Although the secrets of Changle Palace had been exposed, the superficial tranquillity of the Chang'an court was shattered at that moment. Despite suffering setbacks in previous controversies surrounding the 'Old Sword' and the 'Nine Bestowments', Huo Guang had not fallen. As long as the façade remained intact, the Han dynasty was his chessboard.
At the morning court session in the Xuan Shi Hall, Huo Guang bowed and presented a military and political memorandum regarding the military settlements in the Western Regions. His tone seemed humble, but there was a ruthless glint in his eyes. 'Your Majesty, the Wusun tribe in the Western Regions has rebelled. It is proposed that 30,000 elite troops from the Northern Army be dispatched to bypass the Cheshi Kingdom and launch a surprise attack. This is a matter of vital military importance; I request your wise decision.'
[System 2.0 Emergency Warning]
This memorial contains a fatal logical error.
The Cheshi Kingdom has already secretly allied with the Xiongnu. If the Northern Army bypasses the Xiongnu now, the 30,000 elite troops will run straight into an Xiongnu ambush and be completely annihilated.
This is a 'killing trap' deliberately set by Huo Guang. Approving the memorial will be seen as a sign of incompetence and a disastrous mistake, while publicly rejecting it and pointing out the errors will expose the host's secret intelligence network and prompt Huo Guang to immediately launch a coup.
Liu Bingyi took the memorial, showing no wisdom whatsoever. Instead, his eyes widened, revealing an almost childlike excitement.
"Thirty thousand men? To such a distant place?" Liu Bingyi slammed his hand down on the table, startling the eunuch beside him. 'General, are the Wusun tribe's horses particularly fast? I've heard that they are renowned for their Akhal-Teke horses. Could you have the soldiers bring back a few hundred for horse racing?"
Without even looking at the specific marching routes, he pointed to a mark on the memorial and asked curiously, "This 'Cheshi' sounds interesting. Is it where the master chariot makers live?"
Huo Guang's eye twitched. He had anticipated various reactions from Liu Bingyi, including shock, hesitation and perhaps even wise scepticism. However, he hadn't expected him to be concerned about Akhal-Teke horses and master chariot makers.
'Your Majesty, Cheshi is the name of a country.' Suppressing his suspicions, Huo Guang continued to guide him: 'Then, in Your Majesty's opinion, is this plan feasible?'
"Fine! Why not!" Liu Bingyi casually picked up the vermilion brush, ready to write. "I trust the general most of all, but..."
He suddenly changed his tone, resting his chin on his hand and looking at Huo Guang with a troubled expression. 'General, I lost at cockfighting last night and I'm in a bad mood. If you write this comment, you must promise me that you'll order the Western Region generals to capture some Western Region women who can dance for me. I want to hold a ball with a hundred people in the Xuan Shi Hall!"
Liu Bingyi did not sign the memorial; instead, he rubbed his wrist. Casually, he tossed the worthless piece of paper — enough to cost 30,000 soldiers their lives — to the eunuch beside him. "My hand hurts today. I don't want to write. You handle this, General. If those 30,000 men return without horses or concubines, don't blame me for being ruthless!'
This 'non-stick' manoeuvre was brilliantly executed: by refusing to approve the plan, the emperor denied it his legitimate authorisation. If Huo Guang forced its implementation, leading to total annihilation, he would be seen as abusing his power and harming the country. Furthermore, his apparent 'playfulness' and 'shortsightedness' successfully convinced Huo Guang that, although he had found his mother, this puppet emperor was essentially a hopeless, incompetent commoner.
After court, Liu Bingyi dismissed his attendants, the innocent smile in his eyes vanishing instantly.
"Jin." A shadow appeared in the corner and 'Jin' knelt down. 'Your subordinate is here.'
"Send a message to Lei Zhen: Huo Guang's map of the Western Regions is fake, but I must save those 30,000 soldiers."
Liu Bingyi walked to the window and looked at the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. He sneered. 'He wanted to test my trump card, so I gave him the illusion of "total annihilation".' Since he wants to play big, then from today onwards, these 30,000 Northern Army soldiers will take the surname 'Liu'.'
[System Settlement: [Actor's Performance Explosion] Success! Reputation gained: +30,000. Huo Guang's suspicion value decreased by 15%. New quest unlocked: Deceive the Heavens: Subjugate the Elite Northern Army.
Huo Guang left the main hall feeling satisfied. Although Liu Bingyi had retrieved the 'old sword', in his eyes he was still a vulgar boy who only cared about immediate pleasures. Huo Guang only needed to issue this 'kill order' against Wusun to annihilate the Han Dynasty's most elite Northern Army and completely usurp imperial power.
However, he failed to notice that, the moment he crossed the threshold, the innocent smile on Liu Bingyi's face had turned into a bloodthirsty expression.
'Jin, it's your turn to perform.' Liu Bingyi sat in the shadows, fiddling with a blank sheet of Xuan paper. The figure of 'Jin', the leader of the Shadow Guards, flickered in and out of view. Not only had he inherited the disguise abilities granted by the system, he also possessed the mastery of the subtle mechanisms of a street locksmith.
Meanwhile, Huo Guang's messenger was galloping through the streets of Chang'an on horseback, carrying a secret order that could change the fate of the nation. Just as the horse passed through a narrow alleyway, a tiny, almost invisible needle suddenly shot out and pierced an acupuncture point in the horse's abdomen with precision. Startled and in pain, the horse caused the messenger to fall from its saddle.
'Ouch, sir, are you all right?' Several men dressed as thugs (the shadow guards, 'Wood' and 'Water') quickly surrounded him, seemingly to help him up. In the blink of an eye, however, 'Wood' had used 'illusion magic' to switch the sealed order with a fake.
[Ding! Logic restructuring of Huo Guang's secret order in progress.]
Original order: The Northern Army advances to Cheshi, seeking an ambush.
Revised order: The Northern Army advances to Hongshagang on the southern edge of Cheshi. They construct defensive fortifications and await the 'Heavenly Fire' signal before launching a counter-encirclement of the Xiongnu Chanyu's main force.
Technical support: Perfect Reproduction of Sealing Wax, Deep Imitation of Handwriting: Huo Guang (Elderly Version).
Liu Bingyi stared coldly at the forged document in his mind. It was not just a letter; it was a coffin prepared for the Xiongnu and a power grab for Huo Guang. In order to keep up the pretence, he did not immediately attend to military affairs, but instead swaggered into the Jiaofang Palace.
"Pingjun! The General promised to bring me back a hundred Western Region Hu women!" His voice was audible throughout half the harem.
Xu Pingjun was initially taken aback, then she saw Liu Bingyi frantically gesturing behind her back and instantly understood. Her face darkened immediately, and she slammed the embroidery in her hands to the ground. 'Fine! Liu Bingyi! You've changed since becoming emperor! Those Hu women have such slender waists and long legs — go and live with them, then!" The secret guards outside the palace (who were Huo family spies) quickly jotted this down in their notebooks. 'His Majesty is muddle-headed. Due to the quarrel between the Hu women and the empress, the inner palace is in disarray and he has no heart for state affairs.'
Late that night, Chang Hui, the commander of the Northern Army, received this 'secret order'. Looking at the bizarre and cunning marching route in the letter, which matched the 'ruthless style of the Great General' perfectly, he had some doubts. However, seeing that the sealing wax was flawless, he ultimately issued the order to break camp.
Meanwhile, Lei Zhen's Imperial Guards, the real trump card, had already infiltrated the rear of the Cheshi Kingdom, disguised as a grain transport caravan carrying 'system-enhanced gunpowder' secretly prepared by Liu Bingyi.
Having escaped Xu Pingjun's wailing, Liu Bingyi walked alone to the terrace behind his bedchamber. He held a thunderbolt in his hand, a weapon capable of remotely detonating gunpowder and the only one-time-use area-of-effect weapon awarded by the system quest.
'Huo Guang, you wanted to test my trump card with the lives of 30,000 men? Then I'll show you what a true rout looks like.' Liu Bingyi gazed at the vast western night sky, in the direction of Wusun and Cheshi.
[System Feedback: The Northern Army has entered the designated ambush position.
Final Showdown Countdown: 24 hours.
On the western frontier, at Red Sand Ridge.
The wind whips up fine red sand here, rustling against the armour. Acting on secret orders, the elite three divisions of the Northern Army have silently infiltrated the valley's flanks. Chang Hui grips his longsword tightly, his eyes fixed intently ahead.
According to Huo Guang's original plan, this place should have been the Northern Army's burial ground. However, due to Liu Bingyi's treacherous scheme, it is about to become the Han emperor's battlefield.
On the horizon, the ten thousand iron cavalry of the Xiongnu Chanyu press in like a dark cloud, the sound of their hooves shattering the tranquility of the Gobi Desert. 'Commander, the Cheshi Kingdom's ambush has appeared behind our lines! We're surrounded!' the lieutenant cries out in terror. However, Chang Hui remained remarkably calm. He recalled the final instruction in the secret order: 'Seeing the red star fall is the path to survival.'
Meanwhile, far away, on top of the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an, Liu Bingyi slowly closed his eyes. His divine sense traversed thousands of miles through System 2.0 and locked onto the eight 'Thunderbolts' buried at Red Sand Ridge.
'Explode.' Liu Bingyi lightly tapped his mind and the system skill 'Myriad Roars - Red Sand Embers' was triggered. In an instant, the ground at Red Sand Ridge seemed to boil. The compressed gunpowder secretly buried by the Imperial Guards, enhanced by the system, ignited instantly and sent crimson flames shooting into the sky to form an impenetrable wall of fire.
The Xiongnu cavalry and the Cheshi ambush troops, who had planned to launch a coordinated attack from within, were hit by this inferno head on. Their warhorses turned to charred remains amidst their neighing. The Xiongnu general's pride in their impact force was utterly powerless against the explosive force that transcended their era.
'Long live the Han dynasty! May heaven bless the Han!" Witnessing this scene, Chang Hui was filled with fervour. He drew his sword and pointed it at the terrified remnants of the Xiongnu army. 'Soldiers! The Great General's strategy is divine! Heaven has sent a rain of fire to aid our Northern Army. Follow me and kill!" Thirty thousand Northern soldiers charged like tigers descending a mountain under the cover of fire.
Not only did the Northern Army suffer no losses in this battle, they also annihilated the elite Xiongnu forces and the Cheshi rebels at minimal cost. The generals found the image of General Huo Guang, who could 'summon heavenly fire', even more unfathomable. But this was exactly what Liu Bingyi wanted: to take the credit for Huo Guang's actions while retaining control.
Three days later, news of the victory reached Chang'an.
In his study, Huo Guang toyed with a jade cicada as he awaited news of the Northern Army's complete annihilation and Chang Hui's death.
"Report! General, a great victory at Cheshi!" Huo Guang jumped to his feet, the jade cicada falling to the ground and shattering. 'What did you say?' A great victory? Is Chang Hui not dead? What about the 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry?'
'They... they've all been annihilated.' The messenger's face flushed with excitement. 'The soldiers are all saying it was the general's brilliant strategy of drawing fire from the heavens to burn the enemy. Commander Chang and his men are already ten miles outside the city, escorting the King of Cheshi and 10,000 prisoners of war."
Huo Guang froze, his mind going blank. It was the 'dead end' he had personally written — how could it have become a 'victory report'? For the first time, he felt an unseen force building a Great Wall of imperial power around that 'naïve' emperor through his own actions.
Inside the Xuan Shi Hall, Liu Bingyi held a bunch of grapes and listened to the awkward yet loud shouts of 'Long live the Emperor!' from Huo's cronies below.
'General, you're truly amazing!' Liu Bingyi stepped down from the dragon throne and pulled Huo Guang, who was pale-faced, towards her affectionately. 'You said there would be fire, and there it was! I'm absolutely in awe of you! Quick, General Chang has returned! Let's go to the city gate and get the horses — I want to see the Ferghana horses!'
Looking into Liu Bingyi's innocent eyes, Huo Guang felt a chill run down his spine for the first time.
[System Announcement: The Battle of Cheshi Concludes Perfectly]
Reputation gained: +100,000 (Dominating the Frontier)!
Army Control: Chang Hui, commander of the three Northern Army colonels, has begun to doubt the truth behind the order due to being guided by a 'secret order', and his loyalty is secretly shifting towards the host.
Huo Guang's status: Caught in 'Logical Disorder' and 'Extreme Anxiety'.
Liu Bingyi leaned close to Huo Guang's ear and whispered: 'General, is this heavenly fire fun?'