In recent years, due to repeated natural disasters and man-made calamities, along with corruption in governance, uprisings of displaced people within Great Zhou were nothing unusual. However, before this, they had all been small in scale. The only one who had truly achieved something was Dong Jian.
Dong Jian had previously risen in the southeast under the banner of the White-Clothed Sect. In a short time, he gathered displaced people from various regions and once nearly captured the two capitals. But after being defeated in Luoyang by Pei Zhen, and because the various rebel forces had differing aims and were never truly united, coupled with internal struggles for power, they quickly fragmented again.
After splitting, the displaced rebel forces mainly divided into two factions. One went east and north, now lingering around Jizhou and Qingzhou. The other continued to follow Dong Jian, returning to the southeast and the southern Jingxiang region.
Dong Jian had already been advanced in age when he rose. After successive defeats at Chang’an and Luoyang, and experiencing internal power struggles within the rebel forces, he was clearly greatly shaken. After fleeing south, he fell seriously ill, and was seized upon by his subordinate Fan En, who killed him.
If Dong Jian could be considered a formidable warlord, then Fan En, who killed him and rose to power, was like Cai Shu of the southwestern rebel army, short-sighted and shallow.
When Li Xuan sent envoys to discuss an alliance, Fan En bluntly stated on the spot: “An alliance is naturally no problem, but I intend to proclaim myself emperor, and I hope you will support me. If the southwestern rebels support me, then when your Crown Prince proclaims himself emperor in the future, I will certainly send congratulations. Or we could both proclaim ourselves emperors and form an alliance between our two states, wouldn’t that be a fine arrangement?”
Upon hearing this, the envoy sent by Li Xuan immediately looked displeased.
After hearing the envoy’s report, Li Xuan did not say a single word and simply brought his people back.
The southwestern rebel army had risen under the banner of Great Zhou’s legitimacy. If they agreed to such terms, would that not mean acknowledging that Great Zhou and Fan En’s faction were separate states, thus formally splitting?
Even Liang Wang in Jinling and the now puppet-like old Emperor had never dared to admit that the northern lands taken by the Hu were no longer part of Great Zhou.
Li Xuan had risen in the name of the legitimate line of the Great Zhou founding emperor. If, for the sake of temporary stability, he acknowledged others as emperors, he would become a laughingstock and lose all standing to later campaign against the father and son in Jinling.
Moreover, the reason they had previously wanted to ally with this displaced faction was mainly because Dong Jian was a capable warlord, with both intelligence and courage. But now that Fan En had taken power, with his short-sightedness and hasty desire to proclaim himself emperor, he would only become the first target of suppression. This southern displaced rebel force likely would not last long.
Fortunately, when Li Xuan had earlier gone to the southwest, he had already quickly stabilized the various tribes whose loyalties had been wavering, and had drawn several units of troops, recruiting more along the way, escorting provisions back toward the prefectural city.
However, on the way back, he learned another piece of news: Bo Yin of Jingxiang, seeing that the southern displaced rebels were no longer a concern and that the northern emperor had been imprisoned while regions everywhere were declaring independence, also wanted to take advantage of the chaos. He planned to attack the southwestern rebel army and seize Liangzhou and Yizhou.
Upon receiving this urgent message from his father, Li Chanxiu immediately convened everyone in the prefectural city for an emergency council.
Li Chanxiu fully understood Bo Yin’s intentions in suddenly deciding to attack them. Previously, the one responsible for dealing with the southwestern rebels had been Pei Zhen in the north, while Bo Yin in the east had been constrained by the displaced rebels to his south. If he had attacked westward at that time, not only would he have suffered unnecessary losses, but he would also have had to share the credit with Pei Zhen. More importantly, even if Liangzhou were taken, it would not have gone to him, and he might have been exploited by Dong Jian from the south.
Now that Dong Jian was dead and Pei Zhen had gone to Chang’an, there was no one left to compete with him. If he captured Liangzhou and Yizhou, he could advance north to seize Chang’an, or move east along the river to contend for Jinling.
But for Li Chanxiu and his side, the situation had suddenly become critical. Bo Yin of Jingxiang had been quietly building strength over the years and was no weak opponent.
In the dream, when the new emperor Li Zhen sent troops to suppress the southwestern rebels, Bo Yin had been the main force. He crushed Cai Shu, who had split off with his troops, in one stroke, then pressed the advantage, taking Liangzhou and advancing on Yizhou, forcing the remaining rebels deep into the mountains. Only a year later, when Li Chanxiu arrived in the southwest and Bo Yin went to Jinling to compete for power, did the situation improve.
Of course, at present, the rebels had not been split by Cai Shu, so the situation was much stronger than in the dream.
But to the northwest, they had to guard against the Hu; to the southeast, since talks with Fan En had failed, they also had to remain wary… troops were needed everywhere. It was fortunate that Li Xuan had just stabilized the southwest, and that Pei Zhen in the north was temporarily at a truce with them, otherwise, they would be surrounded on all sides.
Even so, Bo Yin’s strength in the east was not something they could contend with in the short term.
Inside the prefectural office, upon hearing that Bo Yin was about to attack, all the generals and strategists present wore grave expressions.
Many suggestions were proposed, but before Li Chanxiu could respond, they were often refuted by others.
After a long while, one of Li Xuan’s strategists, Wen Songquan, hesitantly spoke: “May I ask, Little Highness, when will the lord return? And… will he bring back sufficient troops and provisions?”
Li Chanxiu glanced at him and said, “My father has brought fifty thousand troops and is on the way back. Of these, ten thousand are contributed by the southwestern tribes, twenty thousand are drawn from the forces originally stationed in the southwest, and another twenty thousand were recruited along the way; they still require training before they can be sent into battle.”
After he finished speaking, everyone present fell silent again. They all knew that, setting aside the question of these troops’ combat effectiveness, just sending a portion of them to Qinzhou would leave very few behind. But Qinzhou couldn’t be ignored either, otherwise, if the Hu tribes attacked, the situation would be just as critical.
Just as no one spoke, Li Chanxiu opened his mouth again and, as if asking casually, said, “I intend to recruit Pei Zhen from the north. What do you all think?”
The moment they heard this, everyone present froze, as if they couldn’t believe it.
After a long while, Wen Songquan murmured, “This… would naturally be excellent, but…” You really mean recruitment, not cooperation or an alliance?
Moreover, everyone in the world knew that Pei Zhen was a staunch supporter of Liang Wang, with a very close relationship to the Wangye and his son, who had already proclaimed themselves emperor in Jinling. How could he possibly betray them?
Besides, the rebel army was weak, if they wanted to recruit him, what could they possibly use to attract Pei Zhen?
Especially since it was said that Pei Zhen was cold-natured, resolute, and decisive, neither wine, beauty, nor wealth could sway him. What could their rebel army offer that would move him?
For a moment, everyone hesitated, discussing in low voices. They all said the idea was good, but feared it would be difficult to succeed.
At this moment, Li Chanxiu cleared his throat and said, “Bo Yin dares to attack us only because he believes Pei Zhen has already reached Chang’an and won’t come to contend with him. If we can recruit Pei Zhen, then Chang’an and Liangzhou will be linked as one. Bo Yin may not dare act rashly. Even if he does, we would be able to withstand him. Moreover, when I was in the northwest, I was acquainted with Pei Zhen. I can personally go and persuade him.”
After a pause, he added, “Given the situation, why not give it a try? What if it succeeds?”
When he finished speaking, Yi Xun, seated at the end among the generals, couldn’t help but sneak a glance at him.
Li Chanxiu: “…”
He gave a light cough and turned his gaze away, pretending not to notice.
In truth, the benefits of recruiting Pei Zhen went far beyond this. Pei Zhen didn’t just command a hundred thousand troops in Chang’an and Liangzhou, his true base was in Bingzhou. Besides Bingzhou, Lord Zhang of Yongzhou also had a close relationship with him. By leveraging Pei Zhen’s connections, they could even recruit Lord Zhang.
Thus, obtaining Pei Zhen would be equivalent to gaining Yongzhou, Bingzhou, and Chang’an. From there, they could drive out the Hu tribes in the west and reclaim Liangzhou and Qinzhou; to the east, they could attack the Hu forces occupying Luoyang and Zhu Youjun in Sizhou. Once the north was unified, they could march south to seize Jingxiang, and then send a navy downriver from Jingxiang straight to Jinling…
Of course, the idea was beautiful. For the plan to succeed, the most important step was first to recruit Pei Zhen, and to retake Qinzhou west of Chang’an.
At present, Lu Zhi was already attacking Qinzhou. As for Pei Zhen, even if he couldn’t be recruited, forming an alliance would still be good.
The reason Li Chanxiu was aiming for recruitment was because, in his dream, Pei Zhen had never harbored ambitions of dominance. Like Lu Zhi, he only wanted to reclaim the northern lands and had always remained loyal to the court, unfortunately, not to a wise ruler.
In the dream, Li Chanxiu had neither the strength nor the opportunity to recruit him, and in those turbulent times, many things were beyond his power. As for why he hadn’t recruited Pei Zhen earlier, when he was still “Pei Er,” it was because his own prospects were bleak, while Pei Zhen’s position in the army was rapidly rising, and he had befriended a so-called noble youth, “Yang Yuan.” Staying in the army was clearly a better choice than following him.
But now, he wanted to try.
Although there had once been misunderstandings and deception between him and Pei Zhen, they had since been cleared up. From the letter Pei Zhen had sent some time ago, it seemed the other party no longer held it against him.
As for Pei Zhen’s relationship with Liang Wang and his son… in the dream, Pei Zhen had indeed remained loyal to the later emperor Li Zhen, but he was a man who could distinguish right from wrong and held the greater good in his heart.
He and Li Zhen had known each other since youth and shared a deep bond. But if he could move him with emotion, persuade him with reason, and earnestly convince him that Li Zhen was not a wise ruler, urging him to place the people of the realm first and choose a better cause… it might not be impossible to sway him.
After all, in the dream, Pei Zhen had no choice, the world then had only one legitimate emperor, Li Zhen. But now… he had other options.
The more Li Chanxiu thought about it, the more he felt it was worth trying. Especially when he imagined that if it truly succeeded, if Pei Zhen were to join the southwestern rebel army, he couldn’t help feeling a surge of excitement and anticipation, unable to tell whether he was more pleased at the prospect of achieving their grand cause, or simply at the thought of Pei Zhen himself coming.
At this moment, he had no mind to distinguish between the two. His clear eyes shone faintly as, while the others were still discussing and unable to decide, he suddenly raised his hand to silence them and said, “My mind is made up. We’ll proceed with this plan first.”
The murmurs below immediately fell quiet. Then someone hesitantly said, “Your Highness, this is a major matter, should we first seek the lord’s instructions?”
Li Chanxiu thought briefly, then said, “You’re right. Then we’ll write to inform my father, and at the same time make contact with Pei Zhen.”
The one who had spoken earlier: “…” What I meant was to ask first, then decide, not do both at once. Your Highness, aren’t you being a bit too hasty?
As if seeing through his thoughts, Li Chanxiu said, “This matter is urgent. Bo Yin could attack at any moment. If we wait until my father returns to decide, it will be too late.”
With that, he waved his hand, signaling the end of the meeting.
***
“What? That little brat wants to ally with Pei Zhen?”
In the Anxing County yamen, Cai Shu slammed his wine cup onto the table with a bang, splashing a few drops onto the back of his hand, his eyes wide in shock.
At his side, the strategist Geng Wenmian said, “Not an alliance, he wants to recruit him.”
“Hah, what a joke. And he thinks he can recruit Pei Zhen? What would Pei Zhen even see in our southwestern rebel army?” Cai Shu sneered.
But after pacing a few steps around the hall, he added, “Still, the brat’s idea isn’t bad. If he could recruit Pei Zhen, wouldn’t that mean gaining Chang’an? But Pei Zhen would never actually be recruited…”
After muttering to himself for a while, his eyes suddenly lit up. He plopped down beside Geng Wenmian and said, “Tell me, what if I replace Pei Zhen myself?”
Geng Wenmian paused, his expression complicated.
Cai Shu quickly continued, “Pei Zhen may be formidable, but his base is in Bingzhou. And I hear his main army is currently in Chang’an, with only thirty thousand troops left on the south bank of the Han River. I can mobilize fifty thousand troops, wipe out those thirty thousand, and seize Hanzhong. After that, all of Liangzhou will be in my hands, let’s see what those father and son in the prefectural city will have to say then.”
Before Geng Wenmian could respond, a newly arrived strategist, Zhang Chu, immediately said, “General, this plan is brilliant. Once we secure Liangzhou, we can march north and take Chang’an directly. At that time, Pei Zhen’s other forces will be far away in Bingzhou and won’t arrive in time to help. Chang’an will be ours, wouldn’t that be even better than that little highness’s plan?”
“Not bad, not bad, this is exactly what I mean.” Cai Shu agreed.
Geng Wenmian held it in for a long while, and finally forced out a sentence: “General, you absolutely must not. Not to mention that we have already temporarily agreed to a truce with Pei Zhen, suddenly attacking him would be a breach of trust. Taking Hanzhong is certainly important, but even if we truly defeat those thirty thousand troops, we may not necessarily be able to take Chang’an…”
“Mr. Geng, are you questioning the General’s ability?” Zhang Chu suddenly interrupted him. “Leaving aside everything else, since the uprising began, hasn’t half the cities of Liangzhou been taken by the General? But now, what has happened? They’ve exiled the General to a mere Anxing County.”
As he spoke, he gave Cai Shu a deep bow and said with pain, “General, I truly feel this is unfair to you.”
These words struck right at Cai Shu’s heart. Ever since being assigned to Anxing County, he had been full of resentment, drinking away his frustrations all day.
At this moment, after hearing Zhang Chu’s words, he immediately said, “Exactly. That father and son have gone too far in bullying others. I have rendered great service to the righteous army, yet their actions are clearly meant to weaken my influence within it. Rather than that, it would be better to seek another path and strengthen myself.”
Geng Wenmian hurriedly said, “I know the General has been troubled these past few days, but if we are to seek another path, actually…”
He paused, then suggested, “The prefectural city intends to weaken your influence and marginalize you. Since that is the case, it would be better to defect to Bo Yin of Jingxiang. Perhaps you could gain important use there.”
Who would have thought that upon hearing this, Cai Shu immediately rebuked him: “No. How can I submit to another? Besides, I have made great contributions in the righteous army, why should I be the one to leave?”
One must know, his original idea had been the same as Zhu Youjun of Sizhou, to treat Li Xuan as a puppet and have himself command the righteous army. Who would have expected that after Li Xuan arrived, many in the army would immediately turn to him, and Cai Shu, due to his failure in attacking the prefectural city, became increasingly marginalized. If he did nothing soon, it was clear he would end up as nothing more than a minor county garrison commander.
Zhang Chu also added from the side, “Exactly. If the General captures Chang’an and establishes great merit, then in the future within the righteous army, it will certainly still be the General who has the final say. The prefectural city will have no choice. Even if Chang’an cannot be taken immediately, once Pei Zhen’s thirty thousand troops are wiped out by us, the righteous army will have no other option but to support the General in continuing the attack on Chang’an, then it will still be the General who calls the shots.”
“Not bad, not bad, that is exactly what I mean,” Cai Shu praised, but after thinking for a moment, he added, “But this matter must still be handled cautiously. First send people into those thirty thousand troops to scout out the truth.”
Zhang Chu immediately said, “We can conveniently use the reason that that little Highness wants to recruit Pei Zhen, and send envoys into the opposing army.”
Geng Wenmian opened his mouth, about to stop them, but Cai Shu clapped his hands and said, “Excellent! Mr. Zhang, I will leave this matter to you. Quickly send people to the opposing army to probe their strength.”
Hearing this, Zhang Chu immediately revealed a pleased expression, bowed, and hurried out.
Geng Wenmian still wanted to persuade him further, but was impatiently waved off by Cai Shu.
Outside the county yamen, after Zhang Chu arranged the envoys, he pulled one of them aside to a secluded place and quietly instructed, “I have already found a way to make Cai Shu sabotage the prefectural city’s plan to recruit Pei Zhen. When you reach the opposing army, remember to relay my words to Lord Liang, and have him create the illusion that their side is easy to defeat. Remember well, tell Lord Liang that His Majesty and the Crown Prince have personally ordered that no matter what, Pei Zhen must not be allowed to side with the righteous army.”
The envoy immediately responded, “Yes.”
After the group departed, Zhang Chu could not help raising his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, thinking to himself: I hope it’s still in time.
The “His Majesty” and “Crown Prince” he had just referred to were naturally not the old emperor far away in Sizhou, nor Li Xuan of Liangzhou, but Liang Wang and his son, who had already proclaimed themselves emperor in Jinling.
When Liang Wang was in Chang’an, he often went in and out of the old emperor’s bedchamber, how could he not know about those letters?
Upon hearing that Pei Zhen now occupied Chang’an, and that after his own ascension the other party had neither submitted a congratulatory memorial nor obeyed his orders to attack Luoyang, he became worried that Pei Zhen might already know something and would be uncontrollable in the future. Thus, he hastily sent people to operate in Chang’an and Liangzhou.
Within the opposing army, Liang Xingrong, the former prefect of Liangzhou, learned of the situation and, in accordance with the “imperial will,” immediately had his remaining Liangzhou troops replace Pei Zhen’s thirty thousand soldiers, so that the envoys would believe they were indeed vulnerable.
Afterward, when Cai Shu’s envoys pretended to say that Li Chanxiu wanted to recruit Pei Zhen, he even put on an arrogant, disdainful expression and said, “Recruit? Hmph. Let your princess marry our General Pei, only then is there something to discuss.”
Once the envoys were “angered” and left, Liang Xingrong finally let out a sigh of relief, thinking: This should stop them from trying to recruit him again, right? No one could swallow such an insult.
However, by coincidence, Yan Wang and his Wangfei had previously escaped just in time before Zhao Wang launched his coup, and were now within these thirty thousand troops, and just happened to learn of Liang Xingrong’s words.
Even more coincidentally, Yan Wangfei also encountered Chen Qing and the others in the army, and over the past few days frequently summoned Chen Qing to question him about Pei Zhen’s affairs in Yongzhou.
Chen Qing, for his part, spoke without holding anything back, vividly describing how Pei Zhen had once lain like a blood-covered man in the corner of the wounded soldiers’ camp, unconscious and waiting to die, and how Li Chanxiu had been both beautiful and kind-hearted, saving him out of righteousness. He went on to describe how the two gradually developed feelings, became happily married, and were deeply affectionate, painting the story in rich detail. Yan Wangfei listened while wiping her tears, deeply moved: “Zhen’er and she truly are a match made in heaven, a pair brought together by fate.”
“Isn’t that so, Your Highness? I’m not bragging, everyone in our entire camp knows that Pei Shizi and Shen… and that Princess are extremely loving.”
“It’s a pity she is the princess of the opposing side…” Yan Wangfei said again, wiping her tears, not without regret.
It was at this moment that she heard a subordinate come to report Liang Xingrong’s words.
It would have been better if she hadn’t heard it, but once she did, she was so shocked that she immediately stood up and said anxiously, “What is to be done? If that Lord Liang truly said this, would it not, for no reason at all, ruin my son’s marriage? No, no, we must quickly send someone to Chang’an to inform Zhen’er.”
…
Chang’an, Pei Residence.
Pei Zhen and Yang Yuanyi were silently facing letters sent from Jinling and Sizhou.
After a long while, Yang Yuanyi cautiously asked, “Jianzhi, what do you plan to do?”
This was asking which side Pei Zhen intended to choose.
In fact, not only Pei Zhen, right now, aside from a few fools bold enough to proclaim themselves emperor and those warlords already intending to carve out their own territories, all other forces still loyal to the court were in a dilemma. With two emperors suddenly appearing, how to choose was truly a problem.
Not to mention that in the southwest there is also the current Crown Prince Li Xuan. Although he had once been placed under house arrest, he had not yet been deposed before the emperor himself was imprisoned. In this way, by legal principle, Li Xuan has more qualification to proclaim himself emperor than the one in Jinling.
Actually, if it were before, Yang Yuanyi would not have found this matter worth any hesitation, Pei Zhen would certainly have chosen the Jinling side. After all, he was close to Liang Wang and his son, while the one in Sizhou had already become Zhu Youjun’s puppet toy.
But it just so happened that not long ago, they had just read those letters in the emperor’s bedchamber.
Naturally, with Pei Zhen’s strength, he could also choose neither side and carve out his own territory. But in that case, his position would lack legitimacy and justification.
Hadn’t the Hu people, upon reaching Luoyang, raised a great banner, claiming that their former king had once sworn brotherhood with the former dynasty’s Emperor Min, inheriting the legitimate line of the Yong dynasty? They said that the founding ancestor of Great Zhou was a usurper, and that their entering Luoyang was to avenge Emperor Min of the former dynasty and punish the rebels.
Back then, Emperor Min of the former dynasty, in competing for the throne, had indeed invited the Hu people to send troops to assist him, and afterward had sworn brotherhood with the Hu ruler. But not long after, that “good brother” from the Hu people cut off Emperor Min’s head. After that, the Central Plains fell into chaos for more than fifty years, until the founding emperor established Great Zhou, bringing a brief period of stability.
“But you know, if these words weren’t spoken by the Hu people, they might actually have worked,” Yang Yuanyi could not help but say.
At the very least, some great aristocratic families all longed for the later emperors of the Yong dynasty, whom they had treated as puppet playthings.
Pei Zhen gave Yang Yuanyi a faint glance and had yet to say anything when someone suddenly came from outside to report: “General, Her Highness Yan Wangfei has sent someone with a letter.”
Hearing this, Pei Zhen raised his hand to take the letter. After opening it and reading, his expression nearly twisted.
Seeing this, Yang Yuanyi could not help but curiously glance at it as well, then immediately sucked in a breath and said, “Does this Liang Xingrong have a grudge against you?”
Pei Zhen had no time to discuss this with him and immediately intended to write a letter to explain to Li Chanxiu, but then suddenly remembered that the golden eagle had already delivered a message to Bingzhou.
Why did it have to be at this moment?
He clenched the letter in his hand, thought for a moment, and suddenly said, “I’ll go to Liangzhou.”
Yang Yuanyi: “What?”
“Just in time to bring my parents back to Chang’an along the way,” Pei Zhen said with a dark expression, striding out.
Yang Yuanyi: “…” Complicated. If you think of it that way, perhaps it makes you feel like you’re not specifically going to see the princess.
***
After Pei Zhen arrived in the Liangzhou army, before he even had time to ask Yan Wangfei what exactly had happened, Li Chanxiu, having just learned that he had returned, sent an envoy with a letter, asking him to meet at West Hillside.
After receiving the letter, Pei Zhen thought for a moment and decided to go see Li Chanxiu first.
On the other side, within Anxing County.
Cai Shu first learned that the thirty thousand troops Pei Zhen had left in Liangzhou were actually vulnerable, and was overjoyed. Not long after, he learned from Zhang Chu that Pei Zhen had already returned to the Liangzhou army and was about to go meet Li Chanxiu at West Hillside.
As for how Zhang Chu knew, naturally it was because Liang Xingrong had sent someone to inform him.
“General, you absolutely must not allow Pei Zhen to meet that little Highness. If he truly recruits Pei Zhen, then in the future within the righteous army, his momentum will certainly grow even stronger. If you want to make a comeback then, it will be difficult,” Zhang Chu urged.
Cai Shu snorted coldly: “Of course I know that. But it is good that Pei Zhen has come. When he goes to meet that brat, he certainly won’t bring many people. Take the opportunity to send men to kill him. Afterward, the Bingzhou army will be leaderless, and whether I attack those thirty thousand troops or later attack Chang’an, it will be much easier.”
Zhang Chu was stunned upon hearing this, but then, thinking of the orders from the Emperor and Crown Prince in Jinling, that it would be better for Pei Zhen to lose his life than to let him become independent or side with Li Xuan, he quickly nodded again and praised, “General, this plan is excellent.”
With that one sentence, he once again flattered Cai Shu into elation.
…
Within Liangzhou’s prefectural city, after Li Chanxiu set the time with Pei Zhen, he was about to go meet him when he was suddenly delayed by matters in the city, and ultimately set out a moment later than planned.
It was precisely this delay of a single moment that allowed him to receive, in time, intelligence sent back from informants in Anxing County.
Upon learning of Cai Shu’s plan, his expression suddenly changed. Originally planning to bring only a dozen people to meet Pei Zhen, he abruptly changed to taking five thousand troops and sped toward West Hillside.
The cold wind along the road was biting, stiffening his cheeks, yet Li Chanxiu’s heartbeat grew faster and faster. Gripping the reins tightly, he prayed in his heart: May Pei Zhen be safe, may he not have come alone…
Before reaching West Hillside, they could already hear the sounds of shouting and fighting.
Li Chanxiu’s heart tightened, as if it would leap out of his throat. He urgently called to the cavalry behind him, “Quick!”
As he spoke, he also drew the long sword at his waist and spurred his horse forward.
At West Hillside, Pei Zhen was being besieged by three to five thousand men. Naturally, he had not come alone, but he had indeed not brought many people, only fewer than a hundred guards accompanying him.
By the time Li Chanxiu arrived, Pei Zhen’s armor was already stained with blood, and the shaft of the spear in his hand had become so slippery from blood that he could barely hold it.
Li Chanxiu’s expression changed drastically. He immediately led his troops charging in, slashing with his sword.
When Pei Zhen saw him, his gaze also froze, staring at his figure on horseback in a moment of distraction. It was in that instant that, caught off guard, he was struck at the back of the head by a spear.
It was not a particularly heavy blow, yet he suddenly felt intense pain in his head, his vision going dark as he fell from his horse.
Li Chanxiu reacted swiftly, killing that man with a single thrust of his sword, then hurriedly dismounted to support Pei Zhen.
The three to four thousand men sent by Cai Shu had already been partially cut down by Pei Zhen and his group. Now, with Li Chanxiu’s five thousand troops arriving, it did not take long before they were routed.
The clashing sounds of weapons gradually faded. The darkness before Pei Zhen’s eyes slowly dispersed, and his vision gradually returned. He blinked with effort, wiped away the blood clinging to his eyelashes, and saw Li Chanxiu’s beautiful face anxiously calling out to him.
Unconsciously, he lifted the corners of his lips and smiled softly.
Though there was still some ringing in his ears and he could not hear clearly what the other was saying, all of the other’s concern and worry was reflected in his eyes.
So the other truly did like him. Before, their positions had been opposed, but now, it suddenly seemed not so opposed anymore. The situation was changing too quickly, since that was the case, could he… express his feelings once again?
“I’m fine,” Pei Zhen said hoarsely, his dark eyes unable to hide his smile as he looked at the anxious and worried Li Chanxiu. “As for what Liang Xingrong said before, Your Highness, please do not take it to heart. Those were his personal words and do not represent my intentions. In truth, I…”
He had just been about to say that he cherished His Highness and would never say such rude words, but before he could get the words out, he suddenly froze.
His gaze fell straight onto Li Chanxiu’s slender, fair neck. There was a delicate and beautiful protrusion there, which seemed to be… an Adam’s apple?
![After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth]](https://i1.wp.com/lazygirltranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20240810023906_300_420.jpg?resize=151,215 "After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth]")
