“No, no, if the commander doesn’t want to see them, then I will see them on his behalf.” Wei Zhan shook his head and said. He had seen Li Jun’s indignation. If it were in the past, he would have spoken frankly to him. But ever since he almost lost his life for speaking frankly to Xue Qian, he knew that even a lord as tolerant as Li Jun would not listen to dissenting opinions when he was angry.
Li Jun glanced at him, a forced smile appearing on his face, and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Mr. Wei. I'm feeling down and it's really not a good time for me to see them, otherwise I might make things worse in a fit of anger. Please keep an eye on things for me, and if there's anything important, you can discuss it with me then."
Wei Zhan and Meng Yuan were overjoyed; Li Jun had finally calmed down, which meant they no longer needed to worry about him acting impulsively and doing anything detrimental to the overall situation. Li Jun entered the camp, and someone immediately came to ask how to handle the matter concerning Jiang Runqun's family.
"Kill." Li Jun blurted out the word "kill," but then changed his mind and said, "Leave Jiang Runqun's family for now, but don't spare any of his cronies. Anyone who dares to collude with him and betray him will only face death!"
Thus, in less than the time it takes to eat a meal, dozens of heads were hanging high on the walls of Huichang City, including Jiang Runqun's brother-in-law, who naturally relied on his power to bully others. The people were both happy and worried. They were happy that these were mostly wicked people, but worried about Li Jun's large-scale retaliation. Wouldn't the people of the city also suffer? Moreover, the news that Li Jun refused to meet with the officers who surrendered the city spread like wildfire throughout the city. First, it was Jiang Runqun's cronies; would the next target be those who surrendered the city?
Li Jun sat silently in his tent, recalling his time with Xiao Lin. When he was nine, his family was destroyed, and he wandered through several countries in the south-central part of China with Xiao Lin and his mercenary group who had saved him. Xiao Lin had taught him how to survive in the chaos of the world, and he had also disciplined him. But now, thinking back, those days were so unforgettable. He had always thought that there was nothing worth remembering about the seven years between the ages of nine and sixteen, but Xiao Lin's death brought back all those fleeting memories.
Hurried footsteps sounded outside; judging from the voice, it seemed Wei Zhan had arrived. It looked like trouble was brewing again. Li Jun frowned. As the leader of this team, couldn't he even have time for someone to reminisce about the past and remember the deceased?
"Commander." The footsteps stopped outside the tent, and Wei Zhan asked in a low voice.
Li Jun felt a slight sense of relief. Wei Zhan's politeness reminded him that this man was usually very arrogant and conceited. Today, he seemed to be behaving abnormally, and even Wei Zhan didn't dare to barge into the tent so casually.
"Commander?" Wei Zhan asked again.
"Mr. Wei, please come in."
Wei Zhan lifted the curtain and entered the camp, saying, "Commander, among those who surrendered the city, there is one you should meet."
"Why do you want to see him?" Li Junqi asked.
"When I met this man, he was not very talkative, but the others who surrendered the city all followed his lead. When I asked him what reward he wanted for surrendering the city, he just sneered."
"Oh, what did he say?" Li Jun asked, intrigued.
“He said he surrendered the city to save the people of Huichang from slaughter, not for personal reward. We underestimated him. If we must give them any reward, we should give it to the people of Huichang.”
"This person is quite interesting. What's his name?"
“Fang Fengyi. I have also inquired with people in the city. This man is a famous general in Huichang City, but he is envied by Jiang Runqun. He rarely listens to Jiang's plans unless it is a critical moment. Judging from his speech, he is a talented general. I am afraid that the commander may lose a rare general in a moment of anger, so I came here to ask the commander to see him.”
Li Junxiang leaned back in his chair, stared at the tent for a moment, and finally stood up, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, sir. Since you say this person is worth seeing, then I will go see him."
The two arrived at Fang Fengyi's tent. Li Jun lifted the curtain and went in. He saw a person with his hands behind his back, facing away from the door. Only after hearing his voice did he turn around.
"General Fang?" Li Jun greeted him with a cupped-hand salute.
Fang Fengyi gave a military salute and said, "This humble general, Fang Fengyi, is finally able to meet the esteemed commander."
A bitter smile appeared on Li Jun's face. Although this man was a military general, his words were as sharp as those of a scholar. Although it was only a short sentence, it contained both a desire to see Li Jun and a hint of blame for Li Jun's refusal to see him.
"Upon hearing the devastating news, I was deeply saddened and thus acted rudely. I beg General Fang's forgiveness." Li Jun bowed again as an apology. By this time, he had slowly recovered from the shock of Xiao Lin's death. After all, compared to Lu Xiang's death, Xiao Lin's demise had not had such a great impact on him.
"I wish to see the Commander to ask him a question." After they sat down, Fang Fengyi's expression turned serious. "Commander Li, do you intend to attack another rebel city, or do you want to return to Kuanglan City as quickly as possible?"
Li Jun and Wei Zhan exchanged a glance. This military deployment, as a matter of military secrets, was not something that could be easily revealed. But Li Jun said, "I want to recapture the cities of Dagu and Yuyang to cut off the rebels' retreat. As far as I know, they are all along the line between Kuanglan City and Yinhu City. As long as we capture these two cities, they will collapse without a fight."
Fang Fengyi suddenly stood up and said, "Speed is of the essence in war. The news of the commander's return to Yuzhou has not yet spread. I request the commander to give me an army. I am willing to capture Pingyi City from Sun Qing for the commander, so as to open up the road to Dagudi!"
Li Jun asked, "General Fang, what method do you intend to use to capture Pingyi?"
“It’s very simple. The garrison commander of Pingyi knows me and knows that I am a general under Jiang Runqun. I will just pretend to be following Jiang Runqun’s secret order to lead troops to support him. He will definitely open the city gates to welcome me. At this time, I will seize the pass and take the city. Although I dare not say that it will be bloodless, with the current defense of Pingyi, my five thousand men will be enough.”
Li Jun was overjoyed and said, "Then I will trouble General Fang. There is no time to lose. When does General Fang think we can set off?"
“Now we can!” Fang Fengyi’s eyes shone brightly as she stared at Li Jun’s face, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “However, does Commander Li trust me?”
The war progressed much faster than Li Jun had imagined. The people of Yuzhou, exhausted by the war, had no goodwill toward Jiang Runqun and his ilk who had instigated the internal strife. Therefore, upon hearing that Li Jun had returned, they surrendered the city one after another. After Fang Fengyi tricked the gates of Pingyi City into opening, Li Jun made contact with the Rong people in Dagu City and learned that Peng Yuancheng had been defeated and fled far away.
"Order all passes and checkpoints to be thoroughly searched, and don't let Peng Yuancheng escape!" Li Jun suppressed his anger towards Peng Yuancheng and issued this order. Although Peng Yuancheng was highly skilled in martial arts, even a hero can't withstand a large number of people. Once he was discovered, he would not be able to escape.
The four city lords, now trapped and uncertain of their fate beneath Silver Tiger City, were restless and unable to eat or sleep. Although they understood the situation was hopeless, none were willing to surrender due to fear of Li Jun's punishment. However, remaining trapped beneath Silver Tiger City without provisions or manpower, their morale was low. Upon learning that their cities had fallen, they were even more at a loss. Their subordinates, unwilling to perish with them, conspired to bind the four city lords and bring them to Silver Tiger City, begging Sima Hui to speak favorably of them to Li Jun, hoping to forgive their crime of aiding the rebellion.
Li Jun finally returned to Thunder City after nearly five months away. Thunder City was originally the wealthiest city in Yu Prefecture, but after several wars, most families had moved to Kuanglan City. The few who remained were forcibly conscripted into the army by Peng Yuancheng, leaving less than one-tenth of the city's inhabitants. Some streets and alleys were overgrown with weeds and frequented by foxes and rabbits. Li Jun led his horse through these streets, and looking at the desolation and decay around him, he felt a deep sense of sorrow.
"What have I brought to the people of Yuzhou?" he wondered to himself. "I took peace as my military motto, intending to bring peace to the people, but since I came to Yuzhou, why have there been more battles than before? In the past, under Commander Lu, apart from that last battle, very few generals died in battle. In just a few months, I have lost important generals Xiao Lin, Su Xiang, and Shang Huaiyi, as well as more than twenty other subordinate generals and deputy generals. What have I brought to these loyal generals?"
As if sensing his sorrow, the Peace Army soldiers entering Thunder City fell silent. Li Jun led his entire army to the street where Su Xiang had died in battle, knelt on one knee, and silently poured a bottle of wine onto the land that had once been soaked with the blood of two thousand Peace Army soldiers and Su Xiang.
Although it was springtime, the tens of thousands of Peace Army soldiers clearly felt the lingering chill of winter. Many of their brothers and friends had perished here in a foreign land. Thinking of this, they silently shed tears. On this day, what soaked this blood-stained land, besides the wine offered to the deceased, was the hot tears of these warriors.
"Li Jun, Commander Xiao's first victory... I've kept it safe, waiting for you to see it one last time." Ji Su had been waiting in Leiming City to welcome Li Jun upon hearing of his arrival. Having learned of the Peace Army's losses, she was deeply saddened. Deep down, she considered the Peace Army her own, a brotherhood among her Rong people. Therefore, she paid special attention to her tone when speaking to Li Jun.
Su Xiang died in the chaos of battle, and his body had long been disposed of by Peng Yuancheng. However, the head of Xiao Lin, which had been ordered to be displayed, remained in a secluded room in the general's mansion of Leiming City. This head had originally hung on the city wall, but Ji Su had placed it here after capturing Leiming City. Li Jun smiled gratefully at Ji Su. If it weren't for Ji Su's surprise attack and Peng Yuancheng's continued presence in Leiming City, the situation in Yuzhou would not have stabilized so quickly.
Ji Su's eyes flickered slightly, avoiding Li Jun's grateful gaze. "Am I doing this because of your gratitude?" she thought to herself, gently pinching the end of her small braid between her fingers, but ultimately said nothing.
Led by her, Li Jun arrived before Xiao Lin's portrait. The portrait, preserved in a medicinal solution, was remarkably lifelike. Li Jun reached out to stroke the white-haired head, but his hand only lightly touched Xiao Lin's white hair before withdrawing it. His only elder had finally died for him. He had once imagined what earth-shattering things Xiao Lin would do if given tens of thousands of troops, but now he understood that giving Xiao Lin tens of thousands of troops would only result in Xiao Lin dying for him. If Xiao Lin only had a mercenary group of a few hundred men, or even just a thousand or so, he knew he couldn't restrain Peng Yuancheng and would never have chosen that certain death-defying path at Luoyue Slope.
Li Jun slowly cut off a strand of Xiao Lin's white hair with his fingers, tied it with a silk thread, and then hid it in his robes. The bloodstains on Xiao Lin's face had long been washed away by the medicine, and his eyes were wide open, staring intently at Li Jun. For a moment, Ji Su felt a blur before her eyes, and she seemed to see a smile bloom on Xiao Lin's lips. Just as she was about to rub her eyes, Li Jun suddenly turned around and strode away.
"Cremate him. We all come from dust and will return to dust," Li Jun said calmly to one of the generals. The general bowed silently, took the brocade box containing Xiao Lin's first merit, and Li Jun followed him for two steps before finally stopping.
Ji Su could clearly see from Li Jun's actions that he was heartbroken. She quietly came to Li Jun's side and gently touched his arm with her own. Li Jun turned his head and glanced at her, his eyes still filled with gratitude. But this gratitude dimmed the light in Ji Su's eyes.
Li Jun did not utter a single word that day, and he remained silent the next day as well. Meng Yuan and Wei Zhan asked him about the matter several times, but seeing that he had no reaction, they silently withdrew and handled the issues according to their own wishes.
Early on the third day, Li Jun appeared on the training ground and loudly reprimanded the soldiers for their training. Wei Zhan was delighted to see this, knowing that Li Jun had recovered from the blow. Ji Su, however, remained by Li Jun's side like a shadow. Only she knew that Li Jun was merely using the training to make himself forget the responsibilities he had to bear in this battle.
"Reporting to the commander, deserters under Peng Yuancheng's command are requesting an audience..."
The message from the sentry startled Li Jun for a moment, then he said, "I understand. It seems Peng Yuancheng is finished. Have them come to see me."
Three or four officers from Peng Yuancheng's command shrank over, while Li Jun sat imposingly in a chair, glaring at them with sharp, piercing eyes.