From the day Wei Shao, the Marquis of Yan, became the new ruler of Bingzhou, Yuanwang, the chieftain of the Beihe tribe, began to pay attention to him.

This man had not only taken over Bingzhou, which had been ruled by the Chen family for decades, but Yuanwang knew that this Han person’s next actions would inevitably affect the fate of all the Qiang people living along the Huangshui River, including his tribesmen.

Yuanwang had heard about some of the new Bingzhou lord’s actions. In recent years, this northern warlord seemed somewhat different from Chen Xiang, but Yuanwang had never harbored illusions about the Han people.

The Protector of the Qiang, Lord Li, from decades ago was an exception. But Lord Li wasn’t a true warlord with life-and-death authority. Moreover, Lord Li ultimately died due to the exclusion and suppression of these warlords.

So last year, although he learned immediately of Wei Shao’s intention to pacify the Qiang people, he didn’t believe it and maintained a cautious attitude. He neither allied with the Shaodang Qiang nor accepted Wei Shao’s pacification.

Until now, when Gongsun Yang was sent as Wei Shao’s envoy to his territory.

He was somewhat surprised by this.

Gongsun Yang was a man of great personal charm, cultured, and extraordinarily eloquent. When he conversed with people, he never pressured or forced them, but rather like a gentle stream, his words flowed into one’s heart imperceptibly, making the other person accept his views and become sincerely convinced.

Gongsun Yang had been here for many days.

Yuanwang was gradually being persuaded by him.

He had never seen Wei Shao in person, and all his impressions of this famous northern warlord had previously come from hearsay.

Yuanwang had heard of one thing he had done.

It was said that in his early years, he had his father’s killer, who had become his enemy due to war, executed by lingchi (death by a thousand cuts). Even after death, his hatred was not quenched, and he had the body chopped into mince.

Although rumors are often exaggerated, the fact that such a story existed showed how heavy this man’s killing aura was, making one shudder.

This was one of the reasons why he had reservations about Wei Shao’s pacification last year.

How was such a person, full of killing intent, any different from the likes of Chen Xiang?

But over these days, he had genuinely felt Gongsun Yang’s charm. It was like seeing the highly respected Lord Li from years ago.

Consequently, he gradually eliminated some of his previous apprehensions about Wei Shao.

Especially last night, after another candlelit discussion with Gongsun Yang, he returned and consulted with several elders of the tribe.

Although there were still hesitant voices among the elders, Yuanwang had made up his mind and decided to submit.

However, he didn’t expect that early in the morning, an envoy from Diao Mo would suddenly arrive, conveying news that almost broke his heart.

His only grandson, Yuan, who had disappeared half a year ago, had first been kidnapped by Han people and sold as a slave in Jinyang, then fallen into the hands of Chen Xiang’s son, and was now presumed dead.

The envoy also delivered a letter from Diao Mo. In the letter, Diao Mo claimed that both Feng Zhao and Wei Shao were evil wolves. Feng Zhao’s association with Qiang nobles was to buy and drive Qiang soldiers to fight for him. As for Wei Shao, he had even more wolfish ambitions and couldn’t be trusted. He strongly advised Yuanwang not to believe the promises of the Han people. He said that although he now had dealings with Feng Zhao, it was only to use the conflict between Feng Zhao and Wei Shao to reclaim the land in Shangjun that had been the ancestral home of the Qiang people for generations but was now occupied by the Han.

When Diao Mo was young, his father was forced to send him as a hostage to Bingzhou, where he was confined for several years before being released in exchange for a large amount of wealth in silk and horses. Diao Mo had great ambitions and was brave and determined, so Yuanwang had always regarded him as a nephew. Having just heard the news about his grandson who had been missing for half a year and whom he had worried about daily, how could he not believe it? Overwhelmed with grief and anger, he fainted on the spot.

His only beloved grandson had been kidnapped by the Han people and died in Han territory!

After waking up, although Yuanwang didn’t go so far as to misdirect his anger at Gongsun Yang and completely break ties with the Han people like those around him wanted, he couldn’t continue to negotiate with him anymore. That’s why he changed his attitude and wanted to expel him.

Unexpectedly, there was a sudden turn of events. This morning, the grandson he thought was dead suddenly appeared alive before him. Learning that he had actually been saved by Wei Shao’s wife and escorted home under protection, his great sorrow turned to great joy. After his emotions settled, he remembered something and couldn’t help but ask Yuan if Wei Shao’s wife had asked him to come back and persuade them to submit. To his surprise, Yuan didn’t know, saying that before the lady sent him away, she hadn’t mentioned a word about it in front of him, and he knew nothing about it.

Yuan also told his grandfather that after experiencing this life-and-death situation, although he had personally experienced the Han people’s cruelty towards the Qiang, he also knew that there were kind and wise people among the Han. Just like the Qiang people, there were good and bad among them. Some fought to protect their homes and land, while others raided counties. One couldn’t generalize.

Yuanwang was surprised and no longer hesitated. He hurriedly returned to express his intention to ally with Gongsun Yang.

Gongsun Yang was still a bit confused about how this all related to the lady. But since Yuanwang had changed his mind, he was more than happy to accept. How could he not agree? He immediately accepted. Yuanwang went out of the tent and announced to the gathering tribesmen that the tribe would ally with the Marquis of Yan, and from now on, they would cease hostilities.

Gongsun Yang also announced the lord’s covenant.

Yuanwang had held the chieftain’s scepter for decades and had very high prestige, deeply loved by his tribesmen. Moreover, who didn’t want to live a stable and peaceful life? Hearing his announcement, everyone cheered. Then and there, the two parties made a blood oath before the altar. After the ceremony, sheep and cattle were slaughtered, and a grand feast was laid out, with singing and dancing, the lively scene no less than during the Qiang New Year festival.

Gongsun Yang slipped away, found an opportunity, and sought out Jia Si to ask what had happened.

Jia Si immediately said, “I beg the Military Advisor to speak on my behalf to the lord! Otherwise, I won’t have the face to see the lord again!”

Gongsun Yang was already unclear about the situation, and this outburst from Jia Si left him even more confused. He asked, “What exactly happened? How did the lady come to save the chieftain’s grandson? And what do you mean by these words?”

Jia Si explained the course of events, and finally said, “The rest doesn’t matter, I’m willing to accept the lord’s punishment, and that will be the end of it. But because of my negligence, I let Chen Rui return to Jinyang. He used an underwater secret passage he knew from before to sneak into the yamen at night, intending to kidnap the lady…”

Gongsun Yang’s scalp tingled, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck: “Did anything happen to the lady?”

Jia Si quickly shook his head: “Fortunately, nothing happened. Chen Rui was shot dead on the spot.”

Gongsun Yang was still worried and asked repeatedly. Finally, he learned that the lady was otherwise unharmed, but had suffered quite a shock and fallen ill for a short time. Fortunately, by the time Jia Si left, her spirits seemed to have fully recovered. Only then did he slowly let out a sigh of relief.

…

No one was more aware than Gongsun Yang of how dramatically the lord’s attitude towards his wife from the Qiao family had changed over the past year.

Gongsun Yang remembered that at first, the lord was unwilling to marry her. It was only after he received instructions from Madam Xu and persuaded him that the lord finally nodded in agreement.

After the wedding night, he sent the Qiao girl away. At that time, he wasn’t even willing to send her out of the city. It was only after Gongsun Yang spent a lot of effort persuading him that he reluctantly sent her out of Xinyang.

That scene was still fresh in his memory. Who would have thought that after just over a year, the current lord had changed so much that even Gongsun Yang was surprised?

It was truly surprising.

Not long ago, when the lord was injured, after just three days, as soon as he could walk, he was already thinking about returning to Jinyang.

Given his physical condition at the time, it naturally wasn’t suitable for long-distance travel. At first, Gongsun Yang, as usual, tried to dissuade him from the idea.

The first time, the lord was successfully persuaded and finally gave up the idea. But Gongsun Yang could see that he agreed very reluctantly.

Moreover, although the lord didn’t say it outright, Gongsun Yang could hear from his words that the reason he was so eager to return to Jinyang was probably to see his lady who had already arrived there.

Gongsun Yang, of course, pretended not to know.

The second time, the lord brought up going back again. He was persuaded to stay again.

By the third time, when Gongsun Yang was trying to persuade him, he felt that the lord’s gaze fixed on him seemed to say, “Why are you being so meddlesome and annoying?”

Gongsun Yang had no choice but to invite the lady to come.

Even now, he still remembered clearly the awkward scene the next morning after the lady arrived at the camp. He came out of his tent yawning and met Li Chong and Zhang Jian, who were also coming out. The three of them met outside the lord’s main tent, each with an expression that was knowing but trying to act as if nothing had happened.

In the end, the three of them laughed it off in unison, covering up their embarrassment.

It was his oversight. He only thought about letting the lord stay to recuperate, so he invited the lady to keep him company. But he forgot that the lord was in his prime, how could he resist the “reunion after a short separation is better than a new marriage”?

To prevent peeping and eavesdropping, when setting up camp, an area of at least ten zhang squares was always left empty around the commander’s main tent.

That night, the closest to the lord’s main tent were himself, Li Chong, and Zhang Jian.

Although they were already ten zhang away, because of the quiet of the night, Gongsun Yang still heard some inappropriate noises coming from the lord.

At first, he thought it would pass quickly. So he pretended not to hear. But it continued on and off, and every time he thought it was about to end and was preparing to fall asleep peacefully, the lord’s indescribable noises would pierce his ears again. Despite his age, it made him restless and unable to sleep.

He didn’t know how Li Chong and Zhang Jian, who must have heard the same things, managed to sleep that night. In any case, he eventually gave up on sleeping, got up to light a lamp, and sat reading the fourteen Zhe Yao – Chapters of Sun Bin’s Art of War.

Finally, when he turned to the seventh Zhe Yao – Chapter, his ears were completely quiet.

…

Gongsun Yang had assisted Wei Shao for many years. He thought he had a good grasp of the lord’s temperament.

He was irritable, quick to anger, and lacked mercy, but he also knew how to correct his mistakes. As he grew older, his self-control became increasingly strong, and he became more and more profound.

The military camp was a place of strict discipline, with rules as numerous as cow hairs. Even running and shouting or looking back carelessly could result in punishment.

However, these rules were designed for soldiers and junior officers. The higher the rank, the more privileges one enjoyed.

Not to mention someone of the lord’s status as the supreme commander?

If he wished, even if he had nightly revelry in the main tent, no one would think it inappropriate.

But the lord had always led by example, especially regarding the “no women” rule in the camp, which was most likely to cause trouble. He had never crossed that line.

Gongsun Yang still remembered that three years ago, during a march, Wei Shao learned that some officers had hidden women in the supply wagons to travel along. He immediately ordered all the women to be searched out and killed on the spot. The involved officers were also flogged and demoted.

Since then, no one dared to violate the order again.

For such a lord to now cause such a commotion in the main camp, it certainly wasn’t intentional.

Precisely because it was unintentional and even uncontrollable, it showed how special the current lady was to the lord.

This was also why Gongsun Yang’s scalp tingled immediately when he heard Jia Si mention Chen Rui’s night intrusion into the yamen.

If by any chance the lady had fallen at Chen Rui’s hands, Gongsun Yang couldn’t imagine how the lord would react.

Fortunately, it was a close call but ended well.

Gongsun Yang had just put his mind at ease. Seeing that Jia Si had finished speaking and was looking at him, he smiled and said, “General Jia, don’t worry. Since the lady doesn’t blame you, naturally there will be no issue with the lord.”

…

The next day, Gongsun Yang concluded his trip to Huangzhong and was personally escorted out of the territory by Yuanwang and his people.

Half a month later, Wei Shao and Feng Zhao met in battle at Li Yin in Shangjun.

Before the great battle, tens of thousands of Qiang soldiers in Feng Zhao’s army had a change of heart and were unwilling to be driven into battle by Feng Zhao anymore.

Feng Zhao was furious and killed a batch of the leaders.

The Qiang soldiers had no status in Feng Zhao’s army. Their food and pay were often withheld, they were driven to the front in battles, and they were given no rest during peacetime. They were used for everything from road building and house construction to mining and salt production, working extremely hard with little chance of promotion. They had long been dissatisfied.

On the eve of this great battle, word began to spread privately among the Qiang soldiers that after Yuanwang led his tribe to submit to Wei Shao, other tribes in the Huangshui area followed suit. Wei Shao had made a covenant with the Qiang people. Not only that, but the Wei army was also willing to recruit Qiang people who volunteered to join, promising that once enlisted, their treatment and promotion would be no different from the Han people, and so on. As the news spread, it grew bigger and bigger.

These Qiang soldiers were all warlike and valiant. They were already dissatisfied with the current situation, and their hearts were restless. How could they be intimidated by Feng Zhao’s killings? Instead, emotions ran high. By the eve of the great battle, when the two sides met and the battle began, the Qiang soldiers who had been driven to the very front suddenly mutinied, turning their weapons against Feng Zhao. Feng Zhao’s formation was thrown into chaos. Although he resisted fiercely, how could he withstand the full-force attack of Wei Shao’s army that seized the opportunity to launch a major offensive? His army was routed.

Feng Zhao suffered a great defeat. In the end, he led a remnant force of several hundred men south to Hongnong, where he finally stabilized his position. He had no choice but to send someone to Luoyang to apologize to Xing Xun and await further instructions.

…

After the great victory at Li Yin, Wei Shao spent two days busy with post-battle matters, planning to return to Jinyang for a while.

The day Gongsun Yang returned from Huangshui, he told Wei Shao about how the lady had saved Yuanwang’s grandson and helped him successfully ally in the end.

But he didn’t mention the incident of Chen Rui’s night intrusion into the yamen, which he had heard from Jia Si.

Only now, observing the changes in Wei Shao’s expression, he slowly brought it up. After finishing, he looked at Wei Shao, whose face suddenly stiffened, a menacing look flashing in his eyes. He quickly reassured, “Lord Jun, rest assured, according to General Jia, the lady is safe…”

“Military Advisor! Why didn’t you inform me at the time?”

Wei Shao abruptly interrupted him, his voice as rigid as his expression.

Gong Sun Yang was taken aback and quickly explained, “Lord Jun, please do not be angry. At that time, with the battle imminent, I feared it would distract you…”

Wei Shao, seated behind the desk, didn’t wait for him to finish. Enraged, he abruptly stood up and, ignoring Gong Sun Yang’s calls from behind, strode out without uttering a word.