Chapter 30: Chen Xunping’s Suspicions

Liu Heng ignored what the others were thinking. He walked up to Chen Xunping and said, "Gather everyone and prepare to retreat. We are heading south to catch up with Brother Shuhui and the others."

The battlefield had been mostly cleared. The garrison soldiers were no different from the ragtag mob of refugees; apart from a few spears and a small amount of cotton-padded armor, there was nothing worth keeping.

Having just defeated the imperial army, the morale of the troop was high. Even after the recent battle, everyone remained spirited. After marching for over an hour, they caught up with Li Shuhui’s main force.

Seeing Liu Heng and his men return, Li Shuhui hurried over and asked anxiously, "Are you all unhurt? Shortly after you went to intercept the government troops, I heard the sounds of fighting, but I didn't dare stop the column and pushed on south, gritting my teeth."

Chen Xunping beamed with triumph and shouted, "Haha, a great victory! Those garrison troops were utterly routed by us. If only you could have seen the scene—the mountainside was covered in fleeing soldiers. It was incredibly satisfying!"

Liu Heng smiled and said, "Don't worry, Brother Shuhui. We won a complete victory this time. Those government soldiers won't be coming after us for a while."

"As long as you're safe, that's what matters," Li Shuhui said, exhaling in relief.

Zhao Yutu, who had been silent along the way, saw Li Shuhui and spoke up urgently, "Leader Li, you must try to persuade Leader Liu. He is throwing away such a golden opportunity to become an official."

"Shut your mouth! You are nothing but a prisoner; you have no say here." Yang Yuan raised his wooden spear and struck Zhao Yutu across the back, sending him stumbling.

"Yang Yuan, stop," Li Shuhui said, holding back Yang Yuan, who was ready to strike again. He asked, "Secretary Zhao, what exactly is this about?"

Yang Yuan reluctantly withdrew his spear but did not leave, standing nearby and glaring at Zhao Yutu.

Zhao Yutu was a scholar and physically weak; that blow from Yang Yuan had nearly knocked the wind out of him. He rubbed his back for a long time before he felt better.

Seeing this, Li Shuhui glared at Yang Yuan and scolded, "Secretary Zhao is, after all, the secretary of the camp. How could you be so heavy-handed?"

Yang Yuan curled his lip and said, "He is a lackey of Shi Yunhu, not our secretary."

Liu Heng, standing nearby, interjected, "That's enough. Don't be so reckless next time."

"Understood." Yang Yuan dared not disobey Liu Heng and answered grudgingly.

Li Shuhui then turned to Zhao Yutu and asked, "Secretary Zhao, what is this about Leader Liu becoming an official?"

"Cough, cough..." Secretary Zhao coughed twice, feeling some relief in his chest, before saying, "The East Datong Road is the vital artery connecting Datong and Taiyuan. As long as we enter the Daliang Mountains and control this road, I guarantee the government will offer us amnesty. At that point, you will no longer be bandits, but officials of the Great Ming. Do you really wish to be wandering outlaws for the rest of your lives?"

"That won't work," Li Shuhui countered. "Shi Yunhu has just been surrounded; for us to continue toward the East Datong Road is simply suicide."

"We are different from Shi Yunhu's group," Zhao Yutu argued. "Shi Yunhu was besieged because he was incompetent. Leader Liu is different. The new recruits he trained, a mere few hundred of them, defeated over a thousand government soldiers. With these men, we will certainly be able to enter the Daliang Mountains."

Li Shuhui had not seen with his own eyes how the new recruits had defeated the imperial troops, but he still felt Zhao Yutu’s plan was unreliable. Uncertain of Liu Heng's thoughts, he turned to look at him, seeking his opinion.

Yang Yuan and Chen Xunping also looked toward Liu Heng.

Seeing this, Zhao Yutu finally understood that the person truly in charge was Liu Heng, not Li Shuhui as he had previously assumed.

Liu Heng knew he had to speak now. "Everyone, if anyone wishes to go to the Daliang Mountains with Secretary Zhao, I will not stop you. But I will not go. The new recruits were trained by my own hands, and I will lead them further south."

Li Shuhui then said, "The Archer Battalion and I follow your lead. Wherever you say we go, we follow."

"It seems I wasn't born to be an official then!" Chen Xunping scratched his head.

Zhao Yutu, still unwilling to give up, pleaded, "Leader Liu, please reconsider. As long as we establish a foothold in the Daliang Mountains, the government will have no choice but to offer us amnesty if they cannot deal with us. Then, none of you will be bandits, but officials of the Great Ming."

Liu Heng smiled at Zhao Yutu and said, "Secretary Zhao, if you want to go to the Daliang Mountains, I won't stop you. You can even check on how Shi Yunhu is faring while you're at it. However, my men and I will not be going to the Daliang Mountains; we are heading south."

"Leader Liu, please think again. This is a rare chance to wash away the stigma of being a bandit," Zhao Yutu insisted. "With your abilities, you would surely achieve great things in the military."

Liu Heng ignored him further and turned to Yang Yuan. "Tell the troops to pick up the pace. Throw away anything unnecessary."

"Yes." Yang Yuan turned and left, leaving two men to guard Zhao Yutu.

"A pity, what a pity. Such a good opportunity wasted," Zhao Yutu muttered, watching Liu Heng’s retreating back with a look of despair.

Since the imperial army had just been defeated and Shi Yunhu was still under siege, Liu Heng knew they would not be pursued for some time. This was the best opportunity to put distance between them and the government forces.

Aside from food and essential supplies, the column discarded their clutter along the way, and their speed increased significantly.

Chen Xunping walked alongside Liu Heng until they reached the front of the column.

After nightfall, the troop finally halted to set up camp.

It was already June, and the weather was becoming hot. Liu Heng did not order tents to be pitched, arranging for everyone to rest in the open fields.

The refugees were divided into several groups: some went to fetch water from the river, some started fires to cook, and others tended to the livestock. The entire camp was a flurry of activity.

The two refugee squads were split into six ten-man teams, each with two archers assigned to patrol the perimeter of the camp.

After a full day’s march and a battle, some of the new recruits and archers were so exhausted they fell asleep on the ground before they could even eat.

The weather was sweltering, so sleeping on the ground didn't feel cold, yet Liu Heng still ordered several bonfires lit around the area.

Once that was done, Liu Heng arranged the night patrols. He would patrol the first half of the night with Chen Xunping, and in the second half, Li Shuhui and Yang Yuan would take over, ensuring that someone in charge remained alert at all times.

After dinner, Liu Heng and Chen Xunping patrolled the camp once. Finding everything in order, they returned to the campfire to rest.

"You’ve changed so much lately. It feels like you’re a completely different person," Chen Xunping said, picking up a branch and tossing it into the fire.

Hearing this, Liu Heng was startled but kept his expression indifferent. "I am still me. What are you talking about, Second Brother?"

"I mean it," Chen Xunping said. "Ever since Brother Shuhui and I asked you to compete for the position of Rear Guard commander, I noticed you had changed. You understand so much now. In the past, you would never have thought of the plan to secure grain from the Zheng family manor. Later, training the refugees, teaching them formations—we never saw such things even when we were under Commander Du, yet you knew it all."

Liu Heng laughed. "I just figured these things out on my own. I didn't expect them to work so well, or that we would actually defeat the imperial army."

"I heard the elders talk about 'enlightenment' when I was a child. I think that’s what happened to you," Chen Xunping said, a hint of envy in his voice.

"Perhaps so." Liu Heng didn't know how to explain it; maybe it truly was enlightenment, otherwise, how could he possess the memories of two different people?

Chen Xunping’s tone shifted. "You have such great ability; why not take the risk? If you really became an official and secured a hereditary position, your descendants would have a path forward for generations to come."