Chapter 514: Returning to the Capital
Editor: Atlas Studios
Liu Dahei chuckled and pulled Lin Man into the house. He lowered his voice and said, “Brother Lin, let me ask you. Do you think the Great Zhou can still hold on this time?”
Lin Man lowered his head in deep thought. After a while, he said, “It’s hard to say. The Great Zhou has an army of 800,000.”
Liu Dahei pursed his lips. “So what if it’s 800,000? There are strong enemies outside and rebellions inside. They will still die. Furthermore, those generals might have their own selfish motives. Let’s not talk about others. Just look at Qi Haoran. Even though he’s an official, isn’t he mixing with bandits like us in harmony anyway? Although his aim is to capture West Xia’s soldiers, if he’s patriotic and has loyalty to the Emperor, he should kill us or rat us out to the Imperial Court and get soldiers to surround us. But look, after half a month, it’s never crossed his mind to send news to the Imperial Court’s army.”
Lin Man whispered, “Are you saying that Qi Haoran wants to rebel?”
Liu Dahei sighed and said, “The world is in chaos. Whoever becomes the Emperor depends on their own abilities. The past me would have wanted to become a king, too. However, after fighting with Qi Haoran last time, I realized that I’m still lacking in many ways. In this chaotic world, I don’t even know if I can keep my life, let alone be a king. In that case, I might as well find a wise ruler. Perhaps I can become a founding minister or something.”
Lin Man looked at him in a daze. “Will Great Zhou really perish?” The destruction of a country felt like a fantasy.
“I think it’s about time.”
“Then you’ve taken a fancy to Qi Haoran?” Lin Man said in a dilemma. “He doesn’t seem like a wise master. Although he’s good at fighting in a war, he’s like a child in other aspects.”
Liu Dahei lowered his voice and said, “Qi Haoran doesn’t look like one, but what do you think of his Big Brother?”
Lin Man stared at him with wide eyes.
“With already more than 100,000 troops under him, Qi Xiuyuan’s growth is not inferior to General Yuan’s. If there really is a rebellion, he will definitely have a place in the Great Zhou.”
Lin Man couldn’t help but swallow his saliva. “Qi Xiuyuan wants to rebel? Did you hear it from Qi Haoran?”
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Liu Dahei glanced at him as if he was an idiot and said, “Why would Qi Haoran tell me this? Isn’t this just a guess? Let’s build a good relationship with Qi Haoran first. If Qi Xiuyuan rebels in the future, we’ll follow him. If he doesn’t rebel, we’ll just wait for a wise master to appear in the future and follow him.”
Lin Man looked at him speechlessly. “Aren’t you spreading your net a little too widely? How many boats do you have to step on? Will the wise master be able to tolerate it when he finds out in the future?”
“Only the two of us know about this. Who else do you want to tell?”
Lin Man thought about it and agreed.
After three days of perseverance, the prison finally managed to pry open the mouths of a few people. They also found out about West Xia’s plan.
The reason why they came was to think of a way to cause chaos in the Great Zhou and expand the war between the Great Zhou Imperial Court and the bandits. It would be best if they fought to the death internally so that West Xia could fight for more favorable conditions.
They had disguised themselves as the Imperial Court’s army to encircle and annihilate many bandits. They had always fought a single battle and provoked the bandits’ anger before leaving. Not long ago, they were also the ones who killed a bandit leader. It was all luck. At that time, they were hiding in a cave when an army passed by at the foot of the mountain. They poked their heads out and realized that it was the main force of the Imperial Court’s army.
Of course, they would not let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, because of this, they suffered heavy losses from being hunted down. There were originally 500 of them, but after the incident, there were only 100 left in an instant. Moreover, those remaining were exhausted soldiers, so they were caught by Qi Haoran.
As for the other two teams, one team was tasked to enter Jiangnan from the south of Jinghu and set fire to the Jiangnan area. The other team was the strongest. They disguised themselves and sneaked into Lin’an City to kill the families of the main generals in Lin’an City.
As long as these families died, those generals would definitely turn against the Great Zhou. At that time, the Great Zhou would be even more chaotic, and their West Xia would definitely be able to occupy half of the Great Zhou. Why was it only half and not all? That was because they had agreed with the Jin Kingdom to attack separately this time. The territories taken down by West Xia and Jin Kingdom would belong to them respectively.
Since the Jin Kingdom’s military strength was not weaker than theirs, it was estimated to be half.
Although it was only half, seeing as this was the prosperous Great Zhou, half of it was plenty sufficient for the West Xia Kingdom.
Qi Haoran’s expression changed when he received the confession. He wondered how his wife and children were doing in the capital.
After obtaining the confession and knowing the whereabouts of the West Xia soldiers, Qi Haoran was no longer in the mood to stay with Liu Dahei. He thought for a moment and advised them, “Since this path is the only route from West Xia to Lin’an, you should go north. That way, it’ll be less dangerous.” After thinking for a moment, he said, “It’s not a solution for you to always be bandits. If you don’t mind, why don’t you follow me? I’ll grant you amnesty first and plead with His Majesty later. Now that Great Zhou is in chaos, His Majesty will definitely agree.”
Lin Man looked at Liu Dahei, but Liu Dahei shook his head and said tentatively, “If I were to follow you alone, I might agree. However, if you’re suggesting I bow down to the Emperor of Great Zhou, forget about it. He’s too cowardly.”
Qi Haoran lowered his head and pondered for a moment before nodding, indicating that he understood. He did not make any promises, so Liu Dahei did not continue this topic.
Qi Haoran brought out the West Xia general and executed the others in private. He brought this captive and rushed to Lin’an City. Along the way, they managed to avoid the bandits, but they couldn’t avoid witnessing the tragic scenes among the commoners. The closer to Lin’an City they went, the more they could see the hardship of the commoners who were fleeing along the way.
Qi Haoran, who thought that he had a strong heart, could not help but tear up. By the time they returned to Lin’an City, they were all in a terrible state. When the soldiers guarding the city saw the group of ragged people, if not for the official seal in Qi Haoran’s hand and his sharp gaze, the guards would definitely dismiss them as beggars and chase them out. No, even beggars weren’t as sorry-looking as these people.
“Has something major happened in the city?” This was Qi Haoran’s first question after verifying his identity.
“Isn’t the chaos in Great Zhou a major enough deal?” The guard asked blankly.
“I’m asking if the families of the generals in Lin’an City, such as General Yuan, General Qi, and the other generals, safe?”
The guard sized up Qi Haoran and recalled that he had just introduced himself as Qi Haoran. His eyes immediately carried some sympathy. Seeing this, Qi Haoran’s heart couldn’t help but tremble, and his face turned pale. He stared at the soldier with a murderous aura.
The guard shivered and quickly reassured him. “General, don’t worry. Although the generals’ families will suffer some inconvenience upon entering the palace, His Majesty only summoned them there to protect them. You have to understand…”
“You’re saying that the Emperor brought the families of the generals into the palace?”
The guard nodded. “Yes, they were summoned to the palace as soon as the battle started.”
Qi Haoran heaved a huge sigh of relief, his eyes slightly moist. Fei Bai went forward to support his arm and whispered, “Fourth Master, Fourth Madam and Third Young Master will definitely be safe and sound. You don’t have to worry. Let’s enter the city and go home first. After washing up, we’ll enter the palace to seek an audience…”
Fei Bai grabbed Qi Haoran’s arm tightly and supported his entire body. Qi Haoran stood there weakly for a while before realizing that his hand was trembling slightly. Thinking about how he was actually frightened by a soldier’s gaze, Qi Haoran glared at him fiercely and leaned against Fei Bai as he entered the city.
Behind them, more than 60 ragged soldiers carried a burlap bag as they followed Qi Haoran into the city.
Qi Haoran originally wanted to return to the Qi Residence to have a meal and take a shower, but before he could walk far, the Emperor’s envoy blocked his way and brought Qi Haoran and the others into the palace.
