Pu Yang was beaten so hard that he screamed and groaned, but none of the leaders tried to persuade him and they all left in silence.
Pu Hu was furious, and he also realized that Liu Qi had done it on purpose. Pu Yang was captured but returned safely, while other tribes suffered heavy casualties. This proved the rumors, and he couldn't explain it even if he had a lot of words.
He sat alone for a while, racking his brains for a solution, so he had to ask Yuan Yue to come and discuss the matter. With a powerful enemy at hand and suspicion of each other still mounting, they might not be able to hold on to Mengtouyan, let alone take Hanzhong.
Yuan Yue knew that all tribes were dissatisfied with the King of Ba, so he said, "Wang Ping has also been released. Why not ask Xiong Hou to bring him here for questioning? As long as the two kings are united in facing the outside world, Liu Qi will never set foot in Ba County."
Although the Seven Clans did not have to pay taxes and the King of Ba was even more high-ranking, the Marquis of Xiongyi nominally managed all the Ba people, and the two actually had equal status.
Soon Du Fu brought Wang Ping to the tent and asked about his capture. Wang Ping remained silent. He was tied up in the rear camp and could not testify for Pu Yang.
Wang Ping thought for a moment and said, "Although I have not met Liu Qi, someone brought me wine and meat and asked me if I was from the Gong clan. When they saw that I was just an ordinary attendant, they turned around and left."
"Oh?" Pu Hu's eyes were slightly stern. "Why should they treat the soldiers of Gong's army well?"
"Could it be that Prince Gong..." Yuan Yue's face changed slightly, and then he shook his head and said, "Prince Gong has confessed the truth after returning. He will definitely not surrender to Liu Qi. Are they still waiting for news?"
Du Fu observed the expressions of the two and suddenly said, "Could it be that they are deliberately being mysterious and doing the opposite?"
Pu Hu asked in confusion: "What do you mean?"
Du Fuyan said: "This time the prince was captured, but he was released for no reason. I think Liu Qi deliberately made everyone suspect that the Prince of Ba was related to him."
"That's right!" Pu Hu was deeply moved to see that Du Wei actually believed him. He nodded and said, "This is Liu Qi's strategy to alienate us. If we really have contact, wouldn't that be a confession?"
Du Fu frowned and said, "If this is true, then I'm afraid we can't trust everything Prince Gong said when he came back last time."
Pu Hu's face changed drastically. He was certain that his son had been cheated. So what Gong Xi said became intriguing.
Yuan Yue said slowly: "Since King Gong came back, rumors have spread all over Guanzhong, causing suspicion among the tribes and panic among the soldiers. He wants to muddy the waters!"
Pu Hu was furious, slammed the table and shouted: "Gong Xi, this bastard, dared to plot against me? I will arrest him and interrogate him now."
"No!" Du Fu advised, "People are uneasy right now. We must not alert the enemy. Once we capture King Gong, the other tribes will think that the king is going to take action. Wouldn't that throw them off balance?"
Yuan Yue took a deep look at Du Fu and said with emotion: "The Qiang tribe has always been dissatisfied with the Seven Surnames Tribe, but the Qiang King did not add insult to injury at this time. He is worthy of being the leader of the Ba people."
Du Fu sighed, "Although the Seven Clans have gone too far in some places, we are a family after all. We should unite to face the outside world instead of killing each other."
"King of the Xiong!" Pu Hu stood up and bowed to Du Fu. "Today I finally understand what a true king's heart is. When I return to the tribe, I will ask the seven tribes to give half of their land to the Xiong tribe. From now on, regardless of status, we will share honor and disgrace together."
Du Fu hurriedly helped Pu Hu up and said, "King of Ba, there is no need to do this. After all, the glory of us Ba people was earned by you."
Yuan Yue was overjoyed, grabbed the two men's arms and put them together, laughing: "The two kings are of one mind, and we are not afraid of four Liu Qis!"
The three of them put aside their years of estrangement and shared a common hatred for the enemy. They immediately felt much more relaxed. Pu Hu ordered people to prepare a banquet and discuss the next countermeasures.
Du Fu said: "The Seven Surnames have always looked down on us. This matter still needs the decision of King Ba. I promise that the other tribes will unite and face the outside world."
Pu Hu also knew that the seven tribe leaders had always looked down on Du Fu, and he really couldn't intervene in this matter, so he had to ask: "God's messenger, how can I unite the seven clans?"
Yuan Yue pondered and said, "I think the source of this disaster is still Prince Gong. Your Majesty should be more cautious and send people to monitor him secretly. The soldiers from Jingzhou have arrived at the pass. If Prince Gong really has second thoughts, he will definitely take action in the next few days. We can't wrongly accuse a good man."
Pu Hu nodded and said, "Okay, it should be Prince Gong who is patrolling these two days. I think we should replace him as soon as possible to avoid any accidents. Do you two have any good ideas?"
Yuan Yue said: "Today, the people inside the pass are uneasy. I have summoned all the leaders in the name of the Tiger God. If everyone can communicate openly, it can not only change the defense, but also stabilize the morale of the army. As for the hard work of patrolling, it will be handed over to the Qiang tribe as usual!"
"This is a brilliant plan!" Pu Hu was overjoyed. The greatest role of the witch god was to resolve conflicts between tribes with wisdom. Now he really needed Yuan Yue to come forward. He apologized to Du Fu again and said, "I have no choice but to inconvenience King Xiong again."
Du Fu smiled and said, "For the benefit of the Ba people, this little grievance is nothing. Besides, we have long been accustomed to it."
The three raised their glasses and laughed. Seeing that it was getting late, Yuan Yue summoned all the leaders to discuss matters, and Du Fu was sent out to patrol.
After leaving the barracks, Du Fu ordered someone to call Li Hu to lead his troops, and he and Wang Ping rushed to the critical point and asked in a low voice: "What should we do next?"
Wang Pingyan said, "When you meet Prince Gong, tell him you will be patrolling for him temporarily. If Gong Xi comes back later, you can follow his plan."
Du Fu nodded silently. When the two of them reached the critical moment, they pretended to be angry and scolded King Ba for being too bullying. The witch god summoned all the leaders to a meeting, but asked him to patrol, which was simply too much.
Today's incident has made Gong Xi suspicious of King Ba. If the rumors are true, he must find a way to unite with other tribes to protect himself as soon as possible.
The two kings have always been at odds with each other. To guard against King Ba, they naturally have to win over King Xiong, speak kindly to King Du Fu about safety, and let him guard the pass temporarily, and then replace him immediately after the parliament is over.
Du Fu was secretly delighted and immediately ordered his men to prepare. Li Hu patrolled the pass, while Wang Ping guarded the gate and lit a fire in a hidden place.
An hour later, Gong Xi came back as expected and comforted Du Fu, telling him not to be angry, saying that the witch god only said some irrelevant words about the value of peace. He then worshipped the tiger god and called on all tribes to work together, saying that he was tired of hearing that.
Du Fu was about to leave when he pointed outside the pass and said, "Prince Gong, look, there seems to be a fire there."
Gong Xi turned his head and looked, and sure enough, he saw flickering fire on the distant hillside, as if sending a signal, and he was immediately filled with doubts.
Du Fu whispered, "Could it be that Liu Qi sent someone to contact the King of Ba?"
"Hiss—" Gong Xi took a breath and said in a deep voice: "Good Pu Hu, I said he sent people to catch croaker, why is there no news, it turns out that it was premeditated."
Du Fu said: "Why don't we pretend to be the King of Ba and go to the meeting place? As long as we get evidence, we can execute Pu Hu on the spot. I will nominate you as the new King of Ba!"
"Okay!" Gong Xi's heart was pounding. Du Fu and Pu Hu had always been at odds, so he had no doubts. "If I become the King of Ba, I will never let them oppress the Qiang tribe again."
The two of them went down to the pass together and asked Wang Ping to open the gate. Gong Xi led his men out quickly. Suddenly, they heard Du Fu shouting from behind: "Hurry up, Prince Gong has defected and left the pass!"
Gong Xi was shocked and turned around quickly, only to see the door slam shut and the sound of fighting coming from inside.