Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 199 Darkness in the Wind
In the general's mansion, the lights flickered like beans, swaying in the wind.

Huan Hong opened the secret letter sent from the west, and his expression gradually turned ugly.

Huan Xuan was not pleased with him at the moment, and in his letter he criticized his incompetence. He said that it was bad enough that he couldn't even protect Huan Chong's foundation, but his order to win over Liu Daogui to his side had no effect.

Huan Hong originally intended to instigate a power struggle between Liu Yi and Liu Daogui to weaken their strength before trying to win them back.

But unexpectedly, neither of them fell for the trap.

Just as he was feeling annoyed, a voice outside the door said softly, "General, Military Advisor Liu has come to visit."

"Military Advisor Liu, which Military Advisor Liu?"

"Consultant Liu Yi".

Huan Hong's eyes showed a hint of disappointment. "Let him in."

Liu Yi's late-night visit must have been for something important.

A short while later, Liu Yi pushed open the door and entered, "Greetings, General!"

Huan Hong didn't reply, just stared at him coldly.

Liu Yi found a seat, sat cross-legged, and quietly looked at Huan Hong.

"How dare you!" Huan Hong now hated him to the bone and didn't even want to pretend anymore. With a wave of his hand, a figure moved outside the door, its projection on the door and window, with the long sword and crossbow particularly conspicuous.

Huan Hong also placed his hand on his weapon, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.

It was his killing of Huan Daozhen and Xun Xinzhi that caused Duke Huan to lose his right-hand men and his control over the military government.

But Liu Yi waved his sleeve, picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup, and said, "This tea is cold and has no taste at all."

Huan Hong became even more suspicious of her calm demeanor. "Aren't you really afraid of death?"

Liu Yi chuckled and spread his hands, "I knew long ago that the general wanted to get rid of me, and I have come here today to die."

“You—” Huan Hong’s expression was one of surprise and uncertainty.

He knew Liu Yi very well; he was ambitious and would never sit idly by and wait for his doom.

"Since the general is reluctant to take action, why not listen to my advice?" Liu Yi, with the demeanor of a renowned scholar, remained calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before him.

Huan Hong took a deep breath. "Let me try to explain."

"General, are you aware that Liu Daogui secretly joined forces with Yuan He a few days ago?"

"What?" Huan Hong's expression changed. He had worked with Yuan He for seven or eight years and knew how cunning this old fox was. The Yuan family of Runan was a top aristocratic family during the Han and Wei dynasties, producing Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. After the migration of the elite south, their influence had greatly diminished.

However, the Yuan family never gave up their desire for revival.

Although their social standing had declined, they still had people in both the imperial court and local areas.

It is a force not to be underestimated.

"Are you trying to trick me?" Huan Hong was incredulous, not understanding why Yuan He would bet on someone from a poor family.

Just as he understood why Huan Xuan valued the brothers Liu Yu and Liu Daogui so much.

"The news is absolutely true, General. There is no need to doubt it. With the two of them working together, both General and I are in grave danger. Otherwise, why would I have taken such a great risk to visit you in the middle of the night? Nowadays, everyone in the military government only knows Liu Daogui and not General. If this continues, we will be in grave danger!"

Liu Yi calmly poured Huan Hong a cup of tea, saying, "Although the tea is a bit cold, it can help cool you down. General, you may wish to have a drink."

His demeanor and actions made it seem as if he were the master of the place.

Huan Hong's eyes darted around, and he suddenly laughed, "Oh, Brother Liu, you're too kind. My family is about to unify Jingzhou and Xiangyang, and the Sima family will not last long. Brother Liu is a dragon among men, and he should know the principle that a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on. Now, the entire military government can only rely on you, Brother Liu."

If you can't instigate Liu Daogui to deal with Liu Yi, you might as well instigate Liu Yi to deal with Liu Daogui.

The effect is the same.

Liu Yi offered himself up, which was exactly what he intended.

Huan Hong came from a prominent aristocratic family and was exposed to infighting from a young age. He was adept at it, and in the face of a common enemy, personal grudges were insignificant. Moreover, a gentleman's revenge is never too late. With Liu Daogui down, Liu Yi won't last long either.

“If the general joins forces with his subordinates, Liu Daogui is nothing to worry about! He holds military power and cannot be touched for the time being, but we might as well start with someone else!” Liu Yi’s face swayed in the lamplight.

Soon, their smug laughter rang out together...

A ship at Guangling Port.

More than two hundred young men, all around twenty years old, stood motionless on the deck, their eyes shining and their faces radiant.

They were elites selected from various buildings, and their loyalty was beyond question, having been tested by the supervisors and officials.

Many people went south voluntarily.

In the past two years, people have had enough to eat, and everyone is strong and healthy, exuding a high-spirited and positive energy.

"Meet the soldiers!"

The biggest advantage of the eight buildings is their high efficiency and strong mobilization capabilities; they never drag their feet.

"You all know what we're here for, right?"

"We know!" everyone answered in unison.

"We sent you all south not to enjoy yourselves. Guangling and Nanling are one family, and all people from all over the world are brothers. From now on, these military households are also our brothers and sisters. We must unite them as one."

"Leader!"

After a brief mobilization, the sails were raised, and the boats traveled along the canal to Xiapi, then walked south to Sheyangpi, the site of the military households' garrison.

Although it involved a long detour, it managed to deceive people.

In fact, during this period, there have been more and more people lurking around outside the Central Military Commissioner's Office.

Wherever Liu Daogui went, there were always some unidentified people following him. It was unclear whether they were Huan Hong's men or people sent by other forces.

Yuan He had previously warned that his and his brother Liu Yu's outstanding performance on the battlefield had already attracted the attention of those in power.

At this time, it's best to keep a low profile as much as possible.

Donning his cloak, he prepared to return to the city, but on the way he encountered Liu Huaizhen, whose face was somewhat grim. "General Huan ordered me to go to Xiangyang to appease Yang Quanqi and the people of Xiangyang."

"What? The war between the tribes of the Western Prefecture is none of the Northern Prefecture's business? Why does Huan Hong need to send people to appease them? It's completely meddling in other people's business." Liu Daogui said incredulously.

This military order contains so much.

Liu Huaizhen's face was grim. "The military order has been issued. We will set off this afternoon, accompanied by fifty members of the Huan family."

Liu Zun cursed, "Isn't this blatantly sending you to your death?"

Yang Quanqi is known to be arrogant and self-willed, and looks down on people from Jiangzuo. Now that Huan Xuan, Yin Zhongkan, and Yang Quanqi have made their move, Liu Huaizhen, under the guise of Huan Hong's Chief Secretary, went to Xiangyang to appease Yang Quanqi and the people of Xiangyang, which is simply testing Yang Quanqi's patience...

There's no need to be so obvious about using someone else to do your dirty work.

But if Liu Huaizhen doesn't go, that would be disobeying orders, and Huan Hong could punish him according to military law. The fifty troops he sent were there to guard against this.

Liu Daogui was so angry he laughed. Huan Hong wasn't targeting Liu Huaizhen, but rather him.

Liu Huaizhen said, "Nanyong Prefecture was also Huan Wen's former territory, which Yang Quanqi deeply resented."

"Why don't we go to Jingkou immediately and ask Liu Jingxuan to help us?" Liu Zun scratched his head.

"Have you forgotten that Liu Jingxuan has been transferred to Jiankang? A distant water can't quench a nearby fire." The more Liu Daogui tried to be patient and reduce the attention of the higher-ups to the Zheng Lu Army, the more Huan Hong seemed to want to stir up trouble.

"Then what should we do?" Liu Zun asked, his eyes wide.

Liu Huaizhen said, "Good people are always blessed by Heaven. Going to Xiangyang may not necessarily be a dead end. Yang Quanqi can't kill me for no reason. If I stay in Guangling, it will give you a pretext to criticize me and make things difficult for you."

Liu Daogui was a little angry. "What are you saying? We're brothers. What do you mean by making things difficult for me? Do you think Huan Hong will let me off the hook if you go to your death? There are too many people around here, so we shouldn't stay any longer. Let's go back and talk about it."

(End of this chapter)