Chapter 63: All Glory to the Grand Commander

Yuncheng City was first built during the Zhao State of the Warring States period.

Back then, King Wuling of Zhao adopted Hu clothing and practiced mounted archery; the Zhao State's power greatly increased, it swallowed and annihilated the Linhu and Loufan, expanded its territory by three thousand li, and first established Yuncheng Commandery.

For over eight hundred years, Yuncheng City has always been a major stronghold of the northern border.

When the Tuoba clan rose, in Shuozhou, besides managing Yuncheng, they also built cities, palaces, and temples in Baidao and Shengle.

The chaotic armies and refugees of the Liuzhen, with their style of combat, demolished a vast number of imperial palaces, temples, and treasuries, looting everything that could be carried away; Shuozhou was nearly reduced to a barren wasteland.

After all this to-and-fro over the years, Shuozhou today has returned to the state it was in when the Tuoba clan rose. Except for Yuncheng City, there are almost no other cities with intact city walls.

"My Lord, I am back!"

Hou Jing, face beaming with joy, walked excitedly into Li Shuang's residence.

"Why did you return so late? Yang Kan, Gao Ang, and She Di Gan have already returned long ago."

Li Shuang had dispatched the various generals under his banner, using the name of Li Shen, to raid the Six Garrison armies at Baidao, and the spoils were abundant.

Everyone else had already returned, yet Hou Jing had had no news at all.

"My Lord, I have brought you a great gift!"

"What great gift?"

Hou Jing clapped his hands, and the soldiers under his command escorted a burly man inside.

As soon as he entered, he began cursing loudly in fluent Xianbei.

"Shameless villain, taking advantage of my unpreparedness to ambush me!"

"Who is this oaf?"

"He is the eldest son of Heba Duba, He Ba Yun!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang's expression changed; he hurriedly cursed Hou Jing in fluent Xianbei.

"How can one be rude to a warrior?"

Upon hearing these words, He Ba Yun stopped his agitation, looked at the man before him who was much younger, fell silent, and sized him up.

"Come, come, quickly untie the warrior!"

Hou Jing reminded from the side.

"My Lord, I expended great effort to capture this fellow; he was like a wild bear, extremely hard to catch. If we let him go like this, we must be careful."

Li Shuang rolled his eyes.

"Do you think this is hunting!"

After He Ba Yun was untied, he did not speak a word; silent, he fixed Hou Jing with a gaze of hatred, never shifting his eyes for a single second.

"Prepare hot soup and hot food for the warrior; let him bathe and change clothes, then have a full meal first."

After He Ba Yun left, Li Shuang asked:

"How did you catch him?"

"There were several gaps in the city wall of Baidao City; I led men to charge in and happened to encounter this oaf."

"And then?"

"I cursed him, and he chased me for several hundred li, falling into the ambush I had set."

Li Shuang looked at Hou Jing and scrutinized him:

"Really?"

"Nothing can be hidden from My Lord; I also took advantage of the chaos in Baidao City to charge into the Heba clan's camp, seizing several beautiful women, among whom was his wife."

As he spoke, Hou Jing looked at Li Shuang and revealed an ambiguous smile.

"My Lord, you do not know how his wife looks... how about I send her to your room tonight first?"

Li Shuang nodded.

Seeing this, Hou Jing responded with a sound.

"Alright, I will have someone send her over right away..."

"You fellow, even willing to give away a woman, you must be hiding something even more valuable."

Upon hearing this, Hou Jing, smiling, took a golden tiger-head ring from his chest and said honestly:

"What words are these from My Lord? I just forgot for a moment; I was about to hand it over to you!"

Li Shuang took the tiger-head ring, looked at Hou Jing's reluctant face, and asked:

"Do you know what this is?"

"It looks like something from the Rouran side; it must be worth a lot of money, at least a mansion."

"This is the Rouran Khan's possession!"

"Could it be that the Heba clan secretly colluded with the Rouran, wanting to harm the Great Wei's Jiangshan!"

Hou Jing spat, filled with indignation.

"How outrageous! The Heba clan can be considered generations of loyal subjects, guarding Wu Chuan, with numerous merits; now that they have rebelled against the court, that is one thing, but to collude with the Rouran, their long-time deadly enemies, is simply shameful. I even felt some guilt for accidentally digging up their ancestral land; now it seems, robbing their family was the right thing to do!"

Hou Jing finished his outburst; only to see Li Shuang also take a golden tiger-head ring from his sleeve, compare it with the other one Hou Jing brought, and find it was actually slightly larger.

In an instant, Hou Jing was speechless.

"My Lord, why do you also..."

"This is a token sent by the Rouran Khan, Yuluou Agui, to woo the Northern Expedition Grand Commander Li Shen, intending to form an alliance with the Grand Commander."

A token sent by the Rouran Khan to Li Shen, how did it end up in Li Shuang's hands?

Hou Jing asked in confusion:

"When did the Grand Commander get in touch with Agui, preparing to form an alliance?"

"Speak quietly, do not let others hear; this is a secret; the Grand Commander does not even know yet!"

Hou Jing sucked in a cold breath, unconsciously stepped back two paces, looked at Li Shuang, saw complex emotions surging in his gaze, and then, with twelve parts of emotion, said:

"Your Lordship has poured your very heart and soul into the cause of Great Wei's Jiangshan and the state, even enduring humiliation and disgrace to form an alliance with the Rouran; your boundless sincerity leaves me, your subject, deeply moved and beyond words!"

Li Shuang waved his hand and said modestly:

"What I have done is truly insignificant; all merit and glory must ultimately belong to the Grand Commandant."

Hou Jing nodded heavily.

"I understand, your subject!"

Li Shuang weighed two gold rings in his hand, a playful smile appearing on his face.

"It seems this Rouran Khan, Yuluou Anagui, is no pushover either; within this Great Wei court, the one being wooed is not just the Grand Commandant."

Hou Jing patted his chest and promised:

"Leave it to me, Your Lordship; within one double-hour, I will definitely make He Ba Yun confess everything."

Li Shuang shook his head.

"You won't do; to deal with a warrior like that, you need someone of comparable caliber!"

The Grand Commandant's Office.

"Brother He Ba, have no concerns; since you have come to Yunzhong, you are a guest. Eat well, drink well; everything is on me, Li Shen!"

In the hall, Li Shen and He Ba Yun, both flushed red from drinking, embraced each other, just short of singing, "If there is a present life, let us be brothers in this life; if there is no next life, I will miss you in the next!"

He Ba Yun was so agitated that tears welled up.

"The Grand Commandant does not regard me as one bearing guilt, yet provides me with food and clothing, and even with wives and concubines, hosting banquets daily; your subject is deeply moved and beyond words."

"We are brothers; do not speak such foreign words; it is all in the wine. Drink!"

"If there is a future day, once I am freed from my guilt, I will certainly serve loyally under the Grand Commandant, willing to be an ox or a horse!"

"Eh, why wait for a future day? If you are willing, I will make you a Mobile General under my command right now!"

Hearing this, He Ba Yun immediately knelt down.

"With the Grand Commandant acting thus, I feel even more ashamed. It is just that my family is currently in the hands of the rebels of the Liuzhen, and I have also received secret orders from Prince Guangyang, so I truly cannot extricate myself."

Outside the room, Li Shuang and Hou Jing listened silently; upon hearing the three words "Prince Guangyang," Hou Jing said:

"It is that old rascal Yuan Shen again! Your Lordship, what shall we do?"

"As the Grand Commandant's most capable subordinates, we must defend the Grand Commandant's dignity and ensure that within the borders of Great Wei, no second person can collude with the Rouran!"