Volume 4: The Chu Army Chapter 63: Sticking One's Foot In

  This night, Xihexiang Village in Jiujiang County was destined to be unpeaceful.

  Thousands of soldiers trampled through the quiet mountain village, countless torches gathering into a fiery dragon that rushed towards Xiong Kang's courtyard.

  Yin Xu and Chen Ping were secretly shocked, and they protected the legitimate grandson of King Hui, Xiong Xin, among them. The two great Chu palace guards, Qu Ming and Xiong Kang, once again took on their responsibilities, protecting the Crown Prince of Chu with their lives. In the chaos, Yin Xu noticed that Xiong Xin's expression was firm and calm, as if he had been born into royalty.

  The chaotic footsteps sounded outside the yard, countless torches illuminated the small courtyard, a middle-aged man wearing armor, walked to the door with a fierce momentum. Pu Jun and Su An stopped their subordinates, raised their shining long swords, and were on high alert.

  The torch swayed, and Yin Xu followed the light to look over. His whiskers fluttered, and his demeanor was extraordinary. A pair of eyes that were spirited, yet kept darting back and forth, giving off a feeling of being treacherous. Yin Xu did not like this person, at least in the first impression.

  Xiong Kang raised his eyes and looked over, slightly stunned for a moment before saying: "Song Yi?"

  Yin Xu breathed a sigh of relief for the time being. As long as it wasn't Qin Jun, that was good enough. At least he wouldn't harm Xiong Xin.

  A middle-aged man laughed and walked away with his head held high, Pu Jun had already heard Xiong Kang's voice, should be an acquaintance, on the other side, Yin Xu made a gesture, the sword light flashed, making way for him.

  "Your servant Song Yi has arrived to pay respects to the Crown Prince, I was late in attending to my duties and hope that Your Highness will forgive me!" The middle-aged man came forward and kowtowed heavily before Xiong Xin.

  Yin Xu already knew the identity of this armored warrior - Song Yi, the commander of Chu. In the early days of the Chu-Han war, Song Yi had always been at odds with Xiang Yu's uncle and nephew. Before the Battle of Julu, he was beheaded by Xiang Yu. Yin Xu didn't have a good impression of him to begin with, and as soon as Song Yi spoke, his last bit of goodwill vanished. He arrived late to escort the emperor, speaking in a hypocritical tone, making everyone uneasy, yet still claiming it was an unexpected surprise.

  Protecting the driver? You're really shameless!

  Chen Ping also furrowed his brow, why did Song Yi suddenly appear here, what was his purpose in coming?

  "Stay calm!" Xiong Xin maintained his usual composure.

  Qu Ming smiled and said: "I heard that General Song is recruiting troops and buying horses in the Jiangxia area, rising up to resist Qin. I don't know what the current situation is like?"

  Song Yi had served as the Lingyin of Chu, and he knew Xiong Kang and Qu Ming. When he heard his old friend's question, he smiled immediately: "Song has already recruited 50,000 troops, determined to resist Qin and restore Chu. He just received news that the crown prince was in danger here, so he rushed over to protect him without stopping."

  Chen Ping quietly approached and whispered in Yin Xu's ear: "He is recruiting troops in the Jiangxia area, with possibly 30,000 to 40,000 men under his command. The scale is constantly expanding. For now, he hasn't really clashed with the Qin army."

  Out of professional habit, Yin Xu couldn't help but start to suspect Song Yi's intentions. He deliberately emphasized that he had 50,000 troops, which sounded more like a boast and a show of force, making people uncomfortable. What made Yin Xu even more puzzled was that he and Chen Ping were ordered to search for the legitimate grandson of Emperor Hui of Han, which was a well-known fact throughout the land, but in order to ensure safety and avoid disturbance, they had been very low-key, conducting their search secretly and quietly, with very few people knowing about their movements. How did Song Yi get wind of it?

  According to Xiong Kang and Qu Ming, only a few people in the world should know where the crown prince is, and Song Yi was unlikely to get the news. In that case, it seems there's only one explanation - they were being followed. Only then could Song Yi have arrived at just the right moment, shouting "Protect the king!" just as they found the legitimate grandson of King Huai. So where did things go wrong? And who leaked the information?

  As for the purpose, it should be the identity of Xiong Xin's prince that caused this, which is similar to the role of Emperor Xian of Han in the late Eastern Han. In short, it was just a puppet who controlled the vassals by holding the emperor! The difference is that the leaders of the righteous army at the end of Qin, such as Xiang Liang and Song Yi, were not as stupid as Yuan Shao, they all realized this point, so they fell into this situation of you competing with me.

  The more I listen, the more unpleasant it is. Yin Xuzheng was about to retort when Xiong Xin, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Song Ai Qie has worked hard!" A burst of flattering words came out.

  Yin Xu couldn't help but frown, what is this singing about? Chen Ping also looked embarrassed and confused! However, they both realized one thing, after all the effort to find King Huai's legitimate grandson, this merit absolutely cannot be let snatched away by Song Yi.

  Yin Xuzhi said: "Song Lingyin, first withdraw the troops under your command, don't disturb the peace of the Crown Prince's residence."

  "Yes, with so many people making a ruckus, it's not a good thing. Those who know will say that Song Lingyun has come to escort you, but those who don't know might think you're rebelling against the emperor." Su An's words were somewhat venomous, and they suited someone like Song Yi perfectly.

  Chen Ping seized the opportunity to add a sentence: "Tomorrow, we still need to escort His Highness the Crown Prince on his journey to Pengcheng. It's troublesome for Song Lingyun to withdraw his troops, so as not to disturb the Crown Prince's rest!"

  In just a few words, the atmosphere in the small courtyard was tense. Song Yi's face turned gloomy for a moment before returning to normal. If this guy really got angry, it would be easier to deal with. Seeing Song Yi smile again, Yin Xu's expression became somewhat unnatural. Only two types of people could remain so calm and composed: either a wise and insightful person or a cunning and evil scoundrel. Yin Xu was certain that Song Yi belonged to the latter category.

  As expected, Song Yi immediately spoke up and said: "Pengcheng is located in the northern part of Great Chu, adjacent to Qi and Wei. In the Central Plains, there are still tens of thousands of Qin troops led by Zhang Han, eyeing them covetously. The safety of Pengcheng is indeed worrying, and it's not suitable for the Crown Prince to take risks and go there."

  Uh……Xiong Kang and Qu Ming exchanged a glance, with a hint of turmoil. The wet nurse's face sank, her eyes moistening as she fell silent. They were the people closest to Xiong Xin, and their concern was in disarray. Recalling the tragic fall of Shou Chun City and the demise of Chu State, they grew even more worried.

  Chen Ping saw that things were not going well, and immediately spoke up: "Don't worry, Pengcheng has various lords and a large army of tens of thousands guarding the crown prince's palace, ensuring his safety. Moreover, Pengcheng is on the front line against Qin, if the crown prince stays here, it will boost the morale of our great Chu army even more. As for Jiangxia, it's located in a remote area, which is not very suitable."

  Yin Xu's words are very clear, emphasizing the safety of Peng City is a refutation of Song Yi, playing a bit of a spoiler role, adding weight. The last sentence directly mocks Song Yi, who has been recruiting and buying troops to expand his own strength in the lower reaches, but has never clashed head-on with the Qin army. In other words, Song Yi's anti-Qin army is still just a vain name.

  Song Yi's face turned pale in an instant, and after adjusting his breathing a few times, he said: "Jiangxia is naturally not good, but Pengcheng is not the best place to go either. The Crown Prince is of noble birth and has a body worth ten thousand gold pieces, so it's only natural that he can't take risks easily. As for what Mr. Chen said about boosting morale, it's actually true, why don't we do this: the Crown Prince temporarily stays in Xuyi, and we follow the army to escort him, isn't that a good idea?"

  "What's wrong?"

  Yin Xu took a deep breath, thinking for a moment, and exchanged a worried glance with Chen Ping. He couldn't believe that Song Yi's heart was so big. Yin Xu secretly blamed himself for underestimating the cunning Song Lingyin.

  Located on the banks of the Huai River, where the Huai River and the Han Gou converge, it is a hub in the coastal area. Xiang Liang's current territory mainly includes Jiangdong, Huainan, extending to Pengcheng and Xue in the north. It is roughly the area of present-day Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Anhui, with Pei County right in the middle, making it a transportation hub for north-south traffic.

  It's acceptable to say that both of the above reasons are valid and there is nothing wrong with it originally.

  But when Song Yi said it, the meaning was completely different. He wanted to lead his army to escort the emperor. Item Liang's main force is now all in the Pengcheng area, and the materials are mainly provided by Jiangdong and Huainan areas. If Song Yi leads his army to insert from behind, it would be very bad. On the one hand, it cut off Item Liang's supply line, and on the other hand, it was equivalent to inserting a knife in Item Liang's back. I'm afraid that from today on, Item Liang will have difficulty sleeping peacefully again.

  Thinking of this, Yin Xu's back felt a chill. The task entrusted by Item Liang was a heavy responsibility. If it failed, what would happen? Song Yi, you're not giving me any face! From that moment on, Yin Xu truly hated Song Yi, until one day he couldn't bear it anymore and made his move.

  "What Song Aiqing said is great!" The usually taciturn Xiong Xin was unusually outspoken today!

  "Hmm... What's wrong with you, kid? Which part of the song is this? We've just met for less than half an hour, how can you trust Song Yi so easily? Yin Xu carefully observed that Xiong Xin was not playing the piano randomly. His calm and composed expression told everyone that his decision was made after careful consideration."

  This matter has been blown out of proportion, everyone is staring at each other, Song Yi is protecting the driver... Who would have thought that a good thing would be ruined by Song Yi's sudden intervention. Unbeknownst to them, Yin Xu and Chen Ping had already begun to turn against each other. Exchanging a glance with each other, they looked back at Song Yi's smug expression, both of them having the same feeling - something is terribly wrong!