei have a good ending? What if the Wei Kingdom attacks again?"
Red blood flowed onto Kebineng's beard, but Kebineng ignored the pain and growled, "The Emperor of Wei is rushing south in such a hurry. Something must have happened in Wu or Shu! How could he care about me!"
"If Wei really attacks, the grassland is so vast that we can go anywhere. If all else fails, we can go west to the Western Regions, and then west to Hezhong. There is always a place where we can go anywhere. Why worry so much?"
After that, Ke Bineng drew out the precious sword from his waist and put the blade across his neck: "If you are willing to help me, I will help you become an important person. If you disobey me, I will be eaten by eagles after my death! If you are unwilling to help me, I have no intention of staying in Wei State, so I will commit suicide here!"
He Lian kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, why is it so? Why is it so? I am your subordinate. If you want to leave, I will follow you!"
"Well!" Ke Bineng said, "Wei State insulted me and whipped my face like this. I must let the whole army know! At three o'clock tonight, the whole army will follow me to the north at night! Tian Yu and Duan Zhao's troops are still in Tuyin. I will go from Quanzhou to Yongnu, Luxian and Yuyang to go out of the border. There will be no Wei soldiers blocking me along the way."
"You must help me this time!"
"Don't worry, your Majesty!" He Lian took the torch from Kebineng's hand, half-knelt on the ground, and let Kebineng step on his shoulders to get on the horse.
Then the two men, riding two horses, galloped quickly towards the army.
Kebi had been in the Western Xianbei for many years, so he didn't have to worry about controlling the army. When he went to find Jiang Wei, he said that the army was clamoring for rewards, but it was just a lie he made up with a few trusted people.
When Ke Bineng returned to the camp with blood all over his face, everyone was shocked. He Lian beside him encouraged them again, saying that after arriving in Yecheng, they would all be killed by the State of Wei for their past crimes of rebellion.
Despite their fear, they all responded to Kebineng's request and quietly packed up and prepared in the camp at night.
In the late night, when Jiang Wei was patrolling outside the camp, a sound of horse hooves came from the north, which was particularly clear in the night. Jiang Wei signaled his left and right to raise shields, drew his sword from his waist, and led fifty people to meet the direction of the horse hooves.
"Which general is in front? I am Liu Bao from the Xiongnu!" Six light cavalrymen came galloping from the north, and the leader, a man in single clothes, shouted loudly.
"Jiang Boyue is here!" Jiang Wei shouted in a deep voice, "Don't you know about the curfew? Why did you come to the central army camp at night?"
Liu Bao reined in his horse at a distance of three feet, jumped off the horse, and ran forward in a linen shirt until he stopped in front of Jiang Wei. He said breathlessly:
"General, General Jiang! The Xianbei people have escaped!" (End of this chapter)
