Chapter 68

Chapter 68

◎Combined Double Chapters◎

Li Cheng had always been a man of his word. Unlike Zheng Fang, who clung to the old cavalry tactics—focusing on battle formations and troop movements, and using new weapons sparingly—Li Cheng had, during several major wars, secretly summoned many craftsmen to manufacture various kinds of weapons.

Especially after taking Yuzhou, where Yuzhou and Qingzhou were tasked with supplying grain, the taxes from Xuzhou’s Wujun were specifically allocated to support the troops and produce weapons.

Therefore, he had already laid a clever and intricate trap between Wujun and the Wei territory. Some of these weapons were likely unfamiliar to the Guo brothers.

Xin Shi had heard about this and hurriedly came to ask Huiyin for her thoughts. Huiyin said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. The Guo brothers are the cousins of the former Prince of Wei and are highly trusted by him. But when it comes to battles, it's our Prince and General Xie who take charge, which shows these two aren't up to the task. Rest assured, there will be no problem."

In truth, how could Huiyin not be worried? Few things in this world were certain, but if she panicked, those under her would be even more rattled. Moreover, Li Cheng might already know about the situation. If she ran off without a plan and was caught, it would be counterproductive.

Seeing Huiyin so calm, Xin Shi felt relieved and didn’t mention it again, but Huiyin discussed the matter with Grand Dowager Wu.

Grand Dowager Wu cursed, "Those damned turtles, they actually want to take our territory. The Guo family wasn't even worthy of pouring water for us to wash our feet before they rose to prominence because of their connection to the Prince of Wei's mother."

Huiyin said, "I just wanted to inform you, Dowager. Don't be afraid. The prince has his own countermeasures."

"I'm not afraid. Cheng has been in the military since he was a teenager, facing all kinds of dangers to get where he is today," Grand Dowager Wu sighed.

It was also said that the Guo brothers were not reckless men. They first arrived in Wujun and learned that the current gatekeeper was the former subordinate Xie Qian.

Guo Zhao said to his younger brother, "Xie Qian was originally a small clerk under the Prince of Wei. Later, when the Prince of Huaiyin attacked Xuzhou, he specifically requested this person. I have a personal connection with him and know of a particular obsession of his."

"What kind of obsession?" Guo Er asked curiously.

Guo Zhao smiled, "He doesn't fancy young girls but is infatuated with mature women. He's obsessed with them, just like the old thief Wei Duo."

When men discussed these things, they understood each other well. Guo Er couldn't help but ask, "So where can we find such a person now?"

"As the saying goes, money can make the ghosts turn millstones. When I was in charge of Wujun, before Li Cheng took the land back, I planted an informant. We won't get much out of it now that even the young Prince of Yuzhang, despite growing up, is aligned with the Huo and Xie families," Guo Zhao had long known. Wujun was a big prize. With Wujun, even without fighting battles, one could live as a rich man.

Guo Er had always trusted his elder brother, knowing he had many ideas. They secretly sent people through the river at night, entering through tunnels.

After the Prince of Huaiyin handed over Wujun, the Guo brothers were in control, thanks to Guo Zhao’s ingenious plan.

What they didn't know was that Li Cheng had strict military discipline and absolutely forbade women from entering the camp, executing it particularly rigorously. A deputy general once thought he had hidden his actions well, only to be beheaded on the spot by Li Cheng.

Moreover, once news of an impending attack on Wujun was received, almost the entire region entered a wartime state, with personnel controlled everywhere.

Not to mention the beauty trap, even those delivering supplies had to have their identities verified three times.

Xie Qian had already been ordered by Li Cheng to send scouts to keep an eye on things. The Guo brothers, thinking they had deeply cultivated Wujun, didn't know that this was once the fiefdom of the Prince of Wu and had been reclaimed. Last March, Li Cheng came here specifically.

He had always been highly valued by Li Cheng, who had shown him great kindness, but compared to Guo Zhao, he was far behind. Now, Guo Zhao was the governor of Yuzhou. Even Pei Shuo, a tiger general from Jizhou, had joined the prince. If he didn’t succeed, his position would surely be taken by someone else.

"Let's use these two to test our new caltrops. These caltrops nearly decimated Song old man's forces when we attacked Yanzhou."

When Guo Zhao and Guo Er discovered that the scouts they sent had not yet sent back a message, they began to panic. Xie Qian deliberately left a gap when he left the city. The Guo brothers, eager to achieve merit and with tight rations, couldn't afford to delay.

The Guo brothers deployed a trebuchet, which was suggested by Li Cheng when he advised the Prince of Wei to gather craftsmen to make it. This trebuchet could throw stones to destroy walls and gates, but Xie Qian first used a battering ram to hit the cloud ladders, and even used forked poles and grappling hooks, all to defend against the enemy troops.

Finally, using night forks and caltrops, they caused heavy losses to the Guo brothers' troops. Xie Qian then called in the archers, deliberately luring the two brothers forward before shooting them into sieves.

The arrows were dipped in a strange poison, causing the deaths of the Guo brothers on the spot.

The news reached Jianye, and Xie Jiuyi told Yin Liyi, "First, inform your sister to keep this matter hidden. If the Wei Imperial Consort hears about it, she might not be able to handle it emotionally."

Yin Liyi was stunned for a moment before saying, "They actually stabbed the Guo brothers until they were covered in blood. We've worked together with them before. Isn't this a bit too cruel? The army led by the Guo brothers might have fought alongside Li Cheng in the past."

"Once it's war, they are the enemy. To be merciful to the enemy is to be harsh to ourselves," Xie Jiuyi replied, sensing that his wife was still clinging to past sentiments, unaware that power and desire weighed more heavily on people.

Yin Liyi looked at her husband and asked, "So what do we do? Will you continue to fight?"

Xie Jiuyi shook his head. "We suffered heavy losses attacking Nanjun, and our supplies are almost exhausted. It's only spring sowing season; we can't afford to fight now."

War wasn't just a matter of words; it required substantial resources and funds.

Yin Liyi comforted him, "At least for now, they only killed the Guo brothers and didn't push forward with an attack."

"The fear is that it's only a matter of time," Xie Jiuyi said, withdrawing his gaze.

Yin Liyi then went to see Yin Lifang and relayed Xie Jiuyi's instructions. Yin Lifang was quite surprised. "How did this happen? Don't worry. The Wei Imperial Consort lives with Lady Huo now, and no one usually comes over."

Yin Liyi nodded. "That's good."

"Since Li Cheng took back Wu County, he's gained half of the additional tax revenue. No wonder he dares to fight in Yanzhou and against Wei Duo now," Yin Lifang added, thinking of her own son, who was still too young, which was why the Guo brothers hadn't taken others seriously.

Compared to the mourning in Wei, Huiyin felt relieved. The elite families of Xuzhou were increasingly convinced by Li Cheng's leadership. Ever since Li Cheng took charge of Xuzhou, the region had enjoyed political stability, thriving trade, and the people were spared from the horrors of war.

It was Jing'er's birthday, and gifts had already started arriving from various places.

Madam Miao and Lady Xue, who were local to Xuzhou, visited frequently. Even Jiang Biluo from Yuzhou, despite the distance, and the Cao family, who had recently pledged allegiance, sent generous gifts.

Huiyin had Fugui record everything and then said, "Store these in the warehouse."

"Yes," Fugui said with a smile while writing the gift list. "You consistently allocate a significant portion of the wealth to support the prince's military needs. That shows true foresight."

If it were someone else, they would definitely be tempted by the wealth.

Huiyin smiled. "Should I take money from my own coffers instead of overburdening the people? If we overburden them, they may resort to selling their children, leading to a humanitarian crisis."

In reality, Huiyin had more to say. If the people had no means of livelihood, they would cause trouble, leading to even greater suffering.

To rule the world, one must have the people's welfare at heart.

Though Huiyin appeared extravagant in her daily life, this was actually a strategy to prevent others from underestimating her or Li Cheng.

Fugui didn't fully grasp these considerations but replied, "My lady, you are always compassionate."

Huiyin smiled and then mentioned that Le Yun and Dong Shun had also sent gifts for the heir. "They are quite thoughtful. Let them know I'm aware," she said.

Le Yun's husband was a doctor, so she sent handmade medicated pillows, two hats, two pairs of shoes, and a box of incense. Dong Shun sent two packages, one with clothes and the other with homemade snacks.

However, in these uncertain times, Huiyin wouldn't eat snacks sent by outsiders.

In her previous life in the palace, someone had sent clothes infected with smallpox and plague to her son, but fortunately, they hadn't been stored in the warehouse. Le Yun, knowing that Jing'er was often honored and that the mansion had its own needleworkers, sent her gifts as tokens of goodwill. But Dong Shun hoped that Huiyin would notice her sincerity, as before, and invite her over for a chat.

She sat with Le Yun for a while and looked at her expectantly. "Why hasn't the princess summoned us yet?"

"The princess is busy today with so many gift-givers. She doesn't have time to meet anyone," Le Yun comforted her.

Dong Shun lived a comfortable life among the common folk. Her family could solve almost any issue through connections from the former prince's mansion, but meeting the princess as frequently as before was no longer feasible.

"I know the princess can't receive us. I only wished to pay my respects and greet the royal family," Dong Shun said, still feeling regretful.

But Le Yun knew that she couldn't let go. Even as a maid in the residence, she was dressed in silk, covered with goose-down quilts in the winter, and the princess was generous, giving them fine skirts and jackets that she had only worn once. But it was different outside. Not everyone would find it hard to settle for less after experiencing such luxury.

Therefore, Le Yun advised, "There will always be opportunities. Nowadays, there is war everywhere. Our princess is always careful. You shouldn't take it to heart. Even I can't visit often without being summoned."

Dong Shun smiled, "Speaking of which, it's still Qiu Feng who has it good. She married a bondservant from the residence, and the couple is harmonious. She still follows the princess to attend to her needs." She didn’t envy Fu Gui because Fu Gui didn’t marry, and she felt the price was too high.

After she left, Le Yun's husband, the physician Huang, emerged from behind the screen.

"The princess lets her live a good life and definitely refuses to see her, afraid that if she sees wealth again, she will become restless."

Le Yun nodded, "Yes, it's easy to become accustomed to luxury from frugality, but difficult to return to frugality from luxury. I believe the princess has the same thought. She wants her to live a peaceful life, and there may be opportunities for advancement in the future. That man of hers is a scholar with considerable talent. Besides, the princess doesn't prevent those below from helping her. She probably doesn't understand this."

Huang the physician smiled, "The future is long. People get frustrated when things don’t go their way for a while. The princess understands this principle too well, which is why she doesn’t want to see her."

Regarding Jing'er's birthday, Huiyin only invited Xin Shi, and she also sent a table of wine and dishes to Grand Dowager Wu.

Since Jing'er had the afternoon off, the child was very happy. Xin Shi smiled, "The prince is so lively and tall for his age. He'll grow up to be a fine young man, just like his father."

Huiyin laughed, "I think Jing'er resembles his uncle. They say nephews take after their uncles, and it’s true in this case. My brother was tall from a young age, and Jing'er is also tall."

As Xin Shi observed this peaceful scene, she couldn't help but ask, "I wonder how your brother and the others are doing in Yanzhou?"

In Yanzhou, after Li Cheng drove out Song Cishi last year, although he returned to celebrate the New Year, he hadn’t neglected the arrangements in Yanzhou. However, he had only recently taken over the area when Wei Duo attacked again.

While it was somewhat expected, it still caught everyone off guard.

Although Li Cheng usually acted swiftly, he deliberated for a long time when it came to fighting Wei Duo.

In fact, Zheng Fang and Li Heng were also observing Li Cheng's capabilities. Zheng Fang personally went to suppress bandits. With more experience than Pei Shuo, he was stronger, but even he found these bandits unusual.

It seemed as though someone was supporting them behind the scenes. Otherwise, how could those bandits have such new weapons?

Therefore, he was closely watching whether Li Cheng could win this battle. If he could, it would demonstrate Li Cheng's considerable strength.

The situation on the battlefield was ever-changing. Wei Duo, being the sly old fox that he is, was different from the Guo brothers. Just as Li Cheng was discussing with Pei Shuo and Yuwendang at the frontline, a servant reported that the grain supply had been burned.

"What?" Li Cheng couldn’t believe it.

Yuwendang and the others said, "We all thought that Wei Duo was a hero of his time. How could he do this?"

Li Cheng raised his hand to stop them, "War is full of tricks; you can’t be too careful. It’s my fault for being careless. General Pei, take this token and personally arrange for one thousand stones of grain to be brought over."

Fortunately, there was Huiyin's grain supply. He wrote a letter to Huiyin to express his gratitude.

Pei Shuo didn’t expect Li Cheng to have a backup plan and immediately accepted the mission. As a cavalry, his horse was fast. This was the first task Li Cheng had given him, and he couldn’t afford to be negligent.

As for Huiyin, upon receiving the letter, she realized that one thousand stones of grain might not be enough, which would make Li Cheng rush to finish the battle quickly. However, rushing could lead to mistakes.

Suddenly, she thought of something and quickly replied, sending the letter back via express courier.

Wei Duo, on the other hand, was very pleased, "The boy Li Cheng has fallen for the trick so quickly."

"Prime Minister, you're a master at this game. We can’t even compare to you."

The subordinates cheered, but Wei Duo wasn’t arrogant. Instead, he had everyone keep an eye on Wei Duo.

When news of Li Cheng's burned grain supply reached Jianye, the happiest wasn’t Xie Jiuyi, but the former Princess Wei of the Wei family, Huo Shi. Her daughter will finish her mourning period next year and would marry into the Wei family. If they could rely on the Wei family to reclaim the territory of the former Wei King, the Huo family would replace Xie Jiuyi.

"Go and tell the Second Imperial Concubine Yin to bring the Prince of Yu Zhang over. His sister and I haven’t seen him for a long time." Huo Shi was filled with determination.

Now that the King of Wei is dead, she no longer needs to maintain the facade of a virtuous wife.

Li Cheng was unaware of this. He was satisfied when Pei Shuo managed to deliver the grain in less than three days. He believed that one could assess a person by starting with small matters. Pei Shuo truly gave his all and did not care about his own safety.

However, Pei Shuo also said, "These one thousand stones will not last more than a few days, my lord."

"I was thinking the same. I have already sent people to expedite the tax collection from the people of Yanzhou. These people deliberately allowed the Wei family's army to come in and burn my grain. I don't need to be polite to them," Li Cheng said angrily. He was furious with himself for falling into Wei Duo's trap and now needed to reassess and devise a new strategy.

While they were discussing, a fast messenger arrived, saying, "My lord, the princess has sent a letter through my subordinate. It is an urgent document."

Li Cheng was puzzled and wondered what Huiyin wanted. He took the letter, which read, "Your Highness, before I married into this family, I had a deep friendship with the young mistress of a rice merchant. She once gave me a token, saying that this jade pendant could be used to withdraw one hundred taels at each shop..."

The letter also mentioned that when he had previously taken control of Wu Commandery, Lady Hu had already managed her husband's family business. Huiyin suggested that Li Cheng use the token to withdraw grain first. Afterward, she would use one million taels of silver to buy grain from the Cao family, the Jiang family, and the Hu family.

"The princess is a true genius," Li Cheng said joyfully.

The Cao family had already donated grain last year, and they might not have much stock this year. The Jiang family, who were salt merchants, could only mobilize a limited amount. However, the Hu family were famous grain merchants in Wu, with grain distributed all over the country.

Pei Shuo was puzzled, "I wonder how the princess is doing?"

The princess was his own sister, and he cared the most about her.

Li Cheng said, "We no longer need to worry about our grain supply, but we must use it sparingly. Our focus should still be on how to deal with Wei Duo."

After Huiyin allocated one million taels of silver, she first invited Lady Cao over. She explained the plan to purchase grain and ensured that the Cao family would not suffer a loss. The Cao family was very cooperative, but as they mentioned, they had already contributed most of their granary to Li Cheng last year. At present, they could only provide 200,000 stones of grain.

However, they couldn't give all 200,000 stones; otherwise, the Cao family would not be able to continue their business, so they gave only 100,000 stones.

The Jiang family, although in the salt business, also had grain and provided 200,000 stones.

Soon, Huiyin's letter reached Hu Jiaojiao. When she married into the family from Shangjing, her husband had a beloved woman. She had to walk on eggshells and relied on the gifts from the Princess of Huaiyin to establish herself in her husband's family by claiming a close friendship with the princess.

Last year, when Wu Commandery came under the control of the Prince of Huaiyin, she came to pay her respects to the princess. The princess bestowed many gifts upon her and was very kind. Upon hearing that she was managing the household, the princess was pleased and even asked the prince to support her business.

As a result, she received an exclusive license to conduct business in all the prefectures under the Prince of Huaiyin's jurisdiction without taxes.

An army of 100,000 required about 1,700 stones of daily rations. Li Cheng brought 80,000 elite soldiers, needing at least over 1,000 stones. The grain provided by the Cao and Jiang families could sustain them for about 200 days, which was more than enough. However, Hu Jiaojiao saw this as an excellent opportunity and directly sent 300,000 stones.

"With this, I’m sure the Prince of Huaiyin will trust me even more," Hu Jiaojiao said with a smile.

In times of chaos, having a backer was essential for doing business.

When this grain was delivered, Li Cheng secretly stored it and only told people that the soldiers were vigilant, even resorting to eating bark and leaves. Wei Duo's spies reported, "It is said that many in Li Cheng's army have starved to death. He probably can only afford a quick battle."

"Still, we cannot be careless. Send Wei Lei to provoke them into battle. This is called striking when the iron is hot," Wei Duo said with a smile.

Wei Lei, Wei Duo's eldest son, was usually very strategic. He understood that his father wanted him to test the waters.

In the first battle, Wei Lei discovered that many soldiers fainted during the fight. Even Li Cheng, after a few rounds, wanted to charge forward but was pulled back by his brother-in-law, Pei Shuo, and they retreated.

Wei Duo stroked his beard, saying, "Li Cheng is indeed young and impulsive. Now that he has little grain, he still wants a quick victory, but I won't let him have his way. Let's endure for three more days and catch him off guard."

After three days, people would be even hungrier...

When people are hungry, they lose strength, and then he wouldn't feel guilty about taking advantage of their weakness.

Unbeknownst to Wei Duo, after three days, he saw Li Cheng looking weak and thought he had the upper hand. But Li Cheng, sensing danger, fled, with Wei Duo hot on his heels.

In the chaos, a sudden volley of arrows flew past, startling Wei Duo, but those around him burst into laughter.

Li Cheng was clearly standing on his horse, looking strong and robust. He pointed at Wei Duo and said, "Old man, what game are you playing? Now you're the one who's been tricked!"

Wei Duo finally realized that Li Cheng had deliberately played along to lure the enemy in deeper.

He had misjudged Li Cheng. Just as he was about to flee, he saw Li Cheng smiling and saying, "I will not let this man escape."

……

Huiyin was very pleased after receiving the news of the great victory in Yanzhou. It was worth spending almost all the treasury money. For her, if this money could help secure victory, Li Cheng's reputation would no longer be limited to Huaiyin.

Xin Shi and Madame Miao came to congratulate Huiyin. Huiyin also planned to help arrange a good marriage for the daughter of the Cao family when Li Cheng returned for the victory celebration. And since Hu Jiaojiao had just given birth to a son, she planned to secure a noble title for him.

This was how you earned their loyalty.

"Sister-in-law, I heard my brother performed exceptionally well this time. I'm really happy for you," Huiyin remembered to congratulate Xin Shi despite her busy schedule.

Although they had won the battle, Li Cheng could not return immediately. He still needed time to recruit soldiers and collect taxes in Yanzhou, and arrange for someone to guard the area.

While waiting for him to return, Huiyin received a letter from him. Expecting it to be about new arrangements, she was surprised to find the letter saying, "With you as my wife, it feels like I have divine guidance. If I, Cheng, am ever unfaithful in this life, may I be struck by lightning."

Huiyin pretended to be angry but blushed slightly. This fool, why is he saying such silly things?