Two days earlier, in Zitong County.

…

Yuan Baifu had been bargaining with Shen Yangrui about how many troops he would keep, about his future, and about what official position he would accept.

He felt dissatisfied with every condition that Southern Yong offered. The only thing that gave him some comfort was the promise Sun Renluan made of a throne—the title of King of Jiangyang. Just thinking of those three words made him feel completely elated.

Even so, the territory of Jiangyang was roughly the same size as Dongyang. He Tingzhi’s kingship was a gift from Sun Renluan, and this Jiangyang kingship was essentially the same.

Yuan Baifu didn’t know this. He only felt that he shouldn’t settle for the title of Marquis. He wanted to become a king in one go. If he couldn’t, he should at least be a provincial governor, not some meaningless military inspector. The provincial governor truly governed the province, the military inspector only held military power and had to obey the provincial governor in critical moments.

Essentially, he would be a second-in-command.

This made Yuan Baifu furious, but the problem was that even in the Northern Army, he’d never been a true second-in-command. Gao Xunzhi was the real second-in-command. Yuan Baifu’s status was, at most, slightly higher than Gongsun Yuan or Jian Qiao.

After thinking for a whole night, Yuan Baifu figured out exactly what he wanted. That was why he remained stubborn in his negotiations. His initial helplessness when meeting Shen Yangrui seemed to have vanished. He realized that not only did he need Shen Yangrui, but Shen Yangrui also needed him. Whoever had more troops could speak with authority. Shen Yangrui had about fifty thousand or slightly more than forty thousand troops. In comparison, Yuan Baifu thought if he wanted, he could kill Shen Yangrui and seize his troops.

…

Theoretically, it could have been possible, but the only way it would be possible was that everyone under him had to be loyal. A rebellion was like a landslide; it wasn’t over when the flood passed. There were aftershocks, falling rocks, and other secondary disasters. At times like these, people’s hearts were unstable.

After showing his stance, Shen Yangrui truly couldn’t deal with him. He lost his temper several times, but seeing Yuan Baifu unmoved, Shen Yangrui changed his approach and gradually began to compromise.

After so many days, Yuan Baifu finally felt that things were getting back on track. His choice was correct. He could never get ahead by staying with Qu Yunmie. By coming to the chaotic Southern Yong, he could succeed amid disorder and obtain what he truly wanted.

His mood improved, and the atmosphere in the camp became less tense. Meanwhile, those secretly observing him felt that he had lowered his guard and decided to act.

The two vice generals of the rear army couldn’t stand Yao Xian’s behavior of “recognizing a thief as a father.” They kept saying to endure, to wait for His Majesty to rescue them, to wait for the right moment, but they were men with fists and sharp swords. Why should they wait for someone else to save them?

Moreover, how long would that be? More than ten days had passed. Yuan Baifu was almost cooperating with Shen Yangrui. When Yuan Baifu transferred the rear army into Zitong City, what fate would await these men?

So they couldn’t wait any longer. They planned to act that very night.

…

That night, when Yao Xian learned they were captured, his heart sank. He rushed out but was violently blocked by Yuan Baifu’s men. They threw Yao Xian to the ground, dozens of knives pointed at him, making him not dare to move. Yuan Baifu glanced at him but didn’t let them tie him up. He only waved to the side, and then a strong man came forward, grabbed Yao Xian’s hands, bound him, and made him face forward.

The soldiers who were sleeping or had not yet slept were summoned. Yuan Baifu’s troops suddenly assembled. The Shen family soldiers in the city thought they had changed their minds. The city guards looked for a long time and realized this was a midnight execution. They were all completely bewildered.

Was the Northern Army really like this? So much ominous energy at midnight. No wonder it was a militia army—they were utterly unrefined!

…

From a distance, it was hard enough to understand what they were doing. As for sound, there was none. Across an empty space, on the walls of Zitong County, only breathing could be heard. Yuan Baifu’s side was full of sharp shouting.

Even when the two vice generals had ropes around their necks, they didn’t stop cursing Yuan Baifu. They shouted, “Yuan Baifu! You shameless man! You will meet a bad end! You will surely be punished!”

When the ropes began to tighten, they still shouted. The ropes choked their airways, leaving them only able to hiss, yet they continued.

Eventually, they moved their lips in silence. Yao Xian watched, trying to read their words, but they were soundless.

With enough strength, strangulation didn’t take long. Three to five minutes were unnecessary, one minute was enough to kill.

Yao Xian stared blankly for a minute. Though these two didn;t heed him, and had glared at him for over ten days, he never blamed them. How could they be wrong? They wanted revenge for their general, to win a way for their soldiers to survive. Was that wrong?

No, it was not. Yet they still died.

Yao Xian’s arms were twisted. Someone behind him frowned, feeling his arms tremble—not with fear, but with anger, every muscle and vein taut.

“Ah!!!!!!”

Yao Xian screamed wildly, as if leaving blood and tears. “Yuan Baifu! You will die! I will kill you! I will kill you!”

He struggled furiously. His words acted as a signal. Nearby, men raised knives and charged, but anyone who came would die. Yuan Baifu was surrounded densely by his personal guards. He looked at them and even smiled.

Ordinary soldiers were too far to reach him. After dozens died, the riot was suppressed. Yuan Baifu’s generals shouted outside, telling anyone who wanted to die to step forward, and those wanting to live to stay put.

Without generals to lead, ordinary soldiers tended to obey. Ten days had passed. Even if they were angry, under Yuan Baifu’s cold ruthlessness and the corpses on the ground, they dared not act.

They bowed to survive. Yuan Baifu knew this loyalty was false. Given the chance, they would join someone else. He didn’t care. To him, these rear troops were merely props to bolster his presence in Southern Yong. If needed, he would send them out. If not, he would gradually disband them and replace them with new troops.

He despised using other people’s soldiers, he preferred to build his own.

How long this would take, he couldn’t calculate, but he felt it wouldn’t be long. Three to four years were enough. Even Huang Yanjiong, a useless man, amassed fifty to sixty thousand troops. He was far stronger. In Southern Yong, people should know who was worth joining.

…

After killing all those who dared rebel, Yuan Baifu approached the struggling Yao Xian. Three strong men had to restrain him. Sensing Yuan Baifu approaching, Yao Xian suddenly leapt, trying to tear a piece of flesh from him.

Yuan Baifu dodged. Yao Xian thought he came to personally kill him. Yet Yao Xian wasn’t afraid of death. Even if Yuan Baifu put a sword to his throat, he wouldn’t beg.

He was wrong. Yuan Baifu didn’t intend to kill him. He came for this…

A punch hit Yao Xian’s face, sending blood from his nose. His head went numb. Yao Xian stared at Yuan Baifu in shock.

Then another punch. And another.

Pain swept through his body. Yuan Baifu hit his face and stomach. Unarmored, his organs felt displaced. He didn’t scream. He bent over, gasping from the pain.

Seeing Yao Xian kneeling like a pitiful shrimp, Yuan Baifu’s rage lessened. He said, “This is the fate of the unwise. Want to kill me? See if you can. Don’t worry, I won’t take your life. With Wang Xinyong dead, I will use you to gain some favor from the Emperor. Captain Yao, I hope you fetch a good price.”

He laughed twice and turned to leave.

…

In Yuan Baifu’s eyes, this was perfectly proper. He was the commander. Yao Xian threatened the commander, so he deserved punishment. He punished the main culprits without collective punishment. Even the scholars couldn’t criticize him. As for the rear army, they were insignificant. Once in Zitong City, the rear army’s ten thousand would be taken by the court. The remaining twenty thousand plus couldn’t cause trouble.

Yuan Baifu left with a clear conscience, but he didn’t notice the eyes behind him. Qu Jin and a few supporting generals glanced at him with uncertainty.

Yuan Baifu was becoming increasingly unstable.

Day by day, he became more volatile and cruel. Killing Wang Xinyong might have been necessary, but publicly strangling other generals? Beating Yao Xian?

This wasn’t a strategy. It was pure venting.

Qu Jin began to regret following him. After the rebellion, Yuan Baifu had changed completely. He was far from the calm man he once was. Qu Jin had followed him seeking wealth and rank, not death.

Originally, they had planned to enter Southern Yong cautiously, declare themselves kings while Qu Yunmie battled Southern Yong, absorb wealth and troops, and gradually develop their power. If the timing was right, they could attack Southern Yong for more territory.

This was the original plan and why Qu Jin had agreed. The two-way division of the country was already unstable. If they seized the opportunity, they might split the country into three parts. Once they were strong, Qu Yunmie couldn’t stop them.

However, Yuan Baifu listened only to himself. He changed the plan, demanding a formal position from Southern Yong instead of first testing Shen Yangrui and the court. If asked why, he would angrily scold anyone.

Qu Jin felt Yuan Baifu was troubled. He seemed perpetually tense, eager to prove something—his status or his ability to lead thousands. He had no patience, as if something was chasing him.

Qu Jin realized what scared him. He regretted following the wrong person, but now, he needed to figure out how to secure his own future. He didn’t want to die following Yuan Baifu.

…

Yuan Baifu executed those who tried to harm him, killed dozens of rebellious rear soldiers, and personally beat Yao Xian. He should’ve felt satisfied, and he did—but along with it, he felt subtle impatience.

He subconsciously knew the army was unstable, and his actions worsened it. Things weren’t as smooth as he imagined and might deteriorate further.

Yet he refused to acknowledge this subconsciously. Now, he was almost like someone on drugs, swinging between extreme joy and rage, refusing to think of anything negative.

What use was refusal? What was meant to happen would always happen. The world didn’t revolve around him. It wasn’t as if he left, everything would stop. While he enjoyed the brief pleasure of holding power for just over ten days, people outside were gradually taking action.

Qu Yunmie triumphed. The news was delivered by a soldier. Gao Xunzhi arrived, and Qu Yunmie also arrived.

As soon as the news that the King of the North had reached Hanzhong County spread, Shen Yangrui summoned Yuan Baifu. He demanded that Yuan Baifu immediately transfer all troops into the city. Yuan Baifu naturally didn’t want to agree—he hadn’t obtained all the conditions he wanted yet. However, when he heard that Qu Yunmie had arrived, Yuan Baifu was stunned. His attitude of standing equal to Shen Yangrui gradually disappeared. He nodded vaguely and went out to arrange the troop transfer.

One day later, news arrived that the King of the North had captured Hanzhong County.

Hanzhong couldn’t hold out. Shen Yangrui had known that early on, but he hadn’t expected Hanzhong to fall so quickly. He repeatedly sent scouts to investigate and discovered that Qu Yunmie had only brought just over thirty thousand troops, and fewer than ten thousand were actually fighting. Shen Yangrui’s expression instantly darkened.

Qu Yunmie was too formidable. He didn’t know what to do.

If Ningzhou, which they had fought hard to capture, was lost, Yizhou, with even fewer troops, probably couldn’t be defended either. To lose a newly captured city so quickly, once he returned to Jinling, he feared he would find himself unable to move in the court.

This was still the better result. He worried even more that Qu Yunmie wouldn’t stop there. What if he continued attacking other cities?

Shen Yangrui summoned all his generals, including Yuan Baifu. Previously, Yuan Baifu had met Shen Yangrui alone, but standing among so many, he realized these men barely acknowledged him. They intentionally or unintentionally pushed him toward the doorway. A tall and strong general even glanced at him with undisguised contempt.

Yuan Baifu had seen that expression before. Ten years ago, the officials in Jinling had looked at him like that. Without a word, a single glance made his face burn and his whole body feel ashamed, even though he didn’t know what he had done wrong.

…

Qu Yunmie had already advanced toward Zitong. Scouts reported that he had brought twenty to thirty thousand troops and moved at a very fast pace. This news made the group tense. They argued about what to do.

“In my opinion, we should launch a full-scale attack.”

“Are you insane? One Northern soldier is worth five of ours. How many troops do we have?!”

“Hey, that is wrong. Don’t we also have Northern soldiers now?”

Someone looked at Yuan Baifu behind them. Another snorted, “It’s as if we don’t. So many days have passed, and he hasn’t brought them fully under his control. He only kills to intimidate. Ha! How many has he intimidated? It is still chaotic.”

Yuan Baifu clenched his fists. Shen Yangrui angrily said, “Why talk about that? Think about what to do next. We cannot launch a full-scale attack. Qu Yunmie previously triumphed with the entire central army. He must have marched urgently to get here. The rest of his forces haven’t caught up, but they should arrive in a few days.”

Someone muttered, “He didn’t hurry before. He must be rushing to capture the traitor.”

The complaint was obvious. Shen Yangrui said nothing. Everyone thought the same. The temperature on Yuan Baifu’s face rose to a burning level. He even began to hear ringing in his ears. High-frequency buzzing made him frown. He raised a hand to cover his ear. Others saw this and found him even stranger.

A nearby general even stepped aside, as if being close to him would make him dirty.

Yuan Baifu noticed but didn’t care. He was struggling with the ringing in his ears. Finally, the buzzing subsided enough that he could hear people again.

“If only we had followed Chancellor Yang’s plan, and entered Chenliu to capture Qu Yunmie’s niece. If we threatened him, it would’ve been better than being stuck like this!”

“Qu Yunmie’s niece?”

The argument stopped. Everyone froze. The voice sounded unfamiliar. When they turned, they saw it was Yuan Baifu speaking.

He looked at them and smiled. “Qu Yunmie has barely spoken to his niece in months. Threatening him with her wouldn’t have much effect.”

They blinked and, after regaining composure, several wanted to scold him. Who did he think he was, to interrupt?

Even in the Shen family army, there was class suppression and the isolation of outsiders. It was better than Jinling’s guards.

This should’ve been a good opportunity for Yuan Baifu to realize what kind of new master he had chosen, but Shen Yangrui waved his hand, stopping further comments. He realized that Yuan Baifu had a better candidate in mind.

Shen Yangrui asked, “Who do you think we can use to threaten Qu Yunmie?”

Yuan Baifu smiled. “There is indeed someone. If I am right, he isn’t in Chenliu. He must’ve followed Qu Yunmie to Ningzhou.”

Shen Yangrui’s gaze was sharp as a hawk. “You mean he is beside Qu Yunmie?”

Wouldn’t that be impossible then?

Hearing the question, Yuan Baifu lowered his eyes to think. After a while, he shook his head. “No. I know Qu Yunmie. He won’t let that person follow him.”

After all, he had just killed Wang Xinyong. Qu Yunmie remembered offenses but not blows. At first, he will protect those around him and would be wary of other traitors. After some time, he will trust people again and no longer worry about those he should.

He was truly forgetful.

*

Unfortunately… Yuan Baifu was right.

Qu Yunmie refused Xiao Rong’s accompaniment and chose to go to the battlefield alone. The reason was, if Yuan Baifu could strike down Wang Xinyong so ruthlessly, naturally, he could strike down others as well. Although he knew Yuan Baifu wouldn’t confront Xiao Rong directly, he wanted to be safe.

Xiao Rong had similar thoughts. Although Gao Xunzhi would no longer persuade Yuan Baifu alone, who knew if this lunatic would suddenly act crazily, caring for nothing, and kill Yuan Baifu? A wise man wouldn’t stand under a dangerous wall. Xiao Rong didn’t want to risk even the tiniest possibility. He forced Gao Xunzhi to stay and watched over him personally.

As for Qu Yunmie… Xiao Rong carefully thought it through and believed the Shengleng City incident wouldn’t happen here.

First, this was Ningzhou, Shen Yangrui couldn’t acquire the bones. Second, Qu Yunmie, though angry, hasn’t acted impulsively.

Even upon learning that Yuan Baifu had killed more rear troops, he only threw a teacup. Before, he would’ve destroyed the whole room. Whether Qu Yunmie has cultivated restraint or whether Yuan Baifu’s actions were no longer a fatal blow, it didn’t matter. He remained calm.

Moreover, Xiao Rong repeatedly warned Qu Yunmie, from the previous night until the next morning—using threats, pleading, even bribery. Xiao Rong used every method, leaving Qu Yunmie utterly helpless.

Xiao Rong could be infuriating, but he could also soften hearts.

The Shengleng City incident was a shared trauma. Qu Yunmie didn’t know how to make Xiao Rong believe he wouldn’t repeat it. At least regarding Yuan Baifu, he wouldn’t repeat it.

In the end, Xiao Rong still watched Qu Yunmie leave. Returning to the city, Gao Xunzhi wanted to comfort him, but Xiao Rong suddenly turned. “Recapturing Hanzhong is a good opportunity. Ningzhou is vast and populous, and Yizhou is famous for its abundant resources. We should take this chance to properly organize these two places.”

Gao Xunzhi said, “Alright.”

He thought Xiao Rong was anxious and needed busywork for himself, but Xiao Rong was giving Gao Xunzhi work instead.

He buried Gao Xunzhi in books and paperwork, enough to keep him occupied day and night for seven days.

After seven days, Xiao Rong would find another way to confine him to his room.

…

Gao Xunzhi wandered through this sea of work. He didn’t know that outside the small courtyard, Xiao Rong had stationed heavy troops, exhausting all efforts to preserve Gao Xunzhi’s life.

Yet who could fathom a lunatic’s thoughts?

Historical records speculated that Gao Xunzhi was killed because he angered Yuan Baifu or as a warning to others. It was a severing of ties with Qu Yunmie, so subordinates couldn’t misinterpret him.

The truth was far less serious.

He killed Gao Xunzhi simply because he wanted to. He wanted to show his status and make Qu Yunmie suffer. Once Gao Xunzhi came before him, he had the thought:

Why make Qu Yunmie suffer? There was no reason. He just wanted to, intensely.

The Southern Yong people thought he was helping them by capturing Qu Yunmie’s loved ones to force him to retreat or negotiate. The truth was, Yuan Baifu only wanted to capture them and personally kill them in front of Qu Yunmie.

This was suicide. Yes, but when Yuan Baifu set out, he realized his blood vessels burned, and his heart pounded violently. He understood that what he truly wanted wasn’t a kingship, power, or a share of authority.

He just wanted Qu Yunmie to suffer. He wanted to see him collapse. To watch this self-proclaimed unmatched fool show regret. To do this, he would ignore everything else.

Yuan Baifu kicked the horse’s belly fiercely. The horse sped up. Running up a hill, he glimpsed the plain below and saw a massive army advancing toward Zitong. The crowd formed a giant arrow, and at the tip of that arrow was certainly Qu Yunmie.

Yuan Baifu should fear him, but he didn’t. He smiled at the indistinct figure and kicked the horse again.

Tonight, he will reach Hanzhong City.

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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