Ding Qirui led his troops out of Yinchuan City in a neat formation, armor clanking, banners fluttering as they advanced toward the rebels. He had only taken a few dozen steps when his eyes narrowed.
Ahead of him stood a lone figure.
The man wore the clothes of a wandering martial artist, his back facing the rebel army, his front facing Ding Qirui's forces alone. He stood there calmly, feet planted on the ground, as though he were merely taking a stroll on an empty plain.
This posture was so strange that it left everyone momentarily confused.
Was he protecting the city, or blocking the army?
Before Ding Qirui could fully process the situation, he saw the man lift one arm, point it directly toward his side, and calmly ignite a fuse.
The fuse hissed sharply as sparks danced along its length, clearly visible even from this distance.
Ding Qirui sucked in a breath. "That… that isn't a cannon, is it?"
His subordinates on either side immediately exclaimed, voices full of disbelief. "How is that possible? How could a cannon be mounted on a human arm? Even if such a thing existed, wouldn't firing it blow the person himself apart?"
Their words had barely fallen when a deafening boom shook the air.
The strange man had fired.
Ding Qirui jumped in alarm, and almost every soldier under his command flinched instinctively. Horses reared, grips tightened, and hearts thumped violently.
Then, farther ahead, another explosion erupted.
Boom.
The ground shook again.
It turned out that the cannonball fired by the strange man detonated a second time after landing.
Ding Qirui halted his steps abruptly.
Only then did he realize that the shot had been deliberately placed. It had not been aimed at his army at all. It was fired close, frighteningly close, but not lethal.
It was a warning.
If he continued to advance, the next shot would not be so restrained.
"What is this man trying to do?" Ding Qirui demanded, his brows furrowing.
At that moment, Wang Ji, the Governor of Yinchuan, rushed out from the city gate behind him, his voice loud and urgent. "Commissioner Ding, stop. That man is one of ours. Just two days ago, he single handedly persuaded the rebels to halt their siege."
Ding Qirui frowned deeply. "Hm? Then what is he doing now? What exactly is his intention?"
"I will go ask him," Wang Ji said quickly.
He hurried forward but dared not approach too closely. Instead, he stopped at a safe distance and shouted, "Young hero, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Li Daoxuan answered without hesitation, his voice steady and clear. "To protect these border troops."
A collective gasp erupted from both sides.
Even Wang Ji froze for a brief moment.
Zhao Bazong, who had been cursing Li Daoxuan moments earlier and calling him a liar, was also completely stunned.
Li Daoxuan lowered his left hand, which still emitted faint wisps of smoke. He first glanced back at the border soldiers behind him, then turned to face Wang Ji and Ding Qirui.
"Do not advance your soldiers," he said calmly. "If you take even one more step forward, do not blame me for firing a cannon directly into the middle of your formation."
Then he turned around again and addressed Zhao Bazong and the three thousand border troops behind him.
"You too. Stay where you are. Be patient and wait for another hour."
Zhao Bazong roared back angrily, "We waited two full days. Not only did the supplies not arrive, imperial troops showed up instead. You still expect us to wait?"
"The supplies are already on the way," Li Daoxuan replied evenly. "They will arrive within another hour."
Zhao Bazong sneered. "And why should I believe you again?"
Li Daoxuan looked at him calmly. "Whether you believe me or not makes no difference. You have no other choice. Otherwise, you will have to fight Ding Qirui right now."
Zhao Bazong laughed coldly. "With three thousand seasoned border troops under my command, why would I fear a mere Ding Qirui?"
Li Daoxuan sighed softly, his tone almost weary. "Do you truly believe all three thousand men are willing to rebel with you? All Ding Qirui needs to do is promise them 'no repercussions for followers', and most of them will drop their weapons immediately and stand aside to watch."
Zhao Bazong's face turned pale in an instant.
Behind him, the other six commanders froze at the same time.
Because they all knew he was right.
This was not speculation. This was reality.
Li Daoxuan was not bluffing them. In fact, he had already examined the historical outcome. In the original timeline, these seven men had indeed been captured and beheaded by Ding Qirui.
Li Daoxuan continued, his voice unhurried but mercilessly clear. "None of you truly want to rebel. If you did, would you have given me two whole days? You waited because all seven of you only want your overdue pay. Nothing more. Since that is the case, give me a little more time. You are also giving yourselves a chance."
Zhao Bazong and the others fell completely silent.
Li Daoxuan then turned his gaze toward Ding Qirui.
"Commissioner Ding," he said, "I spoke loudly just now. You heard everything, didn't you?"
Ding Qirui answered curtly, "I heard it."
"Good," Li Daoxuan replied. "Then you also know that these men are not true rebels. They only want the military pay owed to them. Their methods are extreme, yes, but if they were not extreme, would anyone at court ever listen to them?"
Ding Qirui said nothing.
High ranking officials often understood these truths all too well. Before matters escalated, nobody cared. Everyone simply pushed responsibility upward or sideways.
Who did not know about the overdue military pay?
Everyone knew.
Yet no one acted.
If not for the seven border garrisons rising together this time, Ding Qirui would never have been dispatched.
There was a reason the ancients said that a crying baby gets fed.
Ding Qirui understood all of this, but understanding did not mean he was willing to submit to a stranger.
His authority mattered. His prestige mattered even more.
How could he allow some inexplicable martial artist to undermine him in front of thousands of soldiers?
After a brief silence, Ding Qirui lifted his chin. "So you believe you can threaten this official?"
Li Daoxuan smiled faintly. "Oh? Putting on high official airs now?"
Ding Qirui sneered. "A cannon mounted on an arm is indeed novel. But it will not intimidate me. With a single order, thousands will charge at you. How many times can you fire? How many men can you kill?"
Li Daoxuan nodded thoughtfully. "That is a fair point."
Then he continued casually, "In that case, I will not use the cannon. Your soldiers are also unfortunate border troops. Their pay may well be overdue too. They are simply more obedient and less vocal. With one order from you, they would charge even if they did not want to. If I blasted them with a cannon, I would actually feel a little sorry for them."
As these words spread through the ranks, the expressions of the soldiers behind Ding Qirui grew strange.
Some clenched their jaws. Some lowered their eyes. Some looked as though they wanted to cry but could not.
Li Daoxuan then said calmly, "So instead, I will only deal with you."
With that, he lifted his foot and began walking toward Ding Qirui.
Ding Qirui blinked in disbelief. "Hm? He is coming alone?"
Wang Ji's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. He hurriedly warned, "Commissioner Ding, this man is extremely strong. Or rather, extremely strange. You must be careful."
Ding Qirui did not take it seriously.
A cannon was terrifying from a distance, but once close, how useful could it be?
If the man wanted to die, then so be it.
He raised his hand and gave the order. "Take him down."
It was just one man.
Only a few dozen personal guards stepped forward lazily. The thousands behind them did not even bother to move.
On the opposite side, Zhao Bazong's men grew visibly excited.
The memory of seven commanders failing to injure Li Daoxuan two days ago was still fresh in their minds.
All of them were thinking the same thing.
If this man could handle Ding Qirui as well, then everything he said before was true.
Thus, between two armies totaling six or seven thousand men, all eyes were fixed on Li Daoxuan as he walked forward step by step, drawing closer and closer to Ding Qirui.