Chapter 56: The Advancing Front

Inside the large tent, Li Chong was holding a meeting.

Yuan Shen’s former subordinates had died; the remaining troops needed someone to command them.

Though the siege of Yunzhong had been lifted, a great general was urgently needed to hold the post.

These two matters were in fact one: the man who commanded the remnants must be the one to garrison Yunzhong.

Li Chong scanned the assembled officers; the Luoyang-based imperial guard commanders all avoided his gaze.

Which of these imperial guard commanders didn’t want to return to Luoyang? Who would want to stay in Yunzhong?

Moreover, though the Liuzhen rebels had withdrawn, no one knew when they might return—staying there was like sitting on a bomb.

Finally, Li Shuang stepped forward.

At the sight of Li Shuang, Li Chong’s eyes lit up.

But then he said:

“I recommend General Li Shenggui to garrison Yunzhong.”

Li Chong drew in a sharp breath, staring at Li Shuang in disbelief.

Before he could fathom what was happening, Li Shenggui suddenly spoke, as if someone were trying to snatch the position from him.

“Hey, younger brother, you make it sound as if no one in this tent but me can garrison Yunzhong. There are plenty of fierce generals here capable of holding the post!”

Upon hearing this, Li Chong understood.

His son, Li Shenggui, had once again taken matters into his own hands.

Though the officers in the tent longed to agree, they dared not speak, watching Li Chong’s expression.

As long as it wasn’t them going, who cared who went—but this was the commander’s son; if they endorsed it, wouldn’t it look like they were too close to the boss?

All the officers in the tent were trapped in an eerie, awkward silence.

So was Li Chong!

If he refused, he’d seem biased; if he agreed, he couldn’t possibly trust this foolish son of his.

Then Li Shuang stepped forward again.

“I also believe someone should assist him.”

Li Chong felt like a drowning man clutching a straw.

“Who?”

“General Fei Mu.”

Fei Mu drew in a sharp breath, cursing inwardly.

I… you… damn it!

What the hell does this have to do with me?

Though not the answer Li Chong had hoped for, Fei Mu was a man he could barely accept.

Fei Mu had genuine military talent; with him, Yunzhong wouldn’t fall.

“Then it’s settled!”

After the meeting, Li Chong kept Li Shuang and Fei Mu behind.

“Tell me—why did Qingzhun volunteer to garrison Yunzhong?”

Li Chong’s question was blunt, devoid of any commander’s pretense; yet to Fei Mu, it felt like he couldn’t even breathe freely.

“How should I put it?”

“What could possibly make you so reluctant to speak? What exactly is Qingzhun trying to do?”

Li Shuang hesitated, then gave a reason that seemed simple yet was profoundly complex.

“He wants to quell the Liuzhen rebellion.”

“…”

Li Chong had weathered decades of storms, survived countless upheavals—but hearing this, he reeled, nearly collapsing.

“Grand Commander! Grand Commander!”

Fei Mu rushed to the command table, pounding Li Chong’s back until he finally caught his breath.

“Grand Commander, as the saying goes, a tiger father has no dog son. Qingzhun’s ambition is commendable.”

Li Chong turned on Fei Mu and unleashed a torrent of curses.

“I shit on your shit—you’re nothing but a pile of shit…”

Fei Mu dared not speak, waiting for the old man to vent—until he asked:

“When did this happen?”

Li Shuang answered honestly.

“Last night, I was sleeping in my tent when he burst in, shoved a pile of jewels into my hands, and insisted I propose him for Yunzhong today.”

“You agreed?”

“Father, if I refused, wouldn’t he just take those jewels and find someone else? Why let the water flow to someone else’s field?”

“…”

“Thankfully, with General Fei Mu there, my brother’s safety should be assured.”

Li Shuang’s remark drew Li Chong’s gaze back to his recent target.

Fei Mu immediately swore an oath.

“Grand Commander, rest assured—I will guarantee Qingzhun’s safety.”

Li Shuang added one more line.

“If my brother doesn’t come back, you won’t come back either.”

Fei Mu looked at Li Shuang’s calm face and thought of the vanished remnants of Yuan Shen’s troops—he had no doubt about the weight behind those words.

Fei Mu spoke firmly.

“I understand!”

Several days later, Li Shuang saw off Li Shenggui.

Li Chong was genuinely worried about Li Shenggui—he had brought a thousand personal troops, and gave him eight hundred.

Know this: these were no ordinary soldiers.

They were Li Chong’s lifelong private force, forged through decades of warfare, loyal only to him.

These troops were formidable, well-equipped, battle-hardened, and utterly devoted to the Li family.

Yet Li Chong still kept a precaution—he sent an old veteran officer along with them.

He feared Li Shenggui would waste his troops, so he ordered the veteran to guard Li Shenggui’s person, never to obey his battlefield commands.

On this day, Li Shenggui rode his horse with unmatched pride, turning to Li Shuang:

“Younger brother, watch as your elder brother achieves glory!”

Li Shuang bowed respectfully, watching Li Shenggui depart, then said to Hou Jing and Kedi Gan beside him:

“My brother has the bearing of a great general.”

“What’s going on?!”

Po Liuhan Kong Que, stationed in Wuyuan, roared:

“We’ve defeated Li Shenggui every time we fought him—so why are our men falling back? If this continues, Li Shenggui will reach Wuyuan in no time!”

This general of the True King was furious, but his subordinate explained:

“Your Majesty, you don’t know—this Li Shenggui always conscripts large numbers of Shuozhou tribal levies to fight. He loses every time, leaving us a mountain of corpses.”

“Can’t you refuse to take them?”

“Your Majesty, they’re all kin or allies—refusing isn’t feasible.”

Po Liuhan Kong Que’s beard bristled, furious yet still rational.

“But even so—why are our forces still retreating?”

“After every defeat, Wei cavalry emerge and destroy the villages and pastures of these surrendered tribes—looting all cattle, sheep, and valuables. They take what they can carry, burn what they can’t. Their methods are even more thorough than ours. Except for Yunzhong, all of Shuozhou is turning to wasteland. Our supplies dwindle daily—we have no choice but to fall back!”

Po Liuhan Kong Que clenched his teeth, eyes blazing.

“I see now—this boy is truly ruthless!”

“Your Majesty, what do you mean?”

“He’s feigning defeat—just to flood us with Shuozhou civilians and accelerate our grain consumption.”

“Then what do we do?”

Po Liuhan Kong Que wanted to order all prisoners executed on the spot.

But he couldn’t.

If he did, the 200,000 men of Liuzhen would lose all trust in each other—the rebellion’s foundation would collapse instantly.

Po Liuhan Kong Que had no solution, only sighed:

“The son of a crouching tiger is still a beast!”

…