After the Immortal Disappeared

The Governor of Xiazhou had arrived in person, escorting the very grain the soldiers in the camp had been desperately awaiting. It was only natural that the troops would welcome him.

The two parties exchanged formal greetings, followed by a couple of rounds of pleasantries. Smiles were on every face, creating the kind of warmth you’d expect from old friends.

After all, the security of Xiazhou rested on Zhao Pan’s shoulders.

And whether the war on the northern front could be sustained depended on Governor Hee’s ability to ship grain to them.

Their mutual dependence ensured a close relationship from the very beginning.

Zhao Pan looked as if he were built from the common folk’s very template of a Grand General: broad-shouldered and powerfully built, with thick eyebrows and a bushy beard. His face was the very picture of heartiness, and his laugh sounded powerful enough to knock over the small trees nearby.

Now that the grain had been delivered, the Border Army moved to take charge of it. Hee Chunhua’s men could finally rest.

Zhao Pan led Hee Chunhua into the camp, insisting on hosting a reception banquet in his honor.

It was now early afternoon, a little after 3:00 PM. Five men sat inside the main tent. Across the table were Zhao Pan and a Vice General; on this side sat Hee Chunhua, his son, and Elder Liang.

Notably, a hornbill was perched on Zhao Pan’s shoulder. It was half yellow and half black, with a shockingly large, curved beak that accounted for at least a third of its body length. It also sported an exaggerated casque above its eyes.

’Hee Lingchuan highly doubted the hornbill could see anything directly in front of it with that casque in the way.’

Once introductions were complete, the food was brought out.

Hee Lingchuan saw that there were only two dishes on each person’s table: a bowl of mixed-grain rice and another of stewed meat, accompanied by a small wine cup.

The wine cups were then filled to the brim. The aroma was surprisingly pleasant.

Zhao Pan had two bowls of meat on his table because the hornbill on his shoulder hopped down to the tabletop and began pecking at it.

It had no hands, but its large beak was more than sufficient. It would snatch a piece of meat, toss it into the air, then catch it and swallow it whole.

It went on like this, one piece after another, devouring the meat with surprising speed.

"This morning, a huge, several-hundred-pound wild boar ran headfirst into our fence and became the meat in this bowl," Zhao Pan said with a laugh. "Otherwise, apart from mixed-grain rice, wild greens, and this jug of wine, I truly have nothing else to offer our guests. The boar must have known Mr. Hee was on his way. We haven’t seen a living creature on the front lines in ages."

The starving soldiers had long ago eaten every last bird and beast in the nearby forests.

The coarse rice was mixed with a lot of beans. Hee Lingchuan could only identify soybeans and mung beans; there was another mottled type he didn’t recognize. The pork was simply boiled with salt. Hee Lingchuan put a piece in his mouth and was immediately hit with a mouthful of gamey, rank flavor. It was almost impossible to swallow.

The meat of a wild boar and a domestic pig are worlds apart.

On a frontline constantly short of supplies, they were lucky to have anything to eat at all. Spices like ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, or soy sauce to mask the gaminess and enhance the flavor were out of the question.

Hee Lingchuan, however, ate it with a smile, not even twitching an eyebrow. He had stuffed far worse and weirder things into his mouth while lying in wait for demons on the Chipa Plateau.

Elder Liang, on the other hand, took a single bite before setting down his chopsticks, unable to eat any more.

Zhao Pan’s gaze flickered over, taking it all in.

Meanwhile, Hee Chunhua began recounting the battle on the road and apologized, "I am ashamed to have failed our Sovereign’s trust. Of the twenty thousand bushels of grain raised by the Royal Court, I only managed to bring nine thousand. I am truly incompetent!"

He had sent a Special Envoy ahead with the news before he arrived, so Zhao Pan had already had plenty of time to mull it over, digest it, and filter out most of the negativity. He simply shook his head and sighed. "It’s all thanks to you, Governor Hee, for personally escorting the shipment. Had it been anyone else, I doubt they could have saved a single grain from Hong Chenglu!"

Hee Lingchuan glanced at his father, who looked like he wanted to say something but was hesitating. So, he spoke up in his stead. "General Zhao, do you hold Hong Chenglu in such high regard? We’ve rarely heard his name before."

"Hong Chenglu made his name in the Northern Demon Kingdom. He fought mostly against the eastern nations, so word of his deeds rarely reached us here. But Nian Zanli and I have defended the north for years; we know his history quite well." Zhao Pan waved his hand dismissively. "As they say, a truly skillful commander wins no fame for his victories. In these chaotic times, there are countless men who become famous overnight from a single battle. But how many can win a hundred battles in a row, or better yet, win without fighting at all? I’ll mention another name, one you’ll surely recognize—"

"Hong Xiangqian."

Hee Chunhua froze for a second. "The rebel chieftain?" With Zhao Pan’s sudden mention of this man, Hee Chunhua immediately realized they both shared the surname Hong.

"Correct. The rebel chieftain Hong Xiangqian, who threw the Central Region into turmoil and marched on the Capital City, is Hong Chenglu’s own brother!"

The Hee father and son were both stunned. "Hong Xiangqian’s brother is right here in Xiazhou?"

’Hong Xiangqian committed a crime punishable by the extermination of his entire clan. Did that mean Hong Chenglu was technically an Imperial Criminal on the run?’

"Yes. There’s a deep rift between the brothers, so Hong Chenglu never joined Hong Xiangqian’s rebellion. Otherwise, it’s hard to say whether Ke Jihai and his men could have defeated Hong Xiangqian and saved the Capital City from its crisis." Zhao Pan let out a long sigh. "Hong Chenglu is a master at seizing tactical opportunities. In at least two critical battles, he managed to subdue the enemy without a fight. The fact that Mr. Hee managed to save nearly ten thousand bushels of grain from him... I can’t ask for more."

Hee Chunhua’s brow furrowed. "But having this man roaming behind our lines is a huge liability. We must find a way to eliminate him."

He had already witnessed Hong Chenglu’s slipperiness firsthand. Just last night, the man had twice escaped from right under the Xiazhou Army’s nose and had nearly killed his son.

Every one of Hong Chenglu’s opponents was dying to get rid of him, yet here he was, still alive and well.

As he thought about this, another idea suddenly surfaced in Hee Chunhua’s mind.

"To subdue the enemy... without fighting?"

Zhao Pan put down his bowl. "What was that, Mr. Hee?"

"Oh, nothing." Hee Chunhua raised his wine cup. "A toast to you, General Zhao. It is Da Yuan’s great fortune to have you guarding the border."

Zhao Pan was a Grand General on par with Ke Jihai and Wu Di. Anyone else in his position would likely have been unable to withstand Nian Zanli’s offensive.

He raised his cup and drained it in one go, accepting the praise without false modesty.

"My son was making inquiries in Bailu Town and heard that Hong Chenglu and his wife lived there in seclusion for three years, apparently in abject poverty." A proud, famous general shunning the world, willing to endure poverty and humiliation... even the storytellers wouldn’t dare write such a tale; it wouldn’t sell. Hee Chunhua asked, "What’s the real story behind that? Do you know the truth of it, General Zhao?"

"Many versions of the story have come out of the Northern Demon Kingdom. The most popular one claims that Hong Chenglu had a difficult childhood and was saved from danger twice by his wife, Ajin. They wandered and suffered together, forging a deep bond. Later, Ajin had a difficult childbirth. Hong Chenglu made a blood oath to sheathe his sword, but tragically, their son still died at birth, and his wife was left paralyzed. Disheartened and bound by his oath, he simply resigned his post and retired to the countryside."

Hee Chunhua couldn’t help but snort. "Utter nonsense. A thing like that could make a general at the peak of his power sheathe his sword? Ridiculous!"

"I agree, it’s unlikely. But the common folk love these kinds of tales," Zhao Pan said with a smile. "I heard years ago that Hong Chenglu was once embroiled in an internal power struggle within the Royal Family and backed the wrong horse—the arch-nemesis of the current Demon Emperor. Heh, you and I both know how perilous that is. So it’s highly likely he resigned to escape the fallout, perhaps using his wife’s difficult childbirth as a pretext. He was smart and fast to get out. After the new Beiga Emperor ascended the throne, he might not have been so forgiving."

Even if the new emperor might have been, Hong Chenglu wouldn’t have dared to gamble on it at the time.

"That sounds more plausible," Hee Chunhua mused. "But for him to reemerge now and lead troops for the Xunzhou people... this is most likely an order from the Northern Demon Kingdom."

"Of course. Nian Zanli suffered two defeats at his hands, yet now Hong Chenglu is leading Xunzhou’s troops. Why would he serve a general he’s already beaten unless the Northern Demon Kingdom ordered it?" Zhao Pan snorted. "There are wars everywhere, and everywhere you look, you see the Demon Kingdom stirring up trouble. But they refuse to get their own hands dirty. It’s infuriating!"

Hee Chunhua grunted, lost in thought.

They had been talking for so long that the meal was long finished.

Zhao Pan was considerate enough to say, "You’ve traveled a long way, and it’s getting dark. I won’t keep you from your rest."

But Hee Chunhua replied, "No bother. I’d like to see the front line right now."

The new Governor of Xiazhou was dedicated and professional, unlike those pampered, high-and-mighty officials. Naturally, Zhao Pan wasn’t going to object. "Then please, follow me."

Hee Lingchuan, of course, followed behind his father to inspect the front line as well.

It turned out the two armies were separated by the Hanhe River, which was about fifty yards wide. The land north of the river was occupied by the Xunzhou people, while Zhao Pan’s army was stationed to the south.

The Yuan Kingdom’s Official Army camp was fairly neat and orderly. The opposite bank was also brightly lit, and from where Hee Lingchuan stood, he could make out the silhouettes of sentries with long spears in the Xunzhou Military Camp.

The two sides were so close, yet the atmosphere was surprisingly peaceful at the moment.

Hee Chunhua asked, "No fighting recently?"

Even on the front line, they didn’t fight every day.

"We’re planting seedlings in the fields behind our lines for the next two days, so we’ve agreed to a truce on the front." Zhao Pan pointed to a prominent yellow flag in front of the camp. "The planting season is here. If we don’t get the fields sown in time, we’ll have nothing to eat next year."

"It seems Xunzhou isn’t flush with grain either." ’Otherwise, the Xunzhou people would have launched an all-out assault to deny the Yuan Army the chance to farm their land.’

"Xunzhou had a drought last year, so their harvest was poor. If Hong Xiangqian hadn’t suddenly attacked Woling Pass this year, and if the Grand Commandant hadn’t launched his coup, I doubt Nian Zanli would have chosen this year of all years to turn traitor."

"Isn’t the Northern Demon Kingdom supporting them?"

"After Sun Fuping was killed, Nian Zanli’s plot was exposed. He had no choice but to preemptively pledge allegiance to the Beiga Kingdom. I heard Beiga’s reception of him was rather cold."

Hee Chunhua smiled. "Desperation doesn’t make for a good bargain." ’If the Beiga Kingdom had been the one to actively persuade Nian Zanli to defect, the terms they offered would have been much more generous.’

"Exactly. If Beiga were truly backing Nian Zanli—giving him money, giving him grain—we wouldn’t have been able to hold out this long," Zhao Pan said resentfully. "They just want to watch us wear each other down so they can reap the rewards later. That fool, Nian Zanli!"

"And yet, the Northern Demon Kingdom has made its move now, deploying that fiend Hong Chenglu," Hee Chunhua mused. "Perhaps their strategy regarding the Yuan Kingdom has changed."

Zhao Pan sighed. "There are no outsiders here, so I’ll be blunt. Mr. Hee, in the eyes of an ancient, storied nation like the Northern Demon Kingdom, we’re nothing but a tiny, insignificant state. Their focus is currently on the east; they likely have no interest in meddling here."

Hee Chunhua fell silent. The Beiga Kingdom’s attitude toward Nian Zanli was proof enough of the nation’s arrogance.

After all, throughout its six-hundred-year history, it had always been the one in power.

Hee Chunhua’s feelings were complicated. It seemed he should almost be grateful for the Beiga Kingdom’s indifference. Otherwise, Xiazhou’s situation would be even more precarious.