“There’s no time to lose. The Marquis should make a decision quickly. Any further delay may bring other unexpected changes!”

In a large residence at the center of Yanling Ferry Town, Chen Mingsheng—who served as Commandant and護軍Mansion典軍 (Military Office Chief) of the Taowu garrison military office that remained behind during the campaign to reduce the vassals’ power, and was also the principal commander who had assembled seven thousand elite troops from military households after Marquis Xinchang Li Pu arrived in Jinling—now stood before the desk with head held high, his hand with bulging veins gripping the sword at his waist as he urged Marquis Xinchang Li Pu to make an early decision.

In early summer, the weather had just begun to turn hot. Though night had deepened, the main hall’s doors were tightly shut. Several large candles burned, releasing the fragrance of beeswax. A breeze seeping through some crack caused the candle flames to flicker slightly, making the faces of the assembled commanders below appear quite unstable in mood.

Over five months had passed since the Jinling Incident. The many events during this period hung over their hearts like leaden clouds, making it hard for them to breathe.

The southern slopes of Baohua Mountain originally lay within Jiangcheng County under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture. After the Taowu garrison military office was established, the land between the southern slopes and Chishan Lake was separated from Jiangcheng County. To the east of Baohua Mountain lay Dantu County where Runzhou’s administrative seat was located, while to the southeast was Danyang, another large county belonging to Runzhou.

Over the past five months, their area of activity had been limited to these four places: Taowu garrison military office, Jiangcheng County, Dantu County, and Danyang County.

Initially, seeing Anning Palace completely control the Imperial Guards and Palace Guards inside and outside Jinling City, Marquis Xinchang Li Pu feared being trapped in an encirclement. Without hesitation he abandoned the Taowu garrison military office (Qiuhu Mountain) and headed east, first leading his forces to protect families as they retreated eastward to Dantu City (Runzhou City).

When Chuzhou Army vanguard general Rao Geng led eight thousand Chuzhou Army elite troops to cross the river southward to clear space for the Chuzhou Army main force to cross, Marquis Xinchang Li Pu yielded the riverside Dantu City and retreated with all his dependents to Danyang City, over fifty li to the south.

When Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan led eight hundred Silver Halberd personal guards across the river into Dantu City, he ordered Li Pu to lead his forces out of Danyang City and advance westward alongside the Chuzhou Army vanguard to do battle with Xu Zhu’s Southern Court Imperial Guard forces that had advanced to the southeastern slopes of Baohua Mountain.

In that battle, Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan achieved a dazzlingly brilliant great victory, killing the Southern Court Imperial Guards until they fled at the mere mention of his name, his reputation spreading throughout the realm. But the nearly seven thousand Vermillion Bird Army elite troops that Marquis Xinchang Li Pu had assembled with such difficulty were routed and devastated, their backbone completely broken.

What made Marquis Xinchang Li Pu even more humiliated was that when he wanted to lead his remnant forces back to Danyang City to reorganize, Chuzhou Army general Qin Ran, on Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan’s orders, had already led two thousand cavalry to reach Danyang City one step ahead and controlled the four city gates.

Marquis Xinchang Li Pu’s remnant forces were refused entry outside the city walls. Not only did he not dare forcibly retake Danyang City, he had to watch helplessly as Qin Ran drove over forty thousand elderly, weak, women, and children out of Danyang City.

Marquis Xinchang Li Pu could only lead the forty to fifty thousand elderly, weak, women, children, and remnant soldiers to retreat like homeless dogs to a ferry town called Yanling over thirty li southwest of Danyang City to reorganize—the very place where they were now holding council.

Yanling had originally been territory of the State of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period, the fief of Prince Jizha, son of the King of Wu. City walls had been built during the Spring and Autumn period, far earlier than the currently existing cities of Jiangcheng, Dantu, Danyang, Liyang and others in the surrounding area. But the city walls became ruins after only just over three hundred years. Currently only the Jizi Temple and the Jizi Tomb known as Yanling Ruins remained, with traces still findable on the western bank of the Xipu River west of the ferry town.

However, as the most important water and land dock on the Xipu River and the water-land convergence point at the eastern foot of Mao Mountain, Yanling Ferry Town saw silk, rice, paper, ink and other goods from Yue, Hang, Hu, and Xiu prefectures loaded onto boats entering Taihu Lake. Large boats traveled the Yangtze River waterway to transport to various places, while small boats mostly traveled the Xipu River through Chishan Lake and Qiupu River into Jinling.

Though Yanling was a ferry town, it was several degrees more prosperous than county seats.

Besides the densely packed buildings along the riverside ferry town, the Jizi Temple outside town had been renovated with funds donated by local gentry in recent years, with six courtyards and over sixty halls and chambers built.

Yanling was counted among Jinling City’s twenty-four great ferry towns, along with Longhua Ferry and others.

Each year, more or less, at least tens of thousands of large and small merchant vessels passed through Yanling. This was also a rice and grain trading center on Jinling’s periphery.

Besides its eleven subordinate counties, Jingzhao Prefecture had over six hundred thousand people in Jinling City alone. Rice and grain alone required importing six to seven million shi annually from surrounding prefectures and counties to satisfy Jinling City’s consumption.

For such enormous rice and grain consumption, one portion was assembled as tribute grain through land taxes and corvée from prefectures and counties, then distributed as officials’ salaries. Another portion was transported by grain merchants from subordinate counties and from Su, Run, Chang, Yang, Yue, Hang, Xiu, Hu and other prefectures east of Jinling that abundantly produced rice and grain into Jinling City. Together with other bulk commodities like charcoal, cloth, tea, and medicine, they satisfied the material needs of this world’s most prosperous city.

As one of the bulk commodity trading and distribution centers on Jinling’s periphery, how could Yanling’s former prosperity compare to remote county seats?

However, after the Jinling Incident, the air throughout the prosperous lands south of the Yangtze was filled with tense, hair-trigger atmosphere. Besides local people, merchants and travelers had long since ceased, and the boat masts and sails that once covered the sky on the Xipu River had suddenly become sparse.

The few remaining local boats were also directly requisitioned after Marquis Xinchang Li Pu led his forces here to retreat.

When Marquis Xinchang Li Pu led his forces to retreat to Yanling to reorganize rather than directly withdrawing to Mao Mountain just twenty li west of Yanling to defend the dangerous terrain, his main consideration was Yanling’s advantageous situation with access to both water and land routes, suitable for either advance or retreat.

Additionally, though merchant travel to Yanling had been interrupted since last November, it had previously been so prosperous that stored grain in the ferry town and surrounding villages was abundant.

Nearly fifty thousand dependents and remnant soldiers driven out of Danyang City—feeding so many people was no easy matter. Only a great ferry town like Yanling could relatively easily requisition sufficient provisions to support forty to fifty thousand elderly, weak, women, and children.

Though forty to fifty thousand people finding provisions in the short term posed no great problem, having been so calculated against by allied forces, suffering such heavy casualties, with over forty thousand elderly, weak, women, and children driven from the city—the weak morale and scattered military spirit were not hard to imagine.

At this time, the Southern Court Imperial Guards, newly defeated, were scrambling to organize new defensive lines at Qiuhu Mountain and Jiangcheng City.

After the Tower Ship Navy withdrew back to Jinling, the Chuzhou Army main force was seizing time to cross the river through Dantu and advance westward along the southern foot of Baohua Mountain pressing toward Qiuhu Mountain.

If both armies weren’t temporarily too preoccupied to look elsewhere, perhaps just a thousand-plus elite cavalry coming here could rout and scatter them again.

Chen Mingsheng knew very well in his heart that if they truly waited until Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan led the Chuzhou Army main force to capture Qiuhu Mountain and Jiangcheng City and completely control the territory east of Jinling City, they absolutely wouldn’t be easily released.

In Chen Mingsheng’s view, if they abandoned all forty-thousand-plus elderly, weak, women, and children now, while Anning Palace was fully preparing to defend against the Chuzhou Army’s westward advance with no time to pay attention to them, they could still lead three thousand soldiers to quickly circle to Jinling’s west and find an opportunity to board boats to withdraw to Yueyang.

The key was speed and decisive action.

Otherwise, if they delayed further and military morale further scattered and collapsed, by the end they might only be able to flee back to Yueyang in wretched defeat with thirty to fifty men.

The Battle of Jingshan Nunnery directly demonstrated that their previous strategy of allying with Chuzhou had completely failed. Zheng Chang, Han Daoming and others had escorted the Dowager Consort back to Yueyang one step ahead and need not bear much responsibility for it. But Marquis Xinchang’s household, which had once been unrivaled in prestige in Yueyang, was in an extremely awkward position.

If they could bring three thousand elite troops back to Yueyang, they could at least preserve some face. More importantly, they could grasp more military authority—in these chaotic times with three sons competing for supremacy and all prefectures recruiting and buying soldiers to defend their territories, what could be more important than military authority?

If in the end they could only flee back to Yueyang like homeless dogs under the escort of thirty to fifty guards, not to mention that Han Qian already hated them to the bone, who among Shen Yang, Wang Lin, Gao Chengyuan, Guo Liang, Zhou Dan, Chen Jingzhou, and even commanders aligned with Li Zhigao wouldn’t kick them while they were down, who wouldn’t take the opportunity to make difficulties for them?

Moreover, Prince Tan’s displeasure with them wasn’t just a day or two old.

Even if Marquis Xinchang’s household’s foundation in Yueyang remained, even if the Dowager Consort came forward to protect them, Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and they would probably be forced by His Highness to lie low for a time before they could possibly calm the storm of criticism.

Yuan Guowei’s slightly aged face appeared somewhat pale and powerless in the candlelight. The arrow wound on his left shoulder from a month ago still hadn’t completely healed and was now throbbing with dull pain. He had to admit that years don’t spare anyone.

Yuan Guowei had originally remained in Yueyang, responsible for Jinyun Tower’s affairs there. But when Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, Han Daoming and others escorted the Dowager Consort back to Yueyang, he and Lin Haizheng bitterly advised Prince Tan not to be complacent. Unexpectedly, Prince Tan not only didn’t listen to their advice but harshly rebuked them.

Lin Haizheng’s position remained unchanged because of his Xuzhou connections, but he was dispatched to Jinling.

Yuan Guowei was nominally the Chief Scout Officer of this military force, but everyone knew why he had been sent here. How could Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng and others possibly regard him favorably? How could they truly entrust scouting and intelligence work to him?

Though Yuan Guowei’s position was high, in practice he was completely led around by the nose by Marquis Xinchang Li Pu.

This was unavoidable.

Though Chen Mingsheng advocated immediately abandoning the over forty thousand family dependents as burdens, Yuan Guowei thought of all those faces of elderly, weak, women, and children flashing through his mind and couldn’t bear it in his heart. He also believed that Li Pu doing this would cause the three thousand soldiers’ military morale to further scatter and collapse. But he also couldn’t think of what other options they had if they delayed further.

Perhaps this was an unavoidable dead end?

Perhaps this was an inescapable desperate situation beyond struggle?

Yuan Guowei thought sadly that perhaps abandoning the numerous and complex family dependents was, though cruel, the pragmatic choice.

Li Pu at this moment, compared to when he met with Wang Wenqian at Qiuhu Mountain, appeared much older. His expression now was also unstable, but he didn’t dare easily express his position.

How could he not want to leave? But the problem was—would the three thousand soldiers easily follow him?

What if during the departure, military morale completely collapsed and soldiers mutinied?

“At this time, commanders at all levels still obey the Marquis’s orders, but if we delay further, commanders at all levels may find it difficult to suppress the soldiers’ agitation,” Chen Mingsheng could guess what Li Pu was worried about in his heart, but precisely because of this, he needed even more to urge Li Pu to make an early decision and not miss the final opportunity due to indecisiveness.

Below the Commandant level at Taowu garrison military office, military households were settled and managed by garrisons of various sizes.

From the moment of recruiting famine refugees, to achieve the goal of controlling the Vermillion Bird Army, the garrison field officers and junior officers of garrisons large and small were almost all filled by household troops and retainers from Marquis Xinchang’s household.

The garrison military offices governed by Prince Tan’s household Military Office had expanded from one initially to ten. The newly added garrison military offices were mainly located in Junzhou and Tanzhou territory, but Marquis Xinchang’s household’s most core influence had always been at Taowu garrison military office, including the workshops Han Qian had built earlier, which were afterwards completely taken over by Marquis Xinchang’s household’s trusted subordinates.

In other words, after Marquis Xinchang Li Pu returned to Jinling, the military force assembled by conscripting military households—the military officers and commanders at squad leader level and above—almost all came from Marquis Xinchang’s household.

This was also the key reason why when Marquis Xinchang Li Pu initially decided to conspire with Chuzhou to abandon Han Daoxun, Feng Liao, Jiang Huo and others were powerless to stop it. It was also the key to Li Pu still being able to barely control this military force now.

The dependents of these military officers and commanders, fewer in number, had all already been sent to Yueyang.

In Chen Mingsheng’s view, this was also their final leverage for controlling the troops to withdraw to Yueyang. At least relying on these military officers and commanders, they could still suppress the agitation of lower-ranking soldiers and forcibly command them to follow orders.

At this moment, a junior officer knocked and entered, walked to Chen Mingsheng’s side and whispered a few sentences, then hurriedly departed.

“What happened?” Li Pu raised his fatigued eyes that appeared bloated and unseemly, looking at Chen Mingsheng to ask.

“Two Vermillion Bird Army soldiers who fled from Shaozhou returned and infiltrated Yanling Ferry, trying to take their families away. They were discovered by patrolling soldiers,” Chen Mingsheng didn’t immediately realize how serious this problem was, but regardless, they had to detain deserters from Shaozhou and deal with them according to military law. They certainly couldn’t let two or three deserters further disturb military morale here. He said: “I’ve instructed people to detain them. How do you think we should handle them, Marquis?”

“Fleeing from battle should be dealt with according to military law—execution!” Li Pu frowned. After a moment, he spoke with resolute ruthlessness. He realized that with deserters already arriving, in a few more days there might be more and more deserters secretly returning from Shaozhou, Hengzhou, Tanzhou, and even Yueyang. Without thunderous methods, matters would become even more complex and difficult.

“These two fled back to Jinling to protect their families. If so, dealing with them according to military law will likely make military morale even more unstable,” Yuan Guowei, who had been silent for a long time, saw Li Pu about to execute the men without asking any questions and hurriedly advised.

“Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. Only this way can we barely maintain military morale,” Li Pu had after all weathered countless great storms and waves. His judgment in this regard surpassed Yuan Guowei and Chen Mingsheng somewhat. He had Chen Mingsheng immediately arrange to interrogate the Shaozhou deserters under torture while strengthening patrols around Yanling Ferry. He said: “Tomorrow we’ll move all the soldiers’ family dependents to Mao Mountain!”

Yuan Guowei bowed his head in silence, knowing Li Pu was now determined to abandon the family dependents.

Regardless, they couldn’t publicly and directly abandon over forty thousand family dependents. That would cause military morale to collapse directly.

The best method was to first separate the family dependents from the three thousand soldiers. Then whether through intimidation and enticement or deception and concealment, leading the three thousand soldiers alone to Yueyang would be relatively easier.

Now, ordering three thousand soldiers to abandon their close relatives and flee with them to Yueyang—as long as a minority were unwilling, it would cause enormous upheaval.

Chen Mingsheng arranged for people to interrogate the two Vermillion Bird Army soldiers who had fled from Shaozhou according to military law. They continued to remain in the main hall discussing details of the western withdrawal. After some unknown time had passed, clamorous voices could faintly be heard outside. After a moment, the noisy sounds grew louder and louder, as if countless people were surging toward them.

“What’s happening?”

Those in the main hall looked at each other in dismay, not knowing what was occurring outside.

“Marquis, General Chen,” At this moment, a junior officer from the guard battalion stationed outside in the courtyard rushed in frantically to report: “Just now twenty soldiers rushed to the execution ground trying to rescue those two Shaozhou deserters. Commander Xue was beaten with a bruised and swollen face and retreated back…”

Yuan Guowei stood stunned for quite a while. He hadn’t expected that before they could move families to Mao Mountain, matters had blown up. Only now did he notice the sky outside had brightened. They had been holding council in the main hall for an entire night. Time truly passed swiftly as a white horse through a gap.

“These mutinous soldiers are practically rebelling against heaven. This enrages me!” At this moment, a school officer with a bruised and swollen face walked in. His burly frame’s armor had been torn half open. He walked into the main hall in wretched condition, reporting in detail how he had just led men attempting to publicly execute those two deserters who had returned from Shaozhou to intimidate people’s hearts. Unexpectedly, their families agitated and rushed the execution ground. When he ordered subordinates to beat away the deserters’ troublemaking families with clubs, even more observing soldiers and dependents joined the agitation. He had no choice but to retreat first, but the deserters had been rescued.

“Nonsense! Chen Mingsheng, immediately assemble all the commanders’ personal guards!” Li Pu slammed the table and stood, knowing that any trace of soft-heartedness now would cause the entire army to mutiny. He had Chen Mingsheng immediately assemble the personal guards the commanders relied upon to directly suppress the agitation and disturbance.

The commanders’ personal guard forces were all near the large residence. Chen Mingsheng went out personally and quickly assembled three hundred elite troops. Li Pu donned armor and took up his halberd, personally leading three hundred elite cavalry on horseback toward the execution ground where several hundred mutinous soldiers and dependents were still gathered in restless agitation.

The commanders at all levels were still people from Marquis Xinchang’s household. Even after suffering Chuzhou’s calculations with heavy soldier casualties, Li Pu’s prestige in the army remained.

Seeing Li Pu approach armored, with halberd, on horseback, soldiers and family dependents along the route who were observing and hesitating about whether to participate in the agitation all withdrew to the sides, clearing a path to the execution ground.

On this side, a Battalion Commander had reacted one step earlier, leading over a hundred soldiers to surround several dozen troublemaking soldiers and family members in a residence whose courtyard wall had collapsed, waiting for Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng to come handle them.

Arriving to see the situation already under control, Li Pu felt slightly relieved. He looked with considerable appreciation at the commander who had controlled the situation, then urged his horse to the courtyard wall with its huge breach. Though his tiger-like eyes were aged, their sharp gleam remained. He slowly swept his gaze over the mutinous soldiers in the courtyard and the observing soldiers and family dependents all around, then proclaimed loudly:

“Those who flee from battle shall be executed according to military law. Those who rescue from the execution ground and agitate military morale shall be executed according to military law—I, Li Pu, am here. You mutinous soldiers and deserters in the courtyard, what have you to say?”

Chen Mingsheng signaled two squads of archers to advance, gathering at the breach in the courtyard wall, preparing to directly shoot and kill the mutinous soldiers and family members forced into the courtyard. He intended to use this bloody method to barely maintain military morale that could collapse at any moment.

“Someone said the Marquis intends to again abandon everyone’s families and flee alone. Is this true?”

From among the observing crowd, finally someone unwillingly shouted the question.

Li Pu’s face darkened. He could see this question struck at the deepest doubt in many soldiers’ hearts. Though he had never expressed any intention to withdraw, that didn’t mean the military officers and soldiers below wouldn’t suspect.

At root, the disaster had been sown when they hastily withdrew from Qiuhu Mountain last time. Li Pu had no way to explain. He had no need to explain. His stern eyes swept toward where the voice came from as he asked: “Who dares spread false rumors and disturb my army’s morale?”

A broad-backed, bear-shouldered strong man stepped forward. He wouldn’t act the coward. Standing out, he said: “I only heard people spreading this matter and merely wanted to ask clearly.”

But as soon as he stepped forward, several large, imposing men at Chen Mingsheng’s signal pounced on him like wolves and tigers, seizing him. They first delivered a beating of fists, striking him until his face was bruised and swollen, knocking out several of his teeth which he spat out bloodily, making it difficult for him to speak another word.

Li Pu said: “Spreading false rumors and disturbing my army’s morale shall be dealt with according to military law—execution.”

Hearing Li Pu say this, those around immediately threw this strong man from the breach into the courtyard surrounded without escape.

“Who else dares spread false rumors? I will execute these mutinous deserters on the spot. Who dares object?” Li Pu’s stern eyes fixed on the surrounding area as he proclaimed loudly again. At this moment his imposing authority caused him to experience some illusion, as if everything was still under his control.

“Marquis Li!”

At this moment, a soft call came from a corner. The voice was so familiar it made Li Pu suspect he was experiencing a hallucination.

Seeing a familiar figure wearing a gray-white hempen mourning robe push open a door and walk out from a courtyard, Yuan Guowei’s heart trembled at this moment.

Han Qian!

Even if his brain were split open, Yuan Guowei could never have imagined before this moment that Han Qian would be in Runzhou, in Yanling Ferry, at this time.

How was this possible?

Yuan Guowei instinctively raised his hand to wipe his clouded old eyes, thinking he was experiencing hallucinations due to excessive despair over the current predicament.

Wasn’t Han Qian observing mourning for Han Daoxun in Xuzhou? After returning from Shu he hadn’t even wanted to go to Yueyang. How could he possibly be in Runzhou?

“Han Qian!” Li Pu also stared incredulously at Han Qian appearing in Yanling wearing mourning clothes, crying out instinctively in shock.

This cry of his was like thunder striking down, waking the surrounding observing soldiers and family dependents. They all looked in unison toward the courtyard gate from which Han Qian had emerged. Who else could it be but Han Qian?

From the beginning of recruiting famine refugees, Han Qian had built workshops at Qiuhu Mountain, simultaneously recruiting famine refugees for work while assisting Shen Yang in building the garrison military office. During the Jing-Xiang campaign, Han Qian had appeared on the city walls even more frequently than Yang Yuanpu, ensuring no place would have flaws.

Regarding the merit of defending Xichuan and swiftly reducing the vassals’ power, though Han Qian didn’t wish to be too conspicuous to avoid arousing jealousy, the understanding of ordinary Vermillion Bird Army soldiers was simple and true.

Moreover, Han Qian personally controlled the Jinyun Tower, Prince Tan’s household and the Vermillion Bird Army’s most core intelligence gathering and reconnaissance department.

After the Jing-Xiang and vassal reduction campaigns, military households incorporated as prisoners of war might still be somewhat unfamiliar with Han Qian. But which soldiers and family dependents from Taowu garrison military office didn’t recognize Han Qian?

“It’s Master Han! It’s Attendant Han! It’s Adjutant Han!” The crowd cheered. The wave of sound was so strong that Li Pu’s face darkened, unable even to open his mouth to question what Han Qian intended by appearing in Runzhou at this time wearing mourning robes.

Zhao Wuji and Kong Xirong led people out from the courtyard, wanting to shield Han Qian behind them to prevent Li Pu from acting rashly in desperation against Han Qian.

But Han Qian walked fearlessly toward Li Pu. He waved his hand signaling the soldiers and family dependents around to quiet down. Standing in the morning light, he looked at Li Pu, Chen Mingsheng and others and said:

“Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and Military Office Chief Commandant Chen Mingsheng, cowardly in battle and lacking courage, first abandoned Qiuhu Mountain, causing ten thousand soldiers’ families to be captured and killed by Anning Palace’s rebel forces. Again gullible and incompetent, you were used as bait by Chuzhou, losing four thousand soldiers and Danyang City. His Highness is extremely disappointed in you two. He has specially issued an oral decree ordering Han Qian to rush to Runzhou to relieve you two of your command authority. I shall assume command in your place. You two are to swiftly return to Yueyang to accept punishment!”

Li Pu’s old face flushed bright red. He knew Han Qian was talking nonsense. For such an important personnel change, even if Han Qian acted with great speed and he couldn’t receive advance notice, Yang Yuanpu couldn’t possibly not have given Han Qian a written order.

Chen Mingsheng was unwilling to so easily have command authority taken away by a so-called “oral decree.” He held his sword horizontally before him and demanded sternly: “Changing commanders in battle is a great military taboo. Without an order from the Executive Secretariat, without His Highness’s written command, by what right do you replace us?”

“Those who trust me, please stand to the east of the long street!” Ignoring Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng’s challenges, Han Qian looked at the surrounding soldiers and proclaimed loudly: “Though I have no confidence I can definitely lead everyone out of this predicament, as long as Han Qian doesn’t die, I absolutely will not flee first. Should I violate this oath, I am willing to suffer the punishment of being torn apart by five horses!”

Being torn apart by five horses was a phrase most present were unwilling to mention and had been strictly forbidden from mentioning, yet it struck like lightning into the depths of countless souls.

How wrongfully had Han Daoxun died? Even illiterate common soldiers knew clearly in their hearts.

“Those who trust Master Han, please stand to the east of the long street!”

“Those who trust Master Han, please stand to the east of the long street!”

“Those who trust Master Han, please stand to the east of the long street!”

Zhao Wuji, Kong Xirong, Wei Chang, Shi Ji and others began shouting and agitating. In the morning light that hadn’t yet fully brightened, the dark silhouettes of soldiers and family dependents seemed to flow like a tide, all surging toward the street’s east side. The riverside long street’s western side facing the river was more open. Sparsely scattered there remained only those military officers and commanders from Marquis Xinchang’s household. Even among them, quite a few military officers and commanders felt the impulse surging within to stand on the long street’s east side.

“Marquis, old Ning has wronged you, Marquis!” A towering strong man walked from the street’s west side onto the long street, knocked his head three times with loud thuds toward Marquis Xinchang, then nimbly rose and stood on the long street’s east side.

Following him, over twenty more people stepped forward to kowtow to Marquis Xinchang Li Pu, then walked to the long street’s east side.

Li Pu’s face looked extremely ugly. He never imagined the elite troops Marquis Xinchang’s household had cultivated would betray him at this moment.

Yuan Guowei could see these were squad leader-level basic military officers. During long years of campaigning, they had formed even stronger bonds of life and death with common soldiers through blood and fire. Moreover, as trusted subordinates of Marquis Xinchang’s household, they knew more clearly Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng’s intention to abandon family dependents. Over these past days they had actually struggled and conflicted the most. Han Qian’s appearance made them firm in their determination to break with Marquis Xinchang’s household.

This was where people’s hearts turned.

“Marquis Li, Commandant Chen, do you believe now or not?” Han Qian looked again at Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng, asking.

Marquis Xinchang Li Pu looked at the sparse remnant of less than two hundred personal guards remaining by his side, his expression unstable.

“Marquis Li, Master Han has probably barely restrained his urge to kill you,” Yuan Guowei advised in a suppressed voice.

Hearing these words, Marquis Xinchang Li Pu started in alarm. Though Han Qian’s face was calm as if nothing had happened, Kong Xirong, Zhao Wuji and others behind Han Qian radiated killing intent! If he truly continued arguing with Han Qian, forcing Han Qian to use ruthless methods to seize command, could he fight his way out of the encirclement with less than two hundred personal guards behind him?