Zhu Ziwu, the Military Commissioner of the Huaixi Army, watched the arrival of the Xiangfan Army and mistakenly assumed they had come to exact revenge on him. To his utter astonishment, however, the Xiangfan Army's sole purpose was to procure grain.
Overwhelmed by shock, Zhu Ziwu could not help feeling a flicker of bewilderment. He had fully expected the Xiangfan Army to plunder his supplies; after all, his own provisions had been seized by force, and he had never imagined anyone buying grain with hard currency—surely Li Sheng operated the same way. Yet here they were, acquiring provisions through peaceful means. Zhu Ziwu had originally intended to thwart Li Sheng, but this grain procurement forced him to reconsider his plans. He decided to wait until the Xiangfan Army finished purchasing grain before taking any action. Plundering local grain merchants would cause far too much fallout, and since his army needed to survive in the region, he could not afford to go too far. If he drove everyone away, he would have no way to survive either.
Zhu Ziwu began mapping out his next move. He resolved to intercept the grain the Xiangfan Army had purchased; this way, he would avoid disrupting the locals' lives or causing a major uproar. Striking at the Xiangfan Army would entail zero pressure, he figured, since they were offering no armed resistance. Yet Zhu Ziwu failed to realize that the Xiangfan Army was also maintaining a high level of vigilance against him, knowing full well they w…
Chapter 62