63
This battle turned out to be more difficult than Mu Peixuan had anticipated.
Mu Peixuan led his troops at full speed, leaving Ruizhou and heading straight for Heyang in Wanzhou.
The journey went smoothly without any obstacles, and by the time they reached Heyang, the defending troops were already clashing with the rebels. Mu Peixuan’s arrival swiftly turned the tide, bringing the conflict to an end. This initial victory significantly lifted the spirits of both the army and the people of Heyang.
Mu Peixuan’s border defense troops were well-known for their reputation, and Zhou Ting was an experienced general. Wang Qifang, the governor of Wanzhou, was so moved that he shed tears. He was a civil official, not skilled in military affairs. Had he not already received the imperial degree from Liangdu, commanding Mu Peixuan and his border defense army to quell the rebellion, he might have fled like the governor of Fengzhou already.
That very evening, upon Mu Peixuan’s arrival, Wang Qifang held a grand banquet to welcome him and Zhou Ting. He treated Zhao Qianhou, the imperial envoy sent by Liangdu, with particular warmth.
The banquet was filled with music and dance, creating an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. Wang Qifang raised his wine cup in a toast to the emperor far away in Liangdu, then offered another toast to Mu Peixuan and the others. Mu Peixuan smiled gracefully, drinking his wine as the hosts and guests enjoyed the evening together.
When Zhou Ting mentioned the rebels, Wang Qifang angrily condemned Liu Ziyi, calling him a treacherous villain with no loyalty to the emperor or the officials. He accused the rebellious commoners of having audacity beyond reason, acting without understanding their place. Mu Peixuan and Zhou Ting exchanged a glance, but they said nothing more.
The next day, Mu Peizhi met with the Prefect of Wanzhou, Li Xian, and inquired in detail about the rebels outside the city.
Li Xian, in his later years, had a look of distress on his face, clearly troubled by the rebels. He explained that this group of rebels called themselves the Sheng’an Army, wearing thick hemp bands around their arms, and were led by Liu Ziyi from Fengzhou. Liu Ziyi had taken control of Fengzhou, Longzhou, and Liangzhou, forming a three-pronged attack that directly threatened Wanzhou. As they captured each region, they slaughtered local officials disliked by the people, paraded them as examples, and opened their granaries to distribute food to the poor, winning the hearts of the common folk. Moreover, some commoners, hearing about the Sheng’an Army, voluntarily opened the gates of their cities. Rumors even spread that the fate of the Daliang had reached its end, the Xiao family would fall, and the world would prosper in the West.
Fengzhou was indeed located on the western border of Daliang.
Zhou Ting cursed, “These are wicked words meant to confuse the masses!”
Li Xian let out a bitter laugh and said, “But the common people believe them. Even beggars in Heyang City are singing these songs. If we hadn’t arrested a few and paraded them as an example, things might have gotten even worse. I don’t know where these commoners have gotten such methods from, but in just a few short days, they have stirred up so much unrest.”
After Li Xian left, Mu Peizhi turned to Zhou Ting and said, “Before coming, Ah Xuan had warned me that there was something strange about the Fengzhou rebellion. It seems he was right.”
Zhou Ting replied, “Lord Marquis need not worry. The rebels’ schemes are nothing more than tricks. Although they may have tens of thousands of men, most of them are just common folk. How can they compare to the elite troops of the garrison?”
Mu Peizhi smiled faintly and said, “With the Commander’s assurance, this marquis can be at peace.”
He said, “This battle should not be delayed. Tomorrow, summon the generals and quickly quell the rebellion to restore peace to the people.”
Zhou Ting replied in a deep voice, “Yes, Lord Marquis.”
In the following days, Mu Peizhi fought several battles with the rebels.
Although the rebels were great in number, as Zhou Ting had said, how could common folk, armed with swords and spears, possibly stand against the elite soldiers of the garrison who trained daily? Naturally, they suffered defeat and retreated step by step. The surrounding cities of Heyang were recaptured one after another.
Liu Ziyi had sent a general named Cao Zheng to attack Heyang City. This man, who was in his thirties, was tall and sturdy. He had once been a hunter, literate and educated. After joining Liu Ziyi’s rebellion, he became his vanguard commander.
Cao Zheng was cunning. Knowing he was no match for Mu Peizhi, he kept retreating with his troops, eventually hiding deep within the Cangmang Mountains.
The region of Wanzhou was mountainous and rugged. Mu Peizhi had locals familiar with the terrain map out the geography of the Cangmang Range. However, this very decision led to their greatest setback since the beginning of the campaign.
That map was a fake map.
Nearly all the troops Mu Peizhi had dispatched were wiped out in the mountains, only a few dozen managed to escape in disgrace. Enraged, Mu Peizhi ordered his men to seize the locals who had provided the map, but when they reached the household, it was already abandoned. On the wall, a shrine remained, bearing a deity with a kind and sorrowful expression, yet it was neither the familiar Guanyin nor any known Buddha commonly worshipped in households.
The statue was androgynous in appearance, eyes lowered in a serene gaze. A single vermilion mark between its brows lent it an air of divine solemnity. It was Li Yue who had come to seize the suspects. He glanced around the room, his eyes briefly sweeping past the statue without lingering.
“My Lord, they’re gone.” Reported one of the soldiers searching the house.
Li Yue ran his fingers over the spotless table and said, “Expand the search. I want them found, no matter what.”
“Yes!”
As he lifted his leg to leave, something compelled him to turn back. He took a few steps toward the statue, staring at it intently. The longer he looked, the more an eerie, bone-chilling unease crept over him, it was uncanny, almost sinister.
“Zhao Liu, you’re from Fengzhou, aren’t you?” He asked a soldier beside him.
Zhao Liu answered, “Yes, My Lord. From Dahe Village, west of Heyang City.”
Li Yue raised his chin and asked, “Which deity or Buddha is being worshiped here?”
Zhao Liu leaned in to take a closer look for a while, then shook his head and replied, “I don’t know either. I’ve never seen anyone worship this kind before.”
Li Yue pondered for a moment, then reached out to move aside the offerings. He hesitated briefly but then used his sword to push aside the shrine, only to discover a thin booklet hidden beneath. He took it, flipped through a few pages, and found that it was an ordinary scripture. Li Yue’s younger brother, Li Qing, practiced Buddhism, and Li Yue often accompanied him to temples for prayers. He was familiar with Buddhist scriptures, but he had never heard of this one.
After a moment of thought, Li Yue tucked the scripture into his sleeve, planning to take it back to the city and ask someone about it. He then said, “Let’s go.”
64
After the former governor of Ruizhou was escorted to Liangdu, the new governor had not yet arrived, so Han Shiqing, the deputy governor of Ruizhou, temporarily took over the position. Han Shiqing, who was over fifty, had been in Ruizhou for many years and had earned a good reputation. Upon learning of the Jiulian Sect from Mu Peixuan, he clearly understood the seriousness of the situation, and his expression turned solemn.
But the enemy was hidden while they were exposed; acting rashly would only alert the enemy. So, Mu Peixuan quietly transferred a group of trustworthy soldiers from his garrison under the pretense of searching for bandits to comb through Ruizhou. At the same time, officials at all levels in Ruizhou were instructed to conduct secret investigations. Unexpectedly, even within Ruizhou city itself, they discovered over a hundred households worshipping the statue of the Jiulian Holy Lord.
From minor officials[mfn]Refers to clerk but clerk sounds a bit too modern so…[/mfn] of the prefectural government to common folk, Mu Peixuan did not startle the snake in the grass; he merely ordered men to keep a close watch on those households.
He hadn’t concealed his recent actions from Duan Linzhou, who in turn had Lu Chong and Liu Sanjiu thoroughly vet everyone under the Duan family’s employ. Fortunately, no followers of the Jiulian Sect had yet been found.
Duan Linzhou looked at the thick stack of reports presented before him and sighed, “They really do seep in through every crack, impossible to guard against.”
These people were merely commoners who had yet to commit any overt transgressions; they couldn’t be imprisoned outright. Moreover, their belief in the Jiulian Sect was likely due to being misled, charging them on that basis alone would be too far-fetched and might even stir public unrest.
Mu Peixuan pressed his fingers wearily to his brow and said, “These are only those visible on the surface. I fear those with true ulterior motives are still lurking beneath the waters.”
Duan Linzhou consoled him, “We’re ready now. No matter what kind of demons or fiends they may be, they won’t be able to cause much chaos.”
Mu Peixuan nodded, looked at Duan Linzhou, and said, “Don’t worry. Old Physician Ji specifically told you to take care of your health. Leave these matters to me.”
Duan Linzhou smiled and gently rubbed the handwarmer in his hand. “Actually, this so-called Jiulian Sect reminded me of something.”
Mu Peixuan asked, “What is it?”
Duan Linzhou said, “From the case of King Duan in the capital, to the Yu family being implicated and escorted to the capital, and now to the uprising in Fengzhou, the rebel forces already number in the tens of thousands. We’ve been on the defensive all along, and caught off guard.”
Mu Peixuan seemed to realize something and fixed his gaze on Duan Linzhou. Duan Linzhou gave a slight smile and met Mu Peixuan’s eyes calmly, saying, “I’ve been thinking, if we had received word and taken precautions when the storm first began—”
Mu Peixuan asked, “What are you thinking of doing?”
Duan Linzhou tapped his fingers on the stack of papers on the table and said, “The Jiulian Sect can use the common people as their eyes and ears. We can do the same. However, we don’t rely on deceiving the people. Instead, we rely on the street vendors and the merchants who spread across the various states.”
Mu Peixuan, being highly perceptive, immediately envisioned a vast network, like spider silk, silently spreading through every corner of Daliang. He slightly squinted his eyes, saying nothing, quietly observing Duan Linzhou. Duan Linzhou’s expression sharpened, a hint of determination appeared in his gaze, as he continued, “I had a partner who died in the chaos of the Fengzhou rebellion. He was only sixteen, and his greatest wish was to become the manager under me. But he just died like that. These days, I’ve been thinking, if I had noticed earlier, like the few businesses in Longzhou that shut down in advance, could I have avoided such needless losses?”
This thought had been lingering in Duan Linzhou’s mind for some time already. In his early years as a merchant, he had opened shops in various states, more or less. He had never considered anything else; for him, these shops were about silver and profit. But with the unexpected disaster that struck the Yu family, the rising rebellions of the refugees in Fengzhou, Mu Peizhi leading the military to quell the uprising, and the sudden assassination attempt on Lantern Festival night, Duan Linzhou began to feel as though he was being caught up in something beyond his control.
Duan Linzhou enjoyed adventure, but he despised being shrouded in fog, waiting for the blade to be at his neck before hurriedly dodging and striking back.
However, in the eyes of others, the things Duan Linzhou set out to do could nearly be mistaken for ambition. If discovered, it would cause trouble for both the Duan and Mu families, not to mention that since his marriage to Mu Peixuan, Mu Peixuan had also mentioned various matters in the court to him as well. Duan Linzhou himself had noticed that beneath the calm surface of Marquis Annan Mansion, it had been walking on thin ice for many years, cautious and meticulous.
Duan Linzhou could not keep secrets from Mu Peixuan, nor did he want to. Mu Peixuan was very clever, and if he were to learn of it from another source, it would likely cause a rift between them.
“Your Highness, the turmoil in the world has already been set,” his eyes locked onto Mu Mu Peixuan’s, sharp and unwavering. “Whether it’s the Mu family or the Duan family, both are caught in this storm. We cannot afford to become the next Yu family.”
Mu Peixuan’s heart shook as he looked deeply at Duan Linzhou and said, “Duan Linzhou, do whatever you want to do.”
Duan Linzhou smiled and said, “Alright.”
The candlelight flickered faintly, and few knew that, from that night, the Wenfeng Yuan[mfn]Fyi, it’s an intelligence organization[/mfn], which ears and eyes spread across the world for the next century of the Daliang, was born from the brief conversation between Mu Xiao Junwang and Boss Duan.
65
The Cangmang Ridge area was mountainous, with towering peaks and steep cliffs. Cao Zheng had retreated into the mountains, not coming out, and both sides had been at a stalemate for several days. At that time, it was the depth of winter, and after a snow disaster, the weather cleared for a few days. After putting in some effort to understand the terrain of the Cangmang Ridge, Mu Peizhi ordered Li Yue and Xu Ying, along with others, to lead a team into the mountains.
Cao Zheng, originally from a hunting family, set up roadblocks based on the terrain, causing Li Yue and the others to lose a significant number of men. The two were so pained that their eyes turned red. This expedition consisted entirely of border troops, and both of them were captains of the guard. Some of these men were familiar faces, while others were not, but all were brothers of the guard. Though they had long braced themselves for losses, witnessing their comrades fall in battle still stirred a deep, burning fury within them.
Xu Ying and Li Yue, both born into noble families, had initially scorned the rebels. But after several encounters, their demeanor grew noticeably more cautious.
The trek through the mountains was grueling, but in the end, Cao Zheng’s forces couldn’t stand against the border troops. Defeated and in disarray, they fled deep into the Cangmang Mountains, seeking refuge on a peak known as Xianren Village, seemingly prepared to hold out against the border troops to the end.
Lei Yue acted decisively. With a keen sense of the wind direction, he set half of Xianren Village ablaze, forcing Cao Zheng to flee from the Cangmang Mountains.
The fire spread, casting a red glow across the sky. Birds in the forest circled frantically, too afraid to land. The air was thick with the smell of burning, mingling with the strong stench of blood.
Cao Zheng had relied on the terrain to fight against the border troops, but once he lost the advantage of the land, it turned into a one-sided massacre. Cao Zheng was forced to flee westward in embarrassment, only to run straight into Xu Ying, who had set an ambush. Xu Ying struck him down with a single blow, and Cao Zheng’s head rolled like a watermelon, bouncing several times. Blood splattered, with a few droplets landing on the young Qianhu’s[mfn]The young Qianhu here is Xu Ying[/mfn] face.
Xu Ying raised his sword high, sitting firmly atop his horse, and shouted in a deep voice, “The bandit leader is dead! Surrender now!”
The border troops echoed in unison, “The bandit leader is dead!”
“The bandit leader is dead!”
The momentum was overwhelming, like a tidal wave, striking fear into the already leaderless rebel forces. In their confusion, they instinctively dropped their weapons and knelt to the ground.
It was a great victory.
When Li Yue arrived, the men under Xu Ying were handling the aftermath. He urged his horse forward and asked, “Where’s Cao Zheng?”
Xu Ying raised his chin and replied, “Over there.”
Cao Zheng’s head had rolled into the dirt, the blood already dried. Li Yue smiled slightly and said, “Cao Zheng is dead, yet you’re still walking around with such a sour face?”
Xu Ying grimaced in disgust and said, “When I killed him, his blood splattered all over my face. It was absolutely disgusting.”
Li Yue chuckled, glancing at his flushed face, and said, “Alright, just wash it off, and it’ll be fine.”
Xu Ying replied, “Yuan Ge’er always likes to touch my face, saying I look good. But when we get back, if he does it again and I remember where the blood landed, it’s just going to feel terribly unlucky”
Li Yue casually said, “Then just carve that piece of meat off.”
Xu Ying cried out in distress, saying, “Listen to yourself, how can you say something like that?”
Li Yue laughed heartily and said, “Who told you to even dislike yourself?”
“My Yuan Ge’er is pure and clean, like a celestial being from the heavens,” Xu Ying replied, “You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”
Li Yue laughed and said, “Right, I don’t understand. Alright, alright, I’ll buy you a piece of soap later, and I guarantee you’ll wash your face nice and clean.”
Xu Ying replied, “You said it, I want the pearl soap from Yuzhen Lou.”
Li Yue was both amused and helpless, saying, “That thing costs five taels of silver for a small piece, is your face that precious?” He had bought it for Li Qing before. Yuzhen Lou was a shop in Ruizhou city that specialized in selling cosmetics, and everything there was expensive.
“You have no one to admire you, so of course, it’s not precious to you.” Xu Ying snickered, mounting his horse. “Let’s bring that head back and report to Lord Marquis. He’s waiting for us.”
The two returned to the camp, and upon hearing that they had killed Cao Zheng, Mu Peizhi was naturally pleased. He smiled and said, “I’ll record this great merit for you both.”
Xu Ying and Li Yue both bowed and replied, “Thank you, Lord Marquis!”
The two of them were both Qianhu of the border army, and with their achievements, Zhou Ting, as the commander, also gained some face. While they were talking, someone outside the camp came to report, “Lord Marquis, urgent news from Ruizhou.”
The attendants quickly took the letter and delivered it to Mu Peizhi. He unfolded it and looked at it for a moment, his brows furrowing.
Upon hearing that the letter was from Ruizhou, Xu Ying grew anxious. “Lord Marquis, has something happened in Ruizhou?”
Mu Peizhi was not angry either. He said, “There’s no trouble in Ruizhou,” and handed the letter to Zhou Ting. “Commander Zhou, you have a look as well.”
Zhou Ting read it, and his brows furrowed as well.
The letter made its way through the hands of the camp officials before finally reaching Xu Ying and Li Yue. Li Yue looked at the words “Jiulian Sect” in the letter, something came to mind, and he said, “Lord Marquis, during the search of the hunter’s house in Cangmang Ridge last time, I found a statue in his home. Judging by its appearance, it is exactly like the Jiulian Holy Lord that His Highness mentioned.”
Mu Peizhi raised his eyes, a thoughtful look on his face. “So it’s really this Jiulian Sect…”
Li Yue took a thin booklet from his chest and presented it with both hands. “This is the item found during the last search. At that time, this subordinate thought—”
Zhou Ting interrupted angrily, “How could such an important thing only be presented now?”
Li Yue immediately knelt down on one knee and said, “It was this subordinate’s negligence”
Mu Peizhi looked at the thin booklet, flipping through a few pages, and said, “There’s no need for the Commander to blame him. I’m sure Li Qianhu also thought it was just an ordinary Buddhist scripture.”
Li Yue replied, “Lord Marquis, you are correct. This subordinate intended to investigate this item thoroughly before reporting to Lord Marquis and the Commander.”
Mu Peizhi said, “Get up.”
He held the thin scripture between his fingers and said, “Though Cao Zheng is dead, the rebel forces remain, this battle is far from over. We will break camp tomorrow and enter Fengzhou.”
“Fengzhou is the rebel stronghold, everyone must proceed with utmost caution.” He swept his gaze around the room. Though the young man looked refined and scholarly, his words carried a sharp and deadly edge. “If there are any suspicious refugees, detain them immediately. Anyone who dares resist, kill them.”
“Yes, Lord Marquis!”
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Friendly reminder: Setting fire to a mountain will result in life imprisonment.
