Chapter 103: A Scheme, and the Fisherman Reaps the Benefit

To behead Ma Shizu before all the soldiers at Jinyang Pass—that was the very reason Shen Qianmo had deliberately brought the three of them here.

She meant to use Ma Shizu as a warning to the rest, to let every man in the army see clearly what became of a deserter.

Wenren Yuan and Yun Yi naturally had no objection to her decision. A man like Ma Shizu should have died long ago.

Only Cao Xun said with some concern, “But what about Yao Wentao?”

After all, his backing was the Crown Prince. By acting first and reporting later, if they angered Prince Lu then, no one could say what consequences might follow.

Yet Shen Qianmo only replied indifferently, “General Cao is simply enforcing military law. It is only right and proper. I imagine Yao Wentao will have nothing to say.”

Ma Shizu never imagined that his own uproar, meant to remind Yao Wentao to rescue him quickly from that dark and sinister dungeon, would instead hasten his own beheading.

At dawn the next day, when the light was still dim and faint, the drill ground at Jinyang Pass lay under a gray and boundless sky. The three armies stood in formation, banners snapping in the wind, solemn and still.

Ma Shizu and his two attendants were tied tightly hand and foot and forced to kneel face-down on the ground. The two attendants hung their heads, their faces ashen with despair. Only Ma Shizu was still struggling in the last throes of life, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Brother-in-law, save me!”

But Yao Wentao was still sound asleep in his own room, where he could not possibly hear the cries for help.

At Cao Xun’s command, several flashes of cold steel swept past. In an instant blood sprayed everywhere, and the three men’s heads had been severed, rolling away across the ground.

At the sight, the defenders of Jinyang Pass felt fear, but more than that, they felt a fierce and gratifying sense of justice.

At last, even that shameless coward Ma Shizu, who lived off another’s power and bullied the weak with borrowed might, had come to this!

When Yao Wentao finally received the news and rushed over in haste, he saw only Ma Shizu’s bloodied head rolling to a stop at his feet, its eyes still wide open in death, staring at him with terrible resentment, as though blaming him for not coming to his rescue in time.

Overcome by shock and fury, Yao Wentao’s vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.

After his subordinates carried him back to his room, he slowly regained consciousness. Remembering that dreadful scene, he trembled all over with rage. Grabbing a celadon teacup from the table, he hurled it viciously to the floor.

“Someone come here.” The low growl was clenched between his teeth.

From outside, a middle-aged man in close-fitting clothing slipped into the room and bowed to Yao Wentao. “What are the general’s orders?”

Yao Wentao’s face darkened. He handed him a yellow envelope and said in a cold, sinister voice, “Deliver this to the other side. Remember, do not let anyone discover it.”

“Yes.” The man took the letter, accepted the order, and withdrew without making a sound.

The people of Prince Xuan’s Manor actually dared to look down on him so completely. Very well, they would see. Soon enough, he would deal them a fatal blow. That lot from Prince Xuan’s Manor would all have to pay the price for this.

A vicious gleam flashed in Yao Wentao’s narrow, peach-blossom eyes.

Near Jinyang Pass, in Li City.

The sky was brightening. The morning sun, breaking through the clouds, looked dull and yellow amid the endless sand. The streets of Li City were empty, the whole city silent, the murderous atmosphere pressing down like a heavy shackle, making it hard to breathe.

This place had been occupied by the Northern Di army more than ten days earlier.

The Great Sheng troops stationed here had already been slaughtered to the last man by the Northern Di. As for the common people who had lived here, the nimble ones had fled to safety before the enemy army breached the walls, while the remaining old, weak, and sick could only stay behind in this dead city and await their fate.

At that moment, inside a newly renovated residence in the eastern part of Li City, several Northern Di generals sat around the main hall discussing military affairs.

Seated in the chief position at the head of the hall was none other than He Liancheng, the youngest Protector-General in the history of Northern Di.

He was called the youngest because when he was appointed Protector-General the previous year, he had been only nineteen.

Northern Di bordered Great Sheng, and the two countries had long engaged in trade and exchange. Thus, whether in dress and grooming or in customs and manners, Northern Di had taken clear cues from Great Sheng.

He Liancheng had studied for many years under Master Jade Void in the Tianshan Mountains. Since Master Jade Void had originally been Han Chinese, the influence was even more evident in He Liancheng. Aside from the fact that he wore the distinctive military uniform of Northern Di, he looked in all other respects little different from a Han Chinese.

With sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, refined features, and strikingly handsome bearing, he was a dazzling figure. Having risen to prominence at a young age, this youthful general radiated a bold, unrestrained, world-dominating aura from head to toe.

He lounged lazily against the soft chair, his eyes bright as cold stars. He swept an indifferent glance over the letter in his hand, then curled the corners of his sharply defined lips. A look of mockery crossed his face as he gave a snort and said, “So Meng Yuanheng, who once held himself in such imperious esteem, has truly fallen into decline now that his legs are crippled and become a useless wreck. To think that he has even come to rely on his woman to command troops and lead an expedition. What a joke.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the several generals seated below burst into laughter in unison.

A burly man with a face full of whiskers laughed and said, “General, since Great Sheng is so weak, what are we still hesitating for? We might as well gather the army now and attack Jinyang Pass, leaving not a single blade of grass behind.”

The others all echoed him.

“That’s right. That old Cao Xun has already been shot badly wounded by the general’s arrow, so he’s not worth worrying about. Even if the Flying Cloud Cavalry is formidable, they still have only thirty thousand men. With our hundred thousand iron cavalry, we could trample them to death.”

“Indeed. And with that traitor Yao Wentao working as our inside man, the Flying Cloud Cavalry will probably find it hard to hold Jinyang Pass this time, hahaha...”

The more they thought about it, the more pleased they became, erupting into waves of contemptuous laughter.

“No. My ambition does not lie in Jinyang Pass.” He Liancheng’s expression remained steady. With that one light remark, he instantly cut off the generals’ laughter.

A calculating look appeared on his handsome face. A shard of cold light flashed through his starry eyes as he said slowly, “I have suddenly thought of a far more interesting way. It will both suppress Meng Yuanheng and deal Great Sheng a severe blow. And all we need to do is wait for the right moment and reap the benefits like a fisherman.”

How deep He Liancheng’s hatred for Meng Yuanheng ran, only he himself knew.

Like Meng Yuanheng, he had followed his father into battle from a young age, passing through countless wars large and small. From the time he was just over ten, he and Meng Yuanheng had been killing each other on the battlefield, sworn enemies to the death. Yet what filled him with endless resentment was that every single time, he had lost to Meng Yuanheng. Seven years ago, in Jingzhou City, that damned Meng Yuanheng had even shot his father badly wounded with a single arrow. A few days later, he had watched helplessly as his father died despite all efforts to save him.

He had sworn before his father’s grave that, for as long as he lived, he would make Meng Yuanheng pay in blood. Later, he had traveled far to the Tianshan Mountains to study under a master, enduring untold hardships for no other reason than that one day he might avenge his father and utterly destroy Meng Yuanheng and the power of Prince Xuan’s Manor.

The Northern Di generals were all broad-shouldered and powerfully built, and all of them far older than He Liancheng. Yet perhaps impressed by his ability, none showed the slightest sign of disrespect. Hearing how confident he sounded, as though he had already made his plans, they all clasped their fists and said in unison, “We will follow the orders of Young General He.”

In Northern Di, the He family held the same lofty standing and prestige as Prince Xuan’s Manor did in Great Sheng. To distinguish him from his father, the veteran General He Yuanshan, everyone in Northern Di called He Liancheng “Young General He” as a mark of familiarity and affection.

He Liancheng nodded. After a long moment of thought, he suddenly let out a soft laugh, the corners of his mouth lifting with a trace of wickedness. “However, this Princess of Prince Xuan is rather unusual. I’ve suddenly taken a strong interest in meeting her as soon as possible.”