knife

Chapter 198 He Zudao's Dream
Sunlight streamed into the entire courtyard, reaching every corner, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in the hearts of those sitting there.

The courtyard was very clean, but the strong smell of blood carried by the wind lingered.

Too many people died in Jinyang.

And they are still dying.

But they were powerless to stop it.

Luo Ying glanced at Wu De, frowned, and said, "I can't figure it out, I really can't figure it out."

"What can't you understand?" a companion asked.

"Isn't He Zudao a very clever and capable general?" Luo Ying said, "But what was his purpose in doing this in Jinyang? He may have felt good about wiping out the Liu family, but he also offended all the powerful and influential families, and he went against the court's major policies. The court will certainly no longer support him. As a result, his fate is predictable. He knew this, so why did he still do it?"

Everyone turned their attention to Wu De.

They also need to think about this question.

Before arriving in Jinyang, He Zudao did not give people this impression.

“This man is a madman at heart!” Wu De said. “He is not afraid of offending anyone, and he has never thought about solving the problems facing Great Qin from the root. There is only one thing on his mind right now, which is slaughter! Slaughtering all powerful families like the Liu family.”

“He can’t do it!” Luo Ying shook his head. “To be honest, attacking the Liu family was somewhat unexpected. The Liu family never expected that He Zudao would target them after suppressing the rebel army. It was a complete sneak attack, taking them by surprise. But such a thing won’t happen again. Once the news gets out, who won’t be wary of him?”

Wu De sighed and said, "So his first target was the Liu family. If I'm not mistaken, the wealth accumulated by the Liu family over generations should already be in his hands—countless sums of money, grain, weapons, armor, and armor. If you had all these things, what would you do?"

"Recruit soldiers and buy horses!" Luo Ying blurted out.

Wu De nodded: "Yes, recruit soldiers and build horses. With five thousand Southern Garrison troops as the core, supplemented by the Liu family's vast wealth, He Zudao can organize a large army in a very short time. And this army will sweep across the entire Hedong region in the first instance. Once He Zudao has taken over this strategically important place, he will truly become a figure in his own right and be qualified to break free from everyone's control."

"Like Linghuye?" Luo Ying asked.

“Even more terrifying than Linghu Ye!” Wu De said, “Linghu Ye still has the threat of the Yuan people, the restraint of Li Dachui and his group, the Yangguan Pass locking the gate to the pass, and the long journey of thousands of miles. But once He Zudao’s army is formed, it will be within arm’s reach of Luoyang and Chang’an!”

Upon hearing Wu De's analysis, everyone's expression changed.

"He Zudao wants to rebel?" someone asked in a trembling voice.

"Whether he can rebel or not depends on whether he can control Hedong!" Luo Ying analyzed. "If he only has Jinyang, that is far from enough. The troops stationed in Hedong are currently scattered, and he may defeat them one by one. But if someone has the ability to quickly gather the troops stationed in various places into a whole, it is not certain that he can defeat He Zudao, but at least he can contend with him and delay him for a while. In this way, the court can also respond in time."

Wu De suddenly stood up, startling everyone.

"That's it!"

“What do you mean, ‘that’s how it is’?” Luo Ying asked.

"Quickly assemble the troops stationed throughout Hedong to resist He Zudao, at least confining him to the vicinity of Jinyang. We can't let him grow too powerful, otherwise who knows what this madman might do!" Wu De paced around the courtyard a few times, seemingly having made up his mind. "Luo Ying!"

"My subordinate is here!"

Wu De took out a waist token from his pocket and handed it to Luo Ying. "Take two people to Shangdang, find Commander Zhang Quanyi of our Black Ice Station, and tell him everything that happened here. He will know what to do."

"Commander, didn't you say that Commander Zhang has betrayed the imperial court and become a henchman of powerful families?" Luo Ying asked.

"Now we need someone like him. Only he can quickly persuade those scheming families in Hedong to unite and form a superior force to resist He Zudao. If they don't have enough troops, given He Zudao's ability to lead troops, he will probably crush them in no time!"

Taking the waist token, Luo Ying whispered, "Commander, I'm afraid it won't be so easy for us to get out now, will it?"

Wu De gave him an approving look and said, "You are indeed very perceptive. He Zudao must have already sealed off the entire Jinyang to prevent the news from leaking out, but what are we for? We are the Black Ice Guard! Of course we have a way to get out. Old Lu, you arrange the route and send Luo Ying and the others away."

"Commander, since we can leave, why don't we go together? Wouldn't it be easier for you to go find Commander Zhang yourself?"

“I have to stay here to attract He Zudao’s attention!” Wu De smiled. “You can escape, but it’s not so easy for me to escape.”

"If He Zudao finds out we've escaped, wouldn't you be in great danger?" Wu De said with some regret. "I've been with General He Qiku for a long time and I've seen He Zudao at his lowest point. I was the one who released him. I want to try one more time to see if I can persuade him to turn back. Even if it really doesn't work out, it'll be easier for me to escape alone. If we really have to run for our lives, you guys will just be a burden!"

Everyone remained silent, knowing in their hearts that Wu De was merely trying to reassure them.

If you get caught up in the army, no matter how high your martial arts skills are, you probably won't be able to escape.

Wu De waved his hand, "Take good rest. When I go to find He Zudao tonight, you can start your operation. You only have one chance, so you must get away from Jinyang before dawn."

"Yes, sir!" Everyone bowed in unison.

When Wu De stepped into the Liu residence again, night had already fallen. Perhaps the massacre in Jinyang had frightened the bright moon in the sky, for it hid behind thick clouds and refused to show itself. Occasionally, it would peek out half of its face to steal a glance at the human world before hiding itself again.

He Zudao sat atop the high roof of the main house of the Liu family mansion, drinking wine.

Wu Defei jumped up and sat down next to him.

He Zudao handed the wine bag to him, and Wu De, without any ceremony, tilted his head back and took a big gulp, then returned the wine bag to He Zudao.

"Why is this so?"

He Zudao smiled, took a sip of wine, and said, "Commander Wu, when I was young, my family was very, very poor."

“You’re better off than me. I’m still an orphan!” Wu De said.

Ignoring Wu De, He Zudao continued, "So when I was little, I really envied the children of rich families. I envied them for having meat at every meal and growing up fair-skinned. Later, my father achieved success in martial arts training, and our family's financial situation gradually improved. I also had meat at every meal. But I found that the truly wealthy families were not what I had imagined at all. Their lives were completely beyond my imagination."

Wu De nodded, "I feel the same way."

“My father also greatly admired those people. He worked very hard, and so did I. My father spent his whole life wanting to become like them, and I spent the first half of my life doing the same thing!” He Zudao chuckled. “But no matter how hard we try, we can never become like them.”

"Is becoming one of them your ultimate dream in this life? That's a rather low level of ambition!" Wu De shook his head and said.

"You have to become like them first before you can talk about dreams!" He Zudao said with some helplessness. "Wu De, look at those people in the court. Apart from those few decorative figures used to deceive the world, are there any ordinary people from humble backgrounds who actually hold real power?"

Isn't your father one?

"Is that so?" He Zudao sneered. "He never was. From the moment I came of age, when my father asked the Feng family of Guanzhong for my hand in marriage and was rejected, I knew that no matter what position we reached, they would look down on us. Wu De, the woman I asked for wasn't even the legitimate daughter of the Feng family, just a concubine's daughter, and she was rejected without any respect. At that time, my father was already the deputy general of the Left Battalion of the Imperial Guard, a third-rank military officer with a peak eighth-rank martial arts cultivation. The He family was a powerful family, but they still rejected us in a humiliating way."

"Didn't you eventually marry the eldest daughter of the Zhou family of Gaoling? That's no less prestigious than the Feng family of Guanzhong!"

"Shame spurred me to action. I practiced martial arts diligently, pursuing both literary and martial skills. Two years later, my father was promoted to commander of the Left Battalion of the Imperial Guards, and I, through my own efforts, passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). At that time, the Zhou family came to propose marriage. I thought that our father and I had finally found someone to appreciate our efforts, and I happily agreed to the marriage. But who knew that the final price would be betraying the Crown Prince of Anze!"

Wu De's eyes widened. Was this really the inside story?
This is quite different from what He Qiku told himself.

“If Prince Anze succeeds, won’t you all enjoy even greater wealth and honor?” Wu De said softly.

“So you really knew about this!” He Zudao nodded and said, “But Father doesn’t believe that Crown Prince Anze can succeed. His fear of powerful and wealthy families is deep in his bones.”

"And so, the betrayal occurred!"

“Yes!” He Zu said, “But the facts prove that we were never included in their circle. We were just tools they used, knives they used to stab people, and the best candidates to take the blame for them when they needed to!”

"When did you start having these kinds of thoughts?"

"When I was on the fourth basement level of the Black Ice Platform!" He Zudao took another sip of wine: "I reflected on most of my life and found it utterly boring. So I thought that if I ever came out again, I would make this world change because of me, make those who looked down on me tremble at my feet, make those proud swans turn into ugly ducklings, and make all the noble fall into the dust and get covered in mud!"

"Don't you care about the countless innocent people who have died because of this?"

"Everyone has to die!" He Zudao laughed loudly. "What's there to care about? Do you read history? When the Qin Dynasty replaced Yong, seven or eight out of ten people in the world died. But look at the world now, it's like leeks that have been cut, they're growing back faster than before. The old generation has died, so the new generation can grow up faster. Wu De, I've decided to be the sickle and harvest them properly."

(End of this chapter)