Chapter 23: Trouble Comes Calling

Let us set aside Wei Wuji, who was still basking in the peculiar satisfaction of his bodily relief.

Elsewhere, Wang Xiu and Liu Xuanba marched forward with their troops. Without Wei Wuji at their side, both men found the absence somewhat unsettling. Just days ago, such a sentiment would have been unthinkable—for back then, they could hardly conceal their dislike for the haughty young lord who had descended upon them like a tempest.

“Commander Wang—no, I mean, Staff Officer Wang—allow me to congratulate you on your promotion and the young lord’s favor!” Liu Xuanba said, clasping his hands in salute as they walked together.

Wang Xiu, his face showing no trace of pride, returned the gesture. “Captain Liu, you flatter me. I was merely fortunate enough to catch the young lord’s attention.”

He continued, “Truth be told, it’s men of valor like you whom the young lord truly values. Why else would he entrust the army to the two of us?”

Caught off guard, Liu Xuanba found himself at a loss for words. After several years working alongside Wang Xiu, he silently affirmed his earlier judgment—Wang Xiu was not the sort to let success go to his head. Their conversation just now only proved it further.

He set aside the flattery and smiled. “Since the young lord has placed his trust in us, we must not let him down.”

“Indeed!” Wang Xiu replied with a smile.

Suddenly, something came to Liu Xuanba’s mind. He slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Ah, we should have the men sing again! That song’s spirit suits us well.”

Wang Xiu smiled and made no objection, allowing Liu Xuanba to do as he pleased—he thought it was a good idea as well.

Liu Xuanba immediately called over the other two captains. “Zhang, Zhou! That song we sang earlier was quite good. Let’s sing it once more! The young lord isn’t here, and I won’t make decisions on my own—you two must agree.”

Zhang and Zhou had no objections. With the three captains in accord and the staff officer not opposed, the matter was settled.

Soon, under Liu Xuanba’s robust voice, the recently subdued fervor of the Wei soldiers was rekindled.

“The setting sun glows crimson in the western sky…”

Their singing carried far on the wind, its grandeur soaring as if it might pierce the heavens themselves.

Just then, the thunder of hooves erupted in the distance, shaking the ground and abruptly silencing the song. The soldiers turned in confusion toward the noise.

Within moments, several figures appeared atop a distant hill, and more quickly followed until a sizable force took shape. At their center fluttered a large banner emblazoned with the character for “Wei.” The standard-bearer led the cavalry toward Liu Xuanba’s group.

“General, they’re our own!” a soldier called out joyfully to Liu Xuanba.

Relief and delight blossomed on Liu Xuanba and Wang Xiu’s faces. To encounter Wei forces here meant the main camp could not be far.

The approaching cavalry drew nearer, the dust they raised painting the sky in ochre hues. When they were less than a hundred paces away, Liu Xuanba sensed something was amiss—they had not slowed their charge.

He turned to Wang Xiu, concern etched on his brow. “Staff Officer Wang, what are they doing? They’re already at charging distance and still haven’t slowed.”

“There’s trouble afoot,” Wang Xiu replied, his expression grim. He couldn’t guess their intentions. At such close range, it would be dangerous not to slow down—if not for the proximity of the main Wei camp, Wang Xiu might have suspected they were Qin soldiers in disguise.

Just as the tension mounted and Liu Xuanba was about to order the troops to prepare for battle, the cavalry finally reduced their speed.

In a short while, nearly a thousand Wei cavalrymen came to a halt before Liu Xuanba’s group.

With a chorus of neighs, the armored riders drew up, their cold eyes fixed intently on the men below the hill.

“Under whose command do you serve?” Liu Xuanba asked coolly, noting the hostility in their gaze.

No reply came. An icy silence settled between the two groups, broken only by the wind rustling through the grass.

After a pause, the ranks before them parted, and a mounted officer emerged, riding forward at a measured pace.

As the rider drew near, Liu Xuanba recognized his face.

“So it’s you, Captain Wang. I wondered which great general graced us with his presence,” Liu Xuanba said with a sardonic smile.

The officer removed his helmet, revealing a faint smile. “So it’s you, Master Liu. I almost mistook you all for a band of beggars!” His words drew raucous laughter from the cavalry behind him.

“You—!” Liu Xuanba seethed, about to retort, but Wang Xiu stopped him.

“Who is that man?” Wang Xiu asked.

Liu Xuanba twisted his neck in irritation. “That’s Wang Xian. He’s never gotten along with me. He commands a cavalry brigade in this campaign.”

“We need to be wary,” he added. “He’s certainly up to no good.”

As the two conferred, Wang Xian called out again. “Brother Liu, were you routed by the Chen forces?”

That was the last straw for Liu Xuanba. Enemy or not, he would not stand for such slander. “Utter nonsense!” he roared back. “We return victorious! Unlike you, you sharp-faced scoundrel, who does nothing but spout nonsense off the battlefield.”

“You—!” Wang Xian flushed with rage, not expecting such a blunt response, though he had just called them beggars moments before.

“Liu Xuanba, you must have a death wish…” Wang Xian drew his sword, but was restrained by his adjutant.

“Please, General, calm yourself…” the adjutant pleaded repeatedly.

After a moment, Wang Xian sheathed his sword with a cold grunt, regaining his composure.

“Coward! Go on, try and strike—we’ll see whether you, General Wang, are mightier than the laws of Great Wei,” Liu Xuanba jeered.

Wang Xian bristled, but his adjutant whispered urgently in his ear. The more the adjutant spoke, the more Wang Xian’s anger faded, and he nodded in assent.

“Very well, let’s proceed as discussed,” Wang Xian replied to his adjutant.

Once the adjutant had withdrawn, Wang Xian donned his helmet and, face turning frosty, addressed Liu Xuanba and his men. “You are outside your assigned area. Surely you must have fled here after suffering defeat.”

Liu Xuanba and his soldiers bristled with indignation at this. They had risked their lives to repel the Chen cavalry, driving them off with tremendous effort. Now this man dared accuse them of rout and desertion.

Before Liu Xuanba could respond, Wang Xian continued coldly, “To return in such a state after being beaten by the enemy—how shameful.”

He straightened his sleeves and, with an air of indifference, announced, “By order of our lord to guard against spies from Chen and Qin, I command you all to remove your armor and lay down your weapons for inspection.”

At this, Liu Xuanba and Wang Xiu’s faces darkened—Wang Xian had gone too far. Forcing a unit to remove their armor and weapons was the gravest humiliation.

“Wang Xian, don’t push your luck!” Liu Xuanba roared.

“Push my luck? I act only under strict orders from the sovereign, to guard against surprise attacks from Chen and Qin,” Wang Xian replied nonchalantly.

“You…” Wang Xiu was furious. They could not possibly be spies—this was nothing but deliberate harassment.

“Staff Officer Wang, let’s not waste any more words. Let’s just break through!” Liu Xuanba growled, drawing his sword.

“No rash moves—we can’t endanger our brothers,” Wang Xiu cautioned, glancing at the well-armed, ready cavalry not far off.

As the generals argued, the soldiers’ patience wore thin. Who was this man to call them cowards, accuse them of defeat, and demand they disarm? It was an unbearable insult.

One of the soldiers stepped forward and shouted at Wang Xian, “General, we did not suffer defeat, we—”

Before he could finish, one of Wang Xian’s adjutants galloped over and lashed the man across the face with a whip.

“Aaagh!” the soldier cried out, collapsing to the ground, blood streaming down his face.

“Who gave you permission to speak here?” Wang Xian said coolly, stroking his horse’s neck as he spoke.