Chapter 72: The Struggle for Power (Part Six)

Yuchi Gong strode straight into the office of the Commander of the Hawk Strike Battalion. He had prepared himself for all manner of possibilities, yet nothing could have readied him for the scene before his eyes.

Inside, a few people sat facing each other. Xu Le, with his bearing and manner, was the very embodiment of an aristocratic gentleman—he could have stepped straight out of a textbook on noble etiquette. Even Liu Wuzhou, who was usually boisterous and rough, now sat upright and formal at the head, copying Yuan Junzhang’s posture, holding his cup with his sleeve drawn up to shield it, sipping daintily in small mouthfuls.

The room was silent as a grave. Only the petite, long-haired girl standing behind Xu Le cocked her head, her large sapphire eyes full of puzzlement as she gazed at Yuchi Gong.

Xu Le greeted him with a genial smile, but Yuchi Gong was at a complete loss for words.

He had come running, face smeared with sweat and dust, fully prepared to quarrel fiercely with Liu Wuzhou—so much so that even if Yuan Junzhang had tried to intervene, he was determined to resist to the end.

Now, confronted with this tranquil scene, all the anger and momentum he had worked up seemed to evaporate in an instant. Yuchi Gong simply stood dumbly at the doorway, wiping away the beads of sweat on his brow, unable to utter a single word.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack as Liu Wuzhou slammed his palm onto the desk.

“Yuchi Gong, you fool! I was just about to send for you, and here you come of your own accord. Do you know your crime?”

His voice was low and stern, his face dark as water, eyes fixed fiercely on Yuchi Gong.

Yuchi Gong reflexively raised his voice to protest, “Old Yu—this subordinate—what crime have I committed?”

Liu Wuzhou’s expression did not soften. “You still deny it? Today you abandoned your post while on patrol and came here to make a scene. In the end, Lord Le clashed with the Nine Surnames tribe. Though you tried to put things right after the fact, the disaster was already done! If anything had happened to Lord Le, how would I answer to the people of Mayi? And if the Nine Surnames tribe bears a grudge and disrupts the Autumn Fair, then Heng’an Prefecture will be left without taxes, the army supplies will be short, and would you have the four thousand sons of Heng’an come to you for their food and drink?”

Xu Le still wore his flawless, unassailable smile, but in his heart, he gave Liu Wuzhou a silent thumbs up.

Not knowing how to deal with his own situation, Liu Wuzhou had simply shifted the blame onto Yuchi Gong. Even though every accusation was nominally aimed at Yuchi Gong, in truth each word was a veiled reproach to Xu Le himself for jeopardizing the carefully prepared Autumn Fair, thus risking the livelihood of four thousand sons of Heng’an.

Yet Xu Le could not utter a single word in his defense, for Liu Wuzhou’s rebuke was directed at Yuchi Gong, not himself.

Yuchi Gong blinked, glancing from Liu Wuzhou to Xu Le, then to Yuan Junzhang.

Liu Wuzhou’s face remained tight and unsmiling, Xu Le sat in silence, and Yuan Junzhang kept his gaze lowered in leisurely disregard, not sparing Yuchi Gong even a glance.

After a long, heavy silence, Yuchi Gong finally realized what was expected of him. Crestfallen, he stepped inside, bowed deeply to Liu Wuzhou, and said, “This subordinate acknowledges his guilt and awaits the Hawk Strike Battalion’s punishment.”

Yuchi Gong might be blunt, but he was by no means a fool. Slow to react though he was, he understood Liu Wuzhou’s intent. Since the commander needed a scapegoat, and he had stumbled into the role, there was nothing for it but to take the blow lying down. Was there any point in causing more trouble? Enough had happened today already.

Let it be, let it be. Peace is best.

Head bowed, Yuchi Gong awaited his fate. Liu Wuzhou did not press his advantage, but waved his hand magnanimously. “Since you admit your mistake, you will be punished. Lord Le clashed with the Nine Surnames tribe—he is a son of our own homeland, how could I not protect him? These next days, you will guard Lord Le closely. If he so much as loses a single hair, I’ll hold you solely responsible! And when battle comes, you won’t be on the front lines, but will remain in Yunzhong City to keep watch. Consider this a reward of leisure!”

Forbidding Yuchi Gong from going into battle was a punishment harsher than death for him. If he had a tail, it would surely have drooped between his legs by now.

The grim-faced general bowed his head even lower, his voice so faint it was barely audible: “This subordinate obeys…”

Liu Wuzhou turned to Xu Le, his face breaking into a cordial smile. “Lord Le, the Autumn Fair this year is a matter of life and death for Heng’an Prefecture. Four thousand sons defending Mayi’s people must be fed and clothed! All eyes are on us, and we cannot afford another incident. If, during the fair, the Nine Surnames tribe causes trouble with you, I must stand up for my own. Those Tartars—if they need to be arrested or killed, so be it. But if the fair is ruined, all is lost. For my sake, I ask that you stay quiet for a few days. When the fair is over, I will see justice done for you!”

Xu Le raised his cup and smiled lightly. “How could I disobey the commander’s orders? Your protection is deeply appreciated.”

In truth, Xu Le had wanted to argue, to tell Liu Wuzhou that the Yue Division had already captured all the nobles of the Nine Surnames tribe. But with Liu Wuzhou’s words, how could he not understand the message?

The command of Heng’an’s Hawk Strike Battalion was washing its hands of the matter. Anyone who disrupted the Autumn Fair would be making an enemy of the four thousand sons of Heng’an. As for what had happened with the Yue Division, and what had caused the conflict with Xu Le, Liu Wuzhou did not ask a single question.

And he had already lowered himself, treating a mere youth with such warmth and courtesy. If he were to press the issue further, and Liu Wuzhou turned hostile, the fault would be entirely his own.

At present, Xu Le could not afford for Liu Wuzhou to turn against him on the spot. He still needed to rescue Grandpa Luo Dun!

Liu Wuzhou clapped his hands resoundingly. “Lord Le, you are truly understanding! Attend me!”

A bodyguard hurried in, and Liu Wuzhou ordered, “Go and find those young heroes and tell them: Lord Le is a guest of the Hawk Strike Battalion—I would never punish him. For the sake of the Nine Surnames Tartars, would I condemn my own sons of Mayi? I’m not that incompetent! If the Nine Surnames cause Lord Le further trouble, they will be making an enemy of the Hawk Strike Battalion!”

The bodyguard accepted the order in a loud voice and withdrew. Xu Le rose, cupped his hands, and smiled. “I have troubled the commander long enough. May I ask where you will arrange for me to stay?”

Liu Wuzhou declared, “Jingde, find a quiet place in the city to settle Lord Le and his companions. If any trouble befalls them, you will answer to me!”

And so, an incident that had shaken the entire city was thus quietly laid to rest.

Xu Le said no more. He led the injured Han Yue and Song Bao, as well as Bu Li, away from the commander’s office. Yuchi Gong accompanied them closely.

The young heroes and retainers scattered outside the city were summoned back by Yuchi Gong’s bodyguards after Xu Le had spoken to him.

Normally lively and energetic, Yuchi Gong was now utterly silent on the road to their lodgings, his face so dark it seemed about to drip with gloom. Riding his horse, he kept glancing back at Xu Le, as if afraid he might slip away.

Now, Yuchi Gong had not the slightest desire to test his skills against Xu Le again. He shared the same feeling that Liu Wuzhou and Yuan Junzhang had come to recognize:

This Lord Le was truly a magnet for trouble.

Xu Le, meanwhile, would occasionally glance at the sky beyond the city, where dusk was falling.

Should he make another attempt tonight to sneak into the Yue Division’s camp and rescue Grandpa Luo Dun? Since the Hawk Strike Battalion could not be relied on, he would have to depend on himself.

If he delayed and anything happened to Grandpa Luo Dun—how could he face his grandfather then?