knife

Chapter 289 Finding the Old Man

(This old man is indulging in youthful exuberance; I need to take the day off tomorrow.)

Li Dachui and Fang Xiaomao stood at the street corner, looking up at the second floor of the restaurant across the street, where a burly man was drinking heavily.

“That man is Yang Lixin, a famous outlaw from Hedong,” Fang Xiaomao said. “He has the cultivation of the eighth rank of Xuan Yuan and is skilled in using the Nine-Ring Saber. He joined He Zudao after the battle of Hedong. Now he commands a large number of people in the outlaws on both sides of Hedong and Hexi. However, their military discipline is not good, and they are not highly regarded by He Zudao. They are the ones who do most of the dirty and hard work.”

"Judging from his expression, he seems a bit depressed!" Li Dachui said. "Is he not very popular with He Zudao anymore? We can only take advantage of his resentment if he harbors any ill will!"

“This person can’t possibly know more than Feng Congwen. We don’t really need to get close to him, young master. The more people you meet, the greater the risk of being exposed. We can hide in Feng Congwen’s army and see if there’s an opportunity when the war starts. Why create more trouble?” Fang Xiaomao advised.

“Many things need to be verified from multiple perspectives!” Li Dachui said, “Feng Congwen sees one side, but Yang Lixin may see another side of the matter. These two people have nothing in common, but when it comes to trust, I’m afraid He Zudao trusts Yang Lixin more, right?”

“That’s true. Young Master, would you like to know more about He Zudao?” Fang Xiaomao asked.

Li Dachui was silent for a moment, then said, "Everyone thinks He Zudao has gone mad, and I used to think so too. But after visiting his territory this time and observing things closely, I have some doubts. He's a skilled military leader, acts with composure, and his military deployments are extremely reasonable. Is such a person really mad? Or is he using madness to cover up something else?"

"Young master, sometimes people who seem perfectly normal on the outside are actually madmen deep down. Haven't we seen people like that before?"

“He Zudao isn’t someone who’s easily defeated,” Li Dachui shook his head. “Little Cat, how many people in this world can pass the imperial examinations with such literary talent and cultivate martial arts to the peak of the ninth rank of the Xuan Yuan realm? Someone who excels in both, both in literature and martial arts, is undoubtedly a top performer. Such a person must have a very strong will. But He Zudao’s behavior makes everyone think he’s a madman. The contrast is too stark, so I want to learn more about him. Let’s go. He’s had dealings with the Yuan brothers, Yuan Rong and Yuan Tong. Perhaps he still remembers them!”

The two strode into the restaurant, only to find four men with knives blocking the stairs to the second floor. Clearly, they didn't want anyone to come upstairs and disturb Yang Lixin.

“Yuan Rong and Yuan Tong are currently serving under General Feng Congwen. I just passed by and saw that the person upstairs seemed to be General Yang Lixin. I wonder if you could inform him?” Li Dachui asked with a smile.

A soldier glanced at the two men, then turned and went upstairs. A moment later, he returned and said politely, "Gentlemen, please come in, brother!"

They still seem to be operating like bandits from the past.

Upon reaching the second floor, Yang Lixin, holding a wine bowl, turned to look at the two men.

"General Yang, do you still remember our old friend Yuan Rong, Yuan Tong from Chang'an?" Li Dachui laughed and walked over. "Back then, a batch of goods belonging to our Qian Yuan Gang was robbed in Hedong. It was thanks to General Yang that we were able to get our goods back by finding the great hero Jiang Shu."

Yang Lixin tilted his head and thought for a while, then slapped his forehead and said, "I remember now, the Yuan brothers whose combined swords are twice as powerful. I made a bet with you back then, and you lost, so I had no choice but to take you to see Brother Jiang."

Li Dachui was immediately embarrassed. Yuan Rong and his brother had only said that Yang Lixin was a very generous guy, but they hadn't mentioned this matter. Luckily, he hadn't said anything carelessly, or he would have been exposed.

However, Yang Lixin's excited expression only lasted for a moment before he fell into sorrow: "But you will never see Brother Jiang again. He was killed by that old bastard Yiming!"

"I've heard about it, I've heard about it!" Li Dachui sat down opposite Yang Lixin. "In this world, you might be alive today but dead tomorrow. You might as well just live your life as a monk and ring the bell for the day!"

"Aren't you from Chang'an? How come you're following Feng Congwen now?" Yang Lixin looked at Li Dachui with some confusion.

"This is a long story!" Li Dachui said with a sigh. "Manager, bring out some of your best dishes and two jars of fine wine. Brother Yang, we've reunited as brothers, let's drink until we're drunk!"

"Good, good! In this world, the good brothers of the past are becoming fewer and fewer; not many are left!" Yang Lixin slammed his fist on the table and said, "Let's have a good time, and drink until we drop!"

As the sun set, Yang Lixin, completely drunk, lay sprawled on the table as his four guards carried him toward their camp outside the city. Li Dachui stood at the crossroads, watching their disappearing figures, his smile gradually fading.

This trip was truly worthwhile; what he learned from Yang Lixin surprised him greatly.

South!

He Zudao wanted Yang Lixin to go south with him.

To the south lies their old lair, a place of utter misery and utter insignificance.

He Qiku had served as the commander of the Southern Garrison Army for nearly twenty years. In order to dismantle the Southern Garrison Army's tendency to turn into He's private army year after year, Kou Zhong and Wei Zhengdao went to great lengths. Two years ago, they released He Zudao from his pen and selected five thousand Southern Garrison Army soldiers to go north. Along the way, Wu De closely followed him, and the local government along the way was on high alert. If anything went wrong, He Zudao would not have survived.

In Kou Zhong's plan, He Zudao should have died in Hedong, and as a scapegoat for the court, he should have been wiped out on the spot by the newly formed army of the court.

In this way, a clean Hedong was returned to the imperial court, while He Zudao, who had thoroughly offended the powerful families, was executed, achieving the best of both worlds.

But who could have imagined that such a perfect script would go wrong during the performance?

Actor He Zudao's impromptu performance was so outstanding that the director couldn't think of a better way to handle it for a while.

The tiger has been released from its pen.

The tiger has gone out of control!
A tiger has attacked someone!
Therefore, nowadays, any force with a clear head would not allow He Zudao to run back to the south.

Because once he goes to the south, and returns with an army, he is very likely to cause a great disaster there.

A full 80,000 garrison troops!
Although they have been trying to divide and conquer each other over the past few years, who can guarantee that He Zudao won't cause a reversal if he goes back?

“Young Master, He Zudao isn’t crazy after all; he has his own agenda!” Fang Xiaomao shook his head and said, “I now agree with the saying that a great reputation is never undeserved. But I can’t understand how He Zudao will go back. He can’t go back alone; there are countless people who want him dead. Moreover, it would be difficult for him to reunite the divided Southern Garrison Army under his command if he went back alone, unless he can give all his former subordinates hope for his resurgence.”

"Yang Lixin mentioned someone, Elder Ke!" Li Dachui said. "This person is definitely key. Yang Lixin said that Elder Ke only appeared after He Zudao left Hedong. And with his appearance, more and more people with southern accents appeared in He Zudao's central army, and their martial arts skills were quite high. These people gradually squeezed out the positions of Yang Lixin and his fellow Hedong outlaws, which made Yang Lixin very unhappy! These newcomers can actually gain more of He Zudao's trust than Yang Lixin. What does this mean?"

“Find this old man, Ke.” Fang Xiaomao gripped the hilt of his knife. “An old man, wearing straw sandals and smoking a big pipe—such distinctive features should make him easy to find. Find him, capture him, interrogate him, and we’ll get the answer.”

Li Dachui nodded: "Once we find this person, many things will become clear."

"Young master, do you think it would be beneficial or harmful for us if He Zudao could really return to the south?" Fang Xiaomao thought for a moment and asked.

After a moment's thought, Li Dachui said, "Based on my initial thoughts, I still believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."

“If this man goes back and gathers 80,000 troops, he will truly become a powerful force!” Fang Xiaomao said. “With his abilities, having soldiers and territory, and considering the good economy in the south, who knows how much trouble he might cause us in the future!”

"With chaos reigning and warlords vying for power, do we really need another one like him?" Li Dachui laughed. "What do you think of him compared to Linghu Ye?"

"That should be worse!"

"That settles it!" Li Dachui said, "The south is relatively weak right now, and I'm a little worried about the Chu Kingdom. If that little devil Jiang Qian were to seize these key locations in the south, that would be a real problem. If He Zudao could really go back and have a rematch with Jiang Qian there, it wouldn't be a bad thing! He Zudao and the Chu Kingdom are old foes; they've been fighting for nearly twenty years, and they know each other very well!"

"Choose the lesser of two evils?"

“I hope that this place will remain in chaos until we are able to reach the south. He Zudao is capable of confronting the Chu Kingdom, and at the very least, he can hold out for a few more years!” Li Dachui laughed. “The most crucial thing now is to figure out how he plans to bring an army back to the south. I am more interested in this Old Ke and this hidden force.”

"Does this old Ke have any connection with the State of Chu? Could it be that the State of Chu sent someone to collude with He Zudao? He Zudao is surrounded by enemies in the State of Qin now, so surrendering to the State of Chu would be a good way out!" Fang Xiaomao said.

"If that's the case, then He Zudao absolutely cannot be allowed to live!" Li Dachui sneered. "No matter how difficult it is, I will find a way to kill him!"

Fang Xiaomao nodded.

For the young master to advance into the interior, the best scenario is that the various regions within the interior are rife with warlords and incessant chaos.

If someone were to truly unify the world, then there would be no end to it.

We must find that old man!
In a farmhouse nestled in a mountain valley not far from the military camp, Old Ke sneezed repeatedly. Someone next to him laughed loudly, "Old Ke, is that little girl thinking of you?"

(End of this chapter)