Chapter 119: An Era of Great Contention!

Coming from the greenwood, Li Yun had seen his fair share of villains. He had encountered countless men who were ruthless and bloodthirsty, and he had even executed many of them with his own hands.

However, he had felt no emotional turmoil when killing those men. Yet, when faced with this chieftain of Mount Tianmu, he felt a genuine, deep-seated disgust.

After giving the man a beating, Li Yun handed him over to his anti-bandit squad, many of whom had passed through Xia'ao Village. As men who had once been bandits themselves, they might feel even greater revulsion toward Bai Qi’s actions.

Li Yun gave specific orders that the man was not to be beaten to death, for he intended to keep his word: he would have this man surnamed Bai tied to a tree in Xia'ao Village, allowing the villagers to settle their grievances and exact their own revenge.

Compared to Bai Qi, however, the soldiers from Yuezhou—or rather, the subordinates of the so-called Prince of Yue—were of greater importance to Li Yun. He had specifically instructed Li Zheng to bind them and find a way to pry their mouths open.

Li Yun went to a separate room, and upon seeing the burly man bound inside, he sat down calmly. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Are you one of Qiu Dian's men?"

The man, having already suffered quite a bit, looked a little timid upon seeing Li Yun, then nodded. "Yes..."

Li Yun lowered his head to sip some hot water and continued, "How many men are under Qiu Dian's command now?"

The man hesitated, then shook his head. "I... I don't know."

"The King has two forces. One is led by General Zhao, who campaigns against the imperial court on his behalf. The other is stationed permanently in Yuezhou, responsible for guarding the King and the safety of the region."

Li Yun said indifferently, "Are you stationed permanently in Yuezhou?"

"Yes."

Li Yun pressed on, "How many men do you have in Yuezhou?"

The man kept his head down for a moment, then looked up at Li Yun and asked, "Sir, if I talk, will... will you let me go?"

A smile appeared on Li Yun's face. "As long as you tell the truth, everything can be discussed."

Only then did the man lower his head and speak. "We claim to have over ten thousand men guarding the city in Yuezhou, but in reality, there are only about two thousand. Among them..."

"The majority are the King's fellow townsmen."

"As for General Zhao..." He shook his head. "When General Zhao first took Yuezhou, he had about two thousand men as well, but he frequently accepts the surrender of enemy troops. As for how many he has now, I... I don't know."

Li Yun pondered for a moment and asked, "Is this General Zhao the one currently attacking Qiantang?"

"Yes."

Li Yun asked again, "What is his name?"

"Zhao Cheng."

Li Yun lowered his head to his tea and continued, "What is his background?"

The man gritted his teeth and said, "I don't know the specifics, but I have heard that General Zhao came from a family of officials. Years ago, he offended the imperial court, all the adult males in his family were executed, and the women were sent to the Bureau of Music. His family was ruined..."

"He has always harbored a deep hatred for the court. When the King raised his banner in rebellion and captured two counties, General Zhao voluntarily came to join him and pledged his loyalty."

"General Zhao is extremely brave. Later, all the counties in Yuezhou, including Yuezhou City itself, were captured by his troops."

Li Yun rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. After a moment, he asked, "Did he come from a military family?"

The man scratched his head. "A military family... that is all I know. I don't know anything else."

Li Yun stared at him. The sheer intensity of his killing aura made the man tremble, but he was unable to utter another word. Clearly, that was the extent of his knowledge.

Li Yun did not make things difficult for him any further and simply walked out.

By now, the sky had turned dark. Zhou Liang was waiting outside for Li Yun. Seeing him emerge, Zhou Liang approached and asked, "Chieftain, was there any result?"

Li Yun was still lost in thought about General Zhao. Jolted by Zhou Liang's voice, he came back to his senses and asked with a smile, "Third Uncle, do you know of any general surnamed Zhao from near Yuezhou who was tried and executed by the imperial court?"

Zhou Liang shook his head. "I was never in the imperial government, so naturally, I would not know."

Li Yun nodded silently and said with a laugh, "Then he must not be a very famous general."

Zhou Liang thought for a moment and pressed, "What did you manage to find out, Chieftain?"

"Just some basic information, not much of use." Li Yun stretched his back and said, "The only useful thing is knowing why that Heavenly King Qiu has been sailing so smoothly."

He muttered to himself, "It is not because he is formidable, but because the Great Zhou court has too many enemies in the shadows."

Zhou Liang wanted to ask more, but Li Yun interrupted him. Looking at Zhou Liang, the Chieftain said, "Third Uncle, go take a look later. Make sure they don't beat Bai Qi to death. Tomorrow or the day after, take Bai Qi and tie him to the entrance of Xia'ao Village."

"Let the local villagers vent their grievances."

Zhou Liang nodded in agreement. He looked at Li Yun and asked, "Chieftain, what shall we do next? Should we kill everyone from Yuezhou to prevent them from coming after us?"

Li Yun considered this for a moment and replied, "They are not yet guilty of death. I plan to let one or two go back to see if I can lure some of the Prince of Yue’s forces here."

Zhou Liang took a deep breath. "Is the Chieftain planning to use Mount Tianmu to maneuver against the people of Yuezhou?"

"I have that thought, but I haven't fully decided yet." Li Yun smiled. "I mainly want to test the quality of these rebels. But judging by today, those who follow Qiu Dian are certainly not up to much."

"I just don't know what the troops led by that General Zhao are like."

Zhou Liang bowed his head in thought for a moment before saying slowly, "Chieftain, I feel this is somewhat dangerous."

"Don't worry, Third Uncle," Li Yun said with a smile. "How much time has passed? Even if the imperial court is slow to react, they must eventually respond to the rebellion in Yuezhou; otherwise, they would be truly incompetent."

"We cannot face the Yuezhou rebel army alone."

Li Yun rubbed his chin and said slowly, "However, I am quite interested... in this General Zhao."

***

The imperial edict was finally issued to the provinces, explicitly ordering the recruitment of local troops in more than a dozen regions near Yuezhou, including Xuanzhou, Raozhou, Mingzhou, and Wuzhou.

Because the candidate to lead the imperial troops had not yet been decided, the locally recruited forces were to remain in place and wait for orders. The court would soon dispatch generals to command these levies.

Arriving at the same time as the imperial edict to Prefect Cui Shao of Xuanzhou was a private letter from his cousin, Cui Yuan.

After reading the court document and his cousin's letter, this Prefect, who had been living in peace for so long, immediately became active again.

He first summoned several subordinates from the government office and began issuing orders.

"Pass on my command: let the magistrates of every county in Xuanzhou set out immediately to come to Xuanzhou for a meeting. There shall be no delays!"

After issuing this command, Prefect Cui frowned in thought and continued, "Post notices everywhere: the court is recruiting soldiers to suppress bandits. It is best if families volunteer their able-bodied men, but if the recruitment quota is not met within a month, men will be conscripted from every village—one out of every ten."

Although Cui Shao was not well-versed in local affairs, he did not lack basic administrative competence. Soon, order after order was dispatched.

Once the orders were sent, he suddenly remembered Li Yun, who had already raised a force, and became excited.

"Also, go and investigate where that Li Zhao from Qingyang has gone!"

"Once you find him, send word immediately: tell him that his anti-bandit squad is not to move and must remain where they are!"

"And tell him to report back to Xuanzhou immediately; I have important matters to discuss with him!"