The atmosphere was stretched taut, as though a single careless breath might tear it apart.
Li Daoxuan remained standing exactly where he was, one foot planted firmly on Ding Qirui's chest, his posture relaxed yet utterly unyielding. Around them, the border soldiers stood locked in a tense standoff, none daring to advance, none daring to retreat.
Ding Qirui lay flat on the ground, rigid as a corpse. He did not dare move even the slightest bit, fearing that any motion might provoke this terrifying man into crushing him outright. Yet remaining perfectly still for so long was its own kind of torture. His back began to itch, then his legs, then his shoulders, until the sensation spread through his entire body like ants crawling beneath his skin.
His thoughts drifted, unwillingly and absurdly.
Why does my whole body itch just from lying here? And how can this man stand on one foot, pressing me down, without twitching at all? Does he not feel tired? Does he not feel numb?
Li Daoxuan, of course, felt nothing of the sort. Standing there was effortless.
One man lay pinned to the earth, humiliated and terrified. The other stood above him, calm and unmoving. The soldiers surrounding them wanted to intervene, yet none possessed the courage to step forward. And so, half an hour passed in this grotesque stalemate.
From afar, Zhao Bazong and his men watched in stunned silence.
Three thousand border soldiers stared at the scene, eyes wide, minds blank.
That strange young hero had truly charged alone into Ding Qirui's army and subdued him with sheer force.
Good heavens.
At this moment, they finally believed him completely. Two days ago, Li Daoxuan had insisted he was not delaying for time, and now the truth was laid bare. He had never lied.
This man genuinely possessed the strength to walk through an entire army by himself.
Another half hour slipped by.
Then Li Daoxuan suddenly spoke. "They are here. The supplies have arrived."
The soldiers exchanged confused looks, murmurs spreading through both camps.
Almost immediately, scouts from both sides galloped back at full speed, shouting as they rode. "A convoy. The convoy is here. A massive one. It stretches for more than a mile, loaded with goods. Supplies have arrived."
Zhao Bazong's face lit up with pure joy. Ding Qirui and Wang Ji, on the other hand, were struck dumb.
They actually came?
Both armies turned as one, gazes fixed on the official road to the southeast.
Dust rolled into the sky.
Every soldier present was a veteran. Experienced generals knew how to read the signs written in dust. With a single glance, they could estimate the size of an approaching force.
And with that glance alone, everyone understood that a massive convoy was approaching.
"They really came."
Zhao Bazong was so excited his voice trembled. "He did not lie to us. He really did not."
As the dust cloud drew closer, the details became clear. There were two separate convoys. One flew merchant banners belonging to the Warm and Sleepy Textile Factory. The other was a military supply train bearing the banner of Shi Jian, Regional Commander of Yansui.
A junior officer riding at the front shouted loudly, his voice echoing across the plain. "Are those the Yinchuan border troops ahead? Stop fighting. Stop fighting at once. By order of Regional Commander Shi Jian, I am escorting relief supplies. You will not go hungry anymore. Put down your weapons and stop fighting."
Zhao Bazong's three thousand soldiers erupted into cheers.
Ding Qirui and Wang Ji were still in shock, but the border troops under their command had also gone unpaid for a long time, often surviving on meager rations. Many had not eaten a proper meal in ages. Seeing such a massive convoy, how could they not cheer as well?
Cheers rose from both sides at once, and the hostility that had filled the air moments ago dissolved instantly.
Only then did Li Daoxuan lift his foot from Ding Qirui's chest.
"You may get up now."
Ding Qirui scrambled to rise, but his body had been pressed flat for far too long. Halfway up, his legs gave out and he collapsed again, limbs numb and unresponsive.
Attendants from both sides rushed forward to help him steady himself.
Li Daoxuan paid them no attention and strode directly toward the convoy.
Two people were in charge. One was the steward of the merchant caravan, the other a so called junior officer dispatched by Gao Family Village under Shi Jian's name.
Upon seeing Li Daoxuan, both immediately bowed. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, the supplies have been delivered with utmost urgency, exactly as you instructed."
"Well done," Li Daoxuan replied calmly. "This counts as a great merit."
Both men were overjoyed.
Li Daoxuan turned away from the convoy and faced the two groups of border soldiers. "Now form two orderly lines. Supplies will be distributed in turn. Anyone who shoves, cuts in line, or disobeys the staff will receive nothing."
The effect of his words was immediate and astonishing.
With a series of crisp movements, the soldiers formed two neat lines.
Ding Qirui burned with silent fury. I am the commander here. Why are my soldiers listening to him instead of me?
Wang Ji, however, let out a long, weary sigh. Several days earlier, Li Daoxuan had told him plainly that border mutinies could not be solved by force alone, that economic measures were essential. Watching the scene before him, the truth could not have been clearer.
Whoever provided food and clothing was a parent. Whoever failed to do so became an enemy.
If the court could not feed these soldiers, someone else inevitably would.
Wang Ji thought deeply. That young hero told me to raise cattle, sheep, and horses, to develop the northern grasslands without fearing the Mongols. I truly must take those words seriously.
Soon, the sun sank completely below the horizon.
Torches were lit, and the convoy continued distributing supplies in an orderly manner through the night.
Meanwhile, Ding Qirui, Wang Ji, Zhao Bazong, and the other leaders gathered together. Both sides regarded each other stiffly, the tension far from gone.
Li Daoxuan walked over and sat down. "Alright. Let us discuss how to handle the aftermath."
Ding Qirui spoke first. "They led troops in rebellion. If this is not accounted for properly, the imperial court will never let it pass."
Zhao Bazong scowled, anger flashing in his eyes, but under the circumstances, he swallowed his words and remained silent.
Li Daoxuan spoke for him. "If the court had not defaulted on their pay, would they have come demanding wages? What sort of reasoning is that?"
"Rebellion is rebellion," Ding Qirui replied stiffly. "Regardless of the reason, rebellion is a capital crime."
"Tch." Li Daoxuan clicked his tongue. "I truly cannot stand officials speaking in that tone."
The moment he said this, Ding Qirui shut his mouth immediately, fear flooding his face as memories of being pinned to the ground resurfaced.
Li Daoxuan turned to Zhao Bazong. "You were demanding wages, not rebelling. Is that correct?"
Zhao Bazong understood instantly that Li Daoxuan was giving him a way out. He nodded quickly. "Yes. We were only demanding our pay."
"Good," Li Daoxuan said. "Then the matter is simple. Zhao Bazong gathered three thousand soldiers whose wages were overdue and came to the gates of Yinchuan to demand payment. The numbers were large, but they did not attack the city, nor did they kill anyone. They only shouted a few demands outside the gates. Does that violate the Great Ming Code?"
Ding Qirui cursed inwardly. You are clearly favoring them. They even half built siege equipment. If that is not rebellion, what is?
As if hearing his thoughts, Li Daoxuan continued, "Minister Ding, what comes after the line, 'Of all evil deeds, lust is foremost'?"
Ding Qirui answered reflexively, "Judge by deeds, not by intent. If judged by intent, no one in the world would be innocent."
Li Daoxuan nodded. "Exactly. Apply that here. Did they attack the city? No. As long as no attack occurred, it does not constitute mass rebellion. At most, it is a large group demanding wages."
Ding Qirui was left speechless.
"Minister Ding," Li Daoxuan added calmly, "as a civil official, you must be very skilled at writing memorials. Frame this matter properly, and everything can be smoothed over."