Chapter 31, Chapter Fifteen: A Hair's Breadth Away

Eager to return home, Liu Jun led his troops north to Bingzhou that very night.

The night was still and deep, the cold moon was sparse, there was no sound of human voices, and all was silent.

Having just planned a major undertaking and was about to reunite with his family and enjoy family bliss, Liu Jun still felt uneasy for some reason.

“Your Highness,” Lu Jing, who had served him for many years, could tell that he was restless, “is there something wrong?”

"It's nothing." Liu Jun shook his head.

After traveling for another two days, a sudden downpour forced the group to find a slightly populated village to stay overnight and avoid the rain.

An old woman brought out the last bit of wheat porridge. Liu Jun took out a copper coin, but the old woman waved her hand repeatedly, saying, "This is a poor, remote place. Money is useless here. You should keep it for yourself, sir. It might come in handy someday."

Liu Jun frowned. "What do you mean? We should keep this old woman Qian. We can use her to buy some farm tools and seeds next year."

Lu Jing and the others filled a whole vat of water for the old woman, who thanked them profusely. She then took a ladle and scooped water for everyone, saying, "My son has been kidnapped and joined the army. He will never come back."

"And what about your wife?" Since it was a military settlement in Bingzhou, it was mostly women who farmed the land when troops were dispatched, so Liu Jun asked naturally.

The old woman smiled foolishly, "She and her grandson disappeared long ago, perhaps they've become wontons."

Liu Jun was confused and assumed the old woman had gone mad, so he stopped asking.

Unexpectedly, the next day, before Liu Jun and the others had even gotten up, they heard the sound of horses neighing, and it turned out that several more soldiers had temporarily settled in the area.

"I don't know what the general is thinking. Everyone talks about the merit of following the emperor, but who wants to go to Guanzhong with that wet-headed brat?" a man said in a gruff voice.

"Alas, Guanzhong is so desolate. The place where people can barely live is now inhabited by Di and Qiang people. Even if we go there, we won't be able to secure our throne. Do we really have to go?"

"Don't worry, don't worry, General, you have a plan. I've heard that the young prince is very handsome, even more fair-skinned than a woman. In the future, he can emulate Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao, using the emperor to command the disobedient. Wouldn't that add a bit of fun?"

General...Yan Ding, the Assistant General of the State?

After all that, it turns out that the reinforcements the Xun brothers found were actually traitors hidden from the very beginning?

Liu Jun felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. He quietly made a gesture, and several brave soldiers rushed forward and captured the men who had spoken.

"Leave two alive," Liu Jun said coldly.

He then inquired personally and learned that Yan Ding, relying on his large army, was plotting to kidnap Sima Ye on the way back to Chang'an.

Liu Jun's expression changed, and he immediately ordered a count of the warhorses. He also selected half of his soldiers to return with him to reinforce the city, while the rest continued their march towards Bingzhou.

The situation was urgent, and Liu Jun dared not delay for a moment. All his soldiers were equipped with two horses each and traveled without sleep or rest. Finally, when they were almost at Wan County, they heard the sounds of war.

"kill!"

In this critical moment, there was no time to worry about troop deployment; Liu Jun drew his sword and led his men in a charge.

Sure enough, hundreds of people were fighting each other, including soldiers in armor and bandits in tattered clothes. Liu Jun did not linger in the fight, but focused his attention on searching for Sima Ye.

As the saying goes, heaven rewards those who persevere. Just as he was about to turn away, he suddenly heard a tinkling sound. He rode quickly to the sound and saw three or four generals in military uniforms surrounding Sima Ye and one or two eunuchs in a narrow mountain valley. They were tearing at his clothes and hair, and their laughter, tinged with lewdness, was directed at his tearful appearance.

Liu Jun's gaze was icy as he shot an arrow that pierced straight through the head of the leading general. The man's hand was still on Sima Ye's clothes, but his brains had already spilled onto the ground.

As the man fell, Liu Jun noticed Sima Ye's gaze involuntarily drifting backward. Seeing Sima Ye loosen his grip and quietly toss something away, Liu Jun stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Jun is late in coming to Your Highness's rescue; Your Highness has been frightened."

Then he saw that behind Sima Ye was a gruesome corpse, and looking at the blood-stained ring-pommel sword on the ground, what else was there to understand?

"Is that person... Liu Chou or Yan Ding?" Liu Jun asked, his expression complex.

Sima Ye gritted his teeth and said, "I didn't know either. This man intended to rebel, and his behavior was frivolous. I had no choice but to kill him."

Many people at the time were fond of male homosexuality, but Liu Jun never expected that someone in the midst of the chaos would be so bold as to lay a hand on the future crown prince. He picked up the ring-pommel sword from the ground and lifted the man's face, saying, "This man is not Yan Ding, but these soldiers are undoubtedly under his command."

"Lu Jing, you all stay here and protect His Highness." After saying this, Liu Junfu mounted his horse again and looked around in the chaotic army. Finally, his eyes turned cold. Just as a general raised his sword at a scholar, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow. There was a scream, and the man fell to the ground.

The surrounding soldiers immediately erupted in commotion, and many were about to scatter. Liu Jun stepped forward and roared, "The General of the State has rebelled and has been ordered to be killed! The world is in chaos now, and there are not many comrades left in the Central Plains. If you surrender to Your Highness, you can be spared death. Otherwise, if you leave the camp today, you will all be killed without mercy."

Yan Ding still had some of his troops who were unwilling to give up and intended to fight back. Fortunately, Liu You and others led their troops back to reinforce him, and they were relieved to see that Sima Ye was safe.

"What exactly happened?" Liu Jun's face was extremely grim as a mutiny broke out just a few days after he left.

Liu You was also embarrassed, "Our Yuzhou army is currently at the front clearing the road to meet the enemy. We only just heard that there was trouble in the rear army, so we rushed over here."

Liu Jun looked at Sima Ye, who was most likely to know the whole story. He saw that Sima Ye's face was still wet with tears, and he sobbed, "Last night, for some reason, Yan Ding and my uncle and others got into an argument. Then today, after a disagreement, my uncle, Liu Chou, Li Geng and others wanted to return to Hedong and refused to go west anymore. Then, Yan Ding suddenly started shouting for battle. Li Geng couldn't dodge in time and was killed by him. My uncle and the others fled in panic. I hid Liu Chou in the carriage and we escaped. After that, we encountered mountain bandits."

Having narrowly escaped death, Liu Chou knelt on the ground, saying, "Thank you for saving me, Your Highness. I would never dare to fail to repay your kindness, even at the cost of my life."

In other words, Xun Fan, Xun Zu, Zhou Yi, and Li Shuying have all fled. Yan Ding originally brought 4,000 refugees from Xizhou, but most of them were swept away by the bandits. Including Liu Qiao and Liu Chou's troops, there are less than a thousand left to guard him.

Even more meager was the severe shortage of warhorses, and the horses needed to rest, so from Sima Ye down, everyone rode in oxcarts.

After a moment of contemplation, Liu Jun said to Sima Ye, "In the current chaos of war, if Your Highness insists on returning to Chang'an, you must enter Yongzhou from here."

"I have already sent people to contact Guo Mo, the governor of Yongzhou, and Jia Pi, the prefect of Anding," Sima Ye said, clutching his sleeve with a mournful tone, "Can't the Crown Prince really escort me to Chang'an?"

Liu Jun bowed and said, "The barbarians have invaded our borders. Bingzhou is located in the northern frontier and is now in a precarious situation. My father has written more than ten letters urging me to return as soon as possible, otherwise things may change. I dare not delay."

After saying that, he suddenly remembered Wen Qiao and frowned, asking, "Where is my brother-in-law?"

Sima Ye shook his head, his eyes reddening again. "I haven't seen him today. Perhaps we've parted ways."

Liu Jun stared at him intently, a slight smile playing on his lips. "My brother-in-law is exceptionally intelligent; he must have a plan."

He stepped forward and whispered in Sima Ye's ear, "Your Highness almost fooled us. But Your Highness was a bit too arrogant. If we hadn't arrived just in time, wouldn't this have been a case of a beautiful gem being tarnished?"

Sima Ye still looked bewildered. Liu Jun glanced at a somewhat familiar eunuch beside Liu You and smiled wryly.