Chapter 36: There Is No Problem That Attacking Taiyuan Cannot Solve

The Er Zhu Manor.

Er Zhu Zhao first received one hundred strokes from Yu Qingbin, and then suffered twenty military cudgels from Er Zhu Rong; even though his body was as strong as an ox, he could not withstand it, lying in the room for many consecutive days, able only to sleep while lying on his stomach.

Er Zhu Yinge walked into the room, saw Er Zhu Zhao's wretched appearance, and handed over the medicine in her hand.

"Apply this!"

Er Zhu Zhao saw Er Zhu Yinge and a smile appeared on his face.

"Only Ying'e cares for her big brother, bringing medicine to her big brother! You have no idea how much suffering I endured to save you."

"You deserve it!"

Er Zhu Yinge felt no pity at all; she poured the medicine into her palm and began rubbing it onto Er Zhu Zhao's body.

"Be gentle."

Er Zhu Zhao, who was exceptionally fierce when facing external enemies, could not feel the slightest anger toward his own sister, even when she mocked him.

"How did I offend you again?"

"Who told you to be a traitor!"

"How did I become a traitor? It was just that brat Li Shuang who was dishonest, smearing all the dirty deeds on me! Why don't you go talk to him?"

Er Zhu Yinge snorted.

"Do you have evidence?"

"I..." Er Zhu Zhao raised his voice, but Song Jiang's sudden, impassioned tone immediately deflated, "No!"

"Slandering others without evidence, you deserve to be beaten so badly!"

If anyone else had said this, Er Zhu Zhao would have beaten them half to death long ago, but now, he felt mostly confusion in his heart.

"You used to hate him so much, even instigating me to trouble him; how have you changed, and are now speaking up for him?"

Hearing this, Er Zhu Yinge applied a bit more force with her hand.

"I was young and didn't understand; do you not understand either?"

"I understand... understand... be gentle!"

After applying the medicine, Er Zhu Yinge stood up and warned:

"If I hear you troubling Li Shuang again in the future, don't blame me for striking heavily!"

"I won't, I won't! As long as he doesn't provoke me in the future, I won't provoke him either; that works, right!"

"Hmph!"

Hearing Er Zhu Yinge's footsteps receding, Er Zhu Zhao sighed mournfully:

"Why is it always me who gets hurt!"

In the side courtyard.

The spring cold was biting; a chill permeated the house in the evening, dispelled only by the roaring furnace burning within.

"I'm late, I'm late!"

Li Shuang's voice came from the courtyard.

He walked in and saw Er Zhu Rong and Hearing Yuan Tianmu sitting around a furnace; besides them, one seat remained empty.

In the corner of the room, two people were standing.

One was Murong Shaozong; the other Li Shuang did not know.

Er Zhu Rong introduced them:

"Third brother, this is Hou Mochen Yue, from a prestigious family; seeing the chaos in Hexi, he has recently come specifically to join me; he is a rare fierce general."

Hou Mochen Yue had a robust physique, a size larger even than Er Zhu Zhao; standing in the corner, he was like a gray rhinoceros in the room, impossible for anyone to overlook.

"Fierce General Brother!"

Hou Mochen Yue offered a bow in response and said no more.

"Third brother, sit!"

Li Shuang sat in the last seat in the room and asked:

"Second brother, why did you summon us? Is it to attack Taiyuan?"

Er Zhu Rong's expression was serious; he ignored Li Shuang's jest.

"The northern border is in chaos; Yuan Yu is likely to be defeated."

After Er Zhu Rong finished speaking, he looked at Hou Mochen Yue.

"You speak."

Hou Mochen Yue was from a prestigious family and resided in Hexi; having just arrived from the northern border, he possessed first-hand information on the situation there.

Inviting him and Murong Shaozong to this meeting meant Er Zhu Rong trusted them completely; at the same time, not a single member of the Er Zhu clan had come.

"The soldiers under the Eastern Route Grand Vice Director only know how to oppress our herdsmen, snatch our cattle and sheep, and mock our women; when they encounter the rebels of the Liuzhen, they scatter in a panic and are simply incapable of fighting."

The people of the Liuzhen dare to risk their lives, but the official troops under Yuan Yu fight only to eat the imperial grain and will not exert their utmost effort.

Hou Mochen Yue's words were very plain, but Er Zhu Rong did not doubt the other's military competence and military judgment.

"Once Yuan Yu is defeated, Guanzhong will likely fall into chaos; the rebels around us will increase in number, and the court will again order me to suppress them; it is truly troublesome!"

Er Zhu Rong was not worried about the military situation on the northern border, but rather concerned about his own position.

Liuohan Baling was certainly not someone he needed to deal with personally, but the rebels near Bingzhou and Sizhou were indeed something he needed to handle.

The key point was that the court ordered him to suppress the rebellion but provided no funds.

The Er Zhu clan's Qihu army was elite, but their numbers were small; how could they endure such attrition?

"Not long ago, the Jihu rebelled again; the court ordered me to suppress the rebellion and promised to promote me to General of the Champion upon Successfully Suppressed the Rebellion. My troops are short of money and grain; Third brother, do you think you could lend some funds and provisions to your elder brother?"

Li Shuang listened and looked at Er Zhu Rong; he saw that the man, usually so majestic, now looked somewhat shy on his face, strangely embarrassed.

"We are all brothers; what is there to borrow or not borrow? We are not short on this money and grain. It is just that the court's move is truly vicious!"

Er Zhu Rong paused in surprise.

"What does the Third Brother mean?"

"Second Brother, consider this: the Jihu are descendants of the Xiongnu, living in the valleys of Fenzhou. They don't even have horses; how much profit can there be?"

With no money or grain to begin with, sustaining war through war would be a good strategy.

But alas, among all the rebels in the Northern Frontier, which family is wealthy?

"In this case, the more the Second Brother suppresses, the more he loses. The court grants only titles and ranks, not a single bit of actual profit. If this continues, what then?"

Er Zhu Rong listened and nodded.

"Then, Third Brother, in your opinion, what should be done?"

"Bandits must be suppressed, but not entirely!"

At that moment, everyone in the room held their breath, staring at Li Shuang.

Especially Murong Shaozong, who was usually silent and reserved, now had a gleam in his eyes.

"Second Brother, using the pretext of suppressing bandits, demand money and grain from the court. The court will certainly refuse, but they will surely try to appease the Second Brother. The Second Brother can then use this opportunity to gather troops from various regions, train elite soldiers, and then..."

Hearing this, the crowd leaned forward, wanting to hear clearly.

What next?

"Attack Taiyuan!"

"Why attack Taiyuan again?"

Er Zhu Rong poured himself a cup of tea. Hearing this made him feel heated, so he hurriedly took a sip.

Yuan Tianmu, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

"Third Brother, do you mean we should use the pretext of suppressing bandits to extend our reach into Jinyang City?"

"The Eldest Brother is correct. Jinyang is the greatest city in the Northwest. The court will certainly not easily let it go. Forcible seizure is unwise; thus, we must only slowly nibble away at it. If Jinyang is in our hands, money, grain, and soldiers will no longer be a worry for the Elder Brother!"

"Excellent!" Er Zhu Rong declared decisively. "We shall act according to the Third Brother's plan!"

"In that case, the matter is settled. Eldest Brother, Second Brother, while I am away, Yuan Shen has been making small moves. She Di Gan is struggling to control the situation in Shuoyi; I must return!"

Li Shuang took his leave. Er Zhu Rong, still excited, drank a few more cups of tea, then suddenly felt something was wrong.

"Why do I keep feeling like there's something I haven't done?"

Realizing it, he looked at Li Shuang's figure, striding away as if flying, but it was too late to chase him.

"Heh, that boy, not even a single copper coin for me in the end!"