The 104th Army Mutiny

Su An’s face was filled with urgency as he reported, “Commander Qu, there’s a grave problem—the forces of the Holy Mother’s Church are charging over here!”

The moment Su An’s words fell, a sharp slap echoed through the tent. Zhu Ying had struck him hard across the face. “Holy Mother’s Church, my foot! It’s a heretical cult, do you understand what a cult is?”

“Uh, oh, oh…” Su An felt deeply wronged but could only stammer in agreement, “Yes, yes, a cult. The cult’s cavalry has attacked and is currently beating the war drums north of the camp, advancing. Commander Qu, what shall we do?”

“What else can we do?” Zhu Ying’s rage was uncontrollable. “Quickly muster all the troops and prepare to meet them in battle!”

“Uh… right!” Su An hurriedly barked orders to the officers to rouse the Yellow Turban soldiers who had just lain down, urging them to don their armor and take positions.

Yet, as the Yellow Turban soldiers readied themselves for battle, outside the north gate of the camp, all was silent. The more than twenty thousand Yellow Turban troops stood vigilant under the moonlight, peering into the darkness beyond, confused and exchanging glances.

“Where is the cult’s army?” Zhu Ying angrily demanded of Su An.

Su An looked puzzled. “They were just here a moment ago! Now, for some reason, they’ve retreated.” Then, with a servile smile, he added, “Perhaps they fear your wisdom, Commander Qu, and have withdrawn on their own accord.”

“Cut the crap!” Zhu Ying cursed. “Luan Yi is as cunning as a fox; he wouldn’t retreat without a fight. Send scouts immediately to track Luan Yi’s movements and reinforce the camp’s defenses.” With that, he cracked his whip and withdrew into the camp.

Watching Zhu Ying’s departing back, Su An spat disdainfully and muttered, “That bastard, who does he think he is! If it weren’t for him sticking his nose in, the position of Commander Qu would rightfully be mine!”

With the cult army nowhere to be seen, the Yellow Turban soldiers gradually dispersed and returned to camp to rest.

Zhu Ying returned to his command tent, striding toward the beautiful young woman inside. His greedy eyes roamed over her from head to toe, and upon seeing the terror etched across her face, his animalistic desire swelled uncontrollably. He hurried to strip off his armor and lunged toward her.

The young woman’s heart pounded with fear as she screamed sharply, “Ah—!” Suddenly, she recalled the priest’s sermon in the chapel: the followers of the Holy Mother must not intermarry with heretics, nor allow themselves to be defiled by them; to do so would bring the Holy Mother’s curse and exclude them from her kingdom. Despite her fright, an indomitable strength blossomed within her. She would rather die than allow this demon to defile her, not an inch. Her voice trembling, she shouted, “Stay away! If you come any closer… I will die for my faith!” She then scrambled toward the bronze brazier in the tent, adopting a posture ready to strike, as if prepared to fight to the death.

But she had overlooked one crucial fact—the man’s strength was beyond her imagination.

Zhu Ying closed the distance in three strides, grabbing her roughly before she could carry out her threat. With a wicked grin, he said, “Want to die? Not so easy.” He threw her to the ground, his large hands greedily roaming over her long-desired curves. Raw, primal lust flashed across his face.

She struggled desperately, but she was no match for the powerful Zhu Ying. Helpless, she could only scream in pain as he tore at her clothes.

“Oh God! My most revered Mother… please forgive your most faithful servant’s sins!” she wept bitterly. “Please save your people!”

Just as despair overtook her and Zhu Ying was about to proceed, a sudden clamor of drums sounded from outside the camp. Then, the anxious voice of Deputy Commander Su An called out, “Commander Qu, bad news! The cult’s cavalry—no, the heretical army—is attacking again! This time from the west!”

“Bastard!” Zhu Ying’s strength drained instantly. Swearing, he scrambled off the girl, hastily donned his robes and armor, and charged out of the tent. At the tent’s entrance, he caught a flash of anger on Su An’s face, which softened into a sycophantic smile upon seeing him. Zhu Ying immediately understood—Su An had mistaken his earlier curse for an insult directed at him and was inwardly annoyed. Yet Zhu Ying offered no explanation; as the commander, what was a little cursing among men?

“Quickly prepare the troops for battle!”

Once again, the Yellow Turban soldiers, who had only just fallen into light sleep, were roused by their officers’ shouts and curses. Groaning, they donned their gear listlessly and marched out of the camp. Yet, stepping beyond the gates, there was still no sign of the Holy Mother’s army. They waited nearly an hour with no movement.

Zhu Ying’s face showed exhaustion as he cursed Luan Yi’s treachery. After laboring through half the night with no progress on the “real business” or any clear intelligence on the cult’s movements, he was utterly drained. Slowly, he grasped Luan Yi’s intent: to deliberately wear down him and his troops. Yet, he felt powerless against this tactic.

“Commander Qu!” Su An approached, pondering aloud, “I think the cult army is deliberately toying with us.”

“Even an idiot could see that!” Zhu Ying’s anger flared.

The word “idiot” pierced Su An like a thorn. Already harboring resentment toward Zhu Ying, he immediately assumed the insult was aimed at him. His face flushed with a fleeting anger, but he quickly masked it with a respectful demeanor. “Commander Qu, the soldiers have been exhausted all day; they can’t stand this torment any longer. Why don’t we just ignore them since they don’t really mean to fight? Let them make their noise, and we get some rest.”

“Fool!” Zhu Ying snarled. “That’s exactly what Luan Yi wants. He’s waiting for us to think like that, then at dawn’s first light, when we are worn and vulnerable, he’ll launch a full assault and capture the camp. Then who will defend it?”

Zhu Ying’s words struck Su An hard. His face flushed a deep red as he watched Zhu Ying mount his horse and return to camp.

This time, Zhu Ying had no desire for intimacy with the young woman in the tent. He shouted angrily, “After we crush Luan Yi, I’ll deal with you!”

The girl said nothing but inwardly rejoiced, marveling at the Holy Mother’s intervention that saved her from disaster. With her faith bolstering her spirit, much of her earlier fear melted away.

Seeing this, Zhu Ying’s fury only deepened. He ordered for the girl to be taken elsewhere and carefully guarded.

Just as Zhu Ying anticipated, after the hour of the rooster’s crow—the darkest moment before dawn—the camp was shaken by thunderous drums, gongs, and the clamor of sticks hitting shields, louder than any night before. Cursing inwardly, he thought: what was destined to come had arrived. Luan Yi was indeed launching his grand assault at this hour.

He hurriedly summoned his troops to sally forth and meet the enemy. Yet, when the forces assembled outside the camp, the Holy Mother’s army was nowhere to be seen. Zhu Ying was baffled and could not fathom Luan Yi’s intentions.

Lost in thought, a chorus of complaints broke out among the Yellow Turban soldiers. Surprisingly, Deputy Commander Su An was the first to voice dissent. Abandoning his usual jocular demeanor, he scowled and addressed the troops, “Look at us! We’ve been tormented all night and haven’t had a moment’s proper sleep!”

“Yeah! I want to sleep!”

“I’m exhausted! I quit!”

“At this rate, we’ll die of fatigue before the enemy kills us!”

The echoes of discontent were endless.

Su An then turned to Zhu Ying. “Commander Qu, this can’t go on! How about we let the men get some proper rest? Leave just a few on guard to watch for the cult’s antics since they’re only putting on a show. Why don’t we get some sleep ourselves?”

Zhu Ying glanced at the hopeful faces of his officers and soldiers but shook his head firmly. “No! What if they really attack then?”

The soldiers’ expressions instantly shifted to anger.

“Fine then!” Su An thought for a moment and proposed, “Keep half the troops on alert and let the other half rest soundly. How about that?”

Zhu Ying looked again at the weary soldiers and knew they were utterly exhausted. If he didn’t allow them rest now, morale would collapse and the battle would be lost before it began. “Alright. As you say, half on guard, half resting.”

Hearing they could finally sleep, the Yellow Turban soldiers cheered and thanked the deputy commander profusely, without mentioning Zhu Ying at all.

Zhu Ying felt a pang of displeasure but could do nothing about these unruly masses. He shot a fierce glare at the triumphant Su An before returning to his tent.

Back in his command tent, still clad in armor, Zhu Ying sat by his desk, pondering over Luan Yi’s timing for the full assault. Unable to unravel the mystery, fatigue overwhelmed him, and he soon drifted into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he found himself back in the grand hall of the Jinan Prince’s Mansion in Licheng County, where he had vigilantly served for twenty years. It was mealtime, and the beautiful young woman—whom he had captured by day—was serving him a sumptuous feast. Thirteen dishes, all his favorites and delicacies he had not tasted since leaving Jinan, filled the table, their aromas intoxicating.

He feasted heartily, savoring every bite amidst the grease and richness, when suddenly Luan Yi burst in, his face twisted into a sinister smile. Coldly, he said, “Thief Zhu, eat well. This is your last meal.”

At this moment, Zhu Ying awoke with a start. Looking up, he saw the bowl and chopsticks on the desk, filled with noodles, wild vegetables, and broth—his breakfast for the day.

He lifted the bowl to take a sip but was abruptly jolted awake by the warmth transmitted through his fingers from Tao Wan, who had passed the food to him. He abandoned the meal and strode out of his tent, glancing toward the rear camp.

There, smoke rose clearly from the kitchens—someone was preparing a meal.

Zhu Ying shouted, “This is bad!” and rushed toward the rear camp. He pushed past the soldiers lined up to receive food and kicked over a cooking pot, spilling soup everywhere.

He roared, “Who gave you permission to light the fire and cook? Who? Do you want to die?”

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Su An appeared with several attendants, proudly declaring, “Commander Qu! It was my order. The soldiers have been campaigning long and need something to eat, don’t they?”

“If they’re hungry, they can eat dry rations or hardtack. What need is there to cook?”

“Commander, you’ve been in high office too long to understand the soldiers’ hardships. The biscuits and dry rations were prepared before the campaign and have long since spoiled. Even dogs won’t touch them. How could men swallow such things? That’s why I ordered the fire lit and some hot meals prepared—to give the troops strength for battle!”

“Yes! We want hot food!”

“I’m sick of gnawing on that foul hardtack!”

“It’s no life for a man!”

“Please, Commander, have mercy!”

The crowd clamored in agreement.