Chapter 26: Unifying Internal Thought

Upon hearing Xue Chengqian’s words, the group did not feel inspired; instead, they looked at him as if he were a madman.

After a long silence, Luo Fang offered a bitter smile.

"Young Xue, I only now realize that I never truly understood you."

"Taking control of our own destiny..."

He did not immediately voice his rebuttal. Instead, he spread his hands and gestured toward the "heavens and earth" around them. The implication could not have been clearer. Even without considering the attitude of Lu Xiaoyuan, there were the harsh winter, the scarcity of food, the unpredictable movements of the Northern Barbarian cavalry, and the ever-present threat of a sudden plague... Any one of these things could cost them their lives.

Lu Xiaoyuan was suppressing them and shamelessly seizing military credit, yet they were helpless to stop him. Under such circumstances, Luo Fang felt utterly disheartened, yet here was Xue Chengqian, spouting nonsense about controlling his own destiny. No one even found his words "ridiculous"—they simply found them "pathetic."

After his initial shock, Bearded Wang was too stunned to even argue, eventually mumbling, "After all this time, the kid turns out to be a lunatic. What difference is there between our lives and those of ants? How can he talk such madness..."

Kang Yu stepped in to smooth things over. "Young Xue, stop this nonsense. Boss Luo is already frustrated enough. Can’t you come up with a serious suggestion?"

A flicker of sorrow passed through Xue Chengqian’s eyes. His words had been sincere and heartfelt, yet they were dismissed as nothing more than ridiculous prattle. However, he did not blame Luo Fang and the others; anyone in their position would feel the same.

He gave a light, carefree smile.

"Fine, let’s talk 'seriously' then. If our lives are like those of ants, then we must first learn to behave like ants—to protect our lives and ensure we aren't easily killed!"

"In my view, Lu Xiaoyuan is not our true threat. On the contrary, we can exploit his obsession with seizing military merit to gain official recognition from the government, and use the banner of the 'Zhenyi Battalion' to expand our strength!"

Kang Yu asked, confused, "But Lu Xiaoyuan is clearly making things difficult for us. He even stood by and watched us die earlier."

Xue Chengqian retorted directly, "Let me ask you, do we have a personal vendetta against Lu Xiaoyuan?"

Kang Yu nodded without hesitation. "Of course we do! Standing by and watching us die in the face of the enemy—is that not a vendetta?"

Luo Fang interrupted her, looking thoughtful. "I understand what Xue Chengqian is getting at."

"Siding with Lu Xiaoyuan, he is unwilling to risk his own troops fighting the Northern Barbarians to the death. Secondly, he wants to claim the victory under his own name as the commander."

"Exactly," Xue Chengqian agreed. "The last secretary sent by the Zhongzhou Prefecture was clearly trying to set a trap for Lu Xiaoyuan. Though we don’t know the internal politics of the imperial court, it is obvious that Lu Xiaoyuan has rivals, and he must find ways to secure military merit to stabilize his position. Therefore, whoever achieved victory in this battle, Lu Xiaoyuan would have stepped in to claim the credit; it was not specifically aimed at us."

Luo Fang’s mood had somewhat stabilized; he was no longer fighting for the sake of pride, though he still offered a wry smile at these words.

"What is our status, and what is his? To speak of a 'vendetta' is just gilding our own faces."

This revealed the internal conflict within Luo Fang. He took great pride in his background as a border soldier. The swift defeat of the border forces by the Northern Barbarians was the greatest shame of his life, and he always fantasized about regaining official recognition to defeat the enemy as a soldier and reclaim his honor. Yet, he was painfully aware of his low status in the army—he wasn't even considered a proper officer. The gap between him and Lu Xiaoyuan was vast, yet he was unwilling to be a mere pawn. He had ambition and courage, but lacking the perspective and the resources, he could not see the bigger picture as clearly as Xue Chengqian.

He had indeed saved Xue Chengqian’s life once, sparing him from the retaliation of the matchmaker and her cohorts. But without Xue Chengqian’s schemes and advice, even if Luo Fang hadn't died under the hooves of the Northern Barbarians, he would have been destroyed by Lu Xiaoyuan’s machinations.

Seeing that Luo Fang had calmed down, Xue Chengqian continued.

"Although we hold the title of captains, we have no qualifications to petition the imperial court directly. When it comes down to it, the credit remains at the mercy of how Lu Xiaoyuan reports it. If he truly wants to seize it, we won't even have a chance to argue. Therefore, our priority is to remain valuable in his eyes, while looking for what advantages we can extract from him in return. Compared to Lu Xiaoyuan, the enemies within the refugees, the elusive Northern Barbarian cavalry, and even this godforsaken winter are far more terrifying!"

Xue Chengqian’s words served as a reminder to Luo Fang.

He sneered, "You mean the matchmaker and Liu Shang? Do they even deserve to be called my enemies?"

Having gained official status and defeated the Northern Barbarian cavalry, Luo Fang had grown immensely confident; he no longer saw the rivals he had fought for control over the refugees as a threat.

Xue Chengqian calmly reminded him, "Boss Luo, don't you think it was a strange coincidence that the matchmaker and Liu Shang jumped out today?"

"In today’s battle, your claim to the merit was unquestionable. No matter how high-ranking or powerful Lu Xiaoyuan is, he did not participate in the command. Before everyone, he was almost backed into a corner by you. But at that moment, the matchmaker and her group jumped out, providing Lu Xiaoyuan with an excuse. More importantly, I noticed that Huang Xiaoyong, who was by his side, had exchanged glances with them and immediately cooperated with their testimony to Lu Xiaoyuan!"

"If this was not a coincidence, it means the matchmaker and Liu Shang had long been colluding with Huang Xiaoyong!"

"What?" Luo Fang’s expression shifted.

The matchmaker and Liu Shang already wielded considerable influence and had bought off many desperate thugs. If it were just those two factions, it would be manageable. He had gained a promise from Lu Xiaoyuan to requisition grain in the name of fighting the Barbarians, which gave him leverage over them. But if the matchmaker’s group were colluding with powerful figures inside Wangjiang City, the level of threat would be entirely different.

Kang Yu and the others realized this as well, recalling the timing of the matchmaker’s attack, and became vigilant.

"It’s a good thing you are so observant, Xue Chengqian. Since they failed to use Lu Xiaoyuan to destroy us this time, they certainly won’t let it go!"

Xue Chengqian smiled faintly. "Things are different now. Lu Xiaoyuan has promised us all the spoils of this battle. When we hand over the banners and tokens to him for the court, we shall keep all the horses and weapons ourselves. What, then, is there to fear from the matchmaker?"

Luo Fang nodded in delight.

"Exactly! By then, we will have not only weapons but horses as well! If that matchmaker dares to make a move, she will be digging her own grave!"

They were all born from border military households; many of their brothers knew how to ride. With a little training, they would soon have a true cavalry force at their command!