Chapter 164: Liu Zeqing's Ambush

Shandong, the Eastern Depot Prefecture.

Liu Zeqing, the Regional Commander of Shandong, after gaining a smattering of poetry and classical learning, began posing as a cultured man every day, reciting poetry and singing odes every few days, and frequently inviting guests to drink and compose verses together, showing off his pitiful erudition.

On this day, Liu Zeqing's poetic inspiration surged, and he held a grand banquet to entertain everyone, having them listen to him recite poetry and compose couplets. The assembled guests all flattered him with fawning praise.

Only a young man who looked refined and scholarly kept his mouth shut. Young men, especially those with a bit of learning, still felt some contempt in their hearts for a half-baked fellow like Liu Zeqing.

Liu Zeqing was very displeased. He poured wine into a large golden cup, then summoned the ape he kept in the Regional Commander's residence, and had the ape hold the wine cup and kneel as it offered it to that young man.

This ape was tall and burly, with a very fierce appearance. It carried the golden cup forward steadily, and the young man trembled all over in fear, hesitating and not daring to take it.

Liu Zeqing laughed loudly: "Sir, are you afraid already?"

As he spoke, he ordered soldiers to bring in a prisoner, beat him to death on the spot before the hall, then cut out his brain and heart and liver, placing them in the wine cup to mix with the wine.

The ape carried the wine-filled golden cup to his front. Liu Zeqing laughed heartily, took it, and drank while chewing, his expression not changing in the slightest. Everyone at the banquet was terrified and uneasy.

Liu Zeqing laughed loudly, quite self-satisfied—whether it was a real laugh or a fake one, only he himself knew whether that bean-curd-brain with raw liver mixed in wine tasted gamey or not.

Before long, a personal guard from the Regional Commander's residence came to report: "Commandant, that Zhou Yuji has entered the Eastern Depot Prefecture's territory. He's also escorting nearly a thousand carts of grain!"

"Oh?" Liu Zeqing wiped the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth and said with a cold, sinister smile: "I thought I'd never get a chance to deal with this Zhou fellow, but I never expected him to deliver himself to my door now—and bring so much grain with him!"

Assistant Regional Commander Yao Wenchang said: "Commandant, that's the Crown Prince's Yongwei Camp military grain. Are we really going to take it?"

Liu Zeqing cackled with a strange laugh: "So what if it's the Crown Prince's? Once he's in Shandong territory, even if he's a dragon, he'd better coil up for me!"

Recalling the embarrassment and humiliation at Tongzhou, Liu Zeqing felt discomfort all over his body. In all these years, when had he ever suffered such a loss?

Assistant Regional Commander Yao Wenchang felt a chill in his heart. Commandant Liu's killing intent was rising again. He still remembered how when Commandant Liu had quarreled with one of his own cousins, and lost the argument, his killing intent had been roused. That cousin had begged Commandant Liu's mother for mercy, and Commandant Liu had pretended to make peace, yet sent men to kill that cousin of his on the road home.

While Yao Wenchang was still lost in thought, he heard Liu Zeqing say: "Yao Wenchang, hear my order! Immediately lead five thousand men to attack Zhou Yuji's forces. Fight them to the death—best of all, bring me Zhou Yuji's head!"

"Yes!" Yao Wenchang acknowledged the order, then immediately began mustering his troops and preparing to set out.

Liu Zeqing wore a cold sneer on his face. Once he took Zhou Yuji's head, he could report to the court that Zhou Yuji had let his soldiers loot and plunder in the Eastern Depot Prefecture. After all, Zhou Yuji would already be dead by then—what could the court do to him? At most they'd give a symbolic scolding. Wasn't that how the court always treated frontier officials?

Near Shizhuang in the Eastern Depot Prefecture, Yao Wenchang wore a brass helmet adorned with two peacock feathers, chainmail armor beneath a silk battle robe, and rode a tall fine horse, looking very confident.

According to reports from his scouts, Zhou Yuji's forces numbered only two to three thousand, and most were baggage troops. With his own five thousand men, wasn't killing Zhou Yuji as easy as turning over a hand?

Yao Wenchang had long held a grudge against Zhou Yuji. The Mobile Corps Commander who had been killed in that Tongzhou tavern back then was his subordinate—this time he could avenge his old comrade!

Just as Yao Wenchang's forces approached within ten li of Zhou Yuji's baggage train, a squad of finely equipped cavalry suddenly burst out from ahead. Seven or eight cavalrymen lined up in a row, and the lead rider spurred forward and demanded loudly: "Whose troops are you? What business do you have here?"

Yao Wenchang frowned. He hadn't expected the Yongwei Camp's patrols to have come all the way here. He had originally planned a clean surprise attack.

The Longxianging Night Scout who had ridden forward to question them saw that no one answered, and grew suspicious. He immediately made a gesture that put his comrades on high alert, and the several Night Scouts swiftly adjusted their formation.

"Kill them!" Yao Wenchang gave the order, and the cavalry around him immediately spurred their warhorses, brandished their weapons, and charged forward.

The several Longxianging Night Scouts had long been prepared to respond. Seeing the enemy make their move, they didn't stand on ceremony—they ducked their heads and pulled firearms from their saddlebags. With a crack, the cavalryman charging at the front was shot clean through and tumbled from his horse.

"Retreat!" After taking down one, the Longxianging Night Scout squad swiftly withdrew. The enemy had too many men—there was no fighting this. Sending the signal was what mattered most.

As an excellent Night Scout, courage and reconnaissance ability were certainly important, and mastering various skills was also extremely important—but what mattered even more was being able to run! Getting the intelligence and still being able to slip away—that was what made a truly seasoned Night Scout!

In just a moment, the several Longxianging Night Scouts had slipped more than a hundred paces away, leaving only a few lonely silhouettes behind.

"Damn it! They slipped away right under our noses!" Yao Wenchang cursed in anger, then immediately said: "All troops, hear the order—attack!"

Just then, with a "pop," a plume of red smoke rose into the sky above the fleeing Night Scouts.

Yao Wenchang and several of his subordinate officers exchanged glances, and all of them noticed that the others' expressions had turned somewhat unnatural. These Yongwei Camp soldiers were quite cunning—they even had tricks like this!

After receiving the warning from the Longxianging Night Scouts, Zhou Yuji frowned deeply. He hadn't expected that Liu Zeqing would be so bold as to openly make a move against the Yongwei Camp on his own turf.

Having been integrated into the Yongwei Camp for several months now, Zhou Yuji was already thoroughly familiar with the camp's ways. Most of the officers and soldiers in the camp upheld the principle set by the Crown Prince: even if it were the Jade Emperor himself, if he dared to touch our people, we'd make him shed a layer of skin!

Since the other side was so ungrateful and ignorant of their place, Zhou Yuji naturally wouldn't show them any courtesy or play the cultured gentleman.

"Pass the order—form ranks! Prepare for battle!" Zhou Yuji commanded. He was determined to teach them a profound lesson and make them understand exactly how much they were worth!

After the order was given, the many grain transport carts of the baggage train orderly arranged themselves into a tight, enormous ring formation. All the soldiers grabbed their firearms and stood inside the ring, using it to withstand the cavalry charge.

Yao Wenchang had never fought the Yongwei Camp before, and had never even seen the Yongwei Camp in action. Back when they had entered the capital to defend the emperor, they had stayed in Tianjin's Wuqing guarding the city. Although they had heard of the Yongwei Camp's battle achievements, they had never believed them—from top to bottom, they thought the court was just puffing up the Crown Prince and the Capital Camps' men.

The world never lacks arrogant people, and Liu Zeqing's boastful temperament had infected the entire army. So after Yao Wenchang gave the order to attack, every one of them swaggered and brandished their weapons as they advanced on the Yongwei Camp's baggage train.