Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

If Li Ji hadn't relentlessly pressured him today—Nan Jiyun didn't have the guts to do so, and could only offer advice before daring to shoot at the tower to vent his anger—Helan Jinming wouldn't have brought up this predicament, especially since he suspected Li Bi was behind Li Ji. So, while he was ostensibly telling Li Ji, he actually wanted him to go back and privately inform Li Bi.

So he dismissed everyone around him—since it was probably only this distance, and if Li Ji really wanted to use force, they wouldn't have time to save me—and said to Li Ji in a low voice, "I will not save Suiyang, not because I don't want to, but because I cannot..."

The former military governor of Henan, Li Ju, the Prince of Guo, was appointed by the retired emperor. He was somewhat invigorated when he first took office, but when he heard that Xijing had fallen and the emperor had fled to Shu, he became disheartened and gave up on making any progress. Therefore, Li Heng changed the appointment to Helan Jinming. However, when Helan Jinming arrived in Henan, he found the situation to be very bad. Although half of the counties were still in the hands of the government troops, they could only defend the cities and could not spare any mobile troops.

Left with no other choice, he had to go to Linhuai to try to gather troops from Huainan—wasn't it said that the rebellion of Prince Yong had been quelled? Shouldn't the troops in Huainan and even Jiangnan be idle?

Unfortunately, neither Huainan Circuit nor Jiangnan East Circuit was under his jurisdiction, so no one was obligated to send troops to help him, and they wouldn't even supply him with provisions for free. Helan Jinming could only exchange official documents, trying to build relationships and explain the advantages and disadvantages, which took a long time, and he could only raise less than 10,000 men and enough provisions for half a year.

With such a small number of soldiers and provisions, even if he were truly loyal and concerned about the country, he wouldn't dare to go to the rescue of Suiyang and confront Yin Ziqi's 100,000-strong rebel army head-on!

Of course, Lian Tan, with fewer than three thousand soldiers, was willing to go to Suiyang to die with Nan Jiyun. In comparison, Helan Jinming was still a coward and a scoundrel. But the higher one's rank, the more one cherishes their life; he certainly didn't want to die.

As for Zhang Xun, I already sent him an official document saying that if he can defend Suiyang, then he should; if he can't, then he should leave—if he doesn't leave and wants to die, then it's not my fault...

Helan Jinming poured out his grievances to Li Ji, who was puzzled and asked, "I've heard that Pengcheng has tens of thousands of troops stationed there. How can you say there are no soldiers?"

Upon hearing this, Helan Jinming's expression grew even more bitter: "How can I possibly command the troops of Pengcheng?!"

After abandoning Lingchang, Xu Shuji went south to gather the defeated troops from all sides and gradually amassed tens of thousands of soldiers. He was originally from Runan, came from a prominent family, and had powerful backers in the court. With such a prestigious reputation, people from Henan were often willing to serve him. When Helan Jin arrived in Henan at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, he also wanted to recruit this army, but Xu Shuji bluntly rejected him.

"If I could obtain the soldiers of Pengcheng, why would I need to come to Linhuai? Besides, I previously ordered Xu Shuji to relieve Suiyang, but he remained inactive..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji became even more confused: "Isn't the Grand Master the Military Governor of Henan? Xu Shuji is merely the Prefect of Lingchang. Why would he dare to disobey the Grand Master's orders?"

Helan Jinming smiled bitterly and said, "Although the positions are different, the official rank is the same. How could he possibly obey my orders?"

The "official post" he referred to was the official position of a government official, while the positions of Henan Jiedushi (military governor) and Lingchang Taishou (prefect of Lingchang) were merely concurrent posts.

Xu Shuji concurrently served as the Prefect of Lingchang. Lingchang was a prestigious prefecture, and the Prefect was a third-rank official. Of course, compared to officials of the same rank, officials outside the capital were ranked lower than those in the capital. Helan Jinming concurrently served as the Military Governor of Henan. Military Governors did not have a rank; their specific rank depended on their official position. They could be as high as the first rank or as low as the fifth rank.

Therefore, the only comparison between their ranks is their respective official positions. Helan Jinming and Xu Shuji were both Imperial Censors, a third-rank official, of equal rank. So, since they were on equal footing, why should I listen to you? Especially since the military governor was in charge of military affairs, while the prefect had both military and political power, they weren't entirely in the same system.

Let alone Helan Jinming, even back when Li Ju was still alive, he couldn't really command Xu Shuji much...

Moreover, Xu Shuji also has powerful backers in the imperial court.

He Lan Jinming, finally able to vent his frustrations, explained to Li Ji in detail: "Behind Xu Shuji is Fang Xiang... Fang Xiang has his protégés and former officials spread throughout the provinces, controlling government affairs and even manipulating military power to consolidate his influence. Moreover, Xu Shuji is aware of my long-standing animosity towards Fang Xiang..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "No wonder. This is why you spoke ill of Fang Guan to Li Heng that day... It turns out that not only did Fang Guan form cliques for personal gain, but you also had a personal grudge against each other!"

It must be for this reason that Xu Shuji particularly disliked Helan Jinming and resolutely refused to obey his orders… What bad luck! I originally thought that coming to Linhuai would give me a chance to relieve the siege of Suiyang, but I didn't expect the real problem to be in Pengcheng. Pengcheng is almost exactly halfway between Suiyang and Linhuai. If I had known, I would have gone to Pengcheng instead; it would have covered almost half the distance and saved a lot of time…

Li Ji was now very close, separated from Helan Jinming only by a small table, but he no longer intended to use force to coerce him—even if Helan Jinming were forced to send out his entire army, reportedly only a little over ten thousand men, lacking clothing and food, how could they possibly lift the siege of Suiyang?—Instead, he was acting like a military advisor strategizing for the general, helping Helan Jinming come up with ideas. He said, "Your Excellency is appointed by the Emperor to oversee military affairs in Henan; how can you be controlled by Xu Shuji? So what if he has powerful backers? Wasn't Fang Guan already dismissed as prime minister?"

贺兰

Upon hearing this, Jinming's eyes flickered slightly: "Oh? I haven't received any news yet..."

Li Ji said that not long ago, Li Heng demoted Fang Guan to Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, which was a completely sinecure and tantamount to stripping him of his power as prime minister. "What you said to His Majesty the other day was penetrating to the bone. How can Fang Guan remain prime minister in peace? With Fang Guan down, Xu Shuji is no longer a threat!"

In fact, Fang Guan's downfall was not the result of Helan Jinming alone, but rather the result of the collective efforts of many people—especially Cui Yuan, who had always been despised by Fang Guan. Therefore, he clung to Li Fuguo's coattails and, through Li Fuguo, spoke ill of Fang Guan to Li Heng every day. As a result, Cui Yuan's power grew day by day, almost equivalent to that of the prime minister, while Fang Guan had no choice but to step aside.

Li Ji had prepared a lengthy speech on the way, but he hadn't even finished half of it. He felt a lump in his throat, and felt compelled to speak. Taking advantage of Helan Jinming's joy at Fang Guan's downfall, he continued his persuasion: "Now that the army has recaptured Xijing and killed over 60,000 rebel soldiers, the enemy forces inside and outside Tongguan are virtually wiped out. After a short rest, we will continue eastward to recapture Luoyang. If we capture Luoyang, Henan can be pacified. Yet you, sir, have received an imperial decree to manage Henan on behalf of the King of Guo, but you are confined to a corner of Linhuai, achieving nothing—the Emperor will surely be disappointed in you."

"Furthermore, since Zhang Zhongcheng raised troops at Zhenyuan to fight against the rebels, and then defended Suiyang for over a year, he was originally just a minor county magistrate. Yet His Majesty promoted him exceptionally, making his rank second only to the Grand Master. This shows the depth of His Majesty's expectations and the height of His Majesty's praise. If Suiyang falls and the Zhongcheng perishes, it will be due to the Grand Master's failure to send troops to the rescue. His Majesty will not blame Xu Shuji, but will certainly be furious with the Grand Master. The court and the public will inevitably misunderstand that the Grand Master is jealous of Zhang Zhongcheng. Doesn't the Grand Master see what happened to Wang Chengye?"

Wang Chengye was originally the military governor of Hedong. Back then, when Yan Gaoqing was defending Hebei against rebels, he lured and beheaded the traitorous general Li Qincou, and captured Gao Miao and He Qiannian. Yan Gaoqing then sent his son Yan Quanming and others to Taiyuan with the heads and prisoners, but Wang Chengye detained Yan Quanming and the others, claiming the credit for himself. At that time, the retired emperor was still in Chang'an. Upon receiving the news, he was overjoyed and richly rewarded Wang Chengye. However, not long afterward, he heard that the credit had actually gone to Yan Gaoqing, and thus issued an edict reprimanding him.

Perhaps for this reason, when Yan Gaoqing was besieged by a large rebel force, he repeatedly sent messengers to plead for help, but Wang Chengye, harboring resentment, refused to send a single soldier. This ultimately led to Yan Gaoqing's capture, where he cursed the rebels and died. As a result, Wang Chengye was hated by everyone in the court and the public. After Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu, he sent the Imperial Censor Cui Zhong to Taiyuan, first seizing Wang Chengye's troops, and then issuing an edict to execute him.

Wang Chengye's death was due to his failure to save Yan Gaoqing; now, Helan Jinming, if you do not save Zhang Xun, what will become of you? You should think about it carefully.

Upon hearing this, Helan Jinming was startled and hurriedly said, "I have been discussing with my subordinates every day how to seize Pengcheng's army, but they have many soldiers while we have few. Xu Shuji is also determined not to obey orders. What should we do?!"

Li Ji, your words are clear and logical, and you have a keen understanding of the situation. You must have been taught by Li Bi. Did Li Bi teach you a way to break the deadlock?

Li Ji thought for a moment and then said, “Xu Shuji is in Pengcheng, while you are in Linhuai, hundreds of miles apart. It’s easy for him to refuse official business. I hope you will immediately move your troops north to Pengcheng and invite Xu Shuji to come for a meeting. I’m sure he won’t dare not come. When you meet, tell him about Fang Guan’s dismissal as prime minister and ask him to send troops to rescue Suiyang. If he agrees, that would be best; if he doesn’t…”

At this point, a murderous glint appeared in the young man's eyes, and he said viciously, "Then please let the doctor be Lord Xinling, and Li Ji will be Zhu Hai!"

Upon hearing this, Helan Jinming couldn't help but shudder inwardly—thankfully, I reacted quickly enough. You wanted me to become Lord Xinling; if I had been careless just now, I might have become Jin Bi first! He hurriedly waved his hand: "No, killing the governor of a prefecture without authorization will surely incur the wrath of the Emperor!" With my authority, I cannot rashly take Xu Shuji's life. After a pause, he asked, "What if he makes excuses and refuses to come to the meeting?"

Li Ji said, "If the Grand Master were near Pengcheng, and summoned Xu Shuji but he did not come, and ordered him to rescue Suiyang but he did not act, then in the future, the doubts between the court and the public could be dispelled, and the Sage would surely blame Xu Shuji instead of the Grand Master..." You are hundreds of miles away, and Xu Shuji can find all sorts of reasons to clear himself of the blame afterward. But if you were nearby, what could he possibly say? You wouldn't have to take the blame for him.

"If Suiyang is in grave danger, the doctor should immediately lead troops north to make a rescue attempt. If there is any delay, it will be difficult to explain yourself—it would be best to leave today!"

Helan Jinming pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "Our troops are just gathering, but our supplies are insufficient. Even if we march north to Pengcheng, I'm afraid it will be... somewhat difficult."

Li Ji hurriedly said, "Does Your Excellency not even have a thousand or two elite troops under your command? As long as Your Excellency is near Pengcheng, even if you are alone, you can still blame Xu Shuji—are you afraid that he will send troops to cause trouble?"

Helan Jinming was indeed somewhat afraid that Xu Shuji might be pushed to the brink. If he were to switch sides and join the rebels, leading his troops to attack, his small force would be hardly enough to resist. However, upon further reflection, Li Ji's words made sense. He had only approached Pengcheng and invited Xu Shuji for a meeting; they hadn't even met yet. Xu Shuji shouldn't be so desperate as to act rashly. As for what would happen after they met… Li Ji didn't need to be like Zhu Hai; he could simply emulate Cao Mo.

After much deliberation, it seems this is the only way to break the deadlock—as long as I can get to the vicinity of Pengcheng before Suiyang falls, it will be easier to shift the blame in the future!

Since Helan Jinming could be friends with Li Bi and even dared to criticize Fang Guan in front of Li Heng, he must have some talent and courage. If Zhang Xun and Nan Jiyun were as bold as eggs, Helan Jinming's courage was at least no less than that of ordinary people. After much deliberation, he finally decided: "Then let's follow Changwei's advice."

He immediately mustered five hundred elite cavalry, and in the afternoon they left Linhuai, galloping towards Pengcheng under Li Ji's protection. The distance from Linhuai to Pengcheng was over four hundred li.

Chapter Nine, Intestinal Poison

Xu Shuji, of course, refused to leave the city to see Helan Jinming.

He thought to himself, "I've never gotten along with you. If I only take a few followers, I'll inevitably be controlled by you. But what if I lead a large army out? This isn't a battle between two armies. If you do something bad and run away as soon as you see my flag, and then report that I'm attacking a friendly army from the enemy, even if you can't bring me down, it'll still be disgusting, won't it?"

So, if you wish to see me, please come into the city. We're both Imperial Censors of the third rank, of similar status, so it's not impolite for either of us to bow to the other.

He immediately slammed the official document shut and ordered Li Ji to leave. Li Ji, of course, refused to go—they'd promised to lure him out of the city; if they failed, how could he face Helan Jinming? Oh, you're full of empty talk, saying you'd be like Zhu Hai, but you've returned empty-handed…

Besides, I finally managed to bring Helan Jinming here. If I can control Xu Shuji, Suiyang might be able to escape the siege—we're just one step away from victory. How can we give up now and fail at the last minute? I'm not the national football team…

So he stepped forward hastily and shouted, "Wait!"

This startled Xu Shuji, who asked, "What do you have to say?"

Li Ji clasped his hands and said, “Suiyang is in imminent danger, but the military commander’s troops are insufficient to come to its aid. Therefore, I have come to ask for your help, Doctor Xu. If Suiyang falls, the rebels will advance south, and Pengcheng will likely be in grave danger as well. Do you not consider the principle of ‘if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold’?

Xu Shuji sneered, "National affairs are none of your concern—call Helan Gong into the city, and I will speak with him myself." Before Li Ji could speak again, he ordered his guards, "This man is rude; throw him out immediately!"

Li Ji originally had a plan in mind, a whole set of arguments, including that Fang Guan had already lost power, and what would happen to Wang Chengye if he didn't save Yan Gaoqing, etc. But Xu Shuji refused to listen at all and directly ordered him to be kicked out of the house.

Li Ji was truly anxious. He caught a glimpse of several guards approaching him out of the corner of his eye, and his anger surged to his head. He roared, "Who dares?!"

He was known for his loud voice, and this shout shook the entire house. Everyone, including Xu Shuji and the guards, was startled and slowed their movements. Taking advantage of the moment, Li Ji suddenly leaped forward, clearing the table, and pounced on Xu Shuji—"You forced me to become Zhu Hai!"

Xu Shuji was taken aback and instinctively leaned back, but—he couldn't dodge it.

Because Li Ji was standing, which made it easier for him to move, while Xu Shuji was kneeling behind the table, in his haste, he didn't have time to pull his leg up. With such a large target, how could Li Ji possibly miss? With a loud "bang," the two collided head-on, and Li Ji directly pinned Xu Shuji to the ground. He also kicked the table, causing it to flip over and blocking several guards who rushed to his aid.

But after pinning Xu Shuji to the ground, Li Ji realized—no, I can't be Zhu Hai…

Zhu Hai killed Jin Bi, allowing Lord Xinling to seize control of the Wei army, because Lord Xinling possessed the tiger tally and was in the camp, making it convenient to usurp power. But now, Helan Jinming is still outside the city—he doesn't dare emulate Lord Xinling and personally enter the city—and although he is the military governor of Henan, the Pengcheng army has long followed Xu Shuji and may not obey him. If he were to kill Xu Shuji, he would surely be overwhelmed by Xu's men, hacked to pieces, and the Pengcheng garrison would likely riot and scatter. Forget rescuing Suiyang; the last capable army in Henan would be destroyed.

Not only would my death be pointless, but it would also have the opposite effect... I can't do such a completely unprofitable deal.

I should heed Helan Jinming's advice and become Cao Mo instead of Zhu Hai... But Cao Mo's success was mainly due to Duke Huan of Qi's desire for face; at least Guan Zhong advised him not to "abandon the trust of the feudal lords and lose the support of the world." As for Xu Shuji, does he care about face? If he did, he wouldn't have stayed in Pengcheng for a year or two, not daring to take a single step north!

Even if I manage to force Xu Shuji to agree, the moment I let go, he'll probably turn on me instantly, treating the promise like a worthless piece of paper. Besides, breaking the treaty under duress might not cause him much damage to his reputation or prestige. And if I were to take Xu Shuji hostage and take him out of the city to see Helan Jinming… there are tens of thousands of troops stationed in this city; what are my chances of successfully carrying him out? A single arrow from the shadows would be enough to ruin everything!

Are hostages so easy to take hostage? Even if I had captured Li Fuguo and Yu Chaoen that day, if Li Heng hadn't given me any room for maneuver and had instead intended to kill me, would I still be alive today?

With his mind racing, Li Ji suddenly released one hand, reached into his robes, and pulled out a small porcelain bottle. He then used his thumb to pry open the bottle cap, and with a knee strike to Xu Shuji's stomach, forcing him to open his mouth to scream. Li Ji then grabbed Xu Shuji's chin, pried open his mouth, and poured a pill from the bottle into his mouth.

This pill tastes extremely bitter and has a peculiar fishy smell; it dissolves immediately upon contact with saliva...

As soon as Li Ji released the other man's chin, Xu Shuji asked in a panic, "What did you feed me?!" It certainly wasn't anything good; he had to find out quickly.

Suddenly feeling a relief in his chest and abdomen, Li Ji had already turned over and stood up, saying coldly, "Doctor, don't be alarmed, this poison is not incurable."

Upon hearing the word "poison," Xu Shuji was immediately terrified. He propped himself up on his elbows and sat up abruptly, demanding, "What grudge do I have against you... Could it be that you are an assassin of a traitor?! How can this poison be cured?!"

Li Ji stood right in front of him, his left hand instantly flashing backward to deflect a spear thrust from the guard, saying, "If you kill me, there will be no solution."

Xu Shuji hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, step back!" He then pleaded with Li Ji, "How can this be resolved? If I don't die, you can have anything you want—gold, beautiful women, anything is negotiable."

Li Ji curled his lip and sneered, "The antidote is in the hands of General Helan at Qiliting outside the city. The doctor is rushing to get it; the general will surely not be stingy. If there is any delay, you will surely die with your intestines ruptured and blood flowing from all seven orifices." With that, he turned and walked away.

"If you wish to live, come with me; if you would rather die than submit, then order my execution."

As he walked out, he glared angrily at the guards, shouting, "If you want your lord dead, then come and kill me!"

Xu Shuji hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, step back! Step back!" Then, while struggling to get up, he asked Li Ji, "How long will it take before I die if I don't take the antidote?"

Li Ji didn't even turn his head: "Two quarters of an hour."

Xu Shuji's face turned green. He thought to himself, "It's only been a quarter of an hour. I'm not even sure if I can get to Qiliting." Qiliting, as the name suggests, is located seven miles west of the city. If the poison had taken effect later, he would have had time to think things through and devise a plan. But now that time is so short, he probably has no choice but to hurry and see Helan Jinming.

He had considered the possibility that Li Ji might be bluffing, but firstly, the taste of the pill was indeed unusual, definitely not some hemostatic or wound-healing medicine he carried with him. Secondly... what if Li Ji was telling the truth? Time was of the essence; could he risk his life?!

Helan Jinming, I never expected you to resort to such a vicious scheme!

But upon further reflection, he realized that since he had gone to Qiliting, as long as he quickly bowed his head and admitted defeat, he believed that Helan Jinming couldn't do anything to him, right? Putting aside the fact that they were of similar taste, he wouldn't dare to defy the world and execute him. If he really intended to kill him, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to have a lowly soldier force him to take a poison with an antidote.

So he hurriedly scrambled to his feet, disregarding all decorum, and ran down the steps of the hall. In the blink of an eye, he was beside Li Ji. Li Ji heard the rapid footsteps and, seeing this out of the corner of his eye, immediately quickened his pace, turning a brisk walk into a run, thinking to himself:

The statement that "my legs are infected with rheumatism and I can't walk" is quite self-contradictory.

So the two of them rushed down the steps almost side by side, and Xu Shuji shouted at the top of his lungs, "Marai, Marai!"

Li Ji's horse was tied up below the hall. He immediately untied the reins and mounted. Just as Xu Shuji was about to mount his horse, his son Xu Yu heard the commotion and rushed over, spreading his arms to stop him, saying, "Where are you going, sir?" Xu Shuji was straightforward and didn't hold back. He kicked his son to the ground, then stepped onto the saddle and chased after Li Ji, galloping away.

One after the other, the two riders charged out of the west gate of Pengcheng, heading straight for Qiliting. Inside the camp there, Helan Jinming had specially prepared a simple banquet to welcome Xu Shuji. He was also somewhat uneasy, and after sitting for a while, he simply put his hands behind his back, stepped out of the tent, and paced back and forth, observing. Not long after, a soldier suddenly came to report: "Li Ji has arrived with Doctor Xu!"

Helan Jinming was startled and hurriedly asked, "How many soldiers did you bring?"

The soldier reported, "We can see the two of them in the distance, galloping towards us on horseback."

Helan Jinming was both surprised and delighted, thinking to himself, "This Li Ji is truly capable! How did he manage to persuade Xu Shuji to come alone?" Just as he was about to go out of the gate to greet him, he suddenly saw Li Ji in front and Xu Shuji behind, kicking over the soldiers who were trying to stop them and spurring their horses to charge in...

Xu Shuji didn't wait for his mount to slow down. He pressed down on the saddle and almost rolled to the ground. Then, to everyone's astonishment, he pounced on Helan Jinming and grabbed his arms, shouting, "Lord Helan, save me! Save me!"

Helan Jinming was completely bewildered and didn't know how to respond. Just then, Li Ji dismounted and laughed, "It was a ruse; I gave Doctor Xu poison, and the antidote is with the commander—I haven't failed in my mission!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shuji felt as if a thunderbolt had struck his ears, and he couldn't help but turn his head and ask, "That...that's poison, isn't it?"

Li Ji's eyes widened: "Of course it's poison!"

Before Xu Shuji's expression could change again, he coldly said, "You'll need to take several pills to die, but one pill and some cold water will cure you."

The substance he forced Xu Shuji to take was naturally obtained from Jia Huai. This medicine was called "Corrosive Intestine Pill," a potent poison that was said to dissolve instantly in water. It was said that taking just five pills would cause the intestines to rot and the person to die, and even a celestial being could not save them. However, if only one pill was taken, the toxicity would gradually dissipate after ten days or half a month, and it would have no effect.

The key is that this medicine has a pungent taste and a foul odor. Let alone taking it directly or dissolving it in water, even adding it to food or wine cannot mask its odor. Therefore, each pill is made so small, and other methods are needed—such as adding it to dishes or using certain spices to cover up its taste—to make people take it slowly. Otherwise, unless forced down, who would be willing to eat it?

Li Ji didn't intend to poison Xu Shuji. Firstly, he needed Xu to give orders to the Pengcheng army. Secondly, under those circumstances, if he had the intention to kill, he could have simply strangled him with his own hands; why go through the trouble of using poison? That's why he only inserted a pill. The reason he chose this "Corrosive Pill" was because of its unique taste. If it were a tasteless medicine—which Jia Huai's poisons truly didn't contain—how could the other party believe it wasn't a tonic?

As for the claim that drinking cold water could relieve the ailment, that was entirely a spur-of-the-moment idea, just a prank on Xu Shuji.