Chapter 50: The World in Chaos, the Situation Looking Bright

The moon was bright, the stars were sparse; outside the Great Wall, a dozen-odd people sat on a mound of earth.

The gate of the pass slowly opened, and Hou Jing led his men, leading twenty horses, slowly out, and moved to the side of the mound.

"Hou Jing, I thought you weren't coming!"

In the darkness, he could not see the other's face clearly, yet the voice was quite familiar.

"When has I, Hou Jing, ever broken my word to a brother?"

Hou Jing had his men hand the horses over to these dozen-odd people, and in addition, a heavy bag of gold.

"Are you really not coming back to Ma Yi with me?"

"No. Ma Yi is fine, but our families are all in Huaishuo—we can't go!"

"So be it! But do you know what to say when you get back?"

"General Who Conquers the North Li Shenggui broke through Woyang City and entered the government office first; the imperial army has overwhelming numbers. The True King had us bring the gold to Bei Lie Buruo, but we couldn't snatch it back!"

"Be careful not to leave any traces behind. Po Po Liuhan Kong Que is no easy mark."

"Don't worry, we're not that stupid!"

Hou Jing laughed, listening to that familiar hometown accent, feeling a touch of sentiment.

"I really miss the days in Huaishuo, especially the people there. By the way, how's that kid He Lihun doing? Still guarding the city wall?"

Everyone laughed.

Hou Jing was somewhat puzzled.

"What is it?"

"Not long after you left, that kid married a daughter of the Lou family. His son's already four years old now."

"Which daughter of the Lou family? Lou Heinu?"

"Lou Zhaojun!"

Holy crap!

That was a famous great beauty!

Hou Jing couldn't help but question:

"That kid's family was dirt-poor. On what grounds?"

"Who can blame them—he's good-looking. The Lou family's daughter took one look at him and chose him on the spot, and even threw in a dowry to boot."

That kid really hit the jackpot!

You fear your brother suffering hardship, yet you fear your brother driving a Land Rover even more.

At this moment, Hou Jing had completely lost the nostalgia for old friends he'd just felt, and couldn't help cursing:

"That bastard!"

"Curse him well!"

When the laughter faded, in the cold wind, the moment of parting had arrived.

Hou Jing cupped his fist in salute and said:

"Take care on the road!"

"Take care!"

Pingcheng.

By the lotus pond, Li Shuang sipped his tea.

Li Chong walked over and said:

"I really didn't see it coming—you kid even dare to pocket the money of Po Po Liuhan Baling and Yu Jiu Lu A Naguai?"

"Foster father, what are you talking about? I don't understand a word."

"Stop playing dumb in front of me. Even if you did it so slyly that not even the gods knew, you can't fool these old eyes of mine!"

At this moment, Li Chong finally displayed the dignity of a Crouching Tiger.

"Manipulating the world's soldiers, colluding with rebels, cheating the court of its money and grain, keeping the enemy around to make yourself look important—killing you ten times over would still be light!"

At this point, Li Chong caught himself and said:

"You're killing three birds with one stone!"

"Foster father, whatever fish or not—we Hengzhou has lots of mountains and is far from the sea, where would we get so many fish?"

"Stop trying to get cozy with me. The law shows no mercy—even if you're my foster son, there's nothing to discuss."

"Then what do you want?"

Li Chong smiled, leaned in close, and whispered in Li Shuang's ear:

"You kid dragged Qing Zhun out in front to take the arrows for you. This money—surely old me deserves a share, no?"

Li Shuang let out a sheepish grin, a touch of sincerity in his smile.

"Haven't I already given you your share?"

Li Chong asked, puzzled:

"When?"

"With this battle merit, elder brother can be transferred back to Luoyang and secure a decent position in the Imperial Guards."

Li Chong's face fell, and he said:

"And that counts as giving?"

"When have fine generals of this world ever been forged in a day or a single night? Doesn't it all take money to pave the way?"

Watching this kid's shamelessness, Li Chong found himself admiring him more and more. Added to the joy in his heart, he was uncharacteristically generous for once.

"I'll grant you're right. For tonight's victory banquet, come early."

With the Hengzhou rebellion quelled, the star of the banquet was naturally Li Shenggui.

Li Chong was very pleased.

What father does not wish to see his son achieve fame and success?

Even if military merit is mixed with water and carries risk, it is still military merit!

Li Chong's eldest son, Li Shizhe, joined the army in his youth and was quite skilled in generalship; unfortunately, he is now critically ill. This is why Li Chong was unwilling for Li Shizhe to lead the expedition when Yuan Xu ordered it.

First, he himself is getting old; second, Li Chong feared that once he left, he would not even see Li Shizhe one last time.

Alas, the will of the Sage is hard to defy!

Li Chong came anyway.

He plunged into the tangled mess of the Northern Frontier.

Watching Li Shen, who was in the crowd and radiating glory, Li Chong felt comforted in his old heart and drank a few more cups.

Feeling his strength waning, Li Chong apologized to everyone, beckoned, and asked Li Shuang to help him into a nearby room.

After entering the room, Li Chong's body swayed as if about to collapse.

"Adoptive Father, are you alright?"

"Just a little wine; it is no trouble."

Saying this, Li Chong took a imperial edict from a box nearby and handed it to Li Shuang.

"Shuang, take a look."

Li Shuang opened it and frowned.

"Defeat Po Po Liuhan Baling within two months? Your Majesty seems a bit inconsiderate of court officials."

"Do not be disrespectful to Your Majesty!"

Li Chong gestured for Li Shuang to sit, took out a wine pot, and started a second round of light drinking.

"Shuang, in your opinion, how should the rebellion in the Northern Frontier be pacified?"

"The Liuzhen are essentially tigers at the end of their road; the more you press them, the stronger their fighting spirit becomes. Moreover, the Rouran are nearby, with ambiguous relations. The Liuzhen are not of one mind, and the Rouran are united in name only; rather than encircling and annihilating them, it is better to combine suppression and pacification, secretly sow discord, and defeat them one by one."

Hearing these words, Li Chong was overjoyed in his heart and drank three cups in succession, but when he set the cup down, his gaze was somewhat dim.

"Excellent strategy, just as I thought; unfortunately, it cannot be implemented!"

"Why?"

"The court fears the Liuzhen' disaster will spread; the Eastern and Western Chiles in Guanzhong and the Northern Frontier have all rebelled, forcing us to spend even more money and manpower."

"But if we rush for results in the Northern Frontier and make even a slight mistake, won't the chaos spread even faster?"

Hearing such things, Li Chong's sorrow surged, and he could not help but drink a few more cups.

"Yes, unfortunately that boy Yuan Xu is stubborn and insists on his own way!"

Li Shuang quickly looked around and whispered a reminder:

"Do not be disrespectful to Your Majesty!"

Li Chong, now drunk, waved his sleeves and vented his sorrow.

"What Your Majesty? Just a Xianbei child."

"I told him to turn the Garrisons into Prefectures; he would not listen."

"I told him not to trust Anagui lightly and allow him to return north; he would not listen."

"I told him not to be like his mother, squandering the court's taxes on a grand scale; he still would not listen."

"The Liuzhen rebelled, the Rouran revolted, Guanzhong became unstable, and instead he dumps the shit-bucket on my head, making me clean up his mess!"

Normally, Li Chong was like an old fox, leaving no trace.

But now, he was an old man with a face full of sorrow.

"This is the Jiangshan of the Yuan family, or is it Li Chong's Jiangshan, forcing me to guard it for him!"

Li Shuang heard this and was very excited.

"Since the court fears that failing to pacify Po Po Liuhan Baling soon will cause more rebellions, then if we first cause more rebellions, won't we no longer need to rush to suppress Po Po Liuhan Baling?"

"Hmm?"

Li Chong looked at Li Shuang, and a faint smile suddenly appeared on his sorrowful face.

"Your idea is very dangerous!"