weaving

Although Song Xianze tried his best to persuade Li Yan to follow the rebel king and not stay in eastern Henan, so as not to become a sitting duck for the government troops, he would be at their mercy. No matter how many skills and abilities Li Yan had, he would be helpless and would only sacrifice himself in vain.

Niu Jinxing remained silent throughout, neither persuading Li Yan to follow the rebel leader back to Funiu Mountain nor urging him to stay in eastern Henan to fight as a guerrilla. He simply stood by and watched coldly, as if it were none of his business.

Li Yan had thought things through very clearly. He said to Song Xianze and Niu Jinxing, "The Grand Marshal has only suffered a temporary setback. Once his strength is restored, he will surely be able to sweep across the land, unify the world, and change dynasties."

With the Grand Marshal's benevolence, he will surely treat the people well in the future, bringing peace, happiness, and prosperity to the nation. Even if we don't live to see that day, what does it matter? As long as the people are freed from suffering, isn't that better than anything else?

He further emphasized: "The fact that the Grand Marshal has retreated to Funiu Mountain is due to the circumstances, not to the fault of the battle. In a few months or a year, he will surely be able to re-emerge from Funiu Mountain, break through Kaifeng, occupy Henan, and establish hegemony. It is just around the corner."

But what would the people think if the rebel army completely withdrew from Kaifeng?

Those who don't understand military affairs would assume that the rebel army must have been no match for the government army and suffered a crushing defeat, which is why they fled all the way back to Funiu Mountain. Even if the Grand Marshal were to make a comeback in six months, they fear that the people's hearts would not be with them, and they would not be able to receive the same enthusiastic welcome from the people as they do today.

Even if it means certain death, I, Li Yan, am willing to remain in eastern Henan to uphold the banner of the rebel army for the Grand Marshal. Please convey my message to the Grand Marshal, brothers Xianze and Qidong: when the Grand Marshal returns, I, Li Yan, will lead a million people to bow and welcome him.

Upon hearing this, Niu Jinxing smiled slightly and said to Song Xianze, "Xianze, since Lin Quan has made up his mind, even though we both want what's best for him, it seems we can't persuade him. I think we should report the truth to the Grand Marshal and ask him to make the decision."

Song Xianze already knew Li Yan's intentions and knew that Niu Jinxing's words made sense. He nodded to him to show his agreement to report back to the King of Chuang for a decision. At the same time, he glanced at Li Yan, shook his head inwardly, and said nothing more.

…………

"Lin Quan...is that really what he said?"

Faced with the rebel leader's question, Song Xianze answered truthfully: "Yes. Qi Dong was also present at the time and can testify to this."

Chuang Wang's gaze turned to Niu Jinxing, who said, "Lin Quan did say that. He said, 'Even if I die nine times out of ten, I, Li Yan, am still willing to stay in eastern Henan and carry the banner of Chuang Wang's righteous army for the Grand Marshal.'"

He also specifically instructed me and Xianze to relay his message to the Grand Marshal: "If Li Yan can remain in eastern Henan, when the Grand Marshal returns, Li Yan will surely lead a million people to kowtow and welcome him."

"Millions of people?"

When the rebel leader heard these four words, he was visibly stunned for a moment, but he recovered in an instant, so quickly that it was almost imperceptible to ordinary people.

"Well, since Lin Quan's attitude is so firm, then let him stay in eastern Henan."

The rebel leader finally agreed to let Li Yan stay, but then he said gently to Song Xianze, "Strategist, tell Lin Quan that a million people are no match for him. Tell him to protect himself and if things get out of hand, he should immediately retreat to the Funiu Mountains. I will send troops to meet him."

"Yes, Grand Marshal."

Seeing that Li Yan's matter was a done deal, Niu Jinxing inquired about the war situation: "Grand Marshal, has the date for the operation been decided?"

"It's settled," Liu Zongmin said quickly. "It'll be at Shenshi (3-5 PM)."

"Shenshi?" Niu Jinxing repeated.

Song Xianze smiled and said, "Then we'll have to have dinner earlier."

"Hahaha..." Liu Zongmin laughed and said, "We'll take advantage of the time when those dog soldiers are having dinner and kill them all."

Although Niu Jinxing had a smile on his face, there was a hint of malice in his eyes when he looked at Song Xianze—no, it was jealousy, full of envy, jealousy and hatred!
"There is less than an hour left. Chief Commander can go and attend to military affairs. Xianze should also go and find Linquan again to give him some instructions."

"Alright, strategist, please proceed. I'll keep the King company for a few more words," Liu Zongmin said politely. ...

After Song Xianze left the command tent, Niu Jinxing saw that Liu Zongmin had no intention of leaving, so he knew that Liu had some private things to say to the rebel king. Therefore, he also made an excuse to go back to his military tent to pack up his books and tactfully took his leave.

"Chuang Wang, it's best to be wary of Li Yan."

Li Zicheng looked at Liu Zongmin and deliberately asked him, "What...does Jiexuan mean by that?"

“We must be wary of Yuan Shizhong’s precedent with Cao Cao.” Liu Zongmin said bluntly, “Although we can’t see any disloyalty in him now, he is not a member of our Eighth Team after all. You can’t judge a book by its cover, so we must be careful.”

The rebel leader did not answer him immediately. Instead, he got up and walked to the window, looking at the ray of sunlight streaming in, and said softly, "We guard against this and that. After all this guarding, do we even have any of our own people left?"

“Li Yan is different from the other leaders!” Liu Zongmin came to the side of the rebel king without saying a word and suddenly said this.

Li Zicheng suddenly turned around and looked at Liu Zongmin, asking him, "What's the difference?"

"The Eighteen Sons are the main artifact..." Liu Zongmin paused for a moment before continuing, "There have long been rumors that the 'Eighteen Sons' are Young Master Li, not you, Brother Chuang Wang."

The rebel leader's expression shifted slightly, but he said, "It's all just hearsay. I wonder which gossipy person spread this nonsense. How can you believe it?"

"Oh dear. My brother, the rebel king... It's not a matter of whether I believe it or not, but whether those people outside believe it or not."

Liu Zongmin was clearly agitated. He pointed outside the command tent and continued, "Outsiders don't know the truth, especially those starving people who are even more foolish. As early as when we captured Luoyang, some people mistook Li Yan, who was distributing relief, for the rebel king himself. That's when the rumors started."

Now, as our army advances through prefectures and cities, this rumor is gaining momentum. It's hard to say that no one is secretly instigating it; otherwise, why would so many people be saying, "Young Master Li is Li Zicheng, the rebel king"?

"Lin Quan... he wouldn't be that kind of person."

“My dear King Chuang, even at this point, why are you still so stubborn?” Liu Zongmin seemed a little agitated. He continued, “Fine. Even if you, Zicheng, don’t suspect Lin Quan, it’s still not right to leave him alone in eastern Henan.”

The rebel leader remained silent for a moment before saying, "Deqi and Hongniangzi are both in the army and will return to Funiu Mountain with us. I think Linquan will be fine staying in eastern Henan alone."

"Those who aspire to great things will not concern themselves with one or two relatives."

Liu Zongmin was still not completely at ease and said fiercely, "We even killed our wives and children in Yufu Mountain. If Li Yan really had ulterior motives, why would he care about the lives of Li Mou and Hong Niangzi?"

"Zicheng, we don't mean to do anything to Lin Quan, we just can't leave him alone in eastern Henan."

"I have already agreed to Lin Quan's request."

“What’s so difficult about that… Just say that for Lin Quan’s safety, you changed your mind at the last minute and took him with you to Zhu Xian Town to rescue Yi Gong. How could he possibly refuse your military order, Zi Cheng?”

Li Zicheng paced back and forth in his command tent, but Liu Zongmin couldn't hold back any longer and reminded him again: "Zicheng, if you don't make a decision soon, Lin Quan might lead his troops on the march!"

"Alright." Li Zicheng finally made up his mind and shouted loudly towards the outside of the command tent, "Li You."

Upon hearing this, Li You dared not delay. He had just lifted the curtain and entered the command tent when he heard the rebel king say, "Yi San, go and tell Lin Quan that the plan has changed. He doesn't need to stay in eastern Henan. He should immediately assemble his troops and come with me to rescue Zhuxian Town."

"Yes!" (End of this chapter)