Lu Xiangsheng paused for a brief moment after hearing the report, and his brows knit together slightly as the realization settled in.
The Emperor was pulling troops back again.
And the forces on the Liaodong front were being thinned out bit by bit, like meat shaved off a bone, until one began to wonder what would even remain in the end.
What exactly was going on?
He let out a quiet breath and gave up trying to untangle it, because whether it was court politics or grand strategy, none of it was something he could truly control, and so he defaulted to the only role left to him, which was to act as a messenger and nothing more.
"Someone go and summon General Shi Jian of Yansui and General Zhao Guangyuan of Hanzhong."
Before long, the two men arrived.
Lu Xiangsheng looked at them with an expression that hovered somewhere between helplessness and dry amusement.
"The heir of Prince Qin, Zhu Cunji, has rebelled. He has taken Xi'an and declared support for collective governance. His Majesty has ordered both of you to return to Shaanxi immediately."
He paused, then added with a faint sigh.
"But since all of you are… acting anyway, you might as well decide for yourselves whether you want to go back."
That line carried a subtle weight.
Lu Xiangsheng had long since learned that a glance at a unit's equipment and training was enough to tell whether they belonged to Li Daoxuan, and the answer in front of him was painfully obvious.
Shi Jian was practically shining with top tier gear, armed to the teeth, disciplined, confident, and clearly a core force.
Zhao Guangyuan was slightly less dazzling, but still unmistakably part of the same camp.
If Zhu Cunji's rebellion existed, then it existed because Li Daoxuan allowed it.
Suppressing it was nothing more than a performance.
Shi Jian turned his head toward Li Daoxuan, and when he saw the latter give a slow, calm nod, he broke into a grin.
"Understood. I will return to Xi'an at once… to suppress the rebellion… ah, no, to join the Prince Qin heir's army."
Lu Xiangsheng could not help but laugh.
"So it really is joining, then?"
But Zhao Guangyuan did not follow along so easily.
He suddenly dropped to one knee before Li Daoxuan, lowering his head.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, I have a request."
Li Daoxuan looked at him calmly. "Speak."
Zhao Guangyuan's voice was steady, but there was a quiet intensity beneath it.
"I do not wish to return to Shaanxi to join the Prince Qin heir's forces. I wish to remain here in Liaodong and participate in the campaign against Shenyang."
Li Daoxuan tilted his head slightly.
"Still thinking about avenging your father?"
Zhao Guangyuan nodded without hesitation.
"Yes. I want revenge. If there were real battles to fight in Shaanxi, I would go without question. But this operation is nothing more than staging and preparation for decentralization. There will be no real fighting, only acting. If I return, I will accomplish nothing. I do not wish to go."
Li Daoxuan smiled faintly.
"That is not an unreasonable request. It is perfectly reasonable."
He waved his hand lightly.
"Very well. You will remain at Dalinghe City. Continue training and prepare for the assault on Shenyang."
Zhao Guangyuan's face lit up with relief.
"Thank you, Dao Xuan Tianzun."
Lu Xiangsheng could not help but interject.
"What about the imperial edict? How do you plan to deal with that?"
Zhao Guangyuan answered without even a flicker of hesitation.
"I will trouble Lord Lu to report back to the court that I refused to obey the order, held my troops, and declared rebellion."
Lu Xiangsheng froze.
This was not just pouring oil on the fire. This was throwing the entire oil barrel into the flames.
The Emperor might actually collapse from anger.
He was still struggling with how to phrase the report when the thunder of hooves broke the air.
A rider came charging in at full speed, shouting before he even dismounted.
"Bad news! Urgent news! Wu Sangui, commander of the Liaodong forces, has rebelled together with Gao Di of Shanhai Pass. They have raised the banner of 'A foolish ruler ruins the country. Collective governance surpasses autocracy.'"
Lu Xiangsheng's eyes widened.
"What?"
He turned sharply toward Li Daoxuan.
"Is Wu Sangui also one of your people? At this rate, is there anywhere in the entire Ming that does not belong to you?"
Li Daoxuan spread his hands with a laugh.
"No, no. You wrong me this time. I do not even know Wu Sangui."
"Then what is he doing?"
Shi Jian chuckled.
"A man with ambition jumping into the chaos. When the world is in turmoil, anyone with ambition and troops will want a piece of the game. Do you remember Zuo Liangyu when you were suppressing bandits in Henan? He wanted to ride the chaos to carve out his own throne as well."
Lu Xiangsheng fell silent, the memory clearly hitting home.
Shi Jian turned back to Li Daoxuan.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, what should we do about Wu Sangui? Shall I deal with him on my way back?"
Li Daoxuan shook his head slowly.
"He is waving the banner of collective governance. If we crush a force that claims to support that cause, it will create a contradiction that the common people cannot reconcile."
Shi Jian frowned slightly.
"Then what?"
Li Daoxuan's smile carried a hint of cold amusement.
"Watch him. Wait for his fox tail to reveal itself. The moment it does, we smash his head without hesitation."
Shi Jian straightened.
"Understood."
"Return to Shaanxi," Li Daoxuan added. "Do not concern yourself with Wu Sangui."
Shi Jian nodded.
"Then I will avoid Shanhai Pass."
Lu Xiangsheng gave a small nod.
"Take the route I used when I chased Dorgon. It passes through Mongol territory."
Shi Jian grinned.
"That route is quite convenient. With armored cavalry transport, we can cut the journey significantly."
And so Shi Jian departed with his forces, heading back toward Shaanxi.
Lu Xiangsheng watched him go, his brows slowly drawing together again.
"Another general gone. And one of your core forces."
Li Daoxuan nodded lightly.
"You could say that."
Lu Xiangsheng folded his arms and began counting on his fingers, his voice growing more serious with each name.
"Cao Wenzhao, Gao Jie, Xing Honglang, Wang Xiaohua, Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu, Shi Jian…"
He stopped.
Seven units gone.
Each with three to five thousand men.
More than twenty thousand troops had already been pulled away.
What remained at Dalinghe City now was painfully thin.
"My Tianxiong Army, the capital troops brought by Gao Qiqian, your personal special unit, the Anhui forces sent by Shi Kefa, Luo Xi from Shangnan, and the Sichuan troops…"
He exhaled slowly.
"We cannot keep losing troops like this. If this continues, forget attacking Shenyang, we may not even be able to hold Daling River City."
Li Daoxuan only smiled.
"No problem. Let the music play, let the dance continue."
Far away, Shengjing Palace.
Huang Taiji sat quietly, flipping through a worn copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms for what must have been well over a hundredth time, his attention fully absorbed in one particular concept.
The legendary Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse.
A miraculous invention said to transport supplies without human effort.
If such a mechanism truly existed, then perhaps even the great iron vehicles could be made to move.
From this thought, he had devised an entire plan.
A grand operation.
Make the iron machines move like the Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse.
And so, the study began with the novel itself.
Just as he was deeply immersed, Fan Wencheng rushed in, barely able to contain his excitement.
"Your Majesty, great news."
Huang Taiji looked up slowly.
"Speak."
Fan Wencheng's voice was almost trembling with delight.
"The Ming court is in chaos. Rebellions have erupted everywhere. Zhu Youjian has recalled a large number of generals from Dalinghe City."
He paused for emphasis.
"The forces stationed there are now less than half of what they were just days ago."