Chapter 115: Traces of the Spider
The two turned their heads toward Zhang Huai, who strode hurriedly and soon reached them. Beads of sweat from the heat dotted his fair complexion, his Confucian robe warmed by the sun. He cupped his hands slightly toward Song Qin and said, "General Song is here too?"
"Military Advisor, what scheme has that bastard Liu concocted now?"
Upon hearing Zhang Huai's earlier call, Zheng Hu could no longer focus on competing with Tao Kui. The two waded through the stream, stumbling onto the bank.
Seeing that only trusted companions were present, Zhang Huai cut to the chase: "Liu Biao has secretly arranged for his mother and sister to be taken away."
Zheng Hu couldn't contain his anger upon hearing this: "I knew that old fox was up to no good! Earlier, when he had his mother and sister deliver porridge and water to the military camp, he spread rumors trying to pin responsibility on our second brother. If not for the Military Advisor's wisdom in hinting to the wealthy merchants and prominent families of various counties to also send people to second brother's tent, who knows how that would have ended!"
"This time, when eldest brother returned injured from Ping'an Mountain, Liu actively volunteered—he must have been brewing mischief all along. When Bandit Pei's people came up the mountain to persuade us, they must have secretly promised that old scoundrel additional benefits!"
Ping'an County, being the largest bandit stronghold in Tongzhou, had seen its bandit forces severely weakened by Xiao Li before Song Qin spent several days finally capturing it. However, while clearing out remaining bandits, Song Qin was ambushed and injured, forcing him to withdraw for recovery.
Xiao Li originally intended to send Zheng Hu, but Liu Biao suddenly volunteered.
Having previously persuaded his fellow villagers to join his rebellion, Liu was undoubtedly eloquent. Before the assembled leaders, his vows of loyalty and requests for assignment struck deep chords, nearly moving to tears.
Xiao Li now commanded over ten thousand troops—a mix of commoners who volunteered and forces merged from various counties. Though he had enforced military discipline, ensuring unified loyalty in such short time was challenging. In these turbulent times, those gathering in small Tongzhou instead of joining Southern Liang or Northern Wei all sought better prospects.
If Xiao Li didn't utilize Liu Biao and only relied on his own factions, Liu and his restless fellow villagers might incite discontent among those from other counties, making them perceive bias in Xiao Li's leadership.
Their force had just gained momentum. To avoid drawing Jingzhou's attention too quickly, Ping'an County still flew bandit flags externally. If morale wavered now, their newly forged unity could shatter into disarray.
Moreover, Zheng Hu was impulsive and hot-tempered—without guidance, he easily fell into traps. After careful consideration, Xiao Li approved Liu's request but assigned another minor leader from a different county to jointly garrison Ping'an Mountain, while secretly monitoring Liu and his compatriots.
Days earlier, when the Pei Army stationed in Tongcheng County ascended Ping'an Mountain for persuasion, the presence of another minor leader ensured the message was quickly relayed back. But Liu's secret relocation of his mother and sister demanded deeper scrutiny.
Xiao Li asked Zhang Huai, "Have they been detained?"
Zhang Huai replied, "The Liu mother and daughter are under house arrest, and Liu's fellow villagers have been taken into custody."
Song Qin frowned: "Where did they plan to take the Liu women? Ping'an Mountain?"Zhang Huai shook his head: "Those men from Liu Family Village are tight-lipped. Initially, they insisted that Old Lady Liu merely missed her son and wanted to bring Liu's wife and daughter to Ping'an Mountain. But they weren't taking the road to Ping'an Mountain. After separating them into different cells and interrogating them individually, I finally tricked them into revealing that they were actually taking Liu's wife and daughter away from Tongzhou to avoid disaster. However, they knew nothing about what Liu Biao is truly plotting, only saying Liu Biao had promised them that he would soon help them rise to prominence."
Zheng Hu snorted disdainfully: "That old fool is feeding that nonsense to three-year-olds! Only his fellow villagers would believe it! How does he plan to make them rise? With his smooth-talking mouth?"
Zhang Huai's expression remained grave, even growing more troubled: "Unusual events always signal trouble. Though Liu Biao craves glory, he's not one to act recklessly. That day, when the Pei clan from Tongcheng came up the mountain, they proposed that if the Ping'an County bandits would surrender, the Pei clan would help them capture Pingdeng County. Afterward, the Ping'an County bandits would dominate all of Tongzhou and even receive official titles from Pei Song."
Xiao Li said: "The bait is substantial, and its purpose is clearly to keep the bandits within Tongzhou fighting us. But we've already taken Ping'an County. Tongcheng relies on Jinzhou, which is collapsing under the fierce assault of the Southern Liang's three armies and can no longer send reinforcements. Once Jinzhou falls, the heartland's gates will swing wide open. With the Southern Liang allied forces and Wei Qishan attacking from north and south, Pei Song will stand no chance. Liu Biao has always been shrewd—he wouldn't be foolish enough to miscalculate in this situation."
Zhang Huai nodded: "My lord, that is precisely what I find puzzling."
Zheng Hu, always straightforward, felt his head spinning from their convoluted analysis. He said: "I can't be bothered figuring out whether that old fool Liu is stupid or not! Second Brother, Military Advisor, just tell us what to do now!"
As the sun sank lower, he watched the two by the riverbank. Zhang Huai seemed to have an idea but glanced at Xiao Li and remained silent.
Xiao Li, silhouetted against the setting sun, pondered for a moment before saying: "Whatever Liu Biao and Pei Song's men are plotting, since he just moved Liu's wife and daughter, it means they haven't started their move yet. We should strike first—seize Tongcheng and capture Liu Biao. Then we'll make them talk."
Ping'an Mountain.
Inside the main tent, Liu Biao paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. He was burly, with a square face and broad eyebrows. If not for his overly shrewd eyes gleaming with cunning, his appearance alone would make him seem honest and reliable.
Beside the long table in the tent, a man in a Confucian robe with a thin mustache was writing a letter.
In the corner, another man lay bound and gagged, glaring furiously at Liu Biao. However enraged he was, the tight gag muffled his protests into angry grunts.
Already irritable, Liu Biao grew more annoyed by the man's muffled noises. He strode over and kicked the man hard in the abdomen. As the man curled up in pain, Liu Biao warned: "Ma Laosan, stay quiet! You think this is still Ma Family Slope? Don't count on that Xiao fellow either. When Minister Pei's army arrives, the first one I'll kill is that pretty boy!"
This Ma Laosan was another minor chieftain Xiao Li had sent to Ping'an County to garrison alongside Liu Biao.Liu Biao seemed to harbor deep hatred for Xiao Li. After kicking Ma Laosan once, he continued to deliver several more vicious kicks while cursing, "Who does he think he is? I built this foundation with the brothers from Liu Family Village! And he dares to steal my position as Prefect? When my brothers and I killed the magistrate, Xiao Li was still begging for scraps in some godforsaken corner!"
Ma Laosan writhed in agony on the ground, blood-flecked foam rising from his throat and soaking through the cloth gag.
Suddenly, someone reported from outside the tent: "Brother Liu, word from Pingdeng County - your mother and the others have been safely escorted out of Tongzhou."
Hearing this, the tension that had been gripping Liu Biao finally eased. He stopped taking out his anger on Ma Laosan and called out, "Acknowledged. You may withdraw."
"Sir, the letter is drafted." A thin man with a small mustache by the desk put down his brush and addressed Liu Biao.
This man had previously served as the magistrate's advisor in Pingdeng County.
Liu Biao was illiterate, as were all his fellow villagers - mere farmers who had never set foot in a school. After killing the magistrate, the advisor had kowtowed and begged for mercy. Recognizing the man's literacy could be useful, Liu Biao kept him by his side.
Initially, the advisor's limited knowledge had sufficed, helping Liu Biao strategize and secure his position as the leader of Pingdeng County.
But when Zhang Huai arrived in Pingdeng County, the advisor's capabilities proved entirely inadequate.
At first, Liu Biao had wanted to recruit Zhang Huai, never expecting the man's ambitions would be so boundless, showing no intention of serving him. Now Zhang Huai had become a lackey for that Xiao fellow.
The mere thought made Liu Biao grind his teeth in fury.
His mother and sister going to the Military Camp to curry favor with Xiao Li hadn't been his idea either. The Liu clan elders, seeing his hopeless position in the power struggle and how Xiao Li had nearly consolidated all forces in Tongzhou, wanted to arrange a marriage alliance.
This way, even if Liu Biao couldn't lead the Tongzhou righteous army, their Liu bloodline might still inherit everything eventually.
After this scheme failed, the Liu clan felt thoroughly humiliated. Though furious, Liu Biao's mind remained sharp. Noticing an opening in Ping'an County, he realized if they didn't seize this opportunity now, their Liu Family Village would never rise again.
Fortunately, heaven hadn't abandoned him. Upon arriving here, he quickly saw a turning point.
Liu Biao approached the advisor, who obsequiously presented the newly drafted letter: "For your review."
Realizing his mistake, the advisor quickly stepped aside and read the contents aloud: "To the Honorable Prefect: Tong City shows no unusual activity recently. Ping'an Mountain has recruited seventy new soldiers, with roster attached..."
To monitor movements across Tongzhou's dozen counties, local leaders stationed in each county were required to send regular reports to Xiao Li every few days about their county's situation.
When the Pei family from Tong City came to persuade surrender earlier, Liu Biao hadn't yet subdued Ma Laosan and could only relay this information to Xiao Li.
Now, although he had captured Ma Laosan, to avoid alerting Xiao Li, the letters still needed to be sent on schedule.
Finding the letter satisfactory after hearing it read, Liu Biao pressed his thumb into the inkpad and stamped his fingerprint at the end. He then approached Ma Laosan, forcing the captive's thumb to make another print.
Though Ma Laosan resisted, weakened by prolonged hunger after capture and the recent beating, he was no match for Liu Biao's strength.Neither of them was literate, so naturally they couldn't write their own names. This was the method Zhang Huai had devised to verify the authenticity of messages.
After pressing their fingerprints, the clerk took the letter out of the tent to find a messenger, while Liu Biao used his coarse, calloused palm to pat Ma Laosan's face in a humiliating manner, threatening, "Stay put! The only reason you're still alive is because we need that finger of yours. Piss me off, and I've got plenty of ways to keep that finger intact while turning you into a human pig!"
After delivering this threat, he thought of the grand plan about to succeed, feeling his chest swell with excitement he could no longer suppress. He stepped out of the tent for some fresh air.
Outside, a steady night rain fell in the mountains, completely dousing the scorching heat of the day.
A patrol team carrying torches passed by, and he glared and shouted, "Stay alert, all of you! No slacking off!"
The patrol team, though bewildered by the outburst, straightened up slightly and trudged onward through the muddy water.
Liu Biao turned his gaze to the distant mountains shrouded in rain and darkness. The thought that soon, all seventeen counties of Tongzhou would be his filled him with immense satisfaction and pride. Even the air he exhaled felt suddenly freer.
The Pei Army in Tongcheng had already become his ally, and there were no longer any threats on the mountain.
After taking a deep breath, Liu Biao prepared to return to his tent to rest. But suddenly, from afar, the clamor of battle cries erupted, and flames closed in from all directions in the night.
Liu Biao paled in shock. His first thought was that they had been exposed, yet he found it impossible to believe.
In his panic, he had no time to ponder further and could only flee in disarray.
A soldier ran headlong into him and, recognizing him, cried out desperately as if seeing a savior, "Brother Liu... the Governor is leading troops to attack us..."
Liu Biao, his face twisted with ferocity, shoved the man aside and continued his frantic escape through the rain.
Familiar with the mountain's terrain, he quickly evaded others under the cover of night and fled along a narrow path into the back hills.
After running an unknown distance, he finally let himself collapse into the muddy ground, lying on his back and gasping for breath.
But then, torches suddenly flared in the previously silent forest. Startled, Liu Biao scrambled to his feet and saw that the woods were already surrounded.
His sallow face instantly turned pale.
Zheng Hu threw off his oilcloth rain cover, staring provocatively at Liu Biao as he cracked his neck, unable to contain his excitement. "Second Brother, your calculations were spot on! This bastard really chose this path to escape!"
Liu Biao stared at the man under the torchlight and shadows, whose handsome features were twisted with a savage wildness. The moment their eyes met, he couldn't help but shudder.
The desire to survive forced him to calm down slightly, and he retorted, "What... what is the Governor doing? I thought it was an enemy attack..."
Zheng Hu gritted his teeth in fury at the man's attempt to lie even now. If not for Xiao Li's silence, he would have lunged forward and pounded him into mincemeat.
Xiao Li was not wearing armor. A personal guard held a large oilcloth umbrella slightly behind him, its canopy firmly shielding him from the rain.
He asked nonchalantly, "In the face of an enemy attack, is this how General Liu abandons his soldiers?"
Liu Biao hurriedly replied, "This subordinate deserves death for his failure. I beg the Governor..."A flicker of impatience crossed Xiao Li's brow. Losing the patience to endure any more of the man's feigned madness and wordplay, he cut him off sharply: "If you want to live, speak the truth. What backup plans are hidden in Jinzhou and Tongcheng that make you dare risk your life for them like this?"
Author's Note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solutions between 2024-08-02 17:59:43 and 2024-08-04 13:40:29~
Special thanks for nutrient solutions:
Tasuaxingcao: 50 bottles
Jiangjiang, Blossom, Qingfeng Chanming, Jishishu: 10 bottles each
Taiyang Nuanyangyang: 5 bottles
Kfpy_L: 3 bottles
Gaigemingba, Mingyun, Xiewan Zuoye Dajieji: 1 bottle each
Many thanks for your support—I will keep working hard!
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