Chapter 203: Oh No

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Liu Chengzong's camp was preparing a banquet.

That evening he would host the leaders who had traveled from all over Qingyang.

The leaders from the Yan-Qing region could hardly be said to hit it off at first sight — many of them had their own conflicts to begin with.

For instance, Li Laochai and Tian Jin'an could not stand the sight of each other because of the uneven division of spoils after the last attack on Heshui.

Truth be told, the whole affair was rather foolish.

Li Laochai and Tian Jin'an never even took the Heshui county seat; they spent two days besieging the city arguing over how to split the loot after it fell, and neither was satisfied with the other's terms.

Then He Huchen showed up.

Tian Jin'an fled back to Mount Malan to hide, and Li Laochai lifted the siege and withdrew east.

The siege could be lifted, but the bad blood born of that uneven division of spoils at Heshui had festered right up to the present.

Of course, some got along well, like Hu Sanzha, He Zijie, and Wang Mancai from Ningzhou.

They were all minor leaders, split into seven bands, with a combined force of over six hundred.

But these minor leaders had the closest ties to Lion Camp; before Yang Yao and Wang Wenxiu joined Liu the Lion, they had been together with them.

Moreover, Wang Mancai was a relative of Rear Sentry Commander Wang Wenxiu, and Hu Sanzha was the older brother of Engineering Sentry soldier leader Hu Sanhuai; many soldiers in the front and rear sentries also had kinship ties with them.

Faced with news that the court might transfer the Guan-Ning Army into the interior to suppress the rebellion, they had managed to sit down together for once and temporarily set aside their disputes.

The reason the Qingyang Prefecture bandits set aside their disputes was not the Guan-Ning Army — it was him.

Liu Chengzong had always thought that in these men's eyes he should be a god of war; they'd get acquainted, making it easier to coordinate in battle later.

He never expected everyone saw him as a god of wealth.

Liu Daojiang, Liu Daohai, Han Chaozao, Tian Jin'an — none of them were easy customers.

He Huchen's command tent let in no light; even with several oil lamps lit, it was still dim and murky.

Their demand was very simple: grain.

The Qingyang Liu brothers had four thousand troops stationed in the mountains of Huan County; their strength was decent, and they had fought the local garrison government troops several times, with victories and defeats on both sides.

However, Yang He, the Three-Border Supreme Commander's man, was currently in Huan County discussing amnesty terms with the two of them.

Originally Yang He intended to offer a Regional Commander commission, but the brothers made too many demands.

They demanded the court first disburse pay and provisions; after disbursement, their forces must not be broken up; and after accepting amnesty, they refused to suppress peasant armies for the court.

They even spelled out their intended theater of operations to the Three-Border Supreme Command: we brothers will go nowhere else — transfer us to Ningxia. Whether guarding the border wall or entering the great desert to fight the Mongols, as long as the pay and provisions are sufficient, we'll fight to the death for the court.

Liu Chengzong felt this had already left the realm of outrageous demands and entered the territory of daydreaming.

First, the Mongols were not some huge problem — at least not one the court couldn't solve. At the Regional Commander level you might have someone like Du Wenhuan who dodged battle, but the frontier rank-and-file troops fighting the northern caitiffs never knew how many died each year, and they never backed down.

Just issue one order for sufficient pay and provisions to the border wall — not even much, just six days' worth of food to stuff a man full.

No need for vegetables or meat: thirty-six jin of dry rations and four horses per man, and countless bold fellows would gladly plunge into the vast desert and turn the Mobei upside down.

The Ningxia Garrison had four Regional Commanders directly defending entire sectors — the West Road Left Regional Commander, the Eastern Caitiff Right Regional Commander, the North Road Pacify Caitiff City Regional Commander, and the Lingzhou Left Regional Commander — every one of them a strategic choke point. How could they possibly give such a post to a unit that refused reorganization after surrendering?

There was no foundation of mutual trust for that.

So the two sides were still negotiating. Yang He's current offer was to accept their refusal to suppress peasant armies, but they would need to reduce their forces by two-thirds.

They'd be given two Squad Commander commissions, keeping eight hundred eighty men. They could not go to the border wall; they'd be transferred north of Huai'an Patrol Office in Qingyang Prefecture, next to the Qin Great Wall, to garrison a fort built by Fan Zhongyan.

The two brothers, in turn, thought the Squad Commander rank was far too low. In any case, nothing was settled yet, so Liu the Fifth and Liu the Sixth had not come over.

These two did not dare make huge demands of Liu the Lion; they simply said they truly could not hold out any longer, yet were unwilling to disband their troops. If this went on, they could only surrender to the government troops and accept amnesty.

If Lion Camp could supply them with provisions, they would guard Huan County — the northern gate of Qingyang Prefecture — for him.

Liu Chengzong would have to be kicked in the head by Red Flag eight times a day before he'd let those two guard his northern gate.

Han Chaozao, on the other hand, was an honest man. He came in person, and his attitude was the most normal among all the leaders.

He truthfully laid out his difficulties with provisions and fodder; his unit's weapons and equipment were poor, and their training was utterly shoddy.

Their military discipline was still some distance from the standard of men, but they had not completely degenerated into beasts either.

When they had no grain, they robbed, kidnapped, killed officials, and wiped out families in vendettas — all of it they'd done. When they had grain, they relieved the poor, distributed land, and took in widowers, widows, orphans, and the childless up the mountain — all of that they'd done too.

If Lion Camp resembled border troops in every way, then Han Chaozao's outfit resembled mountain bandits in every way.

But Han Chaozao's demands were a bit higher and a bit more numerous than the others'. First, he hoped Liu the Lion could provide him some provisions and supplies — not much, just enough for five hundred men.

Second, he also hoped for equipment for a hundred men. Finally, he hoped Liu the Lion could send some border troops to help him properly drill and reorganize his unit.

Lofty ideals, and rather ambitious too.

But ambition was meaningless — his unit was not one Liu Chengzong could train well.

They were never sons of respectable families to begin with. Once autumn arrived, they'd be cold and starving. At a time like this, talk to them about training and discipline?

It would only end up stirring internal strife in Han Chaozao's outfit.

In truth, the force Liu Chengzong most wanted to support was Tian Jin'an's, the one with the fewest troops.

But Tian Jin'an, who was permanently stationed at Mount Malan in the Ziwu Range, was the most absurd of all.

Tian Jin'an was twenty-eight or twenty-nine. According to Li Laochai, his real surname was Pu, and he had previously been a hereditary Guard Commander in the Qingyang Guard without an actual posting.

Much like Yang Yanchang's Probationary Company Commander situation — unable to secure a real posting, frustrated and unappreciated, he secretly took to the hills and became a bandit.

Later he discovered that being a bandit was truly comfortable, so he simply never went back, and even pulled a bunch of men out of the Guard station with him.

Tian Jin'an had over a dozen Qingyang Guard officers and more than three hundred Guard station soldiers under him, with a total strength of six hundred — he was considered a capable fighter among the peasant armies.

Perhaps because he was permanently stationed in the Ziwu Range and had some knowledge of Lion Camp's defeat of He Huchen, his attitude was especially deferential; his posture was set extremely low, nearly kowtowing on the spot.

His terms were also laid out very clearly: Tian Jin'an lacked the capability to storm cities and seize strongholds, and he hoped Lion Camp could provide some provisions and financial aid.

Actually, up to this point in the discussion, the atmosphere was very congenial. This was a proper hereditary Guard officer, and the composition of his men was good. Supporting an extra six or seven hundred men was not a big problem for him either.

Although he was short on grain too — in the entire Shaanxi at present, Gao Yingxiang was probably the only leader not short on grain.

But Lion Camp's grain shortage was not because they had no grain.

Each outpost swept out in four directions, seizing over forty thousand dan of grain.

Roughly enough for the Liu family's two battalions to eat normally for four months; with the livestock grazing, it could stretch two months longer.

But they had no fixed base, and it was unrealistic to haul five thousand grain carts around with them. Even carrying just two months' marching rations, they'd had to borrow several hundred carts from Gao Yingxiang.

So at least here, using the surplus grain to aid allied troops a little wouldn't hurt.

But that Tian Jin'an — if anyone told Liu Chengzong this fellow's old-officer background was fake, he'd be the first to disagree.

This fellow wanted Liu Chengzong to supply him with three months of grain and fodder, reporting a troop strength of two thousand four hundred.

The Lion thought to himself, you bastard, you've come here to eat empty pay under my nose?

In the space of a few breaths, Liu Chengzong resolved that he would absolutely never let anyone eat empty pay under him. Yet on the other hand, refusing outright on the spot would make the other leaders see him as stingy — bad for the unity to come.

He didn't need these people to fight, but he couldn't let them stab him in the back and stir up trouble during the war.

Liu the Lion fixed his gaze steadily on Tian Jin'an, a faint smile on his face. "Two thousand four hundred men?"

Tian Jin'an shot a cautious glance at Li Laochai, pursed his lips, and didn't dare confirm that number again.

The outpost commanders of Lion Battalion silently straightened their postures one by one, and then the officers of Yu Battalion all sat upright as well.

The atmosphere froze stiff.

Just then, Wei Qian'er announced himself outside the command tent, then entered and walked to the side. In a low voice he said, "Grand Commander, a chieftain named Bai Liuxi has come to pay respects — a woman."

"Her band has seven or eight hundred ragtag soldiers. The scout cavalry have already surrounded them."

"Bai Liuxi?" Liu Chengzong murmured the name, puzzled as to why someone would come bringing troops. He asked the assembly, "Gentlemen, does anyone know this chieftain?"

"Bai Liuxi is here!"

Han Chaozai knew this person well. He slapped the low table. "A famous beauty from Huan County, skilled with a set of fancy spear techniques — both talented and beautiful."

At his words, the atmosphere inside the tent relaxed.

Tian Jin'an let out a long breath. Liu the Lion's glare just now had nearly suffocated him.

Inwardly, Liu Chengzong also breathed a sigh of relief. Wei Qian'er and Bai Liuxi, joining forces, had bought him a moment to think. By now he had already figured out how to solve the problem.

So he very casually showed interest and said to Han Chaozai, "That's rare. Not many in the Northwest know the Shaolin fancy spear. Wei Qian'er, invite Chieftain Bai in."

Han Chaozai's expression turned a bit odd — he looked like he wanted to laugh but didn't quite dare.

He thought to himself, they all say the Grand Marshal Who Sweeps the Heavens is a licentiate by background, so why does he seem like a country bumpkin who's never heard an opera?

Fancy spear — the kind used in street-performing acrobatics.

What Shaolin fancy spear? That's completely off!

From this angle, Liu Chengzong really was a country bumpkin.

His life before the rebellion had been arranged by Old Master Liu, who pinned all his hopes on him, to be extremely packed.

His birth ranked above ninety-nine percent of the realm, yet he was at the very bottom of that one percent.

Bearing the weight of his clan's expectations, from the age of four he began his education, reading the Four Books and then passing the Five Classics barrier. Before earning the title of licentiate, he had no hobbies whatsoever.

Later, when he went to Mizhi, the external pressure of northern barbarian incursions led him to seek out a whole host of martial instructors.

His leisure activities, apart from visiting the county jail, consisted of completing all manner of extracurricular assignments.

For example: massaging his elder brother's neck to familiarize himself with the bones of the human neck and spine; going to the butcher's to chop pig heads and practice beheading strokes; helping the constables catch a thief to gain proficiency with the meteor hammer.

Originally, following the normal course of events, at the age of seventeen or eighteen he should have gained considerably more free time.

To write books and paint, to delve into drama, to teach and nurture students, to sharpen blades and forge, to engage in trade and commerce — to do every job in the world, for every job could become a scholar's sideline.

To roam mountains and waters, to listen to storytelling and watch operas, to savor tea and play cards, to kick balls and hunt, to cultivate flowers and admire stones, to strum zithers and blow reed pipes — all the myriad pleasures of the world opened their doors wide to a scholar.

Old Master Liu would first buy him a pair of maidservants, letting him learn that love and romance were really nothing special, to spare him future anguish over passion.

Then, when the opportunity was right, he would be introduced to a young lady, likewise from an official's family, for marriage.

But this course of life was cut short by the drought.

Ten thousand doors in the world stood open to him, yet he had gone and taken up the trade of rebellion.

Just as Liu Chengzong was full of thoughts about having a good talk with Bai Liuxi later on Shaolin fancy spear techniques, he heard Wei Qian'er announce at the entrance: "Grand Commander, Bai Liuxi has arrived."

At these words, Liu Chengzong's bodyguards entered the tent and added a low kang table at the last seat on the right side.

The tent floor was covered with carpets, and all the chieftains sat directly on the ground, so there was no need to bring in stools. Only beneath Liu Chengzong's feet was a tiger skin.

Liu Chengzong frowned the moment he saw it. The placement of that little table — his bodyguards simply hadn't used their brains.

He Huchen's command tent was only so big. Placed several zhang away, what difference was there from several hundred li? They might as well have let Ren Quan'er set up a table back at the Ansai Battalion garrison.

How was he supposed to discuss Shaolin fancy spear?

Liu Chengzong sighed. This wasn't the occasion to bring that up.

What he didn't know was that Wei Qian'er had agonized over this matter for quite a while too. When he first saw Bai Liuxi, he had also considered shooing Tian Jin'an aside to free up a spot.

But then he reconsidered the combat prowess of this bunch and figured that setting a table inside the command tent was already giving them plenty of face.

He didn't want to act on his own initiative and then get a scolding from the Grand Commander.

Getting scolded wasn't the issue — mainly, Wei Qian'er felt that if he got scolded, he might not manage to hold his tongue.

Holding his tongue was the real problem.

He couldn't control it. When watering his horse by the river, Wei Qian'er would often sigh at his reflection: such a fine man — a pity he'd been born with a mouth.

After all this time, Wei Qian'er had long since figured it out: in this life, he probably couldn't manage to control his mouth, but at least he could still control his hands.

The moment Bai Liuxi, dressed in a black round-collared robe with arrow sleeves, lifted the tent flap, every man in the tent paused for an instant — yet Liu Chengzong actually felt nothing special.

Liu the Lion was young; he'd grown up busy and then gone to the frontier. The only pretty girls he'd ever spoken to were Sister-in-law Cao and Fan Sanlang. Though he'd never received a scholar's normal foundational education in matters of the heart, his mind was filled with images of countless charms and beauties, giving him an extremely strong resistance to feminine beauty.

He just found her good-looking.

Like gazing at mountains or listening to rain — if it's good-looking, you look openly and without shame.

Bai Liuxi was strikingly beautiful, with elegant brows and eyes cultivated to a seductive allure, her hair bound in three coils. Her figure was both robust and lithely agile. The black robe set off her skin to appear even fairer, and the light that streamed in as she lifted the tent flap into the dim command tent made her seem like an added source of illumination.

She stepped forward and performed a proper, upright salute. Under the gaze of so many, her face showed no shyness, but there was a trace of nervous unease. She said, "This humble woman Bai Liuxi pays respects to the Grand Marshal Who Sweeps the Heavens, and greets every great king here."

Bai Liuxi had seen other leaders' soldiers before, but this was the first time it truly felt like entering a military camp — she hardly dared breathe along the way.

Even though Dai Daozi gave no instructions, Bai Liuxi's men didn't dare ride fast, each step steady as if frozen to the yellow earth.

Liu Chengzong thought to himself, this girl's name really wasn't given wrong — she's so pale she practically reflects light.

His hand had just reached out, wanting to gesture for Bai Liuxi to sit, when he saw a woman in the same round-collared black robe lift the tent curtain with her hand and enter, head lowered.

Most people duck their heads when entering a tent — even Cheng Yun, despite being half a foot shorter than the tent lintel, still ducks his head, let alone Liu Chengzong, who's half a head taller than Cheng Yun.

It's an instinctive human reaction.

But this woman was different. Her hair was tied high in a ponytail, her sword-like brows swept into her temples, her nose bridge tall and straight. As she entered, her phoenix eyes lowered and she bowed in salute. Most importantly — if she didn't lower her head, she truly couldn't enter the army tent!

Liu Chengzong couldn't tear his eyes away.

In this world, there are women with darker skin, and women with paler skin; there are those who are tall and rare, and those with toned, athletic figures; there are those with heroic, handsome features, and those who are alluring and graceful.

But all of it together — and with martial arts foundation on top?

The Lion thought, oh no.

This widower has a weakness.