Chapter Three: Give Me an Explanation

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Despite the overwhelming murderous intent radiating from Lady Golden Flower, her peerless beauty remained as captivating as ever, yet Liu Yi was still startled by the ferocity in her expression. “Lady Golden Flower, please don’t be so anxious. Once night falls, we’ll have options. Huh? Are those Red Turban soldiers approaching?”

Liu Yi remembered clearly: he and Lady Golden Flower had just defeated a squad of Green Turban soldiers together. But now, in the view of the telescope, the approaching forces were clad almost entirely in red robes and red headbands. Though a few Green Turban soldiers mingled among them, their presence was negligible amidst the masses of Red Turbans.

Lady Golden Flower grew even more indignant. “That’s right. It’s that scoundrel Ni Manzi. If I kill him first, there will no longer be Red Turban fighting Red Turban!”

Liu Yi quickly advised, “Let’s head up the mountain first. Which way leads to Lake Chao?”

The pursuers followed relentlessly, at times coming within just three or four hundred paces of Liu Yi. However, thanks to the telescope and the engineer’s shovel, Liu Yi and Lady Golden Flower always managed to seize the advantage before their pursuers caught up. “Lady Golden Flower, since I am escorting you to Lake Chao, I must understand what’s happening. Even if we die, let us die knowing why.”

Lady Golden Flower glared fiercely at Liu Yi and bit her lip before saying, “I will tell only you, Young Master Liu!”

Ni Manzi she spoke of was Ni Wenjun, the nominal second-in-command of the Xu Song regime. In practice, whether it was Emperor Xu Shuhui or Grand Tutor Zou Pusheng, their words carried less weight than Ni Wenjun’s.

Ni Wenjun’s position of authority was earned through real combat and bloodshed. In the thirteenth year of Zhizheng, during the Battle of Lanxi, the main force of the Xu Song Red Turban Army suffered a devastating blow, the capital Qishui fell, and the remnants retreated to the mountains and lakes. At the brink of destruction, Ni Wenjun turned the tide, personally leading swift multi-oared warships in relentless operations on the waters, securing victory after victory and reversing the dire situation. He then seized the opportunity when the Yuan army’s main force was redeployed east to Gaoyou, inflicting several heavy defeats upon them. Only recently, he routed the Yuan forces in Hanchuan, enabling the Xu Song regime to shift to an all-out offensive.

If Peng Yingyu was the true founder of the Xu Song regime, then Ni Wenjun was its chief restorer. Yet Lady Golden Flower’s words left Liu Yi completely confounded. “If Ni Manzi has rendered such great services to the nation, why does he seek to destroy us?”

Lady Golden Flower’s killing intent grew sharper. “Ni Manzi disregards His Majesty and made unauthorized contact with the false Yuan court. I discovered it by chance. I should have executed him first and reported later.”

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Though Liu Yi had only met Lady Golden Flower that day, he was already accustomed to her ever-present aura of violence. “Lady Golden Flower, your mission to Lake Chao is surely His Majesty Xu Shuhui’s strategic move against Ni Manzi.”

Lady Golden Flower, seasoned and unflappable, nevertheless gripped her spear when Liu Yi spoke. “Young Master Liu, if I weren’t concerned for your safety, I’d return west to the court and eliminate this menace for the nation myself.”

Despite Ni Wenjun and the Xu Song court still being nominally united, Ni Wenjun’s unauthorized communications with the Yuan court—regular exchanges of envoys and letters—forced Emperor Xu Shuhui and Grand Tutor Zou Pusheng in the central government to make advance preparations.

Lady Golden Flower, however, had not expected Ni Wenjun’s counterattack to be so fierce. The nickname “Ni Manzi” was certainly apt. As Liu Yi listened, he grew more confident. “Lady Golden Flower, if you weren’t burdened by me, could you truly kill Ni Manzi alone with your spear?”

Lady Golden Flower finally could not utter a harsh retort. “What now? I don’t fear entanglement with these scoundrels, but Ni Manzi will surely spread a net in the east and wait for us!”

Since Lady Golden Flower planned to head to Lake Chao, Ni Wenjun must have deployed forces in the east to ensnare her. Liu Yi immediately suggested, “If Ni Manzi wants to attack from both east and west, why don’t we head south?”

Lady Golden Flower’s expression remained severe. “South leads only to the great river. Even if we find someone willing to ferry us across, we’d first have to deal with Ni Manzi’s swift multi-oared warships!”

Ni Wenjun’s authority was rooted in his mastery of these warships—“swift as the wind, operating day and night on lakes and rivers, always achieving surprise and victory.” Crossing the Yangtze under his watch was no easier than crossing with a clay Buddha. Liu Yi grew anxious. “What about Ni Manzi’s deployments to the north?”

Lady Golden Flower quickened her pace. “He has little in the north, but that is the territory of Liu Futong, Du Zundao, and Sheng Wenyu. We cannot abandon the legitimate Song to join the Xiang Army, can we?”

At present, there were two Red Turban armies: one was the Xu Song Red Turban Army of Xu Shuhui and Ni Wenjun in Qihuang; the other was the Ruoying Red Turban Army of Liu Futong and Du Zundao. To outsiders, both were anti-Yuan forces under the Red Turban banner, seemingly identical.

Yet, these two armies were as opposed as fire and water. Were it not for the common enemy of the Yuan court, they would have fought each other long ago. Even so, conflicts were constant in their border regions.

One practical reason Emperor Xu Shuhui sent Lady Golden Flower to Lake Chao to restore order was that the Haozhou Red Turban Army, belonging to Liu Futong and Du Zundao’s faction, had suddenly moved south in force. In several clashes with the Lake Chao navy, they had gained the upper hand. Without intervention, the illustrious navy might soon face total annihilation.

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As Lady Golden Flower, a founding hero of the Xu Song regime, could not possibly go north to deliver herself into a trap, Liu Yi’s eyes lit up at her words. “The north is Liu Futong’s territory. If we head north, Ni Manzi will never dare pursue us!”

Lady Golden Flower had considered this. “But then what? We are the legitimate Song!”

Xu Shuhui and Ni Wenjun’s Qihuang Red Turban Army claimed the title of “Song,” whereas Liu Futong and Du Zundao’s Ruoying Red Turban Army, though it once rallied under the banner of “Restoration of Song,” had neither a sovereign nor a formal state name. To Lady Golden Flower, they were nothing but heretics.

But Liu Yi replied confidently, “Precisely because we are the legitimate Song, we must go north. Lady Golden Flower, will you trust me?”

Lady Golden Flower had only known Liu Yi for a few hours, and his strange attire and mysterious ways gave her no reason to trust him—especially now that he was urging her to abandon the cause she had fought for so many years to seek refuge with a rival army.

Thus, she leveled her spear, the icy tip pressing against Liu Yi’s throat. “Young Master Liu, give me a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, you are a spy for Liu Futong.”

For some reason, she still wanted to give this young man a chance.

Liu Yi’s breath grew rapid; after all, a single thrust from Lady Golden Flower would end him forever! Yet he had never felt so exhilarated. “If you wish to smoothly take command of the Lake Chao navy, you must have Liu Futong’s support!”

As he spoke, fierce barking erupted behind Lady Golden Flower, but her spear’s tip remained steady. “Young Master Liu, give me a reasonable explanation!”