Chapter 58: I'm Done Pretending—I'm Laying It All Out

Wuyuan.

After suffering defeat, Liu Han Kong Que lived in constant dread—not because he feared blame, but because his branch of the Liu Han tribe had lost so many soldiers that it could no longer hold its ground in the Hetao region.

After waiting several days, Liu Han Kong Que finally received his savior—the True King’s envoy.

“What did the True King say? When will the reinforcements arrive?”

The True King’s envoy was a middle-aged woman, plain-looking but strangely compelling.

The woman seemed utterly ordinary, yet if her surname were revealed, it would shock many.

Yujiulu!

“The True King’s reinforcements won’t come!”

“Why?”

Yujiulu Qingyu looked at Liu Han Kong Que and replied:

“Have you not noticed that since Li Chong led his troops into Shuozhou, the surrounding tribes have all begun stirring?”

“I’ve noticed, but both the Tiele and the Xiongnu are fickle! Even if Li Chong wanted to win them over, he has no sufficient leverage.”

Yujiulu Qingyu smiled gently, yet her words sent icy dread through Liu Han Kong Que.

“If you are made the leverage, isn’t that enough? Losing a thousand elite troops is enough to make every beast bare its fangs.”

“If so, shouldn’t the True King send troops even more urgently? If Wuyuan falls, the Wo Ye Garrison will be cut off from the Wei army—the True King will be in grave danger.”

Liu Han Kong Que stared at the woman, awaiting her answer.

“Do you think you’re the only one facing threats? Hu Chen to the south of Wo Ye, the Tiele tribes to the west, and the Rouran to the north—all demand the True King’s attention. Our leverage is simply too scarce; one misstep and we lose everything.”

They had rebelled originally because the Northern Wei court had driven them to the brink.

Yet now, Liu Han Kong Que still felt only despair.

The situation had never changed!

“Is there truly no way out for us?”

“There is only one way out: take Pingcheng!”

Yujiulu Qingyu spoke with absolute certainty—this was the consensus among all rebel forces in the Six Garrisons.

“The True King says the rule of this northern frontier has always been: the weak are devoured by the strong. You grow weak, and they naturally tear you apart. But this situation is not without hope—the key is to seize men’s hearts.”

“How?”

“Win a victory!”

“Fight Li Shenggui? Take Yunzhong?”

“The True King says Li Shenggui is merely a pawn. The real target is the player holding the pieces—remove him, and victory follows.”

“Li Chong?”

After long thought, Liu Han Kong Que recalled the name and understood.

“Is Wei Ke Gu about to act? But even he isn’t a match for Li Chong!”

“Sometimes killing doesn’t require a blade!”

Yujiulu Qingyu slowly spoke the words of Liu Han Baling, though even she wasn’t entirely sure of their meaning.

“What should we do?”

“That’s not your concern. The True King orders you to maintain relations with the Tiele tribes and the Huai Shuo Garrison troops. At least, hold them steady until we have results from Shengle!”

“I understand!”

Among the mountains, beacon fires rose one after another.

In the Wei army camp at Shengle, deep, resonant horns blared.

Enemy attack!

Li Chong stepped out of his command tent. At nearly seventy, he wore no armor, yet his frame stood firm.

Gazing at the northern beacon fires, he exclaimed:

“This is impossible!”

Li Chong had erected beacon towers and garrisons along the northern ridges precisely to defend against enemies from the north!

Wuchuanzhen!

Yet now, beacon fires blazed rapidly along the ridges—only one explanation: the enemy’s advance had outpaced Li Chong’s wildest expectations.

Calming himself, Li Chong accepted this reality—and had no choice but to accept it.

“Has Wei Ke Gu come?”

As one of Liu Han Baling’s top generals, Wei Ke Gu was unmatched in both valor and strategy.

Especially after capturing Wuchuanzhen and absorbing its garrison troops, his strength had surged dramatically!

This attack was clearly premeditated!

Fast, brutal, precise!

Danger had arrived. Li Chong asked:

“Where is my son Li Shuang?”

“The commander of Ma Yi left with his troops several days ago—no one knows where he went.”

Hearing this, Li Chong’s resolve crumbled.

He had no choice: most of his officers were from Luoyang, and his personal troops had dwindled to just two hundred—few of whom could fight.

“Take your men, hold the mountain pass! Delay Wei Ke Gu’s advance at all costs!”

“Yes!”

From dawn, when the smoke first rose, until noon, every garrison Li Chong had built to control the northern road had fallen.

As the battle reports came in, Li Chong, who had sat silently behind his command table, finally rose and spoke with icy calm:

“Arm me!”

“Grand Commander!”

The officers pleaded with him, but Li Chong stared at them like a tiger, his voice thick with lethal intent:

“Today, we fight to the death, facing the enemy head-on. You lead from the front—I stand behind you. Any man who flinches from battle—behead him!”

The officers understood: this was the moment to fight or die.

No matter how powerful their Luoyang connections, none dared question or oppose him now.

They knew: at this moment, Li Chong would truly kill.

“Yes!”

Li Chong’s strategy for defense: deep moats and high walls to hold them off!

Fortunately, he had always been cautious. When he first established this camp, he had not neglected defenses just because it was the rear—long ago, he had built strong fortifications.

“The enemy advances so swiftly—they’re not a large force. They’re multiple elite units moving through the mountains!”

Li Chong’s judgment was correct: the enemy’s actions confirmed it instantly.

Wei Ke Gu’s standard appeared atop the distant mountain pass, towering high—as if mocking the Wei army’s weakness and incompetence.

Soon, the standard gathered the troops at the pass and began advancing forward.

From the watchtower, Li Chong saw: before the Chongchong fortifications of the Wei camp, beneath that standard, a group of armored soldiers surrounded a towering general.

Dressed in bright armor, he moved like a beast, driving his men relentlessly forward.

Fierce beyond resistance!

As the sun sank lower, the Luoyang imperial troops began to falter, yet Wei Ke Gu’s army seemed endless, pressing forward without pause.

“What a man, Wei Ke Gu!”

Li Chong prepared to deploy his last two hundred personal troops.

Two distinct horn calls sounded—but the news he awaited was not reinforcements.

At the mountain pass, two more of Wei Ke Gu’s units arrived, each bearing a banner.

One bore the Heba crest, the other the Yuwen crest!

Seeing those banners, Li Chong turned pale and sighed:

“Is this where the old man will meet his end?”

“Father need not be so pessimistic!”

Li Chong turned sharply—and there stood Li Shuang, longbow in hand, walking slowly forward.

In that moment, Li Chong realized how desperately he had missed this brat.

“Where are your troops?”

“Just me.”

“Then why come here? You should’ve run!”

“Father, don’t panic!”

Li Shuang drew his bow, loosed an arrow—it tore through the sky with a piercing whistle.

The battlefield’s tide shifted violently because of that whistle.

Suddenly, strange movements erupted across the surrounding mountains.

A dark cloud blotted out the sun; the earth grew dimmer. A wind swept down from the ridges, carrying a unique, crisp freshness.

“Who are the people in the mountains?”

Li Shuang smiled.

“I forgot to tell you, Father—I’m not just your favorite adopted son. The bandits and outlaws of Heng, Shuo, Bing, and Si provinces all call me ‘Grand Chief!’”

…