Chapter 168: Returning Home

This Pei Qianyun was crying like a child, throwing his dual hammers onto the ground and actually smashing two pits into it.

This left Liu Zheng and the others staring in utter astonishment.

Just how heavy were these two giant hammers to be so terrifying?

"Shut your mouth!"

Wei Shao endured his reluctance and said angrily, "Qianyun, how many years has it been since I adopted you! You are eighteen this year; you should be a man who stands tall and firm. What kind of look is it to be crying and sniveling all day long?"

"A man's ambitions lie in the four corners of the world; what future is there in staying by my side?"

"Get up!"

After a few rebukes from Wei Shao, Pei Qianyun felt extremely aggrieved but could only keep on crying. Wei Shao's eyes flickered as he roared in a low voice, "If you were raised by me, Wei Shao, then go out and carve out your own world. That won't waste the effort I spent raising you!"

The few of them were quite moved by the sight.

Not only had this Wei Shao been cuckolded by his own brother, but even Wei Rong, whom he had raised as his own son, was someone else's flesh and blood. With his head covered in green, he was left only with Pei Qianyun, a child who was like a son yet not a son, so naturally, he felt reluctant to let go.

However, he also knew that a fierce general with such extraordinary talent as Pei Qianyun would be completely ruined if he stayed with him.

After returning to Qingzhou, he would be nothing more than a mere Executive. There were countless capable people under the Prince of Wei, and his contributions from managing Baiya for so many years would soon be forgotten by the Prince of Wei... It could also be said that all the glory of his life would vanish like smoke with the disbandment of the Baiya Army. From now on, there would be no such person as Wei Shao in the pugilistic world, nor any legends of him...

And currently, Yinzhou was developing rapidly and was famous throughout the world.

Although he had not known this Prefect Liu for long, it was clear that this person possessed great talent and bold vision. If Pei Qianyun followed him, that would truly be a bright future.

"Qianyun, if you still consider me your Great Leader, then listen to me one last time. Serve Young Master Liu well. Your big brother will wait for you in Qingzhou!"

Wei Shao's whole body trembled as he spoke earnestly. Finally, he broke free from Pei Qianyun's hands and left in pain, no longer caring that Pei Qianyun was crying so heart-wrenchingly.

Liu Zheng sighed, gave Qin Zhangfeng a look, and then turned to leave. Qin Zhangfeng and Pei Qianyun had crossed paths and shared a mutual respect; it would be much more effective for him to persuade Pei Qianyun than for himself.

That night, Liu Dahao stayed at the Baiya Palace.

"Son, are you really alright?"

The big man insisted on sleeping with Liu Zheng that night. When only the two of them were left, Liu Dahao hugged Liu Zheng with a doting face and began "groping him all over." Liu Zheng had a face full of black lines: "Dad, it's just a minor injury, not worth mentioning."

"It's all because your old man is useless, useless! These things should have been handled by your old man, yet my son had to bear it all alone..."

Liu Dahao wiped away his tears.

Liu Zheng suddenly felt a warmth in his heart. Regardless of whether he had transmigrated here or not, this doting from Liu Dahao was not fake.

He chuckled and burrowed into the quilt.

The father and son stared at each other with wide eyes.

Suddenly, Liu Zheng said with a serious face, "Dad, I want to ask you something."

"Speak your mind, my son!"

Liu Zheng deliberated for a moment before asking, "Am I really your biological son?"

"You little brat, what are you saying?"

Liu Dahao roared.

Liu Zheng laughed heartily.

These two grown men actually started roughhousing like young girls.

Over here.

Having returned to the temporary palace, the Crown Prince Xie Fang could no longer hold it in. He overturned the tables and chairs in his room and roared, "What is going on? Someone tell this Prince, what is going on!"

Chen Ping, Zhang Chengjiang, and Zhang Xiao stood trembling to the side.

Zhang Xiao said calmly, "Your Highness, I told you long ago that this Liu Zheng would be a variable. I just didn't expect..."

"Didn't expect what? Didn't expect him to be so capable?"

The Crown Prince said coldly, "Aren't you known as the number one female Strategist in the world? Tell me, what should we do now? The horse farm that this Prince was determined to win has just been lost like this. What do we do!"

Chen Ping sighed, "Your Highness, regardless, things have not developed to the worst possible stage. The horse farm did not truly fall into the hands of the Third Prince, and the Prince of Wei has also distanced himself from the matter. In reality, it was the Emperor who won this time!"

The Crown Prince was stunned.

That's right.

So many people running back and forth, and in the end, none of them could outplay the old Emperor...

Chen Ping reminded him, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Emperor is not yet old..."

The few of them gasped in unison.

The Emperor is not yet old!

That meant that all their infighting and schemes were actually being watched by the Emperor.

The complexion of Crown Prince Xie Fang changed several times in an instant.

The old Emperor was becoming full of vigor again and had begun to secretly control the overall situation, which meant... he didn't know how long it would take for him to inherit the throne!

The so-called "long nights bring many dreams," long nights bring many dreams indeed.

Xie Fang gritted his teeth, "It's this Liu Zheng again. If I don't give him a good lesson, I am no man!"

Chen Ping suddenly smiled, "Your Highness, if you want to take down this brat Liu Zheng, now is actually the best opportunity!"

Xie Fang's eyes lit up: "Oh?"

Zhang Xiao, wearing a veil, also looked over in confusion.

Chen Ping said, "Your Highness, since the Baiya Army has been disbanded, it means that many commercial activities between Yinzhou and the Baiya Army will come to a standstill... I have always suspected that the Refined Salt that suddenly appeared was the work of Yinzhou, but I lacked evidence. Now, however..."

A flash of light appeared in Xie Fang's eyes: "Refined Salt? Good, go and investigate for this Prince immediately. If you can find even a trace of evidence, this Prince will make sure he never recovers!"

"Yes!"

The next day.

The commoners of the entire Baiya City were still immersed in the revelry of yesterday.

Who could have imagined that just after waking up, they would receive earth-shattering news.

"The Baiya Army is to be disbanded on the spot!"

Many people sat dazed for a long while before they could arduously digest this news.

"What?"

"The Baiya Army is gone?"

"This, this, what is going on?"

The people in the city rushed one after another toward the city gates to see the notice; for a time, the city gates were overcrowded with a sea of people.

"Disbanded?"

"Really disbanded?"

Those Powerful Clans, families, merchants, and commoners in the city were all stunned.

This Baiya City, overnight, had actually changed its sky?

"Ah!"

Suddenly someone roared: "The Baiya Army is disbanded, so when will we be given the dividends from this War Horse Fair!"

This sentence immediately resonated with everyone.

"That's right, I drank two bottles of Drunk Yinzhou last night, and I was just waiting for this dividend money to put food on the table!"

"It cannot be disbanded!"

"Absolutely cannot be disbanded!"

This group of numb people, after thinking of this problem, all became filled with righteous indignation, and their emotions grew intense.

People are just like this.

When the Baiya Army truly ruled Baiya City, they remained indifferent and had no particular fondness for them. But when the Baiya Army was truly disbanded, they realized that it was already too late to cherish them...

"No, everyone, let's go to the Prefectural Office together!"

"If this Baiya Army is gone, wouldn't the annual war horse income all fall into the pockets of those official masters?"

"No way!"

A group of people were aggressive and mighty.

However, what greeted them were one hundred thousand Liangzhou soldiers.

These commoners still refused to believe it and wanted to storm the Prefectural Office as they usually did to achieve their demands and goals. Who would have thought that these Liangzhou soldiers would show them no face at all.

Whoever dared to cause trouble would be killed without mercy!

They killed nearly a thousand troublemakers, which finally frightened them.

On the spot, many people sat on the ground and cried.

They knew... the good days of the Baiya Army's rule were finally coming to an end.

Liu Zheng and the others had long since packed their luggage and were watching all of this happen from afar.

"Young Master, when will Baiya be able to recover and repeat its past glory?"

Jiang Xuan watched and also sighed.

Liu Zheng shook his head and said: "The lessons of the past are the guides for the future. I hope Yinzhou will never experience such a situation."

The crowd also sighed endlessly.

In fact, this is the drawback of a mercantilist society; when a society's agriculture and manufacturing are not complete or developed enough to provide commoners with a sense of security, problems will slowly breed.

Greed and desire are matters of course.

"Brother Du is here!"

After a group of people waited outside the city for a while, Du Biao finally arrived on horseback with twenty-some people.

"Brother Du!"

Liu Zheng's face lit up with joy.

Du Biao, however, cupped his hands and said: "Brother Liu, that form of address is no longer appropriate. From now on, Du Biao will be at your beck and call. I only hope Young Master Liu can treat my brothers well!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng feigned anger and said: "Brother, what are you saying? We brothers are working together for a great cause, why distinguish between you and me? I intend to entrust you with heavy responsibilities, brother!"

Du Biao was moved. When he first met Liu Zheng, he would never have imagined that one day he would become Liu Zheng's "henchman." However, the world is unpredictable, and that is just how it is. The Baiya Army collapsed in an instant, and he could only bring the twenty-some brothers he trusted to join Liu Zheng.

By nature, he was unwilling to submit to others, especially Liu Zheng, whom he addressed as a brother, but like Wei Shao, he also wanted to secure a good future for these brothers.

"Then next, we just wait for Pei Qianyun."

Eighty thousand troops, with flags fluttering, were ready to set out at any time.

After waiting for about another hour, Pei Qianyun, riding a horse, came to Liu Zheng's side while looking back every few steps. At this time, this fellow's eyes were still red.

"Second Brother Du..."

As soon as Pei Qianyun saw Du Biao, he almost cried again.

Du Biao glared at him: "Qianyun, we brothers will still be together in the future, what is there to cry about? If you miss Big Brother, just go to Qingzhou to see him!"

Pei Qianyun then nodded aggrievedly.

Liu Zheng stood on the Horse Carriage and smiled: "Since everyone is here, let's head back!"

"Return to Yinzhou!"

Eighty thousand troops, mighty and grand.

They followed behind Liu Zheng's Horse Carriage.

And inside the Horse Carriage, Du Biao had just sat down when he impatiently asked Liu Zheng: "Young Master, the disbandment of the Baiya Army can no longer be stopped and will likely be completed within seven days, but..."

He looked left and right, seeing only people Liu Zheng trusted, and then whispered: "But what should we do about our Refined Salt business?"

Liu Zheng smiled: "This is exactly why I had to take you with me no matter what!"

"Oh?"

Du Biao looked stunned.