Chapter 1088

Hu Xiaotian's predicament lies in his having no reinforcements behind him; although Dongliang Commandery is part of Dakang, the court does not value this land at all, and Laohuangdi even wants to find an excuse to get rid of him, wishing he could kill him immediately.

Hu Xiaotian sees through Laohuangdi's thoughts; this battle, whether victory or defeat, will push him into a dead‑end situation — fleeing is a capital crime, winning against Da Yong would saddle him with the blame for starting a war, and to make Laohuangdi yield he must quickly gain a foothold on the Yong River; only by taking control of Wuxing Commandery and holding the thirty thousand Dakang navy stationed there can he make Long Xuan'en wary of him, and only then will he dare not act rashly.

Zhu Guanqi gave him four characters meaning 'let Hu Xiaotian firm his confidence and seize Wuxing Commandery in one move.' Li Tianfu led the reinforcements at the critical moment, letting Zhu Guanqi see people's hearts and giving him unprecedented confidence in Hu Xiaotian's ability to rally others.

Weisa gazed at the burning warships on the river; from the scene she could already guess how fierce the battle had just been, and she whispered, 'Master, what do you want me to do?'

Hu Xiaotian leaned close to Weisa's ear and whispered a few words.

Weisa nodded.

Li Yongfu appeared happy on the surface, but deep inside he felt extremely heavy; having followed Zhao Dengyun for years, he knew Zhao Dengyun's temper, and precisely because he understood Zhao Dengyun, he grew increasingly dissatisfied with this commander — Zhao Dengyun was overly selfish, adopted a defensive stance in tactics, and treated his subordinates overly harshly; now even the Yong River navy's grain supplies were about to be cut off, yet Zhao Dengyun had no way to resolve the predicament he faced.

This time Li Yongfu led his troops to Dongliang Commandery to render aid, which openly defied Zhao Dengyun's order; their warships had just arrived at Wuxing Commandery when Li Yongfu was immediately seized, and the one responsible for investigating him was none other than Zhao Wusheng.

Li Yongfu had long been prepared for this, ordering his men not to resist; he was captured with his hands bound, and Zhao Wusheng had him taken away, though he never expected Hu Xiaotian to come in person.

Hu Xiaotian not only came, but also brought an important captive, Tang Boxi.

Zhao Wusheng approached Hu Xiaotian, clasped his hands in salute, and said, 'Sir Hu, your arrival seems ill‑timed.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'General Zhao, good. I have come on important business to discuss with the Commander.'

Zhao Wusheng's face grew solemn; he looked around, making sure no one was nearby, then lowered his voice: 'Sir, why risk yourself alone? Aren't you afraid the court will blame you for igniting war between the two states?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'General Zhao, you understand everything in your heart; I had thought we could speak openly.' He had great confidence in Zhao Wusheng, and this time Zhao Wusheng was one of the chief commanders he sought to win over; Zhao Wusheng not only had courage and insight, but his influence in the Yong River navy was second only to Zhao Dengyun's, and if he could secure Zhao Wusheng's support, his plan would surely succeed with half the effort.

Zhao Wusheng lowered his voice: 'Sir Hu, you had better go back; once you enter the city, regret will come too late.' His warning to Hu Xiaotian could not be clearer; although Zhao Dengyun had not made an explicit statement, from his order to arrest Li Yongfu the moment he arrived, it was evident that Zhao Dengyun would not treat Hu Xiaotian kindly, and the court would certainly not let Hu Xiaotian off for openly provoking war between the two states.

Hu Xiaotian replied calmly, 'Thank you for your concern, General Zhao. Whatever you have to say, I will wait to speak with the Commander.'

Seeing his persistence, Zhao Wusheng could only sigh and say, 'Sir Hu, you must proceed with caution.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'There is something I have never asked General Zhao: when I escorted Princess Anping across the river, why did General Zhao not board the ship?'

Zhao Wusheng replied, 'Because I received a military intelligence report, I had no choice but to rush back to Wuxing Commandery.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, 'Between us there are still many shared secrets.'

Zhao Wusheng's heart jolted; could Hu Xiaotian's words be a threat? They indeed shared a secret. Once they both served Ji Feihua, but after Ji Feihua met misfortune, they buried those matters deep in their hearts—what meaning did Hu Xiaotian have in bringing them up now? Back when Hu Xiaotian faced trouble in Wuxing Commandery, it was Zhao Wusheng who helped him leave; would Hu Xiaotian repay kindness with betrayal?

Hu Xiaotian said, 'General Zhao, there's no need to overthink; I'm merely curious about your relationship with Commander Zhao. If responsibility for the Yong River sinking incident were pursued, Commander Zhao would certainly bear the brunt, and later you helped me leave Wuxing Commandery—both times you put Commander Zhao in danger, suggesting you don't care about your uncle's life.'

Zhao Wusheng's face tightened: 'My family affairs need no explanation to Sir Hu.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'When a nation's survival is at stake, which is more important—family affairs or state affairs? Actually, what I just said is exactly what I hope will happen.'

Zhao Wusheng secretly thought, 'He must have seen through the discord between me and my uncle, which is why he used these words to test me; Hu Xiaotian's visit today is certainly not just a simple negotiation with Zhao Dengyun, but after his great defeat of the Da Yong army he will surely invite fiercer retaliation, and perhaps he really has reached a dead‑end.'

Zhao Dengyun never imagined that Hu Xiaotian, leading three thousand raw recruits, would defeat Tang Boxi's thirty thousand elite navy; what angered him was that Li Yongfu, ignoring his warning, took ten warships to Xia Sha Port to give aid—Li Yongfu had followed him for years, fought bravely and earned countless merits, yet he failed to see the situation: the court had no desire for war, and a mere Dongliang Commandery was not even in the Emperor's thoughts; he intended to use this opportunity to eliminate Hu Xiaotian, this thorn in his side and a sting in his flesh, and coincidentally Zhao Dengyun's aim matched the Emperor's; he and Hu Xiaotian had long been enemies, and he had thought he could rid himself of Hu Xiaotian this time, but he never expected the situation to reverse dramatically at the last moment.

Inside the Commander's residence, defenses were tight; upon hearing that Li Yongfu had returned and that Hu Xiaotian had come as well, bringing the captive Tang Boxi they had seized, Zhao Dengyun secretly thought, 'Hu Xiaotian, Hu Xiaotian, heaven has a path you refuse to take, hell has no gate you break into—you defeated the Da Yong army yet instead of staying put in Dongliang Commandery you ran to Wuxing Commandery, do you really think I dare not move against you?'

After Zhao Dengyun took his seat at the long table, he said in a deep voice, 'Someone! Bring them in!'

Zhao Wusheng led Li Yongfu forward, with Hu Xiaotian and Weisa following behind.

In fact, when the news of Hu Xiaotian's defeat of the Da Yong navy just arrived, the Dakang officers in Wuxing Commandery were genuinely excited for a while, but soon they realized that this victory in Dongliang Commandery might become the spark that ignites full‑scale war between the two states; Da Yong would certainly not let it rest, and perhaps before long its forces would cross the Yong River in one sweep, take Dongliang Commandery, and then Wuxing Commandery would be the first to bear the brunt—Hu Xiaotian had undoubtedly brought the flames of war upon them.

Zhao Dengyun acted as if he hadn't seen Hu Xiaotian, glaring at Li Yongfu and snarling, 'Reckless fool! Who let you launch troops on your own? You've served under me for years—don't you know the consequences of disobeying orders and acting without authorization? Do you know your crime?'

Li Yongfu replied, 'Commander, I acknowledge guilt, but I do not submit!'

'Bold madman, why do you refuse to submit?'

Li Yongfu said, 'As a Dakang officer protecting Dakang land and resisting foreign invaders, what wrong have I done? Commander, you charge me with the crime of defying orders and showing disrespect—I admit it! Yet I believe my sending troops to aid was without fault.'

Zhao Dengyun shouted, 'You launched troops without authorization, igniting war between the two states—do you realize what your actions have brought upon Dakang? If this were to cause the two nations to go to war, who knows how many innocent lives would be lost, how many towns would run red with blood, how many people would be displaced. You are not only guilty, but your guilt is monstrous! Men, drag him out and behead him!'

Upon hearing that they intended to kill Li Yongfu, everyone rushed forward to plead for mercy; Zhao Wusheng said, 'Commander, Li Yongfu has served many years in the military with countless achievements—please consider this his first offense and spare him once.' Li Yongfu enjoyed high prestige in the Dakang navy because he valued righteousness and treated his subordinates well, naturally earning much goodwill, so the officers all spoke up for him.

Seeing everyone interceding, Zhao Dengyun watched Hu Xiaotian stand at the rear like an unconcerned onlooker, his inner anger blazing, and he roared, 'All of you retreat! Anyone who dares to plead again will face the military rod!'

Everyone fell silent at once; two fierce warriors stepped forward, seized Li Yongfu, and shoved him toward the door. At that moment Hu Xiaotian clapped his hands, drawing the crowd's attention, and he said, 'Commander, what imposing authority you have—truly mighty and domineering—but it is a shame to use such might against your own men; I wonder whether you can show the same courage when facing the enemy.'

Zhao Dengyun coldly stared at Hu Xiaotian and said, 'Who do I think you are? Turns out you're the future prince consort! You weren't commanding battles in Dongliang Commandery—what wind blew you into my Wuxing Commandery?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'Today the northwest wind is blowing; I followed the crooked wind and evil qi over here. I was happy about having just defeated the Da Yong army, preparing to come and share the joy with General Li and the other generals, to drink heartily, but I never expected that winning the battle would make the Commander displeased.'

Zhao Dengyun sneered, 'Sir Hu probably does not grasp what is meant by courage of a common man versus great wisdom and valor; if a gain or loss of a single city were to cause discord between the two nations and spark war, who would bear that responsibility?'

Hu Xiaotian laughed loudly and said, 'Commander, what eloquence you have—must others who reach your doorstep still hand over their homes with both hands? As Commander of the Dakang Yong River navy, saying such things shouldn't you feel ashamed? The Emperor entrusted you with a vital post, ordering you to guard Dakang's northern frontier so you might keep one region peaceful, ensure the territory is not lost, and uphold the nation's dignity; yet when the great enemy approaches, you not only shut your doors and stay out, coldly watching as your compatriots fall into fire and water, ignoring them, and now you even seek to punish General Li's offense and kill a meritorious man—tell me, Commander, whose side are you really on? Are you a servant of Dakang or of Da Yong?'

Zhao Dengyun slammed the table and rose in anger, shouting, 'Nonsense! Hu Xiaotian, you're spouting lies! You want to frame me as innocent!'

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