Persuading Qiao Rui to Surrender; "General, Please Meet Your Death!"

Chapter 44: Persuading Qiao Rui to Surrender; "General, Please Meet Your Death!"

There weren't many historical records about Qiao Rui.

But Qin Tian remembered clearly that whenever Qiao Rui appeared, it was alongside Zhang Xun.

When Yuan Shu first established himself in Huainan, he appointed Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui as generals.

Later, when Sun Ce campaigned far and wide under Yuan Shu, these two men were also deeply impressed by Sun Ce. That was why they were mentioned in the records, leading some to speculate that Qiao Rui was the father of the Two Qiaos.

But that wasn't what concerned Qin Tian. What concerned him was that, according to his memories, Lu Bu had once captured Qiao Rui, only to let him go.

After returning to Yuan Shu's service, Qiao Rui was entrusted with important duties once more. He and Zhang Xun defended Chen State together, but were ultimately defeated by Cao Cao, who had him executed!

From what Qin Tian remembered, Qiao Rui had three defining traits. First, he was always Zhang Xun's deputy. Second, he wasn't someone who would surrender easily. Third, he respected heroes!

Those three traits were exactly why Qin Tian planned to persuade Qiao Rui to surrender.

First, he was a deputy and didn't have too many concerns.

Second, he hadn't surrendered even after being captured, so persuading him to do so would ensure a certain degree of loyalty!

Third, he respected heroes, so Qin Tian could lead him along with words and bring Liu Bei into the conversation!

It was nothing more than running his mouth, and Qin Tian was fairly confident he could manage that.

So, when he arrived outside the tent where Qiao Rui was being held, he said to Liu Bei:

"My lord, please wait here. Yide can come inside with me!"

Liu Bei nodded and simply stopped outside the tent, letting Zhang Fei follow Qin Tian inside.

It had to be said that Old Liu treated captured enemy generals quite well. Aside from having their upper bodies bound with rope, each man was given a room to himself.

As soon as they entered, they saw a general sitting on the bed, glaring at them furiously. If his mouth hadn't been stuffed, he probably would have started cursing them out.

Clearly, he had heard the commotion outside the tent.

Looking at Qiao Rui in that state, Qin Tian wanted to laugh. He turned and asked:

"Yide, what's this? Why have you stuffed the general's mouth?"

Zhang Fei pursed his lips and said:

"Military counselor, you don't know how sharp this man's tongue is. If we don't gag him, I'm afraid he'll make life unbearable for us!"

As soon as he said that, Qiao Rui's eyes widened. He let out a muffled string of protests, his face turning red with the effort.

Seeing how uncomfortable Qiao Rui looked, Qin Tian said:

"Untie him. The general is a high-ranking officer; how can we treat him like this?"

Zhang Fei frowned.

"I was afraid that if we let him speak, he'd offend the military counselor!"

"What does that matter?"

Seeing that Zhang Fei was reluctant, Qin Tian went straight over, speaking as he walked:

"I've long heard that General Qiao is a righteous man!"

"If we treat him well, he surely won't answer us with abuse!"

When he reached Qiao Rui, he removed the wad of cloth from his mouth and smiled at him.

"Isn't that right, General Qiao?"

Qiao Rui had been about to curse, but after Qin Tian put it that way, he found himself unable to speak.

In this era, being called a righteous man was high praise indeed.

If he cursed, wouldn't he be calling himself unrighteous?

Though his mouth was free, he couldn't get the words out. He only snorted and turned his head aside, as if he didn't want to hear Qin Tian.

But Qin Tian's smile only grew brighter.

"Why haven't you said a word, General?"

At that, Qiao Rui turned back and glared at him. His lips moved as if he wanted to curse, but he still held back and said in a low voice:

"I'm a defeated general. I have nothing to say!"

"Kill me or flay me, as you please. Why put on this act?"

Before Qin Tian could reply, Zhang Fei roared:

"Impudent! How dare you show the military counselor such disrespect?"

Qiao Rui glared at Zhang Fei, but Qin Tian turned and smiled.

"Yide, there's no need for that!"

"The general must simply be unable to accept this defeat. That's why he's acting this way!"

Then he turned back to Qiao Rui.

"Am I wrong, General?"

Qiao Rui heard him and immediately replied with haughty certainty:

"If you hadn't used your schemes to win over Yang Feng and the other traitors, how could our army have been defeated?"

"How could anyone accept a defeat like that?"

Zhang Fei was instantly displeased. He roared:

"Outrageous! You're a braggart. I clearly captured you, and you still refuse to accept defeat!"

"If you've got the guts, let me set you free and fight me one-on-one. We'll see if you can win!"

At Zhang Fei's words, Qiao Rui sneered.

"A general shouldn't show off the courage of a mere brute. I may not be your match in a duel, but in a battle between armies, I might not lose!"

Zhang Fei had always prided himself on his valor. He hadn't expected to meet someone who wouldn't judge matters by martial strength, and he grew furious.

Seeing this, Qin Tian said to Zhang Fei:

"Yide, there's no need for that. General Qiao isn't wrong."

"In a battle between armies, one mustn't rely on a brute's courage. Take the Overlord of Western Chu, for example. His valor was unmatched in his time, yet he was still captured by others!"

"It shows that a general must keep the bigger picture in mind and never rely on his own strength to put himself in danger!"

Zhang Fei had never liked this sort of talk, but Qin Tian had just lectured him, so this time he didn't argue. He only nodded in agreement.

Seeing Qin Tian lecture Zhang Fei, Qiao Rui looked all the more pleased, though he said:

"Zhang Fei may have been wrong, but he still captured me!"

"Who are you to make such empty claims?"

"I know you've come to persuade me to surrender, and you're trying to win me over with sweet words. But I won't surrender. You could talk until flowers fell from the sky, and I still wouldn't surrender!"

Hearing that, Qin Tian turned back to Qiao Rui and smiled.

"Looks like the general really is bent on dying. Very well, someone bring me a short sword!"

The guards outside heard him and hurriedly brought a short sword into the tent.

Seeing this, Zhang Fei couldn't help being puzzled. Wasn't Qin Tian here to persuade him to surrender? Had he given up?

When Qiao Rui heard Qin Tian, he was startled.

"You really intend to kill me?"

Qin Tian took the short sword and smiled faintly.

"Are you afraid, General?"

Qiao Rui frowned.

"A great man's word is worth nine sacred tripods. If you want to kill me, then do it. If I so much as furrow my brow, I'll have lived in vain!"

"Then so be it. You said I could do as I pleased, so why ask me that?"

Holding the short sword, Qin Tian walked toward Qiao Rui one step at a time.

Qiao Rui was astonished. The young man looked mild-mannered, but who could have guessed he was so vicious as to want to kill him with his own hands?

He wasn't afraid of being beheaded; it would all be over in an instant. But if Qin Tian stabbed him again and again with a short sword, that would make his heart tremble!

But he had already said what he'd said and couldn't take it back, so he could only close his eyes and wait.

He heard the other man walk up to him, but Qin Tian still didn't make a move.

Everyone had a will to live, especially when faced with imminent death. At such a time, that instinct made every moment stretch on and on.

Qiao Rui couldn't help swallowing when the other man continued to do nothing.

Watching, Zhang Fei felt his heart climb into his throat.

He could see Qin Tian holding the sword and moving it back and forth along Qiao Rui's neck, as if trying to decide where to cut.

He had killed quite a few people, but he had never seen anyone kill like this!

It was hard to imagine what it would look like if Qin Tian suddenly plunged the sword into Qiao Rui's chest.

He watched. Qiao Rui listened. And Qin Tian still didn't move, continuing to examine the short sword from every angle.

At last, Qiao Rui couldn't take it anymore. He opened his eyes and shouted:

"If you're going to kill me, then do it! Why are you dragging this out?"

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the conflicted look on Qin Tian's handsome face. Then Qin Tian said:

"I'm not trying to torment you, General. I was only thinking that even ants cling to life. You're a grown man, seven feet tall, brought into this world by your parents. Are you truly determined to die?"

When Qin Tian mentioned his parents, Qiao Rui's expression darkened.

His parents' faces suddenly came to mind, and he couldn't help sighing.

"I have failed to repay my parents for raising me. When I reach the Yellow Springs, I'll beg their forgiveness first!"

"So your parents have both passed away!"

Qin Tian looked at him with sorrow.

"If that's the case, when you reach the Yellow Springs and they ask who killed you and why you died, what will you tell them?"

"I'm afraid your parents know nothing of the current situation. They only know the Han Dynasty has an emperor; they've never heard that the Yuan Clan has proclaimed itself emperor!"

"You were a Han subject, yet now you serve a rebel. If your ancestors beneath the earth found out, how would you answer to them?"

"If you call Yuan Shu a rebel, then you died loyal to your lord. But if you call yourself a loyal subject, then you betrayed the Han Dynasty's four hundred years of grace. I truly don't know what you could say!"

Qiao Rui's face twisted with conflict. His lips moved, but he couldn't find an answer.

At the end of the Eastern Han, the concept of reincarnation wasn't yet widespread. In the eyes of the ancients, the dead all made their way to the underworld.

In other words, the ancients believed the dead would have to face their ancestors.

If Qin Tian had spoken of some lofty principle, Qiao Rui would surely have scoffed. But when it came to what happened after death, he had no answer.

Just as Qin Tian had said, if he died and went below, how would he face his ancestors?

Though the Qiao family wasn't a great clan, his ancestors had once been prosperous.

If he died now, how would he explain himself to them?

Would he tell them he'd followed the Yuan Clan in rebellion, then been killed after his army was defeated?

The last three generations were easy enough to count, but go back seven or eight generations, and who knew where the Yuan family stood?

The Han Dynasty had ruled for four hundred years. How long had the Yuan Clan been on the rise?

For a moment, Qiao Rui began to hesitate.

Seeing this, Qin Tian knew the moment was right. He used the short sword to cut through the ropes binding Qiao Rui.

Qiao Rui was lost in thought when he suddenly felt the ropes slacken. He looked up in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

Qin Tian answered solemnly:

"Seeing you like this, I can't bear to kill you. I don't want to be held to account when I go below!"

"Besides, we are all Han subjects. Now that the realm is in chaos, we should focus on restoring the Han Dynasty. How can we slaughter one another?"

"If you're determined to die, then go ahead. I won't stain my hands with a righteous man's blood!"

With that, he thrust the sword into the straw bed.

"General, please meet your death!"

Then he turned and walked back on his own.

Watching Qin Tian's approach, Zhang Fei stood there dumbfounded. He had never seen anyone try to persuade a man to surrender like that.

First he made the man not want to die, then he invited him to die!

That was a stroke of genius.

Now Qiao Rui had been backed into a corner!

And just as Zhang Fei had thought, after Qin Tian's speech, Qiao Rui had already abandoned the idea of dying. Now, looking at the sword, he was caught in a quandary.

If he died, he wouldn't know how to explain himself down below. But if he didn't, the mood had already been built up to this point.

After thinking it over for a while, he still pulled out the short sword. No matter what, saving face mattered more.

But at that moment, a voice came from outside the tent:

"General, you mustn't!"

As he spoke, Liu Bei hurried into the tent.

Seeing Liu Bei, Qiao Rui was taken aback.

"Lord Liu?"

"What brings you here, my lord?"

He had a fairly good impression of Liu Bei, unlike his opinion of Zhang Fei.

Liu Bei hurried over.

"You don't know, General: when I heard you were about to die, I was burning with anxiety outside!"

"How could a righteous man like you die here?"

He snatched the short sword from Qiao Rui's hand.

"If you don't wish to surrender, then go where you will. My army won't kill you. I only ask that you keep the greater cause in mind and not make trouble for my army again!"

"Yuan Gonglu has committed this treasonous act. He isn't worth such devotion from you!"

Hearing Liu Bei's words, Qiao Rui felt a surge of emotion and thought to himself that Liu Bei was truly benevolent and righteous!

He would not only spare his life, but even let him go. If Qiao Rui returned, how could he ever face Liu Bei as an enemy again?

Thinking of what he had done while serving under Yuan Shu, he felt it had been utterly wrong.

Yuan Shu was a rebel; if he continued serving him, he would have no face to meet his ancestors. But if he joined Liu Bei in restoring the Han Dynasty, surely his ancestors would rejoice from beyond the grave.

With that thought, he dropped to his knees with a thud and said in a low voice:

"Your Excellency has treated me with such kindness. If I were to leave now, I'd be less than human!"

"I'm willing to surrender. I only ask that Your Excellency take me in!"

Seeing Qiao Rui kneel and surrender, Liu Bei's eyes lit up. He instinctively glanced at Qin Tian.

He'd already given up hope. He never expected Qin Tian to talk Qiao Rui into surrendering!

But when Qin Tian met Liu Bei's gaze, he only smiled faintly and said nothing.

The Han Succubus was no joke. Once he'd broken a man's defenses, all Liu Bei had to do was step in, and there wasn't a soul he couldn't persuade to surrender.

At least all that talking hadn't gone to waste!