gnovel Chapter 47 One Man's Whip
Chapter 47 One Man's Whip
After making the travel plans, Shen Ce suddenly realized that this matter had happened so suddenly, and the delegation had set off overnight without any verification. What if it was another scheme? Wouldn't that make them a laughingstock? He couldn't help but feel suspicious and decided it would be better to ask. He figured the old man wouldn't blame him.
Shen Ce walked to Wei Zheng's side and asked in a low voice, "Lord Wei, is this man trustworthy?"
Wei Zheng snorted and glanced at Shen Ce, saying, "Only now do you think to ask me, your performance as deputy is utterly inadequate."
Shen Ce smiled awkwardly. Having stayed in Chang'an for so long, he still trusted others too much. He asked Lord Wei to enlighten him.
"Nothing more than this. When I was sent to pacify Shandong in the fifth year of the Wude era, this Zhao Sima was someone I had Li Jiancheng promote. The previous secret letter was written to him." After saying this, he looked at Shen Ce with disdain and pointed to the secret code at the end of the letter: "This was used to send messages when I was under Li Jiancheng. It couldn't have been written by someone else."
The meaning is also very clear: Li Er sent me here for a reason; he is not just Li Jiancheng's confidant.
Unfazed by the mockery, Shen Ce bowed respectfully and went to the back of the group. He looked at the cartload of meat and the cartload of wine with some discomfort, but there was a reason. He patted the porter on the shoulder and said, "You three, travel at normal speed, no need to follow the group. I'll inform the post station ahead." Before the porter could reply, Shen Ce raised his whip and shouted to the group ahead:
"Except for the supply wagons, all personnel shall immediately mount their horses and not stay overnight at the post station."
Upon hearing Shen Ce's roar, everyone sprang into action.
If conventional methods don't work, and we run out of time, wouldn't that delay important matters? I'm in charge of the itinerary. If the delegation doesn't find the person and has to escort them back to Beijing, the chief envoy is definitely not at fault. The fault must lie with the deputy, because someone has to be held responsible for this.
Shen Ce didn't want to take responsibility, so he smiled and said to everyone, "I'll give you all a quarter of an hour."
Everyone looked at Shen Ce with puzzled expressions, waiting for his further explanation.
"Fifteen minutes later, I will begin to gallop at full speed. Anyone I catch will be whipped ten times. Listen carefully, I am saying everyone. This rule will remain in effect until we reach Cizhou City." After saying this, Shen Ce lifted the tarpaulin of the supply wagon and began to eat and drink heartily, because if he ate now, he would not need to eat at any of the subsequent post stations.
Inside the carriage, Cheng Chumo was the first to realize what was going on. He nudged Wei Zheng with his elbow and chuckled, "Uncle Wei, Brother Shen clearly wants to beat you up. The carriage can't go very fast, so shouldn't you think of something?"
Wei Zheng initially thought Shen Ce was retaliating against him, but then he realized that he was the chief envoy and Shen Ce was doing this to complete his mission. How could he harbor such petty thoughts?
Wei Zheng remained calm, only reaching out to pat Cheng Chumo's head and laughing, "When I went on the expedition with the army back then, you little brat weren't even born yet. Why are you worrying so much? Go and prepare the horses. If Shen Ce catches up with us, I'll give you a good beating first."
There were always clever ones who would dart out the moment they heard the whip crack, and the rest of the delegation didn't want to fall behind. So an interesting scene unfolded on the official road: a large convoy sped ahead, while a lone rider followed three miles away.
Just as they reached the next post station, a guard slowed down, intending to grab a bite to eat. A guard beside him chuckled and whipped his horse faster, only shouting back after they'd passed the post station: "You little brat, I'll use the time the boss takes from you to eat at the next post station, hahaha. I'm going first!"
The guard, who had just dismounted, let out a strange cry upon hearing this. He looked at the post station official who had come out to greet him, rushed forward in a few steps, snatched half a half-eaten flatbread from his hand, hurriedly mounted his horse, and swung his whip at the horse's rump, leaving the post station official looking bewildered.
At night, the torches held aloft by the long delegation resembled a fiery dragon, and Shen Ce, standing a mile away on the official road, was like the tail of a giant dragon, swaying as the dragon moved forward.
There are always some unlucky souls who can't outrun Shen Ce, like Wen Wuyin riding his BMW. Shen Ce didn't hold back and gave him ten solid lashes. As for where the whip landed, that's another story.
The effect was obvious; the delegation arrived more than an hour earlier than Shen Ce had calculated. Although everyone was nauseous incessantly at the post station near Cizhou, the mission was accomplished.
The medical team concluded that it was caused by extreme stress.
Wei Zheng judged it to be due to hunger.
Shen Ce judged that it was because he was afraid of being whipped.
Shen Ce had no time to pay attention to the discomfort of the crowd, and summoned the postmaster to inquire about the situation.
The postmaster had just gotten up and was running while straightening his official robes. He had clearly received a message that the delegation would not arrive until this evening, but they had all arrived early this morning, disheveled. Had something unexpected happened? He hurriedly asked, "May I ask, sir, why are you in such a hurry? Has something serious happened?"
Shen Ce waved his hand repeatedly and explained to him, "We have our own arrangements, so there's no need for the postmaster to worry. I only have one question to ask."
Upon hearing that it wasn't an emergency, the postmaster breathed a sigh of relief: "Please speak, sir. I will tell you everything I know."
"Have you seen any prisoners or similar personnel among the convoy that departed from Cizhou these past two days?" Shen Ce asked urgently.
Upon hearing the question, the postmaster frowned, paced back and forth a few steps, then suddenly turned around and said with certainty, "Although there were prisoners being transported yesterday, they were clearly bandits and should not be the people the superior is looking for. I have not seen any officials escorting prisoners through the area."
Shen Ce stepped forward and asked again, "Is it possible that you passed by at night without our knowledge?"
The postmaster replied firmly, "No, I will set up checkpoints on the road at night to check everyone who passes by. No one can pass without orders. If anyone passes by at night, my postmen will report to me immediately."
Hearing the postmaster's resolute answer, Shen Ce finally felt relieved. He turned to Wei Zheng and said in a deep voice, "The postmaster said that Li Yuanji's guard, Li Sixing, has not passed through here in the past two days."
Wei Zheng was no longer the same as he had been in his youth. The all-night trek seemed to have drained his energy, and he looked somewhat listless.
Hearing Shen Ce say this, he nodded and then asked, "What about the five messengers?"
Shen Ce answered truthfully, "I will send two back to contact your Prefect Zhao, and I will detain the remaining three at the post station. I believe Lord Wei will not mind."
"There's no need to test me. I've done nothing wrong, so I have nothing to fear."
Shen Ce smiled and replied, "We'll rest for a bit, then send men to guard the fork in the road. We definitely won't let anyone pass."
Having an inside man is a good thing. The two men who were released brought good news: Li Sixing and his party will be escorted to Chang'an by Sima himself at noon today.
Come to life!