Chapter 69: Brother Daye's Debt of Gratitude Is Never Ending

"Gao Huan, you fake Xianbei, betraying your brothers, lacking loyalty!"

Inside the tavern, Hou Jing unloaded a barrage on Gao Huan, deeply dissatisfied.

As for Gao Huan, he remained smiling.

Several brothers standing beside Gao Huan rose up to confront Hou Jing and the minions behind him, but were stopped by Gao Huan.

"Hou Jing, it's been a few days; you've already gathered so many minions. Sit, sit!"

Hou Jing plopped down, yet anger still churned in his chest; he did not wish to speak with Gao Huan.

Gao Huan, however, poured wine for him, then waved his hand. Soon, everyone in the room withdrew.

"Did you not also betray your own brothers?"

Hou Jing lifted the cup and drank; after finishing, he still offered a defense.

"That was to preserve our strength, to lie low and wait for an opportunity. Otherwise, if the entire army were wiped out, who in Huaishuo Town could save my lord?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan lowered his brows, then quickly poured another cup of wine for Hou Jing.

"Do you know why Polo Han Kong Que did not kill you, but instead promoted you?"

Hou Jing looked at Gao Huan and mocked:

"Isn't it because he fears you, Helu Hun, would dominate Huaishuo Town single-handedly!"

Gao Huan did not deny it; instead, he sat closer, actively drawing Hou Jing nearer.

"We are both from Huaishuo, having grown up together, knowing each other inside out. After Huaishuo Town fell, officials like Sima Zirú and Sun Teng all fled, yet I returned. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"I could not abandon the common people of Huaishuo!"

Hou Jing glanced at Gao Huan and sneered:

"Who are you fooling? Sima Zirú, Sun Teng, and others all went to join Er Zhu Rong. You, a mere squad leader, would they have even wanted you?"

Exposed by Hou Jing right to his face regarding his hidden thoughts, Gao Huan did not grow angry.

"I said, we all know each other inside out; even a fart's scent we know."

"If you have a fart, let it out!"

Gao Huan sat upright, his expression serious.

"To survive in this chaotic age, one relies first on birth, second on troops. Sima Zirú and Sun Teng could leave, but I must stay; I cannot abandon the people of Huaishuo Town."

"What does that have to do with betraying my lord?"

"Have those hundred thousand shi of grain and thirty thousand head of cattle and sheep arrived?"

"They have arrived!"

After Hou Jing spoke, he looked at Gao Huan, seemingly finally understanding his plan.

"Helu Hun, you are eyeing that batch of grain too?"

Gao Huan nodded.

"I received news: a Rouran thousand-man unit, acting as vanguard, has already crossed the desert and reached Monan; a large force of Rouran people is following this thousand-man unit south. Why is the Rouran Khan so eager to move the Wang Ting from Mobei to Monan? Because he knows the Six Garrisons' armies are failing and rushes to seize territory!"

"In this chaotic age, to avoid becoming the dish on the table at the end, one must hold chips. Polo Han Kong Que wants to make us Huaishuo people that dish; we can likewise make him sit at the table."

Hearing this, Hou Jing hesitated and asked:

"What do you mean?"

"If we join hands, we can already control most of the garrison troops in Huaishuo Town. We go to rescue your lord; once successful, of that batch of grain, I will take only one-tenth!"

"You are also from Huaishuo Town; surely you cannot bear to see the people of Huaishuo enslaved by the Rouran. With that one-tenth of grain as a chip, we Huaishuo people can leave this place of confinement!"

Hou Jing was still hesitating; Gao Huan urged again:

"The troops of Huaishuo and Wu Chuan are the bravest under heaven, yet confined in this northern border. If they can move south, are the mediocre of the world worth mentioning?"

Hou Jing nodded, finally making up his mind.

"The one thousand garrison troops I have recently received are indeed formidable, nearly matching the Qihu troops of the Er Zhu clan and the Han auxiliary units under my lord's command."

Gao Huan paused, his smiling face twitching at the corner of the mouth, then quickly recovered.

"How many such troops are there?"

Hou Jing, suspecting nothing, spoke honestly:

"Er Zhu Rong has seven thousand Qihu troops; my lord originally had three thousand Han auxiliary units, later recruiting another two thousand, though the combat power of these two thousand is slightly inferior."

After hearing this, Gao Huan swirled the wine bowl in his hand, thought briefly, then said:

"Delay is not an option; act immediately!"

Inside the general's mansion of Huaishuo Town, Li Shuang lay upon the bed, surrounded by more than a dozen women of the Polo Han clan, fawning over him.

"Speak quickly, Brother Daye!"

Li Shuang yawned and sat up.

"Where did the last story leave off?"

"It spoke of Young Master Jia meeting Lin Meimei; what happened next?"

"That must be told starting from the Immortal Realm..."

Before Li Shuang could finish, someone among the women interrupted him.

"Brother Daye, I think Young Master Jia and the noble lady of the Xue family are the perfect match; in the end, did the two of them end up together?"

"How is that possible? Lin Meimei is Young Master Jia's beloved."

"Lin Meimei's family is merely a fallen household; how can she match Young Master Jia?"

Soon, Li Shuang's ears were filled with arguments like "Noble Lady Xue is a bitch" and "Lin Meimei is a mistress."

The bustle inside the room was such that the sudden shouts of battle outside did not affect it for a moment.

Until Hou Jing, crying out, ran all the way from outside the house into it, sliding on his knees across the floor by momentum until he reached Li Shuang.

"My Lord, Hou Jing is guilty; I was late to rescue you, causing you suffering..."

Hou Jing looked up and saw Li Shuang, seated amidst a pile of cosmetics, with an expression of despair on his face.

Damn, does being handsome mean you can do whatever you want?

Hou Jing's arrival frightened the women in the house, who scattered and hid in various corners of the room.

Gao Huan shouted from outside:

"Hou Jing, did you rescue Brother Daye? Act quickly; we don't have much time."

"He Li Hun has come too?"

Hou Jing stood nearby, trying to explain.

"My Lord, he was also forced by Polo Han Kong Que; now that he has come with me to rescue you, it proves his loyalty and righteousness."

Li Shuang patted Hou Jing's shoulder; with each pat, Hou Jing felt a chill run down his spine.

"Don't be foolish; how could I blame you? Am I the kind of petty person?"

Seeing such understanding Li Shuang, Hou Jing felt like crying for some reason.

"My Lord is certainly not that kind of person; let us leave quickly!"

Li Shuang stood up and walked out of the house with Hou Jing; outside, Gao Huan held his sword, waiting.

"General, I offended you greatly before; I hope you will forgive me."

"It is nothing; this General is not that petty. If He Li Hun is willing to abandon darkness and turn to the light, serving the court, I naturally will not blame him."

Suddenly, a burst of loud laughter came from outside the courtyard.

"How truly interesting!"

Polo Han Kong Que, leading a group of armored soldiers, surrounded the courtyard.

At that moment, Li Shuang had quietly moved to shield them behind him.

"My Lord!"

I never thought that at this time, My Lord would still be willing to stand in front of your subordinate.

This grace and righteousness, your subordinate will cherish deeply in his heart.

Hou Jing felt a surge of emotion in his heart, then saw Li Shuang shielding them further and further away, until finally he shielded them right next to Polo Han Kong Que.

"Father-in-law, I told you these people from Huai Shuo are unreliable; how can outsiders compare to the deep bond between us father-in-law and son-in-law!"

Father-in-law?

Gao Huan and Hou Jing exchanged a glance, and then their brains froze.