Chapter 49
"You... are you two also planning to rebel..."
When it came to news about Pei Song, Xiao Li also paid closer attention and looked toward Wen Yu.
They had been traveling for two days now, already in disguise. Xiao Li had pasted a full beard that covered half his face. Wen Yu had bound her chest and wore a patched, dusty gray outfit, simply disguising herself as a slender young man. Not only had she darkened her face, but she'd also dotted it with pockmarks.
Her voice hadn't fully recovered from her cold, and when she deliberately lowered her tone, she sounded like a boy going through puberty.
Now her expression suddenly darkened as she demanded, "Who attempted to assassinate Pei Song? Was it successful?"
The lackey said fearfully, "I really don't know! When our chieftain rebelled earlier, we only heard rumors from the road. But the assassination probably failed - these past couple days while we were robbing travelers, we heard that Pei Song has killed many more former Liang officials!"
Wen Yu's hand resting on her knee instantly clenched.
Just as she had suspected - it was her father's former subordinates who had acted. Otherwise, Pei Song wouldn't have suddenly started killing former Liang officials again.
But why had they suddenly become so radical?
Without absolute certainty of success, they should prioritize preserving their lives and maintaining their strength first.
As Wen Yu's thoughts wandered in confusion, the lackeys grew anxious at her prolonged silence and pleaded, "Young hero, we've told you everything we know! Please spare our lives!"
Wen Yu was contemplating what could have prompted the Liang-loyal officials to take action and had no attention to spare for them. Noticing the ropes at their waists used for tying people, she said to Xiao Li beside her, "Gag and tie these men up first."
The lackeys were terrified and began weeping and begging for mercy.
Though Xiao Li didn't understand Wen Yu's intention, he complied nonetheless.
He tied up the three lackeys and dragged them into the woods beside the road. Wen Yu sat cross-legged under a tree not far away, picking up a small branch to draw on the ground.
Xiao Li approached and said, "So Pei Song was attacked - that explains why the road inspections have been less strict these past few days while we've been traveling. But why did you tie up those bandit lackeys?"
They deliberately kept their voices low, ensuring the tied-up lackeys in the bushes couldn't hear their conversation.
Wen Yu pointed at the simple map she had drawn on the ground: "Pei Song's assassination attempt is good news. For this information to leak out, the former Liang officials in Dingzhou must have exerted considerable effort. Otherwise, given the current battle situation in Dingzhou, Pei Song would certainly suppress all news to maintain military morale."
"Marquis of Shuobian Wei Qishan won't miss this opportunity to fiercely attack Dingzhou either. If the Wei army can win, then Pei Song would lose a city in his first battle of the north-south war. After suffering such a major defeat, his military morale would only collapse further, putting him at a disadvantage. So no matter what method he uses, Pei Song will definitely protect Dingzhou."
She tapped her branch on the area marked Xianzhou on her map: "Before he recovers his footing, we need to use news of his injury to stir up even more chaos in the southern situation."
Xiao Li was puzzled: "What does this have to do with tying up those lackeys?"Wen Yu glanced at him, the small branch in her hand landing on Pingzhou: "Pingzhou borders both Great Liang and Southern Chen, and has always been the largest tea-horse market in the south. To put it more plainly, this place is a money pit—anything transported there can be exchanged for silver. After my father gained power in the court, he sent trusted aides to remain in Pingzhou. It is also the last stretch of Great Liang territory I must pass through on my way to Southern Chen. But Xinzhou is less than three hundred li from Pingzhou. For the Prefect of Xinzhou to rebel at this moment, I fear he has set his sights on Pingzhou."
She paused briefly here, her expression growing increasingly grim as she continued: "Moreover, the timing of the Prefect of Xinzhou's rebellion is far too coincidental. Ordinary bandits are usually just a disorganized mob, so their lack of foresight is understandable. But he is a prefect of an entire province. Before any news of Pei Song's assassination even confirming his death has spread, he immediately took action. This is highly unusual."
"I suspect he has already reached some agreement with Wei Qishan. After all, if Wei Qishan keeps Pei Song tied up in the north, the Prefect of Xinzhou can take advantage of Pei Song's inability to intervene and swallow up neighboring prefectures in the south, rapidly expanding his influence. Once he gains momentum, he can not only use the wealth and grain from the fertile lands to supply Wei Qishan's northern military needs but also attack Pei Song from both north and south."
Xiao Li frowned as he listened. The amount of information in her words was overwhelming, and the situation was exceedingly complex.
But comparing it with the diagram of various factions Wen Yu had drawn, he quickly sorted through it. There was only one point he didn't quite understand.
He pointed to the area representing Pingzhou that Wen Yu had circled: "If Wei Qishan wants to find a collaborator to attack Pei Song from both north and south, why would he choose that blasted Prefect of Xinzhou instead of sending a letter directly to Pingzhou to cooperate with you? After all, you've already written numerous articles urging your former subordinates to gather in Pingzhou to join you."
Wen Yu clutched the small branch, her gaze fixed on the simple map she had drawn, her eyes somber: "Wei Qishan only dispatched troops after Pei Song breached Fengyang and slaughtered my entire Wen clan. His aim is to contend for the empire. Regardless of the fact that Pei Song has been sending assassins after me all along, and whether I'll even survive to reach Pingzhou, the mere fact that I am of Great Liang's imperial bloodline means Wei Qishan would never ally with me."
A faint, bitter smile touched her lips: "Otherwise, even if Pei Song were eliminated, he and I would still have to wage war over who should rule this land. Moreover, he knows I have the support of Southern Chen—I don't necessarily need him as an ally. So, from every angle, it's most advantageous for him to prop up a puppet prince in the south to seize Pingzhou."
Xiao Li finally understood the intricate web of conflicting interests and fell into a heavy silence.
These matters were too distant from him. He could shield her from overt and covert attacks, but on this chessboard where the whole empire was at stake, what he could do was far too limited.
Only those who held the pieces could easily pluck a string, overturning heaven and earth with a turn of their hand.
He offered no words of comfort, only asked Wen Yu: "What do you intend to do?"
Wen Yu thrust the branch forcefully into the area representing Xinzhou on her rough map: "I'd be pleased to see the south thrown into chaos, leaving Pei Song stretched thin. But if Wei Qishan dares to set his sights on Pingzhou, I won't let him gain even the slightest advantage."She lifted her gaze, her cool eyes concealing a hint of murderous intent: "Let's add fuel to the fire. Since it's widely rumored that Pei Song was assassinated, let's change the rumor. Say that Pei Song is already dead from the assassination, but they're keeping it secret due to the war in Dingzhou. Those southern provinces that haven't dared to rebel are probably still intimidated by Pei Song's prestige and lack a backer like Wei Qishan in Xinzhou. Let's give them a push. Once they start fighting Xinzhou to avoid being swallowed up, Pingzhou will be temporarily safe."
After speaking, she glanced toward the several bound underlings: "This is why I kept those men."
—
Among the three bound underlings, the leader was named Zhao Youcai. He and his two comrades were tightly tied together, craning their necks desperately to watch from afar. Just as their necks were about to cramp from the strain, they finally saw the two figures who had been squatting and drawing circles on the ground for a long time stand up and walk over.
The tall, broad-shouldered man with a full beard, carrying a blade, glanced at them and said, "I'm going to ask you some questions. Answer truthfully."
Tears welling in their eyes, Zhao Youcai and the others nodded like pounding garlic.
Xiao Li removed the rag stuffed in Zhao Youcai's mouth and asked, "Where was your former stronghold?"
Zhao Youcai, staring at the gleaming blade pressed against his neck, stammered, "On Qinggang Mountain, about a dozen miles away, called Azure Cloud Stronghold. But the Xinzhou authorities burned it down."
Xiao Li asked again, "How many of your gang members are left?"
Zhao Youcai was on the verge of sobbing, "After the chief and the leaders died, everyone ran away. The three of us are from the same hometown, so we stuck together. Hero, I really don't know where the others went..."
The other two underlings, their mouths still gagged, nodded frantically beside him.
Wen Yu signaled Xiao Li to sheathe his blade, then crouched down to ask the three, "Are you willing to work with us?"
Zhao Youcai hesitated for only a second before nodding eagerly, "Yes, yes! I'd be more than willing! It's tough to make a living on the road these days. With skills like yours, we wouldn't have to worry about robbing travelers!"
Wen Yu slapped Zhao Youcai across the face with a tree branch, her expression cold. "We don't engage in murder and robbery. I spared you only because you claimed you've never taken a life."
Zhao Youcai quickly corrected himself, "As long as you spare our lives, we'll do anything you ask, even if it means climbing a mountain of blades or crossing a sea of fire!"
He then turned to Xiao Li, bowing and scraping obsequiously.
Wen Yu said, "The earlier questioning was to see if you were hiding anything. Since you've been truthful and are willing to work with us, I won't keep you in the dark either. Pei Song was assassinated and is likely dead. The killings of those former Liang officials were done by his subordinates to stabilize the situation. The area north of the Wei River will inevitably fall to Wei Qishan, but south of the Wei, the major provinces are still vying for power."
Zhao Youcai grew uneasy, "Are... are you two planning to rebel as well?"
Xiao Li scoffed coldly on cue, following their prior discussion, and produced a token from his time working at the Zhou residence: "We're here on behalf of our master to recruit troops."
The bronze token bore the character "Ling" on the front and "Zhou Residence" on the back.Zhao Youcai and his companions only recognized the character "Ling" on the token. Seeing the exquisite patterns carved on it, they immediately sensed the extraordinary origins of the two and grew even more respectful. "Might we ask which lord you two serve?"
As if afraid of exposing their intention to gather information, they hastily added, "We lowly folk must have had our ancestral graves smoking with luck to have the honor of working for that lord. But knowing our own coarseness, we fear accidentally offending, hence our wish to be cautious."
Wen Yu said, "The lord of Tongcheng."
Back then, the magistrate of Tongcheng had intentionally spread news of the official road's collapse, luring numerous merchant caravans into the city, where countless fell victim to sinister schemes.
Moreover, the magistrate had posted recruitment notices claiming to seek talented individuals to assist her, but in reality, it was merely a trap to ensnare the unsuspecting.
Now, it was time for that magistrate to reap what she had sown.
Under the banner of serving Tongcheng, she and Xiao Li were recruiting forces. Since Tongcheng was closely tied to Pei Song, if even Tongcheng showed disloyalty, other observing prefectures would grow increasingly restless.
Furthermore, compared to Pingzhou—which had border defenses and potential support from Southern Chen—seizing the rich prize of Tongcheng first was undoubtedly the safer strategy.
Wen Yu patiently guided them: "When you forest outlaws rise up, you have bold courage but lack the silver to sustain an army. Our lord possesses vast wealth and will never withhold military pay. If you know any worthy forest heroes, do recommend them to us. Additionally, recruit some soldiers from among the refugees for me."
She did not forget to dangle rewards: "If this is done well, besides ten taels of silver for every hundred men enlisted, we will put in a good word for you three with the lord upon our return to Tongcheng and secure official positions for you."
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