The imperial carriage was not comfortable, but at least no one was watching inside. Thinking of that, Liu Xie did not complain.
He leaned back slightly and said in a low voice:
"It seems the Left General has won another major victory in Jing Province."
Liu Xie did not understand military formations, and because of his status, news rarely reached him in full. Still, many things could be guessed from Cao Aman's attitude toward him. Of course, that was a name he only dared to use in his heart.
For example, last year, Liu Xie stayed in Xudu watching the sun rise and set, then personally watched Cao Aman ride back from Tong Pass in high spirits and later return in complete disgrace.
Later, from the Empress, he learned that Wancheng had fallen, Cao Hong had died, the Left General's sworn brother Guan Yu had made his name, and that Xu Shu, who had once escaped from Xudu, was now advising at his side.
That night, before sleeping, Liu Xie rarely drank two cups of wine and slept unusually well.
But every time he thought of it later, there was also some bitterness.
Xu Shu had only been trapped in Xudu for three years before the Left General went to great lengths to bring him away.
He, the Son of Heaven, had once personally called him Imperial Uncle.
So why had he been left behind with no word, no care?
Of course, this thought was nothing more than wishful thinking.
But for Liu Xie, ever since Lady Dong's death, life had felt like endless darkness. Now, at least, there was finally a faint glimmer of hope.
This time was the same.
He had heard about large troop movements gathering in western Yu Province. There was no need to guess. It was clearly another attempt to reclaim Jing Province.
As for the result, judging by the fact that he was now heading north in the imperial carriage, it was probably not going very well.
"I have heard some rumors,"
Fu Shou said softly.
With no outsiders in the carriage, she leaned closer to Liu Xie in a more relaxed posture.
"In Xudu, people say that the Left General's sworn brother, Guan Yunchang, commands a unit called the Blood-Armored Flying Cavalry."
"They say they can ride a thousand li in a day, breathe out black mist, and fear no blades or weapons. They say they are the spirits of loyal men wronged in death, and that even the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry fled without a fight."
Liu Xie was stunned. His shoulders shook, and in the end, he could not help but laugh.
"These are just foolish rumors."
In his heart, he sighed.
If such flying cavalry truly existed, they could just take Cao Aman's head directly. Why go through all this trouble?
As for the talk about wronged loyal spirits, it was probably something the Empress added to comfort him.
But after nearly twenty years in Xudu, with his eyes and ears growing ever more clouded, Liu Xie had long grown used to searching for truth inside rumors.
"So in that case, the Left General truly has elite cavalry now, strong enough to contend with the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry?"
Even if he did not understand warfare, he knew how critical cavalry were.
From Jing Province eastward, and from Guanzhong eastward, it was all flat land. To contend with Cao Aman, cavalry were absolutely essential.
Fu Shou nodded lightly.
Liu Xie's eyes immediately lit up.
"If that is so, then what we discussed before, perhaps…"
Since Cao Aman lost Jing Province, undercurrents in Xudu had been growing stronger. Liu Xie could feel it.
The Empress had secretly contacted a group of people, and Liu Xie knew this as well.
But trapped in Xudu for nearly twenty years, and after the Clothing Edict incident led to Lady Dong's death even while pregnant, now with only Fu Shou by his side…
Every time Liu Xie thought of Lady Dong's death, he worried for the Empress.
He feared that one day Cao Aman would come again with his hand on his sword and say that the Empress was "plotting rebellion" and must be executed.
If that happened, he would truly become a Son of Heaven with nothing left.
Fu Shou quietly looked up at the shifting light in the Emperor's eyes, then smiled faintly.
"Bohe,"
She spoke Liu Xie's courtesy name. She opened her mouth as if she had countless words to say, but in the end, she only said simply:
"He is not kind. We must hide a blade to protect ourselves."
This finally persuaded Liu Xie. He fell silent and only held Fu Shou a little tighter.
Fu Shou's eyes, however, went slightly unfocused.
In truth, this reason was only part of her thoughts.
Gathering allies at great risk was not only for protection. It was also for survival.
At the beginning of the year, Cao Aman had sent people to "request" that his daughters Cao Xian, Cao Hua, and Cao Jie be sent into the palace and made consorts.
At that time, Fu Shou had already sensed that something was wrong.
Just as Cao Aman could not tolerate a Liu Xie with his own will, would he really tolerate her?
If even the Son of Heaven could be toyed with, then her position as Empress would surely end up belonging to a Cao daughter.
As for whether Fu Shou would live or die, she only needed to think of Lady Dong.
So many had already died over the Clothing Edict.
What would one more Empress matter?
That was why Fu Shou had been paying close attention to the Jing Province war this year.
Because if her guess was correct,
When Cao Aman returned to Ye City, that would be the day she would be "executed for rebellion."
If that was the case, then she might as well truly try rebelling and see what would happen.
In Chang'an, Liu Bei suddenly sneezed loudly.
He looked up at the sky, pulled his clothes tighter, and quickened his pace.
Perhaps it was because he remembered that later generations said this period was among the coldest in a hundred years. Or perhaps it was simply because Chang'an was colder than Chengdu and Gong'an.
In any case, even though it was only early October, Liu Bei had already deliberately added more layers to keep warm.
He also discussed with Kongming how to find the best route to transport coal from Jiangzhou to Guanzhong to make heating briquettes.
At the same time, he planned to bring over several people skilled in coal mining from Jiangzhou, hoping to find coal deposits in Guanzhong that could be mined locally.
He remembered clearly that later generations praised Yong Province as rich in minerals.
If so, perhaps coal would not be lacking either.
He pushed open the courtyard gate and immediately saw Kongming, Pang Tong, and Ma Chao.
Ma Chao being there was not surprising.
One look at his bare upper body and the huge hammer in his hands, smashing down on a pile of black-gray stone with loud clangs, made it clear.
He had been dragged in as labor again.
"The Lord arrives at just the right time,"
Kongming said happily, waving.
"This concrete is ready. It can be used to repair the Shu roads."
Liu Bei quickly walked over and carefully examined the black-gray material Ma Chao was smashing.
"Concrete?"
Ma Chao brought the hammer down again.
Black and gray fragments flew everywhere, but on closer inspection, the inside remained intact. Each blow only chipped away the outer layer. The interior was extremely tough.
"Though it cannot compare to later generations, it is still far stronger than rammed earth,"
Kongming said.
"And when used alone it tends to crack, so following the craftsmen's advice, we imitated thin rammed-earth walls and placed wooden beams inside. It worked."
Liu Bei understood immediately.
"If this is used to build plank roads, then the Shu roads will no longer fear water or fire. Excellent."
Kongming smiled and nodded.
"This material has even greater uses, but for now we can set up workshops to produce it and first focus on the Shu roads."
Liu Bei agreed, then remembered the other matter he had come for.
"News came from Liang Province. Han Sui is gravely ill. Cheng Gongying is asking for help, saying that Yan Xing seems to have rebellious intentions."
Pang Tong was not surprised at all.
When he had overseen Hanzhong and Yong-Liang, he had dealt with Yan Xing many times and knew him well.
Yan Xing's parents were both in Ye City, sent there by Yan Xing himself.
At this point, he basically only had one road left. Follow Cao to the bitter end.
After all, he was not as decisive as certain people. Not everyone could really live up to a later reputation like "killing one's own father."
Hearing Yan Xing's name, Ma Chao immediately became energized.
"My lord, let me go meet this scoundrel."