"The reason why brothers turn against each other is simply because they have been separated by roads for a long time, and have not been able to communicate with each other. Father Khan, if ordinary people and Rong people often interact, ordinary people can become familiar with Rong customs, and Rong people can respect the habits of ordinary people. Why should we worry about the two tribes not being of one family?" Hulei thought it over and over, but he felt that he could not refute Li Jun's words. Moreover, it was thanks to the continuous trade between them in the past two years that Rong people were able to rest and recuperate. The herdsmen even incorporated their alliance with Li Jun into their songs. Therefore, he was somewhat hesitant.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Li Jun explained the strategy he and Feng Jiutian had already agreed upon: "Of course, Father Khan, please rest assured, I have absolutely no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of the Rong people. I only hope that in the future, there will be no more brotherly disputes between the Rong and ordinary people. Most importantly, it is for ordinary people and the Rong to become familiar with each other. Therefore, I would like to request Father Khan's permission to build post roads on the Qionglu Grassland." The Qionglu Grassland is thousands of feet higher than the surrounding terrain. In fact, it is a large plateau surrounded by high mountains. It is precisely because of this that the temperature is very low, even though the grassland is close to the Eastern Sea. It is a vast grassland with only a few steep and rugged mountain ridges connecting it to the outside world. Although the grassland is flat and vast, there have never been fixed post roads. If a wide post road could be built to connect the tribes on the grassland with the surrounding areas, it would greatly help transportation and trade.
For many years, the Rong people had migrated with their herds following the water and grass, requiring no post roads. Moreover, to guard against ordinary people invading the grasslands, they had never planned to build post roads that would benefit large armies of ordinary people. Without the guidance of the Rong people on the vast grasslands, ordinary people could even lose their way. Li Jun's suggestion precisely hit the Rong people's weak point.
"Absolutely not!" Hulei said coldly. "A good falcon needs no road, but a foolish sheep will get lost even with a road." Hearing Hulei use a Rong proverb to refute him again, Li Jun couldn't help but smile bitterly. He hadn't expected that all his efforts would only result in another "no." It seemed that this verbal battle was no easier than mounting his horse, wielding his halberd, and charging into the midst of thousands of enemies.
"How about this?" Li Jun's mind raced, and another idea came to him. Hulei's firm opposition to building the post road stemmed from his concern that if the Rong people turned against the common people, the post road would become a route for the common people to attack. He said, "Besides building the post road, the Peace Army will also build two checkpoints on this grassland. The two checkpoints, one to the south and one to the north, will control the key points into the grassland. Father Khan will have them guarded by his men, collecting customs duties from passing merchants to supplement the Rong people's expenses. To be honest, Father Khan, without a post road that runs directly through the grassland, Yuzhou and Qinggui cannot be considered a unified entity." Hearing Li Jun suggest building checkpoints at both ends of the post road, Hulei's eyes lit up. Firstly, with checkpoints, the road in and out of the grassland would be like having an impregnable gate. Even if the Rong people were not good at defending cities, it would be far better than the current open gates. If the Peace Army wanted to, they could directly storm into the grassland. Secondly, the Rong people are profit-driven. Although they don't strive as hard as the Yi people for even the smallest gain, they are far more ambitious than the Qiang and Yue people. If there are checkpoints and taxes, then even in times of famine, the Yi people will not have to worry about not having livestock hides to exchange for food. Thinking of this, Hulei Khan's resolve couldn't help but waver a little.
Section 02
The moon rises above the willow branches; it's another spring night with flowers and moonlight over the river.
On such a night, which should have been a time for lovers to meet tenderly, the air beneath the city of Wutai was filled with the stench of blood.
This was the fifth night in a row. For five consecutive nights, the Chen army surged toward Wutai City like a tide. Xue Wenju, who was known for his defense, changed his usual calm and steady demeanor and urged his soldiers to attack the city every night, as if he wanted to swallow Wutai City whole.
The dark mass of Chen soldiers, arrayed in formation, hurriedly approached Wutai City under the moonlight. These past few days, they had been fighting at night and resting during the day. Coupled with the intensity of the battle, half of the 50,000 soldiers had already been lost. The fierce fighting meant that neither side had time to clean up the battlefield. Countless mutilated corpses lay scattered beneath Wutai City.
None of the Chen soldiers spoke. They trampled over abandoned flags and weapons, over the corpses of their comrades, and began their charge towards Wutai City once more. When they were within range of the city's catapults and arrows, they began to shout.
Almost simultaneously, the Hong soldiers, who were on high alert, unleashed a rain of arrows and stones that could block out the moonlight. Wave after wave of arrows flew down from the sky, seeking gaps in the Chen formation like venomous snakes. Even the shields piled up like walls could not completely block them, and wounded and killed soldiers fell frequently. The stones were even more lethal to the densely packed soldiers; no shield could withstand the heavy impact of the boulders. If the catapults had been able to aim accurately, there would have been even more mangled pieces of flesh on the ground.
Ma Jiyou stood atop the city wall, braving a hail of arrows to watch the attack. He remained suspicious of Xue Wenju's frenzied assault; from any perspective, it was abnormal. He was almost certain that the one who ordered the attack was not Xue Wenju, who was facing him, but rather Liu Guang, who was hiding somewhere.
"General, it's dangerous here! Please leave immediately!" The lieutenant beside him used his sword to deflect a falling feather and urged again. Ma Jiyou ignored him; his mind was no longer in Wutai City, but on Liu Guang's place.
"If I were Liu Guang, what would I do?" His mind raced. "Wutai City is easy to defend but difficult to attack, making it hard for a large army to deploy. We can't overcome the terrain's disadvantages with superior numbers. Since Wutai City can't be breached, we must find another weakness. My weakness isn't in the front, but in the rear. Without conquering Wutai City, Liu Guang can't reclaim the Yuhu region behind me. In other words, my weakness has been protected." "But...but!" He suddenly realized, "If Liu Guang only wants to reclaim lost territory, my weakness is naturally in Yuhu behind me. But if Liu Guang wants to defeat my Great Hong Kingdom, then my weakness...should be on the Great Hong Kingdom's own territory!" In that instant, several thoughts flashed through his mind, each one capable of turning victory into defeat or even the annihilation of his entire army.
Cold sweat seeped through his underwear and condensed on his armor, making him feel a bone-chilling cold. He had already understood Xue Wenju's unusual behavior.
"Use the fastest horse to urgently transmit military intelligence!" He turned around and strode away from the city wall.
"Your Majesty, I kowtow: Since advancing into Chen, our advance has been unstoppable. We are now locked in a stalemate with the Chen rebels at Wutai, winning battle after battle. Observing the Chen rebels' unusual movements, I deduce that the old traitor Liu Guang will avoid the enemy's strength and instead attack Zhongshan. Zhongshan is a small country with few soldiers and generals; it will certainly be unable to withstand the advance of the Liu rebels. I fear that the old traitor may suddenly launch an attack from Zhongshan and invade our homeland. Therefore, I issued the General's order to arbitrarily deploy border troops to Chiling as a precaution. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for my presumptuous actions. I again pray for Your Majesty's well-being." Although he enjoyed the deep trust of King Qian Sheye, Ma Jiyou knew that rulers throughout history were either incompetent or stubborn. Although Qian Sheye favored him greatly, he was inherently suspicious, and Ma Jiyou's military power suited his jealousy. The examples of Lu Xiang and Liu Guang were not far off; if he could not maintain Qian Sheye's trust, it would be the end of his family. Therefore, although mobilizing troops was within his duties as a general, he still wrote to the emperor to avoid arousing Qian Sheye's suspicion.
Before the ink on the memorial had even dried, a soldier with an arrow wound rushed over, knelt down, and said, "General, the enemy has stormed the city!"
Ma Jiyou helped the soldier up, seemingly unconcerned about the news he brought. He merely examined the soldier's injuries and, finding no serious harm, breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Don't worry, go and bandage yourself. Leave the matters on the city wall to me." The soldier, tears welling in his eyes, knelt down again on one knee, bowed, and retreated. Ma Jiyou loved his soldiers like his own children and was already deeply respected by them, but even in this urgent situation, he still cared about the injury of a mere soldier—a sentiment that would inspire any soldier to fight to the death.
Seeing the gazes of the soldiers, Ma Jiyou smiled slightly: "Don't worry, everyone. Reaching the city wall is the limit for Chen the traitor. I predict that after this battle, Chen the traitor will have no choice but to retreat." The crowd followed him up the city wall, where they could hear a cacophony of battle cries from the eastern city tower, with the two armies clashing so closely that it was difficult to distinguish between them.
The Chen soldiers, scaling the siege ladders, desperately tried to hold the crenellations, but were relentlessly pushed and pressed by the superior Hong soldiers. One Chen soldier, cowering behind his shield, parried the thrusting spears, his right hand wielding a broadsword, wildly slashing at the thighs of the Hong soldier opposite him. The Hong soldier, in pain, threw aside his weapon, grabbed the edge of his opponent's shield, and with his last strength, flung it open. Immediately afterward, several spears pierced through the shield-wielding Chen soldier.
Ma Jiyou snorted. The Chen soldiers were fighting like cornered beasts, quite brave indeed. He turned his head and suddenly noticed a tall figure moving back and forth within his own army. His own troops, which had been tightly packed around the Chen soldiers, were now being disrupted and were showing signs of collapsing backward. Ma Jiyou frowned and said, "A Qiang?" The Qiang man had no weapons; whatever he grabbed became his weapon. At this moment, he was clutching the corpse of a Hong soldier. The heavily armored body was as light as a feather in his hands, whistling as he swung it. The surrounding Hong soldiers were unable to fight him and could only retreat step by step.
The Qiang man suddenly tossed aside the corpse he was carrying and lunged forward with his heavy body. He wasn't fast, but his imposing presence startled the Hong soldier in front of him, making him completely forget to flee. The Qiang man grabbed the Hong soldier's throat with one hand. The Hong soldier twisted a few times, only to hear a crisp sound of bones cracking in his neck before losing consciousness. The Qiang man opened his mouth wide, his teeth gleaming coldly white in the moonlight, like a monster ready to devour its prey.
"Ugh! I am Xiao Guang, who dares to fight me to the death!" He roared as he threw the corpse in his hand into the enemy ranks again. Huo Kuang was assassinated under his protection, which turned this originally honest and kind Qiang man into a beast. Forced by Huo Kuang's dying wish, he had to retreat to Chen State, but he vented his resentment on the soldiers of Hong State.
A fierce general from the Hong Kingdom pushed through the panicked soldiers, shouting, "Qiang dog, I've come to take your life!" Ma Jiyou frowned again, shaking his head, "Pass on my order to bring this reckless fellow back." But with the two armies in such a chaotic melee, how could his order possibly get through? Xiao Guang had already pounced on the fierce general from the Hong Kingdom, barely daring to take his opponent's weapon seriously, grabbing at his throat as his opponent's longsword met his attack. The fierce general from the Hong Kingdom, a warrior who had previously treated his enemies like dirt, was not overwhelmed by Xiao Guang's killing intent, thrusting his sword towards Xiao Guang's chest.
When the soldiers of Hong Kingdom saw that the sword had pierced Xiao Guang's breastplate, they cheered in unison. But the sound turned into a roar of shock and anger. It turned out that although the sword had pierced Xiao Guang, it had only penetrated two inches before being stuck by the strong bones of the Qiang people. Xiao Guang held the sword with one hand, ignoring the bright red blood flowing from his hand that had been cut by the blade. He just stared at the fierce general of Hong Kingdom in front of him with bloodshot eyes.
With a snap, the sword broke in two by Xiao Guang. Only then did the fierce general of Hong Kingdom feel fear. As he turned to flee, Xiao Guang grabbed him by the back of the neck with his other hand. Amidst the gasps of the crowd, the fierce general was thrown two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) into the air by Xiao Guang. Seeing the situation was dire, Ma Jiyou shouted, "Save him!" But it was too late. The surrounding Hong Kingdom soldiers were already intimidated by Xiao Guang's strength, and none dared to step forward. Before the Hong Kingdom general could even get up after landing, Xiao Guang stomped on him, stomping heavily on him. He felt a strange numbness in his chest followed by excruciating pain. This stomp caused him to vomit blood and die.
Xiao Guang still wouldn't let him go, jumping on the lifeless corpse several times until it was flattened before stopping. He then pounced on the Hong soldiers again, but this time no one dared to fight.
Watching Xiao Guang charge into a flock of sheep like a tiger, Xue Wenju felt a chill run down his spine. Such a frenzied warrior was enough to decide the course of the battlefield. He glanced around; if he had another 20,000 men, he could capture Wutai City.
But just then, a drumbeat came from the city wall, and the Hong soldiers shouted in unison. A group of soldiers carrying round shields and curved swords rushed up the city wall from the hidden troop cave. The number of Hong soldiers on the city wall immediately increased again, and the shouts of "Crescent Moon Army, Crescent Moon Army" were heard incessantly.
Xue Wenju was taken aback. Had Ma Jiyou not even deployed his main force after several days of attack? Among Ma Jiyou's elite troops, the Crescent Moon Army, the Blazing Sun Army, the Torrential Rain Army, and the Gale Army were renowned far and wide. The Crescent Moon Army was known for its melee swordsmen and shieldmen, the Blazing Sun Army for formation battles, the Torrential Rain Army for ranged archers, and the Gale Army for assault cavalry. Each army had its own strengths, and each army had 1,500 men. Only now, thanks to the ferocity of the Qiang warriors, had Ma Jiyou's main force been forced out!
"Sound the retreat!" Xue Wenju steadied himself and decisively gave the order. If they continued to attack, they would be sending their soldiers to their deaths without knowing when to advance or retreat.
Guo Yunfei strolled through the streets of Luoying. The wide streets were bustling with people, seemingly more prosperous than before, unaffected by the war. Although Liu Guang's actual control over the Chen Kingdom had shrunk considerably compared to before, surrounded by remnants of the Lianfa Sect rebels and the Hong Kingdom army that had seized the Yuhu region, the living standards of the people in the territories that Liu Guang could effectively control had actually improved slightly compared to the past.
"Boss, how's the price of grain today?" He walked into a rice shop with a smile and bowed to the owner.
"Three hundred copper coins per shi (a unit of dry measure)." The shopkeeper seemed to know him well, chuckling as he said, "Boss Guo, as I said, this is the cheapest in all of Luoying. If you want to buy in bulk, I can even give you a discount." Guo Yunfei picked up a small handful of rice, chewed it, and said, "This rice is old rice, probably stored for several years, right?" "You're an expert, I won't lie to you, the rice in my shop comes from the official granary. Since General Liu took office, he has exchanged old rice from the official granary for new rice from the people every year, so it's not easy for you to buy large quantities of new rice." Guo Yunfei nodded, calculating like a businessman for a while before saying, "Boss, Yuhu has not yet recovered, I'm afraid the price of rice is unstable, right?" The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, glancing towards the door, then whispered, "Don't talk about state affairs now, lest we cause trouble." "Didn't General Liu order that channels of communication be opened, and that people's discussions not be prohibited?" Guo Yunfei asked in surprise.
Just then, cries and wails echoed through the street, and a large procession slowly approached, accompanied by the occasional sound of gongs. Guo Yunfei's heart skipped a beat. He went to the entrance and saw a group of soldiers escorting prisoners. The cries and wails were coming from these prisoners.
"See that, Mr. Guo?" the grain shop owner whispered in his ear. "These are the family members of the former Left Prime Minister, Wei Da. Although Wei Da was only in his fifties, he served as prime minister for three dynasties and wielded immense power in the capital. No matter who the emperor was, he remained unmoved. But this time, he finally fell." Guo Yunfei took a breath. These past few days, Luoying City seemed calm and peaceful, and the merchants in the market were acting normally. Little did he know that even the high-ranking and powerful Wei Da had been quietly arrested and imprisoned by Liu Guang. It seemed that before long, even the puppet king, Xiao Wang, would be finished.
"That's just how dynasties change. Fortunately, Commander Liu is much more lenient than the previous king. Although there have been constant wars under his rule these past two years, the people don't seem to be suffering any more than before." The grain shop owner shook his head, his tone seemingly devoid of sympathy for these fallen high-ranking officials. "How much rice and grain does Boss Guo want to buy this time?" "I want to buy 10,000 shi of rice and grain, but 300 copper coins per shi is still too expensive. I still need to discuss it with my partner." Guo Yunfei sighed slightly and took his leave without waiting for the grain shop owner's attempt to persuade him to stay.
Walking down the street, his heart wandered elsewhere. His purpose in entering Chen was twofold: first, to incite remnants of the Lianfa Sect to rise up in rebellion, thus diverting pressure from Liu Guang on Yuzhou. Liu Guang's withdrawal at the Battle of Huichang, with no clear victor, had already achieved this first objective. His second purpose was to come to Luoying to see if he could incite Chen's court officials to assassinate Liu Guang, but Liu Guang, taking advantage of Qin Qianli's assassination attempt, had implicated many, even imprisoning high-ranking officials like Wei Da. He had arrived too late.
In retrospect, while Liu Guang may not have implemented the major reforms of Li Jun, he has been politically astute, and the people of Luoying hold him in even higher esteem than the Pei royal family, who have ruled the region for over three hundred years. More importantly, the people have great confidence in Liu Guang and have not wavered in their resolve despite the unfavorable situation. Even after losing Yuhu, a crucial grain-producing region, the price of rice has only risen to a limited extent, demonstrating that Chen's strength remains intact and it is not as dangerous as it appears.
"It seems that Liu Guang is indeed Commander Li's greatest enemy." Guo Yunfei frowned. If he hadn't come to Luoying in person, he probably wouldn't have been able to appreciate how terrifying Liu Guang truly was.
“Commander Li’s wedding is over, and it’s too late to go back. We might as well go and see what kind of person Ling Qi is. Commander Li said he’d met him once, but it would be more beneficial to learn more about his governance.” As Guo Yunfei’s gaze lingered on the departing soldiers, he made up his mind to head south to Huai Kingdom and see what kind of person King Ling Qi, who had brought Huai Kingdom back to life, was. After all, rumors were circulating that Liu Guang had disregarded Ma Jiyou, who had seized large swathes of Chen Kingdom’s territory, and instead went to fight against Ling Qi.
"Master, there's someone beating a drum outside." Su Bai leaned against his book box, a scroll of leisurely reading in his hand, while the yamen runner beside him bowed respectfully, waiting for his orders.
But the yamen runners were far less respectful than they appeared. This governor of the three prefectures had been in office for five days, and all they saw him doing was drinking, composing poems, and traveling around. Although he was a famous scholar and a playboy, he was no different from the officials appointed by the State of Su. They were all good-for-nothings who did nothing but eat and drink.
Su Bai stretched and patted his slightly bloated belly, then said thoughtfully, "I won't see them. Let them go wherever they want." "Sir, this is a murder case. I'm afraid it wouldn't be good to refuse to see them, would it?" Kuang Ya, the constable, was still young and couldn't resist the lingering passion in his heart, so he added a comment.
“Troublesome…” Su Bai sighed, a sly glint in his eyes. This constable seemed to be of good use. On the contrary, those who had been flattering him and entertaining him these past few days should be dismissed.
“Alright, I’ll go to the main hall.” Su Bai stood up and straightened his robes. The system of the Peace Army Cooperative District was rather chaotic. Because the names were not legitimate, there were both local officials of the Su Kingdom such as prefects and governors, as well as officials created by Feng Jiutian such as governors. However, the official robes were all plain silk regardless of size.
"What's all this commotion?" Su Bai squinted at the group of people kneeling before him. "Stand up and speak. Remember this: when you see an official, you only need to bow, at most a deep bow, but you must not kneel." "This humble commoner dares not, this humble commoner dares not!" But not a single one of the people dared to stand up.
"Bang!" Su Bai slammed his hand on the wooden table and said, "I told you to get up, but you wouldn't. Don't you know that kneeling is only allowed for fallen soldiers in the Peace Army? Are you cursing me to die? What's wrong with that person?" The people were frightened by his words and quickly stood up, except for one person who lay there motionless. A man shouted, "Your Honor, please investigate! The Zhang family has seized my land and even killed my son! The one who didn't move is my son! I beg Your Honor to severely punish the murderer!" Su Bai's gaze sharpened. He left the courtroom and went into the crowd. Ignoring the other group's explanations, he touched the forehead of the lying man. He felt that the forehead was still warm. He then checked the pulse and roared, "Guards! Arrest both groups and lock them up! Take this man inside! Quickly fetch the best doctor! Also, send men to guard the door of the room. No one is allowed to enter except the doctor and me!" After the doctor arrived, he immediately treated the injured man. Su Bai returned to the inner hall. Kuang Ya saw him and his mouth moved, as if he wanted to ask something but dared not.