Chapter 124: The Fated Adversary

The moment the Tang army appeared, Liu Ji could not describe the surge of emotion in his heart. The lush, grayish-tinted Kathmandu Valley was instantly engulfed by a red tide. Red, as far as the eye could see, spilled across the horizon like maple leaves after autumn.

He had lived two lifetimes, yet the color remained the same. No matter how many times this nation changed its name, the same blood flowed through its bones—dazzling and magnificent.

This was the color he was willing to sacrifice everything for.

Even the fact that the man leading the army was someone he did not particularly get along with could not dampen his spirits at this moment.

Lifei Yuanli reined in his horse about three paces away. Any closer would have felt aggressive; he had no doubt the man would punch him, and while it was one thing to see if his horse could take a blow, getting into a brawl and suffering injuries before the battle had even begun would be the height of misfortune.

The "Xiao" in Xiao Wulang—was it not earned? The man was a lunatic. Lifei Yuanli decided not to haggle with a madman, so he dismounted and walked over, swaying slightly.

"Why are you everywhere?"

"Without me, would you have even made it here?" Liu Ji raised an eyebrow, retorting without giving an inch, just as he stood alone before the horse, forcing the other man to dismount rather than simply riding him down.

"A bunch of riffraff—you really think they could stop me?"

Lifei Yuanli walked past him, looking down from his height with eyes full of disdain.

"Without me, you wouldn't even have had the chance to see this 'riffraff'." Liu Ji scoffed. "Do you know how many days late you are? Why not be even later? Cleaning the battlefield and hauling corpses is a job perfectly suited for someone of your bulk. Damn it, I knew it—I would have been better off finding a group of pigs; they would have been faster than you lot."

"Do you think I wanted this?" At the mention of it, Lifei Yuanli’s temper flared. "You make it sound so easy. You drew a line on a map, and we had to march for over a month. Where there were no roads, my men had to hack through brambles and thorns to carve a path. Complaining that I'm slow? Anyone else might not have made it here at all. Perhaps what you really needed were those corpse-haulers after all."

Liu Ji believed him, for some pretenses were impossible to maintain. The Tang soldiers before him were all weathered, covered in dust, yet they could not hide the pride in their bones. They had taken a detour of over a thousand miles to finally step upon the capital of an enemy state. What reward could be better than that?

"Speak up, how are we going to fight?"

Lifei Yuanli’s attitude caught him off guard. He had expected to argue for a while, perhaps even fight to establish who was in charge. Liu Ji looked at him with curiosity, and Lifei Yuanli, feeling uncomfortable, explained with a sigh.

"Before we set out, Commissioner Li instructed that once we arrived, I was to seek your advice."

"Just seek advice?"

"Fine, I'll listen to you." Lifei Yuanli knew he couldn't hide it from him, so he laid it all out. "Commissioner Li’s intent is that you are familiar with this place, while we are newcomers. How we proceed is up to you; I am only here to cooperate."

"Ha!"

Liu Ji knew he was being insincere; Li Siye was not the type to use such flowery language. Regardless of the reality, at least until the situation stabilized, this man would follow his command.

No matter what the truth was, seeing this guy get frustrated made him happy—so happy that he laughed out loud.

"Have you laughed enough? You were desperate for us to come, and now that we're here, you just mock me. If you push me too far..."

Seeing him growing angry and humiliated, Liu Ji kept laughing, teasing him, "And if I do push you too far, what then? Fight me again? Can you even handle it?"

"If you push me, I'll charge into the city, kill everyone, and see who dares to disobey!" A ruthless edge appeared on Lifei Yuanli’s face. Liu Ji believed he was capable of it; in this era, slaughtering a city was still a recognized way to earn military merit.

"Then you can wait for the beacons to burn everywhere. You’ll have to sleep with one eye open, because you won't know which stray arrow might take your life."

Before the other could retort, he stopped his laughter. He didn't want to push it further; it wasn't fear, but this wasn't the right time for a fight.

"What’s the rush? It’s already being arranged. If you charge in now, everyone becomes an enemy, and you'll end up with nothing but a pile of corpses. Wait, rest a bit, and save your strength for the real work."

"You..."

Lifei Yuanli was left choked, unable to vent his frustration. Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, he simply threw out a parting remark and turned to leave, fearing that if he stayed any longer, something might actually happen.

"Fine, I’ll go rest. If there’s something to do, send someone to tell me. Don't come yourself, especially you."

Amidst the other man’s irrepressible laughter, Lifei Yuanli fled in a hurry. Even after he had vanished from sight, Liu Ji’s smile remained bright. The situation was back under his control. This experience taught him that without a reliable force, even the most meticulous plan was nothing more than a moon reflected in water or a flower in a mirror.

Ultimately, he was the one who had caused this place to descend into chaos. It was impossible not to feel a twinge of guilt, but now it was time to bring it to an end.

The men he had sent to make contact brought back the other party responsible for the chaos: the old chieftain of the mountain village. He bore more than one wound; he limped as he walked, his arms and chest were soaked in blood, and his expression was as gloomy as stagnant water.

"Timo is dead, my Sindica is dead, and so are so many young men from our village. They were beheaded—they won't even be whole in the next life. Is this what you wanted? We, the Khas, have hunted and herded for generations; we never held grudges against anyone. The moment you arrived, you brought such catastrophe. The gods above will not watch this idly."

To reach the position of chieftain, one must have intelligence. If he hadn't seen it before, then with this connection, everything became clear. These people had simply used them as blades to deal with the garrison in the city and the Tibetans.

Seeing Liu Ji remain silent, the old chieftain smiled bitterly. "You got your wish. How do you intend to dispose of us?"

"You are right. Sindica and the others only entered the city because they listened to me. They could never have rescued Timo; they were merely there to create chaos and force you into action."

Liu Ji confessed everything frankly. The old chieftain’s face grew even paler, and the next words from Liu Ji caused his heart to sink to the bottom of an abyss.

"At the same time, I have also been in contact with those inside the city. Here, I only need one collaborator. Whether it is you or them makes no difference to me."

"Then why did you call me here?"

"To give you a choice." Liu Ji pointed toward the figures of the Tang army. "Look. If I had told you beforehand that someone from the Tang was standing before you, what would you have done?"

"Captured him and handed him over to the Tibetans in the city," the old chieftain replied without hesitation.

"Exactly. That is why I could not do that. Only when you had no way out could I talk to you about this, and only at this moment would you be willing to listen."

The old chieftain sighed, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Sindica was my youngest daughter. From a very young age, she knew she would marry Timo, for he was the best hunter in the village and my successor. I loved him more than my own son. Do you know why?"

"Because he would die for the village without a second thought!"

The old man roared, his spittle flying everywhere. "Now they are all dead, and you stand here talking to me about 'cooperation'—cooperation with the people who killed them? Do you think I am so weak that my spine has broken?"

Liu Ji let him roar. After a while, when the old man paused, he finally spoke: "If you were spineless, you wouldn't even be in my considerations."

"You think they died because of me. I won't deny it; I bear some responsibility. But it was the Tibetans who struck the blows, and it is they who oppress you. If I had not done all this, let me tell you what would have happened when the Great Tang army arrived."

"You and your village would have had only two choices: either be conscripted by the Tibetans to defend the city and die by the blades of my army, or refuse the Tibetans and be wiped out by them. It would be the same outcome. Can you think of any other path?"

"Timo was a man of honor. I could not save him, so I could only make his death more meaningful. Although Sindica acted on my encouragement, if I hadn't said anything, would she not have gone anyway? She would have simply died in vain. Now, though they have sacrificed themselves, they have achieved the greatest effect. I believe that if your gods have any knowledge, they will surely bless them to be reunited in the heavens."

The old chieftain remained silent. He knew this outcome was true; it was just that no one had ever spoken it so bluntly. Liu Ji continued.

"If you want their deaths to have value, put aside your prejudices. This is the choice I give you: will you continue to harbor these feelings and fight to the last man against the city garrison or the Tang army? Or..."

Liu Ji paused, then delivered the final answer.

"Let the Khas become the masters of this land."