Chapter 310: Lonely City, White Hair

Around 12 AM in Chapter Two. I took advantage of the summer to get some good rest. Many new 'champions' (top supporters) have appeared recently, and I'll try to thank each of them by the end of the month. P.S.: I hope to see more suggestion and criticism posts in the review section and forums. I'll read them all. If there are valid points, I'll correct them; otherwise, I'll use them for encouragement. P.S.2: It feels like Volume 2 is already nearing 100 chapters in the blink of an eye!

With dozens of disorderly elements defecting, the battle was decided without suspense. At Hongshu's instruction, following the military strategy of besieging with three sides closed and one open, a path for escape was intentionally left. Tao Yong clearly was willing to abandon the foundation of Dunhuang City; he was the first to desert the leaderless Mao family, fleeing with his trusted direct lineage. Lu Wu, an old general from Jinxi Province, had no choice, his life and livelihood tied to the city. Before bravely fighting to his death, he loudly pleaded with Hongshu not to eradicate his lineage, but to leave an heir for his Lu family. Hongshu ignored him, and Lu Wu died unable to rest in peace. All of the Mao family's retainers died in battle, showing that regardless of their character or integrity, Mao Rui and his daughter indeed had unique ability in cultivating loyal followers. Xu Pu cut through the dense formation of the rebellious Jinwu Guards outside the palace. The remaining surviving cavalry were terrified, dropped their weapons, and lay prostrate.

Xu Pu casually picked up an iron spear, and after turning back elegantly, he saw Hongshu and Xu Fengnian, who was sitting on a book box, regulating his breath and recovering. Hongshu seemed to want to speak but hesitated. Xu Fengnian smiled, "Dunhuang City is yours. You know its advantages and disadvantages best. Don't mind me; just do what you think is right. This Uncle Xu is a close friend of my master, completely trustworthy."

"Greetings, Grand Governor." Hongshu smoothed her robes and lightly performed a deep curtsy, prioritizing private matters before public ones. She said seriously, "Please, Uncle Xu, take fifty cavalrymen to pursue Tao Yong. Let only him return to Juzi Province, which will be Dunhuang City giving Murong Baoding some face. Then, Uncle Xu, lead your troops outside the Buque Platform. You don't need to do anything there."

Xu Pu accepted the order and departed. A few elderly eunuchs and Zijing palace maids who had luckily survived also followed behind this unfamiliar young man. With just a few words, Xu Pu rallied fifty Jinwu cavalrymen who wanted to atone for their sins by rendering meritorious service, and they charged towards the Buque Platform, which had remained indecisive or inactive.

Xu Fengnian had been sitting on the book box, practicing qigong and healing. He appeared covered in blood, but in reality, his injuries were minor, and external wounds were not severe. However, his meridians were badly damaged. He single-handedly resisted five hundred cavalry, without any exaggeration. Although the Mao family's iron cavalry lacked top masters, out of five hundred cavalrymen and five hundred mounts, Xu Fengnian killed over two hundred forty horses, and another forty-plus died by crashing into him. This demonstrates the intensity and danger of that battle. Mao Rou clearly understood the importance of a master's breathing and endurance. Relying on iron-fisted discipline and promises of great rewards, she hid in the densest part of the cavalry formation, allowing the cavalry to launch continuous attacks, throwing spears, firing crossbows with powerful shots, and even resorting to tactics where dozens of riders and their horses would charge simultaneously to collide. Some cavalry officers with slightly higher martial arts skills would exploit openings under her direction, seizing opportunities to ambush Xu Fengnian. It could be said that if it were just a game of chess between two sides on a chessboard, only counting the life and death of pieces, regardless of human will, even if Xu Fengnian fought desperately and killed another hundred cavalry, he would still be destined to die outside the city gate. However, when the Spring-Autumn (sword) created a path with rolling sword energy and a "Sleeve Green Dragon," and then the Spring Thunder Blade stabbed Mao Rou to death, it was as if a general's head had been severed in a large army. The morale of the iron cavalry plummeted, unable to rally, and their collapse was like a mountain collapsing, which was entirely reasonable. Even with the Great Yellow Court at 50% perfection and the initial stage of Vajra protection, Xu Fengnian would need twenty days to recover. The danger of this bloody battle was no less than the death struggle on the grassland against Tuoba Chunzhun and three other masters. In common parlance, it was like a strong young man fighting three men of his age; to bystanders, it would seem cunning and highly exciting. The latter was like a fight to the death with hundreds of children, being endlessly entangled, bitten a few times, dozens of times, or even hundreds of times, which is equally horrifying.

Xu Fengnian quietly watched the anxious-looking martial artists after the dust settled, and then he looked at the burly old man who had fallen dead. This head of the Lu family in Dunhuang City had likely wanted to maintain a defiant posture even in death, cracking the ground with his iron spear and dying with both hands gripping it. But he was quickly cut down by random blades and trampled over by some people. Some cunning martial artists, while fighting and moving, approached the body, pretended to tumble, got close to the old man's corpse, and with a touch, pilfered the jade pendant from his waist. A few slower ones grumbled internally, imitating them, rolling around on Lu Wu's body. Before long, even the jade-inlaid belt buckle wasn't spared and was pulled off, and only one of his cowhide boots remained. They say "the dead are revered," but in the martial world, that's just nonsense. By this time, everyone from the Mao family, except for two cowering incense maids in the corner of a carriage, was dead. A sharp-eyed martial artist wanted to "have some fun" in the carriage; even if it wasn't sex, just a physical thrill. However, Xu Pu, who happened to ride past at that moment, impaled him in the back with a spear. With a twist of the spearhead, the man's body was torn in half. After that, no one dared to act recklessly in the chaos; they were all as silent as cicadas in winter.

Xu Fengnian had already put the Spring Thunder Blade back into his book box. A Spring-Autumn sword, now entirely crimson from blood, lay across his knees. He asked Hongshu, who stood beside him, "How should we pacify the many surrendered factions next?"

Hongshu thought for a moment and said, "These aftermath matters should be handed to Grand Governor Xu Pu. I should have died outside the palace gate; it wouldn't be right for me to add unnecessary details." She smiled, "Since Young Master is here, of course, the final decision rests with you."

Xu Fengnian frowned, "I'll just observe, not speak or act. But first, you'll need to arrange a plausible identity for me. By the way, even you recognize Xu Pu. Won't others recognize him as the former Grand Governor of the Northern Liang Army's Twelve Light Cavalry Regiments?"

Hongshu shook her head, "No. The reason I recognize Xu Pu is that the Imperial Advisor Li Yishan specifically mentioned the Grand Governor when he gave me strategic advice in the Tide-Listening Pavilion. Furthermore, intelligence exchange between Liang and Mang is extremely costly, bought with lives. Spies and agents must be selective; it's impossible for them to cover every minute detail, nor would they be capable of uncovering an old Northern Liang general who hasn't appeared for twenty years. Our Northern Liang can be said to be the place where both dynasties most prioritize infiltration and counter-infiltration. As far as I know, Northern Liang has secret agencies that not only target Tai'an City and the major vassal kings but also spare no effort against the Northern Mang imperial court and the Southern Dynasty's capital. All of this was personally managed by your master, perfectly watertight."

Xu Fengnian chuckled self-deprecatingly, "The benevolent don't join the army, the compassionate don't command troops. I suppose Xu Pu's impression of me has changed, but it probably hasn't improved much."

Sadly, she said, "It's all my fault."

Xu Fengnian laughed, "You're truly mistaken this time. If it weren't for you, and I insisted on being a hero and returning to the city, Xu Pu might never have knelt and called me 'Young Master.' At most, he would have addressed me as 'nephew.' You don't know, these famous generals from the Spring-Autumn era, all from military backgrounds, are inherently unruly. They value military achievements far more than personal connections. Xu Pu is already a rare exception. Take Zhao Changling, the strategist who was called my master's right-hand man. They say 'you can tell a man's character by the time he's three.' Yet, before I was born, when Xu Xiao didn't even have an heir, Zhao Changling predicted that the Northern Liang Army would only be stable if it was handed over to Chen Zhiba. He died twenty *li* outside the Xishu Imperial City. Lying on his deathbed, he didn't speak of avenging his family but instead held Xu Xiao's hand and said that Chen Zhiba's adopted son status absolutely had to have the 'adopted' character removed before he could die in peace."

Hongshu did not dare to ask further.

Xu Fengnian stood up, the Spring-Autumn sword sheathed and slung behind him. He exhaled a reddish-golden stream of turbid air and smiled, "Misfortune turned into a blessing. Outside the city, I absorbed two Chan Golden Elixirs and opened another acupoint. And do you know that this famous sword, newly forged, can become a flying sword if it absorbs the blood of over a thousand?"

Hongshu blinked and said, "Then may I borrow it and chop down another seven or eight hundred people?"

Xu Fengnian reached out and flicked her forehead, laughing, "Do you think this famous sword, which has the potential to rank among the top three in the world, is foolish? It requires mutual understanding. Nurturing a sword cannot be careless, nor can you take shortcuts."

Xu Fengnian looked at the rivers of blood outside the palace, sighed, and secretly chastised himself for being overly soft-hearted and for feigning modesty after having gained an advantage. Carrying his book box, he stood up and walked towards the inner palace. Hongshu, of course, had to stay to clean up the aftermath. She gazed at his receding back, recalling that day in the hall when she wore dragon robes and sat on the dragon throne; that one moment of joy was worth a lifetime. Only now did she realize that, like her aunt, choosing to grow old in a desolate city and turning white-haired for a man was not such a terrible thing. Xu Fengnian suddenly turned around and smiled broadly. Hongshu was momentarily dazed, wondering which lucky woman he would eventually fall in love with in this life. Jiang Ni? From the bottom of her heart, Hongshu disliked this fallen princess who only lived for revenge. She felt that a more magnanimous woman would be worthy of the Young Master's love. Of course, this was merely Hongshu's personal thought; whatever the Young Master decided, she would support him.

Xu Fengnian was no longer the Young Master unaccustomed to physical work. He bathed and changed by himself in Qingliu Study, putting on clean clothes and feeling refreshed and invigorated. The overall situation in Dunhuang City was settled, and the palace maids and eunuchs in various palaces continued to live orderly and peaceably. The tumultuous events outside the palace, to them, were merely a change of rulers and officials—just the rise and fall of great figures, whose official positions might expand or be completely removed along with their lives, without disturbing the lives of these small fry. However, frankly speaking, they quite liked the current palace master as the ruler of Dunhuang City. Although she was fair in rewards and punishments, she had more human warmth compared to the previous city lord, who had been as cold as an iceberg for decades. Xu Fengnian sat on a stone bench in the flower-filled courtyard. The Spring-Autumn and Spring Thunder swords lay on the table. Just by their names, they seemed like a pair of siblings. Xu Fengnian did not wait for Hongshu, as would be reasonable. Instead, Xu Pu made an unexpected solitary visit.

Xu Pu did not use kneeling to clarify his stance. Seeing Xu Fengnian wave his hand, he calmly sat down. He said, "According to Li Yishan's arrangements, the visiting factions will be treated separately. The deeply entrenched local factions within the city will be completely eradicated, leaving none. Those who infiltrated Dunhuang City from outside in the last decade, such as the confidants of the Banner Bearers from Juzi Province and Jinxi Province, after the old forces are emptied and leveled, will continue to be given control to arrange personnel to fill the void. Furthermore, the new Dunhuang City will proactively show goodwill, not just offering them a way out, but also providing a ladder up, letting them freely annex some of the Mao and Lu families' territories. This way, with such rich bait to slowly devour, peace can be ensured for five years. Ultimately, it all comes down to the art of courtly balance."

Xu Fengnian nodded and asked curiously, "What exactly is the attitude of the Buque Platform?"

Xu Pu, who was exceptionally elegant like a down-and-out scholar when not killing, chuckled softly, "No statement is the best statement. The new Dunhuang is willing to share a piece of the pie with them."

Xu Fengnian asked, "Which forces are truly Northern Liang's secret pawns?"

Xu Pu replied without hesitation, "Both the Yu and Duanmu families were personally nurtured by Li Yishan. However, even within these two clans, perhaps only four or five people know the truth. The remaining forces acted out of circumstance and for profit; they are not worth mentioning."

Xu Fengnian smiled wryly, "Will my actions cause complications for my master?"

Xu Pu genuinely smiled and said, "Li Yishan himself often says that where the people's hearts incline, that's where the chess pieces move beyond the board, revealing a true master's chess skill. Young Master, don't worry. This humble general believes Li Yishan will certainly be pleased. To make a game of chess generate extra vital points, it shows that Your Highness has truly entered the game and exerted influence, which is a good thing."

Xu Fengnian asked with interest, "Is Uncle Xu also skilled in chess?"

Xu Pu quickly waved his hand, "Having spent a long time with Li Yishan, I only know how to spout grand theories. If it came to a real game, I'd be an unbearably bad player, completely no match for Your Highness. Please don't force me!"

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "I imagine you're still better than Xu Xiao."

One respectfully called him "Young Master," while the other warmly called him "Uncle Xu." Wasn't that mismatched?

A sudden, bitter late-spring rain poured down.

Xu Fengnian and Xu Pu walked together into the study. Xu Fengnian said, "When the devil Luo Yang enters the city, that will be the true calamity for Dunhuang City."

Xu Pu nodded. Even this Grand Governor of Light Cavalry seemed a bit worried.

Xu Fengnian chided himself, "Don't jinx it."

Outside and inside the city, the rain poured down.

A figure in white robes had visited the Caiji Buddhist Grottoes and was slowly walking towards Dunhuang City. The daylight rain was like a black curtain. The man's white robes stood out exceptionally. Raindrops evaporated a *zhang* (about 3.3 meters) around his head and body. Some scattered and defeated Mao family Jinwu Guard cavalrymen, seeing this handsome man with the appearance of a Bodhisattva woman on the road, harbored ill intentions. But before they could even speak, they, along with their horses, were torn into pieces in the downpour.