Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

Li Cenji raised his head, met Qiu Gongyu's gaze, and said solemnly:

"Commander Qiu, that's a good question. I will tell you the truth: I naturally despise looting. But I also understand that in these extraordinary times, suppressing the bandits is the most important thing. Looting is common in the army, and if every single one is investigated, the allied forces will collapse in an instant. Therefore, I will never hold you two commanders accountable for looting."

He paused, his voice softening:

"Lord Zheng once taught me that in all things, the greater good must be taken into account. Now, the greater good is to punish the traitors; everything else can give way to the greater good."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Gongyu's expression softened slightly, and he nodded gently, but did not ask any further questions.

Cheng Zongchu also breathed a sigh of relief, but was still somewhat puzzled, and asked again:

"Then why did you single out Tang Hongfu? He plundered Chang'an, and so did I. Why is he guilty, but I am not?"

Li Cenji turned around, looked at Cheng Zongchu, and said:

"When Zheng Gong was in Mei County, he told me that he had instructed Commander Tang to restrain his troops from disturbing the people. Commander Tang readily agreed, but after entering Chang'an, his soldiers continued to plunder without restraint. Commander Cheng, you are a veteran general, you should know what is most important in the army? It is strict obedience to orders and unity between superiors and subordinates. Commander Tang is two-faced, saying one thing to Zheng Gong's face and another behind his back. Zheng Gong is my mentor, and his words have been so disrespected by Commander Tang. As his disciple, how can I swallow this insult?"

He spoke slowly and deliberately, yet every word resonated deeply.

"This is like 'a son scolding his father.' How can a son tolerate this? If I were to tolerate a disciple disrespecting his teacher, how could I face the world afterward?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zongchu opened his mouth, but for a moment he was speechless.

Although he was a rough man, he understood the importance of respecting teachers.

Li Cenji's words were reasonable and logical, and he had no way to refute them.

Seeing that he remained silent, Li Cenji continued:

"That's the first point. Secondly, tonight, Commander Tang is forcing his soldiers to spend the night in the open for a few pieces of silk. Commander Cheng, Commander Qiu, think about it. We are currently surrounded by the rebel army, and our food and water supplies are scarce. The lives of over ten thousand men in the camp depend entirely on morale. If the soldiers catch a cold or become resentful, what will those soldiers who have been freezing all night use to defend themselves if the rebels attack? If anyone harbors discontent and mutinies, where will we put our lives?"

His voice deepened, emphasizing each word:

"Commander Tang's actions are like placing the lives of over ten thousand soldiers on the edge of a cliff; the slightest misstep could lead to utter destruction. If I do not severely punish him to show the soldiers what is what, this camp will be in chaos before sunrise tomorrow!"

There was a long silence in the tent.

Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes.

In this respect, that old man Tang Hongfu really went too far.

Qiu Gongyu sighed deeply, shook his head, and said:

"Jingzhi, even so, you shouldn't have torn off the mask of civility so directly. Explain the reasons and let Commander Tang and the soldiers admit their mistake..."

Li Cenji pointed to Tang Dafoye, who was being held captive by Xu Tai and others with his mouth gagged, and asked:

"Two generals, did I not offer some kind advice? Just now, I explained the cause and effect to General Tang, but he didn't take it seriously. My words were sharp, so General Tang used his seniority to intimidate me. I had no choice but to resort to this tactic..."

Cheng and Qiu looked at each other, and upon careful consideration, they realized that Tang Hongfu had indeed not taken the matter to heart or paid any attention to Li Cenji.

Seeing that the two men were no longer speaking up for Tang Hongfu, and that their attitudes had clearly changed, Li Cenji clasped his hands in a fist salute again and said:

"Rest assured, my two commanders, I know that you still have one concern in your hearts."

Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu both looked at him.

Li Cenji said frankly:

"You two are probably worried that if I capture Tang Hongfu tonight, I'll use this opportunity to annex the Shuofang army and then look for a chance to attack Jingyuan and Qinzhou in the future. Am I right?"

Cheng Zongchu's expression changed slightly, and Qiu Gongyu also shifted his body uncomfortably.

Li Cenji laughed, a laugh devoid of any mockery, but rather carrying a hint of sincerity:

"It is only natural for the two generals to have such concerns. Tonight, I will make my statement in front of the two generals: the Shuofang Army still has more than a thousand soldiers, which I will not take at all, and will all be transferred to the armies of the two generals. As for the silk and satin in Tang Hongfu's tent, the two generals may take them as they see fit, and I will not take a penny."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zongchu abruptly stood up, his eyes widening as he said:

"Jingzhi, what did you say?"

"I say, the troops of the Shuofang Army can be divided between the two commanders."

Li Cenji repeated it, his expression calm.

"I have no shortage of these thousand or so men under my command. Moreover, my capture of Tang Hongfu tonight was to rectify military discipline and stabilize morale, not to seize his troops and wealth. These spoils of war should have been obtained by Tang Hongfu's troops through looting; they are ill-gotten gains, and I disdain them. If the two commanders don't mind, they can take them to reward their own brothers, which can be considered as accumulating some good karma for Tang Hongfu."

Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

Cheng Zongchu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then felt that nothing he said would be appropriate.

If he refuses, it would seem pretentious; if he accepts, it would feel like a hot potato.

Finally, it was Qiu Gongyu who spoke up. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Cenji and said:

"I admire Li Liuhou's noble character."

He didn't say whether he would accept it or not, but the meaning behind his words was crystal clear.

Li Cenji smiled, not pressing for details, but simply turned to Xu Tai and said:

"Take Commander Tang away and keep a close watch on him. Do not neglect him. After the rebels retreat, we will ask Lord Zheng to decide his fate."

Xu Tai responded and lifted Tang Hongfu up from the ground.

However, Cheng and Qiu turned a blind eye to such behavior and remained calmly seated on their high platforms.

With his mouth gagged, Tang Hongfu struggled, sobbing and whimpering. His old eyes were filled with resentment and unwillingness, but he could not break free. Xu Tai pushed and shoved him out of the tent.

As the tent flap fell, Li Cenji turned around, cupped his hands in greeting to Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu, and said:

"My lords, I have offended you greatly tonight. It is getting late, you should both return to your camps and rest. If the rebels attack our camp tomorrow, we will need your command and coordination. I will remain here to guard against any unforeseen events during the night."

Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu also stood up and returned the greeting with clasped hands.

Cheng Zongchu took two steps, then suddenly stopped, turned back to look at Li Cenji, and hesitated before speaking.

Li Cenji said:

"Does Commander Cheng have any further instructions?"

Cheng Zongchu shook his head and sighed:

"Enough, enough. Of all the people I've fought in my life, you're the one I understand the least."

After he finished speaking, without waiting for Li Cenji's reply, he lifted the curtain and strode out.

Qiu Gongyu lagged half a step behind, but left without saying a word, and also lifted the curtain and left.

The tent finally quieted down.

Li Cenji stood alone in the center of the empty tent. The candlelight flickered beside him, casting a long shadow on the tent wall.

-----------------

The two left Li Cenji's central command tent and walked side by side along the camp's passageway.

The night wind carried a hint of blood, causing the tent flaps on both sides to flutter loudly.

Upon seeing the two military commanders from afar, the night sentry immediately straightened his back and kept his eyes straight ahead.

After walking an arrow's length away, Cheng Zongchu suddenly slowed his pace, signaling his guards behind him to step back. He turned to look at Qiu Gongyu and whispered:

"Commander Qiu, do you believe what that kid said at the end?"

Qiu Gongyu also slowed his pace and did not answer immediately.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the scattered campfires ahead. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke:

Which sentence?

"It's that line—why did they only target Tang Hongfu?"

Cheng Zongchu raised his hand, twirling his short mustache between his thumb and forefinger. His eyes, which usually carried a hint of roughness, now gleamed with a shrewdness in the firelight.

"He said things like 'scolding one's father' and 'disrespecting one's teacher to one's student,' which sounded quite high-sounding. But I always felt that the kid had already decided to take action from the moment he invited us here."

Qiu Gongyu paused, turned around and looked at Cheng Zongchu.

Cheng Zongchu met his gaze and continued:

"Think about it, what did he say when he sent his guards to invite us? He told us to bring our guards and put on our armor, saying that there might be a mutinous army raiding the camp, and we had to be on guard. But how did he know there would be a mutiny? Unless he was the one who started this mutiny."

After hearing this, Qiu Gongyu nodded slightly but did not reply.

Cheng Zongchu then said:

"I kept quiet in the tent to save face for him. But once we're outside, I have to tell you what I have to say."

Although Cheng Zongchu was somewhat reckless in his daily life, he had been working in the military for decades. Anyone who could become a military governor was as shrewd as a sponge.

Qiu Gongyu finally spoke:

"Commander Cheng is right. Tonight's events were no coincidence. I reckon that from the moment Tang Hongfu escaped into the camp, that kid Li Cenji was already plotting to capture him."

Cheng Zongchu raised an eyebrow:

"Oh?"

Qiu Gongyu stroked his beard and slowly said:

"Think about it, what was Tang Hongfu like when he fled into our camp? He had only a little over a thousand soldiers, most of them wounded, his organization incomplete, and his morale low. His Shuofang soldiers, though called soldiers, were mostly newly recruited militia, incomparable to our veterans from Jingyuan and Qinzhou. If we don't take him down now, when will we?"

Cheng Zongchu nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Qiu Gongyu continued:

"Furthermore, we are now surrounded by the rebel army, with 30,000 to 40,000 eyes watching us. If we make a scene, none of us will get out alive. That kid is taking this into account, which is why he dared to make a move openly in front of us. He is betting that I and Commander Cheng will not turn against him for Tang Hongfu. If we do turn against him, the result will be that we all die under the rebel army's blade."

As for surrendering to Huang Chao?

Huang Chao was already trapped, and surrendering to him would only lead to certain death.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zongchu also agreed, and said in a low voice:

"I was just thinking about this in the tent. That young man looks young, but he's quite shrewd. He's even managed to get the two of us old folks involved."

The two looked at each other in silence and walked a few steps in silence.

The night wind swept through the camp, causing the torch flames to flicker and cast dappled shadows on the two men's faces.

After a long while, Cheng Zongchu spoke again, his voice lower than before:

"So, in Commander Qiu's opinion, what should we do? Turn against each other?"

Qiu Gongyu shook his head, his tone indifferent:

"Why turn against us? Turning against us now would mean we all die together. Besides, there's no need to turn against us."

Cheng Zongchu stopped and turned around to look at Qiu Gongyu.

Qiu Gongyu also stopped, the two of them standing three steps apart, their eyes meeting.

"Commander Cheng, let me ask you a question."

Qiu Gong encountered the Dao,

"Do you believe the guarantees Li Cenji made in the tent just now?"

Cheng Zongchu thought for a moment and said:

"Although I think he's a deep and calculating man, that kid has always been sensible in his words and actions. He said he didn't want a single soldier from Shuofang or a single penny from Tang Hongfu, and I believe he can keep his word. Besides, if he really wanted to annex our two towns, he wouldn't have needed to be so explicit in front of us. He could have just quietly taken Tang Hongfu, and once the deed was done, with powerful enemies all around, what could we do? He insisted on inviting us here, taking action right in front of us, and even handing over Shuofang's troops and money—this is his way of showing us his true intentions."

Qiu Gongyu nodded:

"That's what I think too. But I'm afraid it's more than that; there's also the intention of making an example of someone."

Cheng Zongchu sighed, kicked a small pebble away, and the pebble rolled away, hitting a tent pole with a soft thud.

"Commander Qiu, let me speak from the bottom of my heart."

Cheng Zongchu said,

"Huang Chao is now trapped, surrounded by the court's forces on all sides. He won't be able to cause trouble for much longer. Once Huang Chao is defeated and the Emperor is welcomed back to Chang'an, the court will reward those who have contributed. I will receive my reward and return to Jingyuan, while Commander Qiu will return to Qinzhou. In the future, we may not see Li Cenji for three to five years. In that case, why should we fall out with that kid over a few unprovable speculations?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Gongyu smiled faintly, a smile that carried a hint of relief and approval of Cheng Zongchu's words.

"Commander Cheng is right."

Qiu Gong encountered the Dao,

"Since we'll be going our separate ways in the future, we should cherish this relationship even more now. Li Cenji may be young, but he's quite capable. If he inherits Zheng Xianggong's mantle, he might very well achieve great things. Let's build a good relationship with him; we might need him in the future."

Cheng Zongchu laughed heartily and patted Qiu Gongyu on the shoulder:

"General Qiu's words resonate with me perfectly. It's settled then."

Qiu Gongyu was swayed by the slap, but he was not angry. He just stroked his beard and smiled.

The two walked side by side for a while until they reached a fork in the road. Cheng Zongchu pointed eastward toward his own camp and said:

"I'm heading that way. Commander Qiu, you should also get some rest. We have important business to attend to before dawn tomorrow."

Qiu Gongyu clasped his hands in greeting and said, "General Cheng, please wait."

The two men, each leading their own soldiers, went their separate ways.

The next day, before dawn, the camp was already bustling with activity.

As expected, Li Cenji kept his word and sent men to plead for revenge before dawn. Cheng and his men went to take over Tang Hongfu's more than a thousand Shuofang soldiers.