Chapter 135

Night fell, Wei Prefecture city blazed with lights; the Jiedushi's mansion hung lanterns from gate to inner courtyard, red‑silk‑wrapped posts lighting the blue‑brick ground as bright as day, while inside the sounds of strings and bamboo mingled with laughter and wine scent, audible several streets away.

This victory feast was set up by Fu Yanqing to celebrate the allied army's crushing defeat of the Khitan Iron Control cavalry.

The main hall held over twenty banquet tables; roasted whole lamb steamed on the tables, wine jars stood open, amber liquor trickled down the edges of the ceramic bowls.

An Chongrong still wore his battle dress, a blood‑stained saber hung at his waist; Shi Hongzhao sat beside him, slicing mutton with a dagger, his face full of ferocity.

On the guest seat beside the host, Su Qin in a plain green robe contrasted sharply with the surrounding armored, weapon‑bearing generals, yet he became the occasional focus of everyone's gaze—after all, in this great victory the Wang Family's weapons and provisions, plus Su Qin's pre‑war tactical contribution, were indispensable.

When the banquet just began, everyone was still a bit restrained; Fu Yanqing raised his wine cup and toasted all around, saying the ceremonial line, "Thanks to all of you brothers fighting desperately, we drove the Khitan barbarians away."

But after three rounds of wine and five flavors, these generals who had just crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood no longer stood on ceremony—some tore off their armor straps, others simply shed their outer robes, revealing sweat‑stained undershirts, grabbed a leg of lamb and shoved it into their mouths, wine cups clinking. They ate meat in big gulps, drank wine in big bowls, and bragged to each other about their battlefield bravery.

"I today personally beheaded three Khitan Niu‑lu commanders!" shouted Zhang Wu, a subordinate officer under An Chongrong, slamming the table so hard half his wine spilled, yet he didn't notice, his face flushed as he roared, spray flying, "Those guys may look big and tall on big horses, but they're just meat! I say, the Wang Family sword is still the best!"

He said this, drew his saber from his waist, and with a clang slapped it on the table—it was a ring‑pommed sword forged in the Wang Family workshop, its blade flashing cold light, dark‑red dried blood still staining the body.

"Look!" Zhang Wu pointed at the blade, voice full of pride, "One chop and man and armor fall like tofu! The Khitan commander's armor, they say made of refined iron, I still split it in half! Without this sword, I might not even be standing here drinking—who knows?"

"What's that supposed to be!" retorted a commander under Shi Hongzhao, slamming the table in refusal to be outdone, "When we pursued we captured an entire unit of Khitan cavalry—just the warhorses amounted to over three hundred heads! We've struck it rich! This time we really struck it rich!"

As host, Fu Yanqing held his wine cup, smiling as he moved among the tables, constantly toasting the generals.

"Today's victory rests entirely on your lives!" Fu Yanqing rose with his wine cup, the liquid sloshing and wetting his fingers, his voice full of fervor, "This cup I raise to you all—may the Han realm's lands forever be free of external threat!"

"Bottoms up!" the assembled generals shouted in agreement, raising their cups; the rims clinked with a clear sound.

Someone smashed his empty cup onto the table, shouting, "Let's win a few more battles so the Khitan barbarians dare not come south!" Another clapped a companion's shoulder, talking about asking the Court for rewards after the war, and the hall filled with unrestrained, boisterous revelry.

However, this harmonious atmosphere did not last long.

After five rounds of wine the vat of strong liquor ran dry, many generals' eyes grew hazy, the flush on their faces spreading to their necks, and their previously restrained ambition and desire swelled along with the drink.

"Commander Fu!" Shi Hongzhao staggered forward with a gold cup, hiccuping from drink, he said, "We've won this battle. But we can't just drink… some things need to be cleared up now. Otherwise we'll harm the brothers' harmony, and that wouldn't be good."

Fu Yanqing's hand holding the wine cup barely paused, his heart gave a jolt—he had already noticed Shi Hongzhao's odd gaze tonight, and seeing the man's veiled words he instantly knew the real topic was coming.

But as a long‑settled Jiedushi in high office, he showed no change of expression, merely setting his wine cup gently on the table, his tone still relaxed from the banquet: "Oh? Commander Shi, speak freely."

Shi Hongzhao gave a hehe laugh, extended a fat finger: "First, spoils of war! The captured warhorses, armor, gold and silver are countless. My Yongyi Army may be the smallest in troops, but our contribution is not small. I think we should divide the spoils—by head count, no, by military prefecture—three‑way split, what do you think?"

No sooner had he spoken than someone on An Chongrong's side objected.

"On what basis split equally? Fatty Shi, how many men did your Yongyi Army even bring? In battle you all hid in the rear, yet when scavenging you were keener than anyone! I say divide by merit—who killed more enemies gets more!" The hot‑tempered deputy under An Chongrong slammed the table and rose.

"Shut your mouth!" Shi Hongzhao's men also flared, "We were preserving strength! Get it? War relies on brains! You just know reckless charges—what good is dying in droves?"

"Who are you calling reckless?!"

"I mean you!"

Seeing both sides about to clash, An Chongrong gave a cold snort and said, "Shi Hongzhao, cut the crap here. Spoils of war are naturally divided by merit. If you have objections, settle them on the battlefield!"

Shi Hongzhao's face instantly darkened. In a fight, his tens of thousands truly aren't a match for An Chongrong's tiger‑wolf troops.

His eyes shifted, then he said, "Fine, let's postpone the spoils discussion. Second, what to do with Shi Jingtang's territory, Hedong? That's a juicy chunk—we can't just give it back to that worthless emperor in Luoyang. In my view, we three should also split it—each gets a few prefectures, everyone benefits."

This proposal was even more naked than the last.

Fu Yanqing's brows furrowed deeper. Although he too was a warlord, he still harbored a sliver of loyalty to the Court. Shi Hongzhao, meanwhile, practically had rebellion written on his face.

"Shi Hongzhao, are you mad?!" An Chongrong exploded, "Hedong is Court territory! We're on a heavenly mandate to suppress rebellion, not to loot! You actually want to carve up the Court's land? Are you trying to emulate Shi Jingtang?"

"Hey, Commander An, you can't put it like that." Shi Hongzhao said with an indifferent face, "What Court? That emperor in Luoyang can barely keep his throne. We helped him win this great victory, yet he can't even muster a fart of reward!"

"We're just taking a little hard‑earned pay—what's wrong with that? Besides, the world has always belonged to the virtuous and the capable, right? Commander Fu, do you agree?"

He kicked the ball over to Fu Yanqing.

For a moment, everyone's gaze focused on Fu Yanqing.

Fu Yanqing felt torn within. He knew Shi Hongzhao spoke the truth—the Later Tang Court was already a hollow shell—but having spent his life in the military and been educated thus, he could not easily take that step.

"This matter still needs long‑term deliberation…" Fu Yanqing said vaguely.

"Deliberation my ass!" Shi Hongzhao, emboldened by drink, snapped, "Fu Yanqing, stop pretending here! If you were truly loyal to the Court, you wouldn't have taken the Wang Family's goods in the first place! Now that the war's over, do you think you can kick us out and go to Luoyang to be a great hero? I tell you, no way!"

"Shi Hongzhao, how dare you be rude to Commander Fu!" Fu Yanqing's subordinates drew their swords.

"What? Want to fight? I'm not afraid of you!" Shi Hongzhao's men also showed no weakness, flashing their weapons.

The entire banquet hall instantly bristled with tension.

"Everyone, stop!"

An Chongrong slammed the table and rose. Though he despised Shi Hongzhao's greed, he loathed Fu Yanqing's hypocrisy even more.

"Fu Yanqing, what Shi Hongzhao said may be harsh, but it's not without reason." An Chongrong said coldly, "We helped you hold Wei Prefecture and drove off the Khitan. This Hedong territory, our Tianping Army also wants a share! Otherwise, don't blame me, An Someone, for turning face and not recognizing you."

This turned Fu Yanqing's face completely. He hadn't expected An Chongrong to challenge him now as well.

He realized that the so‑called anti‑Khitan alliance had been founded on profit from the start. Now the common enemy had retreated, this pack of tigers would finally begin tearing at each other over the spoils.

Su Qin, who had been sitting silently in the corner drinking, watched it all. His face showed no surprise; everything was within his expectations.

He knew his mission in the north was already complete—the Khitan could not break into Zhongyuan, and the rest he could not stop; what remained was merely the warlords' own affairs.

"Bang!"

It was unclear who struck first, but a subordinate of Shi Hongzhao and one of An Chongrong's grappled over a heated remark.

This was like a fuse.

"Clang‑clang‑clang!"

Inside the hall, the sound of swords being drawn rose in a chorus.

The "allies" who had just been drinking together at a table instantly turned into enemies glaring at each other.

"Everyone, stop!" Fu Yanqing shouted, trembling with rage, he wrenched his saber from his waist and smashed the table before him to splinters.

But the men, eyes already blood‑red, would not hear his words.