"Thank you for your kindness, Master Cheng. Oh, right, there's something I forgot to mention. Master Cheng comes from the southern route of Chen State. You must have fought with Commander Liu. I wonder what Master Cheng thinks of Commander Liu?" Li Jun also laughed heartily. The last words of both of them were full of profound meaning. Cheng Tian was trying to deepen the soldiers' belief in the Yu State rebellion, while Li Jun was mocking Cheng Tian as nothing more than a defeated soldier who had fled from the southern route of Chen State.
After properly burying Shang Huaiyi's head, Li Jun returned to his main tent, accompanied only by Wei Zhan. Li Jun met with Cheng Tian, and although Wei Zhan wasn't present, he overheard most of what happened. Therefore, in this secluded place, he frowned and asked, "Commander Li, how much of what Cheng Tian said is true?"
Li Jun gave a wry smile and said, "To be honest, I am absolutely certain that a rebellion has broken out in Yuzhou. When Mr. Wei first met me, he advised me to return to my troops, wasn't that precisely because he foresaw the instability in Yuzhou?"
Wei Zhan gave a wry smile. If all of this was true, then Li Jun's isolated Peace Army was indeed in grave danger. He had just found a lord to whom he could entrust his life in exchange for endless future glory, only to encounter such a perilous situation.
But he rallied his spirits. Only by finding a way out of such a desperate situation could Li Jun's extraordinary talent be revealed, and only then could he have a chance to use his abilities. Therefore, he began to ponder how to both defeat Cheng Tian, who was relentlessly waiting for the Peace Army to collapse, and quickly return to Yuzhou.
Li Jun glanced up at him, swallowing the other words he was about to say. What he was truly worried about wasn't the seemingly isolated Peace Army, but Yuzhou. Feng Jiutian had already relayed the news of Peng Yuancheng's instability. Although there was no concrete evidence at the time, who could guarantee that Peng Yuancheng wouldn't seize this opportunity to rebel? If so, the only one who could restrain Peng Yuancheng was Xiao Lin of Yujiang City. He had over ten thousand men, but that could only serve as a diversion. Li Jun knew Xiao Lin's character all too well; as a mercenary, he was extremely loyal to his employers. It was already an anomaly that someone with that kind of personality had survived this long. This time, he feared… he feared…
He dared not think about it. Xiao Lin, as his mentor, had been wholeheartedly assisting him since he came to Yuzhou. If something unexpected happened during this crisis, it would be the second heavy blow to him after Commander Lu.
Furthermore, although he dared not think about it, he had to prepare for the worst. If Xiao Lin was defeated, and Peng Yuancheng attacked Leiming City with overwhelming force, Feng Jiutian, though an unparalleled expert in domestic affairs and possessing first-rate strategic vision, would be unable to demonstrate any tactical skills in terms of decision-making, having never commanded a battle before. Would the Peace Army soldiers remaining in Yuzhou truly trust him and fully support him? All of this seemed to carry great doubts, seemed ambiguous, and seemed to be pushing Li Jun into a suffocating predicament.
Chapter Seven: Severe Injury
Section 1
Yujiang City was in a state of chaos, and everyone from top to bottom was at a loss because of this sudden change.
In terms of tactical maneuvering, Xiao Lin could be considered Li Jun's mentor. Having served as a mercenary for decades, he had crawled out of seas of blood and mountains of corpses, and was long accustomed to such rebellions and chaotic battles. "In chaotic times, a human life is worth less than a dog's, and a soldier's life is worth less than dog excrement," he often told his subordinates. But this time was different. The rebellion of Jiang Runqun and others was originally within Li Jun's expectations. If he and Peng Yuancheng attacked from two directions, even if Peng Yuancheng harbored ulterior motives and held back his troops, Li Jun's swift return would quell Jiang Runqun and his rebellion within ten days. However, Jiang Runqun had been rebelling for five or six days, and not only had Peng Yuancheng not made any move to suppress them, but they seemed to be gathering their forces with impunity and marching towards Yuping City. To be on the safe side, Xiao Lin dared not personally go to Yuping to meet the enemy, but instead sent most of his troops there under the leadership of his deputy.
Immediately afterward, Peng Yuancheng and Feng Jiutian's secret envoys arrived one after the other, both vehemently accusing the other of plotting a rebellion. Xiao Lin understood that Feng Jiutian enjoyed Li Jun's deep trust and was entrusted with important matters, making a rebellion highly unlikely. Peng Yuancheng, on the other hand, was ambitious and, seeing Li Jun in a disadvantageous position, was extremely likely to rebel. Therefore, he unhesitatingly sided with Feng Jiutian. Although his choice was clear, his soldiers couldn't help but be suspicious of the various rumors. Even he himself felt quite worried after hearing some of them. For example, rumors such as Li Jun's defeat and death in Chen, Sima Hui of Yinhu City joining forces with Peng Yuancheng to attack Feng Jiutian, and Leiming City having already fallen, etc. These were all rumors spread by spies sent by Peng Yuancheng. Xiao Lin understood this, but he couldn't explain it to his soldiers.
His spies sent to Yuyang City finally returned with news that Peng Yuancheng, with Song Xi and Shi Ze as the vanguard and himself as the rear guard, was using the full strength of the city to attack Leiming City. Leiming City was originally a transit point for the Peace Army's expedition to Chen State, and it had stockpiled countless grains and supplies. Feng Jiutian and Hua Xuan were even staying in the city.
Xiao Lin frowned upon hearing this, his brows turning slightly pale. He would be fifty this year, a rare longevity among mercenaries who rarely lived past thirty.
"Alas!" He couldn't help but sigh deeply. His subordinates looked at each other, not expecting that after thinking for so long, his conclusion was just a sigh. One of his generals asked, "Why does the commander sigh? Peng Yuancheng has sent out all his troops, which is a good opportunity for our army to launch a surprise attack on Yuyang. Even if our army does not come out, we can still protect ourselves and avoid being attacked from two sides. When Commander Li returns, we will still be able to sweep Yuzhou away."
Xiao Lin gave a desolate smile, thinking to himself, "If Peng Yuancheng is truly this foolish, then that's for the best." He was very clear about Peng Yuancheng's plan: attacking Leiming City was merely a ploy to lure him to its rescue. If he went to the rescue, Peng Yuancheng could avoid the campaign against Yujiang and defeat him at the gates of Yuyang City; if he didn't go, Leiming City would be in imminent danger.
“I’m fifty years old. As a mercenary, death is nothing to regret,” he said slowly, suppressing the emotions deep in his heart. “Li Jun grew up in my army. I watched him grow up. No matter how heroic he is, in my eyes, he is just my nephew. As an elder, it is everyone’s wish to leave something for future generations. If possible, I would also like to leave something for Li Jun.”
The generals' expressions slowly changed. Although Xiao Lin's words and demeanor remained calm, they all sensed an ominous undertone. Xiao Lin continued, "Issue the order: abandon Yuping and use a feint to temporarily halt Jiang Runqun's attack. The Yu army must return to Yujiang City within two days. I will fight Peng Yuancheng with all my might and not allow him to seize Li Jun's territory!"
The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief; they were only concentrating their forces to attack Yu Yang. It seemed their earlier ominous feeling was just a misunderstanding. Only Xiao Lin himself looked up at the roof, muttering to himself, "Feng Jiutian, oh Feng Jiutian, I hope you have even a fraction of the real skill to know that you can't fight Peng Yuancheng head-on, to know that you can't fight for a moment's advantage..."
His concerns were not unfounded. Given the Peace Army's strength in Yuzhou, if they were to confront Peng Yuancheng head-on, aside from Li Jun, he couldn't think of anyone else who could rival Peng Yuancheng. If they divided their forces to defend the city, they would only be defeated piecemeal by Peng Yuancheng. The only solution was to evacuate Leiming City and focus all their efforts on defending Kuanglan City, implementing a scorched-earth policy. In the year following the great famine, Peng Yuancheng, unable to seize Leiming City's supplies and provisions, would not be able to sustain his campaign. Losing Leiming City's supplies would mean the Peace Army would face a temporary food shortage, and even if they replenished through Kuanglan City's port, they wouldn't have enough provisions in a short time. The key issue now was that even if Feng Jiutian realized this, removing or destroying the supplies from Leiming City would take time, and whether Peng Yuancheng would give Feng Jiutian that time was crucial.
After much thought, Feng Jiutian couldn't be optimistic that Peng Yuancheng wouldn't see this. The only solution was for him to launch a full-scale attack to contain Peng Yuancheng. If he successfully captured Yuyang, Peng Yuancheng would have no room for strategic maneuvering with only Dagu City remaining. Conversely, even if he failed, he could buy Feng Jiutian valuable time to retreat.
Feng Jiutian, residing in Thunder City, appeared relaxed. He continued his daily duties methodically, and despite the urgency of the military situation, he refused to enter the government office even a moment too early. His calm demeanor greatly influenced those around him. Rumors circulated among the soldiers and civilians that "Commander Li already has a brilliant plan, hence Mr. Feng's confidence; he's just waiting for Peng Yuancheng to attack before he can kill this traitor." This was partly spread by Zhao Xian, a secret order from Feng Jiutian, and partly exaggerated by the people themselves. Regardless, Feng Jiutian's composure ensured the extremely smooth evacuation of the city's hundreds of thousands of households.
But the next piece of news threw Feng Jiutian into a panic. The Silver Tiger City garrison, though small in number, still numbered nearly ten thousand and was already en route to Thunder City, but Sima Hui had recalled them midway. Sima Hui, also from a prominent family, found himself in a very complicated situation during this upheaval. On one hand, he was loyal to Li Jun; on the other hand, his elder brother, Sima Yun, was a trusted advisor to Peng Yuancheng. Peng Yuancheng's secret envoy and Sima Yun's letter were brought by the same person. This made him hesitate, and he withdrew the Silver Tiger army to protect himself.
"What is Sima Hui's intention in doing this!" Su Xiang exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't Zhou Jie going to stop him either?"
"The power lies with Sima Hui. Even if Zhou Jie wants to stop him, what can he do?" Feng Jiutian stroked his beard and shook his head. He couldn't maintain his composure in the face of Su Xiang and Yu Sheng.
“The best course of action now is not to push Sima Hui too hard. If we push him too far, we will push him ahead of Peng Yuancheng, and then things will be in grave danger,” Yu Sheng said. After a slight hesitation, he added, “Mr. Feng, I am willing to go to Silver Tiger City to put Sima Hui’s mind at ease.”
"Excellent! Brother Yu's eloquence will surely persuade Sima Hui to change his mind." Feng Jiutian was overjoyed. At this moment, he needed someone like this who could share his burdens. "Brother Yu, as long as you can keep Sima Hui neutral, it will be a success. If you can get him to use Silver Tiger City as an ally of Kuanglan City, that would be even better."
"There's no time to lose, I'll go right now." Yu Sheng strode out the door, but Feng Jiutian suddenly remembered something and was overjoyed. He said, "Brother Yu, please wait! I just remembered something. Commander Li once gave me an instruction, but I almost forgot! Yu Prefecture is saved!"
When Peng Yuancheng learned that Xiao Lin had abandoned Yuping City and that his entire army had rushed to Yuyang day and night, he laughed and said, "Just as I expected, Xiao Lin's loyalty to Li Jun has surpassed that of a mercenary to his employer."
"Commander Peng, we must not be careless. This Xiao Lin is a seasoned veteran, not someone to be trifled with. If we are careless and lose, our mission will be over," Guo Yunfei warned. He and Shi Ze were indispensable to Peng Yuancheng; one was adept at strategizing, and the other at making calm and decisive decisions. Peng Yuancheng nodded and said, "Mr. Guo is right. Our army cannot defend the city in this battle. Thirty miles south of the city, there is a place called Luoyue Slope. This place is treacherous and narrow, perfect for ambushing Xiao Lin. What do you think, sir?"
“Good, I’ve been here before, and it’s indeed a good place for an ambush.” Guo Yunfei pondered for a moment, then laughed again. “Xiao Lin will surely be beheaded here. Isn’t the character ‘月’ (moon) the character ‘肖’ (Xiao) with its top removed? Xiao Lin’s head is severed and falls, so this place name is extremely unlucky for Xiao Lin.”
"If you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have noticed." Peng Yuancheng laughed as well. Although he wasn't as superstitious as most people, he couldn't help but feel delighted upon hearing this coincidence. "This battle is of utmost importance. I will personally lead the troops. I request that you remain in Yuyang City to support my forces. What do you say?"