Chapter 134
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On the way to Youzhou, the group also discussed the Luo River Alliance signed by Yuan Li and Chen Wang.
“In five years, we won’t attack Chen Wang,” Yang Zhongfa smacked his lips and sighed, “I was quite interested in fighting against the navy, but after five years… I’m afraid I won’t be able to go to the battlefield.”
Chu Hechao said calmly, “In five years, who knows what Chen Wang will become.”
Yuan Li raised an eyebrow, “Who said we have to wait five years?”
Immediately, everyone looked at him, each with a look of surprise. Yang Zhongfa didn’t understand the meaning behind his words and advised, “Lord Yuan, you’ve sworn a blood oath with him. You can’t break the alliance proactively, or your reputation will be tarnished!”
“I certainly won’t break the alliance,” Yuan Li smiled, “but I’m the one who made the alliance with Chen Wang, not you, generals.”
Chu Hechao narrowed his eyes, understanding the implication. He clicked his tongue and said, “If I, Chu Hechao, lead the Northern Army to attack Chen Wang, what does it have to do with you, Lord Yuan?”
Yuan Li smiled even more, “That’s exactly the point.”
The others exchanged puzzled looks.
Can it be done this way?
But now that they thought about it carefully… why not?
On the way to Youzhou, Yuan Li held the positions of both the Governor of Youzhou and Yan Jun Marquis. He had made a vow not to attack Chen Wang, whereas Chu Hechao hadn’t made such a vow. Therefore, the alliance couldn’t restrict the actions of the generals.
As they pondered this, the group became spirited, exchanged glances, and chuckled.
Seeing their reactions, Yuan Li knew they were scheming something. He shook his head and said, “But unless necessary, let’s spend these five years wisely. Firstly, the north is not yet stable, and it’s not advisable to engage in a war with Chen Wang. Secondly, you all know the might of the navy from Jiangdong. Though the troops in Youzhou are trained for water combat, they haven’t specialized in naval warfare and operating warships. In these five years, we should intensify the training and establish a navy.”
The horses swayed slowly as everyone listened attentively to Yuan Li’s words.
Chu Hechao said, “Warships… We don’t have craftsmen in Youzhou who can build warships.”
Yuan Li winked at him.
At the moment Chu Hechao killed Li Li, the system had actually already rewarded Yuan Li with the warship blueprints. However, Yuan Li was preoccupied with using AR effects for Chu Hechao and hadn’t checked the rewards in time.
It seemed that in the system’s understanding, completing tasks alongside those who share the same side also counted as Yuan Li completing the tasks.
Seeing Yuan Li’s expression, Chu Hechao knew he had a plan and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yuan Le Jun, is there anything you can’t do?”
Yuan Li lifted his chin proudly. “Impressed?”
“I am,” Chu Hechao brought his horse closer, lowered his voice, and said, “If you can… I’d be even more impressed.”
His voice was too low, and Yang Zhongfa and the others didn’t hear. But Yuan Li’s eyes twitched, a faint blush appearing on his face. He then coldly laughed, suddenly raised his riding crop, and fiercely whipped Chu Hechao’s horse’s rear, making it gallop forward with the general on its back.
The Governor said coolly, “Get lost.”
Wu Kai was dumbfounded by what he witnessed, while Yang Zhongfa shook his head with a sigh.
The general had such a temper; he must have said something inappropriate again.
Approaching the winter, Yuan Li’s group traveled slowly, taking longer stays at each place to avoid subjecting the common people and the army to the harsh winter conditions.
Every time they arrived at a new location, Yuan Li and Chu Hechao would vigorously publicize two things. One was the fact that they had killed Li Li, and the other was that Wu Shanshi had joined forces with Li Li and colluded with enemies of the state.
Furthermore, they also disclosed that Wu Shanshi had killed his own strategist. They told others that they felt pity for Wang Yun’s tragic death, so they had specially collected his remains, while condemning Wu Shanshi for ruthlessly killing his subordinate strategist, who was also from Runan, displaying heartlessness and cruelty.
As they journeyed, they continued spreading this information and also brought along the refugees they encountered in various places. The deeds of Wu Shanshi quickly spread, reaching the ears of Wu Shanshi himself as he was returning.
Wu Shanshi was infuriated but had no way to retaliate.
He was well aware that he had made a grave mistake by trusting Wang Yun’s false intentions and conspiring with Li Li. Moreover, he had even angered his uncle, Wei Ji, to the point of collapse. With Li Li now dead, his reputation was increasingly tarnished, and he had lost the advantage of the Wu family in Runan. Wu Shanshi felt like a mouse crossing the street, anxious to return to Jizhou and let his team of astute strategists come up with a solution for him.
Upon learning that Yuan Li had intentionally preserved Wang Yun’s remains, Wu Shanshi was filled with even more burning hatred.
What was unclear about the situation?
Wang Yun had appeared loyal on the surface but had secretly pledged allegiance to Youzhou. He had devised this cunning plan to entice Wu Shanshi into a false alliance with Li Li.
Wu Shanshi firmly believed this to be the truth; he was convinced that Wang Yun had betrayed him, leading him astray and causing him to miss killing Li Li just one step behind Chu Hechao.
In this moment, Wu Shanshi completely forgot everything that happened earlier. He forgot that his mother and concubines had taken Li Li’s money first, and he forgot that Wang Yun had risked everything to offer him this strategy because he didn’t want to return the money to Li Li.
Either intentionally or unintentionally, he shifted all the blame onto Wang Yun.
In addition, the news of Wu Shanshi not only failing to kill Li Li but also being associated with Li Li’s actions spread throughout Jizhou and beyond.
Wei Ji, who was already bedridden, was so angered by the news that he spat out blood and fainted on the spot. A few days later, this elderly man in his sixties couldn’t survive the winter and passed away on his bed.
When the news of Wei Ji’s death reached Zhou Gongdan, he was playing chess with the people from the Liangliao Institution.
His hand trembled, causing the black piece to land on the chessboard, disrupting the already disadvantaged white pieces and causing them to lose even more ground.
Zhou Gongdan’s eyes were bright and frightening. He murmured, “Death is good, death is good…”
Originally, Zhou Gongdan had prepared to flee, but now he had another idea.
One of the people from the Liangliao Institution asked in a low voice, “My lord, Jizhou will be in extreme chaos in the next half year. Shouldn’t you leave early? My brothers and I can escort you back to Youzhou as soon as possible.”
“No need,” Zhou Gongdan’s gaze was intense. “Have your brothers wait for now. I’ll continue to stay in Jizhou; there’s still a major task to be done.”
The person from the Liangliao Institution was puzzled. “What major task?”
Zhou Gongdan couldn’t help but smile. “Wang Yun is dead, and Wei Ji has been killed by anger. Now, only Mitai, a lone strategist from Runan, remains among Wu Shanshi’s trusted advisors. I am one of the few Wu Shanshi can trust. If I become his top strategist, I can use Wu Shanshi—”
He picked up the black piece that had disturbed the chessboard, pinched it between two fingers, and gently placed it on the winning point for the black pieces. Zhou Gongdan felt a surge of excitement. He raised his head, enunciating each word, “To be a disposable pawn for our lord.”
Wei Ji’s funeral was hastily and simply arranged, and Mitai took charge of the entire process. Seeing Wei Ji’s coffin covered in yellow soil, Mitai was filled with anxiety.
Wei Ji was the backbone of Runan’s strategists, and many of them followed Wu Shanshi because of Wei Ji. Mitai had also followed Wei Ji all along. Although his nature tended to prioritize self-preservation, he had never considered betraying Wu Shanshi. When Wei Ji was bedridden, he had entrusted Mitai with the duty to serve as Wu Shanshi’s top strategist if anything happened to him.
But now, who could have foreseen that things would come to this?
No matter how Mitai looked at it, he sadly understood that Wu Shanshi had reached a point of no return. What else could he do now?
His reason told him that it was the right choice to leave while Wu Shanshi hadn’t returned to Jizhou yet.
However, after following Wu Shanshi for so many years, how could he easily sever this bond?
However, a dozen days later, Mitai received something sent by Yuan Li with an urgent horse rider—a head, Wang Yun’s head.
Fortunately, it was winter, and the head was frozen in ice to prevent decay. But after several months, the face had still become contorted and horrifying.
At the first glance of Wang Yun’s head, Mitai let out a horrified scream and threw the head to the ground.
The ice shattered, and the head turned into a mess of broken flesh. Mitai’s face turned pale, and his facial muscles twitched. He stared fixedly at the head of his former colleague.
To think Wang Yun, who had put so much effort into everything, ended up like this…
The next person to be killed in a fit of rage by Wu Shanshi, would it be him?
That night, Mitai packed his belongings and left Jizhou.
When Wu Shanshi returned to Jizhou with his army, he was faced with an empty strategist group—some had died, and others had left. Among the trusted strategists, only Zhou Gongdan remained.
Meanwhile, Yuan Li and Chu Hechao had a completely different experience from Wu Shanshi.
In the spring of March, the Youzhou army finally returned to Youzhou. Liu Jixin, Guo Mao, Yuan Congyun, and others were already waiting at the city gate, eagerly celebrating their homecoming.
Victorious return naturally brought joy and excitement to everyone. The people crowded on both sides of the road, eagerly looking at the long caravan stretching for miles.
When they saw the carts filled with grain and boxes, they couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
Officials’ family members were also among the crowd, tears in their eyes, tightly watching their loved ones who had been away from Youzhou for almost a year.
The Chu Wang Mansion had already prepared hot water and a banquet, waiting for them to wash away the dust and celebrate together with a feast in the evening.
The kitchen was preparing meals, and the aroma of roasted meat and stir-fried dishes wafted in the air. Yuan Li couldn’t help but feel hungry, and his stomach growled.
Chu Hechao patted his belly, “Why are you making noise?”
Yuan Li looked at him with a sad face, “I’m hungry.”
“If you’re hungry, just endure it,” Chu Hechao said, “There’s a banquet in the evening. As a man, what’s there to fear if you’re hungry for a while?”
Yuan Li sighed, “Alright.”
Chu Hechao glanced at the other people happily chatting and laughing together and lowered his voice, “You go take a bath first, wait there, and I’ll bring you a bowl of chicken soup.”
Yuan Li nodded, “And a chicken leg.”
Chu Hechao said he understood.
When no one was paying attention, he quietly went to the kitchen.
The people left in Youzhou were all in high spirits, their faces glowing.
This expedition had yielded considerable gains. The only regret was that the emperor hadn’t come to Youzhou. However, when they learned that the emperor preferred the prosperity of the south and wasn’t fond of the remote Youzhou, Liu Jixin and the others’ regrets disappeared without a trace.
Youzhou had been built up bit by bit under Yuan Li’s guidance. In their minds, Youzhou was no less prosperous than any other place in the world. Since the emperor didn’t like Youzhou, they couldn’t help but feel a faint dislike towards the emperor.
“It’s better that he didn’t come,” Guo Mao said with an unchanged smile, “With the emperor here, things wouldn’t be convenient. If all those officials came to Youzhou, we would have to spend money to build a small court for them.”
Liu Jixin nodded, “Brother Guo is right.”
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