"Rest assured," Li Daoxuan cut him off before Wang Ji could finish voicing his concerns. His tone was calm, almost casual, as though what he was about to say was nothing more than a trivial matter. "The Mongol problem, I'll handle it."
Wang Ji froze for a moment, then blurted out in shock, "Ah? Young hero, you can even solve that?"
Li Daoxuan let out a soft, knowing chuckle, the kind that made it sound as if Wang Ji had just asked an obvious question. "Governor Wang, have you not noticed something strange lately?"
"Strange?" Wang Ji blinked, momentarily at a loss.
"The Mongols," Li Daoxuan continued slowly, "have not raided our borders for quite some time now."
Wang Ji's eyes widened slightly. "Oh?"
Li Daoxuan explained patiently, "They are currently moving east. Right now, they are busy plundering the Khorchin tribe. After that, they will turn their attention toward the Later Jin. In short, they have no interest in coming here anymore."
He paused briefly, then added with an easy confidence that made Wang Ji's scalp tingle, "And even if they truly dare to come back, I will deal with them personally. You can let your cattle and sheep graze freely on the plains. No one will touch them."
Wang Ji was stunned.
He stared at the young man in front of him as if trying to pierce through his calm expression and glimpse the truth hidden beneath. In the end, he could only bow deeply, his posture full of respect.
"If that is truly the case," Wang Ji said solemnly, "then the entire region under my jurisdiction will finally know peace. Many thanks, young hero."
In his heart, countless questions churned violently.
Who exactly was this young man?
How could he so easily subdue the rebel army?
What kind of power did he possess to speak of the Mongols as if they were nothing more than a minor inconvenience?
Yet Wang Ji understood one thing very clearly.
This man would not answer.
Asking would only embarrass himself.
So he swallowed all his questions and decided to think about them later, when he was alone and had the luxury of time.
The God of Time Management quietly turned the Wheel of Time.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
Five li outside Yinchuan City, Zhao Bazong and his three thousand starving border soldiers remained encamped.
Every day, scouts were dispatched at regular intervals to keep watch on Yinchuan Prefecture from afar. All of them were waiting, waiting for the so called transport convoy promised by that strange, terrifying young hero.
For soldiers stationed at seven border forts to abandon their posts and march on Yinchuan was, in truth, an extremely dangerous gamble.
Just north of their garrisons lay the territory of the infamous Ordos Tribe.
The border soldiers did not know that the Ordos Tribe had already been subdued by Li Daoxuan. To them, every moment away from their forts was like standing on the edge of a blade. They constantly feared that the Ordos Tribe would discover their defenses were empty and seize the chance to burn, kill, and plunder.
Yet, strangely enough, the Ordos Tribe made no move at all.
They behaved with inexplicable restraint.
Two full days passed without incident.
As evening fell on the second day, the sky gradually darkened, and the setting sun dyed the horizon in layers of crimson and gold.
Zhao Bazong sat atop a small hill, staring toward Yinchuan Prefecture in the distance. His brow was deeply furrowed.
"Two days are almost up," he muttered. "And the supplies that monster promised us still haven't arrived."
A general approached cautiously. "Commander… could it be that we were tricked?"
Before Zhao Bazong could respond, the thunder of hooves suddenly echoed in the distance.
A scout came galloping back at full speed, his face pale, his voice hoarse as he shouted, "General, bad news! Military Preparation Vice Commissioner Ding Qirui's reinforcements have arrived. They are heading straight for us!"
"What?"
The entire camp erupted in shock.
"This is bad."
"We were fooled."
"That demon lied to us!"
Zhao Bazong's eyes turned bloodshot as he clenched his fists. He roared, his voice echoing across the camp, "Brothers, grab your weapons! Prepare to fight to the death!"
At the same moment, far away on the road leading to Yinchuan, Li Daoxuan was co sensing through the embroidery on the caravan leader's chest.
It was already evening.
The sun was sinking rapidly.
And Yinchuan City was still nowhere in sight.
Li Daoxuan asked calmly, "How much longer until we reach Yinchuan?"
The caravan leader quickly consulted the local guide, then answered, "Just over an hour. If we arrive before the third watch, it still counts as today. We won't have broken our promise."
Li Daoxuan nodded slightly. "Good. Speed up. Even if arriving before the third watch technically counts, I am worried those border soldiers may not be able to endure much longer."
"Yes!" the caravan leader replied immediately.
He then raised his voice and shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Dao Xuan Tianzun commands us to increase our speed! Brothers, spare neither man nor horse! Run the final stretch! Being tired doesn't matter. Arriving early will put the border soldiers at ease!"
The entire caravan responded in unison, voices rolling like thunder.
"We humbly obey Dao Xuan Tianzun's decree!"
The convoy surged forward, wheels creaking, hooves pounding, the entire line accelerating as if driven by an invisible force.
Li Daoxuan then performed a swift tangent maneuver, instantly shifting his co sensing back to the mass produced Dao Xuan Tianzun avatar inside Yinchuan City.
The moment his consciousness returned, he felt it.
Something was wrong.
A heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over the city, thick with tension and suppressed dread.
From inside the inn, he could no longer hear the familiar sounds of daily life. No vendors shouting, no idle chatter from the streets.
He pushed open the window and looked out.
His pupils shrank.
A large Ming army was marching through the city, entering from the South Gate and moving straight toward the North Gate, just as they had on his first arrival.
A massive banner fluttered above the formation.
The character "Ding" was emblazoned clearly upon it.
Military Preparation Vice Commissioner Ding Qirui.
Li Daoxuan cursed inwardly.
"This is bad. The imperial reinforcements arrived far too quickly."
He did not hesitate. Leaving the inn, he darted through side streets at full speed, heading straight for the North City Gate.
By the time he arrived, the area was already under strict martial law.
Even before he reached the wall, furious shouts echoed from outside the city.
"Liars!"
"You are all liars!"
Li Daoxuan leapt onto the city wall and looked down.
Outside, three thousand border soldiers were already assembled.
Zhao Bazong stood at the forefront, his eyes blazing as he roared toward the battlements, "I refuse to yield! You withheld our wages, then sent a liar to deceive us, promising that our back pay would arrive in two days. Instead, your reinforcements showed up first!"
"What a shameless delaying tactic!"
Seeing this, Li Daoxuan felt a wave of frustration wash over him.
Why did the government army have to arrive at this exact moment?
The caravan was less than half an hour away.
He shook his head, then leapt down from the city wall in a single bound.
With a deafening thump, he landed on the ground, his feet carving a large crater into the earth. Dust and wind scattered in all directions.
He pulled his feet free and strode toward Zhao Bazong.
Zhao Bazong's fury boiled over. "Trying that trick again? This time, nothing you say will convince us!"
Six generals behind him drew their swords in unison. Hundreds of personal guards followed suit, steel flashing as blades were unsheathed.
At this point, they had already cast aside thoughts of life and death.
Starving to death or dying in battle.
What difference did it make?
Li Daoxuan raised both hands, signaling peace, and continued walking forward. "Hold on. I'm not here for pointless talk this time."
He stopped at the distance of an arrow's shot, careful not to push them further.
"I've come," he said clearly, "to stand with you."
The border soldiers were stunned.
Li Daoxuan turned his back to them and faced Yinchuan City instead.
"I'll stand right here," he said calmly, "and help you resist Ding Qirui."
A collective gasp rippled through the ranks.
On the city wall, the large Ding banner was fully unfurled.
The city gate opened.
Ding Qirui led several thousand soldiers out, his voice booming across the field, "Rebels, seeing this official, why do you not surrender at once?"
Zhao Bazong was about to shout back when he suddenly froze.
Li Daoxuan raised his left hand and pointed it directly at Ding Qirui's army.
The palm of that hand was gone.
In its place was a dark, cannon like muzzle.
With his right hand, Li Daoxuan calmly produced a tinder lighter and ignited something attached to his left arm.
A sharp hiss rang out.
A fuse began to burn.
Zhao Bazong's heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
"He's going to fire his cannon."