MLMD -Chapter 390 Targeting Qufu

“Giddy-up… giddy-up…”

A fiery-red warhorse raced nimbly along a narrow mountain path. The horse had clearly been running for quite some time, and both steed and rider were drenched in sweat. Normally, warhorses were incredibly valuable; pushing one like this could easily ruin it. Yet the rider seemed unconcerned, relentlessly whipping the horse onward.

“Huff… huff… huff…”

When the horse reached a hillside, the rider pulled on the reins to slow it down. Before him stretched a dense, sprawling camp—but it was shabby and worn. Around the camp, ragged villagers wandered aimlessly or lay in the sun. Some rummaged for scraps to eat, and many bare-bottomed children ran around playing. The entire scene was chaotic.

“Move! Out of the way!” the rider shouted, spurring the horse through the crowd, sending people scattering in every direction. It was clear he was a forceful man; anyone injured by the horse would have no one to complain to.

The rider weaved through the dilapidated camp for nearly a quarter of an hour before reaching a small hill. Upon entering this area, the surroundings immediately looked much better, and there were far fewer people. Even the tents were in superior condition, and the men here were mostly sturdy, imposing figures. Each carried a sword, broadsword, or spear; their presence alone exuded a deadly aura. Wooden watchtowers were built on the hill, standing as silent sentinels.

As the rider rounded the hill, the people inside spotted him. It was clear he was familiar to them—they neither shouted nor tried to stop him, but instead greeted him warmly, even joking.

“Old Seven Lai, back at last?”

“What’s the matter, Brother Seven? Look at you, all bedraggled. Could it be some woman tied you up last night? Feeling weak in the legs now? Haha…” The men in the watchtower laughed devilishly.

“To hell with you! Your sister’s fine, would you even give her up?” the rider shouted back, laughing and cursing, then spurred his horse forward. The tower men made no further comment—seeing him sweating profusely and in a hurry, they understood he had urgent business.

The rider halted in the center of the hill, where a wooden house stood. Outside, a few trees had over ten warhorses tethered to them. He dismounted, handed the reins casually to a soldier, and ran toward the house.

“Clack…”

He pushed the door open, and the stench of dry tobacco and cheap liquor hit him immediately, along with raucous laughter. Inside, a fire burned in the center of the room, around which ten or so men were talking and joking. As the rider entered, all eyes turned toward him.

A burly man with a thick beard laughed. “Old Seven Lai, why so late? Where were you last night? Did some woman slow you down?”

This man was Liu Zongmin, one of Li Zicheng’s most notorious generals, fierce and highly trusted by Li.

Old Seven Lai forced a wry smile. “General Liu, don’t mock me. With the army on alert, I couldn’t afford to loiter outside. If the King of Rebels found out, he’d skin me alive!”

“Ha ha ha…” The room erupted in laughter.

The man at the head of the group—a middle-aged figure wearing a worn northern-style pointed felt hat—lifted his head. He was clad in iron armor with a faded gray-blue robe over it, all buttons loosened but held by a battle belt. A bow was slung across his back, a gleaming sword hung at his waist, and a lacquered leather quiver held ten or so finely-feathered arrows. Tall, broad-shouldered, with high cheekbones and a prominent nose, this man exuded warmth when smiling, yet a chilling aura when serious. He was none other than Li Zicheng, the rebel leader who had troubled Emperor Chongzhen for nearly a decade.

Li Zicheng’s voice was stern as he addressed Lai: “Brother Lai, you returned a night late. Did you gather any important intelligence?”

Lai stepped forward excitedly. “Your Majesty, great news… fortune smiles upon us!”

“Great news?” The others exchanged glances. Tian Jianxiu, another general under Li Zicheng, snorted. “Brothers have been stuck here for nearly three months. Our food is running out. If we don’t descend for supplies soon, we’ll all starve. What ‘great news’? Has Lu Xiangsheng returned to the capital?”

“Exactly! Old Lai, if you’re joking, we won’t forgive you.”

The surrounding generals laughed and scolded, suspecting Lai had been out with women the previous night and concocted a story to appease the King of Rebels.

Lai, flustered, stammered: “Your… Your Majesty… General Liu… if I lie, may I die a miserable death!”

The room fell silent at his oath. Liu Zongmin leaned forward. “Lai, tell us what urgent matter you’ve discovered. We, the King, and all brothers are listening.”

Lai nodded seriously to Liu, then faced the King. “Your Majesty, last night in Puyang, I overheard critical information. The imperial court is amassing large quantities of grain in Shandong, intending to transport it to Kaifeng to supply that corrupt official Lu Xiangsheng.”

The men looked at him with disdain, then went back to the fire. Lai pressed on: “Your Majesty… Gentlemen, that’s a huge amount of grain! If we seize it, it could feed our army for at least half a year!”

Liu Zongmin scowled. “Do you even know who’s in charge of Shandong now? It’s none other than the famed, battle-hardened Marquis Yue Yang. Attacking Shandong now is suicide! Are you thinking straight?”

Lai just smiled. “Gentlemen, I know all this as well as you do. I can swear on my chest: as long as we avoid attacking Jinan, the Marquis won’t bother with us.”

“Rubbish!” Li Guo, face blackened by the fire, snapped. “Do you think he’s your godfather? You can’t just decide he won’t interfere.”

Lai grinned mysteriously. “Gentlemen, while you may surpass me in battle, in intelligence-gathering, I confidently claim second to none! You don’t even know where the grain is stored, do you?”

Li Zicheng finally raised his eyes. “Where?”

Lai enunciated each word carefully: “Qufu County.”

“Qufu?” Li Zicheng’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that where the Confucius family lives?”

“Exactly!” Lai gestured with his thumb. “Your Majesty has a good memory. Qufu is the hometown of Confucius. The imperial court’s so-called Duke of Yansheng resides there.”

Li Guo frowned. “King, though I’m not well-educated, I know the Duke of Yansheng is revered by scholars across the nation. Attacking Qufu would put us against all literati!”

“Scholars? Bah!” Liu Zongmin spat into the fire. “We’ve already taken the emperor’s birthplace. What’s the big deal about Confucius’ home? I heard the Kong family hoards land and refuses aid in famine years. Let’s take what we can; no fear there.”

Tian Jianxiu agreed. “Right. We need food. Otherwise, we’ll starve.”

“But the problem isn’t whether to take it, but how to ensure the Marquis doesn’t intervene!” a grim voice added.

All eyes turned to Lai. Yue Yang’s reputation was immense; even the most audacious wouldn’t dare provoke him. For years, the forces under Li Zicheng had been in a lull, and no one had the courage to challenge Yue Yang and his Xuan army.

Lai confidently said: “Gentlemen, fear not. Shandong is in turmoil. The Marquis recently clashed with the Jinan officials, and the Duke of Yansheng even tried to impeach him. The Marquis hates that man to death. If we attack Qufu, he won’t come to the Duke’s aid!” He thumped his chest for emphasis.

Li Zicheng looked skeptical. “Is this true? Could it be a trap from the officials?”

“No! I overheard it myself at the Puyang magistrate’s office!” Lai assured.

Liu Zongmin laughed oddly. “You snuck into the magistrate’s office alone? What were you thinking? Chasing the magistrate’s daughter?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Lai replied, exasperated.

Li Zicheng redirected the topic. “Lai, this is serious. If we enter Shandong and attack Qufu, we face the Xuan army. Yue Yang’s reputation is well-earned; one misstep and our tens of thousands could perish.”

“Rest assured, Your Majesty. My info is accurate. If it’s wrong, cut off my head,” Lai said firmly.

Seeing his confidence, Li Zicheng and the generals exchanged glances. “Brothers, what say you?”

After a pause, Liu Zongmin muttered: “The grain is running out. We’ll all starve here. Better to risk it in Shandong than wait for death.”

“Agreed. Let’s gamble; there might still be a way out,” Li Guo added.

“Yes… I say we go for it.”

“Right. In history, positions are won through boldness. If we succeed, we might even recruit more men. Taking down the Marquis would be a huge gain!”

The men grew more excited with each word. None considered why Lai had so conveniently learned this information—nor did anyone notice the brief look of disdain in his eyes.

Finally, Li Zicheng gave the order. The army left the mountains overnight for Shandong. Their first target was Puzhou.

The undefended Puzhou county was quickly captured, providing the rebels with much-needed supplies. However, the small county held little grain. Even after plundering the wealthiest households, it was only enough for a few days. The rebels pressed on to Qufu as planned.

Meanwhile, Lu Xiangsheng, busy in Kaifeng preparing to trap Li Zicheng, was first shocked, then relieved. In his eyes, Li Zicheng entering Yue Yang’s territory was sheer suicide. Yue Yang’s reputation was known to all.

Yang Tinglin, a friend and advisor, was elated. “Governor, should we pursue and, with the Marquis, crush the rebels?”

Lu Xiangsheng shook his head. “No. Shandong is Yue Yang’s domain. Entering recklessly could cause misunderstandings. Better to wait.”

Yang understood immediately. Years ago, Yue Yang was a minor officer; now he was a highly ranked marquis. Meeting him would be awkward—better not risk it. The Xuan army’s prowess was well-known, and even tens of thousands of rebels were no match.

Not only Lu Xiangsheng, but Hong Chengchou in Hubei and Sun Chuanting in Sichuan thought Li Zicheng was courting death. Yet, surprisingly, the rebels did not scatter to loot. They pressed steadily toward Jining and Yanzhou.

Yanzhou was only about 200 li from Jining, where 10,000 Xuan army soldiers were stationed. Yet Li Zicheng barreled forward like a wild boar. Eventually, everyone was stunned to realize their true destination: Qufu County, home of the Duke of Yansheng.