Chapter 54: The Gathering Storm of War

Li Gui twirled the great axe in his hand, lightly rubbing his thumb against the blade, his words overflowing with a murderous intent that pierced the heavens.

"I am no hero, but I disdain to shift blame onto others or frame the innocent."

"This deed was done by your grandfather here, and I am not afraid for the whole world to know!"

"If that old man Cai Jing is dissatisfied, let him send men to trouble your grandfather!"

"Enrage me, and I will march straight to Tokyo, let this thief see for himself whether he or your grandfather dies first!"

"If you are afraid, you may leave the mountain right now and go take up your official posts. All consequences will be borne entirely by this one."

The surrounding generals immediately looked as if they had lost their parents, uncertain whether Li Gui was speaking in earnest or in jest. If they turned and fled now, would an axe come flying after them?

"Big Brother is truly a hero!" Zhu Fu suddenly shouted with a face full of excitement.

"Master always said that once Big Brother became an official, he would change, and I have always worried."

"Seeing you today, Big Brother is still the same Big Brother, and has never changed at all!"

"The reason I, Zhu Fu, came up this mountain was because I was driven to a dead end by corrupt officials. How could I ever allow myself to become like that?"

He ripped the cloth wrap from his head, threw it violently to the ground, and cried out with passionate fervor:

"If becoming an official means betraying one's brothers and becoming no different from the scoundrels I despise, then I'd rather not be an official at all!"

Hearing this, Li Gui laughed heartily. "Well said, Zhu Fu!"

"These words of yours suit my heart entirely. From this day forward, you are my brother!"

"Your elder brother cannot guarantee you wealth and glory, and may not even be able to protect your life!"

"Following your brother, you might offend the powerful one day and die a battlefield death."

"But your brother can promise you this: since our brothers have come to this world, we shall look up without shame before heaven and look down without guilt before earth!"

"Whatever we do, our consciences shall remain clear!"

Listening from the side, Li Yun felt a surge of hot blood through his veins, and he could not help clapping and praising:

"Well spoken!"

"General Li is truly a hero, just as brother Zhu Fu said!"

"In the past, I was blind and regarded General Li as a mere mortal."

"It is a pity that I made the General's acquaintance too late and failed to befriend him sooner. That is truly one of life's great regrets!"

Zhu Fu stepped forward to take Li Yun's hand and smiled. "It is not too late to befriend him now. Big Brother, Master Li Yun has long been known to me, and he is also a stout and upright man."

Li Gui slanted his eyes and said with a mocking tone, "I heard your family has generations of constables. Could it be that you are now coming up the mountain to turn bandit?"

Li Yun glared, flying into a rage. "Damn the family tradition!"

"Now I realize that unless one passes the imperial examinations, none of them are considered human—they are merely dogs raised by the masters!"

"I once saved the magistrate's life amidst a pile of corpses, yet he showed not the slightest bit of gratitude. Every time he saw me, his eyes were filled with utter disgust. Did he think I didn't know?"

"Since he does not treat me as a human being, why should I care about his life?"

"If Big Brother wishes to attack the county seat right now, this younger brother is willing to serve as the vanguard!"

Li Gui stared at him fixedly for a moment, reached out to take his hand, and laughed loudly. "Today I finally know that the Blue-Eyed Tiger is also a hero. From now on, you too are my brother!"

The two stood facing each other, clasping hands tightly, and burst into laughter that echoed toward the sky, immensely carefree and gratified.

Huang Silao and Li Laoqi nearby wished to join them, but remembering the official posts soon to be within their grasp, they hesitated for a long time and ultimately failed to open their mouths.

The other minor generals naturally felt the same way.

With his arms around the shoulders of his two newly made sworn brothers, Li Gui swaggered out of the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness to find a place to drink, leaving the rest behind without another glance.

Those who try to ride two horses at once deserve to amount to nothing for the rest of their lives!

Putting aside how matters were discussed in the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness after the three of them left, Li Gui brought the other two straight to the mess hall, ordered the kitchen to prepare wine and food, and the three drank heavily. The more they spoke, the more compatible they found themselves, and Li Yun simply decided to stay on the mountain and not return.

Meanwhile, Magistrate Ding waited and waited in the county seat, but for several days there was no sign of Li Yun's return. Realizing the situation was ominous—fearing Li Yun had already been slaughtered by that Li Gui—he hurriedly summoned Master Song to discuss countermeasures.

Master Song pondered for a long time without finding a solution, and could only say helplessly, "Master, our only course of action now is perhaps to suppress the bandits after all!"

Magistrate Ding was startled upon hearing this. "The imperial decree for amnesty has just been issued; surely it won't be easy to rescind it?"

Master Song shook his head and explained, "That depends on which of the ministers in the court cares more."

"In fact, if it were up to me, we might as well pretend nothing has happened and let the amnesty process continue."

"A few months from now, once all these bandits have gone to take up their posts elsewhere, destroying them then will be as easy as turning over one's hand."

"The problem is, if we do not launch a suppression campaign promptly, I fear that within a few months all this wealth will be spent. By the time we finally eliminate the gang, this Birthday Genista will be unrecoverable."

Hearing this, Magistrate Ding was suddenly enlightened.

Which was more important, affairs of state or the Birthday Genista? Did one even need to ask?

Of course the Birthday Genista was more important!

Even the Emperor himself had said that the Great Song Dynasty was in an era of boundless prosperity; did it lack this little bit?

What harm would a few blunders in state affairs do?

Could they possibly ruin the bigger picture?

But once the Birthday Genista was gone, it was truly gone!

Grand Tutor Cai only celebrated his birthday once a year, and his mood must not be ruined by bandits.

"Master, whether to endure for the moment, scatter and divide the bandits to deal with them later, or simply proceed directly with suppression is no longer something we can decide. We must report this matter upward and see what the authorities above think."

Magistrate Ding might have been clueless about routine administrative affairs, but when it came to court politics, he was quite shrewd. Even using his heels to think, he could guess what the final verdict from above would be.

"But... but if I report this news, my official career..." Magistrate Ding's face was full of hesitation, his hands trembling as he found himself unable to make a decision.

Seeing this expression, Master Song immediately knew that his master was having another attack of timidity.

He sighed inwardly and advised:

"Master, do you think Grand Tutor Cai cares more about that Birthday Genista, or about your official position?"

"If Master acts on his own discretion and misses the prime opportunity to retake the Birthday Genista, how deeply Grand Tutor Cai will hate you!"

"By then, forget an official post—Master won't even keep his head!"

"Conversely, if Master reports the matter promptly, and by some fluke we successfully suppress the Yu Mountain bandits and recover the Birthday Genista, then when rewards are distributed based on merit, surely there will be a share for Master, right?"

"At the very least, Master is someone who has had his name called outside the East Florescence Gate; surely even the military generals will get credit while you, the local official, are left out?"

"Losing the Birthday Genista within one's borders is indeed no small crime, but retaking it brings even greater merit!"

Magistrate Ding awoke as if from a dream, grabbed Master Song's hand, and said excitedly, "Having you, Changping, is like a fish finding water!"

Immediately, Magistrate Ding drafted an official dispatch and sent it by fast courier to the prefectural city.