The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 168 Xiangyin
The vast expanse of Dongting Lake stretches for eight hundred miles, its waters shrouded in mist and smoke.

As the fleet entered the Xiang River, the terrain on both banks gradually rose, with rolling hills stretching out.

Most of the villages along the way were dilapidated, and the fields were barren.

I happened to see people fetching water by the river, and when military boats passed by, they all panicked and fled.

Xiao Yi stood at the bow of the boat, observing the surroundings while listening to Yan Jinqing report the intelligence he had compiled.

After all that talk, the pawns had limited vision, and what they said was a mix of truth and falsehood, so there was almost no information that could help break the deadlock.

"My lord, what remains are just some gossip and rumors that can't be taken seriously."

"Tell me."

Before Ma Xige raised an army to kill his brother, his wife, Yuan, tried her best to persuade him, saying, "When brothers fight each other, the victor and the vanquished will be laughed at by others." But Ma Xige refused to listen. Yuan believed that disaster was coming and committed suicide by throwing herself into a well. Afterwards, Ma Xige became the ruler of the State of Chu. People laughed at Yuan for her lack of foresight. But it is said that Yuan was murdered.

"Who killed him?"

"If Ma Xige's 'beloved concubine' were only that, it wouldn't be enough to spread the word. What's interesting is that this beloved concubine was a man named Xie Yanyong."

"Like Kuang Zan and Guo Yunming?"

Yan Jinqing said, "Ma Xige's favor towards Xie Yanyong far surpasses Emperor Yin's favor towards Empress and Guo."

Xiao Yi asked, puzzled, "Xie Yanyong killed the Yuan family? Why? Can he still compete for the position of Empress?"

"General, you probably can't understand Xie Yanyong's arrogance. He is favored by Ma Xige. Although he is a slave, he can sit in the main hall with Ma Xige like a concubine. Whenever there is a banquet, he scolds the civil and military officials of Chu with the pomp and circumstance of an empress."

"slip."

"What did the general say?"

"There are truly amazing things."

Yan Jinqing laughed and said, "There's something even stranger. It's said that Ma Xige's younger brother, Ma Xichong, also had an affair with Xie Yanyong. Many people in Chu know about this, but Ma Xige is kept in the dark."

"Perhaps Ma Xichong deliberately instigated Xie Yanyong to offend all the officials?"

"That... isn't impossible."

Once you reach Xiangyin territory, Tanzhou will not be far away.

Xiao Yi couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Tang Shizhu has not yet asked to see the official letter, but once he arrives in Tanzhou, the fake official letter will surely not be able to deceive the Chu king and his ministers.

Even if he could deceive him, he should not go against Guo Wei's wishes and bestow titles upon Ma Xige.

The fleet suddenly stopped.

Ahead, another Chu navy blocked their path.

The negotiations continued until dusk, when Tang Shizhu ordered the ships to anchor at Xiangyin. Afterward, he sent someone to invite Xiao Yi to a banquet in the city.

Xiao Yi turned his head and looked around. The outline of Xiangyin City looked dilapidated in the setting sun. Banners were waving on the city walls. He raised his binoculars and saw that there was a lot of damage at the crenellations.

"May I ask who has hosted this banquet?"

"Reporting to Lord Xiao, it is General Xu, the commander of the cavalry and infantry."

The visitor gave a brief answer and left in a hurry.

Xiao Yi beckoned Li Guanxiang over and asked, "Who is General Xu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry and Infantry?"

“Xu Wei is a general in the Tanzhou army, and he is not from the same faction as our Langzhou army.”

What is this person's relationship with Tang Shizhu?

Li Guanxiang smiled and said, "Lord Xiao doesn't understand our Chu Kingdom. Even the king is killing his brothers and distrusting each other. How can there be any friendship among the generals?"

Xiao Yi wasn't very familiar with the military system of the Chu state, so he asked around and learned that Xu Wei might hold a position similar to that of Shi Hongzhao or Wang Yin.

If so, why would a commander of the Imperial Guards leave the capital?

Of course, the two countries have different national conditions, and their powers are naturally very different as well.

He doesn't have much time left; he must create an opportunity to escape within the next few days.

With this in mind, Xiao Yi summoned everyone and ordered the soldiers to put on their armor.

"From my observation, the State of Chu has suffered a series of major upheavals, the morale of the soldiers is low, and the generals are all insecure. Tang Shizhu and Xu Wei have a rift between them, so I may be able to seize the opportunity to make a move."

"Please give me your orders, General."

Xiao Yi beckoned his generals closer.

"Once we enter the city for the banquet, I will seize the opportunity to kill Xu Wei and claim that I was instructed by Tang Shizhu. At that time, a chaotic battle between the two sides is inevitable..."

"General, this is too risky."

"Shut up. When did you learn to interrupt?"

"The general will not dare."

"Zhang Mantun, take five skilled men and come with me to the banquet."

"Here."

"Yan Jinqing and Li Fang, you two stay on the ship to command. Once you see a fire in the city as a signal, immediately give the order to send someone to help me out of the city."

"Yes."

Xiao Yi handed the telescope to Li Fang and made various arrangements and contingency plans, trying every means to incite infighting within the Chu army.

He didn't want to take such a risk if there was a way.

Because they were somewhat hesitant about naval battles, if they were in the open plains of the Central Plains, their sixty-odd cavalrymen would have no fear of Tang Shizhu's newly defeated army.

It's not the final moment yet; before taking action, we can try to increase the probability of success.

After getting ready, I put on an inner armor and a cloak, and disembarked.

Tang Shizhu was already waiting on the shore. He was not wearing armor, but a magnificent robe. He was followed by eight foot attendants, each carrying a large box. It seemed that they were preparing to give Xu Wei a gift.

We entered Xiangyin City as the last rays of dawn broke.

They arrived at a dilapidated inn, with only a dozen or so soldiers standing guard outside the gate.

As soon as Xiao Yi dismounted, a burly man in his forties with a stern face and a serious demeanor came out to greet him, wearing tattered armor and with his hand on his waist knife.

"General Xu, how have you been? I have prepared a small gift for you, please accept it."

Tang Shizhu quickly stepped forward to greet him and said with a smile, "I did not expect the situation to change so suddenly in the Battle of Langzhou. Fortunately, I had made preparations in advance and asked the Tang army to set up an ambush, which resulted in a slight victory over the rebels. I was lucky, very lucky. I hope the general will put in a good word for me."

One by one, the boxes containing gifts were opened.

Xiao Yi looked inside and saw rare treasures. One of the large agate pieces was stained with blood, presumably stolen from those merchant ships.

No wonder Tang Shizhu stayed in Yuezhou after his defeat; he was there to raise money to atone for his sins.

Xu Wei picked up the gifts, looked at them, waved his hand, and ordered them to be put away, but then made a cold remark.

"It's just a drop in the ocean."

"This……"

Tang Shizhu was taken aback, then replied, "I will give it my all."

Xu Wei's face remained as hard as iron, unmoved.

“Oh, I haven’t introduced you yet. General Xu, this is Xiao Yi, the Minister of Works from Zhou. Your Excellency, this is…” Xu Wei waved his hand halfway through his sentence.

Since entering officialdom, Xiao Yi had never seen such an impolite person; even Wang Jun was not this rude.

Tang Shizhu smiled and said, "The two countries have diplomatic relations, and Governor Xiao has come to congratulate the King on his ascension to the throne."

After saying that, she gave Xiao Yi a reassuring look, signaling him to calm down.

Xiao Yi had no intention of putting on airs like an envoy from a major power.

This depends on the person and the occasion.

It's clear Xu Wei is in a bad mood; there's no need for a confrontation. If it's really about killing, then a single, decisive blow is necessary.

"Let's begin the meal."

Xu Wei didn't even glance at him and went straight inside.

Inside the main hall of the inn, there were several tables, but only some simple food and tea were laid out on them.

Tang Shizhu was clearly taken aback.

That makes sense, considering the lavish gifts given, all they get is this little food.

Xu Wei sat down in the main seat and asked, "General Tang, do you find this food too coarse?"

"Don't dare, don't dare."

Xiao Yi wasn't too particular. He cleared the table on the left for Tang Shizhu, sat down on the right, poured himself a cup of wine, and said, "I toast General Xu."

Xu Wei ignored him.

He then drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Xu Wei then asked, "Is the magistrate not afraid that the wine is poisoned?"

"General, you are frugal. If you want to kill me, you will not be willing to use poison. Just cut me with one stroke."

"You're quite a character; no wonder the Zhou ruler sent you."

Xiao Yi was worried about how to deal with this person who was so rude, and what if he accidentally uttered "Guo Que'er"?

It seems that he still respected the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Then why ignore them?
Xu Wei turned to Tang Shizhu and said, "It's not that I'm stingy, but the military pay can't be paid. We helped the king seize the throne, and it was agreed that we would be richly rewarded once the great cause was accomplished. However, the treasury of Tanzhou has long been looted, and the current king has no money to reward us."

Xiao Yi understood immediately upon hearing this.

No wonder Xu Wei had such a sour face; he was owed wages.

If there's no money, who cares about being officially registered or not?

Guo Wei, with his strong army and formidable reputation, was still trembling with fear after raising his troops, worried that he wouldn't be able to afford to reward his soldiers. It's unknown what kind of ability Ma Xi'e possessed that he dared to default on the salaries of the military men of his time.

Tang Shizhu sighed, "Yes, before I set out on the expedition, the king was already thinking of ways and ordered that we do our best to raise funds. Please be patient and wait a while, General Xu."

"You've already lost a battle, and you still haven't received your pay. How long are you going to wait?!"

"How can a strategy of luring the enemy be considered a defeat?!"

"Nah! The Langzhou navy practically flew right under my nose. If it weren't for me guarding it, Tanzhou would have fallen. Isn't that a defeat?!"

Xu Wei was furious, almost smashing the table in front of him, and shouted: "Just because you failed to defeat the Langzhou army, I have to lead my troops to set up camp here. My soldiers have not been rewarded for a long time and are full of resentment. I wish I could cut off your dog's head!"

Tang Shizhu's expression changed several times. He opened his mouth several times, but in the end, he didn't dare to retort. Finally, he smiled apologetically.

Seeing the two arguing, Xiao Yi subconsciously reached out to grab the short blade hidden in his sleeve.

However, upon considering this, he suppressed the urge to act, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

"General Xu, you've probably made a mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"Your king sent an envoy to Bianjing to request investiture, and the gifts he brought were very generous, including three hundred taels of gold alone. How could he be stingy with rewards?"

Xiao Yi knew that if he spoke, Xu Wei might think he was trying to sow discord between the Chu king and his ministers.

But it's worth the gamble.

Xu Wei stared intently, showing no surprise, but sighed and looked at Tang Shizhu again.

"Did you hear that? The Emperor spends his days indulging in extravagance, drinking and reveling."

Tang Shizhu said with a bitter face, "General Xu is worried about the country, but what can I do?"

Xiao Yi observed and saw Xu Wei frown, showing disappointment.

He took a sip of his drink, pondering to himself.

Xu Wei must be dissatisfied and disappointed, and he already has the intention to rebel, but the intention is still brewing and has not yet prompted him to make a decision. Today's banquet is probably a test of Tang Shizhu's attitude... In short, he is in the stage of preparing for rebellion.

With this in mind, Xiao Yi made a decisive decision.

He took out the forged official letter from Li Fang from his pocket and tore it open.

"hiss--"

"Lord Xiao!" Tang Shizhu exclaimed, "What are you doing?!"

"In my opinion, Ma Xige is not worthy to be the ruler. Your Majesty was not careful and was almost deceived by him. I will no longer serve as your envoy and will return north."

After saying this, Xiao Yi stood up, bowed, and said, "Generals, farewell."

He flicked his sleeve and walked out.

Xu Wei remained silent.

Tang Shizhu quickly stepped in to stop him, saying, "How outrageous! How outrageous! How can you act so impulsively in a diplomatic relationship between our two countries?"

"This is not an act of impulse, but rather because Ma Xige is unworthy of the title bestowed by the Great Zhou!"

"How could the Zhou ruler appoint such a young and impulsive person as an envoy? This is truly..."

"enough!"

Xiao Yi rebuked, "If any of you had even a shred of courage, you wouldn't disregard the lives of the people of Chu, willingly enduring hunger and cold in this desolate riverside wilderness, being trampled underfoot by Ma Xige's male favorites, and forcing a smile for the Rabbit Minister. Chu may lack true men, but Great Zhou will never tolerate such humiliation!"

"Lord Xiao!"

Xiao Yi walked to the door and saw Tang Shizhu reach out to grab him, so he frowned.

Without saying a word, he drew a sword from the waist of a soldier next to him and slashed down without mercy.

"What are your words, Your Excellency..."

"puff."

He swung his sword fiercely, striking Tang Shizhu hard on the neck.

Suddenly, a human head fell to the ground.

Everyone inside and outside the hall was shocked and drew their swords to surround them.

Xiao Yi casually tossed the knife aside and coldly spat, "He's blind to right and wrong, and deserves to die."

(End of this chapter)