Chapter 124: Eavesdropping, Mockery

When the news of the death of the second monarch of the Liao Kingdom in Yancheng spread, while the Chu Family Army remained as composed as ever, the various regional powers elsewhere were thrown into a frenzy. Cities not yet occupied by the Chu forces began to stir, with every local leader eager to assert their own independence.

In such chaotic times, who does not dream of becoming a warlord and leaving a name that echoes through the ages?

However, once they truly crossed paths with Chu Junhan, they realized how foolish their ambitions were and how utterly fragile their defenses truly were. Using the enemy’s own grain and weaponry to defeat the enemy’s soldiers had become second nature to the Chu Family Army.

...

The largest city to the south, centered around Yancheng, was now tightly besieged by the Chu Family Army, with several smaller towns scattered around its periphery.

At night, a young lad, with a short blade at his waist and dressed in night-traveling gear, crouched low and crept through the alleyways like a thief.

Chu Junhan darted and weaved, moving with agility toward her target: the City Lord’s Mansion.

Having infiltrated the city in disguise over the past few days, she had already mapped out the layout of the mansion. All that was required was to evade the patrolling soldiers to gain easy entry.

Compared to the disciplined and orderly armies of the Liao Kingdom, these local warlords were worlds apart, which allowed the nimble youth to move with the fluidity of flowing water.

Soon, the masked youth reached the mansion and pressed down lightly on the roof tiles, which gave a faint rustle.

"Big Brother, Tang Chen came to see me today."

A rough, burly voice drifted up from the room below. The shadow on the roof immediately flattened itself, ears pricked toward the gap.

"Big Brother, Tang Chen came to see me, too," another, slightly younger voice chimed in.

Chu Junhan carefully lifted a tile and squinted one eye to peer inside. Four men were seated around a small round table.

Who are these people? she wondered.

As she contemplated, the man at the head of the table drained a bowl of wine in one gulp and slammed it onto the table with a grimace. "And what did he want?"

The rough-voiced man from the left replied, "That brat Tang Chen wanted to know if I would submit to you."

"He asked me the same thing," the men on the right and at the bottom echoed simultaneously.

The burly man pounded his chest and stood up abruptly, boasting, "Who do you take me for, Zhao Gang? Would I betray you, Big Brother? Would I bow to the intimidation of the Chu Family Army? I didn't even let him step foot inside the city gates."

The younger man smiled proudly as well. "Big Brother, I didn't let him in either. You should have seen it—that punk Tang Chen looked so embarrassed, his face more wretched than if he’d swallowed a fly."

A hearty laugh erupted in the room.

Chu Junhan gripped her fists tightly, lying motionless on the roof, thinking to herself: I sent Brother Ziyun to inquire to see if anyone was willing to submit voluntarily, or if anyone was being oppressed, all to avoid needless bloodshed. And here you are, ungrateful dogs, unable to recognize a good intention when you see one.

When the laughter died down, the man who had remained silent at the bottom of the table stood up slowly and bowed to the leader. "Big Brother, you are being foolish!"

The room fell deathly silent. The youth on the roof’s eyes brightened—it seemed there was at least one person with some sense. Not bad!

"The Chu Family Army is coming to lay siege; we are united against a common enemy. How is that foolish?" the leader asked, his voice laced with confusion and resentment.

The middle-aged man looked up, scanned the three of them, and said coolly, "I ask you, the four of us sitting here—who among us is capable of fighting the Chu Family Army?"