Chapter 29: Folly

Wei Yan was taken aback. What was going on? Was it wrong for him to defeat the enemy commander?

The situation on the battlefield changed in the blink of an eye. While he had enjoyed his one-on-one duel, his cavalry was no match for the enemy's, and a dozen men were struck down in a single charge. Worse yet, the bandits were actually capable of launching repeated charges.

Shi Ren made a split-second decision, ordering his spearmen forward to harass the enemy and his archers to rain down arrows, blocking the infantry behind them before pressing the army forward. By the time Wei Yan regained his composure, the situation had been somewhat brought under control.

Wei Yan felt a wave of shame. He aspired to be a great general; he could not be seen as a mere man of brute strength. He quickly spurred his horse forward, aiming for the remaining enemy knights.

After the burly man hit the ground, he started to rise, but several spearmen stepped forward, their spearheads leveled at him. Seeing this, the man ceased his resistance. Zhao Shaojie approached and said, "Order your men to surrender immediately."

The man glanced at Zhao Shaojie, seemingly too lazy to respond, and simply closed his eyes. Though frustrated, Zhao Shaojie could do nothing about it. Fortunately, aside from a small group of die-hards who resisted to the end, most of the men laid down their weapons once they saw their leader had been captured.

...

"Are you sure? Have you searched every nook and cranny?" Shi Ren shouted at the soldiers clearing the battlefield.

"There is truly no sign of Colonel Ma!" his men replied.

Shi Ren quickly looked to Zhao Shaojie. "Shaojie, Youchang is still missing. What should we do?"

Zhao Shaojie was also at a loss. It seemed Ma Su had really vanished on his own.

"Forget it. A grown man like him won't die easily. Besides, there’s plenty of wild fruit in this area; he’ll be fine," Zhao Shaojie said.

Shi Ren asked anxiously, "Didn't you say wild fruit shouldn't be eaten? That it’s all poisonous?"

Zhao Shaojie, not expecting Shi Ren to use his own words against him, snapped, "How would I know? Look, don't worry. Even if Ma Su is dead, the Lord won't blame you. If the Ma family gives you trouble, just say I provoked him, and that the lad couldn't handle the pressure, which led him to charge recklessly and suffer defeat."

"Are you satisfied now?"

Shi Ren’s face lit up, and he stammered, "Can I really do that?"

"Burn the wooden huts here and take the prisoners back!" Zhao Shaojie said impatiently.

In truth, a thought had occurred to Zhao Shaojie. In history, after Ma Su lost Jieting, he also disappeared for a time—not by suicide or vanishing, but by going to seek clemency. Although this defeat was not a capital offense, Ma Su was proud and arrogant; he was likely hiding because he couldn't bear to face anyone. He just wondered if Ma Su had returned to Jing Province or gone to find Mi Fang and Xu Shu.

With this thought, Zhao Shaojie felt less worried about Ma Su and his mood lifted; he felt he had secured a victory after all. After destroying the bandits' hideout, they escorted the captives back to the city.

...

Just as Zhao Shaojie was pleased, Liu Bei was also in high spirits.

"I never imagined that Wu Ju and Lai Gong would be so righteous. I sent troops into Jiaozhou, and the two offered no resistance, following my orders without question. It truly makes me feel ashamed!" Because Jiaozhou was so far from Fancheng, the telegram sent by Mi Fang and Xu Shu had only just arrived.

Zhuge Liang and the others were also greatly encouraged and offered their congratulations.

"The Lord is a benevolent ruler; all those in the world who cherish the Han Dynasty yearn for him!"

"This is entirely due to the Lord's virtue!"

Liu Bei remained expressionless, shaking his head slightly. He said calmly, "Mi Fang also said they analyzed the situation in Jiaozhou and concluded that the Shi family’s power is too great to be moved lightly. They plan to go to the nearby Yulin Commandery, and they are unsure if the Shi family will intervene."

Zhuge Liang and the others wore expressions of concern. After a moment of silence, Pang Tong said, "Shi Xie has no ambition to vie for the world. I suspect he will not make things difficult for the Lord."

"I hope so," Liu Bei mused.

...

Bushan County.

After returning, Zhao Shaojie prepared to take the prisoners to Panyu to work in the mines. However, when the Administrator Gu Zhao saw them, he exclaimed, "This man is Liu Yan, a Cavalry Commandant under the former Inspector of Jiaozhou, Zhu Fu! I can't believe he is still alive!"

Zhao Shaojie and the others were stunned. A Cavalry Commandant? No wonder he was so fierce!

However, Zhao Shaojie didn't think much of it; he intended to wait for Liu Yan to surrender on his own. After all, someone so unruly would be difficult to manage without breaking his spirit.

The next day, Zhao Shaojie gave Shi Ren some advice: "Remember, most victories are achieved by having more men than the enemy. Even when winning with fewer troops, it is still a matter of having superior numbers in a specific sector. Never be arrogant enough to think you can always win with fewer men, but don't have too many either—maintain the possibility of battle."

"Maintain this low-intensity warfare well. Train an army capable of fighting; we will have great use for it in the second half of the year."

Shi Ren patted his chest and agreed. The journey continued in silence.

...

On this day, Zhao Shaojie returned to Guangxin.

Only Wu Ju and Yuan Lin remained in Guangxin. Yuan Lin was now the Cangwu Commandant.

That evening, they held a banquet, and everyone sat together in the hall. Wu Ju was very solicitous. "Colonel Zhao is truly the young hero our Lord envisioned. Without losing a single soldier, you managed to take Nanhai from the hands of the Shi family. I am impressed!"

Truth be told, after Wu Ju arrived in Jiaozhou, he immediately drew the alertness of Shi Xie, and relations between the two sides were poor. When he heard that Shi Xie hadn't cared whether they occupied Nanhai or not, Wu Ju had been stunned. Was this really the style of the "uncrowned king" of Jiaozhou, Shi Xie?

Zhao Shaojie smiled slightly. It wasn't that he was intentionally being modest; he hadn't been very sure himself at the time, but it just so happened that Shi Wu had died.

"Administrator Wu is too kind," Zhao Shaojie said.

Another man nearby spoke up loudly, "Colonel Zhao, there is no need for such humility. That old scoundrel Shi Xie is extremely overbearing; he wishes for all the commanderies in Jiaozhou to be governed by his own kin. For you to take Nanhai from the Shi family's grasp, I, too, am deeply impressed."

Zhao Shaojie did not recognize the man. Wu Ju immediately introduced him: "This is my commandant, Qu Jing, also a fierce warrior!"

Zhao Shaojie was taken aback. What a strange name; he had never heard of it. Still, he laughed and said, "I have long admired your reputation."

Qu Jing sneered and shook his head. "I killed my former lord; why would anyone admire me? It seems Colonel Zhao does not know me at all."

Zhao Shaojie felt embarrassed at being called out. Fortunately, Qu Jing didn't mind and continued, "The former Inspector of Jiaozhou, Zhang Jin, was obsessed with ghosts and spirits, harming the people and the soldiers. I killed him with a clear conscience!" After explaining himself briefly, he added, "May I ask, Colonel Zhao, now that Cao Cao has pacified most of the world, do we truly have a foothold following Lord Xuande?"

As these words fell, Wu Ju also looked at Zhao Shaojie intently. Zhao Shaojie glanced at Yuan Lin and Wei Yan; he didn't need to worry about these two—if he told them to die for Liu Bei, they wouldn't hesitate. But with men like Wu Ju and Qu Jing, it was hard to say.

"Haha..." Zhao Shaojie took the initiative with a loud laugh. "How foolish! The founding Emperor was trapped by Xiang Yu time and again, yet whose world did it eventually become?"