Chapter 53: Dai Chunfeng's Spring Breeze

Unexpectedly, the bullet struck the stone directly and ricocheted off, hitting the leg of a Liao refugee nearby. Though lacking much force, the refugee, terrified and battered by the impact, collapsed to the ground. This caused the crowd of Liao refugees to scatter in panic, with the closest ones retreating at least fifteen paces away from the stone.

At that moment, Dai Chunfeng signaled for six ropes to be brought over and slid down the wall first. The others followed his example, quickly descending to the base of the city wall. Dai Chunfeng then shouted upward, and the ropes were pulled back up.

Turning around, he drew his short matchlock pistol, waved it at the refugees, and shouted, "What is all this commotion for? Form a proper line, every single one of you! Come on, stand at the front and divide into five ranks. Flag-bearer Hu, start maintaining order! Two men per rank, and the rest of you, keep your matchlocks at the ready. If anyone disobeys, whoever I point at gets shot!"

Ten soldiers stepped forward with their matchlocks to enforce order, ordering the refugees to line up individually, but the effect was abysmal. While the more compliant refugees cooperated, others muttered complaints under their breath about why the gates weren't being opened yet, paying little heed to the soldiers' warnings.

Hu Qinzhai marched forward with his matchlock, smashed the butt of his gun into the face of a defiant refugee, knocking him to the ground, and then began kicking him repeatedly in the stomach. As the man rolled on the ground in agony, he shrieked, "Milord, I'll be obedient! Please stop hitting me!"

Hu Qinzhai only stopped when he grew tired. He cast an icy, chilling gaze over the refugees, and wherever his eyes landed, the refugees froze in absolute terror. Dai Chunfeng gave an inward murmur of praise, thinking, *This little fellow certainly has grit.*

Stepping forward, Dai Chunfeng swept his gaze across the crowd and said, "You lot are so fierce—why didn't you show this bravery in front of the Jianzhou Tartars? Now you try to throw your weight around in front of us, thinking I wouldn't dare deal with you? Anyone else who disobeys will be executed on the spot."

Although he had issued a threat earlier and been completely ignored, Hu Qinzhai's ruthless beating convinced the refugees that he was not making empty threats. Consequently, the ranks were formed swiftly, and the entire assembly fell into a dead silence.

Once the lines were organized, Dai Chunfeng commanded, "Listen to me clearly and do exactly as you are told. I am going to call out one person now. Anyone who knows him, step forward with him. If anyone doesn't know him but pretends to, don't blame me for being merciless."

With that, he pulled the first man from the front of the line, had him stand by the discarded stone, and scanned the crowd. Immediately, five people stepped out of the ranks. Dai Chunfeng asked, "Anyone else?" No one in the formation made a sound or stepped forward.

He then led these six individuals to a separate area where they could not overhear one another, beckoned Hu Qinzhai over, and instructed, "Take five sharp men and question them one by one. Find out their names, places of residence, and their relationships to one another. Then cross-reference their stories to see if there are any discrepancies."

Hu Qinzhai and his five subordinates proceeded with the interrogation. After a short while, they compiled the results and confirmed there were no inconsistencies. Dai Chunfeng brought the five men back before the refugees and announced, "Those who know these individuals, come over here."

Another twenty people stepped forward. Dai Chunfeng first addressed the original group of five: "Do all of you know these people? Look closely now; if you get it wrong, you will suffer."

After examining them closely, all five affirmed that they knew them. Pointing to one of the five, Dai Chunfeng asked, "How long have you known the people around you?"

The man replied, "Little Chen is my neighbor, Uncle Zhang is my neighbor, Liu San is my brother-in-law, and Deng Xiaoxian is someone I met shortly after being captured recently."

Dai Chunfeng nodded, pulled the four men he mentioned out before the refugees, and called out, "Anyone who knows these four, step forward."

Another dozen or so people emerged from the ranks. Dai Chunfeng ordered, "Hu Qinzhai!" With a wave of his hand, Hu Qinzhai and several soldiers strode forward, leveling their matchlocks at Deng Xiaoxian.

Dai Chunfeng cast an appreciative glance at him, then smiled at Deng Xiaoxian and said, "You have a lot of nerve, but unfortunately for you, you crossed paths with me. Are you going to surrender quietly, or do you intend to make a futile last stand?"

Deng Xiaoxian chuckled, "What is the military officer talking about? I am faint-hearted and a bit slow-witted, I have no idea what the officer means..."

Mid-sentence, he suddenly made a move. The five men beside him reacted simultaneously, each drawing a small stabbing blade and lunging toward Dai Chunfeng. Naturally, they knew Dai Chunfeng was the highest-ranking officer present and hoped to take him hostage to carve out a path to survival.

With a flick of his wrist, Dai Chunfeng's short matchlock flashed fire, and the leaping Deng Xiaoxian crashed to the ground, blood gushing from his thigh. At the same time, Hu Qinzhai's matchlock downed a large-built man. The other soldiers were slightly slower, but three of them fired their matchlocks, wounding three more men, while another assailant lunged with a dagger straight at Dai Chunfeng's head.

Dai Chunfeng stepped back, causing the blade to strike empty air. He then delivered a fierce kick to the man's face, dislocating his upper and lower jaws. Hu Qinzhai raised his matchlock and thrust his bayonet straight through the man's throat.

Deng Xiaoxian, lingering on the brink of death, stared at Dai Chunfeng and gasped, "Was our disguise really that pathetic? Both of you saw right through us."

Dai Chunfeng smiled faintly and replied, "To be honest, I was merely bluffing you. I never expected you to be so impatient and give yourself away instantly."

Deng Xiaoxian muttered incredulously, "Impossible! The moment you shouted, that man aimed his matchlock right at me. You two hadn't even exchanged words, which means he had already suspected me as well."

Their face darkening, Dai Chunfeng snapped, "You're about to die anyway, why so many useless words? Hu Qinzhai."

Hu Qinzhai stepped forward and drove his blade into Deng Xiaoxian, ending his life. The other soldiers finished off the wounded men with a few thrusts of their bayonets before beginning a thorough search of their bodies.

Aside from a few pieces of silver found on each of them, nothing else was uncovered. Cursing, Dai Chunfeng said, "Damn paupers! You can have this silver as a reward."

Hu Qinzhai stepped forward and held out his hand, and the soldiers handed the silver over to him. With a small smile, Hu Qinzhai remarked, "Our First Division has regulations: all spoils must be turned in to the public stores. Private division is strictly forbidden."

Dai Chunfeng scolded, "I know your First Division has endless rules; the General Staff Office is no different. I simply forgot for a moment. Well done, Hu Qinzhai. How did you figure out he was a Later Jin spy?"

Hu Qinzhai chuckled, "I only had my suspicions. It was only when the Captain called me forward that I realized the Captain had already seen through them."

Dai Chunfeng gave an acknowledging "Ah" and instructed, "Continue the screening using the exact same method. It will go faster from here on out. Anyone who is a recent acquaintance must be reported to me immediately. Go on." Watching Hu Qinzhai return to his duties, he muttered under his breath, "I only had suspicions myself; I really was just bluffing."

Since the earlier individuals had already been verified as trustworthy, the subsequent screening only required identifying those with long-standing relationships. As for the Liao refugees who genuinely could not produce anyone who had known them for long, Dai Chunfeng gathered them together, placed them under temporary guard, and searched them thoroughly. When nothing suspicious turned up among them either, he had no choice but to let the matter rest.

Despite these hurdles, the screening of the Liao refugees was not completed until near nightfall. Dai Chunfeng ordered the western city gate opened, and the exhausted and starving refugees, cowed by his formidable authority, obediently formed lines to enter the city.