Chapter 14

Liang Xiao was drenched in sweat, yet he had to admit that Tuniu'er's words made sense.

Before the Rebellion of Wu and Chu, Guangling belonged to the State of Wu, ruled by King Liu Bi for forty years.

The State of Wu had mountains and seas. Liu Bi produced salt from the sea and minted coins from the mountains, exempting the people from taxes. Even the task of guarding the capital was paid for by Liu Bi. Of course, Liu Bi did not have good intentions, but for the people of Wu, those decades were indeed the best times. Even against the backdrop of the prosperous reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, the people of Wu still lived well.

Liu Bi died, branded as a traitor of the Han Empire, his name disgraced for millennia. But for the former people of Wu, those were rare good times.

The common people did not understand grand principles; they only cared about their own interests. Liu Bi made their lives better, so they remembered him fondly. Whether Liu Bi was a loyal minister or a traitor had nothing to do with them. Besides, they were subjects of Wu, and the Han Dynasty in Chang'an was far away.

Even now, with Liu Bi's bones nearly decayed, his reputation among the people remains good. In folk worship, King Wu is one of the deities, receiving incense from the former people of Wu. This is almost a semi-public secret. On the spirit tablet that Grandma Chu used to summon Liang Xiao's soul, there was a place for King Wu. In comparison, Tuniu'er's sigh was quite normal, while Liang Xiao's reaction as a穿越者 (time traveler) seemed a bit off.

Liang Xiao knew he had not fully integrated into the original Liang Xiao's mindset. If he continued, he might slip up. He quickly changed the subject and discussed the plan to gather military intelligence with Tuniu'er.

Upon hearing that Liang Xiao intended to use military tactics against Hu Lai, even employing spies, Tuniu'er was overjoyed, scratching his head and ears. Without Liang Xiao even asking, he volunteered to be a spy and was determined to be a double agent.

"Xiao, I think the best way is to use a double agent. We pretend to have a falling out, then I go to see Hu Lai and find out everything he's thinking. Then, I'll slip him some drugs to make him weak, and you can win without a fight."

"You as a spy?" Liang Xiao sized up Tuniu'er and shook his head repeatedly. Even if the prisoner Huan Jun hadn't told him that spies need to be clever, he still thought Tuniu'er was unsuitable. This big mouth was not the material for a spy.

"Do you look down on me?" Tuniu'er became anxious, grabbing Liang Xiao's arm, threatening to end their friendship if he didn't agree.

"I don't look down on you," Liang Xiao changed his tone. "I have a more important task for you. Only you can do this, no one else."

"Oh, really?" Tuniu'er's anger turned to joy. "What important task?"

"Since it's a military campaign, we need to survey the terrain. How can we deploy troops without understanding the terrain?"

"Right, right." Tuniu'er's face lit up with excitement. "Xiao, this prisoner is quite skilled. He must have been a military leader before, right?"

Liang Xiao smiled but said nothing.

...

Jinkui Mountain had a grand name, but it was actually just a large hill with no particularly dangerous terrain. Apart from scattered tombs, there were only some miscellaneous trees.

The Han people believed in treating the dead as they would the living, favoring lavish burials, which also led to a widespread tomb-raiding culture among the people.

Tomb raiding, aside from a few cases of revenge, was mostly for profit. The rich treasures in the tombs constantly tempted the poor on the brink of bankruptcy, even including some well-off individuals who wanted to strike it rich.

Liang Xiao himself often engaged in tomb raiding. It was during one such raid that he was hit by a brick and died.

Returning to the scene, especially standing in front of the newly dug tomb entrance, Liang Xiao sighed deeply. It was here that his soul traveled through two thousand years, transforming into a mischievous young boy in the Western Han era.

"Xiao, Hu Lai was hiding there." Tuniu'er pointed to a nearby tomb and then to the adjacent grass. "I found your crossbow here. He hit you from behind, so you should ambush him here. Shoot him with one arrow and throw him into the tomb to bury him."

Liang Xiao dismissed Tuniu'er's suggestion. It sounded easy to kill Hu Lai, but getting away wouldn't be so simple. Not to mention that Hu Lai would definitely bring many followers, even if he came alone, killing him would lead to the Hu family's investigation.

The authorities might not care, but the Hu family definitely wouldn't let it go. He would be on the run.

To take revenge, he needed a different approach, not such a simple and brutal method. An eye for an eye was not impossible, but it depended on whose life was at stake. A mere Hu Lai couldn't be compared to him.

Liang Xiao carefully recalled what the prisoner Huan Jun had told him, examining the surrounding terrain to find a place that would be advantageous to him and disadvantageous to Hu Lai.

He walked around and returned to his original position.

This was a good spot, surrounded by three tombs about ten steps apart. Two wild mulberry trees, with branches crisscrossing, one of which was over two zhang tall, with rough bark. About a zhang above the ground, a thick branch extended diagonally, pointing directly to the vast river.

Liang Xiao looked at the terrain, took a few steps back, and then ran forward, stepping on a tomb, leaping up, and grabbing the branch. He swung a few times, climbed up, and looked around, holding onto the tree trunk.

"Right here," Liang Xiao said with satisfaction. "Niu'er, we'll wait for Hu Lai here tomorrow."

"Here?" Tuniu'er looked up for a while. "This isn't high enough to kill someone by falling."

"Falling won't kill, but I'm sure I can win," Liang Xiao knew he couldn't reason with the violent killer Tuniu'er, so he said straightforwardly, "Niu'er, come up and see. Looking from below and looking from above are different."

"So what's the difference?" Tuniu'er dismissed it, hugging the tree and climbing up like a bear. Once he stood on the diagonal branch and looked down, he couldn't help but smack his lips. "Xiao, it does seem different."

Liang Xiao smiled smugly. Everyone has a degree of acrophobia, and the first time standing at a height, there is a sense of dizziness, let alone fighting. He was used to climbing tall buildings, and his adaptation to height was far beyond what people of this era could compare. Fighting on the tree trunk would allow him to fully leverage his advantages and put Hu Lai at a disadvantage.

Wrestling requires a stable base. If he couldn't even stand steadily, how could he exert his wrestling skills?

Liang Xiao, holding onto the tree trunk, looked around smugly. Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure.

A hundred steps away, at an old tomb, two people stood side by side. One of them was hunched, leaning on a cane and covering his face, seemingly crying.

Tuniu'er also saw it and was surprised. "Hey, isn't that the prisoner who lives at your place?"

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