Chapter 46: All for the Sake of the Empire

Fenzhou, Zuoguo City.

Looking at the military report before him, General Er Zhu Rong's face turned ugly.

"These Ji Hu are nothing but rats in the mountain gullies!"

General Er Zhu Rong's warfare has always been loud and bold, but this group of Ji Hu hiding in the valleys of Hexi made him feel powerless for the first time.

These descendants of the Xiongnu had lost the rough bravery of their ancestors galloping on the grasslands; hiding in these valleys for over a hundred years, they had gained a touch of cunning.

Even though General Er Zhu Rong had captured Zuoguo City, the capital once established by Liu Yuan, those rebellious Ji Hu not only refused to surrender but hid deep in the mountains and forests, occasionally jumping out to attack General Er Zhu Rong's supply lines, driving him to the brink of madness.

Worse still, General Er Zhu Rong had no good solution.

The Ji Hu living in these Hexi valleys numbered in the hundreds of thousands; their combat power was weak, but their numbers were vast, and such tactics struck exactly at General Er Zhu Rong's soft spot.

His troops were all elite, but few in number; dragging out a slow war against those Ji Hu in these mountains and forests would undoubtedly be a slow suicide.

Yuan Tianmu walked in, looking even more worried than General Er Zhu Rong.

"Tianmu, you've come at just the right time. We can't stay here any longer; it's time to retreat."

Yuan Tianmu did not respond but handed the intelligence in his hand to General Er Zhu Rong.

The other party took it, glanced at it, and turned pale with shock.

"How did Li Chong get to Pingcheng?"

"He did not advance from Bingzhou; instead, he led his troops on a detour through Hebei, passing Shanggu to reach Hengzhou, completely evading our spies. I heard your third brother was caught off guard by him and almost lost his life."

"This old thing is of such an age, yet still so cunning." The anger accumulated in General Er Zhu Rong's heart erupted at this moment. "In that case, we certainly cannot stay here for long."

General Er Zhu Rong wanted to leave the Hexi valleys sooner, and Yuan Tianmu shared this sentiment.

"Since Zuoguo City has already been recovered, it will be enough to satisfy the court. Lately, the court has been restless as well!"

"The court?"

Yuan Tianmu nodded and said:

"After Liu Teng died, Hu Hou gradually reclaimed her power over the harem. As the Son of Heaven grows older, he has also expressed dissatisfaction with Prince Yuan Yi's monopolization of court affairs. The sky over Luoyang City is about to change."

General Er Zhu Rong frowned. Prince Yuan Yi was his backer in the court; if he fell, many things would become difficult to handle.

"What is Prince Yuan Yi thinking?"

"He seems to want to step down!"

"What did you say?"

Back then, Prince Yuan Yi, in alliance with the eunuch Liu Teng, launched a palace coup, killed Qinghe Wang Yuan Yi, imprisoned Hu Hou, and thus seized control of the Luoyang court.

General Er Zhu Rong could not believe it; how could anyone be so naive?

"Does he think he has a way out?"

Yuan Tianmu also sighed, feeling somewhat helpless about this.

"Prince Yuan Yi might think that as Hu Hou's brother-in-law, there is still some room for maneuver."

"In that case, we must accelerate our steps and seize Jinyang as soon as possible. No matter how the court situation in Luoyang changes, we will be able to sit firmly on the fishing platform."

"It's just that we don't know if your third brother can pass the test on his end!"

"The young hero guarding Ma Yi is of extraordinary bearing; this old man admires him to the utmost!"

"The General Who Conquers the North is nearly seventy, yet still leads troops into battle; his heroic spirit covers the world. This martial valor is no less than that of Lian Po!"

Li Shen Gui stood aside, not understanding how two people who had recently been fighting for life and death could now be so friendly.

"Please!"

"Please!"

As soon as Li Chong sat down, he began to build rapport.

"I heard from Si Zhou Inspector Wei Qingbin that the governor of Ma Yi is from the Longxi Li clan?"

"To not hide anything from the Great General, I lost my father at a young age, wandered in the mountains and wilds, and do not know my origin!"

Li Chong stroked his beard, pondered for a long time, and suddenly spoke:

"There can be no mistake; you are of the Longxi Li clan!"

Li Shuang was caught off guard by Li Chong's sudden turn of events, but heard him continue:

"I am also of the Longxi Li clan; as family, I would not make a mistake."

Li Shuang wore an expression of sudden realization.

"No wonder that day on the walls of Ma Yi City I felt so close to you, old sir; I couldn't help but kowtow to you. It turns out this is the call of the bloodline!"

Li Shuang stood up and clapped his hands.

Liu Gui suddenly appeared at the banquet, holding a box, looking somewhat uneasy. It seemed to be his first time attending such a high-end gathering, and Liu Gui was very nervous.

Li Shuang took the heavy box from Liu Gui's hands and placed it before Li Chong.

"I heard you, old sir, are on the path; I specially ordered someone to prepare this as a tribute from a junior to you, old sir."

Li Chong hooked it lightly with his finger, and saw a golden statue inside the box.

"Why be so polite? I am but a few years older than you, so I count as your elder; how can I accept a gift from a junior like you?"

Saying this, Li Chong handed the box to Li Shen Gui, who was serving nearby.

"Besides, if outsiders find out, they will say this old man accepted bribes!"

Li Shuang's expression changed, and he shook his head.

"With words like that, old sir, I must find fault with you."

"Oh?"

"Back then, when Wang Jian was ordered to attack Chu, the First Emperor asked him; Wang Jian requested many fields, houses, and beautiful concubines. With the First Emperor of Qin's great talent, Wang Jian still had to soil his reputation to avoid suspicion. How much more so now, when the Son of Heaven is young and surrounded by treacherous ministers; you, old sir, leading a great army outside, should do the same."

After Li Shuang finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a long time. Afterward, Li Chong burst into laughter.

"Your words, young man, truly speak to my heart. It is laughable that those pure scholars, whenever they discuss matters, always speak of 'loving wealth and goods, hoarding in the markets, and ceaselessly seeking gain'!"

Li Shuang immediately chimed in agreement.

"You are right, old sir. What do those armchair theorists know? When a great general is away, if he does not sully his own reputation, how can he calm the Son of Heaven's heart? Sometimes when we take a bit more, it is not for ourselves, but for the sake of Jiangshan!"

Li Chong's eyes brightened as he looked at Li Shuang, filled with appreciation.

"The more I look at you, the more I like you, boy."

Li Shen, watching from the side, could tell that if there had been any acting before, Li Chong's emotions now were entirely genuine, coming from within.

"I have a bold idea!"

Saying this, Li Shuang knelt down.

"If you do not disdain me, I, Shuang, wish to take you as my sworn father!"

Li Chong helped Li Shuang to his feet and laughed heartily:

"I never thought that at my age, I could gain such a son!"

After helping the half-drunk Li Chong back to his room, Li Shen complained:

"Father, you are truly senile. How can you take in a person of unknown origin as a sworn son?"

Li Chong lay on the bed, his face still flushed, yet his gaze was crystal clear.

"If I call you a fool, you truly are one. If you had even half of that boy Li Shuang's ability, our Li family would have nothing to worry about."

"Father, what do you mean?"

"Do you remember the question I asked you?"

"I remember!"

Hearing Li Shen's words, Li Chong still harbored resentment.

"Did that Xianbei child make you the Pingbei General because he trusted the Li family?"

"What else could it be?"

"His meaning was clear: if we cannot quell the chaos in Hengzhou, we father and son need not return, but will simply be buried here!"

Li Shen's face changed drastically, and cold sweat streamed down uncontrollably.

"Then what does this have to do with Li Shuang?"

Li Chong let out a cold snort.

"I am nearly seventy years old. To deal with the wolf-like rebels of the Six Garrisons, should I go up personally, or should you, the useless Pingbei General, go?"

Li Shen finally understood.

"But what about Yuan Shen?"

Li Chong spoke with a touch of ruthlessness:

"I have already given him a chance. Since Yuan Shen is incompetent and cannot control the situation in Hengzhou, do not blame me for being ruthless!"