Chapter 897: Three Remain Silent

Happy New Year! One more chapter, "A Cup of Plum Wine, White-Clad Returns to Beiliang," will be released tonight.

When Xu Fengnian woke up, he opened his eyes and turned his head to see bright sunlight outside the window. In its light, even the tiny dust motes near the window were clearly visible, yet the room itself remained somewhat dim. Xu Fengnian shifted his gaze from a slight distance to see Chu Lushan, the Protector-General of Beiliang, sitting by the bed like a small mountain. It was his presence that blocked the sunlight.

Chu Lushan, his back to the light, spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Mr. Nangong left without a word after bringing Your Highness to Huaiyang Pass. I couldn't stop him."

Xu Fengnian, his lips dry, slowly sat up, finding it hard to breathe. A person's back is actually very thin, and the so-called "heart" in the back is extremely close to the true heart. Being struck full-force by Tuoba Pusa was naturally far more serious than a mere muscle or bone injury. Fortunately, Xu Fengnian was deeply familiar with injuries. Years of experience had made him an expert in self-diagnosis. Following the Wudang Great Yellow Court Heart Method, he briefly examined his internal state, roughly understanding his recovery progress, and then asked, "Where's the iron spear?"

Chu Lushan softly replied, "It's in the coffin."

Xu Fengnian nodded. "Tell Second Brother Yuan to take down the banner from the Great Snow Dragon Riders' standard and send it here. As for the Great Snow Dragon Riders, tell them a new banner is needed. If anyone obstructs, there’s no need to force it; I will explain to the cavalry generals myself."

"Reporting to Your Highness," Chu Lushan said, "Yuan Baixiong has set off for Hulu Pass outside Youzhou. As for changing the banner, Your Highness needn't worry. Old Qi was already an elder of the Great Snow Dragon Riders, and the news of his death in battle has spread throughout the border army. I don't believe anyone will gossip."

Xu Fengnian clasped his hands over his abdomen, not looking at Chu Lushan. "If I had arrived at Longyan Plain battlefield a moment sooner, he wouldn't have died."

Chu Lushan shook his head. "If? Then, if the Protectorate hadn't approved the proposal of the three White Horse Skirmisher lieutenants, would Sun Ji and Wei Musheng not have had to die either? Battlefields change in an instant; life and death are not to be blamed on 'ifs.' There are no 'ifs.' Dead is dead."

Dead is dead.

A very understated remark.

Xu Fengnian turned to look at this infamous man. The Xu family had dominated the Northwest for twenty years; wasn't that the same as warlordism? Chu Lushan's numerous misdeeds, coupled with his high position in Beiliang, would undoubtedly lead future historians to spare no ink in denouncing him, perhaps making him even more notorious than Xu Fengnian, the co-lord of the Beiliang Iron Cavalry. Xu Fengnian did not explode in anger over Chu Lushan's seemingly heartless words. Not only was the fate of this adopted son of the Butcher tied to the glory and disgrace of Beiliang, but this man, whom both Xu Xiao and Li Yishan considered the closest in military talent to Chen Zhibao, was Beiliang's true choice for a commander. One could even say that if not for Chu Lushan's overt flattery back then, the younger generation of Beiliang border troops might have overwhelmingly sided with Chen Zhibao, making Xu Fengnian's succession anything but easy, requiring at the very least more bloodshed—General Zhong Hongwu alone would have been far from enough. But the real reason Xu Fengnian chose silence was that this man, formidable as a mountain, had once led a thousand cavalry into Shu and later turned the tide in the first major battle outside the pass between Liyang and Beimang. Before that, he had personally led eight thousand Yieluohe cavalry to crush Dong Zhuo's plot. Therefore, this Chu-named man, with nearly thirty years of military experience, had far more right to speak about the battlefield than Xu Fengnian, even if Xu Fengnian was a grandmaster of martial arts, even if he was the King of Beiliang.

Chu Lushan clasped his hands over his knees. "Birth, separation, death; there's no banquet that doesn't end."

Xu Fengnian tugged at the corner of his mouth, his eyes distant, as if recalling the three hundred thousand stone steles behind Qingliang Mountain. "You don't need to comfort me. I know that everyone whose name is carved on those stone steles has family, just like Qi Dangguo. So no matter who dies, someone will be sad; it's not necessarily me, Xu Fengnian, who is the saddest."

Xu Fengnian paused. "It's just that when I think of next New Year's, and how I wrote so many couplets and 'spring' and 'fortune' characters as I always did, but the person who used to ask me for them every year is gone—even if I wanted to give them, I couldn't. My heart feels a bit empty."

Xu Fengnian looked up. "Before my second journey through the martial world, Xu Xiao took me to the bottom of Listening Tide Pavilion, where I saw many ancestral tablets. Back then, I didn't quite understand Xu Xiao's feelings, but now I do. In fact, when Liu Jinu and Chu Hanqing died in Hutou City, I began to understand a little."

Chu Lushan listened quietly to the young King's soliloquy, his face expressionless.

Xu Fengnian got out of bed, his body swaying. Chu Lushan started to help him, but Xu Fengnian waved a hand with a smile, and Chu Lushan didn't insist.

Chu Lushan led Xu Fengnian to a quiet courtyard not far away. Stepping into the inner room, Xu Fengnian saw the cypress wood coffin. Chu Lushan walked a few steps closer, chuckling as he lamented, "We couldn't find top-grade nanmu in Huaiyang Pass, so Old Qi just has to make do. Luckily, Old Qi was never a finicky person in his life. I remember back at Xi Leibi, that guy could sleep with a corpse as a pillow. Several times we went looking for him, we had to dig him out, a living person, from a pile of the dead. The Princess often scolded him, but it never worked. Later, when we arrived in the Northwest, among our six houses, the Princess personally arranged only Old Qi's, afraid he'd just settle for a pigeon-hole-sized room. Later, even for his marriage, the Princess acted as matchmaker. Old Qi chuckled and agreed without a word, probably seeing his wife's face for the first time when he lifted her red veil on their wedding day. Fortunately, Old Qi's little life has been quite enjoyable these past years. He served as a Lieutenant-Colonel for over a decade, a small, four-rank official, and never complained. If it were me, I'd have long since thrown a tantrum to Godfather and the Princess."

Chu Lushan suddenly slapped the coffin lid heavily. "Old Qi, stop sleeping! Your Highness has come to see you!"

Xu Fengnian glared at Chu Lushan.

The latter offered an awkward smile, retracted his hand, and glanced at the coffin. Chu Lushan murmured, "Sleep, sleep. Old Qi, your love for sleep is greater than the heavens; even thunder won't wake you. Only 'It's war! Carry the great banner!'—those six words—are most effective."

Xu Fengnian stood by the coffin, looking at the sunlight spilling onto the courtyard ground outside, like a layer of golden moss. He quietly asked, "How are things north of Hutou City and in Lizhou?"

When it came to major military affairs, Chu Lushan, the Protector-General of Beiliang, became much more solemn. He said gravely, "This battle on Longyan Plain, which surprised both sides, resulted in heavy casualties for Beimang. They lost all their elite scouts, including the Raven and Black Fox platoons, rendering Dong Zhuo and Murong Baoding's central army blind. Only over a thousand of Dong's eight thousand private cavalry returned, and of the six thousand Rouran Iron Cavalry committed to battle, only about two thousand remain. This is mainly because after Hong Jingyan's death, the Rouran cavalry became leaderless and will likely soon be divided among Beimang's various factions. A disorganized cavalry unit has no combat effectiveness. Most importantly, the annihilation of Dong's private cavalry and the Rouran Iron Cavalry largely crippled the flexibility of Beimang's central army. In contrast, our Beiliang White Feather Light Cavalry, led by Yuan Nanting, preserved its combat strength well. It's just a pity about Old Qi's Iron Buddha Cavalry..."

Chu Lushan hesitated. "The Iron Buddha Cavalry's副将 (deputy general), Ning Emei, was ordered by Old Qi to remain at their garrison near Qingyuan Military Town this time, with only a few hundred troops at hand. Even with the remaining cavalry from Longyan Plain, they barely number two thousand. With a major battle imminent, it's not suitable to draw troops from He Zhonghu and Zhou Kang's left and right cavalry, or those two veteran generals, who've been bottling up their frustration, would truly rebel. As a result, the Iron Buddha Cavalry will likely find it difficult to fight independently in the second major battle. This isn't good news, as for valuable cavalry like the Iron Buddha, two thousand men and four thousand men are absolutely not the same concept on the battlefield."

Seeing Xu Fengnian's contemplative expression, Chu Lushan continued, "According to current intelligence, Dong Zhuo and Murong Baoding have both chosen to remain inactive, which is reasonable; the old woman of Beimang's wrath will be enough for them to handle. As for Lizhou, everything is proceeding according to the established plan. The only variable is that Zhong Tan, the deputy general of the western front, is missing. The route of Huang Songpu's seventeen or eighteen thousand elite Southern Dynasty troops moving south is identical to when Liu Gui's army approached Qingcang City. Now, it depends on whether Kou Jianghuai's harassment can make Huang Songpu lose his composure. Otherwise, if Huang Songpu advances smoothly to Qingcang City, our chances of winning a head-on confrontation are not high. The battle for Lizhou must be fought outside Qingcang City."

Xu Fengnian suddenly said, "I will have eight hundred White Horse Cavalry join the Iron Buddha Cavalry. Starting with me, all military generals of fourth rank and above will contribute a portion of their personal guards and cavalry. I want the Iron Buddha Cavalry to restore its strength to four thousand men within a month, and then join Yu Luandao's Youzhou cavalry in the Lizhou battlefield."

Chu Lushan was momentarily stunned. He clasped his hands, fingers interlaced over his abdomen, and squinted, carefully weighing the pros and cons.

Xu Fengnian walked to the doorway. "Before Xie Xichui left Liangzhou, he proposed a suggestion to me, but the risk is too great, and it would mean immense casualties for all the Liangzhou border cavalry. Most critically, such battle losses might be more than Beiliang can bear."

Chu Lushan asked curiously, "Oh?"

Xu Fengnian gave a self-deprecating smile. "Fortunately, Xie Xichui also said he needs to go to the Lizhou border himself and urged me to wait for a month or so, adding that he might even overturn his own suggestion by then."

Chu Lushan chuckled. "Actually, when Your Highness decided to secretly commit ten thousand Youzhou cavalry to Lizhou, you had already approved Xie Xichui's strategy for Lizhou, hadn't you?"

Xu Fengnian nodded. "I feel that rather than waiting to be slaughtered as Beimang pushes forward step by step, it's better to make a big gamble."

Chu Lushan leaned against the doorframe, inexplicably sighing, "The Twin Jewels of Great Chu, Kou Jianghuai and Xie Xichui, plus Yu Luandao... three young men from outside our lands."

Xu Fengnian's expression darkened. "Is it too reckless?"

Chu Lushan gave an ambiguous answer. "Hard to say."

Xu Fengnian did not leave the courtyard but simply sat on the doorstep.

Chu Lushan seemed a bit awkward, unsure whether to sit or stand, as the doorstep offered limited space, and his physique would likely push the young King off if he sat there. He opted for a compromise, stepping over the threshold and sitting on the steps just outside the door.

Xu Fengnian asked, "Lu Qiu'er, if we proceed as Xie Xichui suggests, will you Beiliang veterans harbor resentment?"

Chu Lushan, his back to the young King, answered tangentially. "I remember under Li Yishan's planning, Beiliang's local powers were completely overturned, and they were relocated as criminals to what is now Lizhou. Nine out of ten noble families were emptied. Our Xu Family Army finally took root and established a foothold in this unfamiliar land. At that time, there was a celebration banquet in Qingliang Mountain. Your Highness looked at the hall full of generals and got completely drunk. For some reason, you said something out of place, roughly to the effect that for the Xu family to govern Beiliang long-term, fighting outsiders with sabers wasn't enough; internally, they also needed to provide a stable life for the people under their rule. The Xu Family Army couldn't spend their entire lives on horseback; after dismounting, besides enjoying their blessings, they also needed to diligently govern Beiliang."

Chu Lushan looked up, gazing at the clear blue sky. "It was from that time on that many warriors left the military, like Lin Doufang and Hu Kui. Many scholars also flourished in officialdom, like Li Gongde and Yan Jiexu. But Godfather was secretly still worried, feeling that his bad reputation was why Beiliang couldn't attract scholars from other regions, believing that Your Highness would have a very difficult time after your succession. That time, you had probably just spoken with Mr. Li, and Your Highness, for the first time, spoke a refined truth: 'running water does not get stale, a door-pivot does not get worm-eaten.' After saying it, you deliberately put on a stern face and looked at us adopted sons. Yao Jian and Ye Xizhen, those two old scholars, managed to suppress their laughter. As for me, I naturally hurried to flatter you a bit. Old Qi was the most guileless; he asked Godfather what it meant, which especially pleased Godfather. He then repeated exactly what Mr. Li had explained to him, making Godfather secretly delighted. So, you see, simple-minded Old Qi truly was blessed with simplicity."

Chu Lushan's tone was calm. "The Princess had a compassionate heart, treating all six of us adopted sons well, without prejudice toward anyone. However, her way of being good to us was slightly different. She always advised me to read more, advised that Chen fellow to smile more, and advised Yao Jian and Ye Xizhen to exercise more... But among the six, I, Lu Qiu'er, and the other four didn't always listen to her advice. Only Old Qi was different; whatever the Princess said was more effective than an imperial decree. Sometimes when he made a mistake, even knowing the Princess wouldn't blame him, he'd still be uneasy, just like a private school student who had misrecited his lessons. No amount of comfort from us worked. When the Princess passed away, all six of us were pallbearers. It was strange; even Chen and Yuan Baixiong had red eyes, and I cried buckets. But Old Qi showed no expression. When I asked why, that fool said his foster mother had gone to become a goddess in heaven, so he wasn't very sad; he was just... just missing her a little."

Xu Fengnian smiled faintly. "That's why when I was young, every time I got into trouble, I would seek out my adopted elder brother, Qi Dangguo. As long as someone delivered a message to him, he would immediately bring troops. Back then, I didn't think deeply about it; I just felt this adopted brother was the most straightforward, not only solving my problems but never nagging, never deliberately lecturing me with profound words. He was always carefree, never afraid of anything, as if even if the sky fell, he would hold it up for me. I remember in my early years, in a remote county town in what was then Fengzhou (now Lingzhou), Li Hanlin, Yan Chiji, Kong Wuchi, and I got into a conflict with a group of generals' sons who didn't know our identities. We were chased around like chickens by dozens of their families' private guards. At that time, Qi Dangguo happened to be inspecting nearby Fengzhou with several old generals. Upon hearing the news, he immediately brought two hundred cavalry and killed his way there, tearing down the ceremonial gates of those generals' mansions to burn as firewood. That incident caused a huge stir because Zhong Hongwu, who was the Grand Commander of the Beiliang Cavalry, and a large group of unified Lingzhou generals backed them up. This caused Qi Dangguo, who should have been promoted to deputy general of Lingzhou for his accumulated merits, to lose his future. Afterwards, Xu Xiao was very angry. Because he dared not vent his anger on me, this habitually lawless crown prince, he gave Qi Dangguo a severe beating. Feeling guilty, Yan Chiji and I secretly brought two jars of 'green ant' wine to apologize. You must know, at that time I knew Qi Dangguo was definitely going to lose his official position. Firstly, I had no confidence at all to make Xu Xiao change his mind. Secondly, who in the Beiliang army would listen to me then? Since I couldn't give Qi Dangguo a comparable official position myself, I was prepared to see him drown his sorrows in wine. Unexpectedly, when I arrived at his house, he acted as if nothing had happened. But when he saw me visit his home for the first time, his face was full of surprise. I still remember him striding towards me, smiling so broadly, as if he had seen Xu Xiao himself paying a visit."

Chu Lushan shook his head. This time, he didn't use the title "Your Highness." "Xiaonian, you're mistaken."

Xu Fengnian looked a bit confused. "Hmm?"

Chu Lushan slowly said, "I roughly understand the scene you described. When Old Qi saw you then, it wasn't like seeing Godfather visit; it was like a farmer who considered himself to have achieved nothing suddenly saw his own younger brother, who had been away from home for years and returned as a top scholar, and that brother didn't look down on him. So he was very happy, and very proud."

Xu Fengnian was silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "At that time, all I knew was carousing. What kind of achievement could I have had?"

Chu Lushan chuckled. "Perhaps in Old Qi's heart, you were always capable. On this matter, let alone Yuan Baixiong, even I, Lu Qiu'er, couldn't compare to him. Among the six of us, only Old Qi, from beginning to end, believed that you, the Crown Prince, were capable, never doubting that you would become a man like Godfather in the future. To use Old Qi's favorite saying, he who was originally from Dongyue: 'There's no reasoning to be done about such things!'"

Xu Fengnian sat on the doorstep, lost in thought.

The Protector-General of Beiliang had his back to the young King, and the young King had his back to the coffin.

Two living people and one dead person, all were silent for a time.

***

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