Chapter 56: The Frontline That Never Ceases to Advance

Inside the main tent, Li Chong was convening a meeting.

Yuan Shen's old subordinates are dead; the remaining troops need someone to command them.

Although the siege of Yunzhong has been lifted, a great general is urgently needed to hold the post.

These two matters are actually one, for the person who commands those remnants is the one who must hold Yunzhong.

Li Chong's gaze scanned the crowd; the imperial guards' generals from Luoyang present in the main tent all averted their eyes.

Which of these imperial guards' generals does not wish to return to Luoyang? Who would want to stay in Yunzhong?

Moreover, although the rebels of the Liuzhen have withdrawn, no one knows when they might attack again; staying there is like standing on a landmine.

In the end, Li Shuang stepped forward.

The moment he saw Li Shuang, Li Chong's eyes lit up.

But immediately, he said:

"This subordinate recommends General Pingbei, Li Shen, to hold Yunzhong."

Li Chong sucked in a sharp breath, looking at Li Shuang with an expression of utter disbelief.

Just as he was trying to figure out what was going on, Li Shen suddenly spoke, acting as if someone were trying to snatch the post from him.

"Ah, brother, what you say makes it sound as if, aside from me, no one in this tent could hold Yunzhong. This tent is not lacking in fierce generals; there are many who could hold Yunzhong!"

Hearing these words, Li Chong understood.

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

Although the generals in the tent very much wanted to agree, seeing Li Chong's expression, none dared to speak.

As long as it wasn't them going, who went didn't matter; but the problem was this was the leader's son. If they agreed, wouldn't it make it seem like they were distancing themselves from the leader?

All the generals in the tent fell into an eerie and awkward atmosphere.

Li Chong was too!

If he didn't agree, it would seem biased; if he did agree, he truly could not rest easy about this foolish son.

At this moment, Li Shuang stepped forward again.

"This subordinate also believes someone should be appointed to assist."

Li Chong was like a drowning man grabbing a life-saving straw.

"Who?"

"General of Auxiliary Forces, Fei Mu!"

Fei Mu sucked in a sharp breath and couldn't help but curse in his heart.

I... you... damn it!

What the hell does this have to do with me!

Although Li Chong did not get the answer he wanted, he could reluctantly accept Fei Mu as a person.

Fei Mu did possess military talent; with him there, at least the city of Yunzhong would not be lost.

"Very well, let it be decided thus!"

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

"Tell me, why did Qingzhun want to go to Yunzhong to hold the post?"

Li Chong's question was very direct, without a shred of a leader's airs, yet to Fei Mu's ears, it made him dare not even take a deep breath.

"How should I put it?"

"What matter could make you so hard to speak of? What exactly does Qingzhun want to do?"

Li Shuang hesitated for a moment, then stated a reason that seemed simple yet was extremely complex.

"He wants to quell the rebellion of the Liuzhen!"

"..."

Li Chong had weathered many storms in his life and had seen every kind of great turmoil, yet upon hearing this news, he jerked and nearly keeled over dead.

"Grand Marshal, Grand Marshal!"

Fei Mu, standing nearby, quickly rushed to the commander's desk, patting Li Chong's back, and only with great difficulty did he help him catch his breath.

"Grand Marshal, as the saying goes, a tiger father has no dog son; it is good that Qingzhun has such ambition."

Li Chong looked at Fei Mu and unleashed a torrent of words.

"You damn fool, you damn fool is just a damn fool..."

Fei Mu dared not make a sound, waiting silently for the old man to vent, until he heard him ask:

"When did this happen?"

Li Shuang spoke honestly.

"Last night, while I was sleeping in the tent, he suddenly burst in, shoved a large amount of jewels into my hands, and said he absolutely needed me to propose his holding the post at Yunzhong during today's meeting."

"And you agreed?"

"Father, if I hadn't agreed, wouldn't he have taken these jewels to find someone else? Rich water shouldn't flow into outsiders' fields!"

"..."

"Fortunately, with General of Auxiliary Forces here, his safety should be ensured."

Li Shuang's words caused Li Chong's gaze to shift back to the very person he had just been berating.

Fei Mu quickly swore an oath.

"Grand Marshal, rest assured; I will definitely ensure Qingzhun's safety."

Li Shuang added another sentence.

"If my brother does not return, you need not return either!"

Looking at Li Shuang's calm expression, Fei Mu thought of those old subordinates of Yuan Shen who had already vanished, and he did not doubt the weight of those words at all.

Fei Mu spoke with heavy emphasis.

"I understand!"

A few days later, Li Shuang saw Li Shen gui off.

Li Chong was truly worried about Li Shen gui; this time he had brought a thousand buqu with him and handed eight hundred of them over to Li Shen gui.

One must know, this was no ordinary troop.

This was a private force Li Chong had accumulated over decades of campaigning, one that obeyed only his orders.

These buqu were fiercely combat-capable, well-equipped, rich in battle experience, and possessed absolute loyalty to the Li family.

However, Li Chong ultimately kept a watchful eye, sending one of his old family generals along with them.

Li Chong still feared these buqu would be squandered by Li Shen gui; he only instructed that old family general to lead the buqu, guard Li Shen gui closely on his side, and not obey his commands in battle.

On this day, Li Shen gui rode atop his horse, radiating peerless spirit, and said to Li Shuang:

"Younger sworn brother, watch your elder brother achieve merit and establish glory!"

Li Shuang clasped his fists in a bow, watched Li Shen gui depart, and said to Hou Jing and She Di Gan beside him:

"My elder brother indeed possesses the bearing of a famous general!"

"What is going on!"

Puluohan Kong Que, stationed in Wuyuan, cursed loudly:

"Clearly, every time we fought Li Shen gui, we won; why are our people constantly retreating? If this situation continues, he, Li Shen gui, will soon be attacking Wuyuan!"

The great general under this True King was furious, yet he heard his subordinate explain.

"Your Majesty, you do not know; this boy named Li Shen gui conscripts a huge crowd of tribal hereditary soldiers from Shuozhou every time, loses every battle, and dumps a huge pile of people on us."

"Could you not accept them?"

"Your Majesty, they are all relatives and kin; it would be inappropriate not to accept them."

Puluohan Kong Que's beard and hair bristled; amidst his anger, a shred of reason remained.

"But even so, why are our people constantly retreating?"

"Every time Li Shen gui is defeated, a batch of Wei cavalry emerges from the Wei army, destroys the villages and pastures of these surrendered tribes, plunders all their cattle, sheep, and valuables, takes everything they can carry, and destroys what they cannot; their methods are even more practiced than ours. The entire Shuozhou, except for Yunzhong, is fast becoming a barren wasteland; the supplies we can obtain grow ever scarcer, forcing us to retreat!"

Puluohan Kong Que gritted his teeth and stared with wide eyes.

"I understand; this boy is truly vicious!"

"Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

"He must be feigning defeat, just to stuff the people of Shuozhou at us and accelerate the consumption of our grain and fodder."

"Then what should be done?"

Puluohan Kong Que very much wanted to say that any future prisoners of war should be buried alive on the spot.

Unfortunately, he could not do so.

Once he did, the more than two hundred thousand people of the Liuzhen would find it even harder to trust one another, and the foundation of the Liuzhen rebel army would collapse in an instant.

Puluohan Kong Que had no solution, so he only sighed:

"The son of a sleeping tiger is also a fierce beast!"