Xiliang Commandery was the former western section of Great Yu Pass.
The land was full of towering mountains and steep ridges, and its people were fierce and warlike. Armed clashes were common. To protect their own interests, the people began huddling together for warmth, giving rise to quite a few powerful forces.
The strongest among them were three great clans: the Duan Clan of Cloud and Mist Mountain, the Zhuo Clan of Carefree Mountain Manor, and the Wang Clan of White Sand River.
The members of each of these three forces shared a surname and were related by blood to some degree, so they were very united. Each controlled no fewer than ten thousand people and held sway over its own territory.
When they learned that Lin Yi had been appointed governor of Xiliang, they could no longer sit still.
Although Lin Rusong had previously controlled the region, he had generally left them alone. Aside from the twenty thousand Northern Liang Army troops stationed there, he had merely maintained stability within the city.
Normally, when they fought to the death, the Prince of Northern Liang's people paid no attention at all.
Now that the heir, Lin Yi, had become governor of Xiliang, things were different. It meant that Northern Liang intended to govern Xiliang Commandery.
That would inevitably mean taking action against some of the local forces.
To avoid being picked off one by one by Lin Yi, the three great clans discussed the matter and prepared to form an alliance to resist Northern Liang's invasion together.
"Manor Lord, have things really come to this?"
"Lin Yi is just a greenhorn. Surely it doesn't take so many of us joining forces to deal with him!" someone questioned.
His words immediately won the agreement of many others. He was only the heir of Northern Liang. Was there any need to act as though facing a great enemy and make such a fuss over nothing?
Zhuo Feifan glanced at the man, wishing he could slap him to death.
He sneered. "Do you know that the greenhorn you're talking about slaughtered more than thirty forces, large and small, in Northern Liang City until blood flowed like a river? He didn't even spare the barbarians' Heavenly Eagle Guard!"
The man was simply ignorant. Had he ever seen a greenhorn bathe Northern Liang Royal City in blood?
Had he ever seen a greenhorn kill people at the slightest disagreement and sweep away all the dark forces behind Northern Liang Royal City?
Was there any such greenhorn?
"What?"
Everyone's expression changed at those words. Damn it, the one coming wasn't a greenhorn at all, but a great devil who killed without batting an eye.
The heir of Northern Liang even dared to kill members of the Heavenly Eagle Guard. Dealing with people like them would probably be even less of a concern to him.
Everyone swallowed. They had realized how serious the problem was.
Hmph!
Seeing their fear, Zhuo Feifan sneered. Now they knew to be afraid.
To be honest, he too had thought little of Lin Yi at first, believing him to be nothing more than a good-for-nothing young master. Only after he arranged for people to investigate the heir of Northern Liang did his initial disdain turn to apprehension.
This heir was someone who dared to bathe even Northern Liang Royal City in blood. If they underestimated him, they wouldn't even know how they died.
Zhuo Feifan knew full well that, as one of the three great powers of Xiliang Commandery, he would be targeted sooner or later once the heir, Lin Yi, took office as governor.
Rather than wait and strike back from a position of weakness, he might as well make the first move.
Perhaps he could even use this opportunity to take the Zhuo Clan a step further.
Seeing that everyone now understood how terrifying Lin Yi was, Zhuo Feifan continued, "Everyone, the Prince of Northern Liang renamed this place Xiliang Commandery and even sent his own son here. What do you think he intends to do?"
"What's he going to do? He's just a governor. What the hell use is a governor?"
"Exactly. I've killed a few governors of Great Ning myself. They were all trash, and they barely had any men under them."
"This heir probably came here to gild his name."
The crowd thought little of it. It was only a governor's post; for an heir of Northern Liang, it was hardly out of line.
Zhuo Feifan sneered and said slowly, "Don't you think there's something a little odd about the names Northern Liang and Xiliang?"
Northern Liang!
Xiliang!
Those names didn't sound like one was subordinate to the other. They sounded equal.
"Holy shit, could the Prince of Northern Liang be planning to build a second Northern Liang here?" someone asked, his face full of horror.
What enormous ambition!
Everyone drew a sharp breath. If that were true, they couldn't afford to hope for the best.
How had Northern Liang come into being? It had been carved out through slaughter.
Among the crowd, Duan Yingxiong, head of the Duan Clan of Cloud and Mist Mountain, couldn't help frowning slightly.
It wasn't because of the heir Lin Yi, but because of Zhuo Feifan. This fellow was stirring up these forces to oppose Lin Yi, and probably had bad intentions of his own.
He had lived through the Northern Liang Rebellion and naturally knew the Prince of Northern Liang's temper. The prince rarely changed his mind halfway through something he had decided on. Since he had created Xiliang Commandery, he couldn't possibly abandon it halfway, which meant he was determined to swallow them up.
With the heir of Northern Liang being so forceful, he posed a great threat to their forces.
He knew full well that even though he was one of the three great clans, he was still not worth mentioning in the eyes of the Prince of Northern Liang.
Now he had only two paths before him: either submit to the heir Lin Yi or oppose him.
Naturally, he did not agree with the former. After all, he was used to living freely and couldn't tolerate someone shitting on his head, much less a greenhorn. That was even more unacceptable.
The latter was far more dangerous.
The one coming this time was the heir of Northern Liang, the Prince of Northern Liang's son, someone who dared to purge even Northern Liang Royal City. Oppose a man like that, and one careless move could cost a life.
He looked at Zhuo Feifan and frowned. "Manor Lord Zhuo, don't forget the Prince of Northern Liang. If we target the heir of Northern Liang and end up enraging him, have you considered the consequences? Even with all of us together, I'm afraid we wouldn't be enough for the Prince of Northern Liang to kill."
His words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly bringing some of them back to their senses. Opposing the Prince of Northern Liang did seem rather dangerous.
Zhuo Feifan, seated in the place of honor, glanced at Duan Yingxiong, a trace of killing intent flashing through his eyes. This fellow had actually come out to stir up trouble at a critical moment.
He said in a grave voice, "There's no need to worry about that. We received word that after the Prince of Northern Liang handed the territory over to his son, the twenty thousand troops who were here withdrew. Now only an old man remains."
"As for Lin Yi, he's still on the road. I've already sent people to investigate. He brought only a little over a thousand men this time, so he can't do anything to us."
He knew full well that if he were facing the Prince of Northern Liang, he wouldn't have the slightest chance.
But if it was only the heir, he still had a chance.
"Is that true?"
At those words, everyone's eyes lit up. If that was really the case, things would be much easier to handle.
So what if the heir was a murderous devil? He had only a little over a thousand men and couldn't do anything to them.
"Absolutely true. How could it be false?"
Zhuo Feifan sneered. How could he have been so certain if he hadn't investigated? This was a matter of life and death.
He explained, "But although the Prince of Northern Liang's men have left, they haven't gone far. They've set up camp on the edge of Xiliang Commandery. If I'm not mistaken, Lin Rusong wants to temper his son."