As for where they had agreed to meet with Cao Ying, that was not particularly important — because regardless of whether the meeting took place inside Suzhou City or in the Chuanjun’s main camp, Cao Ying would not dare to cause any trouble.

Never mind that Tang Pidi wasn’t even meeting him personally; even if he were, Cao Ying still would not dare to act out of line.

Right now, nothing could move Cao Ying more than the prospect of peaceful coexistence. As long as there was no fighting, everyone could sit down and talk about whatever they pleased.

Each side’s boss could handle their own affairs, and the rest of them could sort things out among themselves — what could be better than that?

So when he saw that it was Luo Jing who had come in Tang Pidi’s place, Cao Ying was not the least bit surprised. This was all well within expectations.

Nor would he show even a hint of contempt just because it was Luo Jing who had come. On the contrary, dealing with Luo Jing required even more caution than dealing with Grand General Tang Pidi himself.

Tang Pidi at least was a reasonable man — at the very minimum, he would not do anything that would upset the larger situation.

Luo Jing was different. If he too were the kind of man who reasoned things through, who in the world would call him Luo the Barbarian?

The two sides had agreed to meet outside the city. To demonstrate his sincerity, Cao Ying had men erect a pavilion on the spot, and he had even brought along his own cook.

He had arrived a day early, personally overseeing the construction of the pavilion and the military tent, making sure everything was in order. The last thing he wanted at this critical juncture was for something to go wrong.

The moment Luo Jing arrived, Cao Ying led his men out to welcome him, presenting an attitude of exceptional humility.

Luo Jing, for his part, was not truly unreasonable. After all, the five hundred thousand shi of grain that the other side had sent had only just been transported into the city yesterday — to flip the table today would hardly make him look human…

They took their seats inside the pavilion. Cao Ying waved a hand to signal that the others should withdraw, and personally poured the tea for Luo Jing himself.

He certainly was not going to ask why it was Luo Jing who had come rather than Grand General Tang — not unless he had taken a kick to the head from a donkey.

With a broad smile on his face, he said, “I am deeply grateful that General Luo has taken the time out of his busy schedule to come and meet with me.”

Luo Jing smiled. “I’ve been a bit occupied lately, and could not keep the appointment promptly. On behalf of the Grand General, I offer General Cao my apologies.”

The congenial manner of both men put them each at ease.

Cao Ying gestured toward a wooden box that had been placed on the table in advance, and said with a smile, “This is a small token — a gift for General Luo. I hope the General will enjoy it.”

Luo Jing opened it and looked inside. The box contained a considerable number of jewels and ornaments, which appeared to be of no small value.

After a few pleasantries, the conversation gradually shifted to the matter at hand. However, Cao Ying would not take the initiative to bring anything up — he had to wait for Luo Jing to speak first.

Luo Jing took a sip of tea and glanced at Cao Ying, then smiled and said, “General Cao and I have hit it off as though we were old friends from the very first meeting, so there are certain things I will say plainly without any unnecessary formalities.”

Cao Ying quickly replied, “Please, General Luo — say whatever you wish.”

Luo Jing said, “The Grand General, wishing to express his gratitude to General Cao for the efforts made on behalf of the people of Suzhou who were suffering from food shortages, has spent these past few days thinking about how best to show his appreciation.”

Cao Ying said, “There is truly no need — no need at all. To rescue the people from their dire circumstances is simply our duty.”

Luo Jing smiled. “Let me finish, General Cao. My Grand General says that between friends, mutual courtesy is the proper way of things. We cannot simply accept General Cao’s help with a clear conscience without thinking of General Cao’s own needs — that would not be the proper way for friends to conduct themselves.”

He raised his teacup and took another sip before continuing. “After much thought, my Grand General suddenly hit upon an idea. He went and sought out the most renowned Daoren in the city, and had him cast a divination on General Cao’s behalf.”

Inwardly, Cao Ying thought: Well, aren’t I just thrilled.

I send you five hundred thousand shi of grain, and to show your gratitude, you find a fortune-teller to do a reading on me.

Are you divining when I’ll be going to my grave?

Luo Jing continued, “The Daoren said that General Cao is destined for great wealth and high status — that he is fated to become a frontier governor in the years to come.”

Luo Jing watched Cao Ying’s expression, and saw Cao Ying’s eyes narrow ever so slightly — a clear sign that something had stirred within him.

Luo Jing smiled. “The spirit behind my Grand General commissioning this divination for General Cao was simply to see what sort of help General Cao might need — after all, it would seem too forward if my Grand General asked you directly… Upon hearing the Daoren say that General Cao has the fate of a frontier governor, my Grand General was pleased as well.”

“With the spirit of helping someone all the way through, my Grand General asked the Daoren how General Cao, given such a destiny of wealth and prominence, ought to conduct himself in order to align with his fate and have all things go smoothly. The Daoren said…”

At this point, Luo Jing paused.

Cao Ying was perceptive, and genuinely curious, so he asked, “What did the Daoren say?”

Luo Jing replied, “The Daoren said that General Cao’s wealth and prominence lie to the southeast. My Grand General was curious as well, so he asked: the southeast, where exactly? The Daoren said that if General Cao could establish himself eighteen hundred li to the southeast, drawing upon the blessings of that land, his destiny of wealth and prominence would come to full fruition.”

Cao Ying’s eyes narrowed even further.

Eighteen hundred li to the southeast — that was already beyond the territory of Suzhou and into Yangzhou. And if you calculated it out further, would that not be Hangcheng itself…

As the seat of Yangzhou’s governance, Hangcheng’s strategic importance was beyond question.

Hearing this, Cao Ying now understood exactly what was being said. Tang Pidi’s meaning was: as long as you lead your troops away and let us through, and go settle yourself comfortably in Hangcheng without interfering in any other affairs, a position as a frontier governor will certainly have a place reserved for you.

And so, deep within Cao Ying’s heart, he truly was moved.

He was thinking it over. A matter of such magnitude, of course, could not be decided on the spot — he had so many men under his command depending on him, and he would need to consult with his generals before making any decision.

“Many thanks to Grand General Tang — and to General Luo!”

Cao Ying rose to his feet and clasped his hands in salute. “The Grand General thinks of me so generously. I am deeply moved. For such a favor, I ought to personally call upon him to express my gratitude.”

Luo Jing smiled. “There is no need for that at all. We are all friends here — among friends, there is no need to stand on ceremony.”

Cao Ying smiled and said, “If General Luo is in no great hurry to return to the city, you are welcome to wait here a while. I will personally step into the kitchen and prepare a few of my specialties for General Luo. Please rest in the meantime — I have also arranged a performance of music and dance for the General. I wonder if the General would do me the honor?”

Luo Jing knew that Cao Ying needed to step away and consult with his subordinates, so he nodded. “Then I shall respectfully accept rather than politely decline. Many thanks for General Cao’s generous hospitality.”

Cao Ying exchanged a few more pleasantries, arranged for the singing and dancing performers to come forward, then turned and walked out of the pavilion toward the military tent.

Inside the tent, several dozen generals had all been waiting, their expressions anxious.

When Cao Ying returned and relayed what had been said, every one of them fell silent.

After a long pause, one of the generals spoke up. “What Tang Pidi is implying is that he wants us to retreat and hold Yangzhou, and to cease supporting the Overlord. This is not easy to agree to. For one thing, it would saddle us with the name of traitors. And for another… there are no real guarantees.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

In truth, putting the matter of reputation aside — if any of them had truly feared being branded traitors, would they be here meeting with Luo Jing? Would they have sent out five hundred thousand shi of grain?

The real concern was the Overlord Li Xionghu’s retaliation. If the Overlord won in the end, and they had abandoned him, what good outcome could they expect for themselves?

There are no absolutes in this world. Who could guarantee that the Overlord Li Xionghu would certainly be defeated?

This fear that gripped the others was Cao Ying’s fear as well.

He now commanded two hundred thousand troops, and could already be called a power unto himself. Whatever decisions he made, whatever judgments he reached, had to be weighed with the utmost care.

Another general was silent for a moment, then spoke in a somewhat roundabout way: “If the Overlord manages to take Daxing City and orders us to march there, and yet we have already gone to Yangzhou, the Overlord will not be able to find us… He would probably be quite angry.”

“About this matter…”

The general who had earlier spoken with righteous indignation — declaring that Tang Pidi was looking down on them — fell into thought for a moment, then raised his eyes to look at Cao Ying.

His name was Zhou Mu. Though he was not one of the veterans who had followed Li Xionghu from the very beginning of the uprising, he had been with the Chuanjun for a number of years.

But the Overlord Li Xionghu was always one to favor those closest to him. Men like Zhou Mu, on the margins, would always be ranked below others even when their battle merits were equal.

After a moment of deliberation, Zhou Mu said, “This matter… we absolutely cannot agree to it. Are they not forcing us to become rebels? We are utterly loyal to the Overlord.”

Everyone who heard these words was momentarily stunned and turned to look at him.

Zhou Mu addressed Cao Ying directly: “Grand General, this matter must be flatly and decisively refused. We must make Tang Pidi understand our position — and we must also make the Overlord understand our position. We would rather do battle with the Ning Army. Even if we cannot prevail, even if we are driven back eighteen hundred li in defeat, we will not accept this humiliation from Tang Pidi.”

For the second time, every eye in the tent went wide — and then lit up.

Everyone was secretly wishing they could applaud.

With such a perfect turn of phrase — how had Zhou Mu alone managed to think of it?

“Yes!”

Someone immediately echoed: “We are utterly loyal to the Overlord, and the Overlord treats us like brothers. For Tang Pidi to act in such an outrageous manner — Grand General, we cannot suffer this. We are willing to follow the Grand General to the death and fight it out with Tang Pidi to the end!”

“Give the order, Grand General! We can lose, but we cannot be cowards — and we cannot let others call us traitors!”

The group all spoke at once, each expressing their loyalty to the Overlord and their resolve to be driven back eighteen hundred li rather than submit.

But Cao Ying found himself in a bit of a predicament. “How should I… how should I put this to Luo Jing? If I say it plainly, it makes us look… ahem, yes, that would indeed be rather unsightly.”

Zhou Mu said, “Grand General, if you trust me, allow me to handle this matter.”

“Yes, yes — please, go ahead.”

Cao Ying was more than happy to have someone else take care of this for him, and agreed at once without hesitation.

Zhou Mu drew a deep breath, turned, and walked out of the tent.

He strode with great purpose toward the pavilion, and the sight that greeted him — Luo Jing calmly sipping tea and eating fruit while watching the performers dance — sent a surge of fury through him. With an expression of rage, he charged forward.

“Insolent wretch, Luo!”

Zhou Mu leapt up into the pavilion and bellowed, “How dare you humiliate us so! Such unmitigated arrogance — how could we possibly let you run rampant like this!”

He moved to overturn the table that held the fruit and tea. He glanced at the wooden box sitting there, picked it up and set it safely to one side, and then overturned the table.

Such attention to detail — truly impeccable.

He had also been careful not to flip the table in Luo Jing’s direction, but toward himself instead — which, it must be said, was no small feat to execute convincingly.

Such attention to detail — and it could still have been even more refined.

“Luo, you wretch — go back and tell that scoundrel Tang Pidi that he dares threaten us, the two hundred thousand soldiers of the Chuanjun, and so utterly disregard us? Then let us meet on the battlefield.”

Luo Jing’s eyes narrowed, and Zhou Mu instinctively stepped back two paces.

But his momentum could not falter. He shouted at the top of his voice, “When you return, prepare yourselves well for battle! See the courage of the Chuanjun’s two hundred thousand soldiers — even if we are driven back eighteen hundred li in defeat, we will never let you have your way!”

Luo Jing, hearing this, smiled.

“Very well, very well. Since you are all so righteous and loyal, I shall grant you your wish. Do not say I gave you no opportunity — when you return, ready your arrows and prepare to meet my army’s assault.”

With that, Luo Jing turned and walked away with great strides — then after a few steps, he came back, grabbed the box filled with jewels and ornaments, gave Zhou Mu an appreciative glare, and then departed.

Appreciative or not, the glare still had to be given — after all, the man had overturned the table.

Watching Luo Jing leave, Zhou Mu finally let out a breath of relief. He thought to himself: thank goodness that Luo the Barbarian isn’t truly a barbarian. He had genuinely feared that Luo Jing might beat him to a pulp first and ask questions later…

Cao Ying and the others quickly came over and asked Zhou Mu how it had gone.

Zhou Mu said, “Before Luo Jing left, he said something that, on the surface, seemed perfectly ordinary — and yet was certainly pointing at something. He told us to ready our arrows and prepare for their assault.”

Cao Ying thought it over for a moment, then said, “There is indeed no particular need to single out the mention of arrows — but he did mention them, which means there was a need.”

Zhou Mu’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Remove the arrowheads.”

Cao Ying’s eyes lit up as well. “It’s not that we couldn’t hold back the Ning Army — it’s that the arrows were simply too defective. The blame falls entirely on whoever made them, and that is why our army was driven to defeat.”

—