Chapter 125: Let’s Fight!

Ten days or so ago, Li Yun had overheard a few fragmented remarks about this Grand General from Magistrate Xue. Even then, Li Yun had surmised that the Grand General was likely a man of rigid character—difficult to get along with and utterly lacking in social finesse.

He had not expected the man to be *this* inept at dealing with people.

The nephew of the Chancellor, the chief official of Xuanzhou—they had likely said nothing more than a few words to Li Yun, yet this old man insisted on making such a mountain out of a molehill.

If it had been anyone other than Li Yun being so unceremoniously kicked out by the Grand General, it would have been a direct slap in the face to Cui Shao—a resounding one at that.

Even Li Yun felt a surge of anger. He looked up, stared at the Grand General for a long moment, and after slowly exhaling a breath of frustration, he asked, "Grand General, what 'backdoor' did I use?"

"You know well enough in your own heart; why bother asking?"

Grand General Su stood up, his armor clattering. He said coldly, "When I lead an army, I insist on complete reorganization. If every battalion comes from the same place, each harboring their own agendas, how are we to fight? You, a mere captain from Qingyang County, think you can use the Cui family to undermine my rules?"

"Be off with you."

Su Jing looked down at Li Yun and said flatly, "Go back to Qingyang and continue catching thieves. My army has no place for you."

Upon hearing this, Li Yun calmed down slightly. He looked up at the Grand General and said slowly, "Did the Grand General just say that I should return to Qingyang to continue catching thieves?"

"What of it?" Su Jing frowned. "Do you need me to say it a second time?"

Li Yun took a deep breath. "Grand General, I was ordered by my own magistrate to join the Imperial Army to suppress the rebellion. Since you wish for me to return, please provide me with a written note. You needn't write anything else—just state that the Grand General has ordered me to return to Qingyang to continue catching thieves."

"Hah." Su Jing looked at Li Yun and sneered, "You have quite the temper. A tiny magistrate dares to be mentioned in my presence?"

"Do you think I fear the Magistrate of Qingyang?"

The Grand General, losing his patience, happened to be drafting a document. He took a sheet of blank paper and dashed off a few lines.

*Order for Captain Li Zhao of Qingyang to return to Qingyang for the purpose of catching thieves.*

After writing those lines, he signed it and stamped it with his official seal as the Regional Commander of the Expeditionary Army.

"Let me tell you, I fear neither the 'damned magistrate' you speak of, nor the Cui family behind you. The Imperial Court sent me here to wage war, and it will be done according to my rules!"

"I am sending you back to Qingyang with this single document. If the Cui family feels aggrieved, Chancellor Cui is welcome to send a document of his own to send me back home as well."

"It isn't as if I asked to fight this war!"

Grand General Su’s beard bristled, his words laced with deep-seated resentment.

In his thirties, he had won a string of victories and was hailed as a legendary general of his time. Who would have expected that, in his early forties, he would be cast aside and forced into idle retirement for over a decade due to offending the Imperial Court?

It was impossible for him not to harbor resentment. He had only returned to lead the troops because the court had summoned him, but his inner bitterness had to find an outlet. The Cui family had become the target of his ire.

Li Yun did not indulge him. He stepped forward, took the document, glanced at its contents, and turned to leave without looking back.

Upon reaching the quarters of the Qingyang troops, he gathered them together. Holding the document stamped with the Regional Commander’s seal, he announced loudly, "Grand General Su has ordered our thief-catching unit to return to Qingyang to resume our duties! We are no longer needed here!"

"Where is the thief-catching unit!" Li Yun bellowed.

Over one hundred and fifty of the two hundred men present stood up.

"Here!" they shouted in unison.

Li Yun waved his hand. "Let’s go! We’re heading back to Qingyang!"

These men had been trained by Li Yun himself, and most had been physically disciplined by him at some point. They were utterly devoted to him. Hearing his order, those who had not yet been integrated into the larger army immediately responded in unison. Within mere minutes, they had packed their belongings.

Li Yun took a deep breath and shouted, "Move out!"

The group of over a hundred men marched in a grand procession toward the edge of the Ningguo County military encampment. An officer patrolling the camp immediately sensed something was amiss. He stepped forward to block them, shouting, "What are you doing?"

"No one is to leave the camp without the Grand General’s orders! Get back!"

Li Yun held up the document and retorted, "The Grand General has ordered our Xuanzhou thief-catching unit to return to Xuanzhou to catch thieves! Step aside!"

Li Yun was firm and righteous. The officer hesitated, took the document, and checked it. Seeing the official seal, he wavered and said, "Wait here. I need to ask the Grand General!"

Li Yun stepped forward, snatched the document back, and sneered, "Go ask him yourself. Why are you blocking us?"

With that, he tucked the document into his tunic and marched his men out of the camp. The officer was furious but, cowed by the document, dared not act. He watched Li Yun depart and shouted to his subordinates, "Keep an eye on them! I’m going to see the Grand General!"

"Yes!"

The officer rushed to the central command tent and knelt. "General, Li Zhao of Qingyang has taken over a hundred new recruits and left the camp. He claims you ordered them to return to Qingyang to catch thieves..."

Su Jing’s brush stopped mid-stroke. He looked at the kneeling officer, frowned, and recalled the note he had just written. Realizing he had only ordered Li Yun to leave, not the entire unit, the Grand General erupted in fury, slamming his desk. "How bold!"

"If I don't enforce military law on him today, how will the army know the severity of our discipline?"

"Gather the men! Intercept them and bring that Li Zhao to me in chains!"

The officer looked troubled. "General, the deadline you set is not until tomorrow. Although many have arrived, they have not yet been reorganized or trained. Which men should I summon?"

"Damn it!" Su Jing slammed the table again in rage. "I will lead my own personal guard to pursue them! Bring my horse!"

The old general was livid. After storming out of the command tent, he mounted his horse and took twenty or thirty of his personal guards to give chase. Since Li Yun and his men were on foot, they were quickly overtaken. Grand General Su pulled on his reins, stared at Li Yun, and shouted, "Li Zhao, you have a lot of nerve!"

"I told you to return to Qingyang alone! How dare you lead my soldiers away!"

"You have violated military law! I could execute you right now!"

Li Yun was completely unfazed. He looked up at Su Jing and shouted back, "The Grand General ordered me to return to Qingyang to catch thieves. These men behind me are the Qingyang thief-catching unit; all of Xuanzhou knows this!"

"To catch thieves, one must naturally bring a thief-catching unit."

"As for the men originally meant to be sent from Qingyang, Magistrate Xue will send the rest in due time."

Li Yun added coldly, "Does the Grand General intend to go back on his word?"

"You have a silver tongue, but don't think you can argue your way out of this!" Su Jing barked. "Seize him! Drag him to my command tent!"

Although Grand General Su had not led troops for years, his personal guards were elite soldiers from his earlier days. Upon his command, two or three of them leaped off their horses and charged at Li Yun.

Chen Dali and the others were about to step forward, but Li Yun raised a hand to stop them. "This is my business. It has nothing to do with you."

He loosened his limbs, pushed off the ground, and lunged toward an incoming guard. The guard, a large man, did not fear Li Yun and charged forward with a roar.

The two collided, shoulders locking.

After grabbing Li Yun’s shoulder, the guard suddenly sensed something was wrong. He felt his feet leave the ground, and his entire body was sent flying through the air.

As he landed with a heavy thud, the man gasped, "What incredible strength!"

By this time, the other two guards had rushed forward. Neither was wearing armor. Li Yun closed in, knocking one down, then took two punches to his back. He didn't even turn around; he simply delivered a vicious elbow strike. The guard tried to block it with both hands, but he couldn't withstand the force, let out a cry of pain, and collapsed to the ground.

Li Yun remained virtually unscathed. He looked up at Su Jing, who was still on his horse, and sneered, "Grand General, do you still think I’m using a backdoor?"

Su Jing’s brow twitched with rage. He snapped, "Personal martial prowess is no different from a cockfight!"

"You command..." He was about to say "You command troops," but looking at the hundred-plus resolute men behind Li Yun, he closed his mouth, having nothing left to say.

Li Yun, having vented his frustration, shouted, "If the Grand General wishes to use force, we can only fight to the death to escape! When that happens, this document of yours will be made public, and the world will judge who is in the right!"

Grand General Su frowned again. This brat was truly a handful. Considering the Cui family behind him, Su Jing hardened his heart.

*Fine, let them go,* he thought. A hundred men mattered little to the grand scheme of things.

However, as he looked at Li Yun, he sighed internally.

*I misjudged him. This kid, who I thought was just using connections, might actually be a talent.*

Grand General Su dismounted and looked at Li Yun. "Come, let us test each other. If you win, you may go."

"If you lose, you will return with me to my command tent. I want to have a long talk with you about your crimes tonight!"

Grand General Su had practiced martial arts since childhood and was a fierce warrior who had personally captured enemy flags in his youth.

He walked toward Li Yun, step by step. Li Yun did not shy away and marched toward him. When they were about ten paces apart, both let out a low growl and accelerated.

The old man and the young man collided. Upon contact, Li Yun parried a punch from the Grand General, then leveraged the momentum to push him back four or five steps, silently wincing in pain.

*The old dog is wearing armor!*

Meanwhile, Grand General Su, struggling to stabilize himself, was utterly astonished.

*What kind of freakish strength does this kid have?*