Chapter 136

The dawn over Wei Prefecture was wrapped in a thin chill; the fumes of last night's victory feast had not yet dissipated, replaced by embarrassment and vigilance drifting through the lanes. That ill‑ended banquet was like a bottomless rift, ruthlessly splitting the three allied armies.

Fu Yanqing's Weibo Army, An Chongrong's Heavenly Peace Army, and Shi Hongzhao's Manifest Righteousness Army—once comrades who fought side‑by‑side on the city walls against the Khitan—now each hold a corner of the city; the antlers erected between their camps and the patrolling soldiers have crushed their former camaraderie to dust. Soldiers who meet on the street no longer share the unspoken trust of fighting shoulder‑to‑shoulder; only undisguised hostility remains, and the way they grip their sword hilts as they pass makes it seem they will draw blades at any moment.

Inside the military governor's study, the candle had burned down to its end; Fu Yanqing sat upright at the desk, his sleepless eyes rimmed with red. He gazed at the huge map hanging on the wall, his fingertip tracing the borders around Wei Prefecture, his heart full of fatigue and disappointment. This great victory over the Khitan should have marked the beginning of peace in Zhongyuan, yet he never imagined that, barely after the Khitan withdrew, internal strife would eagerly tear open its curtain.

'A bunch of idiots who only care about immediate profit!' Fu Yanqing slammed his fist on the desk, ink splashing from the inkstone and spreading a black blot across the map—like the warfire about to spread across this land. He hated An Chongrong's arrogance and domineering ways, resented Shi Hongzhao's aggressive pressure, and agonized that this hard‑won victory would be destroyed by internal strife.

Just as his thoughts churned in agitation, hurried footsteps of the personal guards sounded outside the door: 'Report to the military commander, Mr. Su of the Wang Family requests an audience.'

'Quickly, invite him in!' Fu Yanqing snapped his head up, a glimmer of light instantly igniting in his eyes, the fatigue of the past days seeming to dissipate by half. He rose, straightened his robes, his heart brimming with hope—Su Qin, backed by the Wang Family, now the most powerful force in Jiangnan, his sole hope being that this Jiangnan visitor could step forward to mediate, restrain An Chongrong and Shi Hongzhao, and salvage this alliance on the brink of collapse.

Su Qin entered quickly, still dressed in a simple green robe, his composure unruffled.

'Mr. Su, you've come at just the right time!' Fu Yanqing almost sprang from his seat, striding forward with urgency and excitement barely concealed in his voice, 'Look at how this mess has blown up! An Chongrong and Shi Hongzhao, these two bastards, see nothing but territory and money!'

'At yesterday's victory feast, over the post‑war spoils they almost drew blades on the spot! You must help me persuade them! What we should be doing now is to pursue the victory, lead the three armies north, drive the Khitan completely back to the steppes so they dare not come south again—instead of squabbling here over petty gains, letting our own people fight each other and give the Khitan a laughingstock.'

He said it all in one breath, his chest rising and falling slightly with excitement, his hands unconsciously clenching, his gaze locked on Su Qin as he eagerly awaited a reply. In his view, the Wang Family behind Su Qin possessed great strength; as long as the Wang Family were willing to mediate, even if An Chongrong and Shi Hongzhao were ever more arrogant, they would not openly defy it, and there might still be room to avert this looming internal conflict.

Su Qin stood still, patiently listening to Fu Yanqing finish, the faint smile still on his face; only when Fu Yanqing's words ended did he gently shake his head, a soft motion that carried an undeniable denial.

'Commander Fu, you are mistaken,' Su Qin said calmly, his tone forming a stark contrast to Fu Yanqing's urgency—like a basin of cold water suddenly poured over his heart.

'I'm mistaken?' Fu Yanqing jerked upright, the urgency on his face freezing instantly; he stared at Su Qin in disbelief, brows knotted, 'Where have I gone wrong? Is it right to watch the allied armies tear themselves apart while letting the Khitan regroup?'

'Yes,' Su Qin replied calmly, 'Drive the tiger to devour the wolf—once the wolf is gone, the tiger will inevitably turn on its own kind. This is to be expected, a product of human nature, beyond mortal power to change.'

'Then… what should we do? Just stand by and watch them ruin this splendid situation?' Fu Yanqing urged.

'Commander Fu, the Wang Family's mission is to prevent Shi Jingting from ceding the Yan-Yun region and to repel the Khitan's southern advance with Iron Control hooves. These two goals have now been achieved,' Su Qin said, looking at Fu Yanqing and speaking each word deliberately. 'As for who will ultimately rule Zhongyuan, the Wang Family intends no interference. This is the Iron Control law laid down by our old Head of Family before we set out.'

Fu Yanqing's heart sank little by little. He understood—the Wang Family was withdrawing.

'I have come today to take my leave, Commander Fu,' Su Qin said, producing a wooden box from his sleeve and handing it over. 'This is the Wang Family's final payment to the Weibo Army as agreed, plus a token of my personal regard for you. Thank you for your leadership in the recent war against the Khitan—you led from the front and turned the tide.'

Fu Yanqing accepted the box mechanically, opened it, and found neatly stacked gold ingots and a banknote for a huge sum.

'Mr. Su…' he opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say—should he thank him, or try to persuade him to stay?

'Take care, Commander Fu,' Su Qin said, bowing deeply. 'From now on, the fate of Zhongyuan rests in your hands.'

Having said that, he turned and walked away calmly.

Fu Yanqing watched his retreating figure, then slumped back into his chair. He knew that without the Wang Family, this so‑called alliance was utterly finished.

Leaving Fu Yanqing's mansion, which exuded an air of dignified ease everywhere, Su Qin's carriage did not pause for a moment, heading straight for the imposing yet somewhat plain residence of the military governor in the northwest corner—the domain of Guode military governor Shi Hongzhao.

Even before stepping through the gate, the thunderous roar from within could be heard through the vermilion‑lacquered doors—a harsh, gong‑like sound that made the copper rings on the lintel tremble slightly, clearly indicating a major disturbance underway inside.

The attendants following him halted involuntarily, their faces showing fear, but Su Qin remained composed, merely raising a hand to adjust his collar to signal the gatekeeper to announce him. Moments later, the gatekeeper came back pale‑faced, bowed, and led Su Qin inside, muttering lowly, 'Sir, you'd better be careful—General Shi's temper is flared today; he even kicked his favorite personal guard twice just now.'

Su Qin said nothing, just had his men bring in over a dozen heavy chests.

"General Shi, this is the fifty thousand taels of gold the Wang family promised you, not a single tael short," Su Qin said smiling, "Thank you for sending troops to aid us."

Shi Hongzhao's eyes lit up in an instant. He rushed over, opened a chest, saw the shining gold bars inside, and his anger instantly turned into an obsequious grin.

"Oh my! Secretary Su, you're being too courteous! The Wang family are truly trustworthy! Don't worry—if you ever need anything from me, Shi, just say the word! We can work out the price."

Su Qin just smiled and then bade farewell.

Upon seeing An Zhongrong, the fierce general was on the training field, loudly berating his soldiers, urging them not to relax their vigilance.

Su Qin likewise offered a generous gift—three thousand full sets of new Wang family-standard armor and weapons.

"General An, you have a deep blood feud with the Khitan, and you'll inevitably have to deal with them again. This gear is, from the Wang family, a token of respect for you, the hero who resists the Khitan."

An Zhongrong gazed at the fine arms, his expression complex. After a pause, he said: "Please thank the Wang family's steward for me. Tell them that I, An Zhongrong, owe them a favor."

"General An, you're being too modest." Su Qin bowed slightly and turned to leave.

After finishing all this, Su Qin returned to the Wang family's temporary quarters in the city.

"Pass the order: everyone, pack up your gear right away. The fleet has reached Bailam Ford; we'll set out at dawn."

Yes!

At the same time, a piece of news spread rapidly among the allied soldiers.

The Wang family of Jiangnan will give extra reward money to every soldier who fought, paid out immediately!

Soon, a long queue formed outside the Wang family's quarters. Soldiers, holding their tallies, cheerfully received strings of heavy copper coins—and even some silver—from the Wang family's accountant.

"The Wang family is truly benevolent! They say they'll give money and they actually do!"

Exactly! They're far better than our stingy generals!

If I ever get the chance, I'd really like to go to Jiangnan and work for the Wang family!

The soldiers' talk reached the ears of the three military governors, causing each of their faces to darken.

The Wang family's tactic of winning hearts was truly brilliant. They spent money, got things done, and ended up with a reputation of unmatched benevolence before departing gracefully.

Meanwhile, these true blood-and-sweat warlords, because of uneven spoils, ended up being called "stingy generals" by the soldiers.

At dawn the next day, as the first ray of sunlight lit the Grand Canal, a massive Wang family fleet raised its sails and slowly headed south.

Su Qin stood on the flagship's bow, looking back at Wei Prefecture still reeking of gunpowder. He could already see that in the days ahead, these three tigers—Fu Yanqing, An Zhongrong, and Shi Hongzhao—would tear at each other over the rich lands of Hedong, blood flowing like a river.

The turmoil in the north will also continue as a result.

He took out paper and pen and began drafting a report to the old family head.

"…The scheme of 'drive the tiger to devour the wolf' has already borne fruit. The Khitan have fled north, their vitality severely weakened; within ten years they will be unable to move south again. The stone rebel has been beheaded, the threat to Yan‑Yun is gone. Yet all the vassal lords are tigers and wolves—when profit ends, their alliance will crumble. I have already followed the plan, sowing discord among their troops and withdrawing intact. Henceforth the northern border will enter a new round of turmoil, allowing our royal house to devote itself fully to overseas great enterprises."

Having finished writing, he set down his pen and let out a long breath.