Wang Er moved with the ease of someone long used to resolving conflict, reaching down and pulling Wang Xiaohua back to his feet in one smooth motion, restoring both his posture and his composure as if nothing had happened.
Wang Xiaohua steadied himself, and the frustration that had been boiling moments ago seemed to disperse almost instantly, replaced by a forced calm that he chose to maintain.
The others, who had been teasing him relentlessly just seconds earlier, now held back, their laughter reduced to quiet grins, as if an unspoken boundary had just been drawn and acknowledged.
Wang Xiaohua spread his hands in resignation, signaling that the matter would end there, and no one pushed further.
---
Gao Qiqian had been watching the entire scene with interest, enjoying the spectacle while it lasted, yet the moment it ended, his mood shifted with surprising speed.
His mind did not linger on camaraderie or discipline.
It turned, almost instinctively, toward profit.
He had not come here to watch soldiers joke with one another, nor to admire battlefield unity, but to secure both wealth and political leverage, and in war, wealth always followed supply.
Which meant one thing.
Grain.
"Speaking of which," Gao Qiqian said, his tone shifting into something more calculated, "with so many troops gathering in Jinzhou, how is military supply being handled?"
In any other region, such a question would have an obvious answer, as local officials would bear responsibility for provisioning the army, yet Jinzhou was not a normal place.
There were no functioning civil administrations here.
Only soldiers.
Lu Xiangsheng did not hesitate. He simply raised his hand and pointed toward a figure moving casually through the crowd, someone who looked entirely out of place in a military environment due to how unoccupied he appeared.
"The provisions are supplied by that merchant."
---
Gao Qiqian's interest ignited immediately.
Merchants meant money, and money meant opportunity.
In his experience, merchants never approached power empty-handed. They offered tribute willingly, sometimes eagerly, hoping to secure favor, protection, or access.
Power attracted wealth.
And he possessed power.
Turning slightly, he spoke to the young eunuch beside him.
"Xiao Guizi, go and summon that merchant."
The eunuch hurried off, carrying with him the authority he believed would not be refused.
---
He stopped in front of Li DaoXuan, lifting his chin with practiced arrogance.
"Hey, Gao Gonggong wants to speak with you. Go over and answer."
Li DaoXuan turned his head, glancing briefly toward Gao Qiqian in the distance, then shifted his gaze back, his expression calm, almost amused.
"It is only a few steps. If he wants to talk, he can walk over himself. Why send someone to summon me? Is putting on airs really that entertaining?"
The eunuch's face stiffened, his tone sharpening immediately.
"You merchant truly do not understand your place. Gao Gonggong speaking to you is an honor. Yet you respond with sarcasm?"
Li DaoXuan smiled faintly.
"Then I must apologize. I have always been very poor at accepting such honor."
---
The eunuch returned, visibly irritated.
"Gonggong, he refuses to come."
Gao Qiqian frowned, a trace of disbelief surfacing.
"Does he not know who I am?"
The eunuch hesitated.
"I… did not tell him."
Gao Qiqian's irritation deepened.
"Then go back and tell him."
---
The eunuch hurried off again, this time with greater urgency.
"You are fortunate today," he said upon returning to Li DaoXuan, his tone carrying forced restraint. "Gao Gonggong is in a good mood and will overlook your ignorance. Now listen carefully. That is Gao Qiqian, a favored figure before the Emperor, the supervising eunuch here in Jinzhou. When he calls for you, you go. If you please him, the benefits will be endless."
Li DaoXuan's expression shifted slightly, the amusement becoming more visible.
"So it is Gao Qiqian. The same eunuch who demands that everyone salute him like soldiers."
The eunuch's face changed immediately.
"Impudent!"
Li DaoXuan's smile did not fade.
"I have no interest in speaking with him. If I become annoyed, I might end up killing him."
---
That sentence carried no raised voice, no visible threat, and yet it struck with a weight that forced the eunuch to step back instinctively, his composure breaking for a moment.
"You are courting death," he said, though the confidence in his voice had already weakened.
Li DaoXuan did not respond further.
"Tell him not to bother me."
Then he turned and walked away.
---
When the eunuch reported back, Gao Qiqian's anger surged immediately.
"If there were a table here, I would overturn it myself," he muttered, his frustration barely contained. "Take some men and bring him here."
The order had barely left his mouth when Lu Xiangsheng stepped forward, placing himself directly in the way.
"Gao Gonggong," he said, his tone calm but firm, "all military provisions in Jinzhou are supplied by him. If you act against him recklessly and the supplies stop, will you personally take responsibility for feeding the army?"
Gao Qiqian's expression darkened.
"You intend to protect him?"
Lu Xiangsheng let out a quiet breath.
"I am trying to save your life."
---
Gao Qiqian's anger sharpened into disbelief.
"Do not speak in riddles to frighten me. He is just a merchant. How could he possibly supply provisions for such a massive army? Do you take me for a fool?"
---
At that exact moment, movement appeared from the southern side of Jinzhou, the direction facing the sea.
A massive convoy approached.
Horse-drawn carts, one after another, stretching into the distance, each pulled by sturdy Mongolian horses, each loaded with supplies.
Grain.
Meat.
Preserved food in quantities that could sustain an army.
At the front of the convoy stood a familiar figure.
Zhuge Wangchan, the logistics leader of Gao Family Village.
He raised his voice as he approached.
"Brothers, the supplies have arrived!"
A soldier ran forward eagerly.
"Let me see what we have this time."
Zhuge Wangchan slapped his hand away lightly.
"Do not touch anything. Wait until General Cao signs off and distributes it properly."
The soldier grinned.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun is watching. Do we still need to inspect and sign?"
Zhuge Wangchan laughed.
"Whether Tianzun is watching or not, the rules must be followed. Those are the rules he set."
---
Soon, Cao Bianjiao arrived to inspect the shipment.
He selected several carts at random, opening the sacks to check their contents.
Inside were high-quality grain, dried meat, cured meat, and even processed rations, all packed and preserved with care.
As the inspection continued, Gao Qiqian's gaze shifted.
Not toward authority.
But toward value.
This much supply, delivered in such quantity, represented wealth beyond immediate comprehension. Even skimming a small portion from it would yield enormous gain.
His earlier anger began to fade, replaced by calculation.
Fine.
For now, I will tolerate his insolence.
Once I have taken my share, I will deal with him later.
---
Over the following days, more forces gathered in Jinzhou.
Troops from Shaanxi, Anlu, Huguang, and even Sichuan arrived one after another, filling the city beyond its limits.
The city itself could no longer contain them.
Camps spread outside the walls, tents forming a vast expanse that stretched across the landscape.
From atop the city walls, the view was overwhelming.
An army.
A real army.
---
Gao Qiqian stood there, staring at the scale of it, his thoughts slowly turning uneasy.
Were they not supposed to be on the defensive?
The debate between war and negotiation had not yet been resolved in the court. The Emperor had not made a final decision.
And yet, here they were.
Forces gathered.
Supplies secured.
Everything aligned.
As if the decision had already been made.
---
He turned sharply toward Lu Xiangsheng.
"What exactly are you planning?"
His voice carried a new edge, one that mixed suspicion with authority.
"You may be the Minister of War, with command over the empire's forces, but deploying such a large number of troops to Jinzhou before the Emperor has decided to launch a campaign is excessive. If the court ultimately chooses negotiation, will all these troops simply return? The cost alone would be immense."
Lu Xiangsheng looked at him.
For a brief moment, something passed through his eyes.
A thought he chose not to speak.
You eunuchs are the ones who profit most from waste, and now you speak of cost.
But he did not say it.
Because explaining would change nothing.
Because the truth was far simpler.
These troops were not here because he ordered them.
They were here because something larger had already moved them into place.
---
He gave a cold snort.
And said nothing.
---
Gao Qiqian's expression hardened.
"Very well," he said, his voice low with restrained anger. "When we return to the capital, I will impeach you."