One hundred forty-four

Had it been a few months ago, Li Yin could never have imagined that he would abandon a golden opportunity to jump ship, and instead bind himself together with Jiang Ting and his own nephew to this nearly shattered chariot. Not only were they all still alive, but they had even won several battles.

"I shall treat this mission as my very life. If I fail, I am willing to die by my own hand! I am ready to sign a military pledge in blood," Li Yin said. What words could possibly be more persuasive than a formal military pledge?

"Uncle, I believe you," Li Mao replied. "However, a military pledge is no child's play, and this matter is exceedingly difficult indeed. Therefore, Uncle, you had better not sign it."

"No, no, Your Majesty, I will certainly devise a foolproof plan to accomplish this task to perfection, so you may rest assured. But the military pledge must be signed!" Li Yin was also considering Li Mao's position. Otherwise, if he failed to complete the mission, how would Li Mao handle it? How could he silence the critics? Having the military pledge right here would not only provide evidence that Li Mao was not playing favorites, but it would also place greater pressure on Li Yin himself, driving him to work harder to devise a foolproof strategy.

"Very well then," Li Mao thought with great delight. He knew Li Yin's capability well; if Li Yin truly put his life into pondering a solution, mere petty schemes would certainly be within his grasp.

Li Mao then dismissed Li Yin first. "Uncle, you may withdraw for now. I wish to speak further with my brother-in-law."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Li Yin glared at Huang Yi, who was utterly useless at everything, spending his entire day eating, drinking, and sleeping. Over the past month in Lujiang, he had practically grown as fat as a pig.

Li Yin pointed sternly at Huang Yi's nose, flicked his sleeves in fury, and stormed out in a rage.

"Brother-in-law, you do not wish to go?" Li Mao asked with a frown.

"Mao, my boy, I truly do not wish to die," Huang Yi said with a sorrowful expression. Thinking of Sun Ce’s ruthless, merciless appearance, recalling the majestic and imposing strength of Sun Ce's army, and then considering his own meager ability to command five hundred men, Huang Yi lacked all confidence. After all, while the Yulin Guards were said to be worth ten men each, not every one of them could actually be split into ten parts to be used.

"Are you still my number one henchman..." Li Mao stopped himself abruptly, almost letting slip what he shouldn't have. He quickly corrected himself, gazing intensely at Huang Yi, and asked with utmost sincerity, "Are you still my number one trusted confidant?"

"Without a doubt!" Huang Yi immediately jumped up, locking eyes with Li Mao. "But is this plan of yours really feasible? I really don't want to die yet..." Huang Yi muttered under his breath.

"If I die, do you expect my wife to live out her youth as a widow?" Huang Yi pulled out Li Mao's elder sister as a shield.

"Sister..." Li Mao offered a bitter smile. Li Shu had left him with far too many relatives. Although they were all distant connections through marriage, relatives were still relatives, were they not? Furthermore, young Master Li Mao was not a cold-blooded animal; naturally, he did not want them to come to harm. Yet besides Huang Yi, who else could possibly accomplish this heavy responsibility? Keeping Li Yin behind was already an immense gamble; if he were to keep another person, Liu Xun would have to be a fool not to suspect something.

Fortunately, Wu Anguo had already been concealed within the Li estate under Li Mao's prior instructions, and had even been disguised by Li Mao so that he remained outside the scope of Liu Xun's surveillance. Otherwise, leaving Wu Anguo behind to protect the two of them would have been impossible.

"Brother-in-law, I admit that this mission is indeed somewhat dangerous, but think about it: haven't you always looked down on Uncle? By staying behind now, you can help me keep an eye on him!" Li Mao said with a beaming smile. Although he sensed a change in Li Yin's attitude toward him, Li Mao still did not entirely believe that Li Yin had abandoned all thoughts of defecting.

Of course, this was not because our young Master Li Mao was overly suspicious, but rather because the impression left upon him by that opportunistic uncle was simply far too profound.

"I won't go!" Huang Yi continued to shake his head vigorously.

"Are you going or not?" Li Mao's anger flared. This fellow was truly infuriating; no matter how he cajoled or threatened, the man remained completely immune to both soft and hard approaches.

"I won't go!"

Li Mao stood up and kicked Huang Yi straight out the door. "Do you believe that if you refuse to go, I will tell Minister Yang all about how you once faked your death? Knowing Minister Yang's temperament, he would certainly submit a memorial asking me to have you executed, and after that, I imagine you know what your fate would be?" Li Mao threatened.

"I won't go." Huang Yi was completely unimpressed by this tactic, thinking to himself, "If you had wanted to kill me, you would have done so long ago. Why would you wait until now?"

Li Mao was choked with anger, and changing his tack, he scolded, "You rascal..."

"What is it?" Huang Yi blinked his innocent, wide eyes. "Why don't you just find someone else instead of forcing me to do it? You know I'm afraid of death, don't you?"

Li Mao laughed out of sheer rage. This brother-in-law's ability to be utterly shameless was truly top-tier, yet since this was his number one confidant, Li Mao couldn't bring himself to actually kill him.

"Do you believe that if you refuse to go, I will tell my sister about the several thousand gold coins you secretly hoarded?" Li Mao unleashed his ultimate trump card.

"Oh, damn it!" Huang Yi instantly looked dumbfounded. His mind conjured the image of his wife pointing at his ear and cursing him out. He snapped to attention immediately, the expression on his face shifting erratically. Finally, with great difficulty and a suppressed sob, his complexion turning as pale as a sheet of paper, he lowered his head, bowed, and declared with passionate fervor:

"Your Majesty, this general accepts the command!"

"Pfft!" Li Mao spat out a mouthful of blood. "This Huang Yi is truly something else."

Li Mao had managed to subdue Huang Yi, and he had done so in such a ludicrous, exasperating manner. Li Mao laughed until his stomach ached; he knew exactly how to threaten this brother-in-law next time.

Having settled matters with Huang Yi, Li Mao went out and made his way to Yan Xiang's quarters.

Inside the room, Yan Xiang was waiting for Li Mao's arrival. The Emperor had just informed him moments earlier that an important new mission was to be entrusted to him, leaving him pleasantly astonished.

Yan Xiang was the Chief Clerk of Jiang Ting, yet Liu Xun had not regarded him as a target for surveillance. Li Mao understood the reason after a brief thought: Liu Xun likely had a clear grasp of Yan Xiang's capability, and judging by how Yan Xiang had failed to grasp the situation and allowed himself to be duped by Liu Xun, Yan Xiang's competence was truly too painful to look at.

However, Li Mao had no one else he could employ, and he hoped Yan Xiang could act merely as a carrier pigeon. As for what happened afterward, it was beyond Li Mao's control.

Alas, leave it to fate then.

And indeed, at this very moment, our young Master Yan Xiang was still lingering in the room, feeling quite pleased with himself. Seeing Li Mao enter, Yan Xiang hurriedly stood up and motioned for Li Mao to be seated.

"Your Majesty, I wonder what instructions Your Majesty has for me?" Yan Xiang leaned forward eagerly. Since he was being entrusted with an important mission by Li Mao, all the grievances he had felt moments earlier vanished like smoke. Yan Xiang knew the Emperor's magnanimity; it was as vast as the sea.

"Chief Clerk Yan, first of all, I wish to tell you that your previous diplomatic mission to Lujiang was not your fault. You must not take it to heart." Li Mao had not scolded Yan Xiang excessively last time, and it was the same now, because Li Mao could sense that Yan Xiang still harbored lingering guilt over the previous incident.

"Your Majesty, I..." Yan Xiang was at a loss for words, though in his heart he had already embraced Li Mao countless times.

"Chief Clerk Yan, last time you traded money and grain for Lujiang's reinforcements, your mission was completed to absolute perfection," Li Mao said with a solemn tone. "However, Liu Xun dispatched troops to attack Jiang Ting; that was Liu Xun's dishonorable act, not your fault."

"No, Your Majesty, even at the time I sensed that Liu Xun agreed far too readily, yet I failed to stop him," Yan Xiang confessed honestly, acknowledging his mistake.

"What does that matter?" Li Mao laughed. "Even if you had realized that Liu Xun harbored evil intentions, what could you have done? Could you, single-handedly, have blocked tens of thousands of Lujiang troops?"

"No," Yan Xiang said with utmost gravity, "but I could have cursed him. Cursed him to death."

Yan Xiang narrowed his eyes and continued, "Instead of giving him gold."

Li Mao: "..."

Good grief, how on earth did the ancients think? Looking at Yan Xiang's deadpan seriousness, Li Mao's memory drifted to Fang Xiaoru of the Ming Dynasty. Back then, Zhu Di demanded that he draft the imperial edict of ascension, but Fang Xiaoru regarded Zhu Di as a rebel. Regardless of whether Zhu Di tempted him with high office, generous salaries, wealth, or beauties, Fang Xiaoru steadfastly refused to sign.

Furthermore, Fang Xiaoru cursed Zhu Di to death.

Zhu Di grew irritated. "Will you draft it or not?"

Fang Xiaoru puffed out his chest and said righteously, "You are a rebel! Why should I draft it for you?"

Zhu Di looked at him with a smiling gaze, his voice chilling until the entire hall was draped in frost. "Will you draft it or not?"

Fang Xiaoru took a step forward, pointed at Zhu Di's nose, and cursed loudly, "I will not draft it! You are a rebel, and I simply will not draft it! Let's see how you win the hearts of the people under heaven!"

This time Zhu Di was truly angered. He let out a cold snort. "Do you believe that if you refuse, I will exterminate your nine agnatic kin?"

Fang Xiaoru's broad shoulders shuddered. He took a bold step forward and gave Zhu Di his answer with his faith and his chest. With a haughty flick of his sleeve, he met Zhu Di's gaze. "I will not draft it! Even if you exterminate my ten agnatic kin, I still will not draft it!"

And then... Zhu Di executed Fang Xiaoru's ten agnatic kin. Unable to find enough long-buried ancestors or unborn infants to make up the number, Zhu Di rounded up Fang Xiaoru's students, made them watch, and used a knife to slash open a massive gash across Fang Xiaoru's mouth, from one ear to the other, before proceeding to sever nearly a thousand fine heads.

This decapitation campaign had once moved Li Mao by Fang Xiaoru's loyalty and righteousness, but it had even more so made Li Mao feel that Fang Xiaoru's death was utterly worthless, just as the deaths of those innocent students were.

If Yan Xiang were to stand there and curse Liu Xun with such grim seriousness, one could easily imagine that even if Yan Xiang's mouth weren't slashed open, his head would soon enough be separated from his shoulders.

Seeing Yan Xiang, a man cut from the same cloth as Fang Xiaoru, Li Mao found himself truly speechless.

If it were him, Li Mao, forget giving gold—even becoming a traitorous general would have been completely fine.

"Chief Clerk Yan, you must understand that sometimes, unyielding rectitude is not the sole definition of loyalty and righteousness; taking a tactical step back is also a form of capability," Li Mao advised earnestly.

Yan Xiang asked in astonishment, "But that scoundrel Liu Xun once received the grace of the late Emperor, who appointed him as the Administrator of Lujiang. Instead of showing gratitude, he intends to declare independence! When Jiang Ting was weak and requested reinforcements, we even had to trade silk and gold to secure them, yet after receiving the payment, he went back on his word! Does not such a man deserve to be cursed?"

"He deserves it!" Li Mao nodded. "However, Lujiang is currently powerful while Jiang Ting is isolated and weak. If we clash head-on with Liu Xun, we are certain to be killed!"

"Yet if we stay alive, enduring humiliation for the time being, there remains a possibility of staging a comeback. In the past, King Goujian of Yue was willing to serve as a servant to the King of Wu, and even tasted his stool, but Goujian persevered through hardship, and in the end, three thousand Yue soldiers swallowed Wu," Li Mao pressed on. "Tell me yourself, which outcome is better?"

Yan Xiang was rendered speechless. After a moment, he bowed to Li Mao and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Li Mao let out a long sigh of relief. A diplomat ought to possess the ability to remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before them, but as for Yan Xiang's condition, Li Mao could see he was only suited to be a Chief Clerk. If he were sent out into the world, he wouldn't even know how he died, and Li Mao believed Yan Xiang would probably go to his grave believing he stood upon the moral high ground.

Li Mao rolled his eyes. If he weren't genuinely lacking in available men, he would have sent Yan Xiang off to idle wherever it was coolest...

"Your Majesty, what must I do?" Yan Xiang suddenly remembered that Li Mao still had an important mission to entrust to him, even though it had been preceded by a lecture.

"Chief Clerk Yan, as you know, the heavy responsibility I assigned to Prince Fuwang and General Huang today is extremely dangerous, and that danger comes from Sun Ce's pursuing army," Li Mao said solemnly.

"Yes!" Just hearing Li Mao describe it earlier made Yan Xiang's heart skip a beat. Imagining Sun Ce's elite troops and fierce generals setting out in pursuit of Wu Anguo and Qin Huai leading those five hundred Yulin Guards—especially since those five hundred guards were encumbered with vast amounts of grain, money, silks, and warhorses—just thinking about that feeling and that scene made his teeth ache.

A miserable, aching thrill.

"Therefore, I need you to travel to Jiangxia and negotiate with Huang Zu, striving to have him attack Sun Ce's main army to buy our forces time," Li Mao stated.

"But, Your Majesty, did you not say that Sun Ce will attack Lujiang? Even if Huang Zu wished to dispatch troops, he could hardly march all the way to Lujiang," Yan Xiang puzzled aloud. Why were the Emperor's words contradicting each other?

Li Mao nodded and explained to Yan Xiang, "Sun Ce will undoubtedly leave behind troops to attack Liu Xun while leading the main force to capture Lujiang. By that time, Sun Ce will have split his forces into two locations. The forces you must persuade Huang Zu to attack are naturally the ones left behind to assault Liu Xun."

Yan Xiang's eyes widened. How could the Emperor speak with such fluent certainty? Knowing even that the enemy would split their forces—Your Majesty, are you a god?

"Your Majesty, this... is merely your speculation. What if Huang Zu refuses to dispatch troops? What can we do then?" Yan Xiang offered a bitter smile. If they relied merely on speculation to make Huang Zu send out his army, there could only be one reason.

Huang Zu was an idiot.

Yet although Huang Zu was getting old, his brain should still be functional; otherwise, Liu Biao would hardly have entrusted him with guarding his front gate in peace.

"Chief Clerk Yan, if it were merely speculation, Huang Zu would certainly not send out troops; he would much rather wait for Sun Ce to arrive." Li Mao was well-pleased by Yan Xiang's doubt and immediately resolved his confusion. "However, Huang Zu will definitely dispatch scouts to observe the movements of Sun Ce's army. You merely need to present your arguments to Huang Zu after Sun Ce's forces attack Liu Xun."

"After Sun Ce attacks Liu Xun?" Yan Xiang began to grasp the meaning. "Your Majesty, do you mean to let Sun Ce strike Liu Xun first, and then have Huang Zu attack Sun Ce's detached forces, forcing Sun Ce to turn back in rescue?"

"Precisely so!" Li Mao burst into laughter. "The sight of dogs biting dogs is my absolute favorite to watch."

Yan Xiang was dumbfounded. The former profligate scoundrel now required neither a single soldier nor a drop of blood; he merely needed to dispatch him to lobby Huang Zu, thereby securing Lujiang's wealth and grain, causing both Sun Ce and Liu Xun to suffer defeat, and allowing Jiang Ting to reap the fisherman's profit.

"Your Majesty, I understand." At this moment, Yan Xiang finally realized how crucial his own role was. The tasks Li Mao had assigned were interlocked in a continuous chain. If he failed, then Li Yin, Huang Yi, and those treasures would likely fall into Sun Ce's hands. Liu Xun would be the loser, and Jiang Ting, failing to seize this opportunity to acquire wealth, would also be a loser.