After only a brief meeting, the two were separated again.

The next day, Li Mu led his army away from Jiankang toward the southeastern regions where the sect rebellion raged wildly.

Li Mu’s reputation as a war god was already known throughout Nanchao – who didn’t know of his magnificent feat in recapturing Chang’an? Now this Yingtian Army, with its orderly formation and strict discipline, not only did no harm to civilians wherever they passed, but when they reached Yangxian, which had been occupied by the sect rebels, after recapturing the area, seeing that fields lay waste and irrigation channels were silted up, soldiers who had previously opened up wasteland in Yi Cheng even helped the people cultivate fields and clear channels before departing.

In recent years, Dayu had suffered continuous internal strife. The people had been frightened by various court armies bearing different banners. Regardless of which faction it was, even Gao’s Guangling Army couldn’t guarantee safety – if one was unlucky enough to encounter military ruffians, upon hearing that a large army was passing through, people would often first hide their household money and grain, then observe from a distance, lest passing troops see them and “borrow” supplies in the name of requisitioning military provisions. Once borrowed, such things rarely returned.

But this time, as the Yingtian Army’s fine reputation spread, the situation was vastly different from before.

Wherever Li Mu fought, civilians would line the roads to welcome them. Speaking of their suffering under the sect rebellion, everyone gritted their teeth in anger. Not only did many people voluntarily serve as scouts, constantly reporting the movements of Celestial Master Sect troops to the army, but those households with surplus grain would, when the army was stationed nearby, not only refrain from hiding their stores but would dig up grain they had previously buried to avoid the sect rebellion and use it to reward the troops. When Li Mu felt compelled to accept such gifts, he would never take them for free, immediately paying fair compensation down to the last coin.

Li Mu deeply understood that the reason the Celestial Master Sect rebellion had nearly toppled half the court was primarily because there were too many sect members deceived by Wu Cang and driven to follow him. Taking Wu region as an example, according to official estimates, almost one in every two households contained sect members. After Wu Cang’s uprising, the sect troops following him around at their peak numbered an astonishing hundreds of thousands. Often, before one area was extinguished, rebellion would erupt elsewhere – unable to attend to all fronts simultaneously, the fires could never be completely stamped out, thus creating such massive upheaval.

To disintegrate the sect troops, besides fighting battles, Li Mu specifically selected from his army a group skilled in speaking and performance. Wherever they went, in bustling marketplaces they would demonstrate to civilians the so-called techniques of swallowing fire and swords, and invulnerability to weapons, to expose the tricks Wu Cang used to deceive believers. After the demonstrations, they would have people spread word everywhere that ordinary sect members were common people who had been deceived and were originally innocent. Any who left the sect would not be pursued for the crime of following the rebellion, and moreover, if they could recover from their sect leaders the family wealth and grain they had originally donated, the authorities would take not a single portion – it would all belong to that person.

Wu Cang was deeply versed in the art of controlling people. Exploiting civilians’ fear of ghosts and spirits and their superstitious worship, after his uprising he transformed sect members into sect troops. Toward lower-level followers, he used half threats and half deception. When these followers originally joined the sect, believing in the so-called “sect family as one,” they all eagerly donated their family wealth, bringing their entire families to join the sect. Those whose family foundations were completely emptied were not few in number. Now some had their retreat cut off, others were blinded by the so-called future benefits Wu Cang promised them, which was why they followed him in rebellion. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, even if they wanted to withdraw, they had no path to do so and could only grit their teeth and follow along stubbornly.

With Li Mu’s proclamations, who among those wavering would not be moved? Rumors also spread that in certain places, some sect members had recovered from local incense leaders the money and grain they had originally donated, and now had returned to their villages with their families to farm, with the authorities indeed letting bygones be bygones.

News spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred. Before long, when Li Mu’s army advanced toward Kuaiji, before the troops even arrived, the sect troops in the city heard that Li Mu’s great army was coming and fell into chaos themselves. Having no heart for battle, they all went after the leaders who had originally introduced them to the sect, demanding the return of their donations, making trouble level by level up the hierarchy. When these leaders were pursued for repayment and saw the situation was dire, they fled overnight one after another. By the time Li Mu arrived, he took this major southeastern commandery with hardly any effort.

Thus, relying on popular support, division of lower-level sect troops, and his soldiers’ prowess in battle, in just a few short months, by the third month of the following year, Li Mu had brought all of Wu region, where the Celestial Master Sect rebellion had been most rampant, back under control, and subsequently recaptured over ten commanderies including Danyang, Qiantang, and Xin’an.

Wu Cang had by then lost most of the commanderies that had fallen into his hands. With his sect troops dwindling daily, like a stray dog, he was forced to flee southward with the treasures he had previously plundered, finally retreating to Linhai Commandery with no further retreat possible. In a final desperate struggle, he and the brothers who had rebelled with him were killed.

At this point, this large-scale sect rebellion that had begun the previous autumn and continued to wreak havoc until the fourth month of this year was finally quelled.

All the southeastern commanderies that had fallen into the hands of sect rebels returned to court control. The people’s love and respect for Li Mu increased greatly. Civilians in some of the most severely afflicted areas even proposed building a living shrine to him to commemorate his achievements. When Li Mu learned of this, he sent people to express gratitude to the local people but firmly declined, citing the recent death of the emperor. Only then did the people abandon the idea.

Prince Dongyang Xiao Min, who had been emperor for less than two years, was already physically frail. Combined with his usual lack of self-restraint and weak constitution, when Qu’e was besieged at the end of the previous year, he was overly frightened. Although Li Mu saved him, he carelessly caught a cold on the return journey and fell ill. After returning to the palace, despite the imperial physicians’ various treatments, the emperor never recovered and died at the end of the first month. The four-year-old crown prince ascended the throne.

At that time, Li Mu was unable to extricate himself due to the pressing military situation and could only submit a memorial of mourning to the court, unable to return to the capital for the funeral.

Now three months had passed. With the southeast pacified, Li Mu sent battle reports to the court and was preparing to return in triumph when he learned some news.

At the end of the previous year, when Li Mu had departed to pacify the thorny southeastern rebellion, Gao Qiao had sent Shang Chong, younger brother of the Lujiang Governor who had died in the Jiankang battle, and Yuzhang Governor Pei Zhen to lead troops in pursuit of the defeated and westward-fleeing Xu Mi, intending to completely eliminate his remnant forces and never again give him a chance for revival.

Although Xu Mi’s pride and joy, Xiangyang, had been previously destroyed by Li Mu, he deeply understood the principle of “a cunning rabbit has three burrows.” When formerly managing Jingzhou, besides Xiangyang, he had also secured for himself another refuge at Yiling, further upstream near the Shu region of Hanzhong.

After fleeing back to Jingzhou, he retreated to Yiling, regrouped his forces there, and using the area’s complex terrain and solid city defenses, engaged in prolonged warfare with the pursuing court army. Not only did he manage to hold Yiling, but just recently he had even seized control of river traffic around Yiling, requiring all passing vessels to pay taxes to him. Moreover, because his ancestral home belonged to the ancient Song region, he established a Song state and proclaimed himself emperor.

Since the Jingzhou rebel army had retreated upstream, Li Mu had been extremely concerned about news of the war.

The latest news he received was that Gao Qiao had sent the recovered Gao Yin to lead troops to Yiling as reinforcements, determined to capture Yiling and completely annihilate Xu Mi’s rebel forces.

This night, the soldiers in the military camp were filled with joyful laughter. Stimulated by celebratory wine, throughout the great camp could be heard soldiers singing “You ride in carriages, I wear bamboo hats – when we meet again someday, you’ll dismount to greet me” and “You carry umbrellas, I ride horses – when we meet again someday, I’ll dismount for you.”

Amid the singing, Li Mu could not sleep for a long time.

The reason Xu Mi had his current support was due to Yang Xuan’s efforts alone.

Because of Yang Xuan, he had gathered the loyalty of those soldiers. Also because of Yang Xuan, Xu Mi had been able to hold Yiling for as long as half a year under the court army’s heavy pressure, and even now proclaimed himself emperor.

He closed his eyes, remembering when he first enlisted as a youth and suffered endless bullying. At age fifteen, it was precisely because he gained the appreciation and promotion of Yang Xuan, who was already a deputy general at the time, that everything that followed became possible.

He remembered that day when, with six thousand soldiers, he was heading to Shu region to pacify the Liangzhou rebellion, and Yang Xuan, out of concern, had specially made a detour in the deep of night to come to Jingkou to warn him.

He also remembered last year in Nanyang, when he had persuaded Yang Xuan to disobey Xu Mi’s orders and coordinate in sending troops to relieve the siege of Lu Jianzhi.

Yang Xuan’s past associations had been unfortunate.

It was precisely because of this that he had warned him several times.

In Nanyang, how could Li Mu not see that Yang Xuan was not without thoughts of abandoning and leaving? But ultimately he still could not overcome Xu Mi’s cunning and treachery. Knowing Yang Xuan valued emotion and loyalty, Xu Mi had used one son’s life to secure a veteran general’s unwavering following – this was truly a profitable transaction.

Now Gao Qiao was again sending Gao Yin to attack Yiling.

One was his wife’s brother, the other both senior and friend – Li Mu could no longer remain uninvolved.

He quickly made his decision. He ordered his deputy general to temporarily make camp here and continue mopping up the remnant Celestial Master Sect forces that had fled into the deep mountains and forests, while he himself would depart early the next morning with only a squad of personal guards, setting out on the westward road.

Along this journey, he traveled by day and night, through wind and rain, finally arriving at Yiling after half a month.

When he arrived, Gao Yin had already led his army to press against the city. Thousands of troops were camped in the wilderness no more than a few arrow shots from Yiling’s city gate.

Strangely, no matter how Gao Yin challenged them to battle, there was no response from within the city.

Gao Yin had laid siege for several days and was discussing with his subordinates, having decided to storm the city, when he suddenly received word that Li Mu had arrived. Greatly surprised, he hastily disbanded the tent meeting and rushed to the camp gate to greet him.

“Grand Marshal has come from afar – is there some matter?”

The late Emperor Taikang had conferred the title of Grand Marshal upon Li Mu at Qu’e the previous year. The position of Grand Marshal was high and weighty, having remained vacant in this dynasty for decades with no one to fill it. In the haste of the moment, Ministry of Personnel officials had no preparation for the insignia and ceremonial objects. At the time, due to the severe military situation, it was only recorded by the Ministry of Personnel without formally bestowing the golden seal and purple ribbon. After pacifying the rebellion and returning to court in triumph, the formal investiture would be conducted.

But court officials had since then all addressed Li Mu as Grand Marshal.

Gao Yin was no exception, addressing him by official title with very respectful tone.

He could see at a glance that Li Mu had come in haste, with only seven or eight robust personal guards beside him, clearly not having come under court orders. Knowing also of his relationship with Yang Xuan, it wasn’t difficult to guess this might be for personal reasons, hence his question.

Li Mu said, “General Gao, before military action begins, I wish to see Yang Xuan first.”

With battle imminent, Li Mu’s private meeting with a rebel general would be inappropriate.

Li Mu’s tone was also very mild, carrying no hint of command, but was filled with a meaning that brooked no opposition.

Gao Yin hesitated only briefly before nodding.

Attacking cities was always easier to defend than assault. Moreover, Yiling had solid defenses and was guarded by a veteran general like Yang Xuan. If they truly launched a direct assault, even if they could take it, soldier casualties would inevitably be severe.

Gao Yin was very clear about this point.

Li Mu smiled slightly, turned to mount his horse, and rode alone toward the city gate.

He rode alone, galloping to within an arrow’s distance of the city gate, dismounted, and under the gaze of countless eyes from the military camp behind and the city walls ahead, strode toward that tightly closed city gate.