Chapter 398 (1/2)

Liu Mang left Xinye and departed for Xiangyang. Liu Qi had offered to dispatch soldiers to escort Liu Mang but Liu Mang rejected his offer due to a lack of horses. He wanted to get to Xiangyang as fast as possible.

As soon as they left Xinye, Jia Xu asked about Liu Qi. In his opinion, it was a mistake to invest in Liu Qi. During peaceful times, Liu Qi would be a good friend because of his honest nature. However, during turbulent times, these honest people would be the first to be eliminated. If Liu Qi had been a smart person, he would have already searched for help from other influential families such as the Pang Family or the Kuai Family before getting sent to Xinye. Liu Qi may be far away from the persecution of the Cai Family but he would also be far away from obtaining power. Besides that, helping Liu Qi would mean becoming enemies with the Cai Family. Was this worth Xinye and ten thousand provisions?

“Wenhe. There are times when we do not get to choose our allies.” Liu Mang did not actually accept Liu Qi for Xinye. He had already found out that Pang Tong had joined forces with the Cai Family, Huang Family and Pang Family to go against him. The Huang Family was against him because of the incident at Jiangxia and the Pang Family was against him because of Pang Tong. However, Liu Mang did not know how he offended the Cai Family. The Cai Family were the ones in charge of the safety of Xiangyang including the guest station. In other words, the Cai Family had Liu Mang’s envoys killed on purpose.

There was also another benefit in obtaining Liu Qi’s help. Now, Liu Mang and the White Horses had a place to take refuge. Even if the White Horses were quick, they would not be able to march continuously for long periods. They would need a place to rest. Xinye was close enough to be a resting spot and Liu Qi would still be able to provide enough for the White Horses.

In other words, Liu Mang did not pick out Liu Qi as an ally. He was only given the option to accept or refuse Liu Qi as an ally because the Cai Family was already against him.

They quickly reached the river where they boarded a s.h.i.+p provided by Liu Qi to cross the river. The crystal clear water of the river was fascinating. It was unlike the water at the dam near the industrial area or the water in modern times.

“The gus.h.i.+ng waters of the Yangtze River pour and disappear into the East,

was.h.i.+ng away past heroes: their triumphs and failures,

all vanish into nothingness in an instant.

Yet, the green hills still stood as before, along with the perpetual rosy sunset

A gray-haired man fishes and splits firewood in a small island,

accustomed to observing the autumn moons and feeling the spring winds

A good old friend drops by happily with a bottle of crude wine;

all tales, old and new, shall then be told and shared together in laughter!”1

The ancient scholars could not be blamed for their poetic grace as the Yangtze River was just that beautiful. Liu Mang also could not help but recite that poem out of awe.

“Wonderful! I did not expect Milord to be able to deliver such a wonderful poem!” Jia Xu’s words caused Liu Mang to roll his eyes. This was simply plagiarism. The poem was actually first delivered by a scholar thousands of years later.

Liu Mang stared at Jia Xu coldly. Jia Xu also somewhat realized that he had said something wrong. He somewhat realized that Liu Mang could not have delivered such a poem. Jia Xu himself was not an expert but he knew that such a poem could only be delivered by one with many life experiences or one that lived a monastic life. It could only be delivered by a person as old as Jia Xu and not by someone as young as Liu Mang.

Jia Xu was correct. The one that actually first delivered this poem was Yang Shen who was banished to Yunnan after the Great Rites Controversy. It just so happens that he saw a fisherman and a lumberjack chatting happily. Yang Shen was so moved he immediately requested for paper and wrote down the “The Immortals by the River”.

Liu Mang did not want to talk about the poem anymore or he would fall into a trap.

Jia Xu also decided not to pursue the subject as people would feel unwelcome from being exposed. The s.h.i.+p travelled quickly and Xinye quickly disappeared from view. They then reached a fork.