26 Marquis of Anping

"My General of the Cavalry has declared war on the Great Liang."

Before long, the clattering of hooves echoed outside the general's mansion gate, and the light of torches illuminated almost half the night sky.

Xiao Pingchuan put on a cloak to keep warm, and slowly opened the door and stepped outside.

Beside him was the heir of the Marquis of Anping, who was barely breathing. His hands and feet were bound, and he was hanging in mid-air, half-conscious and half-awake.

Xiao Pingchuan glanced at him vaguely, then took a half step back, afraid that the dripping blood would ruin his clothes.

"Xiao Pingchuan! You've gone too far!" Marquis Anping, his face full of wrinkles, roared angrily from below the steps.

Right now, he had brought two hundred soldiers, who were lined up neatly in front of the general's mansion. Wei Xun stood next to him with a gloomy expression.

"So what if I bully you?" Xiao Pingchuan said calmly, arms crossed.

Marquis Anping was so angry that his face turned red. "You're asking for death!"

Xiao Pingchuan crossed his arms and said, "Oh."

“General Xiao, please put down the Crown Prince.” Wei Xun stepped forward.

“Lord Wei,” Xiao Pingchuan said quietly, “you are more capable and resourceful than your younger brother, yet because you are born out of wedlock, you can only be subordinate to him and always have to accommodate and protect him. Are you content with that?”

Wei Xun glanced at the furious Marquis Anping and replied, "I have a deep bond with the Crown Prince; don't try to sow discord between us."

Xiao Pingchuan laughed: "Brotherly love and respect? Marquis Anping is indeed very fortunate."

"Xiao Pingchuan! Put my son down!" Marquis Anping was frantic, pacing back and forth as he watched Wei Gu barely breathing.

Xiao Pingchuan: "The Wei family covets the Black Flag Army's military power and has provoked me time and time again. Does the Marquis have nothing to say?"

"What do you want to hear me say?"

"Let me tell you about your wolfish ambitions, and that you are not worthy of touching the Black Flag Army's military power."

Marquis Anping said coldly, "You are the one who is unworthy of military power. You are just a commoner. What makes you think you can stand on equal footing with us noble families? You are nothing but a monkey in a crown. Do you really think you are someone important?"

Xiao Pingchuan said calmly, "Let's get down to business. I'm afraid if we delay any longer, the young master will bleed to death."

Marquis Anping also came to his senses and hurriedly said, "Release them quickly."

Xiao Pingchuan said slowly, "I can release the people, but let Feng Sanhe come first."

Wei Xun spoke up: "How can we possibly order General Feng around?"

"If you can't, then why can't the old Marquis?"

After saying this, Xiao Pingchuan looked at Marquis Anping.

Marquis Anping's face darkened. "What do you want with him?"

"Doesn't Your Excellency know?" Chai Shun feigned surprise. "The other day, General Feng sent men to attack our general in order to avenge Lord Wei Xun. If you don't get revenge tonight, you won't be able to take him back."

Marquis Anping was furious. He knew about this matter, but he also knew that Feng Sanhe himself hadn't gained any advantage. He had been bedridden for many days and was only now barely able to get out of bed.

"Just do it, don't waste words with him," he instructed Wei Xun.

They brought over two hundred soldiers with them, and they refused to believe they couldn't snatch one person back.

Wei Xun nodded and waved his hand to signal the guards behind him to take action.

Soon, the two hundred or so people swarmed up the steps of the general's mansion like ants, but they were stopped by a mere dozen or so guards of the general's mansion and beaten to a pulp.

Before long, a series of mournful wails filled the ground, so pitiful that anyone who didn't know better would think a pig was being slaughtered at the General's Mansion.

Wei Xun managed to exchange a few blows with Xu Youcai, but he was skilled in archery but not in close combat, so he didn't gain any advantage over Xu Youcai.

Thus, Marquis Anping arrived with his men in a menacing manner, but there were hardly any of them even standing.

Xiao Pingchuan watched coldly with his arms crossed. Not enough; this display wasn't big enough.

So he raised his foot and kicked Wei Gu, who was hanging there, hard, waking him up from his unconscious state.

"Waaah..." Wei Gu cried out softly.

Marquis Anping's eyes blazed with fury. "Go and invite General Feng!"

Xiao Pingchuan: "Wouldn't it have been better if you had done this sooner, Lord Marquis?"

Soon, an even larger and more imposing procession arrived in front of the general's mansion.

Feng Sanhe arrived in a sedan chair and was carried out of it.

On the way, he already had a general idea of ​​what had happened, but he just didn't know why Xiao Pingchuan was acting crazy for no reason.

"My lord," he nodded in greeting.

Marquis Anping: "General, we're free."

"Rest assured, Lord Marquis," Feng Sanhe ordered his men to surround the general's mansion, then walked up to Xiao Pingchuan and said calmly, "General Xiao, what are you up to?"

"I just want to see General Feng."

"Oh? I didn't know General Xiao cared about me so much."

"No problem."

"And then? General Xiao just wanted to see me?"

"Naturally, I haven't vented my anger enough, so I called you here to beat you up again."

Feng Sanhe laughed: "Xiao Pingchuan, are you stupid? This is the capital, not your northern border. And I, the dignified General of the Central Army, am not an ant to be trampled on by the roadside."

"Of course I know, but I've been in a bad mood lately, and I don't have any Shatuo barbarians to vent my anger on, so I can only settle old scores to make myself feel better."

Feng Sanhe: "So even if the Marquis doesn't come looking for me, you'll still find an excuse to vent your anger?"

"Correct answer."

"Then let's release him first. If he really hangs himself, neither of us will be able to explain ourselves."

"Can."

With a single glance from Xiao Pingchuan, Xu Youcai made his move, knocking Wei Xun unconscious with a single blow of his axe, then untied him and carried him to Wei Xun's feet.

The whole process took only a few seconds, flowing smoothly and efficiently.

"Xiao Pingchuan! Don't push your luck!" Marquis Anping roared.

Xiao Pingchuan: "This is unreasonable of you, Marquis. You coveted the Black Flag Army first, and then instigated your son to provoke me. I merely taught you a few light lessons and returned the men to you. What more do you want, Marquis?"

Marquis Anping was so angry that he almost fainted.

"General Feng," Xiao Pingchuan turned to look at him calmly, "Let's make our move. Do you want to fight me one-on-one?"

Feng Sanhe laughed: "Do you think I'm stupid?"

He knew that Xiao Pingchuan's heavy sword was powerful, and he was self-aware enough to know that he would not come out on the receiving end if he faced him in a real fight.

You should know that on that day at the training ground, so many people took turns attacking but couldn't defeat him.

"No, no, no, I'm not asking for General Feng's opinion. You have no choice but to fight me," Xiao Pingchuan said arrogantly.

As he spoke, a dozen or so guards from the General's Mansion lined up behind Xiao Pingchuan, their auras cold and stern, their killing intent soaring to the sky.

Feng Sanhe swallowed hard, somewhat nervously saying, "This general never personally participates in battles."

Xiao Pingchuan laughed: "That's not up to you."

Before he could finish speaking, he rushed over and, before Feng Sanhe could react, stepped on his right foot. He first delivered a knee strike, forcing Feng Sanhe to bend over to dodge, and then an elbow strike to his temple. In just three moves, Feng Sanhe fell to the ground and couldn't get up.

At this moment, in front of hundreds of central army soldiers, two hundred garrison soldiers, and a dozen Black Flag Army soldiers, Feng Sanhe, the highest general of Daliang, was beaten so badly that he had no chance to fight back.

Feng Sanhe himself felt as if his head was splitting and his stomach was writhing, as if Xiao Pingchuan had kicked his intestines and stomach to pieces.

This person's strength is terrifying.

"General Feng, shall we continue fighting?" Xiao Pingchuan asked from his superior position.

Feng Sanhe's greatest strength was his ability to be flexible and adaptable. He immediately waved his hand and said, "Let's stop fighting."

There was a deathly silence all around, with only the crackling of torches burning.

Feng Sanhe thought that by now Xiao Pingchuan should be satisfied and should let him go.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Pingchuan said, "General Feng's injuries haven't fully healed yet. I got the better deal this time. Next time, once you've recovered, we'll have a fair fight."

At this moment, these words are nothing short of a demon's whisper demanding a life.

Feng Sanhe dared not refute, yet dared not agree either, so he could only shut his mouth and remain silent.

Xiao Pingchuan looked around and, seeing that everyone was avoiding his eyes, said cheerfully, "I have some good things to do at home and things are quite complicated, so I won't keep you all here any longer. Old man, see the guests out for me."

After saying that, he turned and went back to his residence.

Xu Youcai chuckled: "Everyone, please."

Marquis Anping dared not speak out against his anger. He ordered his servants to help Feng Sanhe up and then led several hundred men away in a dejected manner.

On the way back, the group remained silent.

Just before they were about to part, Marquis Anping gritted his teeth and said, "General Feng, Xiao Pingchuan cannot be allowed to live."

Feng Sanhe said irritably, "Of course I know."

He just wanted to kill but failed.

"Since my thoughts are aligned with yours, General, when I make my move, I would appreciate it if you could put in a good word for me with His Majesty."

"what you up to?"

"Of course, we should unite the powerful families to kill him!"

The next day, Marquis Anping went to court with bruises on his body. It was because it was too dark the night before and he had accidentally bumped into a pillar.

In court, Marquis Anping had prepared a whole host of accusations against Xiao Pingchuan, but Emperor Jingkang stopped him with a gesture of his hand. “My dear minister, there is no need for further words. I know that Xiao Pingchuan has poisoned your son.” Emperor Jingkang paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and slowly said, “My General of the Cavalry has declared war on the Great Liang.”

He knew that Xiao Pingchuan was an ambitious wolf cub, and that the small city of Jinzhou could not contain his ambition. Sooner or later, he would lead his troops south.

"Your Majesty, I don't think General Xiao necessarily had such intentions, otherwise Marquis Anping would have died on the spot last night. The fact that he left the heir apparent a way out suggests that there is room for discussion," said Prime Minister Pei Ruhai.

“I second that,” Yang Kan said. “I have calculated the Black Flag Army’s supplies. They need at least five million taels of silver every year. In the past two years, the national treasury has been tight, with an average annual allocation of less than 800,000 taels of silver. They have a problem even feeding themselves, let alone fighting long-distance raids.”

Upon hearing their words, Emperor Jingkang's brows furrowed even more deeply instead of relaxing. "Who among you dares to guarantee that he won't head south? Who dares!"

"You should listen to what he has to say!"

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a guard jumped out from the shadows, repeating with a blank expression what he had heard at the general's mansion the night before.

"...If the Black Flag Army can't survive, as long as we march south out of Jinzhou, who in the entire Great Liang can stop me?"

Emperor Jingkang said angrily, "Listen to this! Listen to what Xiao Pingchuan has done! He clearly doesn't respect the Liang royal family. If I let him off lightly this time, won't he try to force me to abdicate in the future?!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Marquis Anping bowed deeply in excitement. "This traitor Xiao has not only struck my son, but has clearly struck the face of the Great Liang. Moreover, he even dared to strike General Feng, showing no mercy whatsoever. He truly has no respect for Your Majesty. Your Majesty must not tolerate this and embolden his arrogance."

Upon hearing this, the entire imperial study fell into a deathly silence.

Judging from what Marquis Anping said, he wants to start a war.

The Great Liang had only been at peace for two or three years, and the people's livelihood had not yet recovered. If it were to fall into civil war again at this time, why would Xiao Pingchuan need to go south? The Great Liang could collapse from within itself.

“Lord Anping is mistaken,” Pei Ruhai said. “Your Majesty, I have heard that the Marquis of Anping’s heir has repeatedly provoked General Xiao since he entered the city. General Xiao initially only gave him minor punishments as a warning, but it was only yesterday that the heir gathered people to demonstrate at the gate of the General’s mansion, which angered the General.”

Such a trivial matter was not something Prime Minister Pei would personally verify.

Xiao Pingchuan fabricated this charge against Wei Gu'an simply to make it easier to find fault and take action.

"In truth, it was the young master who provoked us first. General Xiao was young and impetuous, and it's understandable that he spoke without thinking. To put it bluntly, if Xiao Pingchuan wanted to rebel, he wouldn't have waited until today."

"Hmph," Marquis Anping sneered, "What a fine excuse for being so reckless! He's about to lead his army south, and you think Lord Pei can just brush it off with a single sentence like 'reckless speech'? What? Just because Xiao Pingchuan is your nephew-in-law, he's no longer the commander of the 100,000 Black Flag Army?"

"Lord Anping! You even know that he commands 100,000 Black Flag Army soldiers! Listen carefully, 100,000! Your son-in-law can eat as much as he wants without worrying about overeating."

"Enough!" Emperor Jingkang said angrily in a deep voice, "I summoned you here to discuss countermeasures, not to have you quarrel like shrewish women. What kind of behavior is this!"

"Give me a clear answer right now, or you will be fined six months' salary."

Marquis Anping immediately apologized, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This old minister has a plan. Your Majesty can arrest Xiao Pingchuan and bring him to the palace, using him to threaten the Black Flag Army into surrendering their military power. If they refuse, then Xiao Pingchuan is plotting a rebellion, and Your Majesty can..." Marquis Anping slit his throat with one hand, indicating to Emperor Jingkang that he could kill the man.

Emperor Jingkang listened intently, and even nodded slightly at the end.

Pei Ruhai, Yang Kan, and the others exchanged glances, all understanding that His Majesty probably did not intend to spare Xiao Pingchuan's life.

"Your Majesty!" Pei Ruhai interrupted Marquis Anping, "Xiao Pingchuan must not be killed. If he dies in the capital, the Black Flag Army will surely rebel."

Marquis Anping, his face contorted with rage, trembled uncontrollably. He boasted arrogantly, "The Liangzhou army numbers no less than 100,000, enough to keep them within Jinzhou's borders, or even to incorporate them all."

If he could, Pei Ruhai would have loved to roll his eyes at him right then and there. “I heard that on the night of Cangshuang Tower, one of Xiao Pingchuan’s generals was a crack shot, and Xiao Pingchuan himself was a crack shot from a hundred paces. Marquis Anping, tell me, what are you going to fight with?”

After saying that, Pei Ruhai added casually, "What are the Liangzhou military forces anyway?"

It's true that the Black Flag Army were born out of refugees, but which of them was simple, having survived years of war and crawled out of piles of corpses? They would stop at nothing to survive, each one a fierce and bloodthirsty lone wolf, and Xiao Pingchuan had a full 70,000 of them.

His Majesty not only doesn't treat people well or appease them, but also tries to manipulate them. Pei Ruhai has no idea what's wrong with his brain.

Yang Kan also said, "Your Majesty, although the Black Flag Army is short of food and clothing, they have not laid off a single person so far, which shows that the withholding of rations and pay has not affected their fundamental situation. It is really not advisable to provoke them directly, after all, they are a bunch of madmen, Your Majesty."

Legend has it that the Black Flag Army fought like a demon devouring its prey, leaving the Shatuo people unable to find even a complete corpse wherever they went.

Emperor Jingkang's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened; clearly, this was not what he wanted to hear.

So he raised his hand to stop the two who wanted to say something more, and slowly said, "How can I allow others to sleep soundly on my side bed? Instead of thinking about how to get rid of this great thorn in my side, you are just praising others. Do as Marquis Anping said. Tomorrow, send someone to invite Xiao Pingchuan to the palace. I want to question him in person."

Disappointment was evident on the faces of Pei Ruhai and the others. The imperial study was brightly lit by candles, their pale light dispelling all darkness. Yet, at that moment, shadows loomed large, obscuring the light.

Pei Ruhai sighed, "Your Majesty, the Xiao and Chen families are getting married tomorrow. Even if you want to take him away, you'll have to wait until the wedding is over."

Emperor Jingkang thought about it and realized that it made sense, since he was the one who issued the imperial decree to grant the marriage.

"Then Marquis Anping, take your men there. After he finishes the wedding ceremony, bring the man to me. Be quick, lest he secretly collude with the Northern Border."

"His Majesty......"

Pei Ruhai wanted to say something more, but Emperor Jingkang waved his hand to interrupt him, saying, "Go back, I'm tired."

Pei Ruhai did not want the Great Liang to fall into war unless absolutely necessary.

The affair between the Marquis of Anping's residence and the General of the Cavalry's residence caused quite a stir.

This caused the people of the capital to stare wide-eyed, waiting to see how things would unfold.

The general's mansion was surprisingly quiet, with everyone methodically cleaning and decorating the rooms.

"Shouldn't we buy a maid to serve the lady?" Chai Shun asked Xiao Pingchuan.

"No need," Xiao Pingchuan replied.

"Why? You mean the lady has a maid? But she doesn't look like a maid to me. She often goes out to run errands for the lady, I'm afraid she can't take good care of her."

“I said it wasn’t necessary,” Xiao Pingchuan replied, suppressing his anger.

"General? Has something happened to you these past few days?" Chai Shun asked.

Otherwise, why would they suddenly bring forward the plan, and why would they keep giving me the cold shoulder and not speak properly?

Xiao Pingchuan rubbed his face and said, "Don't interfere in her affairs. Also, clean out another bedroom. I want to move in after the wedding."

"Huh? Why? You're married, why don't you sleep in the same bed?" Chai Shun asked tentatively. "Or do you not know that married couples should sleep in the same bed?"

"Don't worry about it, just do as I say." Xiao Pingchuan shooed him away, "Listen carefully and go get to work, don't hang around me, it's annoying."

"Yes, yes, I'll be right there."

At this moment, the two were in the backyard training ground, where Xiao Pingchuan had just finished several sets of exercises, seemingly recklessly.

After Chai Shun left, he sat down on a rock, hesitated, and took out the purse from his pocket. The purse had been stained with blood and he had washed it himself. Now the fragrance was very faint.

He gently stroked the purse with his fingertips, head bowed, remaining motionless for a long time.