All the heroes of the world are now in my grasp.

Chapter 16 Reunion with an Old Friend

The main camp at the border river mouth, the central command tent.

After nearly ten days of travel, with Gao Zidan's poor horsemanship causing significant delays, Gao Zidan and Han Xin finally arrived at their destination. Led by their personal guards, they slowly stepped into the traditionally solemn central military tent.

A dark military carpet covered the floor, making no sound when stepped on; the candlelight on both sides was dimmed by copper lampshades, casting a soft yet still imposing glow; secret letters and military records lay open on the table, the ink still wet, revealing the composure and discipline of someone in charge of an army.

Zhou Bo, who was sitting behind the desk and wearing a half-worn black armor, broke down the moment he saw Gao Zidan. His originally tense and gloomy face broke down.

He was stunned for a moment—he stared at Gao Zidan for a full three breaths, from her slightly dusty but still upright figure to the familiar outline between her brows, and he froze.

Immediately following was an overwhelming surge of excitement and ecstasy.

He abruptly stood up from behind the desk, the ring-pommel sword at his waist gleaming with a clear, resonant sound as he moved. He strode forward, almost stumbling, and grabbed Gao Zidan's shoulder. His usually calm and sharp eyes instantly welled with hot tears, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Zidan! It's you! You really are alive! You little brat, you really are alive!"

It's been more than twenty days.

From the night he learned that the entire Gao family of Shanggu had been slaughtered, to the wave after wave of trusted men he had sent out over the past half month returning empty-handed, to his anxiety day and night, his sleepless nights, to the empty joy he felt every time he heard of "a trace of the Gao family," and to the despair he felt every time he could not find their whereabouts... all his emotions, at this moment, turned into these surging tears and excited sobs.

He patted Gao Zidan's shoulder with such force that he almost crushed the other's shoulder bone, his tone filled with relief and joy at having found what he had lost: "That's wonderful! That's wonderful! Zhou Bo didn't let his old friend down! Brother Gao, if you could see me in heaven, you could rest in peace! It's truly... truly wonderful that you escaped alive!"

Han Xin stood aside, watching his young lord and Zhou Bo so emotionally involved, and bowed slightly, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

Gao Zidan felt the warmth of Zhou Bo's palm and the sincerity in it, and a complex warmth welled up in his heart. He raised his hand and pressed down on Zhou Bo's arm, applying slight pressure, his tone calm yet firm:

"Uncle, thank you for your trouble."

The phrase "too much trouble" perfectly encapsulates Zhou Bo's tireless efforts and concerns over the past two weeks.

Zhou Bo waved his hands repeatedly, wiping away tears from the corners of his eyes, suppressing his excitement, and turned to call out to his personal guards: "Quick! Quickly, give my nephew a seat! Bring hot wine! Prepare meat! He must be starving after such a long and arduous journey! Let him rest for a bit, and we can talk about what's going on slowly!"

The atmosphere inside the tent instantly eased, and the guards busied themselves, quickly setting out seats and steaming hot food and wine.

But Gao Zidan didn't move.

He didn't sit down, nor did he pick up the still-steaming wine. He just stared straight at Zhou Bo, his eyes showing no sign of weariness or politeness, only a resolute determination to burn his bridges.

Seeing this, Zhou Bo's heart sank slightly. He knew that Gao Zidan was definitely not just here to reminisce.

Gao Zidan took a deep breath, got straight to the point, and spoke directly without any beating around the bush:

"Uncle, I, Gao Zidan, have only one matter to discuss with you today."

He paused, then spoke each word with a resounding force, each syllable crashing into the air within the tent, making everyone's eardrums tighten:

"I urge you, Uncle, to immediately muster all your troops and accompany me to Pingzhou to seek refuge with the Duke of Liao! I must avenge my parents! I must avenge the more than two hundred members of my Gao family!"

The moment the words were spoken, the entire central command tent fell into complete silence.

Even the crackling sound of burning charcoal seemed to have been muted.

Zhou Bo's smile froze instantly. His hand holding the wine glass paused abruptly, spilling a few drops of wine onto the carpet, leaving a small, dark stain. He looked up sharply at Gao Zidan, his excitement and relief vanishing in an instant, replaced by utter shock and disbelief.

"What did you say?!"

He blurted it out almost without thinking, his voice rising abruptly, filled with disbelief and shock:

"Zidan! Do you know what your words mean?!"

Zhou Bo strode back behind the desk, sat down heavily, his fingers gripping the edge so tightly his knuckles turned white. He looked at Gao Zidan, his tone urgent and serious, almost a stern warning, laying out all his difficulties:

"This is absolutely unacceptable! This is not a major decision that can be made on a whim!"

"Look at the current situation! Although I, Zhou Bo, am the General of the Imperial Guard at Jiehekou, commanding three thousand border troops, these three thousand soldiers are all regular officers and soldiers under the Song Dynasty's official command!" Zhou Bo pointed to the military tally and tiger tally on the table, his face grave. "According to the Song Dynasty's military system, the deployment of troops above the rank of 'Tun' requires a military tally and tiger tally issued by the prefecture! If I were to lead my troops away from Jiehekou without Lord Ji's tiger tally and head to Pingzhou to join the Liao Duke, in the eyes of the court, this would be treason and rebellion!"

"Let alone my battalion of three thousand soldiers, apart from my own personal guard, there's absolutely no way any of the rest would be willing to follow me to Pingzhou and risk their lives! Even I myself would be labeled a traitor and face eternal damnation!"

Zhou Bo's words were all reasonable and weighty, laying bare all the impossibilities.

Gao Zidan remained silent for a long time before slowly raising her head, her face showing a hint of disappointment and difficulty, her tone carrying a reluctant understanding:

"I understand what you're saying, Uncle. I was too impatient, only thinking about revenge, and didn't consider your difficulties."

He turned slightly to the side, looking towards the direction outside the tent, his tone carrying a hint of resolute determination, as if settling for second best:

"But I, Gao Zidan, am a grown man standing in this world, and the hatred for the massacre of my family is irreconcilable with Xiang Yu. Since my uncle is in trouble and unable to mobilize troops, then... I can only rely on myself."

"I was saved by Liu Yao, the Chanyu of the Yongming tribe, who risked his life for me. He gave me this life. If my uncle refuses to send troops, then I will return to the Yongming tribe and borrow troops from Liu Yao! I will definitely go to Pingzhou to seek refuge with the Liao Duke and avenge my parents!"

Gao Zidan's words were all pre-planned. She needed to establish herself as someone who avenged her parents, which was considered a matter of course in this era. Whatever she did for this goal would generally be understood. Her initial demand that Zhou Bo lead the entire army to avenge them was a classic example of the broken windows theory: first, offer an unacceptable condition, then try to negotiate amicably.

Just as Gao Zidan had predicted, Zhou Bo's expression instantly became complicated upon hearing this.

He was silent for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. A hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, then he slowly nodded, his tone softening, completely devoid of his previous vehement opposition, and instead carrying a clear sense of agreement:

"Good. Borrowing troops is a feasible method."

Zhou Bo didn't say anything more, but his face showed difficulty. He added the most crucial reminder: "But... Zidan, you need to think this through. The Xiongnu people live by water and pasture, and they have always valued profit. The Yongming tribe's soldiers aren't borrowed for nothing. If you want to borrow their elite troops to go with you to Pingzhou to surrender to the Liao Duke, the reward you'll have to pay will certainly not be low. What will you offer in exchange for their soldiers?"

Gao Zidan met Zhou Bo's gaze, a hint of probing flashing in her eyes. She lowered her voice slightly as she voiced her thoughts, her tone carrying a touch of uncertainty, as if it were merely a casual suggestion:

"Uncle, I do have an idea, but I don't know if it's feasible."

He paused, then slowly said, "What Liu Yao Chanyu lacks most is a territory where his entire tribe can settle down and make a living. The Yongming tribe is trapped deep in the mountains, with little land and poor people; they can't even gather enough food for the winter. If... if we could allocate one or two counties in Xihe Prefecture for the Yongming tribe to temporarily reside in, giving them a place to settle down and make a living, and use that as an exchange to get their troops to come with me to Pingzhou, do you think... this deal is feasible?"

After saying this, Gao Zidan lowered his eyes, picked up the wine glass on the table, and gently stroked the rim of the glass with his fingertips, waiting for Zhou Bo's response. He knew in his heart that granting a county fiefdom privately was not much different from treason, and the chances of success were already slim.

But to his utter surprise, Zhou Bo paused for a moment after hearing this, then a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Instead of objecting, he fell into deep thought.

A full half-cup of tea's time passed before Zhou Bo finally raised his head to look at Gao Zidan. Instead of reprimanding her, he asked in return, "Zidan, do you know who the current governor of Xihe County is?"

Gao Zidan shook her head.

"Xiang Xu," Zhou Bo uttered the name, his tone full of helplessness. "A renowned Confucian scholar of our time, famous for his filial piety. He spent his entire life annotating the Classic of Filial Piety, and his daily speech was filled with the teachings of the sages. The only thing he did every day in the prefectural government was to burn incense and recite the Classic of Filial Piety. But apart from discussing the meaning of the classics, he had absolutely no ability to govern. He didn't care about the people's livelihood, the criminal justice system, or the defense of the prefecture. He pushed everything onto his subordinates, holding a position without doing anything. He was just a figurehead, clinging to the title of a renowned scholar, and couldn't accomplish a single practical task."

As he spoke, he picked up the newly received urgent secret letter from the table and handed it to Gao Zidan, his tone somber yet resolute:

"Take a look at this first. With His Majesty's passing and two emperors on the throne, chaos is inevitable!"

Gao Zidan took the secret letter, quickly scanned it, and her expression instantly turned serious.

The coup in Luoyang led to the assassination of Zhao Ren, the ascension of Zhao Yong to the throne in Luoyang, and the establishment of the Zhao Kuangyin dynasty in Chang'an. With two emperors in one dynasty, the east and west were in opposition, and the Central Plains were completely divided.

Zhou Bo continued, "With His Majesty's passing, the empire is in turmoil, and the Song Dynasty is on the verge of collapse. A scholar like Xiang Xu, who only knows how to talk about classics, is simply incapable of holding down Xihe County. Who is Governor Ji of Bingzhou? He has dominated Jinyang for many years and is a man of deep thoughts. Seeing the chaos in the world, he will definitely take the opportunity to consolidate the various counties of Bingzhou and stabilize the situation within his territory. Governor Ji has long been unable to tolerate a governor like Xiang Xu who neglects his duties and lets the county affairs fall into disrepair. He simply cannot hold onto this position."

Zhou Bo's eyes were sharp as knives, and his tone was resolute; he actually approved of this seemingly absurd suggestion:

"Rather than letting Xiang Xu occupy the position and leave the defenses of Xihe County riddled with holes, ultimately leading to either a breach by cavalry from beyond the Great Wall or a casual replacement by Lord Ji, it would be better to... exchange one or two counties for the elite cavalry of the Yongming tribe. Firstly, this would help you borrow troops and avenge your blood feud; secondly, with the territory gained, the Yongming tribe would defend the northern border of Xihe County for us, blocking the cavalry from beyond the Great Wall; and thirdly, this deal would also benefit Lord Ji's control of Bingzhou, and he would certainly not object."

He looked at Gao Zidan with a solemn and certain look in his eyes: "Zidan, this is not only feasible, but also the best method at present."

Gao Zidan's hand holding the secret letter trembled slightly.

He had initially approached this idea tentatively, even bracing himself for rejection. To his utter surprise, Zhou Bo not only didn't object but also meticulously weighed all the pros and cons, definitively approving its feasibility. This was understandable, though. While Gao Zidan had some background knowledge of the era through books, he was completely clueless about the personnel, personalities, and political landscape of these prefectures and counties. The urgent letter about the upheaval in Luoyang had an unexpected and significant impact on the overall situation. Many previously taboo topics and thoughts could now be openly discussed.

Gao Zidan took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart, looked at Zhou Bo, and slowly nodded, her tone carrying a hint of relief: "Alright. Since General Zhou has said so, then... let's proceed according to this method. When I return to Yongming, I will discuss this matter in detail with Chanyu Liu Yao."

The atmosphere inside the tent instantly brightened.

"Good! Good! With your words, I'm relieved! Brother Gao can rest easy now!" Zhou Bo breathed a sigh of relief, a long-lost smile appearing on his face. He then asked, "Have you been with the Yongming tribe these past few days? What kind of person is the Yongming Chanyu?"

Gao Zidan replied naturally, "Since escaping from Shanggu, I have been staying in Yongming tribe. I was going to come and find Uncle Gao after the heavy snow stopped. However, I am not familiar with the roads in Bingzhou and encountered a few avalanches, which delayed me for a few days. I also lost the gift I prepared for Uncle Gao. I am really sorry."

"It's alright! It's alright!" Zhou Bo naturally didn't care about any gifts.

The two exchanged a smile, and a great weight was lifted from their hearts for the time being.

They all thought that this matter had finally been settled. Gao Zidan's path to revenge seemed to have finally seen a glimmer of hope.

But just then—

Suddenly, a deafening commotion erupted outside the tent.

That was not the usual clamor of soldiers, nor the laughter of a festival, but a mixture of galloping hooves, clashing weapons, soldiers' cries, and the long blaring of horns... a chaotic and bloody sound!

The sound grew closer and louder, rushing straight from the camp gate toward the central command tent, carrying with it an overwhelming sense of killing intent and panic.

Immediately afterward, a bodyguard, pale-faced, stumbled and crawled into the main tent, covered in blood, his armor slashed open, his voice hoarse and almost inaudible, every word filled with extreme panic:

"General!!! Enemy attack!!! Unidentified cavalry have launched a surprise attack outside the camp!!! The camp gates have been breached!!! Enemy attack—!!!"

Before the words were even finished, the entire central command tent instantly fell into a deathly silence and chaos.

The charcoal fire continued to burn, but the candlelight suddenly flickered wildly, making Zhou Bo and Gao Zidan's faces turn deathly pale.

Enemy attack.