Chapter 562: In the Same Boat

Situ Yao remained silent, considering Niu Youdao's argument.

Li Wuhua, however, had been persuaded.

He looked at his Sect Leader and seemed to want to speak. When Situ Yao still gave no answer, he finally could not hold back and pleaded, “What he says makes sense. It gives us one more chance to save mother and son. Sect Leader, do as he says. I'm begging you!”

Situ Yao's eyes snapped up. “Fool!”

“Sect Leader, for the sake of all these years as senior and junior brothers...”

“You still dare talk?” Situ Yao shouted. “Men!”

Several people came over immediately.

Situ Yao pointed at Li Wuhua. “Take him away and keep him under guard. Without my permission, no one is to release him!”

“Senior Brother!” Li Wuhua was shocked.

Before he could say anything more, someone behind him struck unexpectedly and restrained him. Two men dragged him away on the spot.

Niu Youdao watched with a frown.

Situ Yao glared after Li Wuhua, furious enough that his face had gone black.

He was not rejecting Niu Youdao's suggestion.

What enraged him was Li Wuhua's attitude.

Li Wuhua had become so frantic that private feelings had overwhelmed the sect's interests. He had begun spouting reckless nonsense.

Was that how such words could be spoken?

Could certain things truly be said in front of everyone?

Some matters could be done but never spoken aloud.

Even if Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion decided to announce the news, even if the announcement caused disorder in Jinzhou, the decision would be made for the interests of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion.

It would not be done merely to save Li Wuhua's wife and son.

Nor would it be done because of the private bond between senior and junior brothers.

If the decision failed and destroyed Jinzhou, was Situ Yao supposed to step forward afterward and accept responsibility for making a selfish decision?

If Jinzhou were lost because of personal feelings, could he, the Sect Leader, bear responsibility for something so enormous?

Apart from resigning in disgrace, there would be no other choice.

There was no decision based on private emotion here.

Every decision being made now was for the sect.

No private feelings were mixed into it at all.

Li Wuhua's mouth had run wild. His head was practically filled with water.

In his present emotional state, Situ Yao no longer dared leave him outside.

If Li Wuhua lost control, no one knew what trouble he might cause.

For now, he had to be restrained.

Just then, an Elder who had been inside treating the patients came out and reported, “Sect Leader, the situation is bad. We have never seen symptoms like these and have no idea where to begin.”

“If this continues, then even with all of us doing everything possible to prolong their lives, the Grand Princess probably cannot last a month. The child has ten days at most.”

Niu Youdao's ten fingers shifted faintly on the hilt of his sword.

The conclusion was almost identical to what he had heard from Li Wuhua.

Situ Yao calmed down.

He first put himself in Niu Youdao's position and thought through the matter carefully.

After considering it, he concluded that Niu Youdao should have no reason to harm them.

Niu Youdao should not want Jinzhou to fall either, since that would be harmful to Nanzhou.

Only after reaching that judgment did Situ Yao make his final decision.

He turned to an Elder beside him.

“Brother Niu is right. We cannot let the imperial court lead us by the nose.”

“We must disrupt the tempo of their move. Retreat in order to advance. Expose the instability inside first, and use the time to win internal unity for ourselves.”

“Send word immediately to all the major cultivation marketplaces. Do exactly as Brother Niu said.”

“Go now. No delay!”

They genuinely could not afford delay.

Hai Ruyue's body could not last much longer.

Even after the announcement spread, no one knew whether Ghost Doctor would hear it.

Even if he heard and chose to come, no one knew where he was or how much time the journey would take.

That was exactly why Niu Youdao wanted several lines of effort moving at once.

They had to race against time.

“Yes!” An Elder accepted the order and departed.

The arrangement was made.

Whether Ghost Doctor could actually be found was now partly a matter of fate.

Still, they had to fight for whatever possibility remained.

Situ Yao's expression softened. He turned to Niu Youdao.

“Our two sides are allies. Jinzhou is in trouble. Surely Nanzhou will not stand by and watch?”

Niu Youdao replied, “I'm already here, aren't I?”

Situ Yao shook his head. “When great armies clash across mountains and fields, they roll forward like a flood.”

“Can you split Heaven and Earth apart? Can you move mountains and overturn seas?”

“This is not something your personal arrival can stop.”

“What I mean is this: how many troops can Nanzhou mobilize to help me?”

Niu Youdao did not answer the question.

Instead, he abruptly threw out a sentence.

“Shang Jianxiong intends to move against Nanzhou!”

Several senior figures of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion nearby were startled.

Did that not mean Nanzhou would be too occupied with its own crisis to send reinforcements?

Situ Yao reacted quickly.

Realization seemed to dawn.

He narrowed his eyes. “You mean Hai Wuji is moving against Jinzhou while Shang Jianxiong moves against Nanzhou. The two sides planned this in advance and are acting together?”

Niu Youdao nodded. “Nine chances out of ten.”

“At first, I only thought Shang Jianxiong intended to move against Nanzhou.”

“One reason I came here was precisely to discuss borrowing troops as a precaution.”

“If matters reached the point where we absolutely had to clash head-on, I hoped your side would send men to support us.”

“Who could have expected this affair to happen at the same time?”

“The trouble facing Nanzhou and Jinzhou probably isn't isolated. The timing is too exact.”

“Shang Jianxiong and Hai Wuji have likely communicated in secret and agreed to pin down one side each, preventing us from joining forces. That saves both of them trouble while allowing each to take what he wants.”

“Sect Leader Situ, people like us from the cultivation world have to admit something.”

“When it comes to playing games on this scale, compared with men who have spent their entire lives immersed in statecraft, our reactions are still a little slow.”

Situ Yao's expression grew grave. “If both states move at once, you and I are in trouble.”

The disparity in strength was too great.

If two states cast aside all reservations and insisted on destroying them, there was no way Jinzhou and Nanzhou could withstand that head-on.

“Sect Leader Situ, may I speak with you privately?” Niu Youdao extended one hand in invitation.

At a time like this, there was no need for false ceremony.

Situ Yao followed him to one side.

The two entered a nearby pavilion together.

The people of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion exchanged glances.

Once inside the pavilion, Situ Yao tilted his head toward the men outside.

“What matter requires avoiding my fellow sect members?”

“It isn't that I need to avoid them,” Niu Youdao replied. “The stakes are simply too high to risk word leaking out.”

“This is your territory, and there is something I need Sect Leader Situ's help with.”

“From what I know, both Yan's envoy and Song's envoy have arrived here.”

“I want the two sides to have a conflict.”

His voice dropped.

He leaned closer to Situ Yao and murmured for a while beside his ear.

Situ Yao looked puzzled. “What are you trying to do?”

“Sect Leader Situ need not ask. Just wait and watch the result.”

“You want me to help you without explaining what I'm helping you do?”

“It's only a matter of provoking a small clash between them. Stir things up, then withdraw.”

“It won't require much effort from Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion, and it won't bring any real trouble down on you.”

“But I still want to know the details. I cannot help you blindly with something like this.”

“There are parts of the matter that affect me personally too deeply. I cannot explain everything to Sect Leader Situ.”

“But let me remind you of one thing.”

“I've thought carefully about Jinzhou's situation.”

“I hear Qi and Wei are both reinforcing their borders with Jin. Han is confronting Yan as well. On top of that, Yan intends to move against Nanzhou.”

“With Zhao's surrounding states all tied down, that is probably the true reason Hai Wuji dares act recklessly.”

“So Jinzhou cannot avoid this calamity. Hai Wuji will inevitably send troops to attack.”

“Only if Nanzhou's crisis is resolved can Nanzhou free its hands and mobilize troops into Zhao's territory to help Jinzhou break the siege!”

Situ Yao's eyes flickered.

He seemed to have guessed something.

“You want to drag Song into the matter and make it pressure Yan?”

Niu Youdao stretched out one hand in the air and traced the positions of the four eastern states.

“Han above, Yan below, Zhao to the west, Song to the east.”

“Beizhou is confronting Han. Yet Shang Jianxiong still intends to ignore everything else and move against Nanzhou. That shows he has already made up his mind.”

“So once the situation changes, we must give Song an excuse it cannot resist using to send troops!”

“If Song and Yan begin quarreling, and Yan then uses troops against Nanzhou while Zhao moves against Jinzhou, Han will lose Zhao's restraint.”

“The confrontation at Beizhou may stop being a performance and become real.”

“I won't even ask whether Han would join hands with Song to attack.”

“So long as Han sees an opening and strikes Yan amid the disorder, with such a fine excuse already in hand, could Song resist entering the field to claim a share?”

“Yan can still collide head-on with Han alone.”

“But if Han and Song attack at the same time, Yan could face the danger of national collapse.”

“Shang Jianxiong cannot bear consequences that serious!”

“Forget whether Shang Jianxiong himself would still dare attack Nanzhou. Yan's three great sects would be the first to jump out and forcefully stop him.”

“So long as Shang Jianxiong no longer dares move against Nanzhou, Nanzhou can calmly mobilize troops and rush to Jinzhou's aid.”

“Once Nanzhou's troops arrive and reinforcements strike, Jinzhou's morale will stabilize.”

“Facing the combined strength of two provinces, Hai Wuji will have to think carefully about the consequences of this war.”

“If he becomes bogged down in battle, then with Yan and Song already drawn swords against each other, Han may be able to free itself calmly and enter Zhao to snatch benefits.”

“Zhao may currently face no external restraint, but it likewise has no help from any other state.”

“Under those circumstances, Hai Wuji probably will not dare move against Jinzhou rashly.”

“And the crisis will resolve itself.”

Excitement immediately appeared on Situ Yao's face.

He could not help punching one fist into his opposite palm.

“Good!”

He swept his sleeves behind his back and paced back and forth for a while.

If this plan worked, then even if Hai Ruyue and her son could not be saved, Jinzhou itself might still be preserved.

That would give Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion time to reorganize Jinzhou calmly.

The people outside could all see their Sect Leader's excitement.

They exchanged puzzled looks.

“No wonder Brother Niu could kick Tianyu Sect out of Nanzhou.” Situ Yao could not resist patting Niu Youdao on the shoulder. “This is an excellent plan! Only...”

His excitement suddenly tightened again.

He asked suspiciously, “Can merely provoking a small clash really give Song an excuse it cannot resist using to send troops?”

Niu Youdao pressed one hand downward.

“Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion has too many people and too many mouths. Not one word of this can leak.”

“Sect Leader Situ must choose someone absolutely reliable to handle it.”

“For secrecy, I'll take care of everything after the initial provocation myself. Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion will not need to worry about the rest.”

“Good.” Situ Yao grabbed Niu Youdao by the wrist with unusual warmth. “This time, you and I are in the same boat. We must pull together and cross this calamity.”

The two remained in the pavilion for a long time, murmuring and discussing the details.

...

Liufang Guesthouse.

The night was quiet, but the people were not.

Envoys from the various states had arrived, and it was perfectly normal for them to visit one another.

Yan's envoy, Gao Shaoming, led a group of men to the courtyard where Zhao Sen was staying.

A guard went inside to announce them.

Gao Shaoming and the others waited outside.

The previous Yan envoy had been killed.

After the quarrel between Yan and Zhao finally subsided, Gao Shaoming came to Zhao to take over the position of Yan's envoy.

He was no stranger to Zhao.

He had originally served in Yan's Intelligence Directorate and had spent years hiding inside Zhao under the identity of the merchant Quan Shaokang.

When Yan had pursued Niu Youdao in the past, Gao Shaoming had once crossed moves with him from a distance.

After a failure that caused Yan's Intelligence Directorate to suffer enormous losses, he had been recalled to Yan.

The fact that he was now sent back to Zhao as an envoy had much to do with how familiar he was with the state.

[End of Chapter 562]