After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 939 - 924: Defection

Before Liu Kun could figure it out, Shi Le took advantage of the uproar in Jinyang due to the mass grave incident, while everyone’s attention was focused on the human trafficking case, to quietly slip away with his men.

When Liu Kun heard the news, his eyes widened in shock, feeling as if thunder rumbled over his head. He quickly reacted, shouting, "Hurry, quickly send troops to pursue! We must intercept the Shi Army, and if they refuse to return, kill them without mercy!"

Zhao Hanzhang stepped in just in time to hear this. She paused, pushed open the door, and asked, "How many troops does Yue Shi plan to send to chase them? What if we encounter an ambush?"

Seeing her, Liu Kun asked urgently, "Are we just going to let him defect like this? Hanzhang, Shi Le is a fierce hero, with tens of thousands of troops!"

Zhao Hanzhang responded, "Of his tens of thousands of troops, ten thousand are under my control."

Her face darkened, "But you’re right, we can’t let him leave like this. Send someone to chase him and persuade him to return; we can sit down and discuss things slowly if needed."

Liu Kun asked, "What if he refuses to listen?"

Zhao Hanzhang replied coldly, "His mother, wife, and children are still in my hands."

But Liu Kun thought about it, Shi Le is not someone who would compromise for his family. As for his mother, they had been separated for years; after finding her and sending her back, Shi Le only returned a token of appreciation, and they even quarreled later on—he didn’t show any leniency for the sake of gratitude.

As for his wife and children, he’s still quite young and wouldn’t care for them if he doesn’t care for his mother; he could simply marry and have more children again.

Liu Kun hesitated.

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him sincerely and said, "Brother, if you have something to say, speak freely."

Liu Kun said, "Hanzhang should treat Shi Le generously!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang’s face was full of regret, "Too late for regret."

Liu Kun bit his lip and said to her, "You must make decisive decisions; if you can’t persuade him to return, then you should kill him."

He said, "He defected from the Xiongnu. Liu Cong is narrow-minded, and he definitely wouldn’t dare return to the Xiongnu. Nowadays, unless he establishes himself, his only option is to rely on Wang Jun."

Liu Kun lamented, "If Wang Jun gains Shi Le, it would be like adding wings to a tiger, today’s predicament would be resolved."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, immediately sending Zeng Yue to chase after them, also taking Ming Yu along to persuade Shi Le to return.

Liu Kun wanted to send more troops, but Zhao Hanzhang gently refused, believing the timing wasn’t yet right, "If Shi Le is just having a quarrel with me and such a large number of people pursue him, what if he misunderstands and really runs away?"

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Also fear a road ambush, suffering heavy losses."

Liu Kun’s questioning was stifled by this statement, intuitively sensing something was off; given Shi Le’s ferocious nature, shouldn’t they seize the opportunity to kill him as he fled hastily?

Otherwise, if left to grow, he would become a great scourge.

Hmph, they’ll say he doesn’t know how to fight, but it’s clearly she’s being overly cautious and doesn’t know how to fight.

Once Zhao Hanzhang left, Liu Kun immediately summoned Linghu Sheng, ordering him to send twenty thousand troops to pursue Shi Le, "Take the small path and catch him before the Zhao Family Army does—if Shi Le refuses to surrender and turn back, kill him immediately."

He wanted Zhao Hanzhang to see whether he was really incapable.

Linghu Sheng, upon hearing this, rushed to persuade, "Shi Le dared to escape; surely he has made foolproof preparations. He took not only elite soldiers of the Shi Army but also Zhang Bin, who excels in strategy. If they set up ambushes along the way, we would fall into traps as soon as we pursue."

He added, "Their troops are few but elite; if pursued to despair, confronting in desperation under sorrowful circumstances, we risk a major defeat."

Liu Kun was displeased, "Before the battle, you speak of defeat, crushing morale this way, if you don’t lose, who does?"

He said, "In my opinion, they fled in panic; now is the time to chase, pursuit guarantees victory! Commanders need confidence, soldiers will have morale, achieving twice the effect with half the effort!"

Linghu Sheng knew very well, but they weren’t at the front, it was their private meeting—they had to consider various scenarios.

If they were facing battle, he would definitely exude confidence before the soldiers, telling them they would win.

Moreover, Shi Le’s escape seemed peculiar; he took fifty thousand troops, even though they camped outside the city, with so many people, it’s impossible to leave silently.

With Zhao Hanzhang’s abilities, she would have to be utterly dazed to be clueless.

Besides, Shi Le’s desertion—what’s the point of chasing from behind? They should focus on intercepting from the front.

Although he didn’t know Beigong Chun, Zu Ti, and the remaining Zhao Family Army’s specific positions at the moment, they were certainly to the east and north of Jinyang; a little maneuvering could block Shi Le’s path without much effort?

But he hadn’t seen any orders for the Zhao Family Army to march out of the city today; Zhao Hanzhang’s dispatched pursuers appeared assertive, most were newly recruited soldiers from Jinyang—never mind defeating Shi Le’s elite; facing his Jinyang Army directly, they lacked substantial chances. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

In Linghu Sheng’s view, this seemed more like child’s play or just a performance.

Yet he lacked evidence, so dared not speak.

Linghu Sheng silently glanced at Liu Kun, thinking intelligent, well-educated aristocratic children should see through things he, with his common sense, understood.

But reality can defy expectations; who’s to say this isn’t madness?

Most importantly, Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t his master.

In Linghu Sheng’s eyes, Liu Kun was the lord; they were allies with Zhao Hanzhang, her dealings with Shi Le were internal affairs—they could watch and discreetly offer opinions but any more involvement would be excessive.

But Liu Kun had a different mindset.

As a Jin Minister, Zhao Hanzhang was also a Jin Minister, Shi Le’s fate affected Great Jin’s safety; he had to intervene.

Seeing Linghu Sheng’s reluctance to deploy troops and constant evasion, Liu Kun became furious, simply grabbing the sword hanging on the wall, and decided to lead troops in pursuit himself.

After all the effort to pacify Shi Le, how could he let him escape?

Unable to stop him, Linghu Sheng worried as well, rushing off to find Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang had just finished secretly instructing Zeng Yue on how to make the chase appear urgent without actually catching them; and during close combat, triggering intense fighting without risking each other’s lives...

At the moment, she was parched, drinking water; upon hearing Liu Kun enthusiastically went to pursue Shi Le personally, she couldn’t sit idly and immediately got up to go after him.

This was causing her trouble!

Really wanted to bundle him to Jiangnan to trouble King Langya.

Zhao Hanzhang rode swiftly, catching up with Liu Kun twenty miles outside the city, and had a fierce quarrel before bringing him back.

Zhao Kuan stood silently at the Inspector Mansion’s gate, seeing them dismount with anger. He stepped forward and asked, "Master, how should we handle the prisoners involved in the human trafficking case?"

Zhao Hanzhang replied irritably, "Handle them according to the law! Do I have to teach you this?"

Zhao Kuan bowed his head and said, "Twenty-three families are willing to pay for their sins."

Zhao Hanzhang upon hearing this grew furious, "Weren’t their properties confiscated? Where did they get the money?"

Zhao Kuan said, "Gathered by relatives and friends, Master, here’s the redemption list."