Chapter 43: I, a Loyal Minister of Great Wei, Cannot Tolerate These Things

Ma Yi.

"Si Jing, you have finally arrived. I have missed you terribly!"

Li Shuang took Yu Jin's hand and walked into the house.

The warmth of his feeling surprised Yu Jin somewhat, moving him in his heart.

Inside the house, three people were waiting.

Two of them were dignified and imposing in appearance; as for the third, Yu Jin subconsciously filtered him out.

Li Shuang summoned the three and introduced them, saying:

"This is Yang Kan, courtesy name Zuxin, a battalion commander under my banner."

This towering man, eight chi tall, was burly and handsome; every movement was gentle and polite, making one feel an immediate urge to draw close.

"The Yang clan of Taishan, with generations holding two thousand shi, are renowned throughout the world for their integrity and virtue. In former times, Grand Tutor Yang Hu entered the court while ill to personally present the plan to attack Wu; his loyalty and righteousness, whenever history is read, move one beyond words. The Jin Emperor Wu used his legacy strategy to destroy Wu, achieving the work of unification. Now, seeing Zuxin's literary talent and military strategy, they are no less than his ancestor's."

"You flatter me!"

Li Shuang continued introducing:

"This is Gao Ang, courtesy name Ao Cao, another battalion commander under my banner."

Gao Ang was not as gentle and polite as Yang Kan; he looked somewhat arrogant, yet he was born with dragon eyebrows and a leopard neck, possessing extraordinary spirit.

"The Gao clan of Bohai, a giant beyond the seas, has produced generations of talent. Tracing back to Jiang and Kong, it flourished in Chen and Qi. I have heard that Ao Cao, by his own strength, suppressed the northern Hu heroes; this valor is no less than Xiang Yu, and hearing of it inspires deep admiration."

Gao Ang said nothing, merely raising his hand.

Seeing this, Yu Jin was not annoyed and looked at the third person.

"This is Hou Jing, courtesy name Wan Jing, who just arrived from Sizhou, serving as my chief clerk."

The reason Yu Jin had subconsciously ignored him just now was that this man had almost no presence.

Hou Jing did not look as good as Yang Kan or Gao Ang; in fact, he looked somewhat wretched.

Yu Jin fell silent for a few seconds, then clasped his hands and said:

"Long heard of you, long heard of you!"

Hou Jing had been a soldier in Huaishuo since childhood and had little education; he just felt it was strange.

Just now, Yu Jin had said a whole string of things to Yang Kan and Gao Ang; why was it only "long heard of you" when it came to him?

"I have also long heard of you!"

Hearing this, Gao Ang almost laughed out loud.

Seeing the atmosphere was somewhat awkward, Li Shuang spoke up:

"Since we all know each other, we are one family from now on. Now that the rebels of the Liuzhen are near Hengzhou, Si Jing, tell us, what should we do next?"

By bringing Yu Jin to meet his core team, Li Shuang was effectively letting him join the cause.

As a new member, one must establish some merit to stand firm.

Yu Jin understood this meaning and immediately put forward his first suggestion.

"Next, we must be careful to guard against Yuan Shen!"

Gao Ang waved his hand dismissively and mocked:

"He is merely a dead tiger now; what is there to fear?"

Yu Jin smiled slightly, with a hint of caution, and said:

"Ao Cao is mistaken. Yuan Shen has not completely breathed his last, and a beast on the verge of death is the most ferocious."

Li Shuang heard this and nodded. Gao Ang and the others fell into thought.

Seeing this, Yu Jin continued:

"Yuan Shen is extravagantly luxurious, leaving behind a massive deficit, and has privately sold military supplies, committing a heinous crime. Now that the Liuzhen rebels are near Hengzhou, once the court investigates, even if Yuan Shen wants to cover it up, he cannot. If his crimes are exposed, even if he does not die, he cannot stay in Hengzhou."

This former friend of Yuan Shen, one of his own, knew him best. In his words, Yu Jin lightly skipped over why Yuan Shen had incurred the massive deficit and privately sold military supplies, going straight to the conclusion.

"To cover up his crimes, Yuan Shen will play three moves."

"Which three moves?"

"The first move: send troops to fight the rebel Bei Lie Buruo. This battle must be lost; thus, the military supplies lost in Pingcheng will simply be forgotten."

"The second move is to forcibly marry Du Gu Ru. By taking the three thousand elite cavalry of the Du Gu tribe, and obtaining their cattle, sheep, horses, and wealth, the deficit he incurred can be explained."

Hearing this, Yang Kan could not help but ask:

"Then what is the third move?"

Yu Jin looked at Li Shuang and said:

"The situation in the northern border has rotted to this point; as Governor of Hengzhou, Yuan Shen bears full responsibility. To shift the blame, he must find a scapegoat, and the Governor of Ma Yi is the most suitable person."

Everyone looked at Li Shuang, only to see him curse directly.

"How outrageous! This great corrupt official still wants to take three steps? Tolerating such a parasite to do evil is not what we loyal ministers would do!"

"My Lord is wise!"

"Your Highness, Bei Lie Buruo has already occupied the city. If we advance hastily now, our equipment is not ready, and we fear we cannot defeat the enemy army."

Inside the tent, no matter how his subordinates pleaded, Yuan Shen kept a cold face, showing not a shred of intention to withdraw his decision.

"The rebels have already surrounded Yunzhong and are approaching Hengzhou. Bei Lie Buruo has also rebelled against the court at this time and advanced on Pingcheng. If the two link up, it will be a great danger. If we do not quickly quell them, how can we answer to the court?"

"Even so, we should wait until preparations are stable before advancing. At the very least, we could coordinate with the Governor of Ma Yi to advance together. The Ma Yi garrison plus the troops he brings total five thousand soldiers; he is also deeply trusted by the surrounding tribes and can recruit tribal soldiers for aid."

Mentioning Li Shuang, the chill Yuan Shen emitted made one feel as if falling into an ice cave.

"Without Li Shuang, can this King not accomplish anything?"

The general who spoke saw this and dared not say more for the moment.

"All of you are tigers of the court, and your subordinates are brave soldiers. Bei Lie Buruo is merely a rebel; how much ability can he have, and what is there to fear?"

Silence filled the tent. The troops were sent out, and Yuan Shen waited for the result.

"Your Highness!"

The messenger returned with news from the front; Yuan Shen, whose face had been cold, now showed anxiety.

"Defeated!"

Hearing these two words, Yuan Shen's face finally relaxed.

Everyone in the tent, seeing Yuan Shen's expression change, felt their hearts pounding with unease, finding it strange.

Yet, before the messenger had finished speaking, he added another sentence.

"And then we won!"

Yuan Shen demanded:

"What exactly happened?"

"When our forces advanced, they were ambushed by Bei Lie Buruo's troops from the north and were on the verge of collapse, but She Di Gan suddenly led his forces into the battlefield, turned the tide, and defeated Bei Lie Buruo."

Hearing this, Yuan Shen's body wavered, unable to stand steadily.

"Your Highness!"

Everyone wanted to step forward to support him, but they saw Yuan Shen wave his hand.

"This King is fine; I am just very happy!"

Seeing this, everyone grew even more puzzled.

Happy enough to lose their balance?

Laughter from She Di Gan came from outside the tent; he strode in carefree into the main tent.

"Your Highness, you always say that we northern leaders think too much of ourselves and too little of the court; how is it now?"

She Di Gan stood in the center of the tent, his face beaming with a smile.

"The rebel Bei Lie Buruo has been defeated by me and retreated to Woyang; I think he dares not venture out of the city again. Your Highness, how is my loyalty to the court?"

Hearing this, Yuan Shen's eyes blazed with anger; he gritted his teeth and said:

"Loyalty... loyalty cannot be spoken of!"