Chapter 9

Beixiurong, the territory of the Erzhu clan.

Erzhu Zhao’s face was bruised, his clothes disheveled; when he found Erzhu Rong, the latter was playing Go under a tree with Yuan Tianmu.

Seeing Erzhu Rong, Erzhu Zhao immediately began to complain.

“Uncle, what kind of worthless trick did Daye Shuang teach me? I didn’t collect a single grain of grain, and Wanzi Qizhen of Nanshurong was driven to rebellion by Daye Shuang! Now how do we explain this to Pingcheng?”

Erzhu Rong picked up a black stone and quietly placed it on the board.

The stone struck the board with a crisp sound.

Seeing the shift in the board’s momentum, Erzhu Rong spoke slowly:

“Since Wanzi Qizhen has rebelled, how did you escape?”

Erzhu Zhao had already prepared his excuse before arriving.

“Uncle, I used my martial prowess to fight my way out of Wanzi Qizhen’s tent…”

Before Erzhu Zhao could finish, Erzhu Rong cut in sharply:

“Wanzi Qizhen is no ordinary man—do you think you could have slain your way out of his tent? If he hadn’t spared you out of respect for the Erzhu name, do you think you’d be standing here alive and well?”

“Uncle, you already know?”

“For days you’ve been swaggering around, stirring up trouble—do you expect your third uncle to take the blame for you?”

Upon hearing this, Erzhu Zhao immediately knelt down. He never bowed to anyone—but with Erzhu Rong, he was utterly reverent.

“Uncle, I admit my fault.”

“Go back and confine yourself for a month. Also, distribute all the treasures, cattle, sheep, and women you’ve seized these past days to your soldiers.”

Erzhu Zhao’s face darkened; the rest didn’t matter much, but the women—he truly liked several of them.

But the matter was settled; Erzhu Zhao dared not defy him.

“I’ll do it as soon as I return!”

After Erzhu Zhao left, Erzhu Rong shook his head.

“Tu Mo is brave but lacks wisdom—he won’t accomplish great things.”

Yuan Tianmu agreed with Erzhu Rong’s assessment of Erzhu Zhao, but he said nothing more.

After all, this was the Erzhu family’s own affair.

Erzhu Rong’s black stones now held the advantage.

Yuan Tianmu’s response was weak; yet his mind was no longer on the game.

“Third brother handled this matter beautifully! Wanzi Qizhen has rebelled—now Jin territory will surely blaze with war!”

A faint smile of satisfaction appeared on Erzhu Rong’s handsome face.

“Right now, Wei Kegu is besieging Wuchuan and Huixu towns. Yuan Shen is timid, hesitating to send reinforcements, fearing the Chilei tribes around him will rise like the Six Garrisons. Yuan Yu of the Eastern Commandery cannot defeat Po Han Baling—he will surely be defeated. When Jin territory erupts, Luoyang will panic!”

Jin territory is the corridor linking Luoyang to Pingcheng, and also Luoyang’s northern shield.

If it slips from control, Luoyang itself will face grave danger.

Hearing Erzhu Rong’s words, Yuan Tianmu frowned:

“If Jin descends into chaos, the court may send Li Chong north to suppress the rebellion. If Li Chong comes, some plans will become difficult. Tianbao, when do you intend to act?”

Erzhu Rong paid no mind; he placed his final stone, ending the game.

“Wait a little longer—the situation isn’t chaotic enough.”

Gazing at the board, Erzhu Rong brushed away a fallen leaf, his deep eyes seeming to have already seen through Luoyang’s shifting, treacherous politics.

“The court’s troops are few, and Li Chong, that crouching tiger, is old—he won’t march north so easily.”

Taiping Village.

Jia Sixie, pack on his back, insisted on leaving despite Hou Jing’s pleas.

“Master, wait just a little longer!”

“Even if you slit your own throat today, I’m leaving!”

Only great suffering could have driven the gentle Jia Sixie to such fury.

He glared at Hou Jing, furious.

“If even one person in your village were willing to learn from me, I’d stay! But is there one?”

At that moment, Li Shuang stepped out carrying a bowl of oil-poured noodles.

He glanced at the sky—it was nearly noon—and said calmly:

“Taiping Village greatly needs you, Master—but if you wish to leave, then leave.”

At these words, not only Hou Jing, but even Jia Sixie froze.

He straightened his robes and bowed deeply:

“Then, Jia will take his leave!”

“Lord, why did you just let him go?”

Li Shuang smiled cheerfully.

“He’ll be back soon.”

“Lord, if he comes back, I’ll write my surname upside down.”

Before Hou Jing finished speaking, Jia Sixie—who had just been rushing away—turned around and returned.

Under Hou Jing’s bewildered gaze, Jia Sixie approached Li Shuang and bowed:

“I think Brother Li is right—I feel Taiping Village still needs me. I cannot leave like this!”

Hou Jing stared at the flustered Jia Sixie as if a beast were chasing him.

“What scared you so badly?”

Hou Jing muttered and hurried to the watchtower—only to see a massive army galloping toward Taiping Village, numbering four to five thousand!

Seeing this, Hou Jing rushed back to report:

“Lord, Qifu Moyu and his army are coming—they’ve surrounded our village!”

Outside Taiping Village.

“Chief, won’t this provoke Erzhu Rong?”

Qifu Moyu wasn’t worried at all.

“I’ve confirmed it—he’s just a bandit, pretending to be a Luoyang official to deceive me, making me lose both face and substance.”

Qifu Moyu stared at Taiping Village in the distance, his face twisted with malice.

“Today I’ll slaughter his village, so he learns the cost of crossing me.”

“But I heard Erzhu Rong gave this Li Shuang an official post—killing him might anger the court!”

Qifu Moyu glared at the fool who kept reminding him and slapped him hard.

“Who cares? I don’t believe the court will fight for these Han peasants. If they push me too far, I’ll do exactly what Wanzi Qizhen did—I’ll rebel!”

Just as Qifu Moyu prepared to order the attack, the wooden gate of Taiping Village slowly opened—and a cavalry unit charged out.

“They dare to come out and die…”

But when he saw hundreds of fully armored heavy cavalry streaming forth, Qifu Moyu’s fierce expression vanished instantly.

“Chief, we…”

“Don’t panic—we haven’t broken the peace yet; there’s still room to talk!”

He held back his troops and spurred his horse forward, thinking he hadn’t truly attacked—there was still room for negotiation.

Qifu Moyu forced a smile and spoke gently:

“I’ve come to pay respects to Lieutenant Li Shuang—where is he…”

Before he could finish, the hundreds of armored soldiers charged straight at him.

Blades rose and fell, blood sprayed—Qifu Moyu’s face still wore a smile as his head rolled to the ground.

Then the hundreds of armored troops surged into Qifu Moyu’s thousands, like tigers among sheep, cutting freely.

Inside Taiping Village, Jia Sixie stood frozen, watching it all.

Were these the villagers who had shared his days and nights?

If they had an army of one hundred thousand, could the world not be conquered?

Thinking this, Jia Sixie looked at Li Shuang—his gaze had changed.

“Master, how did Qin conquer the world?”

Li Shuang’s question brought Jia Sixie back to himself. He replied:

“It began with Shang Jun’s reforms!”

“Shang Jun’s reforms centered on farming and warfare. Since Yongjia, our Han people lost the world precisely because we lost these two things.”

Li Shuang spoke slowly:

“Farm without war, and peace cannot be secured; wage war without farming, and survival is impossible.”

He paused, his gaze shifting from the bloody battlefield to the distant sky, and spoke solemnly:

“Master, you are vital to me—this is no joke.”

Jia Sixie stared at this boy eating oil-poured noodles—and his heart surged with emotion.

In that moment, he seemed to glow.