Inside the county office, Wang Shantang, who was over sixty, knelt prostrate in his official robes. "Your humble servant receives the decree. Long live His Majesty, long, long live His Majesty."
The ceremony over, he struggled up from the ground. Without even taking time to brush off the dust, he shouted, "Guards!"
Thud, thud!
As his shout rang out, four officers in ordinary armor jogged inside and cupped their fists. "At your command!"
"Go immediately to Funan County's four main camps and relay my orders. The four Qianhu commanders are to muster their troops at once and head to Immortality Mountain to rescue Little Prince Huai and eliminate those who entered the mountain without permission." Wang Shantang spoke briskly and clearly. "Remember, rescuing Little Prince Huai comes first, eliminating the villains second. By daybreak, I must have news of Little Prince Huai."
"Yes, sir!"
The four cupped their fists.
"Also, tell the four Qianhu to have plenty of cloth strips prepared when they ascend the mountain. Write on them: Wang Shantang, Commander-in-Chief of Funan County, has received an imperial decree and dispatched troops into the mountain to invite Little Prince Huai to Funan County for a meeting." Wang Shantang added, "Tie the strips to arrows and shoot them into the ancient trees along the way. That way, when Little Prince Huai sees the writing, he'll know His Majesty intends to protect him and can enter Funan first to seek protection."
"As you command!"
"Go relay the orders. Hurry." Wang Shantang waved them off, his expression grave.
The four immediately turned and left, riding hard for the respective camps.
Wang Shantang walked to the doorway. After pondering for a long while, he suddenly addressed an official beside him. "Unless the matter were urgent in the extreme, His Majesty would never have