Chapter 56: A Hundred Horses for a General

Before noon, at the military camp outside Jiangyi City.

Xu Huang urged his horse out of the camp to welcome them, and from afar he saw Zhao Ji riding ahead in gilded armor.

Aside from a dozen or so horsemen following closely behind, the rest of the cavalry came in scattered squads of several dozen, advancing slowly.

Li Le’s armor was of exceptional craftsmanship, already bearing the preliminary form of the Mingguang armor, featuring a beast-face protector mirror on the chest.

It did not open down the front, nor did it fasten at the side; instead, it opened at the back.

Putting it on felt somewhat like donning a surgeon’s gown; a pair of cords at the back closure needed to be tightened to secure a snug fit.

To cover this vulnerability in defense, it was best to wear a cloak draped over it.

Generally speaking, this primitive Mingguang armor was well-suited for riding, though the cloak felt a bit heavy for infantry.

Zhao Ji slowly reined in his horse, gripped his riding crop, and holding the reins in his left hand, turned his mount to the right.

Xu Huang also spurred his horse forward and turned right, both men keeping their right arms toward the rear.

Xu Huang halted his mount: "Colonel Zhao, Lord Zhao has ordered me to come and welcome you."

"Is Lord Zhao in the camp?"

"Yes, please come in, Colonel."

"No rush. Let us hand over the horses before entering the camp."

Zhao Ji was not an exceptionally skilled rider, and his mount shifted restlessly from time to time. With his right hand holding the crop, he pointed toward the rear cavalry: "There are many personnel matters in the camp. If you and I settle them clearly now, it will prevent idle gossip from others."

"Thank you for your concern, Colonel."

Xu Huang also looked back. After a night of rumination and brewing thoughts, the mentality of many people had changed.

Even he was no exception; his situation was beginning to deteriorate, turning him into a remnant of the White Wave rebels.

To offer amnesty and peacefully resolve the issues with the White Wave generals?

Initially, Zhao Yan might have entertained such a thought, but not anymore.

Handling the White Wave generals peacefully would not implicate Xu Huang too deeply; however, if they insisted on executing and prosecuting them, Xu Huang would inevitably be dragged into it.

As the saying goes, circumstances alter cases. For now, they relied on the small troop under Xu Huang's command.

Once the levies from various local gentry arrived, Xu Huang's small force would cease to matter much.

Especially after defeating the White Wave generals, reorganizing the three hundred-odd men under Xu Huang would merely be a matter of issuing a decree.

When all was said and done, Xu Huang had recruited his troops under orders; they were not his personal private retainers.

It was entirely justified for the imperial court to take them over.

Xu Huang carefully observed the approaching cavalry detachments, and then probed tentatively: "This morning, Lord Zhao and Cavalry Commandant Ma discussed matters. Commandant Ma believes in eradicating the evil completely. He also said that Han Xian cannot be trusted, and upon hearing this, I am deeply uneasy."

"Since Ma Shizhi makes it sound so simple, I shall ask him to serve as the vanguard. Once he captures Han Xian, we will bring up the main force to follow."

Zhao Ji wore a smile that was not quite a smile, clearly mocking Ma Shizhi. Seeing Xu Huang's heavy and oppressed expression, he restrained his demeanor and said: "Yet what he says makes sense. After Li Le's death, even if Han Xian is forced to surrender, he will harbor resentment due to the loss of supreme authority. Mutual trust between us will be difficult. If we spare their official titles and lives, does General Xu truly believe they will feel gratitude toward the imperial court for sparing their lives and showing leniency?"

Xu Huang remained silent for a moment before simply replying: "I cannot say."

"Indeed. Even you cannot predict their intentions, let alone the imperial court."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he glanced at Xu Huang's escort and continued: "Yesterday, I was still thinking of persuading Han Xian to approach Yang Feng and the others in order to achieve a peaceful resolution. Looking back now, that was thoroughly naive. But General Xu need not worry. When Lord Zhao first arrived at the Huben camp, he repeatedly praised you as a man of loyalty and righteousness. Every Huben soldier in the camp knows this; I am not deceiving you."

"I dare not."

Xu Huang watched as the columns of Huben cavalry arrived one after another, herding and surrounding the accompanying horses in the center.

Xu Huang desperately wished to open his heart and display his loyalty, but as Zhao Ji had said, mutual trust was hard to come by.

Yet if he were to proactively use his identity as a former subordinate of Yang Feng to deceive or assassinate Han Xian, it would only invite the suspicion and disgust of the nobles and ministers.

He was in a difficult dilemma. In times like these, performing meritorious deeds was a matter of morality, while coasting along and idling away the days was a matter of loyalty.

Noticing Xu Huang's distressed expression, Zhao Ji pointed his crop obliquely toward the herd of horses: "May I ask, General, whether these hundred-odd horses are enough to buy your life?"

Xu Huang examined them carefully. The horses were generally serviceable, and among them were several tall, fine steeds. He answered truthfully: "From my perspective, fifty would be enough to buy my life."

If someone were to take fifty horses to Yang Feng to buy or trade for Xu Huang, would Yang Feng agree?

Before the campaign to rescue the Emperor, Yang Feng would not have cared about Xu Huang either way and would certainly have agreed; the current Yang Feng was desperately short of horses and would likewise find it easy to agree.

Seeing that Xu Huang conceded this point, Zhao Ji asked earnestly: "If I present these horses to you, does that mean you owe me two lives?"

Seeing Xu Huang nod, Zhao Ji continued: "A general's worth cannot be measured by a mere hundred horses, and I hope you will not belittle yourself. Should anyone seek to hold you accountable in the future, Lord Zhao will protect you. If Lord Zhao is powerless to intervene, you can simply lead your cavalry back to Pingyang. Pingyang is vast, and with your abilities, who could possibly do anything to General Xu?"

"I understand. Thank you, Colonel, for your guidance."

Xu Huang bowed solemnly. His life truly was not worth a hundred horses; even he felt it was worthless.

The Zhao family giving him so many horses was precisely to buy his life.

Having entrusted his life to the Zhao family, how could the family sit by and watch him be manipulated by others?

In other words, accepting these horses now would bolster his own strength while firmly binding him to Zhao Yan.

What had Yang Feng ever given him?

During the campaign to rescue the Emperor, he had been forcibly incorporated; all his achievements were forged in piles of corpses during that campaign, having nothing to do with Yang Feng's trust, command, or cultivation.

As for being appointed as a Cavalry Commandant and ennobled as a village Marquis, that could hardly be considered Yang Feng's achievement.

The White Wave military officers and soldiers who managed to arrive alive in Hedong all held at least the rank of Commandant.

What mattered in Xu Huang's case was not the title of Cavalry Commandant, but the peerage of a village Marquis—that was the true symbol recognized by the imperial court.

When he came this time to recruit troops, he had taken the imperial edict, brought a dozen fellow villagers, and started recruiting without any funds or provisions, relying entirely on empty checks and various promises to gather troops.

What had Yang Feng given him? Nothing at all. He had only managed to gather these three hundred-odd men thanks to the imperial edict, his own blend of cajoling and deception, and a measure of intimidation.

Compared to Yang Feng, Zhao Yan was infinitely more generous. By sending over a hundred horses, Xu Huang's strength soared instantly!

He was the Martial-Courageous Commandant, and the three hundred-odd men recruited this time could essentially be considered Hedong cavalry.

With Zhao Yan's patronage, there was a chance he might be transferred to serve as the General of the Yulin Gentlemen, and a very slim chance that he could simultaneously convert his Hedong cavalrymen into Yulin cavalry.

Yet the probability was extremely low; the Yulin Gentlemen, much like the Huben Gentlemen, were not positions just anyone could hold.

To put it another way, the moment he led his troops across the river and reached the southern bank, he had already lost the means of resistance unless he fled alone on horseback.

That was the nature of armies; as forces grew larger and larger, the leaders of individual factions often found themselves in mortal danger.

The slightest violation of military law would result in a leader being replaced by his subordinates.

When a large army gathered and its discipline was being rigorously enforced, leaders of small armed factions like Xu Huang were precisely the ones targeted for elimination.

Forceing himself to understand this, Xu Huang looked at the herd of over a hundred horses with extraordinary enthusiasm.

These were no mere horses; they were his amulets of survival!

Since the Zhao family had invested more than a hundred horses, Xu Gongming retained his survival value until they recovered their investment!

As Xu Huang willingly accepted the shift in his destiny, Zhao Ji felt no regret over the horses.

The two men immediately completed the handover, and the Huben cavalry helped herd the horses into the camp.

Xu Huang enthusiastically acted as the guide, leading the majority of the Huben cavalry into the designated camp area.

The Huben camp was built in the shape of the Chinese character 'Jia' (甲), with an internal layout resembling the character 'Kou' (口) containing a 'Po' (叵). There was a central military zone enclosed by a low wall, and aside from the parade ground, the entire camp roughly consisted of three tiers.

Relying on the ruins of the ferry port, the low walls and timber throughout the camp had clearly been salvaged from the wreckage, and the fortifications were reasonably sturdy.

When Xu Huang led him into the central military camp, there was a separate guard stationed at the gate.

Only then did Zhao Ji dismount. At that moment, Zhao Yan's long-term personal attendant stationed at the camp gate hurried forward to welcome him: "Greetings, Young Master."

"It was a quiet night; everything is well."

Zhao Ji handed his reins to Han Shu and asked the attendant: "How is Lord Zhao?"

"My master spoke of the Young Master through the night and is taking a midday nap right now. He instructed that as soon as the Young Master arrived, you should be brought to see him immediately."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji turned his head and said to Xu Huang beside him: "I wager Lord Zhao is thoroughly sick of those people and is feigning a nap just to find some peace."

Xu Huang dared not voice an opinion, merely keeping a stiff face and nodding slowly.

The attendant chuckled upon hearing this: "Only the Young Master truly understands my master."

As they approached Zhao Lei's quarters, Xu Huang tactfully waited outside to be summoned.