Chapter 134: Trying the Case in Open Court

When Fei Wen learned that Xiao Ding had kicked Bian Hongtai, injuring him, he immediately wanted to stand up for Bian Hongtai’s sake. So he repeatedly questioned Xiao Ding.

Xiao Ding sensed Fei Wen’s protective attitude and wasn’t intimidated. He calmly replied, “May I ask, Lord Fei, is there any law in our Great Song Dynasty that permits officials like Lord Yu to forcibly seize common women in the street?”

Fei Wen was momentarily at a loss for words before retorting, “Don’t talk nonsense! Assaulting a military officer is a crime. How dare you deny it? Guards, seize this scoundrel and have him executed!”

“Wait a moment!” County Magistrate Yang intervened from the side. “Lord Fei, since this incident occurred within the jurisdiction of Dingbian County, it is more appropriate for me to preside over the case. Besides, you cannot arbitrarily order executions without due process simply because you are the commanding officer!”

“Fine, if you insist on trying the case, then you shall do so. I’m curious to see how Lord Yang handles it,” Fei Wen said irritably.

Magistrate Yang paid no mind to Fei Wen’s displeasure and commanded, “Prepare to proceed to court!” He then ordered all parties involved to be brought before the tribunal.

In truth, Xiao Ding understood well that Magistrate Yang’s grand display was largely for show—to satisfy appearances. He had already been informed of the facts and was fully aware of what had transpired.

In the courtroom, Magistrate Yang questioned everyone in turn. First, Widow Wang recounted the incident, naturally matching Xiao Ding’s version. Then Xiao Ding repeated his account. Several eyewitnesses from the nearby tofu workshop were summoned, and their testimonies aligned perfectly with those of Widow Wang and Xiao Ding.

When it came to Bian Hongtai’s turn, he claimed he merely invited Widow Wang home for tea before being attacked by Xiao Ding. He omitted the fact that he had drawn a knife and struck Xiao Ding first.

However, his lies were quickly exposed. Numerous bystanders had witnessed the scene, and the consistent statements from eyewitnesses made it impossible for Bian Hongtai to deny the truth.

In the end, Magistrate Yang ruled: Xiao Ding had acted bravely and justly to prevent Bian Hongtai’s crime and deserved commendation. However, since he had injured a government official, there was suspicion of excessive force. Thus, his merits and faults balanced out, resulting in neither reward nor punishment.

Widow Wang, being the victim, had not suffered physical harm thanks to Xiao Ding’s timely intervention; she only endured some fright. Bian Hongtai was ordered to compensate her with one hundred taels of silver for the distress caused.

As a government official who had forcibly seized a common woman in public, Bian Hongtai’s offense was grave, warranting severe punishment. Yet, due to Xiao Ding’s intervention preventing the crime’s completion and the injuries he sustained from Xiao Ding, he was considered sufficiently punished. Therefore, he was to pay Widow Wang one hundred taels on the spot and then be released.

The judgment was reasonable, just, and fair. The gathered townsfolk applauded and praised Magistrate Yang’s wisdom. Fei Wen, initially inclined to interfere, saw the situation and fell silent, knowing full well the true nature of Bian Hongtai.

Bian Hongtai felt deeply aggrieved. Not only had Xiao Ding kicked him, but he had also hoped Fei Wen would support him and punish Xiao Ding. Instead, Magistrate Yang had taken over the case, tried it immediately, and now Bian Hongtai was not only beaten without cause but also forced to pay one hundred taels. If he failed to pay on the spot, he would not be released.

What stung even more was that after compensating Widow Wang in court, as Bian Hongtai stepped outside, townspeople began pelting him with rotten eggs, spoiled vegetables, and other refuse, leaving him reeking and nearly sickened.

After leaving the courtroom, Xiao Ding went straight to the military camp to find Zhao Laixi, Zhao Hu, and the others.

At the rural garrison, Xiao Ding found Zhao Laixi and Zhao Hu safe and sound, which pleased him greatly. They shared their experiences, chatting with much joy.

Xiao Ding cautioned them to remain vigilant; the nomads would surely return.

However, Zhao Laixi said their rural troops might soon return to Yongzhou. Lu Yang had apparently received orders requiring their garrison to escort another batch of grain and supplies to the front.

Meanwhile, in the county hall, after concluding the trial, Magistrate Yang, along with Huang Wenlong and Fei Wen, returned to the meeting room to continue discussing military affairs.

Huang Wenlong openly shared Xiao Ding’s suspicions and urged Fei Wen to prepare early. Fei Wen’s fear grew; if the nomads were indeed awaiting reinforcements, the arrival of those troops would spell the fall of Dingbian City.

Having survived a deadly battle, Fei Wen dreaded death more than anyone. Upon hearing Huang’s warning, he immediately took it to heart.

“If the nomads are truly expecting reinforcements, how should we respond?” Fei Wen, for once, sought the counsel of Huang and Magistrate Yang rather than acting unilaterally.

“I believe we should promptly inform the Prefect and the Governor, so they can dispatch additional troops to support us,” Magistrate Yang proposed.

“But all ten thousand border troops from Yongzhou’s northern and southern camps have already been sent here. Even if the Prefect and Governor wanted to send more troops, they have none left to send,” Huang Wenlong explained, knowing Yongzhou’s situation well.

“Isn’t Yongzhou currently recruiting new soldiers within the city?” a junior officer interjected.

“New recruits are useless—they’ve never seen battle and cannot form effective fighting forces,” Huang said. Having served for many years, he understood these realities. New soldiers, untrained and fainthearted, would collapse at the sight of blood, how could they kill?

“Still, the situation here should be reported to the Prefect. Let him and the Governor decide. Perhaps the Prefect can petition the court to dispatch the Imperial Guards to defend the border,” Magistrate Yang insisted.

“Very well, we shall proceed as Lord Yang suggests,” Fei Wen nodded in agreement.

Seeing Fei Wen’s assent, Magistrate Yang thought to himself that if Fei Wen had listened earlier, they might not have lost over twenty-five thousand soldiers to the nomads so carelessly.

Thus, Fei Wen immediately drafted a report detailing Dingbian’s current situation, including Huang Wenlong’s suspicions, urging the Prefect and Governor to decide swiftly.

Once completed, the document was sent directly to Yongzhou City.

The group then resumed discussing the distribution of troops among the three county towns: Dingbian, Pubian, and Xinquan.

Dingbian had the most soldiers—nearly twenty-five thousand left under Fei Wen’s command, plus the original garrison of seven to eight thousand, totaling over thirty thousand. This included about four thousand rural troops from Lu Yang’s unit, which had suffered over a thousand casualties in the recent defense.

Xinquan had the fewest soldiers, only two to three thousand defenders plus two thousand newly recruited militia.

Pubian’s garrison, commanded by Jin Xi, consisted of seven to eight thousand men.

Altogether, the three counties’ forces numbered about forty thousand, roughly equal to the nomads’ current strength.

However, opinions diverged on how to allocate these troops.

Huang Wenlong advocated sending reinforcements to Pubian and Xinquan, lest they fall if attacked.

Magistrate Yang argued against dispersing forces, fearing the nomads might defeat the towns one by one or concentrate their attack, leading to their destruction.

Fei Wen believed all troops should be concentrated at Dingbian to fortify it. If the nomads attacked the other two towns, reinforcements could be dispatched in time—as had happened before.

Each argument had merit, and no decision was reached.