Han Ji

"That old fox. He knows we can't touch him now. The spring famine has just ended, the new policies have just begun, and the county troops need rest. Without solid evidence, taking action against him rashly will only plunge Lujiang into chaos again."

"He's testing our limits," Liu Bei said, lowering his arrows. "He's using these barbarians as knives to bleed us dry. While we're running around like madmen, he can watch us suffer and even find an opportunity to retaliate."

"The Black Wolf Tribe... According to those who surrendered, they were relatively peaceful at first, but they suddenly became active in the last two months." Lu Zhi walked to the map. "Someone must have made a promise behind them, weapons, and perhaps even food."

The situation has reached a stalemate.

They knew Zhou Chong was behind it all, but they couldn't find any evidence against him. The barbarians were like leeches, constantly harassing them. The county soldiers were being led by the nose, and their exhaustion was becoming increasingly apparent. The displaced people who had settled there were also starting to feel uneasy, fearing that the barbarians would one day storm their huts.

Liu Bei hadn't slept well for several days, and his eyes were bloodshot. He repeatedly analyzed the situation, trying to find the point that could break the deadlock.

That night, as he was gazing intently at the map, Yan Bao quietly approached him.

"Join the army. There's some movement over at Black Wolf Cave." Yan Bao rubbed his hands together. "Wu Gu, the son of the former chieftain, seems... a bit restless."

Explain in detail.

"As you instructed, we tried to contact the Black Wolf tribe. An old hunter, who was Wutu's personal guard back then, sneaked out and said that Wugu has grown up and harbors resentment towards Heichi for taking his father's place and mistreating his mother and son. Last time, Heichi didn't distribute the loot fairly, and Wugu's branch suffered casualties but didn't receive much. Wugu... wants to reclaim what is rightfully his."

Liu Bei narrowed his eyes slightly: "Can you contact that Wugu?"

"The old hunter said that Wugu asked him to deliver a message... if the government troops could help him eliminate Black Tooth and reclaim his position as chieftain, he would be willing to lead the Black Wolf tribe to surrender and testify against the Zhou family!"

Liu Bei stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the deep night outside.

The stalemate had cracked. And the breakthrough was inside the Black Wolf tribe.

Three days later, the abandoned brick kiln in the east of the city.

The moonlight, fragmented by the holes in the kiln roof, fell onto the ground. A musty, earthy smell filled the air.

Liu Bei only brought Zhang Wu and Yan Bao with him. All three were dressed in dark clothes and were not wearing armor.

Shadows flickered inside the cave, and seven or eight burly barbarian men emerged, each armed and wary. The leader was a young man, not yet twenty, short but strong, with a fresh scar on his face. His eyes, like those of a wounded wolf cub, were fierce yet tinged with resentment.

He is Wugu.

Yan Bao stepped forward and exchanged a few words in the local dialect.

Wugu's gaze swept past Yan Bao and landed directly on Liu Bei. His stiff Mandarin, thick with an accent, asked, "You... keep your word?"

Liu Bei took a step forward, the moonlight shining perfectly on his face: "Liu Bei, Military Advisor of Lujiang. My words carry weight with Lord Lu."

"Help me kill Blacktooth and reclaim my position as chieftain?" Wugu stared at him. "And guarantee the safety and trade of our tribe from now on?"

"The Black Wolf tribe has submitted to the Han Dynasty, and their past transgressions will be forgiven. They will trade salt, iron, and cloth fairly according to official market prices," Liu Bei said calmly. "On the condition that you show sincerity and obey orders."

"The premise is that you have to show sincerity."

"Sincerity?" Wugu scoffed, pulling a piece of animal hide from his robes and tossing it on the ground. "Is this enough?"

Zhang Wu stepped forward, picked it up, and handed it to Liu Bei. The animal hide was covered with distorted patterns and symbols drawn in charcoal, resembling routes and transaction records.

Rock Leopard leaned closer and whispered a translation: "The drawing shows the location where they met with the Zhou family steward, in the old forest of Black Wind Valley. Also... the quantities of weapons and food they received on several occasions are marked with an X, meaning they weren't given enough, or the supplies were too poor."

Liu Bei looked at the animal hide but didn't say anything.

Wugu then took a small cloth bag from his waist and dumped it on the ground with a clatter. Inside were several arrowheads, exactly the same as those Liu Bei had previously seized, and a small black iron plaque that looked like a token, with a blurry mark engraved on it.

"The arrows were given to us by the Zhou family. The token was dropped by the Zhou family steward." Wugu's voice was filled with hatred. "They sent us to our deaths, giving us worthless junk!"

Liu Bei bent down, picked up the iron plaque, and felt its icy touch. He stroked the engravings on it, then looked up at Wugu: "This alone is not enough to bring down Zhou Chong. He can accuse the steward of collusion and sacrificing the pawn to save the king."

Wugu gritted his teeth: "Then what do you want?"

"What are Zhou Chong and your chieftain planning to do next?" Liu Bei asked. "It's not just some small-scale skirmish, is it?"

Wugu's eyes flickered, and he lowered his voice: "The chieftain has been persuaded by the Zhou family to contact the mountain demon tribe deep in the mountains. They are numerous and fierce. The Zhou family promised that as long as we work with the mountain demons, we can take Shuxian from within while the government troops are lured out! After it's done, salt and iron will be plentiful, and the territory will be divided equally!"

The cave was quiet for a moment, with only heavy breathing sounds.

Zhang Wu gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and looked at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei's face remained expressionless, but his mind was in turmoil. Zhou Chong, as expected, still harbored treacherous intentions, actually wanting to play a big game! A coordinated attack from within and without to take Shuxian? What a huge appetite!

"The Mandrill tribe...would they listen to the Zhou family?" Liu Bei asked.

"The Zhou family sent people in with many gifts, and it seems they also promised to help them open up a route to sell furs in Jiangxia," Wugu said. "The specific time hasn't been set yet, but it'll definitely be soon."

Liu Bei looked at Wugu: "What do you intend to do?"

"I want Black Tooth dead!" A ruthless glint flashed in Wugu's eyes. "I can lead you to their rendezvous point, and we can contact those in the tribe who are dissatisfied with Black Tooth! Once the main force of the government troops is drawn away, and Black Tooth and Zhou Chong make their move, we'll coordinate from within and without, kill Black Tooth first, take control of the tribe, and then help you deal with Zhou Chong and the Mountain Demon!"

Liu Bei remained silent for a moment, then extended his hand: "Cooperation. I will help you clean house and reclaim your leadership. You will lead the Black Wolf tribe to submit to us and act as an inside agent to help us quell Zhou Chong and the Mountain Demons. Afterwards, we will trade according to the agreement and guarantee the peace of your tribe."

Wugu looked at Liu Bei's hand, took a deep breath, and slapped it hard with his rough palm: "Deal! But my men cannot die in vain!"

"nature."

It was already past midnight when they returned to the prefectural government.

The light in Lu Zhi's study was still on.

Liu Bei reported the situation in detail.

"...That's the situation. Zhou Chong is colluding with Black Teeth, intending to use the Mountain Demon tribe as an inside agent to plot against Shu County. Wugu, the young master of the Black Wolf tribe, can be our inside agent to help us quell Black Teeth and counter Zhou Chong."

Lu Zhi turned his back, staring at the map on the wall, and remained silent for a long time.

"The risk is too great." He finally spoke, his voice low. "Is Wugu trustworthy? The strength of the mountain demon tribe is unknown. What if this is a trap set by Zhou Chong and the barbarians..."

"The students questioned him carefully, and Wugu's hatred for Heichi and his ambition to seize the throne seemed genuine. He promised to contact at least 30% of the tribesmen who were dissatisfied with Heichi. This was the best opportunity to break the deadlock and resolve the barbarian threat and Zhou Chong in one fell swoop."

"What do you want to do?"

"Let's use a counter-strategy to lure them out." Liu Bei walked to the map, and we made a grand display, announcing that we would concentrate our forces to wipe out the Black Wolf tribe. We mobilized supplies, making it seem like we were deploying all our main forces. Zhou Chong and Black Teeth would surely think the time was right and would intensify their contact with the Mountain Demon tribe, preparing for an uprising.

"Our main force feigned an expedition, but secretly infiltrated back to the vicinity of Shuxian County to lay in ambush. Wugu contacted people within the tribe, and when Heichi led most of his troops to cooperate with Zhou Chong, he controlled the people left behind, purged Heichi's confidants, and seized control of the tribe."

"When Zhou Chong, Black Tooth, and the Mountain Demon make their move, we will attack from both inside and outside, first breaking through the main forces of the Mountain Demon and Black Tooth, and then capturing Zhou Chong!"