Chief Overseer Liu Jie had not expected his relationship with General of Chariots and Cavalry Deng Cui to be so good.

As a close attendant of the Emperor, Liu Jie received courteous treatment wherever he went and had long grown accustomed to sycophantic behavior. However, no one had been like Deng Cui—both enthusiastic and casual, displaying not only the usual flattery from subordinate to superior, but also the intimate familiarity that could only be cultivated through years of friendship.

Deng Cui had once issued an order that only if the Emperor himself came knocking at the gates and received his approval would the gates be opened for passage. This was harsh talk, though not executed quite so strictly. Upon hearing that the Chief Overseer had personally come to deliver an imperial edict, the checkpoint quickly granted passage. Halfway there, Deng Cui personally led numerous generals to welcome them. Along the way, banners fluttered and banquets were lavish—before they had even reached the camp, Liu Jie and his party were already swaying drunkenly.

Liu Jie was no fool and quickly understood that Deng Cui was putting on this show for the Chu army generals to see. The young General of Chariots and Cavalry lacked sufficient prestige and could only command such a massive Chu army by relying on imperial authority.

Liu Jie was imperial authority extended. Deng Cui needed to make good use of him, and Liu Jie could only cooperate accordingly, though he did not particularly like such unusual methods.

Deng Cui had already recaptured most of Liaodong. The Xiongnu and Fuyu people had fled without a trace, so he took the opportunity to declare a ceasefire.

“This is exactly what I was waiting for.” Deng Cui patted Liu Jie’s shoulder beside him, treating him as a symbol of the Emperor and the imperial edict. “The timing is perfect—absolutely perfect.” Deng Cui winked at the generals in the hall, drawing hearty laughter. “His Majesty has divine foresight—everything is within His Majesty’s plans!”

Thus, Deng Cui’s eastern campaign seemed even more like a brilliant strategy personally authorized by the Emperor. Even Deng Cui’s previous refusal to cease hostilities now appeared to be an act he and the Emperor had performed for the Xiongnu.

Liu Jie had no choice but to smile and nod, though in his heart he felt that people like Chai Yue were true great generals, while Deng Cui was opportunistic with a bit of luck thrown in. Upon his return, he would definitely remind the Emperor that this man should not be entrusted with important responsibilities.

Deng Cui did not care what the eunuch thought. After a few cups of wine, he began addressing Liu Jie as a sworn brother and even dared to make a few veiled jokes.

Just when Liu Jie was about to reach his limit of tolerance, Deng Cui had also become quite drunk and stubbornly grabbed the Chief Overseer’s arm, refusing to let go.

Though the General of Chariots and Cavalry was bold in character, his alcohol tolerance was merely average. The generals all understood this, so they gradually took their leave. Liu Jie tried to leave several times but could not break free.

With few people remaining in the great hall, Deng Cui suddenly shuddered and sat up straight, as if awakening from a dream. He looked at Liu Jie in confusion. “Did I just fall asleep?”

Liu Jie nodded with a smile and took the opportunity to push away Deng Cui’s hand, preparing to bid farewell and return to rest. Early tomorrow morning, he would have to return to report to the Emperor.

“Lord Liu is leaving tomorrow, isn’t he?”

“Yes, I carry imperial orders and dare not linger long.”

“Right, right, His Majesty is still waiting for a reply.” Deng Cui stared at the Chief Overseer with the fierce gaze peculiar to drunkards. “When Lord Liu returns, could you help me convey a message to His Majesty?”

“Of course.” Liu Jie maintained his smile. An officer in the hall was leading several soldiers in cleaning up the wine feast. He had to give the General of Chariots and Cavalry sufficient face—after all, these were extraordinary times.

Deng Cui raised his voice. “Thank you, thank you so much. Master Liu is just…” Deng Cui gestured several times but could not think of suitable words, then continued, “Please tell His Majesty not to wait any longer.”

“Not wait for what?” Liu Jie was completely puzzled.

“His Majesty originally had only one Empress, and now he has married the Xiongnu princess. Anyway, marrying one is still marrying, marrying two is still marrying—the more the merrier. At least fill out the three palaces and six courtyards…”

“General Deng, what exactly are you trying to say?” Liu Jie had to get to the bottom of this.

“My younger sister.”

“Hmm…”

“His Majesty knows in his heart. Lord Liu only needs to mention my sister to His Majesty—just a hint will suffice, and His Majesty will understand my meaning.” Deng Cui winked at the Chief Overseer again.

Liu Jie was extremely doubtful about this. He remembered clearly that Deng Cui had only met the Emperor a few times in total at Jincheng, and that was when the situation in Jincheng was most critical—how could the Emperor have had the mood to think about someone else’s sister?

But he merely smiled. Since Deng Cui deliberately spoke vaguely, he adopted the same strategy.

“Lord Liu, please don’t forget. Should I write it down for you?”

“No need, I’ll definitely remember.” Liu Jie was willing to pass along these words because he knew the Emperor was not lustful, and Deng Cui’s recommendation of his sister would only invite disgust.

Liu Jie was finally able to take his leave. To outsiders, the friendship between the Chief Overseer and the General of Chariots and Cavalry truly seemed exceptional. A military officer smiled obsequiously and flattered, “The General’s family is about to produce an Imperial Consort—congratulations!”

Deng Cui’s face turned cold as he snorted, “We’ll see about that.”

The officer was startled, not understanding how he had offended the General of Chariots and Cavalry.

Deng Cui was actually talking to himself. “The Cui clan has people in the palace, so the Deng family must have them too. The Champion Marquis’s son stayed in the palace for several months, the truth…” Deng Cui looked at the officer. “Are you eavesdropping on my conversation?”

The officer’s face went pale with fright, but Deng Cui burst into laughter. “Just joking. Come, help me up—my rear seems to be stuck to this chair.”

Liu Jie walked slowly on the road. News of the ceasefire in Liaodong had long since been rushed back inside the pass by express riders.

Every day Deng Cui either drank or rode his horse to inspect various military camps, issuing inexplicable orders. Simply because something displeased his eye, he would have an entire battalion of soldiers level a whole forest. In short, he refused to let the Chu army remain idle.

Several days after the ceasefire, Deng Cui summoned the main officers from each camp for a meeting.

Everyone thought there would be another banquet and came happily, but upon arrival they discovered weapons lined up in front of the meeting hall—the General of Chariots and Cavalry apparently had real business to discuss.

Deng Cui wore full armor and sat boldly in his chair with a serious expression, as if facing an extremely grave problem.

The generals’ hearts jumped, thinking there had been another incident inside the pass. They hastily paid their respects and stood to one side, not daring to breathe heavily.

When everyone had arrived, Deng Cui spoke: “General Wang, what movements are there among the Xiongnu inside the pass?”

General Wang, who commanded the scouts, stepped forward and replied: “The first group of Xiongnu has already left the pass. The rest are on the road.”

“Which route did they take to leave?”

“There are three routes in total: through Dai State, Zhongshan Prefecture, and Yan State.”

“Ha! The Xiongnu don’t dare go through Liaodong?”

The Xiongnu had originally entered the pass through Liaodong, but when withdrawing they avoided this route, intentionally keeping their distance from the Chu army.

Deng Cui’s gaze swept over the generals as he said: “How about it—shall we give them a taste?”

The generals looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what the General of Chariots and Cavalry meant. Someone asked: “General, you mean…”

Deng Cui nodded. “Right, that’s exactly what I mean. What do you think?”

The generals were even more confused. A Southern Army general said: “General, you want to attack the Xiongnu during their retreat?”

“Mm.”

The hall fell quiet for a long while. Deng Cui frowned: “What, are you afraid to fight?”

The Southern Army general spoke up again: “General… have you received an imperial edict?”

“No.”

“Then… the imperial edict ordered a ceasefire. His Majesty’s envoy made that very clear.”

“Speaking clearly doesn’t mean the meaning is clear. Some things can only be done, not spoken. His Majesty had no choice but to negotiate with the Xiongnu to resolve the crisis, but I know His Majesty is unwilling in his heart. The Xiongnu entered the pass to burn, kill, and plunder—they are Great Chu’s mortal enemies. How can we just let them return to the steppes like this? We must teach them a lesson.”

Everyone hated the Xiongnu, but acting without an imperial edict was going too far for these generals. As military commanders, they all knew the imperial court was most wary of such behavior.

“His Majesty and I share a psychic connection,” Deng Cui added, but still no one spoke. This had nothing to do with psychic connections—Great Chu’s laws simply didn’t permit it.

Deng Cui had to convince them one by one. He looked at Marquis Piyuan Zhang Yin: “His Majesty once placed great hopes in General Zhang, specifically naming you to lead troops in the imperial edict. But General Zhang remained in Mayi City, helpless and unable to act. How will you face His Majesty in the future?”

Zhang Yin’s old face reddened. He wasn’t quick-witted to begin with, and now he was even more tongue-tied and speechless.

Deng Cui turned to several Southern Army generals. “The Emperor was in Jincheng City, and you didn’t go to him. Grand General Cui is in South Yan, and you didn’t go there either. May I ask if you gentlemen intended this?”

The Southern Army had once fought against the Emperor and were former subordinates of Cui Hong, making them naturally suspect. When Deng Cui made this explicit, all the generals turned red-faced. “We… we were following imperial edicts.”

“Look, that’s exactly the problem. You followed imperial edicts, but what was the result? You solved no problems and instead left His Majesty trapped in dire straits.”

“We recaptured Liaodong…” one general said weakly.

Deng Cui snorted coldly. “Without being impolite, whose achievement do you think that was?”

Liaodong had been recaptured bit by bit by all the Chu forces, but when it came to credit, more than half belonged to Deng Cui alone. The generals were left speechless.

“So you still need to achieve merit—a greater merit—to change His Majesty’s impression of you.”

“But…” one general began hesitantly.

“You think this achievement will also be mine and have nothing to do with you, right?”

This was exactly what the generals were thinking—no matter how they fought, all the credit went to Deng Cui while they merely risked their lives.

Deng Cui smiled and sighed. “You gentlemen are truly… honest people. Think about it—Great Chu’s ceasefire with the Xiongnu was decreed by imperial edict and known throughout the realm. After this battle, the Xiongnu will demand explanations, and the Chu people will have questions too. His Majesty will be pleased in his heart, but can he openly proclaim it? Not only can he not, he must punish those who violated the edict—namely, me.”

Deng Cui puffed out his chest with an air of complete indifference. “But I’m not afraid. At worst, my merits and faults will cancel each other out. In any case, His Majesty won’t kill me.”

The generals stared in amazement. They had long known that the General of Chariots and Cavalry was bold, but now they realized he was audaciously fearless—yet what he said made perfect sense.

“After all, we’ve avenged Great Chu’s grievances. How could His Majesty not be pleased? Since he can’t reward me, he’ll naturally reward you gentlemen handsomely.” Deng Cui’s gaze swept over them again. “Great merit lies just within reach—it only depends on whether you dare to grasp it.”

After a long pause, Zhang Yin spoke up: “Complete annihilation, or… or…”

“Complete annihilation of the Xiongnu is impossible, and attacking all three routes simultaneously would be very difficult. We’ll focus on the nearest Xiongnu force, calculate the route carefully, and after all the Xiongnu have left the pass, ambush them at a chokepoint beyond the frontier. By then the Emperor will be safe, so we won’t fear the Xiongnu turning back. The main Xiongnu force will have already entered the steppes, eager to return home, and absolutely won’t rescue their companions. This will be a certain victory—it just depends on how far you gentlemen can pursue them.”

One general suddenly burst into laughter—not mockery, but anticipation and admiration.

All the generals bowed together to the General of Chariots and Cavalry, completely convinced by his words.

But in his heart, Deng Cui was thinking that the “Princess Pingjin” who had just married into the Xiongnu had better also take the ambush route.

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