After Du Fuwei agreed to surrender to the Tang forces, the Twin Dragons were overjoyed. This meant they could avoid a direct confrontation with Du Fuwei. If possible, they naturally didn't want to face off against him. Having some understanding of Daniel Davis, they knew that no one in the world could defeat him.
If Du Fuwei hadn't surrendered, the outcome would have been his defeat and death—something the Twin Dragons didn't want to see. Now, the situation was a win-win for everyone.
"Father, why do I feel like you don't care about the Jianghuai Army's legacy at all?"
Now that the Twin Dragons and Du Fuwei had formally established their father-son relationship, Kou Zhong spoke more casually and immediately voiced his doubts.
Before meeting Du Fuwei, the two of them hadn't been very confident about persuading him to surrender. They had only hoped to do their best and leave the rest to fate. After all, Du Fuwei was now a powerful warlord with significant influence. Surrendering would mean losing all of that.
After Du Fuwei's surrender, the Tang forces would naturally treat him well, offering him high positions and generous salaries. However, these would likely be honorary titles without real power. While Du Fuwei's subordinates might still be given important roles, Du Fuwei himself would not.
This wasn't because Daniel feared Du Fuwei might do something. It was simply the unwritten rule of the warlord era. Some things, even with Daniel's current power, couldn't be changed. Altering them would lead to endless trouble.
There's a saying: "People don't worry about scarcity but about inequality." If Du Fuwei were given special treatment, it would set a precedent. How would they handle future surrenders? Not everyone would surrender without conditions like Du Fuwei. Others would surely negotiate terms before surrendering.
For example, they would demand certain official positions and how much of their wealth they could retain. Even if the positions were honorary, the titles still mattered. As for salaries, few cared about that. To put it bluntly, someone like Du Fuwei would never have to worry about money.
In fact, those in high positions rarely worried about money. They didn't even need to resort to corruption. Simply having access to certain information through legitimate means was enough to keep them financially secure.
"I've done my best. Losing is losing. With the Song Clan and the Tang forces united, the fate of the world is already decided."
It wasn't that Du Fuwei didn't care about the Jianghuai Army at all. After all, it was his life's work. However, compared to others who clung to false hope, Du Fuwei was more realistic. This was why he had later joined the Li Clan in the original story.
With the Tang forces' current momentum and the support of the Song Clan, the situation in the south was already settled. Others refused to admit defeat, partly out of hope and partly because they couldn't bear to let go of their power. Even if they were to surrender, they would wait until the army was at their doorstep.
In such cases, the treatment for those who surrendered early and those who surrendered under pressure would be different. For the Jianghuai Army, Du Fuwei would be sidelined, but his subordinates could still be given important roles if they were capable.
"Let's go."
Du Fuwei was decisive. After deciding to surrender, he quickly arranged matters for the Jianghuai Army and prepared to head to Luoyang with the Twin Dragons to meet Daniel Davis.
With Du Fuwei's decision to surrender, Fu Gongyou naturally didn't object. The Demon Sect was now fully aligned with Daniel. If it were just Zhu Yuyan, Fu Gongyou might have had other ideas. But with An Long also in Luoyang, Fu Gongyou knew what that meant.
In the Demon Sect, everyone knew An Long was Shi Zhixuan's man. His presence meant Shi Zhixuan had also joined the Tang forces. While Zhu Yuyan held significant influence in the Demon Sect, she still paled in comparison to Shi Zhixuan.
"I never expected you, Xiao Zhong, to have such a relationship with the Song family's young lady. Song Que truly lives up to his reputation, agreeing to such a thing. I must say, Xiao Zhong, you're quite lucky."
Du Fuwei, traveling without guards, only with the Twin Dragons, was shocked to learn about Kou Zhong's relationship with Song Yuzhi. Before this, he had assumed Daniel would marry into the Song Clan. Instead, it was Kou Zhong who was marrying Song Yuzhi.
Du Fuwei also admired Daniel for this. Anyone else, even Li Shimin, wouldn't have cared about Song Yuzhi's feelings. After all, marriage alliances were the easiest way to build trust between two factions.
If Daniel had insisted, Song Que, no matter how much he doted on his daughter, would have had to agree. Compared to the fate of the world, a woman's happiness, even his own daughter's, seemed insignificant.
Fortunately, Kou Zhong and Daniel were like brothers, making Kou Zhong's marriage to Song Yuzhi another form of alliance, which was enough to convince the Song Clan's members.
"The Ci Hang Jing Zhai and Ning Daoqi... I used to respect them."
As the three traveled, they inevitably discussed Buddhism and the Pure Thought Zen Sect's schemes. At the mention of this, Du Fuwei's expression turned serious. The Ci Hang Jing Zhai, with its long-standing reputation, held a high status in the martial world. If not for Daniel's appearance, Buddhism might not have needed to lift a finger. Just Shi Feixuan alone could have stirred up enough trouble.
In the original story, Du Fuwei's surrender to the Li Clan was largely due to Shi Feixuan's influence. Without her mediation, Du Fuwei might not have surrendered so early, especially since the Li Clan hadn't yet taken Luoyang.
But now, thanks to Daniel's revelations, Du Fuwei had lost all respect for the Ci Hang Jing Zhai and Buddhism. He had even looted some temples during the war. After all, compared to the poor commoners who had little to offer, the wealthy temples were much more lucrative targets.
This wasn't just Du Fuwei's doing. Others like Li Zitong and Shen Faxing had followed suit. As long as there was no concrete evidence, they could deny everything, and Buddhism could do nothing about it.
"Hey, wait! Why are you all running in such a panic?"
As the three traveled, they reached Liangcheng, planning to take a water route to Luoyang. They were surprised to find the city's residents fleeing to the mountains with their families. Kou Zhong immediately grabbed a young man carrying a bundle and asked for an explanation.
The young man, initially angry, quickly calmed down upon seeing the imposing figures of the three. He explained that the Donghai Alliance pirates were coming.
The chaos in the Central Plains was the perfect opportunity for foreign tribes, much like the Five Barbarians during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. If not for the internal strife during the Three Kingdoms era, which weakened the Central Plains, such events might not have happened.
"The Donghai Alliance."
Hearing the name, the Twin Dragons' expressions turned cold. They knew a bit about the Donghai Alliance—a group mainly composed of Khitans, with a few other tribes and some Han Chinese traitors. They specialized in raiding coastal towns without strong protection.
"Who's in charge here now?"
Since they had encountered this, the Twin Dragons couldn't ignore it. However, knowing nothing about the Donghai Alliance's strength, Kou Zhong didn't plan to rely solely on the three of them to deal with them.
"It's the Peng-Liang Association." The young man quickly broke free from Kou Zhong's grip and fled in panic.
"The Peng-Liang Association? Old acquaintances." Kou Zhong glanced at Xu Ziling and Du Fuwei. "Father, are you interested in causing some trouble?"
"If my son is interested, how can I, as a father, not join in?"
With that, the three immediately headed toward Liangcheng against the flow of fleeing people. Upon entering the city, they soon encountered members of the Peng-Liang Association, including Ren Meimei, whom they had met before.
"Chief Du, Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling."
Ren Meimei was startled to see the three, especially the Twin Dragons, given her past hostility toward them.
"Where's Nie Jing, the Ghost Claw?"
Seeing only Ren Meimei coming to greet them, Du Fuwei's expression turned cold. Given their status, the Peng-Liang Association's leader should have personally received them.
The Peng-Liang Association was one of the Eight Great Associations and Ten Great Societies, with its base in Pengcheng and Liangcheng.
"I'm sorry, the leader has passed away."
At the mention of the leader, Ren Meimei's expression darkened. She explained that during Emperor Yang's reign, the Peng-Liang Association had been quite influential. However, after Emperor Yang's death, their leader, Nie Jing, the Ghost Claw, had ambitious plans to establish himself as a warlord based in Pengcheng and Liangcheng.
At first, things went well, and he firmly controlled the two cities. But after Yuwen Huaji retreated from Yangzhou, the Peng-Liang Association clashed with him. If not for Li Mi attacking Yuwen Huaji at the time, Pengcheng and Liangcheng might have fallen to Yuwen Huaji.
Even so, Nie Jing was severely injured by Yuwen Huaji's Ice Profound Energy. Later, he faced the Khitans of the Donghai Alliance, and the combination of new and old injuries led to his death. After that, the Peng-Liang Association nearly collapsed under the threat of the Donghai Alliance, with only a few veterans like Ren Meimei remaining.
In times of peace, the Eight Great Associations and Ten Great Societies held some influence. But in times of war, it was a different story. By now, less than half of them remained.
The Haisha Gang, the Jukun Gang, and the Peng-Liang Association were practically defunct. The Baling Gang and the Iron Cavalry Society were confirmed to be extinct. The ones still thriving were either backed by powerful factions, like the Shuilong Gang supported by the Song Clan, or had avoided the war, like the Poyang Society, which was backed by the Demon Sect and Lin Shihong.
As for Nie Jing's death, the Twin Dragons and Du Fuwei didn't pay much attention. In this era, such things were all too common. Besides, they had no personal connection with him.
"How many people does the Peng-Liang Association have here now?" Kou Zhong directly asked Ren Meimei.
"You want to...?"
Kou Zhong's question caught Ren Meimei off guard, but she quickly realized that the three were planning to deal with the incoming Donghai Alliance.
After losing Nie Jing, the surviving members of the Peng-Liang Association could only issue early warnings and have people hide until the Donghai Alliance left. It wasn't that Ren Meimei and the others didn't want to fight the Donghai Alliance, but they simply lacked the strength.
"If the three of you are willing to help, I can gather about a hundred people," Ren Meimei said after a moment of silence.
"What about weapons?"
"We have everything we need."
"How many people are in the Donghai Alliance?"
"I'll need to check the exact number, but it shouldn't exceed five hundred."
After a brief conversation with Ren Meimei, Kou Zhong nodded and laid out his plan. Facing five hundred enemies head-on was impossible, so they had to use strategy.
"Bring your best bows and prepare enough arrows."
After a quick discussion, the plan was set. Ren Meimei immediately began gathering the remaining members of the Peng-Liang Association in Liangcheng.
Upon learning that the Twin Dragons and Du Fuwei were present, morale soared. They quickly prepared according to Kou Zhong's instructions. Most members of the Peng-Liang Association were locals from Pengcheng and Liangcheng. If possible, they naturally didn't want their hometown to be plundered.
"Don't worry. Even if we can't wipe out the Donghai Alliance this time, the Tang forces will soon expand here. Then, we can eliminate them completely."
The Donghai Alliance was a minor issue. The real problem was the Han Chinese traitors who collaborated with them, such as the Luoma Gang and other associations.
In these chaotic times, all sorts of unsavory characters had emerged. Just as the Peng-Liang Association controlled Pengcheng and Liangcheng, some smaller gangs controlled villages and towns.
"They're here."
As a figure swiftly crossed the drawbridge and approached Kou Zhong and the others, Kou Zhong immediately had everyone hide. The Twin Dragons and Du Fuwei sat at a window-side table in a tavern near the city gate, enjoying a feast.
Amidst the sound of galloping horses, Ku Ge of the Donghai Alliance arrived at Liangcheng's gate with hundreds of followers. Seeing the open gate and lowered drawbridge, Ku Ge signaled his men to stop. The situation looked suspiciously like a trap.
However, Ku Ge, perhaps believing no one in Liangcheng could threaten him, hesitated for a moment before leading his men into the city.
The empty streets and the three men drinking by the window made Ku Ge narrow his eyes. Ku Ge wasn't a true pirate; he was the son of a tribal leader among the Khitans, cunning and ruthless. After a moment's thought, he raised his hand.
At his signal, three Khitans behind him drew their bows and fired arrows at Kou Zhong and the others.
"Ku Ge, you will meet your end here."
Facing the three arrows, Kou Zhong waved his hand and caught them in his left palm. With a shout, he sent the arrows flying back, piercing through three Khitans in Ku Ge's group.
As Kou Zhong shouted, figures emerged from the seemingly empty buildings along the street. They immediately lit prepared incendiary devices and threw them at the Donghai Alliance members. Thick black smoke quickly enveloped the invaders.
At the same time, the drawbridge began to rise.
"Retreat!"
Hearing the drawbridge rise, Ku Ge immediately ordered a retreat. Unfortunately, it was too late. Screams echoed around him as his men fell one after another.
(End of Chapter)
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