Liu Biao still wanted to play dumb: “Backup plan? What backup plan? State Lord, regarding the Pei army matter, how would I know…”

Xiao Li’s eyelids drooped slightly, his patience completely exhausted. He made a gesture to his personal guards behind him, and the escort agency brothers led by Zheng Hu immediately surged forward.

Liu Biao still refused to give up and tried to struggle, but two fists were no match for four hands. He was quickly pressed down into the wilderness by Zheng Hu and his men. Unable to care about the mouthful of mud and sand splattered on him, seeing that escape was utterly hopeless, he simply began screaming hysterically: “Murder! That Xiao fellow is eliminating dissenters and committing murder!”

Zheng Hu wasn’t about to indulge him. After landing a punch to his stomach, he tore off a corner from Liu Biao’s mud-covered robe, wadded it up tight, and stuffed it firmly into his mouth, plugging it completely.

The other brothers used ropes prepared beforehand to bind Liu Biao’s arms behind his back.

Liu Biao made muffled, chaotic noises. His entire appearance was beyond just disheveled—his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Xiao Li in the distance, whether cursing or begging for mercy, no one could tell.

Zheng Hu and his men pressed him to kneel before Xiao Li. Finally, Xiao Li leaned forward slightly, using his curved riding crop to lift Liu Biao’s chin. His gaze was cold and sharp, his tone mocking: “Whether or not I’m eliminating dissenters—once General Liu sees those people who went to fetch your mother and younger sister, won’t you know?”

Liu Biao had been glaring angrily, but upon hearing these words, he finally realized he had probably been exposed from the very beginning. The person who had come to his tent earlier to report news had brought back false information.

His eyes dimmed with defeat, yet revealed traces of unwillingness.

But Xiao Li had no intention of saying more to him. After straightening up, he simply called out: “Tiger.”

Zheng Hu understood immediately and called to the brothers below to take Liu Biao away.

Returning to the garrison camp in Ping’an County, the turmoil here had long been quelled. Those Liu Family Village people who had been closest to Liu Biao had initially wanted to organize resistance, but the rainy night provided the best concealment for a surprise attack while also maximizing the fear among the soldiers in the encampment. Moreover, since Liu Biao, their main general, had fled, his subordinates quickly abandoned their armor and fled in all directions, only to be blocked and herded back one by one by the men Xiao Li had brought.

When Liu Biao was shoved and made to stumble to his knees before the central command tent, the Liu Family Village people who had conspired with him to plan the rebellion were also bound and kneeling in a circle at this location.

In the two-foot-high brazier, wood doused with lamp oil crackled even in the torrential rain. The soldiers Xiao Li had brought from Pingdeng County and those originally stationed in Ping’an County surrounded the area in two or three layers, drenched by the pouring rain, not a single person making a sound.

Xiao Li also stood in the rain. Zheng Hu and a group of brothers stood divided on both sides behind him. The downpour soaked through his clothes and hair, washing over his sharp brows and eyes. The rain lines from the sky and the ripples splashing up from the ground in the firelight seemed to merge into one, while a silent and formless aura of authority slowly spread through this silence.

“Gentlemen, Xiao’s appearance here tonight is only because there are traitors in the army.”

Xiao Li’s voice was cold and deep, yet extremely penetrating through the curtain of rain.

The lower-ranking soldiers stationed in Ping’an County did not know of Liu Biao and his clansmen’s schemes, but having experienced tonight’s incident, they roughly understood what had happened. Accompanying them were also many minor leaders from other counties, and extremely quiet discussion sounds were already rising from the crowd.

The several trusted subordinates Liu Biao had sent to take away his mother and younger sister were also quickly brought forward.

Zheng Hu bellowed in a loud voice: “Liu Biao colluded with the Pei faction and harmed General Ma! To be safe, he secretly transferred his mother and sister—we have both witnesses and evidence!”

Ma Lao’er, who had been bound and temporarily detained in the central command tent by Liu Biao, was also untied and rescued. At this moment, he still couldn’t stand steadily and was being supported by two personal soldiers. Still not satisfied with his anger, he stepped forward and kicked Liu Biao twice, spitting curses: “Liu Biao, you creature worse than pigs and dogs! I almost died at your hands!”

Then he shouted to the soldiers around: “This coward eats from within and steals from within! His mouth speaks of righteousness, but behind the scenes, he’s eager to be a dog for that Pei fellow! I refused to follow him in such deeds and nearly got killed by him!”

Ma Lao’er looked disheveled, his face still bearing bruises from earlier beatings. These words spoken with righteous indignation were quite convincing.

Many soldiers and minor county leaders outside the field looked at Liu Biao with contempt, and the voices denouncing Liu Biao grew louder and louder.

“I said long ago that fellow didn’t look like a good person!”

“Exactly! Pretending to look honest and simple, but full of scheming! When we fought that gang of mountain bandits in Ping’an County, he disobeyed orders and rashly advanced to steal the credit, causing who knows how many deaths among the people from their Pingdeng County!”

Liu Biao was pressed to kneel on the ground. Hearing those discussion sounds, his eyes turned blood red. He struggled violently against the tightly bound ropes, his teeth clenched so tight on the cloth that mixed with the earthy taste, a bloody taste gradually seeped out.

Xiao Li asked through the curtain of rain: “Does General Liu still have something to say?”

Liu Biao glared viciously at Xiao Li. A soldier beside him pulled out the cloth stuffing his mouth. Liu Biao spat on the ground—a mouthful of mud-mixed bloody foam. Knowing the situation was lost, he simply stopped pretending and stared at Xiao Li with a ferocious expression: “The world I led people to fight for—you usurped my position! Why shouldn’t I be able to fight to take it back?”

Zheng Hu couldn’t stand hearing this most of all. Those fellow villagers of Liu Biao had used this to irritate their brothers countless times. He immediately cursed: “Go to hell with that! Having spring and autumn pipe dreams here? We know you, surnamed Liu, are illiterate—can’t even count anymore? Use your own fingers and calculate properly—those few people under your command, did they even reach a thousand? Which victorious battle did you lead people to fight? Which piece of territory was captured by you leading people? After Tongzhou’s sixteen counties merged, the sixteen forces jointly elected my second brother as this State Lord. Who competed with you for your position as Pingdeng County leader? Still talking about usurpation—did someone usurp your position as Liu Family Village’s village head?”

This string of curses caused quite a few minor leaders present to laugh.

Liu Biao’s face turned alternately green and red. He roared hatefully: “Without my Pingdeng County, could that Xiao fellow have his glory today? I only hate that I, Liu Biao, failed to judge people clearly, invited a wolf into my home, had my hard work stolen to make someone else’s wedding dress, and must now suffer such humiliation from you thieves!”

Zheng Hu was about to curse back when Xiao Li raised his hand to signal him to step back. Only then did Zheng Hu reluctantly shut his mouth, though his eyes continued glaring unkindly at Liu Biao.

Thunder and lightning crashed, rain poured down torrentially.

Rain streamed down Xiao Li’s jaw as he asked Liu Biao: “Do you think Pingdeng County belongs to your Liu clan? Or to you, Liu Biao, alone?”

Liu Biao felt Xiao Li’s question carried hidden meaning. In violent rage, he shouted: “It was I who led the fathers and fellow villagers to kill the county magistrate and open the granary! Without me, those corrupt officials would still be running rampant in Pingdeng County! Who would dare make a peep? Those ungrateful wretches of Pingdeng County turned to follow you—aren’t they afraid of divine retribution!”

“Bah!” This time, without needing Zheng Hu and his men to curse, soldiers from Pingdeng County in the crowd already spat: “Surnamed Liu, how dare you say such things! Did you kill the officials alone? Did you open the granary alone? Didn’t we Chen Family Settlement people contribute when killing the county magistrate? It was because we Li Family Settlement people charged at the forefront and too many died that you shameless Liu Family Village people grabbed the credit! Still talking about divine retribution—if there really is divine retribution, it should strike you first!”

“Back then, you spoke sweeter than singing—what sharing fortune together, facing hardship together—trying to fool your grandfather! Every time we raided a landlord’s home, didn’t the good things get distributed to your Liu Family Village people first, then you’d scrape out a fingernail’s worth for us to sniff?”

“I joined the rebellion because I didn’t want to suffer the anger of those dog officials anymore, not to let you learn from those dog officials and shit and piss on my head!”

Facing accusations from many Pingdeng County soldiers, Liu Biao was utterly furious, staring deadly at Xiao Li: “It’s you! You instructed them to say this!”

“Does General Liu think Xiao deliberately slandered you?” Xiao Li raised his eyebrows slightly, unexpectedly good-tempered: “Coincidentally, today brothers from all counties are here. If General Liu feels wronged, you may defend yourself.”

Liu Biao surveyed the crowd surrounding the field—all were notable figures from Tongzhou’s dozen-plus counties. Being stared at by those mocking or contemptuous gazes, Liu Biao felt as if an invisible fire surged in his chest cavity, burning him inside and out with pain.

The torrential rain poured onto the yellow mud ground that had already accumulated water everywhere. He stared at Xiao Li and suddenly laughed maniacally with mockery: “They’re all working under you now—which one would dare speak against your orders?”

“Today, I, Liu Biao, have fallen into your hands—that is my fate. Never mind pinning all these crimes on me—whether you want to kill or torture me, I’ll comply with whatever you wish!”

Having said this, he closed his eyes and shouted: “Just do it.”

Just as Zheng Hu and the others were grinding their teeth in irritation at Liu Biao’s words, they heard Xiao Li laugh coldly: “Call you a general, and you really think you’re something special.”

His appearance was handsome, but this smile in the heavy rain inexplicably made people feel sinister.

Before Liu Biao could react, he was kicked square in the chest into the mud. His heart suddenly ached so much that his face twisted, and then a black brocade boot stepped on his chest, pressing down until breathing became as painful as needle pricks.

He fixed his eyes and looked up, only seeing through the rain Xiao Li’s sharply defined jawline.

“Whether what the brothers said is true or false, you know clearly in your own heart. How you obtained your position as Pingdeng County leader—everyone witnessed it with their own eyes. Sticking scallions in a pig’s nose—what are you pretending to be?”

Xiao Li’s elbow rested on his knee, his body leaning slightly forward, looking down from above at Liu Biao lying on the ground like a dead dog: “Without Pingdeng County, there would be no Xiao Li today?”

He smiled: “You’ve got it backwards.”

Zheng Hu also spat with extreme disgust: “Why don’t you piss and look at yourself in the reflection—even now, so many brothers in Pingdeng County still refuse to accept you. Still can’t see clearly how much you’re actually worth? Back then, if it weren’t for the strategist and my brother A’niu coming to help support things, never mind Pingdeng County not being swallowed by surrounding strongmen—the brothers below would have long since kicked you, this bastard turtle grandson, off the stage!”

Minor leaders from other counties beside them also denounced him: “This person’s heart is blinded by lard—delusionally imagining himself as a local emperor! Why did the State Lord and strategist choose to go help stabilize Pingdeng County back then? If they had come to our Yanggu County first, conquering the bandit counties and unifying Tongzhou would have taken at least half the effort!”

The soldiers from Pingdeng County in the crowd were unconvinced and shouted loudly: “We Pingdeng County people only recognize the State Lord! What is that Liu Biao—how can he speak on behalf of all the common people of our entire Pingdeng County? I’m the first to refuse!”

“Exactly, exactly—I also refuse!”

“I came to join the army precisely because I heard the State Lord’s reputation—what the hell does it have to do with that Liu Biao! Don’t tarnish the name of our Pingdeng County!”

The Liu Family Village people kneeling in the torrential rain like Liu Biao all shrank their necks and heads, timid as quails, no longer daring to utter a word.

Among the soldiers inside and outside the field, someone unknown took the lead and suddenly raised their weapon forcefully, shouting loudly: “State Lord! State Lord!”

Initially, it was only a scattered hundred or so people, but afterward, those calls had already merged with the sound of rain into one—deep, uniform, containing a vigorous momentum like mountains calling and seas roaring.

This exceeded everyone’s expectations. Even Zheng Hu and the others who had been following Xiao Li were momentarily stunned, then grinned and, like the soldiers, raised their weapons high, loudly shouting Xiao Li’s title “State Lord.”

Liu Biao lay paralyzed on the ground, his eyes showing nothing but defeat and dejection, no longer containing half a glimmer of light.

A crisis dissolved into nothing.

—

Xiao Li interrogated Liu Biao and his clansmen through the night, but the results were quite unexpected to him.

The Pei army in Tongcheng had indeed promised him the great benefit of taking over Tongzhou in the future, but Liu Biao knew nothing of the Pei army’s backup plan.

Although his ambitions were sky-high, he was extremely cautious in his conduct and would never act rashly. The reason he was tempted this time was only because the conditions offered by the Pei army side were also extremely simple.

Several days ago, when Tongcheng sent people to persuade them, they still didn’t know that the bandits in Ping’an County had been executed. They promised Liu Biao and Ma Lao’er that as long as they surrendered and could hold off other forces within Tongzhou territory for half a month, once the Pei army’s main force could spare the effort to overwhelm them and eliminate those rioters, Tongzhou would belong to the Ping’an County bandits.

Logically speaking, this news should have been immediately reported to Xiao Li that very day, but Liu Biao played a trick. He knew deeply that the matter of people coming from Tongcheng had been witnessed by everyone in the entire camp and certainly couldn’t be hidden from Xiao Li. So he ordered his advisor to truthfully write down in the letter all the details of Tongcheng sending people to persuade surrender, but not mention a single word about how they only needed to entangle each other for half a month until the Pei army’s main force could spare the effort.

Ma Lao’er was also illiterate. Like Liu Biao, he had a literate strategist by his side. Liu Biao secretly bribed that strategist and had him read everything in detail when reading the letter.

Ma Lao’er suspected nothing and pressed his fingerprint with Liu Biao to send the letter back.

Having made up his mind, Liu Biao secretly contacted the Tongcheng Pei army again, cryptically expressing that he was only the second-in-command of Ping’an County, that he had a brother who disagreed, wanting to probe the Pei army’s attitude to see if he surrendered to the Pei army and dragged things out until half a month later, whether those previous promises from the Pei army could be honored.

The Pei army person who met with him indicated that as long as they could hold off the rioters from various counties within Tongzhou territory until after half a month without affecting the Jinzhou battlefield, all conditions would remain as before.

Only then did Liu Biao completely make up his mind. He knew Xiao Li and Zhang Huai already had plans to take Tongcheng and join the Jinzhou battle situation. And as long as he could manage to drag things out for half a month, preventing Xiao Li and the others from departing in time, once the Pei army recovered their strength and wiped them all out in one sweep, he could become the new master of Tongzhou.

No matter how one looked at it, this was a sure-profit business with no loss.

—If the Pei army lost in the Battle of Jinzhou, at worst he would continue holding his nose and working for Xiao Li; but if the Pei army won, he would henceforth rise smoothly in his career.

To ensure the plan proceeded smoothly, Liu Biao first bound Ma Lao’er to prevent him from leaking the news.

Afraid that when the Pei army pressed at the border soon after, his mother and younger sister would suffer calamity, after much thought, he also ordered people to secretly send his mother and sister away from Tongzhou.

Never expecting that his every move was under Xiao Li’s watchful eye.

—

When Zhang Huai received the news and rushed over, Xiao Li was still sitting in the tent, frowning in contemplation over those few pages of Liu Biao’s confession.

Zhang Huai, who already roughly knew the cause and effect, spoke out: “It seems the upcoming battle that Jinzhou and the Southern Liang allied forces must fight is no simple matter.”

Xiao Li leaned back against the chair back, pinching the bridge of his nose: “Pei Song is constrained from both north and south. Moreover, Southern Liang’s momentum this time is fierce. The previous battles in Jinzhou have already left the soldiers below panicked and uneasy. This final battle should surely end in defeat—why is Jinzhou going to such great lengths, having the bandit counties hold us back? What is their intention?”

Zhang Huai also couldn’t figure out the key point, half-jokingly saying: “Could it be a dying struggle? Afraid we’ll also pledge allegiance to Southern Liang and become that final straw that breaks Jinzhou’s back?”

Xiao Li’s expression suddenly became especially cold and detached: “I will not form an alliance with Southern Liang.”

The smile on Zhang Huai’s face slightly diminished. Thinking of the poisoned arrow that nearly cost Xiao Li his life, he vaguely understood something and said impassively: “The State Lord’s thinking is thorough. The Southern Liang alliance is already set—if we take the initiative to curry favor at this time, we’ll likely still be looked down upon. Since we’re attacking Pei Song, why need we inform others? Huai will have people keep an eye on the Jinzhou battle situation. Once we’ve dealt with that Pei army branch in Tongcheng, we can act when the opportunity arises.”

—

Jinzhou, the Liang army’s main tent.

Fan Yuan held a tea bowl, standing at the wide-open tent entrance, looking at the thunder clouds gathering more and more at the horizon and the sand and stones swept up by the fierce wind in the distance, puzzled: “A few days ago it was as hot as a steaming basket—now that autumn has arrived, why is it endlessly windy and rainy without a moment’s peace?”

Li Xun sat before a desk piled high with reports, so busy reviewing them he couldn’t even raise his head, only saying: “Heaven wants to rain, a mother wants to marry off—who can control Heaven itself?”

Fan Yuan said: “My eyelids have been twitching these past two days. I’m worried about our siege battle two days from now—if we also encounter a torrential rainstorm, that would be unfavorable for us.”

Li Xun said: “Just set your heart at ease. The Grand Astrologer has already calculated it—the celestial phenomena two days from now will be excellent!”

Fan Yuan said: “No good, I still need to go inspect the camp to prevent any oversights in the deployment below.”

Li Xun shook his head helplessly, as if having no way to deal with his old friend’s temperament. When he saw one particular letter, he quickly called out to Fan Yuan again: “Old Fan, do your people have any news of General Xiao yet?”

Fan Yuan stopped in his tracks: “If there was news, would I be this suffocated? What’s the matter?”

Li Xun raised his head, speaking cryptically: “The Duke is traveling to Jinzhou—it’s to request General Xiao’s return.”

On Fan Yuan’s sun-darkened ruddy face appeared an especially obvious look of astonishment. He stood stunned for a long while, then looked up again at the sky outside the tent, saying: “The sun isn’t rising from the west either…”

Halfway through his words, he looked at his old friend again: “Is it the Princess’s intention?”

Li Xun shook his head: “Unknown.”

—

Chen Kingdom.

The entire room was filled with the crackling sound of abacus beads being manipulated. Several rows of long tables were set up in the front hall of Zhaohua Palace, and palace servants skilled in abacus calculations buried their heads over account books, calculating without raising their heads.

Other palace servants moved lightly and carefully among them, collecting the cleared accounts and original account books one by one, organizing them properly and placing them at Wen Yu’s desk.

Wen Yu sat leaning against the armrest of a soft couch, cross-referencing with the account books sent over by the Internal Affairs Bureau, casually flipping through the accounts that the palace servants had recalculated item by item.

The two Internal Affairs Bureau managing eunuchs kneeling below her had long since gone weak in their hands and feet, cold sweat soaking through their backs.