I asked you to go hunting, and you ended up wearing a yellow robe?

Zhao Wuji suddenly turned his head.

A person emerged from the shadows.

The man was dressed in the robes of a foreign merchant, with a dragon-patterned iron plaque hanging from his waist, and a half-smile on his face.

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes: "Yelü Hong, when did you come in?"

Yelü Hong smiled and walked to the center of the hall.

"I heard what the chieftain said to Li Long, but I don't think Li Long can be entirely blamed for this."

Zhao Wuji snorted coldly: "What do you mean?"

Yelü Hong spread his hands: "What I mean is that the walls of Qingyang County are not high, and the garrison is less than a hundred. As long as we have enough manpower, it is not difficult to take it down."

Zhao Wuji sneered, "Enough manpower? Do you know how many people my Black Dragon Stronghold still has? A little over five hundred at most! Qingyang County has twenty thousand people, how do you expect me to fight them?"

Yelü Hong's smile deepened.

"The chieftain may not have anyone, but I do have people."

Zhao Wuji frowned: "You?"

Yelü Hong nodded: "My Yelü tribe has three thousand iron cavalry on the grasslands, each one a warrior raised on horseback. They are more than capable of taking down a county town."

Zhao Wuji's expression changed.

The other leaders in the hall exchanged bewildered glances, some muttering under their breath, "Are they going to borrow troops from foreign tribes?"

Zhao Wuji stared at Yelü Hong, his voice low: "What do you mean? You want to lend me troops?"

Yelü Hong shook his head: "It's not a loan, it's a cooperation. You lead the way, I'll send troops, and after we take it, Qingyang County will be under the jurisdiction of my Yelü tribe."

The hall fell silent instantly.

Zhao Wuji's eyes were unpredictable, shifting between light and shadow.

The second-in-command couldn't help but speak up: "Chief, no! If outsiders find out we're colluding with the Yelü people, we'll be traitors!"

Yelü Hong glanced at him, his tone indifferent: "Traitor? The chieftain's son has been murdered, while the enemy is alive and well, hailed as a great hero. Does the chieftain still care about his reputation at a time like this?"

Zhao Wuji clenched his teeth.

Yelü Hong took two steps forward, his voice even lower.

"Chief, don't forget, Tianlong is your only son."

Zhao Wuji clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles cracking.

His only son, Zhao Tianlong, died in Qingyang County at the hands of an unknown nobody, and to this day, his body has not even been recovered.

Yelü Hong was right. He had lost his only offspring, so what did he have left to worry about?

He looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

"Your Yelü tribe has three thousand iron cavalry, which is no problem to take a county town, but what about the imperial court? The Yelü people are openly attacking the city. Once the imperial army arrives, none of us will be able to escape."

Yelü Hong smiled, a smile that held a profound meaning.

"Who says the imperial court will definitely send troops?"

Zhao Wuji was stunned.

Yelü Hong said casually, "The Han Chinese court is in such chaos that it can't even take care of itself. Princes are vying for the throne, there's factional strife in the court, and the high-ranking officials in the Ministry of War are busy choosing sides to save their own lives. How can they have the time to care about things on the frontier?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes widened: "You...how do you know about the imperial court—"

"How did you know?" Yelü Hong interrupted him, a smirk playing on his lips. "You don't need to ask the chieftain. I'll just ask you one question: will you avenge this wrong or not?"

Zhao Wuji's chest heaved violently.

revenge?

Of course he wanted revenge!

He wished he could rush down the mountain right now and tear Qi Shan to pieces, chop off his head and offer it as a sacrifice to his son!

But... can he really bear the infamy of being a traitor?

Yelü Hong seemed to see through his thoughts and suddenly sighed.

"Chief, think about it. Once the Yelü tribe takes over Qingyang County and the imperial court doesn't intervene, this place will be ours. At that time, how you deal with Qi Shan will be a simple matter of a word."

Zhao Wuji remained silent for a long time.

The torches in the hall crackled, casting flickering light and shadow on his face.

Finally, he slowly raised his head, and the hesitation in his eyes turned into ruthlessness.

"Do you keep your word?"

Yelü Hong nodded: "I, Yelü Hong, never break my word."

Zhao Wuji took a deep breath: "Alright!"

Dozens of miles away.

The main camp of the border army general.

The general's tent was brightly lit, with seven or eight centurions sitting on either side.

General Liu Wei, with a chiseled face and graying beard and hair, sat in the main seat.

A centurion stood up and clasped his hands in greeting: "General, news has come from the capital that the old emperor is seriously ill and has not attended court for several days. The crown prince is acting as regent, and the commanders of the capital garrison have begun to be replaced."

Another centurion chimed in, "Many of the Sixth Prince's confidants have been dismissed. Although we border troops are not the Sixth Prince's direct subordinates, we are still considered old troops. Once the Crown Prince secures his position, I'm afraid..."

Liu Wei raised his hand to interrupt him.

"What's the panic?"

He glanced at everyone present, his voice steady.

"The Sixth Prince is superior to the Crown Prince in both literary and military affairs. We won't let him seize power so easily. Let's hold back for now and wait for a letter from the court."

The commanders exchanged glances, said nothing more, and bowed as they withdrew.

Everyone left except for one centurion, He Yong, Liu Wei's old subordinate.

Liu Wei picked up his teacup: "What is it?"

He Yong leaned closer and whispered, "Sir, there's something I need to report to you. Li Long is dead."

Liu Wei paused, his hand holding the teacup still.

He Yong continued, "He disguised himself as a bandit to attack Qingyang County, and someone slit his throat with a knife. His head is still hanging on the city gate."

Liu Wei's face instantly darkened.

"Useless! You can't even handle this small matter, and you got killed?"

He Yong lowered his head, not daring to reply.

Liu Wei slammed the teacup down on the table, spilling tea.

"Li Long is your man. You handle this yourself. Within ten days, make sure that constable is dead, no matter what method you use."

He Yong cursed inwardly.

Li Long is his man, that's true, but this idiot asked for his own death, what does that have to do with him?

But he dared not show it on his face, and could only clasp his hands in response, "Yes."

He turned to leave, but Liu Wei called him back.

"Wait a minute, are those two special envoys from the Yelü tribe still in the camp?"

He Yong nodded: "Yes."

Liu Wei waved his hand: "Have them come to see me. Tell them I'm treating them to a drink, and also to double-check the promised amount of horse feed."

He Yong acknowledged and withdrew from the command tent. As the night wind blew, the pent-up frustration in his heart intensified.

What does he have to do with that idiot Li Long? Why should he clean up his mess?

But having served in the border army for so many years, he knew all too well the deals Liu Wei made with the Yelü tribe in private.

Liu Wei didn't know how much grain, horses, and even exotic beauties he had taken.

What could he say?

When you work for someone else, you can only keep your mouth shut.

He Yong sighed, his footsteps sinking into the mud, and disappeared into the night.

Liu Wei sat in the command tent, picked up his teacup and took another sip, but his brow remained furrowed.

He always felt that this matter was not over.