Looking at Li Xiu’s desolate, somewhat hunched figure, Wen Muqiao couldn’t help but sigh and say, “Prince Li’s descendants, I fear, will fade into obscurity!”

Although Han Daoming had stepped forward to protect the Li family, then through every means facilitated the Li family’s exile to Xiacai, Wen Muqiao naturally knew Han Qian still wanted to use Li Xiu, but seeing Li Xiu like this, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat pessimistic.

“Li Xiu suffering such a blow, becoming dispirited and dejected is inevitable. And if Tangyi’s army cannot harvest considerable battle achievements in this northern campaign, even if we don’t suffer disastrous defeat, the offensive and defensive positions between us and the Shouzhou army will reverse. Xiacai will become the most fiercely contested tug-of-war region between both sides—I’ve thrown over five to six hundred people from the Li clan including household troops, sons, nephews, and their dependents into this area that may be destined to become a bloody land. It’s truly difficult to make him rally his spirits.”

Han Qian watched Li Xiu’s departing figure and said calmly.

“However, Prince Li’s descendants should not have their will so easily ground down. Perhaps in his heart he still harbors some unresolved resentment toward me!”

“If not for you, I think both Prime Minister Shen and Yang Zhitang would have likely massacred the Li family to establish authority. How could he still harbor resentment in his heart?” Feng Yi said disdainfully, curling his lip. “Even if he now comes to his senses and guesses we had intentions to lure the snake from its hole from the beginning, could he still blame us for the Li family falling to such a state? If Li Xiu is truly so ungrateful, then as Wen Gong says, Prince Li’s descendants will truly fade into obscurity.”

“It’s resentment, not hatred,” Han Qian corrected Feng Yi’s word choice. “In Li Xiu’s eyes, perhaps I’m still someone who prevails through conspiracy rather than open strategy. There’s still that tiny bit of pride in his heart that hasn’t been ground down!”

Han Qian spoke to Wen Muqiao and Guo Rong about the circumstances when he met Li Yu in Guangde back then, saying, “Before Prince Li died, he mentioned wanting to be buried south of Guangde City. Li Xiu ultimately, after Prince Li’s death, buried him at Mount Jinzhong Ridge where he was garrisoned at the time—in Li Xiu’s heart, after all, he was still competing with Prince Li.”

Wen Muqiao didn’t know there was actually such a secret matter. Carefully considering the implications, he said:

“Thinking back to when Prince Li wielded power over the realm yet courageously retreated from the torrent, Great Chu’s subjects and people may have praised his benevolent virtue and loyal wisdom, but the Marquis of Linji was only in his early thirties at the time, and Li Xiu even more so had the reputation of a rising famous general—seventeen or eighteen years old, at the height of his youth, most glorious and successful time, yet had to follow Prince Li in retiring to the mountain forests. How could he possibly be willing in his heart? Put this way, Li Xiu violating Prince Li’s dying wish to bury him at Mount Jinzhong Ridge, afterward walking so close to Duke Changguo and Lu Qingxia, as well as his current appearance—in his heart that initially pent-up energy has truly never dissipated! And when he truly recognizes where Your Lordship surpasses others, Your Lordship will gain another excellent general.”

“…” Han Qian smiled slightly and looked at Cao Ba, who was staring at Li Xiu’s figure quite thoughtfully, saying, “Li Xiu is dispirited and dejected, having anticipated Xiacai must have bloody battles to fight. If you don’t mind reforming from being a squad leader, you can go with Li Xiu to find Feng Xuan…”

As long as he could go to the battlefield to charge and fight, Cao Ba wouldn’t mind being an ordinary soldier, but thinking about having to work together with Li Xiu, even thinking that when Li Xiu first arrived at Xiacai he would serve as County Counselor, and perhaps by the time enemy forces truly attacked beneath Xiacai City walls, His Lordship would appoint him as County Commandant while he himself was just a county militia local troops squad leader—wouldn’t that mean having to follow his orders?

Thinking of this, Cao Ba couldn’t help but try to bargain: “Your Lordship, why don’t you have me catch up with our Wen Ye and carry the great banner for our Wen Ye?”

“You troublemaking fellow, if you can’t even lead a squad of soldiers well, you’ll be looked down upon by Li Xiu for the rest of your life,” Wen Muqiao scolded.

“Who says I can’t lead even a squad of soldiers well? I was once a Chief Vice Commander, led three thousand crack troops under my command, made Li Zhigao cry for his parents,” Cao Ba said indignantly. But seeing Wen Muqiao bristle with anger and glare, he quickly slunk away down the cliff to chase after Li Xiu.

Han Qian laughed heartily and said, “A brave general like Cao Ba—Wen Bo can use him well, but I wonder if Li Xiu can use him well. Wen Daren doesn’t mind me stuffing him with Li Xiu to drill, does he?”

“Cao Ba and Li Xiu—if the two of them can achieve the balance of firmness and flexibility, it will be of great benefit to both,” Wen Muqiao said.

“Then let us wait and see,” Han Qian said, hands clasped behind his back.

……

……

“Li Xiu!”

“What? Is there still something?” Li Xiu looked puzzled as Cao Ba chased after him from behind and asked doubtfully.

“You might not recognize where Feng Xuan’s command tent is. I’ll lead you there…” Cao Ba of course wouldn’t admit he’d been assigned to the Xiacai County local militia as a squad leader. Touching his nose, he said.

“…” Li Xiu glanced at Cao Ba twice doubtfully, thinking that when Cao Ba followed Wen Bo in pledging allegiance to Tangyi, he was already a Chief Vice Commander—a high-ranking military officer. Was he really so idle?

“I’ll lead you to the camp to see Feng the Barbarian,” Cao Ba urged.

As Emperor Yanyou’s deposed empress, Li Yao could under no circumstances be released, but besides her remaining in Jinling to guard Emperor Yanyou’s mausoleum, not only were Li family descendants and household troops remaining in Jinling City all on the release list, even clan members left in Hongzhou guarding the ancestral property had their noble ranks stripped to become commoners. The over ten thousand mu of fields, residences, and hundreds of slaves bestowed by Emperor Tianyou and Emperor Yanyou were all completely confiscated by the Hongzhou Governor following imperial decree to become government property.

The vast Prince’s mansion, like a tree falling and monkeys scattering—at this time, besides over twenty clan members from Hongzhou heading to Xiacai to rendezvous with the Marquis of Linji’s household, and besides a dozen direct household generals still following Li Qi in Huayang, the Li family including household troops and dependents, over six hundred people up and down, were at this moment anxiously stopped at an open area on the north bank of the Jiaoshan Gorge pontoon bridge eating dry rations and resting.

The government soldiers escorting them to Xiacai were completing the handover with Xiacai officials.

The Marquis of Linji’s family property and mansion had all been completely confiscated. Before departure, Han Daoming had people send over a dozen horses and carriages so that young children and the old, weak, sick, and disabled in the household could ride during the journey without being too exhausted, but others, even women, could only walk on foot.

Fortunately, even the Li family’s women were not delicate and pampered. Moreover, they were mainly traveling within Huaixi territory where meals were not lacking and there was lodging at night, so it couldn’t really be called too arduous.

What gave everyone a sense of confusion was: where would the Li family go from here?

Unlike ordinary people numbed by fate’s torments, besides Li Xiu, Li Chi, and others, many household generals and even Li family women had understanding of current affairs far deeper than ordinary people.

Xiacai was destined to be a land of four-sided warfare. Particularly with Tangyi constructing a pontoon bridge at Jiaoshan Gorge, once the Weizhou rebel army gained a foothold along both banks of the Guo River, no matter what price they had to pay, they would find ways to pull out this nail directly piercing the north bank.

And Tangyi at this time also demonstrated its determination to preserve this north bank salient, inevitably sparing no expense in tragic sacrifice.

Having the entire clan’s old and young—six hundred people—exiled to this place at this time, who could hold even a shred of expectation for the future?

A middle-aged woman sat resting on a rock, surrounded by a group of women and children. Seeing Li Xiu and Li Chi return, and taking Cao Ba to be an ordinary government clerk from Xiacai responsible for liaising with them, she asked Li Xiu, “You went to see Han Qian. What did he say?”

Just now Cao Ba had only hastily called Li Xiu and Li Chi away without contacting other Li family members. At this time, seeing the middle-aged woman’s bearing and hearing her tone speaking to Li Xiu and Li Chi while seated, he guessed she should be Li Changfeng’s wife, Zheng Shi.

During his lifetime, Li Yu had one wife and two concubines, but all died of illness around age forty to fifty. For nearly twenty years, the Prince’s mansion inner residence had been managed by this eldest daughter-in-law, Zheng Shi.

Cao Ba had heard that on the night of the palace coup, it was this woman who ordered household troops to seize back Li Pu’s corpse. When the Imperial Guards pursued closely and wanted to force their way into the Marquis’s mansion, it was also she who ordered household troops to fight off the chaotic soldiers, holding out until Han Daoming sent Li Xiu and Li Yao back.

Compared to Zheng Shi, her son Li Chi’s temperament seemed much weaker. Well-read in poetry and books, he didn’t seem like someone from the Li family’s military lineage.

“Li Chi and I can both serve in Xiacai, but the Li family must remain in Xiacai,” Li Xiu said shamefully, looking at the old, weak, women, and children on the ground.

“Not even a shred of room to bargain?” Zheng Shi asked with furrowed brows.

“No,” Li Xiu shook his head.

“It appears Han Qian is forcing our Li family to share survival or death with Xiacai,” Zheng Shi sighed.

“Father, when can you get my sword and bow back?” An eleven or twelve-year-old boy struggled free from beside a beautiful woman in her thirties and ran to Li Xiu to ask.

He was too young to yet understand what family life-or-death survival meant, didn’t know what bloody slaughter was—his whole mind was on getting back the wooden sword and hunting bow confiscated when leaving Jinling.

“My son Li Dan,” seeing Cao Ba staring at his son, Li Xiu said.

“Why doesn’t your Li family brat practice spear but switched to practicing sword?” Cao Ba asked in his deep voice.

Before Li Xiu could ask Cao Ba’s question, a beautiful young woman in her twenties, holding the hands of a pair of four or five-year-old children, timidly squeezed forward from behind the crowd and asked, “Younger brother-in-law, did you ask about A’Qi’s news?”

“Li Qi is currently leading old Dragon Sparrow Army soldiers in Huayang County, Shang Province. The court has no intention of charging him with crimes. A decree has already been issued ordering him to assist the Liang army in constructing the Shuanglong Gorge plank road. Li Qi will take good care of himself,” Li Xiu consoled her.

“Should we write a letter and have someone deliver it to Huayang?” the young woman asked again.

“Let’s talk about this after we’ve met Feng Xuan,” Li Xiu thought. Though living under another’s roof, one had to bow one’s head. Although Han Qian had protected the Li family from bloody purging, to think that a regional overlord was a soft-hearted person would be completely wrong. Even if he wanted to send household troops to find Li Qi in Huayang, it would be better to first inform Feng Xuan. At this time, he introduced Cao Ba behind him to his sister-in-law, “This is General Cao, from the Wen family. When elder brother led the Left Soaring Camp previously, he served as a halberd-bearer in the Left Soaring Camp.”

At this time, two minor clerks came over to lead the Li clan household to a camping ground about fourteen to fifteen li northeast of the main camp.

The camping ground had several dozen shed buildings constructed from felled timber, surrounded by a circle of wooden palisade walls. At a glance, one could tell this should have previously been a forward outpost camp for the relief army for Bian on the north bank, about seven to eight li from the newly constructed Xiacai New City, with traces of flood overflow still visible in the low-lying areas on all four sides.

At this time, the Huai River’s water level had dropped. The low-lying gullies were all muddy slurry.

The two minor clerks handed over a dozen military vouchers, having the Li family arrange people themselves to go to the supply camp to collect rice, salt, firewood, charcoal, pots, bedding, and other daily necessities, then departed.

The settlement of dependents could be handled by Zheng Shi leading a group of women and young clan members. Li Xiu still brought Li Chi and followed Cao Ba to see Feng Xuan.

Seeing the camping ground Feng Xuan designated for them was outside Xiacai New City, even positioned somewhat to the east, also meant that when enemy forces swept across the Guo River, the camp where the Li clan household was settled would be an important supporting point in Xiacai’s defensive system.

This situation was a hundred times worse than they had initially anticipated.

With the Chuzhou Governor position taken over by Han Chengmeng, Feng Xuan, now transferred to Vice Supreme Commander of the Jiaoshan Gorge camp, was actually Tangyi’s chief general in the north bank Xiacai region. Besides concurrently serving as Chief Vice Commander of the First Regiment First Brigade, he also concurrently served as Xiacai County Magistrate, responsible for the north bank Xiacai garrison, defense line construction, refugee reception and evacuation, and other matters—so busy his feet didn’t touch the ground.

Of course, he wouldn’t forget about the Li clan’s exile to Xiacai today.

Regarding the disposition of Li clan members, Han Qian had already made decisions long ago. Feng Xuan also didn’t need to request additional instructions.

When Li Xiu brought Li Chi to request an audience, Feng Xuan made time to meet with them. He didn’t address Li Xiu’s request to settle clan members in Xiacai New City, only saying, “You can recruit twelve hundred refugee households to settle near the Li Family New Encampment. All able-bodied men will be enrolled as local militia. List the needed weapons, armor, and tools, draft animals, etc. for constructing the camp enclosure and submit it to me in the next two days…”

“Tangyi has numerous capable ministers and famous officials. They won’t fail to anticipate that once the main relief army for Bian advances into Dan County territory, the rebel army main forces very likely will join with Mengwu cavalry main forces to cross the Guo River from the east bank and penetrate between Dan County and Xiacai. How will you fight then?” Li Xiu asked.

“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with at this time,” Feng Xuan looked at Li Xiu and said. “When did Li family sons and nephews become afraid of difficulty and unwilling to fight?”

Although ten years ago, Feng Xuan was merely the chieftain of a small vassal settlement of just over a hundred households in Xu Province, oppressed by larger clans of the same surname, without much farmland, so impoverished he could only lead clan members to pull boats along the Yuan River shore for a living, his back ground bloody and raw by coarse tow ropes until it was covered in scars—at this moment, he only calmly looked at Li Xiu, who was called a rising famous general of the new generation, not allowing Li Xiu to question his decision.

“From Li Xiu on down, Li family men absolutely do not fear death in battle, but I beg General Feng to be lenient and settle the household’s women and children in Xiacai City. Li Xiu will never forget General Feng’s leniency,” Li Xiu lowered his posture and pleaded.

“The Li family’s five hundred eighty-seven people—either go up the city walls to serve as laborers, or men, women, old and young all take up weapons and be responsible for defending the Li Family New Encampment on the eastern flank,” Feng Xuan said. “Li Xiu, choose for yourself!”

“I want the weapons and armor of Tangyi’s regular soldiers,” Li Xiu said through gritted teeth.

“Come talk to me about that once you’ve assembled the manpower,” Feng Xuan said, indicating for the military staff officer beside him to hand over command tokens and other items to Li Xiu and Li Chi. Seeing Cao Ba hiding behind Li Xiu without making a sound, he asked, “Why does Cao Ye have such leisurely sentiment today to run errands for the Li family?”

“This, this…” Cao Ba stammered. “I had nothing to do and specially requested an assignment as a squad leader from His Lordship—General Feng, are you short of a close guard commander? With Old Cao at your side, unless the First Brigade is completely annihilated by enemy forces, otherwise Old Cao guarantees not even a hair on your head will be bent.”

“Feng here cannot bear Cao Ye’s service. Even if His Lordship sent you to Xiacai, you should follow Counselor Li in his duties,” Feng Xuan guessed Han Qian wouldn’t send this troublesome character to him without any greeting or reason. Without thinking, he kicked him together with Li Xiu.

Li Xiu looked at Cao Ba with considerable surprise, thinking he had merely worn casual clothes today, not realizing he had long since lost his military position and at this time had barely managed to climb back up to squad leader. He didn’t know what offense he’d committed. Just now seeing the old scoundrel Wen Muqiao leisurely content at Han Qian’s side, it didn’t seem like the Wen clan was being treated as an auxiliary faction receiving exclusion and suppression in Tangyi.

Of course, he had no qualification to mock Cao Ba’s situation. At present, he only led Cao Ba and Li Chi back to the so-called Li Family New Encampment, which was nothing at all.

They hadn’t delayed long at Feng Xuan’s place. Returning to the Li Family New Encampment and leading a dozen household generals on horseback, they circled the new encampment to survey the terrain. Li Xiu then saw thirty to forty short-breed horses carrying fully loaded packs meandering toward the new encampment from the main camp direction—the post road from Xiacai New City and the north bank camp to the new encampment hadn’t yet been repaired. The previous earthen ridge road had been trampled into pits and bumps by earlier troops, and with heavy rain these past two days, carriages couldn’t pass. They could only use military horses to transport supplies dispersed loads.

Leading the group were his sixteen-year-old third nephew Li Yan and his own ignorant, fearless son Li Dan, who after crossing the Huai River seemed somewhat excited, at this time leading a dozen household troops guiding the horse column over.

Without needing to think, these were supplies they had just collected from the main camp.

But in such a short time, the first batch of supplies for five to six hundred people to settle in this encampment had been transported. The efficiency of Tangyi’s army was so high it still startled Li Xiu.

Two assistant clerks led the team following Li Yan, Li Dan, and Li household troops over, rushing to meet Li Xiu, Cao Ba, and Li Chi.

Xiacai’s situation was rather special. In military organization, it was at the level of Vice Regiment Army, Vice Campaign Army, but within the administrative system, it was a county governed under Hao Province. The Li Family New Encampment also needed to be incorporated into the administrative management system as a township office.

Feng Xuan’s intention was for Li Xiu to serve as County Counselor concurrently leading the Township Office Inspector to receive refugees and organize local militia. Li Xiu had left in haste with Cao Ba and Li Chi—many detailed matters hadn’t been communicated in time, and Li Xiu was also not very familiar with Tangyi’s township office administrative system. Feng Xuan specially sent two assistant clerks with over a dozen people to serve as assistants to Li Xiu.

“Zhou Qiao’an and Guan Zhui pay respects to General Li. Commander Feng instructed that the urgent priority is for General Li to only be responsible for recruiting able-bodied refugee men and drilling local militia. Tedious matters like constructing encampments, repairing roads, and registering households—just give us your orders,” two young assistant clerks of age similar to Li Chi said, holding Feng Xuan’s signed order and approaching Li Xiu.

From his position on a gentle slope, Li Xiu could see on the hastily repaired post road to the west an endless stream of refugee tides crawling like an ant colony from north to south. Selecting over a thousand prime able-bodied men from among them to register as households in the new encampment wasn’t difficult.

However, in just one short month, one couldn’t expect these newly recruited local militia to have any capability for field battle formations in the open, but speaking of defending from an encampment, this palisade encampment behind him, isolated outside Xiacai City—before enemy soldiers surging like tides—how long could it hold?

The Li Family New Encampment wasn’t far from Xiacai New City—only about seven li. Theoretically they could support each other as mutual horns, but between the new encampment and Xiacai City were two gullies that, though not very wide, were quite deep and steep. Currently, only four to five small boats were tied together with ropes with planks laid on top, constructing simple pontoon bridges for people and horses to cross.

However, with enemy forces pressing from north to south, these two small pontoon bridges had no defensive encampments protecting the north side and would easily be set aflame and destroyed by enemy forces. Then the Li Family New Encampment would be cut off outside Xiacai City.

At that time, without elite reinforcement troops from Xiacai City, with the Li Family New Encampment completely surrounded by enemy forces, relying only on a single thin palisade wall and over a thousand hastily assembled local militia—holding out for three days would already count as exceptional performance.

“How many supply troops does the camp have available for use here?” Li Xiu asked the two assistant clerks Zhou Qiao’an and Guan Zhui.

Selected refugee able-bodied men could only do simple manual labor. Over the next one to two months, even more energy would need to be devoted to urgent defensive encampment drill training. But Li Xiu knew Tangyi placed extreme emphasis on construction works. During wartime, they would inevitably transfer construction masters and artisans from various places into supply corps, making their capability to construct camps, roads, and bridges far surpass that of the Forbidden Army and Imperial Guards.

However, Tangyi’s army was currently fully constructing Xiacai New City on the north bank. Li Xiu doubted they could really allocate much manpower and resources toward the new encampment.

“If General Li has need, you can transfer a sixty-man artisan master squad from the main camp. For some rough manual labor, even if able-bodied men need urgent drill training, you still must conscript some sturdy women from the refugees as supplements!” assistant clerk Zhou Qiao’an replied.

Li Xiu knew resources and manpower couldn’t be heavily allocated toward the new encampment, but hearing they could only transfer a sixty-man artisan master squad to assist in strengthening the new encampment, his heart felt cold as tile, while also puzzled—Tangyi had cultivated such a large scale of construction masters and artisan masters these years, so why be so stingy when acting now?

To fortify the new encampment in the shortest time and to the greatest extent possible, and to rush construction of two iron-beam bridges between the Li Family New Encampment and Xiacai City that wouldn’t easily be set aflame and destroyed—Li Xiu thought that even if the new encampment could conscript some labor, Feng Xuan should at least transfer six to seven hundred artisan masters and artisan soldiers to be sufficient…