The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 736 Each with their own agenda
Over the years, Li Zicheng had two wives. His first wife was named Han Jin'er, a former courtesan who had also served as a concubine to a local gentry and a minor official. However, she was divorced and sent back to her parents' home to live alone because she was unchaste and behaved improperly.

Once, when Li Zicheng led his men to attack the county town, he passed through the village where Han Jin'er lived. He took a liking to this young woman who lived alone and kidnapped her to be his wife.

Han Jin'er was a talented singer and dancer, and quite beautiful, with a slender waist like a willow branch. She was also very skilled in bed, which made Li Zicheng unable to resist her. So he always doted on her. However, Han Jin'er was actually a promiscuous woman who had an affair with other rebel leaders. In a fit of rage, Li Zicheng killed her.

Later, Gao Yingxiang betrothed one of his female generals to Li Zicheng. This general, surnamed Xing, was nicknamed Xing Honglang (Red Wolf Xing). Just from the name, one could tell she was a shrew, and indeed she was. Xing Honglang was as fierce and greedy as a wolf, and crucially, she was three years older than Li Zicheng, a large and burly woman whose roar could be heard throughout the next village. Li Zicheng was naturally unhappy, but since it was his superior's arrangement, he could only grit his teeth and accept it. At this moment, he deeply missed his fickle lover, Han Jin'er.

That night, Li Zicheng reluctantly finished his homework and was about to leave Xing Honglang's camp, but the latter seemed to be still not satisfied. He pressed a thick thigh against him and said softly, "Master, I heard that Jia Huan spread rumors that he is preparing to recruit us. I don't know if it's true or not."

Li Zicheng sneered, "Jia Huan is an extremely cunning man. He just wants to undermine our morale. Don't forget, we are the kind of people who dug up the emperor's ancestral graves. That dog emperor would love to tear us apart alive. How could he possibly accept our amnesty?"

Xing Honglang nodded and said, "That makes sense. The master is still clear-headed. By the way, I heard from Li Meng that the master has dealt with both Jia Huan and Lu Xiangshan?"

A hint of hatred flashed in Li Zicheng's eyes. Back then, he was a cynical and ambitious young man who wanted to make some money by selling salt in Yangzhou. He met Lu Xiangshan and Jia Huan, but he ended up not only failing to sell salt and make money, but also being imprisoned. He was even humiliated by Jia Huan's cousin, Jia Lian, by urinating on him in public. From then on, he embarked on the path of killing officials and rebelling.

Li Zicheng hated Jia Lian, but he hated Jia Huan even more. Jia Lian's urination was a humiliation he would never forget, while Jia Huan, who repeatedly ruined his plans, made him both jealous and hateful, and he was also afraid of him.

Seeing that Li Zicheng remained silent with a sullen face, Xing Honglang wisely refrained from pressing the matter further. Li Zicheng got up, put on his clothes, and said calmly, "I'm going out to patrol the camp. Jia Huan is a cunning soldier who likes to take risks and launch surprise attacks. We must be careful that he doesn't send anyone to raid the camp."

"Yes, be careful, sir. I'll sleep a little longer," Xing Hongniang said. After Li Zicheng left, she put on her clothes and headed to Gao Yingxiang's central army camp.

Li Zicheng emerged from the darkness, his gaze coldly fixed on Xing Honglang's retreating figure. In truth, he had long known that Xing Honglang was Gao Yingxiang's spy planted beside him, but he simply kept it to himself.

After years of trials and tribulations, Li Zicheng was no longer the naive and angry young man he once was. He had become more shrewd and more patient.

As the saying goes, it's good to take shelter under a big tree. Li Zicheng served Gao Yingxiang not because of the latter's personal charisma, but because he wanted to use Gao Yingxiang's support to strengthen himself. Just like vines clinging to a towering tree, when they are weak, the tree is their support and nourishment. But one day, the vines will climb to the top of the tree and become a shady presence. At that time, the tree will wither and die because it can't get sunlight and rain.

Although Li Zicheng now possesses considerable strength, he is still some distance from the top of the tree. Moreover, Gao Yingxiang's tree has more than just Li Zicheng as a vine; there is also Zhang Xianzhong, a formidable competitor.

To be honest, Li Zicheng did not want Gao Yingxiang to fall so quickly, so when he captured Taiyuan in April of this year, he advised Gao Yingxiang not to dig up the ancestral tombs of the Xu family, so as not to provoke retaliation from the court. However, the latter did not listen at all and still dug up the emperor's ancestral tombs. As a result, retaliation came immediately, and Wang Jiayin, who was a step too slow, was killed by the Beijing garrison.

Now, they are surrounded by government troops again, and Li Zicheng is even more uncertain about facing his old rival Jia Huan. Therefore, although he does not want Gao Yingxiang to fall, he is bound to have other plans at this moment.

…………

Meanwhile, Xing Honglang secretly came to Gao Yingxiang's tent and recounted how he had tested Li Zicheng. After listening, the latter breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "Very good. It is no wonder that I have trusted and valued him so much."

Gao Yingxiang is under a lot of pressure right now. After all, Jia Huan is famous and not someone to be trifled with. And at this time, Jia Huan has spread the word that he wants to offer amnesty to the rebel army. Naturally, Gao Yingxiang is suspicious. He worries that Wang Ziyong and Shen Yikui will accept the amnesty, and he also worries that his soldiers will betray him. That's why he sent Xing Honglang to test Li Zicheng.

Since Li Zicheng's test went smoothly, the next target for testing would be Zhang Xianzhong.

The next day, Gao Yingxiang sent someone to summon Zhang Xianzhong and said mysteriously, "Bingwu (Zhang Xianzhong's courtesy name), Jia Huan has already sent someone to pacify this king."

Zhang Xianzhong's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in return, "What are Your Majesty's plans?"

Gao Yingxiang frowned and said, "I am still hesitating, so I have asked you to come and discuss it with me."

Zhang Xianzhong hurriedly said, "We've dug up the ancestral graves of that dog emperor, how could he possibly let us go? If Your Majesty believes Jia Huan's lies and lays down your weapons to accept the amnesty, then our death is not far off!"

Gao Yingxiang was startled and slapped his forehead, exclaiming in surprise, "Ah, thanks to Bingwu's reminder, I almost made a mistake."

Zhang Xianzhong sneered inwardly. With his cunning, how could he not see that Gao Yingxiang was testing him?

Gao Yingxiang seemed to realize that his acting was a bit exaggerated, so he said some words of comfort and encouragement. In the end, he even made a big promise to Zhang Xianzhong, saying that if he conquered the country in the future, he would appoint him as prime minister.

Zhang Xianzhong naturally acted with deep gratitude, vowing to serve the king faithfully, even unto death. Tsk tsk, life truly is like a play, all about acting!

…………

In the blink of an eye, ten days have passed. With the arrival of November, Shaanxi Province has officially entered winter, and the weather is getting colder and colder. Fortunately, it hasn't snowed.

Seeing that Jia Huan had not yet made a move, the supervising officers Duan Yong and Feng Ziying could no longer contain themselves and went to Jia Huan's command tent to urge him on.

Feng Ziying said with a bitter face, "Brother Huan, there are less than two months until the New Year. If we don't act now, when will we?"

Duan Yong chimed in, "General Feng is absolutely right. His Majesty is still waiting for the heads of Gao Yingxiang and Wang Ziyong, those two bandit leaders. If this drags on any longer, things might get complicated."

Jia Huan calmly replied, "Haste makes waste. The time isn't right yet, let's wait a little longer!"

Feng Ziying frowned and said, "I, the General, am not afraid of waiting, but the brothers in the Beijing Garrison are getting restless. They are all eager to return to Beijing for the New Year. It has been almost half a year since we set off in May."

Tie Hu coldly said, "Bullshit! The border guards have been stationed in the harsh and cold frontier for ten or eight years. You pampered soldiers of the Beijing Garrison eat the best and use the best. Now you're only out fighting for half a year. What right do you have to complain about being tired? Tell them to stay put!"

Feng Ziying's expression stiffened, and he said with a wry smile, "Tiger is right to scold me. I won't argue with you. I just want to ask when the Governor will make his move. Is that alright?"

"It'll be soon, in the next few days!" Jia Huan said calmly.

Feng Ziying reluctantly cupped his hands in greeting: "Alright, this humble general will now return to await the Governor's orders." With that, he turned and left the command tent.

Duan Yong also made an excuse to leave, caught up with Feng Ziying, and said, "General Feng, please wait."

Feng Ziying stopped and turned around with a smile, "What advice does Eunuch Duan have for me?"

Duan Yong deliberately sighed, "Lord Jia has always been like this in his military strategy. Once he has made a decision, no one can object. Yet all the generals and soldiers trust him, and as the supervising officer, I can only go along with everything. Alas, they are just a few hundred thousand rabble. In fact, our 60,000 elite troops are enough to sweep them away in one blow. But Lord Jia wants to use some kind of divisive tactic. In my opinion, it is simply unnecessary and a waste of time."

Feng Ziying smiled calmly and said, "Brother Huan is a very decisive person. He has always been a brilliant strategist. Listening to him is the right thing to do. I was too impatient. If the strategy of sowing discord is effective, it can greatly reduce our casualties. Why not do it?"

Duan Yong had originally intended to sow discord, but seeing that Feng Ziying's tone was off, he immediately changed his tune, saying, "General Feng is right. Actually, I'm also a little anxious. Alas, it's all because of those damned villains Gao Yingxiang and Wang Ziyong. They even dared to touch the imperial tombs. I can't rest easy until these two traitors are eliminated!"

Feng Ziying nodded and said with emotion, "When the ruler is in distress, the subject is disgraced; when the ruler is disgraced, the subject dies. This general also wishes he could tear these traitors to pieces immediately. Don't worry, Eunuch Duan, none of them will escape."

As Feng Ziying spoke, he mounted his horse, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Eunuch Duan, I'll be returning to camp now. Farewell!"

Duan Yong could only smile and return the greeting with a bow, watching Feng Ziying speed away. His expression shifted, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether Feng Ziying was someone he could win over.

Inside the command tent, Tie Hu said in a deep voice, "Third Master, that brat Man Gui is getting very close to Duan Yong now..."

Jia Huan gave a casual "hmm," seemingly unconcerned, and turned to ask Chen Qiyu beside him, "Mr. Chen, when will Zhang Miaoshou arrive?"

Chen Qiyu replied respectfully, "It should arrive this afternoon."

Zhang Miaoshou is the bandit leader who surrendered some time ago. After Jia Huan dismissed his subordinates, he settled him in Fengxiang Prefecture as a minor official in charge of the warehouse. Now he can be put to good use.

As one of the former leaders of the rebel army, Zhang Miaoshou was naturally very familiar with Shen Yikui, Wang Ziyong, Gao Yingxiang, and others.

　Happy New Year! Wishing everyone success and all the best in 2026.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)